Waterfall Eclipse

Grave of Her Brother

Chapter Fifty-Eight:

Grave of Her Brother

Rani, Fourth Seat Katayama, and everyone else waited patiently for any news. Rani stayed by the door to keep an eye out for any returning soldiers. It was then she saw the captain heading her way. She stayed put until he was in front of her, where he was silent when he stopped.

"Is everything all right, captain?" Rani asked puzzled.

"I need you to come to follow me to my office, please."

"Yes sir."

Rani obediently followed the captain to the office where Lieutenant Abarai was also waiting for her outside of the office.

"Miss Tómasu, we have bad news." The lieutenant started.

"Bad news?" She asked puzzled.

It was then the captain and lieutenant stepped inside to reveal Lily lying on the couch in the office badly hurt.

"LILY! Oh no! What happened?" She asked as she went over to her.

"The Hollow attack was in District 59." The captain said solemnly.

"59? Wait, where's my brother? Where's Yasuo?" Rani asked worried. There was no response. Her eyes got wide and started to water. "No." She said as she shook her head in disbelief. "No." She repeated.

Within a few seconds she was bolting out the door.

"TÓMASU!" The lieutenant yelled but was stopped by the captain.

"Let her go. We couldn't find him. It doesn't mean she can't."

"Captain, you and I both know he didn't survive. You said so yourself that you think you saw him get hit."

"I know. She needs to make her own closure."

~~District 59, North Rukongai~~

Rani made record time making it back to her home. She found the place in ruins. The hut that her brother and her lived in and helped newly arrived children was now flattened.

She was in shock at the sight that was before her. Everything was gone. There was nothing left on her street. She fell to her knees placing her face into the palm of her hands and started to cry.

After what seemed to be forever, she felt her captain's presence behind her. She wiped her eyes as she stood up. She took a deep breath in before speaking. She had so many questions to ask, but knew half of them could never be answered. So, she chose to ask certain ones.

"It was a cero that obliterated this place, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Were the Hollows defeated?"

"Yes."

"What are the chances of Yasuo surviving a cero like that?"

"I don't think anyone saw it coming. Lily is lucky to be alive. We believe your brother pushed her out of the way and saved her."

"Is it against the rules to treat her in the Gotei 13?"

"No. I would have brought her directly to Squad Four, but she regained consciousness and pleaded for you to see her first. She knows you were there, so now she has been placed under the care of Captain Unohana."

"Thank you, Captain Kuchiki." She said and then swallowed. "If you don't mind, I think I would like to be alone." Rani added sadly.

"All right. I will see you back at the barracks." He said and then left her there.

Rani eventually started to walk and see if she could find anything, or see anything, amongst the ruins of her street. She could see other people coming that were probably from a few streets away.

"Rani?" A man asked her from behind.

"Daisuke? Is that you?" She asked after turning around.

He smiled and pulled her into a hug.

"I can't find Lily. Or Yasuo. I've looked."

"It's okay. Lily will be fine. She's being treated by Captain Unohana of Squad Four at my captain's request."

"And your brother?"

"I don't know. I don't think he made it." She said sadly into his shoulder as she tightened her grip on him.

The two then let go and looked at each other.

"Where is your captain now?"

"Back at the squad."

"He left you here?"

"Only because I asked him to. After I saw Lily in his office, at her insistence, I bolted here. He followed, talked to me for a minute and then headed back after I told him I wanted to be alone."

"He's not a caring person is he? Most people would be worried."

"He is worried in his own way. I can't say he's never dealt with loss, but he hasn't dealt due to this reason. That, and I don't know if I can talk to him about this. I'll probably go see Kiyomi when I get back."

"Daisuke! We found something!" Someone called to him as a group of five pre-teens came over.

"Guys, this is Rani. Yasuo's older sister." Daisuke introduced.

"Miss Rani, we think we found him." A young girl stated. "Can you follow me?"

"Yes." She replied as she got up.

Rani followed the girl towards the 58th District wall. The girl led Rani through an alley way and to a pile of rubble. Rani noticed a body and approached slowly. She carefully stepped on the pile of concrete and wood to get on the other side to see the face. She gasped and then fell to her knees.

"Yasuo, no, Yasuo." She said as she gingerly touched his face and started to cry again. He was ice cold to the touch.

Rani sat there for ten minutes before carefully taking off some of the smaller pieces to free his body.

"Rani?"

"Daisuke, can you help me please?" She asked quietly.

He helped her free his body from the rubble that was on him.

"What are you going to do?"

"Bury him in the outskirts. I know the perfect place." She answered.

Rani lifted up her brother and shunpoed to the place where she had attempted to end her life. She started to dig a hole for a grave and finished thirty minutes later. She carefully laid him in and covered him back up. She found two twigs and tied them together to mark the grave and then sat there for a few more minutes crying before realizing Lieutenants Kuchiki and Abarai were there.

"How long have you been there?" She asked them as she wiped her tears from her face.

"Not long." Lieutenant Abarai replied as the two sat down on either side of Rani.

"Byakuya wanted us to come and see how you were doing. We have a message from Captain Unohana regarding Lily as well."

"Oh? Is she all right?"

"Yes. She told Captain Unohana that Yasuo pushed her out of the way and told her to run, and to find you if needed. But she will make a full recovery." Lieutenant Kuchiki answered and then put her arms around Rani to console her. "It'll be okay."