AN: Gomenasai! *bows in a dogeza* I am so sorry for the late posting! I got sick, and then all my family got sick, which then required that I drop off the face of the internet for a bit. And then... yeah. Life happened. Anywhoo, the plot pandas decided to throw some stuff in here. I had no choice, might I add. :P Please review if you get the chance! It's so encouraging to read them. :) Thank you so much to all my faithful reviewers :D


"So, how far have you gotten in your search for her?" The man asked calmly, his voice not reflecting his inner anger. Gin's head drooped anxiously, and he cleared his throat before answering.

"I put.. someone on the job. He's one of ours. A specialist. He should have no trouble locating Rukia and, erhm, disposing of her." Gin said, dubiously.

The man shrouded in shadows reclined further back in his chair, letting his fingers form a peak under his chin. He finally sighed, which sent relief through Gin.

"I suppose that will be alright," He said, his voice sounding bored, "But…" He dragged out the word longer than necessary, making Gin cringe slightly. He knew that his boss's plan was to weasel a favor out of him. And Gin couldn't refuse after his last failure.

"I don't think I want her dead… yet. She may be a liability, our only liability, but yet… I am drawn to her. I should like to meet her, see the terror in her eyes before I snuff out her fragile life." His voice changed from excited to throaty and lusty. It sent shivers up Gin's spine; he was unaccustomed to see the Boss letting out any of his plans. Even though Gin was his right-hand man, Gin wouldn't put it past him if Boss just upped and betrayed him. Left him to die. Wouldn't surprise him one bit. What would surprise him was his peace with that bit of information. Others might fight their ensuing betrayal and death, but not Gin.

He would take it as it came.


Byakuya spoke in hushed tones over the phone. Rukia pretended to be engrossed in her book as she secretly listened into his conversation. She heard him talking about a leave of absence, and she began worrying. Then Byakuya's eyebrows scrunched together, and he told the caller that he had to go; another call. He picked up, and remained silent for a few minutes. Rukia stealthily glanced at his face, which was obviously masked at the moment. Devoid of all emotion. He spoke a few noncommittal words and then hung up. Rukia looked up at him, worriedly.

"What was that about? Is everything alright, Byakuya?"

Byakuya sighed, "There is a meeting concerning the elders of my family. Apparently I have walked out on one too many meetings. They absolutely demand my presence." Rukia nodded her understanding, and he hesitated before continuing. "They also want me to marry another woman." He now had Rukia's full attention.

"Calm down, Rukia. I will tell them of my plans to marry you; they will get over themselves," Byakuya said reassuringly. Rukia almost laughed out loud at how childlike Byakuya sounded in his possessiveness over her. He noticed the atmosphere change and was confused.

Rukia didn't bother explaining; this small gesture had made her happier than she had been in a long time. She smiled up at him, her happiness evident in the twinkle behind her eyes. She spoke quietly.

"Go. I will wait here, and I will be strong." She smiled again, tears filling her eyes. She rubbed them away with the back of her hand. "I think it's the hormones. I don't usually cry this much, ever." Byakuya nodded knowingly. He sat down beside her. He began talking slowly.

"I know that we hardly know anything about each other. I don't have to start packing until after dinner. How about we take some time and just get to know each other?" He asked, tilting his head.

Rukia nodded, closing her book. She crossed her legs and tucked a blanket around her.

"So," Byakuya started, "You want to ask questions? Or just tell each other stories?" Rukia shrugged and so Byakuya continued talking. "I guess I'll just tell you a story and then I'll ask you a question. And it'll be up to you about what to do next." He leaned back on the couch, preparing himself.

"Both my parents are dead; I am an orphan. The same as you. But, I had caring grandparents who took me in." He smiled briefly at the mention of them. "My grandfather was strict, and always teaching me the ways of the Kuchiki's. My grandmother was always trying to convince him to teach me 'the other secrets of life', as she called them." He glanced at Rukia, his head resting against the back of the couch. "I never got to find out what she meant," He spoke softly, recalling memories from the past. Rukia couldn't speak. They were alike in so many ways; how had they gone on such different paths? To end up together in unbelievable circumstances. Rukia tried to wrap her mind around it, but couldn't. She focused on the rest of Byakuya's story.

"Once she died, my Grandfather became more strict, and I strayed less from his side. I became the perfect model of what they wanted a Kuchiki to be. However," Byakuya shut his eyes, "I couldn't ever live up to their expectations." Rukia's brow furrowed deeply, and she waited quietly for him to continue. He was much quieter as he spoke again, "They wanted me to continue doing what the past 27 Kuchiki's have done: become a lawyer." He laughed bitterly. "As if I could do that."

He looked over at her, "Even though I am on the side of justice, I know how the system works. There is no way that I would actually be helping the one on the right side of justice all of the time." He smirked, "I would be having to defend the guilty at times, and prosecute the innocent." He smiled a little smile before continuing, "I told them—very rudely if I recall correctly—that I would rather become a doctor than a lawyer. I would rather save people's lives than destroy them. They didn't take too kindly to that." Byakuya laughed at the memory. "And what of you, Rukia? What's a story about you?"

Rukia thought a moment, and then grinned, "I had an older sister once. I don't have many memories of her because she disappeared when I was very young. However, I remember her before she was kicked out of the orphanage. We would snuggle together, and she would tell me stories of how our lives would change once she got a job." She paused, her face contorting with grief, "She visited a few times, telling me about this new job of hers. And then, one day, she didn't return. I often wondered where she could've gone to, but then I always assumed that I would hear from her. But that never happened. I can only hope that she has a good life now." Rukia's face relaxed, and a sad smile covered up her extreme grief, "She worked hard for it. I have searched high and low for her, but she is nowhere to be found." Rukia looked into Byakuya's eyes, to see him staring at her with a warmth that enveloped her whole body.

She peered restlessly into his eyes, and he let her. He leaned forward slightly, not wanting to miss a single detail of all that was Rukia. He noticed how her breath hitched slightly, and her eyes fell to half-mast. She was surrendering her heart to him. He could hardly think, as they were so close. Their noses touched, and he could feel her breath against his lips. He didn't move from there. No, he would let her make the decision. He didn't want to be 'just another kiss'. No, he wanted to be the one that she wanted, and loved. Rukia could hardly stand the distance between them. What had this man done to her?

In a matter of weeks, he had managed to lower her defenses and almost convince her to fall in love again. What the hell? She thought. She leaned forward to close the gap between them. Byakuya's eyes widened as her lips pressed firmly against his. She pulled away far too soon, and looked away blushing. Byakuya tilted her head towards him with his hand, and pulled her face towards his once more. They kept the kiss chaste, and her heart was filled with butterflies. Rukia was blushing furiously when they broke apart, and Byakuya didn't know what to say. It seemed as if his wish was being granted; by the time they were to be married, Byakuya wouldn't allow any bad memories of Renji to remain.

He glanced up at the clock, and cursed angrily at the device. Rukia shook her head, still flushed. He looked up at her meaningfully, "I have to go, Rukia. But," He grinned, his smile sparkling like stars, "believe me when I say that I love you. And that I will come back for you." Rukia looked at her hands, and Byakuya realized that he needed to purchase her a ring.

"Also, Rukia, I am unsure as to how long I will be in town. The Kuchiki meeting may take up to a few days. Also, I have to go buy a few custom items, which may take another day or two." He looked at her apologetically, before handing her a phone again. "I have already bought this phone, simply to make any calls you may have to make. My number, as well as the Kurosaki's, and the prenatal doctor's are all presets in it. However, my advice would be not to call the Kurosaki's, until I can find out whether or not it is bugged." Rukia nodded her consent.

He looked down a little, "If you feel the urgent need to contact them, for any reason, calling once should be fine, but you would have to destroy the phone immediately afterwards. Throw it in the fireplace, would be the best suggestion." Rukia smiled, and threw her arms around Byakuya. He was still awkward with physical touch, so he just wrapped one arm around her and patted her back.

Rukia pulled away, and yanked his collar close to her. She whispered, "Come back soon, please. I'll miss you so much." This time Byakuya reached forward to sweep her lips in his. He deepened the kiss, understanding how kisses could be considered drugs. He pulled away after a minute or so, and pecked her once more, before gathering his jacket and shrugging it on.

"Byakuya!" Rukia said, as he walked out the door. He turned quickly.

"Yes?" Rukia grinned.

"Be safe, and come home soon!" Byakuya smiled and waved, and quickly started up the car. He wanted to get this meeting over with so that he could get to know Rukia better. Rukia leaned against the doorframe, feeling loneliness creep up on her.

Just one call won't hurt.. Rukia smiled when she thought of the Kurosaki's odd behaviors, and felt a pang of jealousy at how complete their family was. She picked up the phone and dialed their number once again. Rukia nearly broke into tears upon hearing Isshin's voice.

"Otou-san! It's been so long!" Rukia exclaimed.

"Rukia-chan! Are you alright?" Isshin yelled, obviously concerned and excited to be hearing from his 'third daughter'. She chuckled.

"I'm fine, I just thought that you deserved an explanation to.. well.. everything." Isshin nodded, before realizing he needed to vocalize his nods.

"Erhm.. then.. Please continue."

Rukia took a deep breath. "As Ichigo told you, I was raped. However, when Byakuya and I arrived, I realized that I haven't had my regular cycles. I figured it would be good to.." Rukia's voice cracked, and she swallowed and continued, "To get it checked out. And I found out that I am pregnant. I am so sorry, Otou-san. I know that I've disappointed you, and.."
"Do you really think I'd be disappointed in you?" Isshin said, in a surprisingly quiet and subdued voice. "It wasn't your fault, Rukia. No one can blame you for it. I just want to know if you're okay or not. And, I need to know if I need to kill Ichigo. Because I will if you want me to."

Rukia laughed, tears flowing out of her eyes, relief and sadness combined, creating a yearning feeling deep inside. "No, Otou-san. I didn't tell him about this.. I was too ashamed and afraid. I just told him that I was going to break up with him." Isshin was quiet for a moment.

"Are you going to tell him?" Isshin asked, cautiously.

"I'm not certain.." Rukia ventured quickly.

"Would you like me to tell him?" Isshin waited for a long moment before Rukia answered.

"That would be amazing, but please don't make him feel guilty. It wasn't his fault, and I didn't let him in on the full truth." Isshin smiled at Rukia's kindness.

"Well, Rukia. I hate to let you go, but unfortunately, I have an appointment to deal with. You know that you are always welcome here, right?" Rukia wiped away her tears and managed a watery smile.

"Of course, Otou-san. I'll let you go then. Ja ne!" Rukia let out a breath of relief, feeling lighter, that a burden was lifted off her shoulders.


Isshin hung up the phone, letting his demeanor shift to being serious and slightly angry. "So now you know, Ichigo." Ichigo slumped his shoulders; he heard the whole conversation.


A lone figure stood in the darkness of an alley, holding a laptop, and hacking into the cell service tower. It let out a howl of excitement when it traced the call to the Kurosaki's to an address. After letting Gin know, it would be all set. The mission would commence as planned.


AN: Please review! Tell me what you thought of the twists, and who you think the 'mysterious figure' could be! Also, what do you think Ichigo will do now that he knows? (not that it's difficult to figure out, but still!) Thanks for reading! :3