A/N: SO, how'd you all like the first chapter, huh? I was greatly pleased with it, actually. Sorry it took so long to put it up, but I have my reasons so deal. Well, here's the second chappi! Another apology, this won't be as long as the first, but I have my reasons, again.

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Chapter Two - Pitch Black

The room was dark and Shunsui's eyes were having trouble adjusting. Not that he wanted them to. Infact, Shunsui wanted to be asleep; and in attempt to fall back into unconciousness, he closed his eyes again. Only minutes later he opened them and found himself staring into the nothingness. The dark was intriguing to him, really. He didn't get to see it very often since he preferred to sleep whenever he could; but right now he just couldn't. He couldn't understand why. Any other time he would close his eyes and drift off, simple as that. What, he asked himself, made that night so different?

Perhaps it was the unsettling feeling he had about that Urahara guy. It was definatly odd of him to be hang out so far from his shop.... And the way he had slain that monster with out a word or a second thought... that was almost frightening. The guy was a real freak and it was obvious. Something inside Kyoraku Shunsui wanted to hit him with something hard, and that was just because of the way the guy spoke. The fact that Urahara was all the way across Karakura in only a few minutes was unsettling on its own, but the way he spoke... they way he called Shunsui 'old friend'.... That was just too messed up. Shunsui swore up and down that he had no idea who he was.

Maybe, it was the fact that Jyuushiro began to have more trouble breathing that day. As soon as he awoke, he threw up on the floor next to his little bed roll. As it turns out, he hadn't eaten anything that morning. He said that he thought about it, but he looked at his breakfast and his body rejected it even before he had put it in his mouth. Then, he had explained to Yuzu about the chills and how he always seemed to get restless at night because he would be too hot under the covers and too cold without them. He had hardly slept in almost a week now, and it was evident from the dark circles under his eyes. Shunsui hadn't really noticed, and now that Jyuu was in the hospital, he felt horrible.

Added to the list was his dream. He couldn't explain it in proper words; he didn't even want to think about it. There was blood. Lots of blood. And a much older Ukitake in odd clothing. There were people he had never met before in his life that knew his name. One that particularily stood out, unlike the others that were blurry and faded, was a woman. She was average height, appearing around five and a half feet tall, with dark hair and eyes. She was pale-skinned and bad-tempered, but beautiful in his apparently unwanted opinion.

"But I only want to love my Nanao-chan!"

"Kindly die, sir."

Yeah, Nanao.... That was her name. It was befitting of her. A lovely name for a stunning woman. But still, he couldn't figure out where he had met her. He felt as if he knew her from somewhere before, but still, no matter how hard he tried he couldn't place her anywhere in his memory. No, he had never met her before in his entire life. What if, he mused while picking thoughtfully at the corner of his pillow, he had met in a past life of sorts? It was dumb to even think about thinking something like that.... But then again, he saw her face so clearly. She had to be real; and for some reason, he wanted to find her. He would find her, no matter what it took. If she was living or dead, he would find her, and that was that.

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"It's been exactly twenty years...." Nanao sat in her taichou's office, which she had recently adopted as her own. She felt so odd wearing the Eighth Division haori; it had always been Shunsui's and she really wasn't able to picture it on herself. She remembered taking the Captain's Exam and passing with flying colours, exception to the fact that she had no bankai. Yamamoto admired her skills with kido, they far surpassed even his own, and that was how she had been awarded Eighth. She was one of those exceptions that came along once every so often, like Kenpachi, though she hated to compare herself to that oaf. "Here's to love.... And to death." She raised a small sake glass, filled to the brim with her taichou's favourite drink. She raised it to her lips and downed it, just the way he used to. It had become somewhat of a bad habit for her. Every year, on the anniversary of Shunsui's death, she would drink a whole bottle of sake on her own. She was such a light-weight drinker that by the time she had finished the bottle, no one would even dare come near her.

She lay on the couch in her office, staring at the ceiling in a complete daze. "Shunsui used to sleep here," She admitted bitterly to herself, downing another glass of sake. "And he drank here whenever he was awake." Another glass. And then another, and another one following that. By then, tears were beginning to form and she tossed the glass away, bringing the bottle itself to her lips. She was glad that no one would bother to disturb her, because she didn't want them to see her tears. She didn't want them to know that the Eighth Division Captain, Ise Nanao... no, Kyoraku Nanao cried every year all night and day. She figured that she would be okay in a few days, but until then, no one would see her. No one would come in, no one would come out. The paperwork would be left outside the door in a neat little pile, signed and dated, waiting for someone to come along and pick it up, which someone usually did.

Rukia's reaction was somewhat the same, but she disappeared off to Jyuushiro's gravesite for the day, drinking green tea and telling him about everything that had happened that year. She could imagine all his responses, his little jokes and quirks that made her laugh. She sometimes couldn't believe that she smiled, knowing that she was talking to the man she had loved so dearly who had passed away twenty years ago. It wasn't like she was crazy, talking to a dead man, but Nanao, as she very well knew, cried all day and then sulked for the rest of the week. In twenty years, Aya and her younger brother were the only ones who had any idea of where Rukia disappeared off to on that day, though it should have been obvious.

"They want me to take up captaincy of Thirteenth now that I've achieved bankai. I don't know if I should, Jyuu. I know you... and Kaien would have wanted me to, but I don't think I can do it. I don't want to... excuse for this, I don't want to turn into Nanao. This tradition works out just fine for me, and I don't want to be stuck in your office crying every year." She spoke as if she were talking to him, and was a comforting feeling for her. And, where ever he was, she knew that he'd be comforted by her words as well. Knowing this, she avoided the subject of her unacceptance of Thirteenth and went on to something alot more heartwarming. "Aya and Shunichi have ferternal twin sons, and they're just starting to crawl now. Aya and Shunichi had this great idea.... Their boys are named Shunsui and Jyuushiro; isn't that great of them? I know you would've loved to see them.... I don't have anything to show you, but I can tell you that the older one has your old chestnut hair and copper eyes... The younger one's got Shunsui's darker eyes and these adorable black-brown curls; his hair's getting lighter, so I'm sure it's going to turn to more of a chocolate colour. Hey, three guesses when their birthday is," She paused, as if letting him answer, then continued. "December 22nd.... Like yours was. There's just so many reminders of you in the Seireitei, I'm actually surprized that I haven't broken down yet."

For the rest of that evening it was silent. The sun had begun to set, making the sky a canvas to the salmons, golds, and crimsons as night began to set in. Rukia packed up her things, consisting of a small blanket and a basket that had once been filled with food, and said her good-byes to Jyuushiro. Then, as was tradition, she waited until the moon was out and glowing, making one final statement before she left.

"I wish you could come back to me, Jyuushiro."