Chapter Two:

Squad 6 was quickly becoming the worst division to work in. Though the captain had always been distant and impersonal, he had become arctic. He was acerbic, and brief. Renji was pretty sure that Kuchiki didn't know the name of the new seventh seat. Not that he cared, except for Rukia. The Kuchiki heiress was distraught that her brother was so withdrawn. For all she knew, he was dying of an incurable disease and did not want to burden anyone else. Renji thought that was pretty farfetched, but he promised her that he would make Kuchiki's life as easy as possible.

That mean dealing with the daily drama associated with running a division. The things he did for her.

"Lieutenant Abarai! Lieutenant Abarai!" It was too early in the morning for shouting "Lieutenant Abarai, wait up!"

It was Rekka Fujimika, the new seat. He was a small man with pale hair and thin arms that did not look like they could even lift a zanpakuto, much less wield one. He had defeated his opponents during the trials with wit as well as skill, and mixing in kido when it was unexpected. He didn't look like much, but he was a worthy seat. Plus, he had the money to buy his way into the ranks if there had been a need.

"Yeah, what is it?" Renji did not bother to stop walking or even slow down. He needed to drop some reports off to Rangiku, and then he was meeting up with the guys for a late lunch. Which meant pregaming in celebration of the weekend, and he would be damned if he missed this meal. Hisagi promised something excellent to start the party off right.

"Lieutenant Abarai," the runt had a way of repeating himself. "I was wondering–" the boy was panting too hard to form his words coherently. "It's just, I haven't had a chance to meet Captain Kuchiki yet,"

"You will eventually, kid," Renji rolled his eyes. "There's a staff meeting next month. He'll be there,"

"Oh, I know, sir," Fujimika sheepishly rubbed his head. He had to take two steps to match Renji's one. "I've got the date saved in my planner." The kid kept a planner? He was just begging to be wailed on by guys from the eleventh division. "But I'd like to meet him before that. You see, my family is throwing me a party––as a congratulations of sorts. I wanted to invite Captain Kuchiki. I know it is stupid, but I thought it could serve as a thank you. I want to let him know that I take this job very seriously, and that I'll do my best for him––"

Renji finally stopped walking. "He doesn't care, kid. And he won't come. We don't mix work with social lives,"

Fujimika balked, and Renji understood. He was the embodiment of the lie, he who dined with the Kuchikis every morning, and who escorted the Kuchiki heiress to all social functions.

"But––"

"No, " Renji snapped. "So let it go,"

***BH***

Byakuya Kuchiki looked like hell, and he knew it. Yes, his clothes were still pressed and his hair immaculate. But he was pale, with heavy black bags under his eyes. He rarely ate, preferring to sit and not listen to the petty noblemen complaining about the unfairness of life. What did they know about suffering and the cruelty of the universe? He suffered, he was tormented by demons every night. She had been so close, tangible and just within his grasp. He had only needed wait a few years––what was a growing period compared to the decades he had spent in desolation. Hisana was alive and well, and completely rent from his grasp.

The family was not happy. No one knew what brought on the sudden change in the head of the family, but it was perturbing. Talks of marriages, familial alliances, finances––none of it stirred a reaction from him. Courtiers were starting to whisper that something more illicit disturbed the taciturn captain…something that plagued his cousin.

Kobaru Kuchiki was a problem in and of itself. He was had a brilliant head for figures; he had helped his father Iruka Kuchiki manage the family finances for years. He would have been an excellent addition to family save for one fatal flaw: he sought the company of men. In a family as old and expansive as the Kuchikis, he was not the first to come about, but most had the decency to keep their compulsions behind closed doors. All could have been dismissed had Kobaru continued with this practice, but instead he chose to be open about his sexual inclinations. Hence the meeting today: the elders wanted to discuss what actions should be taken.

Kuchiki did not care what his cousin did or did not do. The entire could family do as they pleased if it meant that they left him alone. He was quickly running out of excuses to go to the human world to continue the search for Hisana. It had been years since he had lost her, and he was growing increasingly alarmed. Soon, he would need to seek advice from someone skilled at tracking. She had always been danger prone, and he was not convinced of Reiko's parenting abilities. He had not even wanted Hisana until Ismani's death. This meeting was taking up time that he did not want to spare.

Giving up was not an option. He would go through every house in every country, touch every face in the world if it meant finding her. Reiko could not keep her locked up forever, out of his grasp. It might take tie, but he would find her. However, the longer it took, the less likely that Kuchiki would be willing to let her go. If another needed to raise her, he would facilitate it. There would be no more of this hide and seek game that her family played; she would need to be accessible to him at all times.

And that was when Kuchiki had his answer. It had been staring him in the face so long, and only now did he see it clearly. He could kill two birds with one stone. "Cousin," his hoarse voice cut through Natsu and Chiharu's squabbling. "Once, some years ago, you spoke with me about expanding the Kuchiki empire,"

All heads swiveled to Kobaru, who's only reaction was the quirk of an eyebrow. He was a true Kuchiki, able to mask any emotion that he felt and that was pivotal to Byakuya's rapidly formulating plan. "I did." None of the elders had heard of this proposition, which meant that Byakuya had dismissed it promptly. Why bring it up now? "I wanted to expand our enterprises into the realm of the living, in case another coup erupt in the Seireitei."

"You thought it best if we had a refuge to flee to if the need arose, a place where we still live as we do and command the respect due our family," Kuchiki quoted. Cold eyes met Kobaru's impassive gaze.

"Yes," he answered evenly. No one was sure what the head of the family was leading to, but all were quickly. Eyes flickered between the two as each spoke, both so tightly controlled. They were almost brothers, in the physical similarity as well as personality. "If the Soul Society falls, we should not have to,"

"I could not agree with you more. We are stable here, and we hold much power. But that does not mean that we are impervious to the world. Should it shatter, we would fall. That is something that we cannot allow to happen,"

"So you're suggesting we expand into the mortal world?" Uncle Chiharu asked after a moment of tense silence. "I fail to understand what that has to do with the current issue,"

"Uncle Iruka," Kuchiki looked to his uncle. "Kobaru helps you with our finances now, correct? And is very skilled at managing money?"

"Yes," the balding man nodded slowly, still unsure about the direction of the conversation. "I've taught him everything I know in preparation of the day that he takes over management of our money,"

"So he is as skilled as you are?" Byakuya clarified.

"If not more so. He was born with a natural talent for figures,"

"I want to clarify what I am hearing," Chiharu interrupted again, hands held up over the table. His eyes were closed and he slowly shook his head. "You want us to expand into the mortal world, and let Kobaru handle that branch of the estate? The business decisions, the monetary gains and losses. You want to give this boy run of the mortal world with full access to our accounts?"

"He would be apportioned only a small amount in the beginning. I would expect the mortal side of our business to be self-sustaining should we ever find a need to flee. And I would demand control of the markets, as we have now."

"Replicate there what we have here?" Kobaru offered a small smirk. He met his cousin's steady gaze. "It would be my pleasure, Lord Byakuya,"

It was decided, and the perfect solution for his problems. Kobaru would be away from the compound, so his family could not complain. He would have a contingency plan should something happen to the Soul Society. Most importantly, it gave him an excuse to go to the world of the living as much as he wanted to, so he could search for her. He would never give up, not until she was back in his arms. And once he had her, there would be an opulence to bring her home to. That way she could never get lost again; he would always have her.

***BH***

Kuchiki bought five acres of land on the edge of Tokyo to build the compound on. It was a central Japanese city, and it seemed like the logical place to conduct the search for Hisana. Originally, he thought to build a mansion akin to the one in the Court of Pure Souls. Kobaru quickly squashed the idea, saying that skyscrapers and glass would blend better with the world of the living. He would run a legitimate business, but their buildings and people would need to look the part. He planned a massive building of fifty-five floors, with a hidden garage for employees and family. There was always a garden that surround the property, and a paradisal retreat in the back.

"It is more expensive than I originally estimated," Kobaru said as the men looked over the blueprints. "When I first designed this, it was in the nineteen eights. The market has changed since then, and there are building codes that I did not anticipate. We've adjusted for them, and progress won't be hindered by more than a fortnight."

Kuchiki nodded. "Good. I want this place to be the pinnacle, Kobaru. Do not disappoint me." They stood in the middle of the construction site. Steel beams formed the skeleton of the skyscraper, workers shouted around them. The foreman was stout, but more intelligent than Kuchiki expected. He was handling the exorbitant pressure well. Sparks flew overhead, but he was still able to hear his cousin.

"Are you kidding?" Kobaru gave him a small smile. "This project is my life; I've been dreaming it about it for years. Failing would cost more personally than it would the family,"

"What are your plans for investing?" he asked.

Kobaru reached under the metal cart and pulled out a binder. Blowing the steel dust away, he opened it. "Right now, we've mainly invested in penny stocks and large corporations. We only hold our stocks for a few days and sell quickly after price increases. We're trying to keep our money fluid, but it is always somewhere. My father suggested bonds, but the return is too low for my liking and we would not see the money for decades.

"In the next year or so, once the compound is finished, we will start opening businesses. Since we did not create a product to market, I'm thinking more communal goods. Clubs, for example. And I want to invest in hospitals. Humanity is living and dying, and hospitals will always been in business. Here we have the schematics for the next ten years, but that is nothing more than a rough draft. I don't want to lock us into any enterprise, especially if something backfires."

Kuchiki read the numbers once quickly and then again. "I want a copy of these on my desk in the manor. Furthermore, I will be coming weekly to check on your progress. Once things stabilize, I will reduce my visits to monthly or bimonthly,"

Kobaru nodded his head. "I expected as much. This is your money, and I'm going to do the best that I can with it,"

"One last thing, Kobaru," Kuchiki turned back to the blueprints. His movements were not as fluid as they once were; this damned gigai was too confining. "Find the best location, and I mean the absolute best location in the building: the safest, with the best view and the perfect floor. Find it for me, and build me a room fit for a queen,"

"Cousin?" that was not an order Kobaru had expected.

"One day, I will need it. And it will need to be perfect in every way,"

Kobaru licked his lips and looked closely as the floors. "I'll look into it immediately," he promised, but there was a crease in his brow. "When…when will you need it by?"

Kuchiki looked at him levelly. "One day, you will be among my most trusted, and you will know all my secrets. Now is not that time, but with patience, it will happen. Until then, fuck whomever you like, spend my money in any way that you see fit and keep this place the epitome of our lifestyle. Just have that room ready at all times, for even I do not know when I will need it,"

His cousin's voice warbled slightly. His face stayed as impassive as ever, but Kobaru heard the desperation in his voice. "Of course, Cousin,"

He would do whatever Byakuya asked without question.

***BH***

He found her by accident. After years of futile searching, he was considering more drastic measures when the Head Captain ordered him to the real world again. This time, it was to find Yoruichi and shake some damn sense into the wild woman. She was needed briefly in the Soul Society, and would only come if a friend asked her nicely. Soi Fon was busy training with the Punishment Squad, and the General knew that he was coming to check on the progress of his investment. Just quickly popping by Urahara's shop to see if the cat woman was there should have only taken a matter of minutes.

And it had. Yoruichi was not with the ex-captain, but was away. She had been for several months apparently, and Urahara had no idea when she would return. Kuchiki left the Soutaicho's message with the fox in case he was lying to protect his lover. Then, he was off, searching still for Hisana.

He had almost given up when there it was: a flutter. So faint, that he nearly missed it––would have, had it not been his prey. He stopped moving so fast that he nearly stumbled, but turned towards the direction that it came from. There it was again, as gentle as a butterfly's wing. It brushed against his face with the gentleness of a blown kiss, but he felt it.

In seconds, he was by her side. She had grown much since he last saw her. She would have been almost four now. The chubby cheeks of an infant had fallen away to smooth, round orbs that held up dark brown eyes. They had blue in a a previous life, but he supposed that she would not be wholly unchanged by her sojourn in the human world. Reiko did not keep her hair short either, but let it grow long down past her shoulders. Pink barrettes decorated with dolls kept the locks out of her face as she played with a boy about her own age. Though she wore all pink: a pink shirt, a dark pink skirt and white leggings tucked into glittering pink boots, she sat in the dirt with this redhead and played Power Rangers.

"Red Ranger calling Pink Ranger!"

"Pink Ranger fighting bad guys!"

"Go go Power Rangers!"

"Power Rangers, form big robot!"

They laughed as their action figures clashed into each other. The plastic crackled and the paint chipped, but they laughed gaily as they fought their battles. "We won!" Hisana threw her head back and laughed.

"Because of my ranger!" the little boy swelled up his chest.

Hisana stuck out her tongue.

"Himura!" a woman called. The little boy turned to look at a chubby woman who smiled brightly as she held another infant. "Come on, honey. We have to go see Dr. Sagakagi,"

"Gots to go," Himura told her. "See yah tomorrow, Sani!" Grabbing his toy, he ran over to his mother. She helped him into the stroller, and they quickly disappeared. Kuchiki did not care. He could not stop staring at Hisana, who was making her Power Ranger fly above her head. "Go go Pink Power Ranger," she sang.

Reiko was nowhere to be seen. It was the middle of the day, and she was here alone. "Hisana," he called to her. He had to know if she saw him. As an infant, he could not count on her responses. Now, if she was old enough to interact with other children, she could handle seeing him.

The child's head turned slowly, eyes wide. She looked beside him, at him, around him, her face squished with puzzlement. Standing up, she clutched the pink figure to her chest. Small eyes squinted at the children playing. Apparently, she thought one of them called to her. When no one said her name again, she began to walk towards the general sound of those noise. He thought, just perhaps, that she was looking at him. She did seem to be staring intently at something.

Then, she stopped several feet in front of him, and looked right through him. Surprisingly, he felt relief. The little girl could not see him, could not report his appearances to her father or anyone else. He could keep her safe, watch over her as she grew and none would be the wiser. Contacting her upon her maturation would prove challenging, but it was an obstacle that he could easily overcome.

Kuchiki allowed himself a small smile, aware that no one could see it. The gold bracelet that he carried in his pocket felt so slight in his hand. It was too big for her now, so he would keep it, and add to it. The next charm he needed was one of a pink figurine with a mask.

"Hisana," two hands grabbed her sides. "There's my girl!"

It was a nanny who scooped her up. She squealed wildly and flailed her arms. The grubby hand never stopped clutching her toy, but she laughed the jubilant laugh of a safe and happy child. "It's time to go home!"

"Home?" Hisana repeated.

"Yup! We're having dinosaur nuggets for dinner!"

Hisana squealed with joy. Kuchiki could breath again. She was safe; she was happy. He followed the sitter back to Reiko's apartment. He moved to get away from Ismani's memory, and to be closer to his new job. The commute was a slight twenty minutes. The family lived in Nagoya, a large city only a few hours away from Tokyo. Things were falling into place, and the captain was exceptionally pleased. In a matter of years, everything would be ready for her to come home.

***BH***

When she was a child, she had called him her imaginary friend. They never spoke; she was not silly enough to think that imaginary friends could talk. Her's hovered on the edge of reality, sometimes there and sometimes not. He never came when she called, but when it suited him. It was all in her mind, and she didn't need to tell Dad. He would just make her go see a doctor. At ten, she decided she was too old for such trivialities, and pretended she did not see him. At twelve, she knew he was very much real, but could not admit she saw him.