A/N: Hey guys! Got some good and bad news with this update. Bad news, My husband and I both lost our jobs last week. Our department was eliminated in our center and a few others. I'm not stressing, we'll be fine.

But the good news is that I've had time to get this chapter written and posted, as well as plenty of time to work on the next ones! We're starting to move things along a little bit here, but please understand I have no outline for this, so I am basically winging it all lol. As usual, please read and review, I love your guys' thoughts!


Laying in his cot, staring up into the dark, he waited until the sound of her breathing evened out before getting up and exiting the tent. He'd let her put him to bed so that she would get some sleep herself, but he wasn't tired. Fresh air and star gazing sounded like the perfect way to pass the time until he was. Not to mention it would be nice for sorting through his thoughts...and feelings.

Waking to find her at his bed side had been confusing at first, but once he saw the relief in her eyes he remembered what happened. Well, mostly anyways. He'd gone to the field to do some training, to keep his mind off of the fact that she was supposed to be returning to camp soon. He kept waiting to see her smiling face come into view, and when it started to get close to noon, he began to think about all the what if's, and worst case scenarios. If she didn't return by the end of the day, how long should he wait before trying to look for her? If she'd been found and captured, how would he know?

So instead of driving himself crazy, he decided he needed something else to focus on and made his way down the path to the training area. He ran the gamut of exercises and solo training methods several times before he grew bored. That was when he'd gotten the bright idea of trying to emulate what she'd done with her Haineko. Senbonzakura had echoed her thoughts, that it might be too dangerous with blades, but agreed to help him anyways. To be honest, she'd made it look easier than it was. He'd gotten the hang of it eventually though, and within an hour, he felt like he was ready to at least attempt combining it with kido.

Starting out small, he was able to create a shakkaho spell and intertwine it with his shikai. His aim was terrible, but that was what practice was for. And after he let off a few more successful spells, he decided to make the next one bigger.

While in the middle of charging up the kido spell, he realized that he was losing control of Senbonzakuras blades more and more as it grew, so he changed his focus back to them. He'd just gotten it all under control and was ready to fire it off when he felt her spiritual pressure coming in his direction. He'd been so engulfed in what he was doing that he'd failed to notice her until she was practically right on top of him. That momentary lapse of concentration caused him to lose control and the spell exploded in his hands. After that it was all black, until he woke in their shared tent with her worried face looking down on him.

He hadn't felt or been so embarrassed in a long, long time. How had he let himself get distracted enough to lose control of his kido spell? He was Byakuya Kuchiki, he didn't get side tracked. At least, that's what he'd always told himself... and others. And they seemed inclined to believe it, so he did as well. Maybe he was just growing more lax as of late, without the pressure of his family name and duties as a captain hanging over him, life was easier, more carefree.

No, that couldn't be it. There was more pressure on him now than ever if he really thought about it. After all it was going to be up to Matsumoto and himself to find a way to defeat Aizen. And that would not be an easy task by any means. They might both end up losing their lives if they weren't careful.

Speaking of Matsumoto, it had been her presence that made him forget what he was doing for a moment. If he was being completely honest with himself, he'd been elated that she had returned, losing his focus. And in turn, he blew himself up. Smooth. But the two weeks they'd been apart had seemed to drag on forever and he couldn't wait to see her, to know she was safe and unharmed.

He'd always preferred to be alone, enjoying the silence around him. Other people only provided useless chatter on subjects he didn't care about, or placed high expectations on his shoulders. He'd always felt free to be and do whatever he wanted when he was by himself. But after spending so much time with her, it felt lonely. He'd found himself speaking things out loud, as if she were just in the next room or something, only to remember that she was gone. Silence was no longer the good friend it used to be, it was no longer the solace he was always seeking in the past. He couldn't believe how accustomed he'd become to having her around.

He also couldn't believe that she'd carried him back to camp to patch him all up. It would have been easier to treat him where he was. And not that he thought she was weak, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out how she managed to drag his dead weight off the ground in the first place, let alone carry him from there. Especially considering that he'd put on quite a bit of muscle since they'd begun training. She might be taller than most women he knew, standing only a few inches shorter than himself, but he still outweighed her by a considerable amount. In the end he supposed it didn't really matter, but he was impressed nonetheless.

She hadn't yelled and screamed at him the way he was expecting her to either. In fact, she'd pretty much taken it in stride, proving once again that she was far stronger, both physically and mentally, than he'd originally thought. Of course, now that he knew her better, all of his original thoughts and impressions of her had been completely wrong. She'd turned out to be nothing like he'd been expecting and he would admit that he was pleasantly surprised.


Leaves and twigs crunched and cracked under their feet as they made their way back towards the Rukongai. It smelled like fall outside still, but winters chill was coming in faster than they expected and they were now trying to get back to their home before the first snowfall. They estimated that they were losing about two weeks worth of training time due to the weather, but it could have been worse so they weren't complaining. Well, maybe a little. And that was more Byakuya than herself.

Though most of his complaining and grouchiness could be blamed on the fact that they'd run out of coffee two days ago. It almost made her regret getting him started on the stuff in the first place...almost. She understood how he felt though, and she was sure that she was no picnic to be around right now either. As soon as they reached civilization again, which should be before noon, she'd be sure to hunt some down. Then they could take a small break to enjoy it and get themselves back in fully functioning order.

The last two months had been especially productive and she was glad that they were being forced to go home and relax a bit. Otherwise they risked running into a plateau in their progress. This way, they could continue to train their minds and bodies, so that when they were able to physically train again, they could continue to move forward. She was sure to be able to perfect her shikai/hado combinations, and come up with something new, by the end of next summer. In the meantime, resting for the winter would do them both some good.

Within the hour, the sight she'd been waiting on finally greeted her. The rundown shacks of the 80th district were in sight, and she could practically smell the coffee she was after. Finding a place to set their stuff down and rest, she left Byakuya with their things and ran off on a mission.

It took her a little longer than she thought, but eventually she made it back, handing him a steaming cup.

"Thank you. This is just what I needed." He said, inhaling the scent before testing to see if it was cool enough to drink.

"Ugh, me too. This should put the pep back in my step. I'm honestly looking forward to getting back. A hot shower sounds great." Warming her hands on her cup as a shiver ran through her, caused by a cool breeze whipping by.

"I agree, that does sound wonderful. So does sleeping indoors again." His voice a bit wistful at the thought.

"Yes! And can we please sleep in and do nothing for the first day or two that we're back? Please?" She'd been dreaming of a lazy day, she needed it and soon.

"I believe we can work that out. I too could use a day or two of rest." He said with a knowing grin.

She couldn't help but smile in return. Seeing him smile and hearing him laugh was still a bit of a shock, but she liked it. It was reassuring somehow.


They made good time for the rest of the trip, making it home half a day earlier than planned. But that had turned out to be in their favor, as it was bitterly cold that night. She and Byakuya had used the last of the firewood they'd brought back with them to keep warm while they slept. They'd curled up together in one futon in the living room, both of them sleeping better than they had for awhile. So well that they didn't get up until after noon the following day, both of them too sleepy and comfortable to get up before that.

It had been so nice sleeping next to one another, for the first time since last winter, that they'd somehow come to some unspoken agreement. In which he would quietly set up a single futon in the living room each evening, and she would quietly crawl in next to him, snuggling up close. Neither of them had brought it up, they just kept letting it continue without a word of protest.

After awhile, it became a comfort that she sought at the end of the day. Especially once they started spying on how things were going in Seireitei again. While their friends weren't being blatantly tortured in the streets, they were definitely suffering under Aizen's rule. And sleeping in Byakuyas arms at night made her feel safe. It made her feel reassured that they would fight his tyranny with everything they had.

The Gotei still existed, just in a new form, with fewer divisions up and running. The biggest change as far as that was concerned, was that there were now Espada and Arrancar in charge of the squads, a handful of the previous captains were now lieutenants...or no longer ranked at all, thanks to fracciones. Well that, and the fact that it seemed none of them were carrying their zanpaktou, except Aizens men of course. Couldn't have the peasants rising up against the king, or at least not with weapons.

While it didn't seem fair, it did seem like the kind of rule Aizen would put in place. Just like the one that stated he was to be referred to as Kami. Anything less would be taken as a direct insult and attack on the new Soul King, resulting in punishment, ranging from being flayed with a whip, up to execution.

What an egotistic ass hat. He ruled with fear, not skill or relation to the people, and those kinds of leaders never lasted long. His reign would end sooner than later if she had anything to say about it.

She'd managed to catch a glimpse of Toshiro on one of their expeditions, and it took everything in her not to alert him to her presence. She wanted to let him know that she was alright, and see how he was being treated, but let the chance pass when she realized he wasn't alone. That blonde woman walking along side him...wasn't that the Espada that he'd fought in the war? Why were they together? Had she taken over their division?

God, the more she learned about the goings on in the Gotei, the more she wanted to charge in there and cut off Aizens head already. But as Byakuya reminded her (yet again), there were only two of them and they would need much more help if they wanted to attempt that any time soon. So unfortunately, she could do nothing but watch from afar and hope that they would all survive until it was time to free them.

On the plus side, her captain seemed to be in good shape, looking healthy and unharmed. It was obvious that some of the new 'captains' were more brutal with their underlings than others, the proof in the form of large purple bruises, broken bones in slings and casts, and the way their eyes darted around in constant fear. Not to mention that they'd witnessed it with their own eyes in that bar last spring. So words couldn't explain how relieved she was to find that her captain wasn't dealing with that. At least from what she could tell anyways.

Squad 4 seemed to be the only division still functioning like it had before the war. Captain Unohana was still the head of the division, and short of her third seat and a few unseated officers who'd met their end in the war, everyone was still there carrying on like they always had. It seemed odd at first, but then they realized that Unohana was probably one of only a few who might actually be able to take Aizen in a one on one situation. So it made sense that he'd let her continue to head her division, lest she decide to become a blood thirsty warrior again and turn her ire at him. He might win, but she wouldn't make it easy.

They'd later learned however, that Unohana had been taken as Aizens 'wife', and he used the death and destruction of her entire division as motivation to do as he said. He was also trying to use her to create an heir to his new throne, and she could only imagine what the woman had to endure where that was concerned. Apparently, he'd threatened all of their friends with the deaths of their colleagues to get them to comply, and just to prove it, he'd murdered the head captain in front of all of them. Essentially beheading the Gotei completely.

That had been a blow they weren't expecting. They'd both mistakenly assumed that he'd been locked (or sealed) away deep within the maggots nest. That was also assuming that it was still in use and Aizen hadn't freed all the criminals from it's depths. And the thought of him no longer leading them hurt more than she was expecting.

She and Yamamoto-dono weren't close by any means, but he always knew what to say to motivate her when she needed it. He was also a bit of a perv and would let her get away with more than other lieutenants, as long as she leaned over his desk in just the right way when delivering paper work. Sometimes all she had to do was shoot him a cheeky grin and he was putty in her hands. On the other hand, he'd been tough on her when she needed it most, and he was part of the reason she'd come so far. Losing someone who'd been there since her first day at the academy was something she'd never fathomed happening.

Byakuya had been quiet for a few days after that news, and she couldn't really blame him. He was dealing in his own way. She'd settled for physical exercise herself, trying to run, jump, and crunch the pain away. Sweating it out was the best option besides crying, though she did still cry a few times...while sweating, real attractive. In contrast, he'd gone for long walks and meditated a lot. She did her best not to disturb him and within a few days, he was back to normal.

It had taken months just to learn that much information, and she prayed it was the worst of it. While all of the things they'd learned fueled her need for vengeance exponentially, it also tore her heart to pieces over those she loved going through such Hell. They'd all been forced to submit to the will of a maniac, psycho killer and his cronies, and she'd never been more grateful to the man at her side for saving her from the same.


The days were slowly but surely getting not only longer, but warmer and soon it would be time to pack up and head back out to their training place. They'd continued to train mentally with jinzen and physically as much as possible, sparring in hand to hand combat a few times a week and a general workout once a day during the winter. But that wasn't nearly enough and she was anxious to get back to the intense training they'd done last summer and fall. It was still too cool at night though, so she'd have to wait, whether she liked it or not.

In the meantime they were killing two birds with one stone, shopping for supplies while they absorbed as much information as they could from inside the walls of Seireitei. Being this close to any divisions grounds was risky, but it was where they learned the most so it was worth it. It had already been a year since the war was lost, and they couldn't waste time being scared to get close. They'd never get anywhere if they let the thought of failure hold them back.

"Hey, what do you think of this?" She asked, holding a pale green yukata with a dark purple cloud pattern adorning the sleeves and waistline, up against herself.

"I think it would look lovely on you. Green is a good color on you, it compliments your skin tone." He replied, eyes roaming the fabric.

"Thanks. I really love the pattern, and how it isn't too much. But I also really like this one over here." She said offhandedly, turning to find the other garment.

Grabbing it, she held it up, chatting away at him without noticing that he had gone still. She was so lost in her little happy shopping trip that she was unaware of her surroundings. Having no clue what was happening, you can imagine her shock when Byakuya pulled her to him suddenly. Then, before she could ask him what the Hell was going on, he was kissing her.

Oh.

Oh.

Her arms dropped to her sides in shock, hands letting go of whatever was in them. She was stunned for only a moment, before her brain kick started and she kissed him back. It didn't matter how it happened, only that it was happening. His tongue begged at her lips for entrance and she quickly found herself being swept away by the moment.

The feel of his lips on hers, his arms holding her to him, one hand in her hair and the other at the small of her back, was electric. She'd never felt anything like it, her body tingled from the contact and she pulled him closer. The world around them no longer existed, there was only the smell, taste and feel of him. She literally felt weak in the knees, but managed to keep it under control. And just as she was about to deepen the kiss, he pulled away.

She felt like she was in a daze, her brain taking a moment to catch up. Looking to him, she was expecting to meet his gaze, expecting him to say something about why he'd kissed her so suddenly. Instead, he was looking off into the distance, his hands had moved to her biceps and he was holding her at arms length.

"They're gone, the coast is clear." He stated matter of factually, picking up the items she'd dropped and handing them back to her.

"What? Who's gone?" She asked, confused suddenly.

"Your friend Ayasegawa, and Ukitake-san. I apologize for my sudden impropriety, but I was afraid they would recognize you...or your voice anyway...and I couldn't seem to get your attention. So I...acted on impulse." He replied, his cheeks turning pink and gaze focused on the ground.

"Oh...it's ok. I'm sorry for losing track of where we were. Shopping is kind of my weakness." She said with a nervous laugh.

Great, she felt completely awkward now. Finding out he'd only kissed her to keep someone from recognizing them took the wind right out of her sails. She'd taken his lips on hers to mean something else entirely, and now she was left to face the realization that she wanted him, all on her own. Wow, she had terrible timing.


"Matsumoto...Matsumoto..." He attempted to break her out of her reverie.

He could see two familiar faces headed in their direction, and he was trying to alert her. Even with dark hair, she could still be recognized, and he was sure that there were some in the Gotei that would know her voice anywhere. He had to find a way to shut her up, but sudden movements would draw attention.

They were getting closer and she was still chatting away about fabrics, colors and patterns, not paying an ounce of attention to anything around her. Once they were within range of hearing her, he panicked, grabbing her and pulling her to him. He crushed his lips to hers in order to silence her, and while it worked, it was a huge mistake.

He wasn't even sure why kissing her had been the first thing to come to his mind. Maybe it was because she looked so happy while perusing the wares at each shop. Or maybe it was because he had been imaging what that green yukata would look like on her (stunning of course). Or...maybe he was just an idiot.

Gods...her lips were so soft against his, and pliant too. She smelled wonderful, her lips tasted like vanilla, and once the shock wore off her body relaxed against his. He had one hand wound into her silky hair, and one holding her to him, and before he realized what he was doing, she opened up to allow his tongue to enter her mouth.

The soft, contented sigh that came out of her at the contact sent shivers through him, causing a sigh of his own to escape. It was like the embers from a long ago fire, roaring back to life inside when she pulled him closer. The desire to kiss her in other places was upon him and he was quickly losing himself to the sensations her lips were causing, some of which he hadn't felt in so, so long. And he might have stood there, kissing her for the rest of the day, had it not been for the sound of Ukitake's quiet laugh breaking through the haze as he and Ayasegawa finally passed them.

He was grateful it had been enough to distract him from her lips, for he was sure if he'd been allowed to continue unhindered, he might have tried to take her back to their shared domicile. Who knew what might have happened then. Not that he would be opposed to some of those possibilities, in fact, a few were quite tempting, but it wasn't right.

The two of them were on a mission. Mixing business with pleasure rarely worked out, usually ending in the mission failing, or someone getting hurt...or worse. So no matter what feelings this attraction to her might cause, or stir up, he was going to keep it quiet. He appreciated her as a partner in all of this, and respected her talents and abilities, so there was no way he was going to mess this up over his physical urges. He was not an animal, he could control his baser instincts.

Still, pulling himself away had been difficult to say the least, and he put her at arms length, hoping the space would lessen the effect she'd just had on him. The dazed, ravished look she now had made it even worse. Her eyes opened slowly still hazy with desire, her lips were plump and cherry red from their kissing, and her hair was mussed in the sexiest way. He almost kissed her again...almost.

"They're gone, the coast is clear." He said as casually as possible, straightening up and surveying their surroundings.

"What? Who's gone?" She blinked in confusion.

"Your friend Ayasegawa, and Ukitake-san. I apologize for my sudden impropriety, but I was afraid they would recognize you...or your voice anyway...and I couldn't seem to get your attention. So I...acted on impulse." He replied. He couldn't seem to meet her gaze, his face feeling warm as he stared at their feet.

"Oh...it's ok. I'm sorry for losing track of where we were. Shopping is kind of my weakness." She said with a nervous laugh.

"Did they look well?" She asked after an awkward silence settled over them.

"From what I could tell. They were laughing, so they must be doing alright." Glad to have something else to talk about.

"That's good...can we get some food? I'm starving!" She exclaimed, dragging him by his sleeve in the direction she wanted him to go.

He hadn't missed the look of disappointment and embarrassment on her face when he'd dismissed what happened so easily. It made him wonder if she too had felt the spark that he did. Either way, she seemed to have shaken it off, changing the subject and their location. That was for the best, they couldn't afford to be distracted by one another like that. At least not until Aizen had been dethroned.


They'd danced around one another awkwardly for the next few days, but in time they were able to get back to the way they'd been before the kiss. And before he knew it, they were making their way back out to their training grounds. They were starting sooner this year, choosing to leave on the first day of spring instead of waiting a few weeks. No time was to be wasted this year, they were prepared to be out there until late fall, no interruptions.

He was chomping at the bit to get back to it, ready to expand on his proficiency with Senbonzakura. He had been thinking all winter of new ideas and attacks to try out, and even his zanpaktou was displaying rare enthusiasm at the chance to finally do it. The next few months were going to be very productive, he could feel it. And not just for himself, but for her too.

In fact, with any luck, she should be reaching her bankai before the next winter rolled in. She wouldn't have enough time to perfect it before they had to defeat Aizen, but at least she'd have it. Almost like an ace up the sleeve. And the closer she got to reaching that goal, the more curious he was becoming about it. Would it be like his, and allow her to do as she wished with a larger cloud of ash? Or would it be something completely different? There were so many options when it came to bankai, but if her spiritual pressure was anything to go by, it was definitely going to be powerful.