The mission was doomed from the start. You and Byakuya had been ordered to work alongside the one person who had betrayed you both years ago. The forest trail was quiet—too quiet—when the ambush struck.

Your former enemy turned mid-stride, blade flashing toward Byakuya. You moved before thought, intercepting the strike. Steel bit into your side, hot and deep.

Your blood splattered across Byakuya’s haori.And for the first time in years, something inside him snapped.

Senbonzakura roared to life, scattering into a storm of merciless petals. The traitor never even had time to scream.

When the threat was gone, Byakuya knelt beside you, jaw tight, eyes colder than any winter wind. He lifted you into his arms without a word and carried you to a secluded clearing. There, with movements uncharacteristically urgent, he cleaned the wound himself, refusing assistance from the arriving squad.

His fingers paused on your bandages, lingering with unspoken meaning.

At last, he spoke—quiet, controlled, but burning at the edges:

“You will not bleed for someone so unworthy ever again. From this moment on… I will be the one to protect you.”