A/N: Thank you for the lovely review. Here's the second installment! Reminder that translations will be at the bottom, enjoy! x

Random Fact: Today being March 23 (in my Country)... Happy Birthday Don Kanonji! *imitates sleeping mummy gesture while yelling the crazy laugh*

Amazake-babaa's Anguish - 2

18th July 1870 7:00am (Karakura Town)

Mikazuki woke up to a throbbing in the right side of her head. Unsure of what it could be since she had never had these symptoms before, she stayed down in hopes that the pain would soon pass. It wasn't long until one of the maids came in to bring breakfast to her. She lived with her father and step-mother in a manor, though they didn't know that she knew about her mother not her biological parent.

The maid went over to the shoji, sliding it open and letting the morning sun make its way inside. Mikazuki cringed, the brightness hurting her eyes, drawing the covers of her futon over herself.

"Is something wrong Mikazuki-sama?"

"Onegai, close the shoji. I am not feeling well." Her voice was muffled and barely audible.

The maid did as she was told, the room being engulfed in semi-darkness once again. She took the tray of food offered and began eating. Just as the maid was about to leave Mikazuki quickly got up and ran towards the adjoined bathroom, the contents of her breakfast spilling onto the floor. She was followed by the he maid, who came into the room. Horrified from what she saw and also scared of what the owner of the house would think, she left to go get him. Mikazuki stayed on the ground careful not the get her hair in the mess. She cringed at the pain that seemed to intensify in her head. A man who looked to be in his late forties appeared beside her, a hand reassuringly rubbing her back.

"How did this happen?" He yelled accusingly at the maid who was kneeling in the corner, head down, trying not to get noticed.

"Onegai, be quiet." Mikazuki said covering her ears.

"There was nothing different in her food." The maid's voice was low and meek, her quivering was noticeable.

The man went over to the maid slapping her and she fell to the ground. A red mark starting to form on her cheek and tears in her eyes.

"What was it then?" He made an attempt to slap her again.

"Stop…" Mikazuki strained to be heard in the room, but her voice was then drowned out by more retching. "I don't think it was that food that is causing me not to feel well."

"Get the doctor." The man ordered the maid as he went back to his daughter's side.

Mikazuki wasn't aware of how much time passed. All she thought about was how she wanted the pain to stop. It made her think about all the times she hadn't been in pain and how she always took those times for granted. Her father had managed to get her back to the futon in her room, whispering and petting her hair as if it would ease the pain. Mikazuki tried to lie down facing away from him, but it was on that side of her head where the pounding was concentrated. She let out a groan of frustration turning around just when the doctor came sweeping into the room, followed closely by the maid who sounded like she was out of breath. Her face was red and showed exhaustion.

"How is she?" He said kneeling beside her as she sat up.

"Not good, I've never seen her this bad before."

She looked at the interaction between her father and the family doctor. They talked with each other some more as if she wasn't in the room. The doctor began examining her, tilting her head to each side. When he flashed his light straight into her eyes she recoiled covering them with her hands.

"Hai," The doctor turned towards the other elder man. "It seems as if Mikazuki-sama has a severe headache."

Mikazuki fell back against the bed and frowned at her bad luck, knowing exactly what the doctor was talking about. Her father seemed confused and began to question him.

"Mikazuki-sama will need to rest for a few days. I recommend that she doesn't attend any of her classes. There is nothing else we can do apart from waiting for it to end."

"Souka, well if that is what you think is best." He left with the doctor and Mikazuki was left alone with the maid.

She remembered when her best friend got something similar and they weren't allowed to see each other for a whole week, this thought saddened her. Luckily she had been able to see her the day before. Leaning on her left side, she tried getting some rest. Of course whenever she got close to sleeping the sickly feeling in her stomach would arise, sending her back into the bathroom which she noticed still needed to be cleaned.

21st July 1870 10:23am (Karakura Town)

She felt relief almost instantly when she woke up with no pain in her head. The food she ate for breakfast stayed down and Mikazuki smiled, knowing that it was all over. Her father had come in and congratulated her for surviving the days that passed. This made her worry about how there had been a possibility of dying in the first place.

Mikazuki was now in front of her tutor, catching up on the work she had missed from the previous day. They were outside in the garden behind the manor. There were a variety of plants and a pond with koi fish in it. She wanted to be in the sun since the light didn't affect her anymore, she leant back for a bit to let the rays of light beat down on her. A warm breeze started to pick up and this was when Mikazuki started to shiver. It was a light shiver and she just assumed it was from the surprise of the wind passing her. The shivering didn't stop and she had trouble concentrating on the numeric symbols in front of her. The sun was high in the sky, unrelenting with its heat, proof that the weather was warm and she had no reason to be quivering.

"Sensei…"

"Hai."

"Could we go back inside?"

"Of course."

Mikazuki decided to go into the guest room and made sure that all the shoji were closed. She still felt cold, but with no breeze and the room acting like a large incubator she was at a loss.

"Is something wrong Mikazuki-sama?" Her tutor asked.

It was the same question her maid had asked a few days earlier, she suddenly had a very bad feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with actually being sick.

"Are you cold?" Mikazuki asked, trying to be nonchalant.

"Iie." That was when the tutor saw her shaking. "I'll go get your father."

Within the next few minutes, Mikazuki was back in her room on her futon. Her father speaking in angered whispers to the tutor who was sent away and the same maid had been sent to retrieve the doctor again. The doctor ended up arriving much later in the same fashion as he did when she had her headache.

"Now, let's see what's wrong this time." He said while taking out a liquid-filled thermometer and placing it in her mouth.

The thermometer stayed in there for a long time before he was able to take a reading. Upon inspection his somewhat neutral expression turned into a frown. Mikazuki took this as bad news and started frowning as well.

"Her temperature is above average and going by her shivering, I'm going to say that Mikazuki-sama has the beginnings of a fever."

"Is that bad?" Her father asked, taking her hand in his.

"It is too soon to tell. I suggest we take her to the hospital once her chills stop and she starts getting warmer."

22nd July 12:11am (Central Tokyo)

Mikazuki woke up in unfamiliar surroundings, before having time to panic she remembered falling asleep as they made their way to the hospital. It took hours for the shivering to stop. She was surprised her father didn't get annoyed with all the waiting. Afterwards when she started to heat up she realized that she preferred the shivering to the sweating. Being dressed in a loose kimono and placed on top of the futon prevented her from heating up even more than she already was.

She could tell it was dark outside and most likely not even close to the sunrise. It didn't take long for her eyes to slowly droop close and the drowsiness to take over, sending her back into sub-consciousness.

25th July 1870 8:40am (Central Tokyo)

The doctor was amazed when Mikazuki finally woke up after being asleep constantly for the last few days. Mikazuki sat up feeling quite groggy, wanting to go back to sleep even though that is all she seemed to have done. She had thinned considerably after not being able to eat much nutritious food since before her headache.

"Ohayou gozaimasu Mikazuki-sama."

Her doctor was already in the room, thermometer in hand. She waited for him to get closer before opening her mouth. She felt normal, apart from being so tired, and hopefully the results would show the same.

"Looks like your temperature is normal, the fever is gone."

Mikazuki nodded her head smiling. She didn't feel like paying attention to anything the man said, her focus taking in the room around her. Her eyes became heavy and all she wanted to do was lie back down and sleep.

"When do I get to go home?" She asked giving a drawn out yawn.

"In a few days, I still want to keep a close eye on you, just in case the fever isn't fully over."

"That's good. I'm just going to have some more rest then." Mikazuki finally leaned back eyes now closed.

"Mikazuki-sama I don't think that is a g-" His words were lost because she had fallen asleep seconds after her head touched the pillow.

29th July 1870 7:05am (Central Tokyo)

Mikazuki woke up, the early morning sunlight filtering through the material of the shoji. It took a while for her to realize that she had no idea where she was. This frightened her because no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't remember how she got to where she was. The last thing Mikazuki remembered was falling asleep in her own futon in her room.

"Ah, Mikazuki-sama, you're awake." The doctor came in with a warm smile.

She tried to get as far away from him as she could, not able to recognize him at all. "Who are you?"

"You don't remember?" He tilted his head to the side. "Well, this is strange. Do you know where you are?"

"Iie." Mikazuki said while shaking her head. "Chichi, I want to see Chichi."

The doctor nodded before leaving the room, in search for her father. Mikazuki got up looking around the plain room, there was nothing in here apart from the futon. Her father rushed into the room minutes later after the realisation that something could be very wrong.

"Chichi!" Mikazuki swiftly went over to him and he wrapped his arms around her.

"Mikazuki-chan it is alright, I am here now."

She broke down into tears unable to hold them back, being scared and confused at the same time. Her father whispered in her ear trying to calm her down, while patting her hair as if to flatten it. He looked over at the family doctor who was deep in thought, trying to figure out what was going on.

"What is the last thing you remember?" It was the doctor who spoke.

Mikazuki was reluctant to answer him, but with some encouraging words from her father she spoke in a quiet voice. "I remember coming home from my friend's house that night I was finally able to see her, because she had a headache. I got home, went to sleep so after and then I wake up here."

"Do you remember me from before now?" The doctor asked, still perplexed.

She shook her head another time, "Iie."

When thinking back she remembered needing medical attention for the cold she got in winter a couple of years ago. Whenever she thought about who administered the illness it was blank. Every time she needed a doctor in her past, she couldn't think of the face and the harder she tried the more frustrated she got.

The doctor left the room not at all satisfied and her father told her everything that happened trying to jog her memory. Nothing came back to her, she felt weird. Not wanting to believe that she lost almost two weeks of her memories but deep down somehow knowing that something was wrong with her.

3rd August 1870 3:18pm (Central Tokyo)

Even though nothing had happened and Mikazuki felt fine, the doctor decided to keep her at the hospital for longer. Her memories still hadn't come back and even though she didn't remember the doctor from her past, he would visit every few hours she was awake to check on her. She was starting to get annoyed, feeling as if she were in a prison. All she wanted was to go back home and see her friend but her father would just ignore her whinging attempts at persuading him that she was fine.

The shoji slid open revealing the doctor once again, "How are you feeling Mikazuki-sama?"

"Fine." Her reply had turned into an automatic answer to the only question the doctor ever asked her.

"Hai." He opened the shoji that faced the outside garden. "If everything goes well today you will be able to go home tomorrow."

"Really?" Mikazuki's eyes lit up with excitement, this was the best news she had heard in a long time.

The doctor nodded but then his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you okay?"

She was confused at his questioning, having not realized that anything was wrong. It was then that she felt her arm move. It started twitching every so often. Mikazuki looked to the side, watching her arm tremor without willing it to.

"What's happening to me?" She was fearful of the unknown and this certainly was unknown to everyone.

"I will have to look into it." He made to leave the room, pausing just before the exit. "It appears you will be staying even longer, gomen nasai."

7th August 1870 12:32pm (Central Tokyo)

Mikazuki was eating rice cakes by herself today, the tremors having stopped completely the day before. When the twitching started they allowed her to have miso soup, which ended very poorly because just when she had lifted the bowl to her lips her right arm began jolting. Resulting in said soup getting everywhere and yells from Mikazuki because of the scolding hot liquid burning her. The burns didn't take long to heal because they weren't serious and today she was glad to be left alone, given a solid food just in case her tremors were to start up again.

As she was about to place the last rice cake into her mouth, her body started to spasm. She had no control of her body and had no idea what was happening, a regular occurrence as of late. The plate that was on her lap clattered onto the floor which alerted the doctor just outside her room. He came rushing in to see what the commotion was.

He saw Mikazuki on the ground having a seizure. He hurried over to her and turned her so she was on her side, to stop any choking. She couldn't control her body and gaining back control was useless, this scared her. What terrified her even more was the confused and hopeless look her father gave when he entered the room.

"Tell me what is happening to her, onegai." Her father came down to her side getting the pillow and placing it under her head to cushion it.

"I am still unsure of how she gained these symptoms and what they will be leading to."

"Demo-"

Mikazuki was unable to hear the rest of her father's sentence because she blacked out, eyes rolling to the back of her head.

11th August 1870 2:28am (Central Tokyo)

Mikazuki woke up feeling as if a disturbance had caused her to awaken. It was still dark outside so she lay on the futon quietly, listening for any sounds that could be heard. She only had one other seizure since the first and her doctor was working constantly trying to figure out this enigma. After a few moments she heard a shrieking yell, whatever made the sound seemed to be in a lot pain.

Quietly she got up and went over to the shoji that lead to the outside garden, opening it she listened again but there was only silence. Outside it was serene and there was no indication of anything that could have made the noise. Mikazuki was sure it was that noise to get her stirring from the slumber she had been in.

"You should be resting, Mikazuki-chan." A voice breathed down her neck.

She jumped from the sudden noise and closeness, turned around quickly unable to recognise who it came from. She screaming when seeing a woman dressed in rags, with blonde hair much like her own. The doctor was still awake and when hearing the screams from his patient's room he went to investigate the problem. Upon entering he saw Mikazuki cowering in the corner covering her face with her hands.

"Stay away from me, I didn't know." It was a mantra that she kept on saying.

The doctor couldn't see anything in the room that she should've been afraid of but noticed the shoji leading outside open. He closed it before trying to shake her out of the reverie she was in.

"Mikazuki-sama, there's no one here." It was hard to get through to her because she was shaking and muttering the same three words over and over again, refusing to look at him. "No one is here." He repeated with more force.

Finally she looked up with fear etched in her eyes. "There is." She pointed in the direction of the ragged woman who left through the only exit available, disappearing down the corridors. "She is gone."

The doctor shook his head, murmuring his thoughts aloud. "It's a hallucination."

"Iie, it was real. It was her." Mikazuki said thinking that he was talking to her and tried to shove him away from her, but all attempts were useless.

12th August 1870 5:07pm (Central Tokyo)

Mikazuki spent most of the day confused. She woke up and couldn't remember her own name. There was some massive blank spot, worse than when she forgot who the doctor was. No matter how hard she tried to think of the answer it just wouldn't come to her.

She had woken up in the same fashion as the morning before, to the same shrieking sound. Again she opened the shoji to try and figure out what was making the noise. The blonde woman had visited her again, instead of being dressed in rags she was in a formal kimono. This time she didn't freak out, the woman didn't appear to be dangerous and she smiled at Mikazuki with adoration. The blonde woman motioned for her to sit down and began telling her stories, she didn't know whether they were true or not but they appeared to be real.

The doctor was away, he refused to go back into her room until he found out what was wrong. It was a mystery and even after consulting with some of the next best physicians, they all came up with nothing.

Her father entered the room that evening just after the woman left. "Okaa-san would like to see you today."

Mikazuki looked over at him, scrunching her face. "I don't want to see her."

"Naze?"

"I know that she is just a replacement, for when I was younger."

Her father stood there staring at her for a second while running a hand through his hair, he placed both hands on her shoulders keeping the eye contact. "You know that isn't true."

"That's not what the blonde lady says." Mikazuki went out to the garden even as her father tried to stop her.

"Blonde lady?" He was confused and positive that no one has been entering her room.

"She has visited me twice now." She said this with a small smile on her features.

"She isn't real." He remembered the doctor saying something about hallucinations but he didn't think it was accurate. "It isn't real."

"You're wrong Chichi." Mikazuki got to her futon and started settling down. "I saw the photo, the one you keep in the study."

"Nani? You know you aren't allowed in there." Her father gave an angry sigh.

"It happened a few years ago." Mikazuki closed her eyes, seeing images flash before her. "Onegai leave, I'm tired."

16th August 1870 6:42pm (Central Tokyo)

The blonde woman kneeled across from her on the futon. She was the only one keeping Mikazuki company now. Her father had gone back home with the excuse that he had work that needed to be done and he had kept putting it off long enough. She knew the woman before her was a hallucination but that didn't stop her believing the stories that were told. When falling asleep she would also get visions, it was hard to differentiate between what was real and what wasn't anymore. Gaps in her memories were increasing and everything the blonde woman showed her started replacing those blank places.

"You're in danger."

Mikazuki looked at her confused. "Danger?"

"Hai, you need to leave now." She got up and motioned to the shoji facing the garden.

"What about Chichi?"

"It's okay. You can see him when you are out of here."

Mikazuki closed her eyes for a bit, taking in a few deep breaths. She was unsure of what to do. If she did escape her chances of getting cured would decrease so much that she could end up being sick forever. If she wanted to get back to her father, how she would get home? She had no clue and was sure he would bring her right back. If she stayed then would she still be in danger, like the blonde lady said?

"Okay, I'll…" She lost her voice as her eyes opened.

The blonde woman was nowhere to be seen and both shoji were still shut. The same shrieking noise she has heard repeatedly throughout the nights suddenly cut the silence. Taking one more deep breath Mikazuki walked out to the garden, climbing over the low wall surrounding it, escaping the confinements and safety of the hospital.

1871 (Inuzuri)

She walked away from him, somehow knowing that he would follow her. The scraping of his sword against the dirty ground gave away that she was right. A small smile appeared on her face. They were silent for a while, the people outside their homes watching as they passed. Mikazuki was wondering whether he would start speaking, or if she would need to begin a conversation.

"Arigatou gozaimasu." He finally spoke, thanking her.

"It's just what I do." She said trying to feign ignorance as she copied his words from earlier when the situation had been reversed.

"Where are you going?" The houses had been left behind for a long time and all that was around them were trees.

"I'm just going where my feet take me."

Half of this was true because Mikazuki actually had no idea where she was going. She never left the roads of Inuzuri before. While for the other half, she tried not to let a giggle escape as the conversation was just being predictable and she wondered whether he caught on yet.

"You can't just follow your feet, you will get lost." She practically could hear the smile in his voice.

Mikazuki stopped in her tracks and turned around. "Just leave me alone, there's no reason for a little boy to be following me!" The sarcasm was almost impossible to achieve as she fell to the ground in fits of laughter soon afterwards.

He just stood there looking at her, his grin wide. "Little boy?"

She tried to nod as her laughter continued and he reached down to help her up and started leading her further away from the town.

"There's a place close to here, you might like it."

As the trees passed them, she was sure that they were lost. He seemed adamant to get to this place he talked about. Hopefully he wouldn't leave her there because even if he wasn't lost, she was. When he stopped walking, Mikazuki looked around him and saw a stone river. Letting go of him she stumbled towards it, collapsing as she got to the edge.

In shock he rushed over to her, "Are you okay?"

Mikazuki shook her head, "It happened here." She looked at him and he could see her eyes were brimmed with tears, threatening to fall.

"Nani?" He was confused, thinking she had never been to this place before.

"A year ago, when I was alive, I died here." She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Demo..." He shook his own head, clearing his mind. "How did it happen?"

Her hands fingered the dirt from the ground and she looked at their reflection in the river's surface. "I was in a hospital. I had been sick for almost a month. Someone told me I needed to leave, so I escaped…"

16th August 1870 6:59pm (Central Tokyo)

Mikazuki looked both ways before hearing that shrieking yell again, it sounded much closer than the previous times. The ground started shaking and she looked to her right again, seeing a large praying mantis-like creature making its way down the road. A white mask adorned its face and a large hole could be seen where the chest should've been.

"Seems like I've found a nice tasty soul." The words came out hoarsely and another screech followed.

"Oh for the love of Kami-sama."

She had never been one for liking insects, honestly they disgusted her. So when seeing this huge monstrosity in front of her, she didn't need much incentive to run for her life. The monster gave another screech going after her, not wanting the prey to get away.

Running wasn't easy for Mikazuki, she had never practiced it and there was no need for someone like her to run. She looked behind her constantly to see how she faired against the creature chasing her. The creature was getting closer, its long legs moving with ease. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, or where she was going. It was too late when she noticed the river right in front of her, she held out her hands as if to brace her fall into the cool water.

Taking in a small gulp of water as she submerged caused her to panic and try getting to the surface immediately. Mikazuki felt hands on her head, keeping her under the river's surface. At first she though it was the monster but realized it never had any hands.

Her alarm increased and she kicked her legs while also trying to get the hands off of her. The little air that was in her lungs was depleting and it wouldn't be long until she felt the need to inhale again. Mikazuki felt her body getting heavier and her struggling attempts were getting weaker. Not being able to take it anymore she breathed in water. Even though the liquid was cold, it burned as it passed down her throat and into her lungs.

She remembered being told by something that if you were about to die, you would see your life flash by. Maybe it was because of her memory loss but there were only two people her last living thoughts were on, her father and the blonde woman.

1871 (Inuzuri Outskirts)

"…and that's how I died." Mikazuki came out of the trance she must've put herself in, looking over at the guy to see his reaction.

His face was grim and he nodded in understanding. "Gomen nasai, for bringing you here."

"Iie." She shook her head. "Don't be, this needed to happen."

Mikazuki looked at him, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned. He looked away, into the reflection on the water. He seemed deep in thought and she stayed silent, waiting for him to begin talking again.

"I'm Takeo." He held out his hand after the introduction.

She was a bit reluctant to take it, but did so anyway. "Mikazuki."

Takeo got up from his position and lifted her up with him. He began leading her back to where the shack-like houses were. He halted just before they reached the paths of Inuzuri.

"Ishikawa." He stated, causing her to look at him with no clarity.

"Nani?"

"Our family name, it's where we met."

"Baka!" Mikazuki shook her head laughing, lightly whacking him over the head. "We actually met outside my house."

Mikazuki woke up sitting instantly. Sweat glistening on her skin, visible from the moonlight coming in through the window. At first she was a bit disorientated, not only from the dream she just experienced of her past but also the unfamiliar room she found herself in.

Never before had she dreamed of her past so vividly, it was a long time ago now, almost a century. She use to get nightmares regularly but Takeo had taught her to not dwell on what had already happened because it cannot be changed. Right now it didn't stop the sick feeling she got as she rose and examined her surroundings.

The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the living area of Byakuya's manor. How did she get where she was now? That thought was soon nixed when she started blushing. Obviously he would have seen her sleeping, how could she have let herself become so vulnerable in front of him and in his living area?

The dark sky outside showed her that it was nowhere near sunrise, meaning she must've only been asleep for a couple of hours, maybe a few at the most. She needed to get out, not wanting to be around for when the owner woke up and also because thoughts of the hospital were still clear in her mind.

Quietly listening for any sounds in the hallway, Mikazuki quickly left the room. It was pitch black, she held out a hand feeling for the wall. The task to get out seemed impossible, it was bad enough finding her way through the passages with light. She found a doorway and walked through it, colliding into something that reached her knees.

"Kuso!" Mikazuki yelled out, rapidly covering her mouth to prevent making any more noise.

She reached outwards with her own spiritual energy and noticed that Byakuya was still in his bedroom, his spiritual energy was resonating at a low frequency, hopefully that meant he was deeply sleeping. Sighing in relief she rubbed her sore shin, knowing it would most likely be on its way to bruising. It was then she felt the unfamiliar material of the kimono she was wearing, could she leave with it still on? She would have to, not knowing where to even begin looking for her own.

Mikazuki continued searching her way through the manor, having no idea what direction she was going. She came to a shoji and opened it, hoping there wasn't anyone on the other side. The moonlight entered the hallway and she saw the koi pond outside. Gathering up the ends of the kimono in hopes of not ruining it, she left the manor and made her way back home.

Her bare feet were cut and aching by the time she made it back, thankful that the kimono had not been torn in any way. She went into her bathroom quietly, able to make her way there with no disturbance even with the lack of lighting.

Cleaning herself up took little effort and soon her feet were snug in a pair of slippers. Mikazuki was still trying to be discreet and took her time reaching her bedroom, just to be confronted with Takeo lying on her futon, looking at the ceiling.

"I came in here looking for comfort, thinking that you would've been back from your walk." He sat up to face her. "Where were you Suki-chan?"

"I was walking around and I got pretty far without realizing it, you know me." She shrugged her shoulders with the response.

"I also know you're damn good at those half-lies. What if Ryo-chan and Sayuri-chan were the ones to come in here to find you missing?" Takeo asked, looking her dead in the eyes.

"Ano…" Mikazuki paused, really having no answer for him. She sat with him defeated, "Luckily they didn't."

He had used one of her weaknesses against her. It was cruel, but she understood why he did it. Mikazuki knew that she would've done the exact same thing to him if the positions were reversed. A nagging thought entered her mind. The positions would never be reversed. Takeo always thought of his family first, unlike herself who tended to be a bit selfish from time to time. She felt his hand linger on the material around her arm, rubbing at it.

"Have you been spending money on clothes with Rangiku-san?"

"Iie!" Her answer was too fast and her eyes widened at the realisation of what she just admitted.

"Who did you sleep with?" Takeo's eyes narrowed, waiting for an answer.

"No one."

"There's something you aren't telling me Suki-chan."

Mikazuki huffed in annoyance, sometimes hating that he knew her so well. "I didn't sleep with anyone, Takeo-kun you have to believe me."

"Am I supposed to just think that you found this?" His eyes narrowed even further. "Did you steal it?"

"Nani? Iie!" She looked out the window seeing the moon clearing in the night sky. "You know I would never do that."

"Tell me." Takeo's voice was getting dangerously close to being angry, but Mikazuki knew he would never harm her.

"I walked into Kuchiki-taichou." She said this very fast, hoping that he would just be satisfied with the answer.

"And..?" He probed.

"We fell into a river and he offered me to go back to his place. That's where I got the kimono." Mikazuki gestured to her attire. "I feel asleep after that accidentally. I will give it back before I go to my division."

Takeo laughed quietly, "So you did sleep with him."

"I didn't! I swear!" It didn't help that a blush started forming on her cheeks which Takeo was only just able to notice.

Takeo continued laughing and got under the covers of her futon, "Let's get some sleep shall we? It's almost sunrise."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm sleeping with you. I can't be bothered going back to my own room."

Mikazuki rolled her eyes also getting in, "Fine, whatever."

There was a long silence and she was sure his calm breathing indicated he was sleeping. She turned around and was shocked when she saw him looking at her. Smiling a little she closed her eyes, though doubting any rest would actually come.

"Suki-chan?" Takeo whispered after another lengthy silence, unsure of her consciousness.

"Hai Takeo-kun?"

"Ikanaide."

"Nani?"

"Promise me you won't leave us."

Mikazuki opened her eyes and was close to snorting. The emotions in Takeo's eyes stopped her. She had never seen him look so helpless and was sure it must've been the lack of lighting. She wiped some hairs away from his eyes to get a closer look, but nothing changed.

"It's okay. I'm not going anywhere." She felt him place an arm around her, succumbing to his sub-consciousness. "I'm not going anywhere."

A/N: Translations.

Onegai – please

Hai – yes

Souka – I see

Ohayou gozaimasu – good morning (formal)

Iie – no

Chichi – "daddy"

Gomen nasai – sorry (formal)

Okaa-san – mother

Naze – why

Nani – what

Arigatou gozaimasu – thank you (formal)

Kami-sama – God

Baka – idiot/stupid

Kuso – swear word

Ano – um/uh

Ikanaide – don't go