A/N: I know, I haven't finished Even Angels Fall, yet. Get over it. I don't know if I will. I'm sorry about that, but if something happens, I'll post the next chapter. I have really lost my love for writing, especially writing fanfiction, which is very sad because all I used to want to do was write. Life seems to ironically have other ideas. I still love Byasana fan fiction though, even though I don't read them anymore. Really I'm just writing this little drabble because I'm bored.

So sue me.

It was always raining in this metallic, polluted world. It was an overcrowded, filthy place. The stars had long since been lost in the thick smog that tried to steal the sun. The trees were gone, as was the grass and the water. All that remained were the tall buildings made of metal and cement that raped the sky. It was a world that he could not stand, and he did not know how she did.

She, who was a lover of all things beautiful, somehow managed to survive in this bleak world. Yet, she could not live in the world of luxury and beauty that he had created for her. It seemed impossible to him that she was so weak that the sunshine killed her. Perhaps that was why she lived here, where the sun was only a memory and her skin was as pale as the moon.

He hovered, as silent and unseen as a shadow, in the air outside her building. It too was tall and filled with people. Cylindrical, it was made of glass and steel, liable to collapse at any second. The danger that seemed to surround her was constant, regardless of where she lived. Surely she knew and lived her life despite the danger. She always seemed to enjoy him having to swoop in, save the day, and save her. And she had the gall to claim that she did not need his help.

He had watched her, oh for how long he had watched her. He could remember the exact moment when he had first felt her flickering presence. He had been on assignment, hunting down another of some damned soul when a flare of life pulsed through the city. The force had nearly swept his knees from under him, but the sudden warmth that shocked his body sent his mind reeling. He knew that reiatsu as well as he knew his own. She was here.

Hollow forgotten, he ran-truly ran—to the source. Renji shouted after him, but Byakuya was content to let him fight the beast alone. For such a braggart, surely he could handle anything this lowly world might throw at him.

He found her in a tall, metal building: the first of many. The lord expected her sitting in a chair, hair tumbling around her shoulders as she laughed. She was too merry for his liking, too whimsical to take anything seriously. But that was the Hisana he had first loved, so many years ago. Instead, he saw some woman whom he had never seen before. Her face was swollen, pinched and red. She clutched a swollen belly, as a frail man smoothed her hair out of her face. A nursing staff swarmed the woman; a man in white was bellowing orders.

Byakuya felt the life pulse again, and the woman threw her head back, screaming with ferocious agony. The shinigami could not tear his eyes away from the scene as this strange woman fought through her labor. When she finally surrendered, the baby burst from her body as blood pooled everywhere. The lifeline between mother and child was cut, and the child whisked away by the blue clad nurses. The frail man held his wife's hand and whispered comforting words that Byakuya did not care to hear.

The woman's right leg was torn, shred as the warm life pushed its way into the world. The babe was returned to the mother, who held it tenderly and cooed adorations to it. All too soon, the child was taken from the mother, whose pallor had turned icy. The father collapsed beside the bed, and wept, his hands shielding his eyes from the terrible sight. The mother had passed.

She had given her life to Hisana. Given it to a child she would never know, but whom she loved entirely. Byakuya watched as her soul slowly rose from her body to look at the inconsolable man.

"Captain," Renji's voice came from behind him. He did not start, but concealed his surprise that the youth had crept upon him. It would not do to alert his lieutenant that anything extraordinary had occurred. Renji would not recognize the fluttering pulse that had just entered the world.

The two men watched as the soul reached for her husband, and the desolation on her face when her hand passed through him. Renji gave his captain an appraising look. He would never be able to sense death the way Kuchiki could, not in a city bustling with crowded life. Byakuya pulled Senbonzakura from her sheath, and stepped through the glass, Renji at his heels.

The woman did not tear her gaze from her husband. "Are you here for my soul?" she whispered.

"Yes,"

It would not do to give the woman false hope. It was safer for them all if she was quickly dispatched to the Soul Society. Her lingering presence would eventually attract the Hollow, placing the entire hospital in danger. Placing Hisana in danger.

She nodded bravely. "I understand," she drifted away from her husband and floated effortlessly in the room. He would not even bother to learn her name. It would not do for him to become attached to another woman in this accursed family. It would alert Renji to the specialness of this day, and the fool would blabber to the entire Soul Society. Byakuya knew that the idiot could not control his tongue when he imbibed.

The nurses stood respectfully in the corner, allowing the man his moment of grief. One held the crying babe, who wailed loudly for its mother. The father seemed immune it, despite its powerful lungs. Yes, Byakuya remembered just how loud she could be when she shouted.

"Check in on them from time to time, for me," the dead mother asked. "He'll do the best he can with her, but he isn't the strongest emotionally. He'll fall more than he will stand,"

So the babe was a confirmed girl. The news stirred something inside him. Renji made a noise of surprise. No one requested anything of Byakuya Kuchiki, much less for him to babysit a grown man. The woman must not have known just how brazen she was, but his captain did not bother to correct her. He simply nodded and pressed Senbonzakura to her forehead.

Silently, the two watched the black butterfly flutter in the bright blue sky.

"Should we find the Hollow now, Sir?" Renji asked softly. The soul was long gone, but the man had yet to dry his eyes. His child had been lulled into a soft slumber by one of the nurses, and was once more removed from the scene.

His captain slowly nodded. "Yes,"

The Hollows were proven facile, but the shinigami were surprised that there were multiple. What was thought to be one strong force was several, smaller damned. They were easily dispatched, but one frog-faced Hollow was fast. He fled the macabre slaughter, darting around humans and tall buildings. Renji rushed after him, heedless of the Hollows in his wake. Byakuya was unbothered by this rashness; he was strong enough to destroy them.

But that was several hours ago, and Renji had yet to return. He was a foolish boy, prone to get lost in the excitements of the tangible world. Rukia was here somewhere, guarding the mortals with Kurosaki. Renji was doubtlessly closing in on her, hoping to see her for just a few moments before he returned to his duties. Byakuya could begrudge him that. He too, knew what young love felt like.

The lieutenant's disappearance gave him the time to return to the hospital. He had not known his wandering destination until the same room stood before him. It was a different family; this was a happy scene. A chubby blonde laughed as her babe gurgled at her breast. This husband was tall and boisterous. Their happiness was complete, and there was no trace of the sorrow that had plagued this room hours before.

Byakuya ghosted through the window and into the corridors. No one noticed the cold trail he left as he walked, searching. The reiatsu that had once been so familiar was slowly ebbing away, becoming indistinguishable among the young. Spirituality clung to all new life, a forget-me-not of their time in the Soul Society. How many of these younglings were reincarnated souls?

He really did not care. He only wanted to find Hisana.

He found the father, head pressed against a glass wall as he stared at his pink swaddled child. He was crying. Byakuya had half a mind to end the man's misery now: to wipe his memory clean and take Hisana back to the Kuchiki manor. She would be raised there, loved and adored, taught to be the impeccable lady. One day, they would be married again, and his world would be at it should. Perfect.

The man's suffering would be great, having lost his wife and child in the same day. He would recover, though, and go on to live a fulfilling life. He had not yet lost his heart to Hisana. He would still be able to recover from the blow. Unlike Byakuya.

"Hello," the man's husky voice whispered. "My little angel,"

Byakuya paused, hand on Senbonzakura. It would be quick and painless. Just one little flick of the wrist. And Hisana would be in his care.

"I know you don't know me yet, little princess. But I'm your Daddy," the man did not take his eyes of the sleeping girl. "I didn't get to hold you before they took you. I wanted your mother to be able to, before…" the man choked.

Pulling glasses from his face, he wiped his eyes gruffly. "She's gone now, Princess. It's just me and you in this world. I am so, so sorry that you will never get to meet her. She was one helluva woman. And me? I'm just some shmuck who lucked into marrying the most amazing woman he had ever met.

"Her name was Ismani, and she smelled like warm honey and flowers. I think you really would have liked her, Princess. She certainly loved you. You were her whole world, even though she had not met you, either,"

"Mr. Reiko?" a nurse opened the door to the nursery.

Reiko could barely tare his eyes from his sleeping child. "Yes?"

"She's sleeping, but if you would like, you can hold her," the nurse smiled gently.

"I can?" Reiko swallowed. "Really?"

"Of course, sir," the woman deposited the babe with practiced care. "You are her father, and it is good to start establishing that bond at birth,"

The entire staff must have known what had happened to Ismani Reiko. The nurse's clouded eyes smiled as she turned from the mourning father.

"Hello, Princess," Reiko started again. "You really are beautiful, aren't you?"

And she was. Hisana had always been the most beautiful woman in the room. "Just like your Momma," Reiko crooned on. "She wanted you so badly, you know,"

Byakuya knew the feeling. To want a physical proof of the love you shared with your spouse, a breathing and loud reminder that you were joined forever. He had been able to find Rukia, and for a time, that had been enough. But watching Reiko with his own child, Byakuya knew that he too yearned for fatherhood.

"I didn't want you, Princess," the man blinked tears. "I just went along with it to make Ismani happy. She promised that once I met you, I would love you. But I knew I could not love anyone as much as I loved her,"

That was the final straw. The lord pulled his zanpakuto from its sheath. If this man would not love Hisana, not raise her and see her educated, cared for, then he would find someone who would. Faintly, he remembered that Captain Unohana was good with children.

"I have never been so wrong in my entire life, Princess," the father confessed, unabashed by his audience. He smiled at the child. "You weren't real until I saw you, until you started screaming. But you are mine, and I love you so much. I'm so sorry that you had come to me this way, but I promise that I will love you and protect you my whole life.

"Okay? It's just me and you, but we are going to make this work. I promise, Princess,"

The captain slowly lowered Senbonzakura. Reiko looked so adoringly at the child in his arms, like she was his lifeline to happiness and sanity. He, too, had lost his heart to Hisana, and to lose her would be to lose the last of his soul. Byakuya could not steal her from him now. Not when she had changed Reiko as much as she changed him.

"We never go to pick out names, your Mom and I," Reiko continued. "We wanted to meet you, before we picked one. It didn't seem fair to give you a name without meeting you first," he chuckled dryly.

Byakuya leaned close to Reiko, and willed him to hear his words. "Her name is Hisana,"

Reiko glanced around the empty hallway for a moment. The sourceless wind billowed softly, and he heard the whisperings of a name. "Hisana," he tested it out slowly, the words caressing his child. Perhaps his blood sugar was too low, or he was still grieving Ismani, but Yahiko Reiko would have sworn before a judge that he felt someone standing beside him. Someone who had whispered a name.

Smiling, Reiko looked at his child again. "Hisana Reiko," the name was quiet and peaceful, just like the infant. It must have been Ismani standing beside him. She once told him that she had thought of several names for the baby. Knowing that his wife had supported the choice, Reiko looked at his Princess, his Hisana.

"We get to go home soon, little Princess. I can't wait to show you your new room,"

Byakuya left the little family then. He could not bear to watch her be taken from his life again. It was better to leave on his own terms. She belonged with her father, and they both would be happy. He would take her when she had matured. For now, all that mattered was that she was loved and safe.

He lost her during the brief time of silence in the Soul Society. Reiko was a man of little spiritual significance, and was easily lost amongst the throng of mortals. Had Kuchiki known that she would be suddenly impossible to find, he would not have left her side.

Aizen had been locked away, sentenced to remain in the dark for twenty-thousand years, so there was only the tedious paperwork to do, the division to run. Nothing he could not handle. When he had left the father and his new child, they had gone to a small house in a suburban neighborhood. The homes were squished together, and the yards were small but fenced in. It seemed like an adequate place to raise a child.

He could only spare her brief moments, months apart. He missed the day that her eyes open, the first time she smiled. He flashed by the house, just to make sure all was in order when he heard Reiko exclaim that she was such a marvelous girl. It caught Kuchiki by surprise when he finally realized that Hisana had hefted herself onto her feet. She was trying to learn how to walk. Worst of all, he missed her first words. She had called out for Reiko, chunky arms stretching as she squealed, "Daahhhhhddddddy!" Reiko's joy had been infectious. Kuchiki watched from the corner of the room as the man bounced his child on his hip, regardless of his paternal pride, and called every relative he could think of. Hisana was speaking; she sounded just like her mother.

She was startling in her growth, and Kuchiki soon grew afraid to visit. He wanted to see her, protect her childhood, but every time, it was like she was a new person. The roundedness of her baby face was melting away, and her eyes and nose were no longer so squished together. She was no longer an infant, but a toddler. How long had she been alive? Reiko did not seem perturbed by her growth. He constantly praised her, telling her that she was a beautiful little princess, and that he loved her. She slept through the night very well, and seemed to yearn for independence. More than once, the child had crawled away while Reiko cooked dinner. The last time, it took almost ten panic-filled minutes to find her.

There were moments of encapsulating sadness, as well. Often, Kuchiki would find Reiko leaning over Hisana's crib, eyes wet with tears as he looked at the child. "She looks so much like her mother," he could sigh softly into the phone. "She's got Ismani's eyes, and her hair. Sometimes, all I see is Ismani,"

It was her third birthday and Kuchiki did not want to be late. He once vowed to be there for all of her birthdays, but Reiko had turned the into festivals. Kuchiki overheard him renting dyed ponies for the little princesses to ride, and an actress dressed as Rapunzel would be arriving by white steed to enchant the girls. All of her preschool fellows were invited, just so Reiko could flaunt his precious daughter. Ismani surely would have disapproved of the flamboyance, but it was up to the single father to spoil the princess doubly.

Kuchiki had even brought a present, swaddled in glittering pink and a purple bow. It was to be found on the present table, amongst the foray. It was a small, gold bracelet with no augmentation. It would be too large for her now, but she could grow into it. He would add to it until she had enough baubles to feel the weight of his love.

The Reikos yard was small, so when Kuchiki found the house silent and dark, he as not worried. He flashed to the park where Reiko took her on the weekends. It would be the logical place for the party.

The park was quiet. He saw families content in their own worlds; there were teen couples frolicking and playing frisbee. Dogs played fetch, children squealed. But no Hisana. No party.

He felt the stirrings of fear, but quickly brushed it aside. There was no reason to worry–– if not the park, it would be at the preschool. The closed in yard would be ideal: it was safer for the children to be enclosed by the chain link fence. It provided a barrier that kept them from chasing balloons into the street, or from being snatched by a predator dressed as a merry clown. Yes, Reiko was a considerate man, and would have explored any scenario. He wanted his daughter's birthday to be perfect.

The lights of the daycare center were off; the swings were still. The cloying pangs of panic clawed at him, and these were much harder to ignore. He checked the doors; the locks jiggled tightly. Peering through the dirty glass, he strained to see if anyone lurked about. Empty. The sun was high overhead; he had not arrived too early.

Where were they?

Gilded package bumping against his leg, Kuchiki flashed around the city, checking any place he could think of. The zoo, where her special giraffe lived. The park that was farther away but had a giant weeping willow that Hisana frolicked under. The Mad Potter tea shop. Her grandmother's home.

But nothing. They were no where to be found.

The party must have been rescheduled; they must have gone out of town for the day. Byakuya froze mid-stride, as he thought of the family. Hisana was slowly growing, and was self-aware enough to know that she alone among her peers did not have a mother. Any child would yearn for its mother, especially on a day so auspicious and tragic. He walked much slower to the cemetery on the outskirts of town, giving the family privacy to grieve. Kuchiki purposefully never sought the woman out, or even tried to remember her face. He feared that she would be the spitting image of her daughter, or worse, that she would ban him from Hisana's presence. Not that that would stop him, but he heard that it was good to get on the mother-in-law's bad side. Upon her death, Byakuya was not sure if he would reintroduce the family. It would be better the less the world saw of her; she would be safest away from the prying eyes of the court. And her family could not try to steal her away.

He knew exactly where Ismani Reiko had been buried. Reiko had chosen a small plot, with room for one more beside it. The two plots overlooked a small river, framed by waterlilies that danced in the breeze. He felt the lingering traces of reiatsu as he drew near. They had been there, recently. Sure enough, three red roses lay at the base of her headstone. They were gone, but they had been there, and that was all he needed.

He was outside their dark house in seconds, smiling to himself. He would find another way to give the birthday girl her gift. Kuchiki's heart dropped to the soles of his feet when the door swung open, and out walked a middle aged couple, a small woman following behind. It was she who locked the door.

"It is a beautiful house," the matronly woman was saying. "All the detailing was so whimsical!"

"Shame about the mother," the husband agreed sagely, hands stuffed his pockets to shield his checkbook. "This would have been a perfect place to raise a daughter,"

"Reiko-san tried to abide by his wife's wishes, but the memories here still plague him. The family will do better moving away,"

The husband was nodding some more. "So sad," he muttered.

"Yes," the realtor agreed. Pulling out her clipboard, she began to list off figures and rates, possible payment plans.

Kuchiki did not need to hear anymore-couldn't hear any more. He was running, running again through the streets screaming her name. "HISANA!" he shouted, turning into a busy intersection. Cars sped through him, people startled when a phantom knocked them down. He didn't care. "HISANA!"

The captain ran the streets, bypassing souls in need of salvation. Duty to them tossed aside, he ran until he had crossed every street, screaming her name. "HISANA!"

"Hisana!"

"HISANA!"

He expected her to answer him, to shriek out or reach for him. He believed that on some primal level, she was aware of him. She responded when he was near, though she did not actively seek him out. If he called, usually she would totter over to investigate what ghost had said her name. Now, he expected her to answer him again.

"HISANA!"

When he couldn't accomplish any more from the ground, he rose to the sky, and began to search again, scanning for any reiatsu trace he could find. Nothing. The Reiko family had vanished from the town, maybe from the country. Hands clenched, Kuchiki threw his head back and roared her name. "HISSSAAAANNNNNAAAA!"

Nothing. Just the songs of the birds, the roars of the airplane engines and the honking cars that slugged slowly down below. He was alone in this world, the only one who cared that Hisana had been stolen from him again. No! He refused to believe it. He could find her; he would find her! She was not leaving his sight again!

It took three days for the captain to lose hope, to surrender to defeat. Reiko had swept Hisana away in the middle of the night, and he might never see her again.