The young woman looked up from the darkness of her room, not used to the light after being in the darkness for God knows how long. Her long bangs blocked her eyes from the three figures walking towards her, their presence overwhelming the woman as they came closer. Stopping a few steps away from the young woman, the woman looked up to them from her bound and shackled position of the chair, her eyes adjusting to the light penetrating her room and hurting her eyes that were already accustomed to the dark. A tall figure blocked the light from her slumped form against the farthest back wall, and started speaking, making the woman flinch,

"Sakura Haruno, you are being summoned by the Captain Commander in the meeting hall in the First Division."

Sakura was slightly awed, not having been spoken too for so long. The seals bounding her to the wall and chair were suddenly being removed by the same person that spoke to her, making her give a muffled screech when the removal process of the countless seals on her person burned her. After a few more agonizing minutes, Sakura was panting slightly, her arms hanging limply from her slumped sitting position on the chair.

As soon as the shackles and seals were off, the two other people who accompanied the figure that spoke to her lifted her up by her arms. They made her stand up right but having not moved from her sitting position on her chair for ages, she lost the feel of her legs and crumpled to the floor, the side of her head hitting the concrete with a loud 'smack'. The two moved to help her, this time holding her up under her arms until she could stand properly. After a few tries, Sakura managed to stand and was able to walk, albeit in small steps to be cautious. As soon as she could stand, one of the people who helped her gently placed restraints on her thin wrists. She was led out the room at the deepest part of the hidden dungeons, the torches the only source of light, but Sakura just looked at the ground, her very long pink hair being dragged behind her like a shimmering veil, the people holding her arms gently were careful not to step on it on the way out the dungeons. After stopping in an open area, she suddenly felt lighter, as if the gravity around her was being released, and the next thing she knew, she and the other three people who were with her was standing in front of a large door that had the kanji 'one' written above the door. As they entered, she felt as though the air became thicker and it became harder to breathe for her. The atmosphere almost chocked her until she was halted from her movements and was made to kneel on both of her knees, the person who placed restraints on her stood behind her, and the person who gave her the order that she was being summoned went to stand among other people who donned similar clothes to him.

The room was quiet for a while, until a large and commanding voice broke the silence, making Sakura smile, making her somewhat nostalgic from being talked to for the second time that hour and it was starting to really making her day, no matter how pitiful it was.

"Sakura Haruno."

As her name was spoken, she lifted her face from looking at the ground and looked at the man who said her name. Then she saw him, the man who had been ruling over the place for the past thousands of years. Now able to adjust to the lighting, she carefully scanned the room to find the strongest people in Seireitei staring at her…

Sakura felt slightly privileged that she had been granted an audience with the Sou-taicho, as well as the other captains and their lieutenants, but, probably knowing the reason why she was summoned there, that privilege suddenly felt bitter to her, but somehow, she felt at peace, knowing what awaited her after so many years of wishing.

"Sakura Haruno, you have served your punishment for 200 years now, and it would have been longer had not something been cleared."

Sakura looked at him through blank eyes; she had been under there for 200 years? She thought sadly. She had missed two hundred years of her life, and now she hopefully wished that it would finally end after being released from her cell.

"Your original sentence was a thousand years, but, due to an investigation, you are being cleared of all charges, starting from today."

Sakura's hopes came tumbling down at her, and she started feeling sick. Here she was, hoping that they would finally use Sokyoku hill and send her to her death, but the 1st division captain commander had other plans for her and was releasing her from her sentence to live the rest of her life as if she hadn't missed so much already.

All was still, until she Sakura started speaking, forcing her voice out of her mouth since she hadn't spoke to anyone in her entire time in prison and pleaded herself to make any words that would object to his decision,

"P-Pl-please, I-I-if, I may speak…"

Her voice came in croaks and wheezes as she forced herself to speak, her words coming out in stammers, making her appear scared and uncivilized with her way of speech. She could feel the stares of the other people in the room boring into her back and on the back of her head, and she could also feel someone pitying her but she couldn't see who it was.

"I-I-I- th-thought that, I-I- would be exec-cuted…W-why am-am I being released?"

The room became silent again, and it was killing Sakura from the inside. The old man cleared his throat and spoke in an almost guilty voice, something Sakura picked up,

"Well, it seems that the charges against you were proven false earlier this month, and it seemed proper that we release you."

Sakura couldn't hear anything else after that. For her, everything seemed to slow down. False charges? Release me? So I really have wasted a part of my life… Sakura thought bitterly and sadly. After a few minutes, she spoke; her head bowed low, her wrists still bound by the restraints.

"So I really have, wasted a part of my life, because of false charges?"

Sakura slumped on her kneeling position on the floor. The air around her suddenly became thick, and she could feel the tears coming but she blinked them away. She wanted to be alone, she needed to think. Knowing her predicament and as if knowing what she was thinking, the 1st division captain whispered something to his lieutenant for the arrangements of her living accommodations, and ordered the guard that was behind her to escort her out. The guard gently picked up the girl, careful not to step on her hair that was pooling around her feet, making it as if she was standing in a sea of pink water. He gently pulled on her arm and Sakura stated walking with him, her head still bowed low, her long bangs that now reached an inch above her knee casting a dark long shadow on her face, covering it, though her lips was still visible, which was in a grim frown.

"Sakura-chan…"

Sakura's head looked at the direction where her name was said, and saw dark pink eyes staring at her with sadness. Yachiru raised her hand in a half wave, and felt a huge wave of pity when Sakura's eyes widened slightly, happiness evident in her beautiful emerald eyes, a teary yet heartbreakingly sad smile played on her lips, as if a simple wave was the only act of kindness she had received in her life, making her day and knowing her situation before, Yachiru knew that it probably was.

Sakura had never felt so happy, someone just waved at her! Sakura's happiness was short lived when the guard gently pulled on her arm, making her stumble and fall flat on her face. She suddenly felt embarrassed and the guard gave her a soft apology and helped the girl up.

Everyone in the room felt pity and guilt mixing in the pit of their stomach, and those feelings tripled when they saw what her true state was in; when she fell, the slightly torn and ragged simple white kimono rode up to her mid thigh, showing them how skinny she looked that they couldn't believe her very thin legs could hold her up. When the guard was helping her and offered his hand, they saw how thin her arms looked, as if it was already skin and bones. Her hair that used to have been short now dragged along the dirty floor because of how long it was. Her skin that used to look like fine ivory now looked stark pale that it looked sickly. But the last thing that made them feel the highest point of their guilt was when the door opened, and sunlight had filtered the room, making the pinkette jump and gripped the sleeves of the guard escorting her out. And almost experimentally, she reached out her thin hand, and inched it towards the sunlight, and flinched and pulled back immediately when the light hit her skin. And as if deeming it safe, Sakura put her whole hand under the sunlight shakily, and her eyes widened, a small smile gracing her lips, and a tear slid down her cheek, saying something that made their hearts brake,

"It's so warm…"

And after that, Sakura and the guard strode out the room, with the remaining people in the room looking at their backs until the doors shut close again.

As Sakura was strolling under around, her thoughts wandered to previous events that had happened.

After she was escorted to her new 'home', Sakura's restraints were taken off her, and thanking the guard who left her to her own devices, she looked around her new apartment. It was a nice modern apartment near the sixth division barracks; it was big, Sakura calling it a house rather than an apartment. It was a nice two story house, with its walls painted a soothing color of light blue on the outside, and in the inside was painted a soft shade of black or dark gray. The living room space was wide and well furnished, with a soft black couch and a glass coffee table, as well as having a large library space beside a large bay window. The kitchen was at the back part of the house, with a wide space and with a full set of equipment used for cooking. It had two bedrooms, one master bedroom and a guest room and two separate bathrooms. The guest bedroom was a normal sized room with a queen sized bed covered with soft peach colored beddings and light yellow pillows, with a dresser against the wall, and the room having a large window covered with green see-through curtains, matching the room's peach colored paint. The master bedroom was twice the size of the guest room, having its own bay window. A queen sized bed covered with scarlet beddings and plenty of soft black pillows was beside the window. Beside the bed was a small mahogany bedside table and at the opposite side of the bed was a mahogany dresser and on both side of the dresser were two doors, one was to the pristine white master bathroom and the other was a closet. Sakura stared at the room in awe and went to the bed. She sat on it and almost gave a small squeal when she felt how soft it was. She felt the silk bedding under her finger tips, and went to lie down on the bed. It had been so long since she slept on a bed, but before she could close her eyes, she saw something on top of the dresser. She walked over to it, a bit wobbly since her legs were so thin and reminded herself to eat something that wasn't injected into her. She was surprised when there was a new set of clothes on top of the dresser, along with a note and a sealed envelope. Reaching for the note, she read it out loud to test her voice,

Dear Ms. Sakura Haruno,

We hope that the house is to your liking. There is a new set of clothes we left for you, and we also left you some money that you could use to buy any more necessities. You are also to report to the 1st division barracks for a meeting tomorrow noon sharp.

We hope that you are comfortable enough and if there are any problems or if you need any kind of assistance, please go to the captain of the sixth division.

Sakura looked at the note and opened the envelope, her eyes widening slightly at the amount of money they left her. Leaving the money in the envelope, Sakura held out the clothes they left her in front of her to take a look. It was a simple hakama kimono, with black hakama pants that were fitted at the waist area and a crimson red kimono top with embroidered Cherry blossom petals starting at the sleeves up to the neck line. The sash tied around the waist was a simple thin, white obi. Lastly, her shoes consisted of the standard waraji shoes that every shinigami wore. Deciding to take a walk to stretch her muscles, or what's left of her muscles since the only nutrients she's been taking in were that supplements they robotically insert in the IV drip in her arm when she was still in her cell. Needing the desire to fill her stomach first, she was pleasantly surprised that she had food in her kitchen. She took out three cups of instant ramen and poured hot water over them and waited, thankful that she could still remember how to cook even the simplest food. After a while, she started eating the noodles carefully as to not to burn her mouth. Sakura savored the delicious taste of beef ramen, and gobbled the rest up immediately, happy that she got to eat real food after 200 years. After throwing away the Styrofoam cups, she drank water and proceeded to take a long needed bath. The girl almost flinched when she remembered how they kept her partially clean in the dungeons; they poured cold water all over her body through the hidden panels that do everything for them and left her just like that.

Passing through the mirror, she looked at her appearance sadly; she had changed so much. Sakura looked at her hair and decided to cut it off. Taking a pair of scissors, she grabbed a handful of her hair and started cutting. After a while, she stood in front of the mirror to look at her handy work. Her hair that used to drag across the floor was now just up to her hips, and her bangs were now shorted, parting at the left side. Putting down the scissors, she stripped out of her torn and ragged clothes and slid into the soothing hot water. After a while, Sakura stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. Her body now looked clean, and she could see her normal skin color slightly coming back. She dressed in the clothes they gave her and pulled her hair into a high messy bun. Sakura looked in front of the mirror and saw an image she never thought she would see again, she was starting to look like herself again. But the only thing that changed was that she can no longer smile after her encounter with the captains.

"I no longer have a reason to smile for…"

She said to herself softly. After pocketing some money that was enough to buy some clothes and other necessities, she went out of her house and cautiously walked down the street, aware of the incredulous looks she was receiving from the shinigami who passed by.

Passing by the sixth division barracks, she halted in her tracks when she came face to face with one of the few people that made her remember the fateful day. Standing a few feet in front of her was none other than the proud owner of Sebonzakura, Byakuya Kuchiki. Sakura's eyes narrowed slightly, her lips put in a grim line. Byakuya stood there in all his glory and Sakura thought that he was till as handsome as she remembered; tall and lean with a few muscular traits, his long black hair still looking as smooth as silk, and his trade mark hair clips that used to placed on top of his and on the right side of his head was now at the back of his head. The only thing that was different from him was that his scarf was no longer around his pale neck and his slate gray eyes that used to look serious and cold had a softer gaze. Sakura almost smiled, nostalgia taking over her being, but she controlled her emotions and put on a mask of indifference, but to her, it was not a mask, but her true thoughts and expressions. Sakura came closer to the male who was surrounded by his other subordinated who looked rather weary and guarded because of her presence. When she just a few steps away from him, she suddenly saw herself surrounded with his subordinates, their zanpakutos unsheathed and were pointed at various parts of her body.

"Don't come any closer to the captain, monster!"

One of them shouted but Sakura barely flinched. She just looked to the ground, and placed her hands in front of her, bowed down low in front of Byakuya,

"I'm sorry; please excuse me for being a…monster."

Sakura said, her voice blank and monotone, surprising all the other shinigami and Byakuya when she herself said that she was a monster. Standing up straight slowly, she looked at Byakuya and on force of habit; she absentmindedly reached her hand to touch his face. Byakuya stood still as a statue, his eyes boring down on her blank ones with an emotion she never thought that he had towards her after her imprisonment: sadness, guilt and longing, but in the state Sakura was in, she didn't want to know anymore. Before she could touch his face with her finger tips, she somehow snapped out of it, and retreated back her hand quickly, knowing her actions. Bowing down again, she quickly excused herself and left past him, her eyes still on the ground. Walking away from him until she no longer felt his spiritual pressure, Sakura collapsed and leaned her form against a wall. She clutched her chest as a fit of painful coughs racked her frail and delicate body, blood spraying over her palm as she tried to soothe her aching and burning lungs. As few minutes later, she sat against the wall, her knees to her chest, and she buried her face in her arms to avoid placing blood on her face. Silence filled the area, and knowing she was wasting time, she stood up, and wiped the blood on her hakama pants, and dusting off the rest of her clothes. She walked slowly to the shopping district and once she got there, she spotted a shop that that sold clothes. She entered the shop warily, aware of the gazes being directed towards her. Upon entering, she was approached by kind looking old woman, who looked at the girl with sympathy,

"Welcome dear, is there anything I can help you with?"

Sakura looked at her and nodded, feeling comfortable in the presence of the old woman,

"Yes, I'm looking for some clothes, but I don't know what to choose."

The old woman smiled and held Sakura's hand, the young girl stiffening slightly, then relaxed, knowing the old woman wouldn't harm her and let herself be dragged around the shop to choose the clothes that best suited her. After a few hours, she bowed and thanked the old woman for helping her. The old woman just beamed and said that she should come by again some time. Sakura nodded, feeling relaxed around the woman and proceeded to the next stop. She entered the next shop which sold food and after buying the things she needed, she walked down the dirt road holding a ton of bags, most of the bags were for her clothes while a few were food. People around her looked at; some thinking on how such a frail and weak looking girl could carry so much stuff when she looked like she could barely carry herself. Sakura ignored them and inwardly thanked herself for having inhuman strength. She walked down the path to her house slowly when she felt the weight of the load she was carrying in her arms was lifted from her. She looked up, not panicked at all because of the familiar spiritual pressure she felt. She looked up and saw the slate gray eyes of Byakuya himself, carrying four of her bags in his arms with ease.

Byakuya looked at the pinkette, his heart racing and thudding against his chest painfully. His inner demon lashed out at him, urging him to reach towards her and encase her in the safety of his arms, but he kept still. He looked at her beautiful emerald, but felt his heart constrict painfully when all he saw were blank emerald irises, it being more painful knowing full well that he was probably one of the reasons she was like this right now.

Sakura nodded her head in thanks and proceeded towards her house with Byakuya following closely behind; keeping his eye on her to make sure she wasn't having a hard time with her load. Reaching the house, she unlocked the door and removed her shoes, inviting Byakuya in with a wave of her hand. He removed his shoes and followed suit, placing the bags in her kitchen. They stayed in comfortable silence until the chime of the clock signaled that it was nearing eight. Sakura inwardly sighed and turned to Byakuya,

"It's getting late, and I would be rude as to not invite you for dinner, so why don't you stay and eat, the preparations won't take long."

Sakura said, looking at him directly.

"There's no need to go through that kind of trouble, I'll just take my leave."Byakuya said, turning around when he felt someone holding on to his sleeve.

Byakuya looked at Sakura, surprise written on his face when he saw her holding on to the sleeve tightly,

"Please, I insist. I'm already going to cook something and though you could just shunpo your way to your house, its better that you stay for a while…besides, I don't want to be alone again…"

Byakuya felt his chest tighten painfully and gently, he reached for her hand, taking it in his larger ones before loosening her fingers gripping his sleeve. He felt her stiffen, but somehow, with him rubbing soothing circles on the back of her palm with his thumb, she relaxed. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and froze when she felt him wrap his arms around her shoulders. Sakura was frozen when she saw Byakuya hugging her in a tight but gentle embrace, encasing her whole upper body in his arms.

When Byakuya felt her wanting to push him away, he tightened his embrace but was careful not to hurt her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please…please forgive me, please…forgive me for everything…"

Sakura stiffened hearing him begging he like that. She didn't care that he was gripping her shoulders painfully that she was sure that it was going to bruise in the morning. She was well, shocked, surprised, everything. She had never heard him beg for anything before, and seeing him this broken; with his hands gripping her shoulders, and his face buried at the crook of her neck, his cold tears hitting her flushed skin, it made her sad and utterly detest herself for making him sink to something as low as begging, but in the first place, they were the first ones to imprison her for something she never did entirely.

Hesitantly, Sakura wrapped her arms around him, rubbing soothing circles over his broad back and shoulders. It was awkward at first, but after a while, it became natural. After a few more minutes, Sakura gripped Byakuya's shoulders in a firm but tender hold and pushed him back to sit on the chair that was conveniently behind the man. Byakuya slumped forward in the seat, feeling nothing but guilt and regret, sadness and fear that because of them, because of him, Sakura was no longer the person he was so used to before. Suddenly, he felt cold hands lift up his face, all the while wiping away his tears with her thumbs. Sakura gently forced him to look up and look at her face and her face contorted in sadness and guilt for making him cry. Byakuya felt her hands caress his cheeks softly, wiping away his tears, and looking up to her emerald eyes, he saw deep in those pools the endless suffering she had experienced, but behind all those, he knew that she just wanted help, to be set free. He was shocked when she pulled him to her chest in a gentle embrace,

"Byakuya, it's not your fault…it's not your fault…the past is the past, and though I could never get it back, the thing to do now is move forward, move on and live…"

Byakuya sat there frozen but h was able to decipher the meaning of her words; she wanted to move on and forget that a part of her life was taken away from her, and though she couldn't change what had happened, she wanted to start over and pick up on where she left off. And to top it all off, she didn't blame any of them, but forgave them, Byakuya thought bitterly. But in the back of his mind, he knew that it was never in her nature to hold grudges. So closing his eyes, he let her soothe his mind, being there in her warmth was something he really missed.

Sakura wasn't complaining as well. It had been too long for her. And now, she could finally start to move again. But in the dark recesses of her mind, she knew that even though she forgave them, she had to finish off what had put her in that cell for two freaking hundred years in the first place.

I'll kill them, I'll kill them all…it's their fault, it's his fault…I'll kill him, kill him…Aizen Sosuke…I'll kill you.