~Shattered Mirage of Noble Dreams~

By - ByaRukifan

Timeline: After Aizen's defeat, After the Lay Me Under the Frozen Moon storyline

Pairing(s): Byakuya/Rukia

~Chapter Two~

"Hah, hah! You can't catch me, Yuki!" Yuichi said as he and his sister ran around in the Kuchiki Gardens, playing a nice game of tag.

Yuki smirked, she was hot on his trail. He was now in arms length, she had him. With a single jump forward she wrapped her arms around his waist and they both fell to the ground laughing.

"You're it!" Yuki declared with a small laugh before she stood and started running away from him.

Yuichi smiled, sprung up, and chased after her soon after.

A few feet away from the twins sat Byakuya and Rukia. They sat closely next to one another under one of the sakura trees. Byakuya had Rukia's hand in his own, rubbing his thumb gently against it.

Despite the sweetness of the scene though, they seemed to be having a conversation discussing a serious topic.

"There have been reports of recent attacks in the Rukongai. The ones who are responsible are unknown though." Byakuya said in his usual tone.

Rukia looked up at him, slightly concerned. "How long has this been going on?"

"The attacks started a few weeks ago, but all the paperwork that needed to be done had kept me busy so I never had the time to inform you until now."

"Has anyone been killed?"

Byakuya nodded, "Several Rukongai villagers that lived in the districts that had been attacked were killed."

"Which districts were attacked?"

"Only a few so far, including Inuzuri." He said, soon feeling the grip of her hand tighten on him. "Some of the wounds found on the victims looked to be from a sword. Though...some looked as if they had been...blown to pieces with something similar to Kidō."

Rukia thought for a moment, "...You don't think they will be able to get inside the Seireitei, do you?"

Byakuya noticed her worried gaze shift over to Yuki and Yuichi, who were still happily playing. "It's doubtful, but everyone's guard is up just in case."

Rukia turned to him, "Can we begin training soon? So I can be prepared too...you know...just in case."

Byakuya was slightly surprised at first and he honestly didn't want her involved with these attacks because of the danger, but he knew Rukia wanted to become stronger so she could protect their children. He could see the desire and determination in her eyes, which he just couldn't say no to.

"We'll start in a couple of days." Byakuya told her after a short moment of silence.

Rukia smiled up before she moved up to kiss him.

Yuki turned to look over at her parents before smiling. "Otou-san must of done something to make Okaa-san really happy."

Yuichi looked over to them before looking back at his sister, "Yeah, but Okaa-san is usually always happy, especially when Otou-san is home."

"Yea-Yuichi?" Yuki turned to face her brother, but he wasn't standing in the spot he had previously been in. She turned around to see him running off towards one of the trees in the garden. She sighed quietly and shook her head before running after him, "Yuichi! We're not supposed to climb the trees, Otou-san and Okaa-san said so." She said when Yuichi was about to try to step up onto one of the crevices so he could hoist himself up onto one of the closest branches. "It's against the rules..."

Yuichi looked over to her. "I've seen people jump and climb on the buildings before, so why is a tree so bad? Come on, even a small one like this one?"

Yuki shook her head, "Otou-san and Okaa-san said not to. You'll get in trouble."

Yuichi waited a moment, letting some silence pass before he gave a huff and started walking away from the tree. "Little sisters can be such a pain sometimes..." He muttered loud enough for Yuki to hear.

That struck a nerve within her, "What! Little! You're only a few minutes older than me!"

Yuichi laughed and turned to face her, "Maybe if you catch me I'll take it back."

He grinned at that before darted off. Yuki gave a huff but still smiled moments before she began chasing after him.

–

Later that night, Rukia sat back on the bed after Byakuya and her had just put the twins to bed. She looked over at the bathroom door, waiting for Byakuya to emerge since he was getting his shower. She had just finished her own just shortly ago. She sat up slightly and ran her fingers through her hair and scowled before she stood and walked into the bathroom to get a brush.

"Are you sure you want to begin training so soon?" Byakuya asked from the shower, not minding that Rukia was there.

"I do." She replied simply as she brushed the tangles from her damp hair. She heard the water from the shower stop before Byakuya stepped out, his hair and body dripping wet as he grabbed a towel.

"I just don't want you to be in any danger." He told her softly as he dried himself off.

Rukia looked at him and smiled slightly. She knew he would feel like that, he always had and she had began to find it sweet.

Byakuya slipped on his usual silk black night pants before taking Rukia's hand and guiding her back into their bedroom.

Rukia sat the brush on the beside table before sliding under the covers. Byakuya shut off the lights and moved under the covers to join her. Rukia smiled softly when she felt Byakuya pull her closely against him and wrap his arms securely around her in a comfortable embrace.

Moments later she felt his hand move to stroke her hair. "Byakuya, are you okay?"

"I'm fine...just thinking." He replied calmly after a brief pause. Rukia wasn't really satisfied with his answer and Byakuya noticed. He looked down at her and smiled, "We'll talk in the morning."

Rukia nodded against him before she felt him tilt her head up with his hand. He kissed her softly before nuzzling her gently. "Goodnight, Rukia. I love you."

She gave a small smile at his words before snuggling closer to him. "Goodnight, Byakuya. Love you too."

To be continued...

I finished! (smiles stupidly) Well...finished chapter two. Finally, right? Hah, hah, hah...Well, I'm writing out chapter nineteen of this fic now. I predict this fic will be a little over twenty chapters. Probably twenty one. I'm still not sure. I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite how short it is. It's pretty much almost the same length as chapter one. They will get longer though, I promise. It's just that I'm not very good at making the first few chapters of fics too long. I added in as much fluff as I could in the chapters before the main part of the fic happens.

I hope you leave a review and let me know what you liked about the chapter. Sorry I couldn't get it up sooner, I wanted to get it out but I was having my Sate Writing Test and I had to prepare for it. So drop a comment and let me know you don't hate me. Lol, I'm just kidding. It's just that reviews gives me motivation to keep writing.

Thank you all for the reviews I have now as well. I really appreciate them.

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