Author's Note: Wow, this turned out much longer than I expected. Sorry in advance for the many changes in time.

Things you should know:

Kabuki- Style of theater considered to be avant-garde due to the cray cray makeup and masks the Japanese actors wore and the way they swaggered and shuffled around the stage. All women were banned from acting so there was a lot of cross-dressing and terrifically awkward scenes of a man on man during romantic moments in plays. Also probably the source of pop-stars with fan girls that wanted to see such yaoi-esque scenes- but that's just my speculation.

I tried making food references accurate and specific to the tsuyu season. Again, sorry for any grammatical errors that burrowed under my razor-sharp editing levels.

Now comes the time where I reiterate: NO STEALING PLOTS OR IDEAS FROM ME, THE AUTHOR FOR ALL IDEAS ARE ORIGINAL TO ME WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE CHARACTERS WHO BELONG TO TITE KUBO AND RUMIKO TAKAHASHI.

When Hisana arrived to the rural lands of Rukon province, she couldn't believe the crowds that had packed the streets of such a quaint town. So much so, she was forced to abandon her palanquin early, pay the bearers, and travel the rest of the way on foot. It only took a short time for her to begin sweating. With all the bodies so tightly pressed up against her in the terrible heat it was no wonder she hadn't fainted. She wondered how it was possible that such a constant rain brought no relief from such temperatures. The smell around her was unbelievably horrid; body odors that flowed out of all the people from their sweat was almost impossible to not make faces at. Hisana's nose wrinkled.

She was pushed and pulled as she attempted to walk. She felt like she had been caught within an ocean current with no way of going against it. She could only let it take her to her destination.

When she made it to the official court that was set up as a makeshift census bureau that was built for the occasion, the line to the inside was wrapped around several blocks of the small, common town. Hisana could hear the people around her groaning just by reading their facial expressions. No one wanted to be here. Moving an entire province to one area was plain laziness on the aristocracy's part.

Nobody paid Hisana any mind, just as she liked, and she decided that she should drop off the box before doing the census. Mainly in hopes that the line would decrease but also so nobody would take the commissioned box from her. She felt her stomach growl as she tried to turn away towards the stretch of highway that continued south. She stopped in the middle of where she was standing to pass a hand over her stomach. She was bumped and jostled by doing so and earned some curses and frustrated looks. Hisana spun around trying to see over the heads in the crowd. She had never felt so small before, her sister had always been shorter but standing in such a thick crowd made her realize how tiny she was compared to others. However, with one properly placed head she was able to see a rice shop that she pushed her way over to. She made her order after waiting a while to get into the rice shop but when she went to pay she found her coin purse was missing.

"It was probably someone out in that crowd. With you dressed up as a proper lady anyone could have believed you had much money on your person", the shopkeeper informed apologetically dismissing Hisana from her shop. Now, hot and humiliated, Hisana showed the paper that the noble's retainer had left to a trusty-looking old man who pointed her in the right direction.

She returned to her original path along the dirt highway that led deeper into the secluded estates that housed powerful lords and wealthy court families. The longer she walked along the road, the less people that were around. At one point she was the only one walking and she grew worried that she might get attacked. But as a large home unfurled before her on the horizon and she saw a familiar sight of officials, guards, and peasants alike loitering outside the front gates, she knew she was in the right place. Getting there took another good portion of her time. Getting through to the front gates took even longer due to the guards not believing her reason for being there. By the time she got through the security checkpoints she was tired, hungry, sweaty, and cranky. She followed a servant through the immensely awe-inspiring grounds and through an old but well-kept mansion.

All the doors were open in the house to let a breeze flow in an attempt to cool the house down. The only problem was that there was no breeze, no trace of wind, only a heavy humidity that stuck to the skin like thick slime. Hisana was ushered into another building of the home turning down several hallways and shuffling over a long veranda. She clutched the wrapped box to her chest as she walked the long, elaborate halls. Different food smells wafted around her, causing her stomach to let off an embarrassing string of sounds. Her tongue began to salivate. She clutched her stomach in a futile attempt to silence her bowels. With each passing smell her stomach burned in desperation for food and the stifling heat began to close in on her. Despite her mother's attempts to tie back her hair, the heat was getting the better of her and she was sweating. The servant led her to a certain open door. She bowed, feeling dizzy as she did so, and the servant announced her presence to the lord who turned around from his sitting position.

There were sweat droplets that had formed on his forehead. Some slid down his face and onto his exposed chest, for his upper robes had been widely parted in attempt to cool off. Sparse hair decorated his mid-chest area; it was obviously a nuisance in the current weather seeming sweat had left its sheen there as well. He clutched a white, parted fan in one hand. His black hair remained down on his shoulders despite its thick, silky texture; it was obviously bothersome to the man to have it hanging around his neck due to the sweat that dampened the top of his robe. Looking at it made her sweat further and made it seem as though her hair was increasing in thickness and heat. He had no socks on, but his feet were neatly tucked beneath him. Despite his light, expensive robe being casual, it still possessed two twin crests on both sides; two cranes soaring back to back.

"You've come to deliver my order I presume." He stated observantly. His voice was low. She bowed her head in a nod. She inched forward, trying to control the shaking of her slender hands that was caused by her weariness. She unwrapped the piece and presented it before him. He took it from her hands cautiously before observing every inch of it. Finally, as Hisana began to feel nauseous, he snapped his fingers, giving her a jolt. A servant shuffled in and bowed silently. He turned to the man who had entered the room and handed the chest over to him.

"Place the scroll we discussed within this chest and present it to Lady Asano." The lord spoke lowly. The messenger bowed in response, took the chest and walked out. "You may go." The achingly familiar lord said to her.

She nodded, bowing once more, causing the blood to rush to her head and back down as she lifted it up. Between the heat, the hunger, the excessive sweating, and the slight offense that the lord had purchased a box merely to place a scroll in in order to court a woman, Hisana began to swoon as she stood up to leave. She heard the rustle of garments as she lost control of perception and consciousness altogether.

As she came to, she was on her back in an opened room. The rain was still falling. She felt a cooled cloth resting on her forehead. Her socks had been removed and her hair had been tied up on top of her head to let air get to her neck. The hairstyle for her was uncomfortable enough, but her surroundings, being totally foreign, made her feel worse. Her whole body ached with chills with the exception of her head which felt hot and enlarged.

She looked around and noticed the lord that had purchased her box was sitting a polite distance from her.

"You took a fall." He said dryly to fill the silence with something other than rain. She wanted to get up to bow to him, but she felt too weak and he didn't seem to care. She began to shiver, her spine wrecking her entire body with painful, jarring movements. The man saw this and inched forward. "Are you ill?"

"I feel cold." She said weakly. In response the nobleman stood up and left the room before returning shortly with a physician. The old man was kind and very gentle. He moved her head from side to side, felt her pulse in her wrist, presented her with a thin sheet to cover herself with, and spooned an awful, bitter, and dry herb into her mouth that she choked on. He helped her sit up while she coughed, before pressing a cup of lukewarm water into her hands. She drank it in gulps as she gagged and felt the herb sticking to her throat.

"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked.

"Sleepy,"

"That's normal." He said as she laid back down, still throbbing from head to toe. "It appears you have developed a cold from this rain. I was told you came from Inuzuri, in this weather, you're lucky your sickness is not worse."

"Will it grow worse on my return?" Hisana asked. The doctor laughed.

"You must stay put. I'm sure Lord Kuchiki can accommodate one guest." The doctor said looking at the lord who nodded once in an obliging way. Hisana turned her head to the side to get a better look at the man. It might've been completely rude but she was shocked that she had found her way back to the Kuchiki estate after fourteen years. She couldn't tell if it was the same Lord Kuchiki from her childhood or his son, the boy with whom she used to play. The doctor listed off instructions that she wasn't paying attention to, before he bowed out of the room. The lord stood to leave but she did the unthinkable.

"W-wait," She croaked out, almost completely asleep and struggling to keep her eyes open. She saw his now blurred form turn to her. "It's me: Naito, Hisana." She murmured before drifting back out of consciousness.

When she awoke once more, she felt slightly worse. The doctor was wiping her sweat; as she awoke more fully, she realized it was Lord Kuchiki. She was without any energy and her limbs were numb and stiff.

"I'm sorry," Was all she could think of to say.

"For what?" He asked.

"Getting sick here."

"I'm not sure people can control when or where they get ill." He responded. She gasped as a thumping pain rushed through her skull. "Headache?" He guessed and she gasped in response to a new onslaught of pain, raising her weak arm to touch the wetted cloth, but touched his hand instead. He pulled his away, looking to the side. "You've had a fever for the past hour." He informed stiffly. There was a long silence and she noticed the rain was still pouring and the wind had picked up.

"Has the weather worsened?"

"It looks to be turning into an early typhoon this year." He responded. More silence ensued. Lightning struck somewhere and a flash of its light filled the dim room. Thunder cracked.

"I assure you I never intended to impose my presence on this house again." She said feeling guilty and embarrassed.

"Why not?" He asked rather quickly, leaving them both to tensely endure more silence.

"I was under the impression that my family and I were not welcome here." She began cautiously.

"And what gave that idea?"

"Do you not remember how our fathers separated us-"

"It was your father, if I remember correctly and how could I forget?" He responded slowly.

"Do you know why?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. My father passed only a year later."

"My father didn't hardly last the autumn."

"I'm sorry." They both said in unison and then stared at one another prudently. He had changed drastically since they were children. Not just in the physical way, but something about him seemed harder, meaner, and icier. She noted that she had yet to see his face break into any expression other than a blank stare.

"I suppose you are here to take part in the population census for the Rukon province." He stated matter-of-factly. She pulled her cover closer to her chin in an attempt to keep her body heat in.

"Yes. My family will be worried when I do not return home tomorrow."

"Once this storm reaches them, they will understand why your journey was delayed." Screams echoed off in the distance. She turned her head away from him towards the screens that led to the outside. The outer-wooden doors that had been closed for the storm, rattled and quaked under the violent wind and rain that was hounding it from the outside.

"All of those people, without good shelter in this storm," Hisana began worriedly before another aching chill rushed down her spine and her trembling continued.

"You should focus on recovering and not the storm," He instructed. He slid one knee forward as though an actor on the Kabuki stage. He rose with more natural poise than any actor could have dreamed of capturing, then he left the room silently. With his absence, she realized the room was colder, for the rain had finally brought about the cool temperatures of the wet season while she slumbered. She clutched her sheet more tightly and scraped her feet together in an attempt to create warmth between them.

Minutes later a silent servant came in, bowed to her with a slight nod of the head, and set before her a wooden tray of scrumptious food. Steaming rice of the purest grain was set to the side in a beautiful ceramic bowl laden with fine décor. A tempting, wider bowl sat in the center. It held a piping hot ladle-full of congee, a rice porridge, which had been filled with pickled trout, green onions for color, and lemon for flavor. For the sweeter side of the palate, daigaku imo, or maple-glazed potatoes, was placed in a small portion to the upper left corner on a ceramic plate. A fresh cup of chilled green tea lay before her as well as a nice, cool platter of soba noodles.

As Hisana sat up to reach for the tea, she was stopped as the servant hurried out and came back seconds later with a tall cup of water. She gratefully accepted it drinking it first. The servant then placed a small drawstring pouch before her before bowing slightly, and taking their exit. She pried the pouch open with her fingers and found the herb the doctor had given her before. She assumed that was what the tall cup of water was for and placed it off to the side. Her stomach rumbled. She hadn't eaten a thing for two days and it certainly wasn't helping her fever.

She rubbed her stomach assuredly before shakily picking up eating utensils. She slowly ate her food with the uneasy feeling of being watched and silently judged. She used her peripherals but saw no one. She laughed silently to herself at how paranoid she was acting. She noticed a fresh robe had been set aside, probably while she was sleeping. It was such a fine count of cotton that it felt like silk between her fingers.

Her favorite robe, the one she had worn and intended to wear for a day only, was now soiled with dried sweat. The pretty, general print of wisteria was the most flattering robe she shared with her sister but even the embroidery had dried mud stains at the hem from her walking in the rain. Her tabi that had been removed from her feet after her fall were nowhere to be seen, probably discarded as trash.

She forced herself to eat at least the rice before her stomach began to work against her. Nausea rolled over her body like a wave and she had to gag down the herb, choke down the water, and then made sure it stayed down for a few minutes before going to take another nap, induced by her medicine.

A few days went by and with good food at her disposal and a leisurely atmosphere that didn't require her to work from morning to night, she recovered quickly. For the first time in years she was getting over six hours of sleep every night. She was allowed a bath and when she was led back to her room, a box sat neatly where her bed, which had been rolled up and put away, had been. She looked around but the servant was already gone. She timidly removed the wooden lid and her eyes sprung open in amazement. A deep blue, designed robe lay perfectly folded on the inside. Made of silk from the southeastern part of the Rukon province, it was delicately hand-embroidered with realistic designs. A silken sash of a sea-green color lay beneath it. As she stared dumbly at it, a voice rang out.

"It should fit as I was told by the tailor who stitched it." Lord Kuchiki resounded dully. She lowered the robe to look at him.

"I cannot accept this. People of my rank are not allowed to wear silk by law."

"People of your rank?" He asked quizzically. "A noble lady unable to wear silk?" He looked down at his lap as he tried to work that one out. Hisana bit her tongue as she worked out what to say and how to say it carefully.

"My lord, after my father's death, my family was living off of very little. My mother married a merchantman who had a good lacquer business, and we became merchant-class citizens. That's why I was sent here with the box. The box intended for another lady," She said hintingly to the lord; reminding him that he should be showing that lady he aforementioned affection with gifts and not Hisana.

"Yes, but you're still a Naito by blood, are you not?" Hisana confusedly looked to the side.

"Yes,"

"Then you're noble. Most nobles nowadays are bitterly impoverished. It is nothing new or out of the ordinary." But something to be ashamed of, Hisana thought sourly. She knew by firsthand experience how impoverished nobles were shunned by high and low society alike.

"I may have the blood of a noble but nothing else. Can a lord, with no title, land, or wealth still call themselves that?" But as she finished her question she bowed deeply to him. "Forgive me, my lord, it was not my place to ask any questions."

"Accept this robe. I'll return you to your home with new palanquin bearers."

"I'm afraid I must decline," She said still in a bow.

"That wasn't an offer." He said frowning at her aloofness. Afraid of insulting him after burdening the entire Kuchiki estate with her sickly presence, she obeyed.

Hisana returned home hearing Rukia speaking out about their old robe. But she was too anxious to listen wholeheartedly. She kept tugging at the silk robe on her body. While the gift had been a nice gesture it hadn't been practically thought out seeming he had forgotten to get an under-robe first. The silk on her slick skin was sticky and uncomfortable.

That, and the hints from her sister that she had stolen the robe, momentarily caused her to become aggravated. But it passed quickly and she went inside to make herself tea to calm her stomach that had been doing flips since she got inside the swaying palanquin. Rukia asked questions that hinted her suspicion. Hisana only brushed them off and went to share the tea with her mother.

"It was given to me." Hisana finally said after her mother kept staring at the silk kimono.

"By who?" Rukia piped in. Hisana didn't acknowledge Rukia because she was afraid that if she spoke she might have revealed more to her family than she wished of who the lord was that had bought the box.

"Does it really matter, Rukia? One should not question when gifts are given to them." Lady Naito informed.

"It does matter." Rukia muttered before their stepfather, Tsukuda, barged through the doors. His tan skin was tinted red from his high blood pressure. Sweat beads had littered his brow.

"There are palanquin bearers camped outside our gate. They said they worked for someone within our house but refused to let me use them! Which one of you used my money for such a useless service?" He spat accusingly.

"It isn't with your money that they were hired." Hisana said sternly, staring at her stepfather.

"Another gift, no doubt." Rukia pouted. Their stepfather beheld Hisana in astonishment. His eyes twitched in a way of restraining himself from exercising his anger. Hisana braced herself for what was coming, but instead harsher words spewed from her lips.

"You're just upset they won't allow you to abuse their services!" Hisana said bitingly. In a flash, Tsukuda lunged forward and slapped her across the cheek. Hisana sat there, holding her cheek and preventing tears from falling. He hadn't ever dared to hit one of the ladies of the house before. Unfortunately, Rukia stood up to Tsukuda verbally and physically. So their stepfather dragged her out of the room by her hair.

Lady Naito's face crumpled into heavy concern for her youngest daughter. She abandoned Hisana's side to go to the door. However, Tsukuda came back, pushed her aside, and jerked Hisana up by her wrist. He violently dragged her to the stairs where she tried to pull and struggle against him. But alas, her frame was too weak and thin to hold its own ground against a man who weighed thrice her weight. He jerked her up the steep stairs causing her to bump many of her joints and scrape her bare feet as they went. He threw her into her bedroom and to her horror, ripped the silk kimono from her body.

When he had finished stripping her, he held the robe in his arms, coveting it with a distorted look in his eyes before tucking it under his arm.

"No! Don't take that please!" Hisana pleaded, nakedly sitting before him. In response he grabbed her long hair and began hacking away at it with a dulled knife that had been laying around their room for sowing. She shrieked and cried out as she felt her hair fall away. Her cheek was already swelling around her face. He leaned down and growled right in her ear,

"You think I don't know these are gifts from that lord? Now you look the way that you are: ruined." He spat before walking out, locking the door behind him. She pounded against the door for a short time before weakly curling up into a ball and covering herself with an arm. She was totally innocent of the claims Tsukuda had laid upon her but she wept anyway. The loss of her long hair would bring about the wrath of the city. She had seen girls before with sliced hair being reviled in the streets, called terrible names that she hadn't ever understood, and even being physically tormented by more aggressive Inuzuri citizens. Girls with short hair were walking signs of dishonored parents and families. In a society where filial piety was held at the utmost importance, this signified a truly bad, ruinous daughter. Most commonly this deadly sin of a ruined reputation was brought on by a virginal daughter committing adultery with a high-ranking man. Half of the time the girl never got a say in the affair.

She heard screams from below and heard him coming back up the stairs before he slid the door back, tossed Rukia in and left once more. She didn't dare look at her younger sister. She didn't want Rukia to see her crying; she didn't like anyone to see her crying. But Rukia approached her to place an old robe over her shoulders and Hisana allowed Rukia to dress her. Rukia said something but Hisana wasn't listening. She weakly remained sitting against the door, listening as her sister ripped cloth and screamed as a joint was popped back into place.

"I'm ruined," Hisana spoke out, focusing on her little sister and watched as Rukia looked into her eyes. "He thinks I was bedding that lord the entire time I was gone. He's going to make sure everyone in Inuzuri knows it. He started by cutting my hair so that everyone will look and me and know. I'm ruined." She whispered, closing her eyes. She heard the clanging of the knife as Rukia picked it up and opened her eyes to see her little sister slicing her own long hair off. Hisana watched in bewilderment as Rukia's long strands fell onto the pile of Hisana's own hair.

"There, now I'm ruined too." Rukia gave a strong smile as her hair clung to her neck and chin. Hisana, though flabbergasted, went to carefully take her sister into her arms. Rukia placed her good arm on her sister's back and there they sat for a long time amidst a pile of beautiful locks. Hisana envied her younger sister's strength and courage to stand up for herself. It was as if their roles were reversed. Most of the time Hisana felt like the younger sister, always weak, always observing, never outgoing and successful in attempted endeavors. She certainly wasn't a sister to be looked up to, that much she acknowledged.

The worst moment of facing others with her short hair came when Hisana walked down the stairs the next morning after their stepfather had left for his shop. He obviously hadn't decided to tell their mother, so as her mother turned to take the tea from the tray Hisana carried, Hisana had to watch silently as the cup tumbled from her mother's hands as a petrified look of terror cross over Lady Naito's face. Hisana knew no words of consolation or explanation of her innocence, letting her mother assume the worst of her eldest daughter.

Lady Naito's wrinkled hands trembled on their ascent to her mouth. There they stopped as she let out a soul-shattering cry. It pierced straight through Hisana and reverberated off every wall. The birds that were resting on the over grown tree that leaned over their wall flew from their perches in a startled flight. Hisana hadn't ever seen her mother cry before. Her mother sniffled and let out loud wails of utter despair.

"Mother, I can explain-"Hisana reached out to place a comforting hand on her mother's shoulder but Lady Naito slapped her hand away. Hisana recoiled her arm.

"How dare you do this to me?" Lady Naito sobbed. "After all your father and I had done for you, for your sister!" She sibilated.

"I did nothing," Hisana tried to be calm but she was desperate for her mother to listen and believe.

"You call going to bed with Lord Kuchiki nothing? After you lied to me and told me you had been sick?"

"I did not lie!" Hisana defended but her mother would hear none of it. She saw only the uneven, chopped hair that hung defeated upon her daughter's shoulders.

"Who will have you now? No man will take a used cup!" Her mother let out an aggravated howl before storming from the room still horribly upset. Without thinking clearly Hisana ran out the gate and into the streets. People that normally greeted her with cheerful 'Good Morning!'s or 'Have a good day!'s went still upon seeing her hair. All were in shock and they only hastened in the directions they were headed, turning their heads from her and becoming fascinated with the ground. She went to the closest tea shop where she had a few good friends, but right outside a man crossed her path, looked at her hair, and spit on her kimono. She jumped and looked down at the saliva dripping like molasses down her robe. She looked at him with disgust and offense.

"You think you deserve to look at me like that? You're worse than a prostitute- at least whores are licensed." He spat once more at her feet. She couldn't believe her ears as the man walked away. An old family friend looked at her with pity in his eyes.

"Mr. Ito, you know me I wouldn't do something like that!" Hisana pleaded, hoping for someone to believe her. He looked at her before sighing heavily and standing from his table outside the teahouse.

"Your father would be ashamed," He said heavily before turning and walking away from her. All the people around her turned to move away as well. The teahouse owner's daughter, Momo, came out to confront her. Her crimson robe had its sleeves tied back and she had a white cloth over her black hair. She clutched an empty tray to her chest timidly looking at Hisana.

"Momo, thank goodness. I could really use some of that chamomile-"

"I'm sorry Hisana," She whispered, looking everywhere but Hisana's eyes. "My father can't serve people like you. It's bad for business." She said apologetically before closing the door on Hisana's nose. Before she broke into tears, a hand reached out and grabbed hers. She turned around. An elderly man by the name of Jushiro Ukitake, a man who shared the same impoverished nobility as Hisana and who had been good to her father, affectionately clutched her arm and walked her behind the main building along a shady, stone path that was seldom used by hurrying pedestrians. She broke into tears for the second time in a twenty-four hour period, burying her face in her hands.

"There is no need for that," He said warmly, placing his hands on either side of her head. He stared directly into her eyes. "Did Tsukuda do this?" He said referring to her hair and she nodded. When she tried to open her mouth to speak she let out a shuddering sequence of breaths. "Come to my teahouse, you can tell me all about it on the way. I'll get you fixed up with anything you'd like." He said ushering her along the back alleyway with a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Author's Note: *GASP* He took away the robe Byakuya gave to her!

The beast will make off with your children,
he'll come after them in the night.
We're not safe 'till his head is mounted on my wall.
I say we kill the beast!

We're not safe until he's dead.
He'll come stalking us at night.
Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite.
He'll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free!

So it's time to take some action-

WRONGG STORYY! Sorry not sorry for that unabashed Disney reference.

I hope you enjoyed the reunion of Hisana and Byakuya thought under sucky circumstances...ehehehe...hehe...heh. Love me, please.

R/R & F/F and I'll give you virtual golden stars out the wazoo.