Byakuya opened his office door to see a sleeping girl sitting in his chair. In fact, it was his vice captain. Idiot woman. All Grace ever did was sit around and talk, and if she wasn't talking, she was eating or sleeping. It was fine when they were children, but they hadn't been children in over two hundred years. He walked over, ready to shove her out, but then he saw that all of his paper work was done, and sitting in a neat stack beside his desk. He gave a small sigh. He was pleased at what she had done; he could go to bed early tonight. He still pushed her, though not as roughly as he was about to, out of the chair.
She smacked the floor with a small shriek. She sat up, eyes wide, and looked at him. "Byakuya, don't do that! You could have hurt me." She stood, loose curls framing her pretty features. "What would you have done then!" Grace blinked at him, already seeming offended at the response he had yet to give. Byakuya thought before giving his answer. "Rejoiced." She snickered, giving him a playful shove. "You're no fun at all."
"We're not here to have fun. We're here to do our job, nothing more." Something sad flashed in Grace's eyes, but it was gone as soon as it had come. "Especially considering, Grace, that your idea of fun is getting drunk with Rangiku and Captain Kyoraku. And don't touch me. It's out of your place." Grace, being Grace, ignored the majority of what he said. "I've never been drunk! I don't do that sort of thing, Bya, and you know it." Byakuya gave her a look that instantly silenced her. "Don't call me by that ridiculous pet name. I am your captain and you will treat me as such. Now get out. I don't have time for your idiocy." Byakuya couldn't ignore the look of pain in her eyes. He'd really struck a chord, but he almost instantly felt guilty. Grace turned and walked out without another word.
She'll get over it, thought Byakuya. But then again, he'd never spoken to her in such a way. If she ran off and told people what he had done, just about everyone would hate him. Particularly the men. The boys in the squad doted on her, and she barely seemed to notice. He had heard plenty of things from them about how "sexy" she was. Byakuya couldn't deny that she was pretty, but he couldn't go as far as calling her sexy. Could he? Certainly not. She was his subordinate, nothing more, even though they used to be the best of friends. People would always make jokes about how he and Grace would certainly marry once they got older. As a child, he had almost liked the thought of it. Then he met Hisana. Ever since she had passed away, he hadn't ever thought of being with anyone else, even though he knew she wouldn't want it that way. She would want him to be happy, to love someone. But he couldn't do it.
As for Grace, Byakuya wasn't aware that she had ever been in a relationship. He was perfectly fine with that. He didn't need her running around the office talking about her boyfriend, and anyway, Byakuya didn't think anyone would dare date her. Rumors that he and Grace had been together had been circulating for ages, especially after Hisana died.
Renji suddenly popped his head into the door, looking around. "Where's Grace?" But Byakuya didn't know. He had always known where Grace was, ever since the incident with Kaien. Grace had been crushed by his death, and Byakuya didn't want her fate to be the same as his.
He simply sighed, and even in his indifference, made something up. "Bath house. She completed my paper work, so I let her off." Renji just nodded, before disappearing out the door again. So Grace was nowhere to be found? Surely Renji had checked her room, so where else could she be? Byakuya then knew exactly where she was. He stood up. Grace had obviously been in the forest all this time. She always went there when she was upset. What state she would be in when he got there, he didn't know.
When Byakuya got to the spot where Kaien died, he found exactly what he had suspected. Grace on her knees, face in her hands. What he was surprised to see was her shoulders shaking. Grace never cried. He hadn't seen her cry in years. "Grace. Get up." He stood above her, expecting for an immediate response to his command. He got none. "Grace, get up. We're going back." Still no response. What did she want from him? He leaned down and gently grabbed her arm. Grace still didn't move. "Please, just let me think for a moment." He looked down at her in surprise. Surely what he had said hadn't caused her this much trouble. He knew what it was like to have too many things on his mind. He understood and let his hand fall from her arm. "Very well." He disappeared back to his office.
Aizen stood in the trees nearby, watching Grace's shaking form. What a simple trap this was. He grinned as the illusions crashed down on her. They would provide a prime distraction for when he attacked her, a disguise. And so he went forth with his plan to nearly murder Grace Evernight.