DISCLAIMER: I do not own BLEACH or any of its characters
Lemons will abound... but whats a good romantic angsty story without lemons right.
Please read and review, plus if you haven't ,check out the First part Vast and Absolute.
Hell and Happiness
chapter two - Twofold
Byakuya was dreaming again, he knew it was a dream because it was the same scene, the same sounds, the same smells and she was there. If she was there it had to be a dream, but a part of him was happy; very happy and at peace.
He relaxed and let the scene unfold around him, the faster he relaxed the sooner he would be able to wake himself . He had learned over the years, being stuck in this unconscious limbo to just watch and pick the correct point to wake himself, if he fought the dream, it seemed to grab hold of him making him sink further. So he let it play out, like it always did.
It was the Soul Society, and she was his wife. Never doting or subservient; always her wild, unpredictable sexy self. The way she was meant to be . The way he had loved her.
They were married, living in the Kuchiki manor, though she made a fuss sometimes and if she got angry he could be sure she'd be back at the Shihouin.
He was aware of their history, the fun times they had. Dreams could do that. Fill in the blanks, make you feel things, remember things that hadn't really happened. He would indulge this fantasy and play along, until he saw a way out.
Yoruichi had arrived home after a long assignment, his body aching for her immediately. He took her upstairs to their suite. She was happy, only having eyes for him.
In the back of his mind he saw the door opening, his way out. He wouldn't linger at her side like he had done in past dreams. Waiting until after the dream consummation before he would leave. It was always more painful when he waited until after. His mind his heart couldn't take it any longer.
Part of him wanted to stay and finish the dream. His pride ever vigilant even when he was sleeping wouldn't allow it. He turned to the door.
Yoruichi sat up in the bed, her hair long cascading over her bare chest.
"Where are you going?" she asked, reaching for him as her smile faded.
Byakuya turned away with a scowl, stopping dead in his tracks
"Where are you going Byakuya?" His heart stopped seeing the sweet pale face of Hisana.
You came back. He had seen glimpses of her before in this dream but now each night she was moving closer, tonight he heard her voice for the first time in a long time. Tears rolling down his cheeks, he didn't want to hide them.
"Hisana"... he fell to his knees, his head at her waist, arms clutching at her like a lifeboat.
He looked up, she was speaking but he couldn't hear her voice.
Byakuya sat up in his futon, tense, his eyes were wide his heart feeling the sting of loss, twofold. Why was she there? Why couldn't he hear her? He lay back down wiping tears from his eyes.
xxxxxxx
His eyes were still stinging. He hadn't been able to go back to sleep, he rarely was able to after he had that dream. But lately seeing Hisana only made it worse more disturbing. His temples began to pound
Byakuya closed the book he was leafing through, looking at it puzzled; not even realizing that he had picked it up, he lay it on his desk not noticing the small aged yellow envelope that had fallen from it. He heard loud voices coming down the hall. Taking a deep breath to face the oncoming onslaught he sat at his desk.
"I told you no!" the office door flew open. Renji had a vein throbbing on his forehead much like the one rising on Byakuya's.
"Captain!" Koutaishi said running in past Renji.
"Don't you two know how to knock?"
"Renji says that I don't get time off for Obon!" Koutaishi continued not even hearing what Byakuya had said.
"Why should you get Obon off, your just 3rd seat. The captain has it off so do, I that leaves you, here in charge. You should be happy. Finally some authority."
"Let Amai stay,"
"I'm not staying." Amai said entering the room with Byakuya's tea. "I have it scheduled off'.'
"I wonder how that happened seeing how you make the schedule." Koutaishi slammed his hands on the desk, Byakuya cut his eyes at him raising his eyebrow. Koutaishi smiled sheepishly then held his hands to his chest like the desk was suddenly white hot.
"I told her she could have the day off." Byakuya said, but the information fell on deaf ears.
"Well, why do I have to stay, why can't I have it off 'specially if Amai has it off, we're from the same district." Koutaishi was grasping at straws.
"What's that got to do with any thing?"
"You have the day off as well Koutaishi," Byakuya said exasperated.
Koutaishi, his mouth open ready to argue, finally heard his captain's voice.
"What?" Koutaishi looked back at the snickering Renji.
"You ..." Renji flashed stepped out of the way of the lunging Koutaishi who quickly followed slamming him into the a bookcase.
Byakuya watched disinterested. Amai overlooked the fighting pouring, Byakuya's tea. Unfortunately with those two it was a normal occurrence. Renji seemed to enjoy the torture of his subordinate, much like when he interacted with Ichigo.
Books fell off the shelf, the sofa and table were thrown. Amai glanced at Byakuya normally he would have thrown them all out of his office by now. He was distracted, still. She served him his tea, but he didn't touch it.
She looked back at her captain. He had seemed happy when she came to his squad, even though she had thought maybe he would have held their shared past and the princesses against her.
She was happy to be in Squad Six, even when the loss of Hisana brought a colder Byakuya to the forefront.
Amai ducked out of the way of flying books and papers seeing the yellow envelope on the floor when she did. She looked it over. A letter to Byakuya?
"Sir." she said handing the letter to Byakuya.
He froze as if seeing a ghost
.
He dressed hurriedly, roused by the sirens.
There was an escape. The prisoners had escaped.
He thought it was a joke. Yoruichi was already gone. He felt foolish that she and her stealth squad were already on the scene and he had been asleep. Rushing to his assigned post he saw a letter that Yoruichi had left on his pillow. He put it away in his things. He'd read it later once everything calmed down.
"Byakuya?"
He came back to the present.
"Byakuya?"
He looked at Amai and the letter she was holding.
Byakuya pushed back from his desk loudly, the two quarreling men stopped looking over at Byakuya.
"Please leave." His voice sent a chill through the air, as he turned back to the window.
"It was on the floor, it looks old. I thought maybe it was misplaced."
He stared at it again. The book he had been blindly leafing through, had he been looking for it.
"It wasn't misplaced," He snatched it from her "Leave." His voice made her shiver, it didn't hurt her anymore, though. She knew he was hiding his own wounds.
"Is there anything- .."
"You may leave Subaru-san,you too Lt Abarai and Shizuko-san."
The two quarreling men still drawn together like magnets pushed and shoved each other on their way out of Byakuya's office.
Amai bowed slightly and left the room.
He looked back at the letter. He never had opened it after he found out what she'd done. But he still couldn't throw it away either.
.
.
To be continued...
