A/N: While I have stories in progress I realize that I usually come up with a lot of one shots…hmm must be the onslaught of so much writing. Hope u enjoy the following and no I don't own bleach or its characters.

"Ni-sama…?" Rukia tentatively tapped on the door and awaited silent acknowledgement to enter. She slid the shoji door open upon hearing a hushed beckoning and meekly lowered herself before the threshold.

Byakuya's back was to her, his light green haori slightly glistening beneath the pale autumn moon light. He was sitting before a small lacquered table and Rukia could hear the soft rustle of paper from upon the desk.

"Rukia."

His voice was curt but soft as he waited for her to present the reason for her visit, the continuous scraping of brush upon parchment the ever resounding note in the silent room.

Rukia listlessly fidgeted with her fingers for a moment before beginning.

"I-I'll be going to the real world for a while…" she uncertainly stuttered.

Byakuya remained silent as he waited for her to continue.

"I have another mission that requires my efforts…" She nervously bit her lip trying to ascertain the point of even enlightening Byakuya as to that particular development. "I just wanted you to know…ni-sama."

There was a lengthy pause before she heard a soft, almost weary sigh and words that seemed so utterly alien to her ears.

"Be careful…"

Rukia incredulously raised her head, her eyes slightly widened at that particular phrase. She dared not let even a sound escape her lips as her breathing quickened but she tucked the feeling of inner joy at hearing such a thing deep within her heart.

"Y-yes I will…thank you, ni-sama."

Maybe after everything that had happened in Soul Society and after all everyone had been through together had by some means worked to soften the hardness that had coated her brother's heart…But then...the more she thought about the more his softness of character seemed to be evident. There were times when she was certain that he was not as hardhearted as he was often shown to be. For one the moments when he expressed such unByakuyalike sentiments were rare and far between but not for one instant did their vague occurrences dim her viewing of him. He had cared, he always had, and he always would as a matter of fact, even if he opted to demonstrate his concern in the most dire of circumstances. He would never admit as much though and she was fully aware of this.

He was a prideful thing.

The fact that he had never broken his promise to her sister was but another open show of his softness. Even through all the mayhem and politics of the Kuchiki Family he had never faltered in weakness and had never given in to their constant efforts to deter his aim. His steadfastness had been mind blowing as far as she was concerned because he had broken the rules for Hisana not just once by marrying her but twice by taking in and caring for her sister. That alone was perhaps enough to prove that the magnitude of his emotions for that humble woman had really been intense and that somewhere within that cold exterior was an undeniable ability to protect and love.

And he had protected her, Rukia, through thick and thin. He had never left her to die and never allowed any harm to befall her. That he could carry out such a humble request from a woman who had been considered a mere plebeian for most of her life was something that had never ceased to amaze her considering the kind of man Byakuya was reputed as being.

Rukia closed her eyes at that last thought and allowed a soft smile to grace her lips as she revelled in the knowledge of his honour and pride. It warmed her inexorably and increased her own feelings of pride as a Kuchiki tenfold. He had always been true to his words and so she was convinced that his stiffly uttered "be careful" was deeply meant as well.

She was, by all means proud to be considered his sister.

"I'll be going then ni-sama." she finally announced before smiling to herself, gently sliding the shoji door shut and leaving her brother alone with his writings.

Kuchiki Byakuya lowered his eyes as he heard the gentle retracting of the shoji door and heaved a sigh as he finally rested the brush he'd been using to the side of his papers.

He was alone now, so no one need be privy to the emotions he rarely ever displayed in public; he was alone now so no one need ever know the intense yearning in his heart, the immense desire that swathed him, the pain that often times found itself lodged in his soul. It was moments like this that the noble Lord often wished that at least she were here with him.

His recollections of her had never faded, had never shrivelled and had never been forgotten. When he had found her for the first time and when he had embraced her deep in his arms he had told her as much, he had warned her that he would never forget all that they had shared, all they had been and all that they would be.

He remembered her meek laughter and her gentle smile at his words, for she had known their time together would be short. And the more he thought about it, the more he felt that even then she had somehow known about her condition and had selfishly refused to burden him with that knowledge.

She had cared more than she had ever known…

He closed his eyes at that point, his features barely readable to any who would have dared to observe him in his solitude, but then it was always like this when he was alone … no noises, no whispers, no confusion.

Just the stygian darkness to warm his soul.

It was always the moon that kept him company, it was always the wind that tousled his ebony hair, always the sakura petals that teasingly touched his bare hands, always the night rife with her memories that consoled him when he was alone.

And it was just him… wasn't it…? It was always him now…always…

"You believe yourself to be alone my Lord?"

Byakuya's heart stilled in the eerie darkness and his breath hitched in his throat. He dared not open his eyes and have reality steal what dreams had somehow or the other worked to bring to life. He dared not move and have the moment and the voice he was hearing crumble around him again in despair.

He dared not-

"My lord…?"

His eyes automatically flew open this time, his lips slightly parted as his breathing slowly began to return to normalcy. How could he not look? How could he not steal a glimpse to confirm what his brain refused to acknowledge?

He heard a familiar laugh then, a laugh that had warmed his soul on cold nights like these, a laugh that had once been all that he could hope to hear…

He held his breath before turning his head to the side and casting a cursory glance upon the near ethereal figure behind him. He blinked to suppress the shock and his mouth slightly parted in astonishment.

A meek smile lengthened her lips as the ever familiar sliver of her figure lingered before him, a humble bow that had always been offered once again in show. She shyly raised herself now, her soft elegant silks rustling with her graceful movements, her charcoal hair demurely dressing her shoulders and shadowing her cheeks. She had always been so delicate, so graceful, so…beautiful in all her executions and he had always admired her ability to carry herself with such poise, to move even as she did when her future had always seemed so bleak and to hide the illness that had tainted her spirit so…

The softly spoken word that escaped him next was almost involuntary…but of course it would have been; she had been his wife, after all.

"Hisana…"

Byakuya felt her slender arms slide around his waist at that point before feeling her cool, supple body pressed against his back. She was cold to the touch, but somehow, somehow that coolness only worked to warm him from within. It was almost as though she was a spirit like thing…but then again perhaps she actually was…

He could feel her cheek against his back now, her soft digits lightly linked upon his stomach.

A low peaceful breath escaped the noble Lord's lips as he gently rested his larger hands over her tiny ones his body relaxing into her as he closed his eyes.

"To have sown and watered my love like that…" she quietly whispered from against his back, "to have made it grow so, I was cruel to leave you alone when I did even after you had promised me so much, even after you made me fall in love with you…"

Byakuya felt a quiver of intimate familiarity permeate his veins as she tightened her hold around him, his heart drawing memories of all that they had once shared as man and wife.

"You were not cruel..." he quietly murmured as he too tightened his grip on her hands, "You were just taken too soon. No cruelty in that, just fate, inevitability and my own weakness as a god of death…I could not save you."

She had withdrawn her arms from around him then and before long had come to sit in seiza right in front of him. He watched as she neatly folded her feet beneath her and he watched almost enraptured as her silks fluttered and whispered in the ethereal moonlight that bathed her. He reached his hand forward at that moment and brushed away the strands of hair that had always seemed to stubbornly adorn her violet eyes. He gently cupped her cheek next and delicately massaged her softness with his thumb. She felt just as she always had beneath his touch, less the faint coldness marring her fair skin.

She demurely lowered her eyes from his touch and circled her fingers around his wrist as she sunk into the feel of his hand.

"You did save me my Lord," she peacefully returned then, "You saved a piece of me that I could not even protect myself. How can I ever repay you…?"

He examined her in the pale gossamer moonlight and burned her image deep into his memory. Even if it were only for a moment he would steal the fleeting instant and lock it deep within his heart. Never would he let it go…

"You have nothing to repay Hisana…you have given me all that I have ever wanted and all that I will ever want."

Hisana lugubriously smiled after a comfortable silence had elapsed between the two and she lowered her eyes to the floor. "Does-does it not pain you though, that she resembles myself so much…?"

Byakuya had by now thrown away all cares of propriety and broken all shackles of restraint. He could withhold himself no more. Without another moment of hesitation he drew her into his arms and cradled her slender frame against his chest. He pressed his lips against her forehead then before bestowing feather light kisses upon her eyelids and the tip of her nose.

"Perhaps at one time yes, I did think fate a cruel thing." He whispered.

"I am sorry," she murmured against his neck, "I am sorry for such a-"

"No."

He firmly silenced her as he tilted her face closer to his own so he could look into her saddened eyes. "She is similar in looks yes, but her mannerisms are different. She is Rukia, and that alone defines and makes her something of her own."

"But does it really not vex you my Lord?" she quietly asked.

Byakuya smiled as he cupped his deceased wife's cheek and slowly shook his head as she began to trace the length of his face with her index.

"No, it does not." he quietly reassured her. "Why would I hold anger because your sister resembles you?" He closed his eyes as his wife brushed away several stray strands of hair from his face. "She is a good child and has made her own name in her world despite the challenges. She has many friends and she will stop at nothing to protect them all. She is a Kuchiki through and through."

"You've taken such good care of her," Hisana softly murmured then, "Thank you so much…"

Byakuya smiled.

He would have done it again if only for her... she only had to ask.

Byakuya looked deeply into her eyes at that moment and finally lowered his face a mere inch away from her own. He could see the flush that had stained her cheeks from their sudden proximity and as such he could feel the warmth of her skin beneath him. She was beginning to feel more like a physical being than some ethereal creature.

He drowned in that thought.

"You seem like some sprite like thing but I shudder to label you as such...are you real or are you a creation of my mind; of my desires?"

"I am whatever you want me to be, but know that regardless of my form, I am yours..."

Byakuya frowned. "I want you to be real."

"Then I am real." she reassured him.

"Can I trust those words?" he confusedly muttered.

"Truth is as real as one's perception of it. If you believe me to be, then I am my Lord..."

Byakuya had begun to tenderly run his thumb along her bottom lip, his other hand buried deep in her soft tresses. "You feel real..." he hoarsely croaked before breaching more of what little space existed between them. "You must be..."

She genuinely smiled at his words then and closed her eyes as begun to bathe her face with butterfly soft kisses.

"Byakuya-sama..."

The sound of his name uttered once more from her lips caused his breath to hitch and unable to still his throbbing heart, unable to make any sense of all the beautiful madness he finally captured her lips in a soft but gentle arrest. She melted against him from the soothing touch and languidly gripped his shoulders as he carefully deepened the exchange. It had been decades since they had last touched like this and the feel of her around him was more than enough to convince him...

"You haunt me in my solitude Hisana and you even haunt me in my dreams…" for what else could this be? "You will steal my soul and cage me permanently if this continues."

Their flushed cheeks were stained a startling crimson from their touch, their eyes betraying memories of what they had shared from days of old.

"I do not wish to imprison you my Lord…" she gently chuckled as she gripped his haori. "Only to give you all that you have given to me and more..."

He raised his brows in surprise, a indiscernible smile grazing his lips. "Oh...and what is that pray tell?"

She returned his smile in kind and blushed as she trailed her gaze away. "Beautiful dreams..."

The memory of their final conversation before her death drifted through his head and he felt his heart clench in his chest...

"Hisana..."

Byakuya pressed his index beneath her chin then as he tilted her face closer to his own and being unable to resist the opportunity for a second time he stole another slow kiss from his wife.

"Stay…" he breathlessly whispered as his mouth gently appraised the creamy skin against her neck now. "Stay with me Hisana…"

"Oh, that I could…" she whimpered as her small digits hungrily tightened their hold in his hair. "If only I could my Lord…"

"Why?" he thickly whispered as he began to kiss the corners of her lips and her chin, "Why can't you stay with me…?"

"They do not wish it…"

"They-?"

"They who hold immeasurable power...they who control all; both living and dead...both man and god...I cannot stay Byakuya-sama...I can only watch, I can only whisper in dreams..."

"Hisana…"

"We will meet again," She promised as she gently stilled his advances and cupped his cheek in her palm. "That much I promise you…"

Hisana placed a chaste kiss against his cheek then and slowly began to retreat, "You were always good to me Byakuya-sama…" she earnestly whispered, "Thank you for it all…"

And just as quickly as she had come, Byakuya felt her warmth receding as she began to dissolve in his outstretched arms.

"Hisana…" he lugubriously whispered as her image began to flicker, "Hisana!"

He desperately groped for her through the empty air and she sadly eyed him before finally vanishing into nothingness.

And that was when Byakuya felt a sudden jolt as his eyes bolted open. His breathing had quickened and he desperately clutched at the emptiness as the fading remnants of his dream elegantly fanned and crumbled around him.

So it had been a dream after all...

He quickly scanned the capacious room around him and heaved a heavy sigh as the remnants of her warmth powdered his skin.

And he was alone again… Byakuya helplessly buried his face into his palms, her scent still eerily lingering on his skin.

It had felt as though he had touched her again, it had felt as though she had by all means been beside him once more...but then what was it all when nothing but memories remained. Life was too fleeting to just hold and measure in memories alone...dreams too fanciful...

But then he craved them even more... it was almost addictive.

"Hisana…" he groaned before heaving another deep sigh and closing his eyes in defeat. She had visited him again, visited him only to leave him all alone once more. She was only alive in his dreams now.

But it was unfair, unfair what dreams and desires could have weaved, what they could create and then shatter. She had come into his life and created a dream and left it broken without her presence. She was like a snare, a dream snare for all that he knew… and foolishly he followed her, hungry for more of what she offered; what he believed she could give.

She had been, after all the only person who had ever had the ability to melt his heart and steal it away forever… she had stolen a piece of him with her death and ever so often she desperately tried to give it back. He would not accept it though, for it was what brought her back to him whenever they chanced to meet in their dreams. He would not let her give it back because it was a part of him he wanted her to keep, something to always remember him by…always…

And so hopefully he would see her again...even if it were a part of a dream...

A/N:

I think I have now stumbled upon the realization of why that handsome Mr. Kuchiki called Rukia his pride; she is his pride because she represents the final request of his late wife, Hisana. In order that he would cherish Hisana's memory he protects Rukia like Hisana asked of him. So definitely, it makes sense why Rukia would be his pride, she is the last thing that connects him to his wife. Byakuya feels deeply i think; he's a deep guy...and he is such a noble gentleman and that is i spose why I adore him so much.