Hisana sips the steaming tea from the mug she holds in her hands. It is late evening and she is waiting for her husband to return. She has only recently returned from her daily excursion and she wishes for the familiarity of a companion.

She is somewhat weary for her endeavours seem futile; she is not progressing, but she must not give up, she cannot despair. She needs to find her little sister; she needs to find the sister she has abandoned. Fatigue must not weigh her down, illness must not pierce her. She cannot allow impediments to disbar her search. The lost must be found.

Byakuya has not been home a week proper. His division has been hectic these months past and she knows his position requires that he assist his captain accordingly. But this does not mean her yearning for him would be abated. She misses him, she misses his companionship. Perhaps he misses hers as well? She prays that he does.

She remembers just then that he had accompanied her to the slums of Rukongai only three weeks prior. She had never expected him to, she had not wanted him to…but deep down she knew she had been eternally grateful for his concern.

She had selfishly hugged their time together.

They have been married almost 2 years now, and he has willingly shared in the sorrows and emotions that she has endured thus far. He is a good man and that fact creates an undying urge to show him that she appreciates all that he does. She knows he will help in any way and she is truly indebted to him for it but this is her own battle. She cannot allow him to draw his blade yet.

She has tried though, on numerous occasions to ease her dependence on him. But she is never really able to and every time the thought crosses her mind there is a flutter of guilt in her heart.

He has his own battles to fight.

She does not wish to hurt him and she does not wish to increase his burden. She only yearns to show him that she can be a good wife. She wants to be there for him as he is always there for her.

The sound of the shoji door as it slides shut suddenly causes her to jump. Her thoughts immediately disintegrate and the flickering flame of surprise that had been lit at that moment swiftly dies. She glances up and feels her heart swell in joy. She cannot however contain the butterflies that dance in her stomach;

He is her husband after all and she is merely a woman.

An indistinguishable smile flickers across her husband's tired face as he quietly observes her and he nods when their gazes connect.

He is only a man; he has missed his wife.

She meekly and respectfully lowers her head towards him as he finally takes seiza before her. They have not been seated together in the same room for almost two weeks.

She pours a cup of the green tea (she knows how much he enjoys the brew) into a mug and hands it to him, her eyes carefully lowered so that she does not have to experience the heat of his gaze. Their fingers brush as she stretches forward however and she quickly makes to remove it. Her attempt is in vein. She finds that she has been imprisoned and she uncertainly flushes at her detainment.

She cannot escape the heat of his skin upon her own; that sentence is inevitable.

"Were you waiting for me, Hisana?" he quietly questions. His voice is unreadable however his steady touch relays something that his voice will never speak. He has always been a reserved man.

Hisana softly eyes the way his willowy digits grip her slender wrist and she averts her gaze to the tatami mats. There is a teasing smile painted upon her lips as she hides her expression.

"No...Byakuya sama"

Byakuya's brows narrow.

"Did you miss me today Hisana?"

She shyly smiles once more and lowers her gaze after stealing a momentary picture of his visage. It is impossible to fully decipher his expression.

"No, I did not." she softly murmurs.

There is a reverberating silence dampening the room, the stillness broken only by a soft chime instigated by the spring wind.

Byakuya thoughtfully closes his eyes some seconds after her last response to his query and curls her fingers in before placing it against her chest. He sees no need for further interrogation.

"Did-did you miss me today?"

He looks up in masked bemusement to see her with lowered eyes carefully fidgeting an invisible crease upon her kimono. He is intrigued by the question she poses and the stance she assumes. He therefore quietly surveys her through hooded lashes and then sips his tea before lowering the mug.

"It is difficult to say," he lowly begins, "...can one truly measure the extent of such an intangible emotion?"

Hisana blinks up at him in astonishment.

"If I were to truly assign a value to that thing which you query me about, I am uncertain if I will be able to. How can one express himself in that case Hisana? Enlighten me if you know."

Hisana looks into his eyes, that steely grey radiating something that she knows is on the tip of his tongue. His eyes and touch have always expressed more than any words could relay.

The young woman muffles a sob then, her fingers twitching against her kimono as she attempts to come to terms with his words. She cannot however suppress the cry in her heart and the sudden urge to be enveloped in his warmth. He has always done this to her and she knows he will never cease his exquisite torture upon her soul.

Byakuya carefully observes the tremor in her slight movements and he wonders if perhaps their bantering has by some means disheartened her. He frowns for a moment.

"Hisa-"

"In that case-"

Byakuya politely nods for her to continue.

She lowers her eyes and demurely rests her trembling hands against her lap as she acknowledges his prod to go on.

"In that case, yes. Yes Byakuya-sama, I missed you terribly today..." Her voice echoes with a tremor and her eyes glisten with an unshed emotion of appreciation. His words have struck a chord of pure gratitude within her soul and she knows no way of fully expressing herself. He makes her fall a little more in love with him than she has already guiltily done.

Much to her surprise though, Byakuya slowly stands up in response. His eyes are closed and his arms are crossed as he turns his back and begins to walk a few paces ahead. Hisana's eyes widen in confusion at his action and she immediately rises with him.

"Wh-where are you going Byakuya-sama?" she tentatively asks. She is afraid that she has hurt him. "Please I intended no offense...forgive me...I-I-"

Before she can explain what is happening however she feels Byakuya's arms snake around her waist as his warmth begins to flow through her veins and rise within her body. She had not expected such a sudden and intimate assault on her senses. He had been too far way to attack her so suddenly.

He gently presses his lips against her forehead then and pulls her closer towards him as he buries his face deep into her hair. Her scent is the most rewarding thing he has ever earned.

"Byakuya-sama..." she reverently whispers against his chest. She cannot help but fall into the lure; it is too difficult to conquer. He had always been a weakness for her heart.

"Promise me," he softly asks "Promise me you will never leave me Hisana, promise me you will always be by my side, promise me..."

Hisana can feel the steady beat of her husband's heart beneath her hands and she can feel his riatsu as it begins to shroud them in a warm pulsing cocoon. It is intoxicating…perhaps too intoxicating…

"I-I don't ever want to leave you Byakuya-sama. I don't..." she softly whispers against him as her hands unconsciously grip his haori.

The young woman closes her eyes and allows herself to be drawn into her husband's warm embrace. His amorous displays were a rear occurrence and so she hugs the thought of his charity.

And as she drowns in his arms the silent tears flourish and begin to moisten her cheeks. What can she say again?

She does not utter another word. She has yet to tell him what her test results from the fourth yield.

It was not news to be delivered during a moment like this.