Red Lilies

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

He had his mind set on helping, he trained for days hoping to be someone when times were hard. Fighting wasn't something he was shy about, he just... didn't express it anymore.

As a young child, he fought with his punches as much as he could, pushing back all those emotions into every opponent.

His reasons, however, are completely different from back then. He only cared about protecting his heart by jumping at others. As he grew older, idiots jumped at him in groups every time he neared a dark alleyway, wanting to take down "the biggest guy" they could find and prove themselves.

A sort of twisted pride he learned in the streets. Sado was no kid anymore, his pride evolved around doing the right thing.

Defend himself only if others start with the first blow.

Never cause too much unnecessary damage, just enough to prove a point.

Fight for those who are down.

So, he would always follow those teachings, teachings his grandfather would be proud of if he could see how much he has grown.

After promising never to use his fists for his own sake, Ichigo turned his way of thinking. His friendship with Ichigo only boosted his need to be stronger as new and unexpected foes threatened to hurt those he cared about.

One thing that never changes was his determination.

As he sprinted to find his friends inside the maze that is the Seireitei, he had to save up his energy. Avoiding most of the unnecessary punches by taking streets with less Soul Reapers and only taking them on with a single strike to give him the chance to continue... he did not imagine, in his wildest dreams, to find her.

Rage filled his soul as men, bigger than her and with weapons, taunted her as she was surrounded. It only took a few strikes; the shouts only boosted his confidence in his moves. He knew they wouldn't die, but maybe will stay down until he made sure she was safe and sound.

It wasn't the best situation to find out she could also see and feel those souls back in their world, it amazed him how much he had lost touch with all the changes around him. He had pushed her aside and not given her the opportunity to open up to him.

Not that he would have done much about it, he didn't even believe it himself when he battled that creature while saving Ichigo's little sister. She was able to see the monster and he was able to throw the punches.

If Sakura would have told him she saw hollows, ghost and even felt their energy... honestly, he would have had a hard time believing her and might have hurt her feelings at the time. That is what she must have thought.

Even he had a hard time dealing with the changes and didn't spoke about them until that talking cat helped him through it. Sado and Orihime had Urahara and Yoruichi for guidance and assurance (in their own weird way).

Sakura had no one.

As his eyes have now opened to the worlds around him, Sado found himself empathizing with the pinket as they talked about what's been going on.

She spoke about her experience always seeing more than the world showed him, feeling the energy and using it to keep the world safe, as her mother had taught her.

She used words that circled around his mind, the way you hear in old tales about shrines and priests when ghouls were normal talk amongst their culture.

Finally, she had confided in him, in this dark storage shed he found and locked the double doors to keep them safe during the night.

- "You've been training to come here?" - she asked, amazed. His arm turned back to normal, but she still stole some glances, wondering if the armour would appear again.