The Cherry And The Strawberry (Bleach Fanfic)

Chapter Thirteen

A Week Later

It's be a little over a week since Cherī visited her the village she was born but ever since the feast a week ago Cherī has been sick, and has getting sicker and sicker. It didn't help that she kept it a secret from everybody. If someone managed to take notice she would brush them off and say it was nothing. Of course, it was getting harder and harder to hide the fact she was gravly ill. It was only a matter of time before her secret was out.

*~*

Cherī was walking around the Seireitei. She was the only one outside in the cold while everyone else was inside their barracks enjoying a hot beverages while doing their work.

'K-Ken... My insides are burning...'

'Idiot! You shouldn't be out in the cold!' Her Zanpakutō scolded her but she couldn't reply to her friend when she started to cough violently. Placing a hand over her mouth as she was leaning against a nearby wall. Once her coughing subsided she removed her hand to see blood dripping from her hand landing on the snow covered ground.

As she was starring at her bloody hand her eye site started to blur, clouding her vision. She didn't notice that she had fallen on her knees to her laying on the cold ground. All she could see was the wall and the snow that was stained red. Letting out a shacky breath she felt her organs starting to shut down, she was slowly dying..

'Ken, I'm sorry...'

'Don't be silly woman. You'll live, I'll make sure of that.'

'What are you going to do..?'

'Don't worry about what I'm going to do, kid. I've been slowing down the poison in your body all this time...'

"Thank you my friend..." Cherī smiled hearing her partners' chuckle.

'Don't go getting soft on me brat.'
Cherī laughed lightly but ended up coughing out more blood. Ken manifested himself appearing at his masters' side. Laying by her side nudging her hand with his nose she lifted her hand as he silently enjoyed the attention she was giving him. After awhile her eyes started to slowly close shut as her breathing started picking up. Ken stood up on his four legs as he loudly howled at the sky.

"I-I'm c-cold..." Cherī mumbled, she knew Ken's howling would get everyone's attention.

"I'm right here..." Ken laid his body over her sharing his warmth to keep her warm.

"Stay awake." He spoke when he saw her eyes started to close. Yelling could be heard around the barracks near by, Ken knew he had bring them to his master but he couldn't leaver her side afraid she might close her eyes.

"K-Ken... Help me up would you..." Cherī whispered to her yellow eyed companion who moved away from her as she started to get on her hands and knees.

"Don't you dare! Lay back down or you might really die you idiot woman!" Ken snapped growling at his idiot master who coughed up more blood but this time it was black in color.

"See! Move any more than you are right now you won't be able to go back to the human world! What about Ichigo and everybody else?!"

"Ichigo..."

"He would want you to keep your promise to return after a year. Your time here is almost up after all."

"Than get me to squad four right now-" Ken started getting more worried seeing that his dear master was throwing up blood. He rushed over to her side, Cherī grabbed onto his fur with a tight grip to keep herself on her feet looking in front of her to notice her vision begain to fade into black. She was blind now.

"K-Ken, I can't see anymore..." She held onto the wolf for dear life, scared for what might happen next. Ken didn't like this at all. It was his job to protect her in the first place. That was a Zanpakutō's duty. Too protect their Soul Reaper from harm.

"Ken..."

"I'm not leaving your side." He reassured her. She nodded taking a step forwards with Ken as her crutch, as they were walking the black furred wolf sent multiple clones of himself to squads 1, 4, 8, 10 and 13.

"Byakuya..?" Cherī mumbled feeling his reiatsu close by. Ken was relived to know he didn't have to waste time in sending a clone to the Kuchiki leader.

"Byakuya.." She choked out as she spit out blood. Ken howled when Cherī fell to her knees unable to move, Ken laid next to her so she could lean against him.

"Byakuya!" The noble man appeared sensing the distress in the green eyed woman's reiatsu that was near where he once was. Opon hearing his name he used Shunpo to get to wear he heard her call out.

"Kuchiki." He turned around see Cherī leaning against her manifested Zanpakutō. Walking closer to the duo he noticed a large amount of blood in the area- like a battle had been fought.

"Byakuya..." Cherī called out her hand reaching out in front of her, her eyes roamed in front of her. Byakuya eyes widen slightly seeing that the blood had been coming from Cherī herself, but that didn't put him on edge, it had been her eyes. The once beautiful green eyes that shined in the light were now a dull green. She was blind.

"Byakuya, where are you?" She was scared that much he could tell.

"I'm right here." He kneeled in front of her grabbed her outstretched hand causing her to jump at the sudden contact. She just started in front as she held onto his hand for dear life.

'How did she end up like this?' He thought as he starred at the woman in front of him.

"I'm dying. That much I can tell you."

"Get her to squad four right now, Unohana is waiting for her arrival." Byakuya carefully picked the frail woman in his arms before rushing towards squad four barracks.

Cherī eyes were open but couldn't see anything. She could still sence the reiatsu around her and she was glad for that. She felt Byakuya came to a stop, she noticed Unohara's reiatsu in the building along with a few others. She knew they finally arrived at the four division. As they went inside she heard many voices, some she couldn't place. They were all talking at once.

"Shunsui... Jūshirō... Grandfather... Where are you?" She raised her hand once again in front of her searching for the three men she called. Everyone was shocked. She couldn't see them. The three men had been standing in front of her at arms leangth once Byakuya walked inside carrying her. Cherī started choking on her own blood scaring everyone in the room.

"Get everything ready, we must operate right now." Cherī heard the urgency in Unohana's voice. The older woman knew the young girl must be in serious pain. Once the noble clan leader placed the woman on the stretcher she was quickly rushing into surgery.

'I won't die... I won't die like this... I made a promise and I'm going to keep it, damn it! I'll see Ichigo, mom, dad, Tessai and everyone else! I would only die protecting my friends and family! I won't die so easily!'

*~*

"-ow did the operation go, Captain Unohana?" Cherī heard a voice. She was groggy knowing that was from the affects of going under for surgery. Opening her eyes she saw nothing but darkness, she was still blind. She also noticed that a mask was placed over her mouth to help her breathing.

"The operation went well but I'm afraid whatever caused this has left her organs severely damaged, her Zanpakutō managed to slow it down from killing her. I also gave Captain Kurotsuchi a vile containing a sample of her blood to see what was in this poison."

"What about her blindness? Will her eyesight return as time passes?"

"I'm afraid not. She blindness is irreversible and she won't be able to have children. She will have to stay here in the barracks." Tears up ran down the side of her face hearing what the healer said. She could live with the blindness, that's okay, but not being able to have kids, a family of her own. It pained her very being.

"Cheri..." She felt a hand moving her bangs aside, she frowned shaking her head not liking the action. She wanted to be alone. A sigh was heard.

"We will come back later on to visit."

'Why...? Why me?'