Ok next chapter! Yeah, school is school so chapters will definitely be coming further and further apart. So the meeting has taken place literally at the worst possible time. What will it mean not only for Byakuya and Hisana, but everyone else? Comments always appreciated!

Tsukimi: Moon Viewing Celebration

Ningyo: traditional Japanese dolls

Inari: Shinto god of fertility, rice, and foxes

Onmitsukido: Stealth Force/ Covert Ops

Waka: 31 syllable poems (the ones below are not mine)

Again I own nothing not that I would want to by this point. Aizen's new form is perhaps the ugliest thing in Bleach history, and that's saying something.

XXXXXXXXXX

(Later that night, the Kuchiki Manor)

A lovely thing to see:

Through the paper window's hole,

The galaxy

Kuchiki Byakuya loved to gaze at the moon, especially on this new pavilion built near one of the many rivers that run through the grounds, but these Tsukimi were a sham. Instead of celebrating the beauty and inspiration the sphere provided, these events were yet another opportunity for idle talk about silk, color and painted blossoms that poorly disguised the plots.

His grandfather kept clutching his hands and rubbing his swollen knuckles. His aunt Shizuka was engaged in a forced conversation with Hayakawa Mizuho and kept gulping down whatever fear the woman was inspiring. And Koga kept shooting him daggers as his paternal grandfather, Amatsuki Bansui, whispered in his cousin's ear.

The only one seemingly not affected was Miyahara Ran, although she kept receiving messages and constantly excused herself.

Then there were the many grim-faced ladies whose demeanors did not match their light spring kimonos. In fact, they looked like they were being tortured with their painted lips pressed together into small red slashes and their plucked eyebrows as thin as minnows colliding into frowns. They pretended to look at the moon but they were really stealing darted side glances at Ryodoji Benin. A spontaneous waka poem crossed his mind.

Cherry blossoms fade

Shedding petals like tears

As court ladies redden and fury rises

Indeed it was almost humorous to see the crimson shine under all that rice powder.

That woman's laughter, the one that sounds like glass breaking, broke through his mind and he unwillingly turned to look at his fiancée. Her own "friends" were here as well. These ladies did what they do best, trying to make small talk to bring about a conversation between the future husband and wife, but such arranged talk could never become natural. Byakuya remained stiff and distant as if he was a wooden puppet. It even seemed that the more they talked the less hungry he grew. Now this woman was affecting his health.

Not that Benin cared. She was reveling in the attention and compliments on her outfit. She had certainly rummaged through her new wardrobe, finding a kimono of wisteria that she wore low to expose her bust and a haori of lavender lined with royal blue. She had also met with her new hairstylist who arranged her newly waxed locks into a series of twisted knots. One of her ladies was giggly lewdly over some joke and pointing at him. Benin became aware of his stare and slyly looked at him. He barely managed to suppress a hiss when she leaned a little too close and her sharp and bitter fragrance hit his senses.

It did not help in the least bit that his traitorous mind was making comparisons between this Seireitei "lady" and the Rukongai peasant. As a Kuchiki, Byakuya was supposed to know how to isolate unwanted feelings and banish them from consciousness. He had become a master but it wasn't working right now. Why? Of all the times to lose control of his thoughts, why now?

He unwillingly contrasted the two women. He was more physically attracted to Hisa… to that nameless girl than he was to Benin. He detested the latter's figure and always had. In his chivalric mentality, a man was supposed to be large and strong but a woman was to be small and lovely. Benin was neither. And with her cosmetic covered face, the noble certainly did not have the delicate beauty that the other woman possessed.

Their personalities were as opposite as their appearances. Thought they had only met for a few moments, Byakuya knew exactly what kind of person Hisa… she was. Her shyness and awkwardness around him was a sign of her modesty. Her gaze around the oasis showed her complete love and reverence for nature. The concern on her meek features when she gazed at her friend proved her compassion. Modesty, reverence, and compassion could never be used to describe Ryodoji Benin.

Then there were those eyes….

Just as the tension was becoming unbearable, a loud scream broke through the night.

"Give me back my ningyo! He is needed to protect the Emperor and the Empress!"

His other cousin Nanako was chasing her unofficial fiancé Takehara Tatsukichi who was holding her favorite samurai doll. Their behavior was astonishing in this garden of perfect serenity and fragile beauty but the spell was broken. Ginrei clapped his hands and swooped down from the viewing platform to scoop his only granddaughter into his arms in a rather undignified way. Everyone began to laugh and servers came with cups of shobu-sake, rice wine with leaves of iris.

Byakuya was well aware that his grandfather was trying to save him from the pressure to which he was truly grateful for, but these distractions wouldn't work for long.

XXXXXXXXXX

(Inuzuri)

The differences between the extravagant Kuchiki Mansion and this bleak room were almost excruciating, but neither of the two women was thinking such thoughts. One was standing by the open window, the light of the full moon shining on her features. The other was sitting and watching with concern. After several moments of uncomfortable silence, the standing lady began to speak.

"My original name was Soma Yoshino. The Soma Clan was a respected, but lower aristocratic family. While I didn't live in opulence, I was still happy. My parents truly loved me and, unlike many others who only see children as a way to enhance their own fortune and start hunting for suitors the second the child is born, they never arranged a marriage for me. I was so grateful that I wouldn't be forced to marry someone against my will, but over time I almost resented it. I saw my friends talk on and on about their engagements, planning their weddings, and finally having children and I still hadn't found anyone. I was free to marry whom I willed but the men who tried to court me were terrible liars. It was clear that they were only interested in my looks and wealth."

"Then my mother and father died leaving me as their sole heir. Though I was now financially well off due to their investments, I felt lost. Everyone I knew was moving on with their lives and there I was being left behind by history. Nothing changed and wasn't able to change. I began to despair the thought of living, the thought of being forever alone, and even considered taking my own life."

Yoshino paused for a minute before composing herself and continuing.

"I remember that day so clearly. I went to a shrine to seek blessings from Inari. This was a very popular temple because there is a gnarled and twisted black pine which is said by those with second sight to harbor His holy presence. But on this day there was hardly anyone. Just as I walked through the vermilion torri gate onto the sacred ground … I saw him."

"He was clearly of a higher class than myself just by the way he walked in. It sounds ridiculous but those of the highest order seem to have this aura around them and it's just easy to tell. His head, neck, and back were perfectly aligned and walked in with a look that screamed high breed. At first I had no opinion of him. He was just another worshipper. Then he came up to me and we started to talk. He was very charismatic and it felt as if we had an instant connection. He asked me what I thought of him and I was honest when I said he wasn't attractive. His jaw was square, cheeks hollow, and his eyebrows too upturned. Most would be offended by such a comment but he just laughed. Our conversation continued throughout the night… then he told me who he was."

"His name was Yujin, heir of the old and prestigious Utagawa Clan and a cadet branch of the Kuchiki Clan. I was so embarrassed at my words. To speak that way to someone of such a high rank was unthinkable. He refused all my apologies, claiming to have loved my honesty and that I had not pretended like the women he had usually been around."

"Our courtship was a whirlwind. My suitor gave me such beautiful gifts; kimonos, jewelry, everything I could ever want would be mine. Yujin told me exactly what I would be facing, how I would be perceived as someone who was reaching far above her station, how I would be talked about behind my back by the so-called ladies of Seireitei, how his own family would oppose our relationship. He had spoken of his own life, his estranged relationship with his father Sawatari, and the intrigues at court which could lead to death. If I didn't want to go through all that, he would completely understand."

"Instead it made me more in love with him. I was happy he was from such an affluent family because it meant that he wasn't interested in me only for my inheritance… and the fact that he warned me, that I had a choice, that he wanted to try…I thought it meant that he loved me. He literally became the center of my existence. It felt as if I would be nothing without him. And charming Yujin wooed me with such beautiful words about how my voice was hypnotic, our love would be eternal and that I was his reason for living."

"We married in a small ceremony. His family never accepted me and the gossip was so hurtful, more painful than words should be. All I had was Yujin but I convinced myself that he was all I needed. Then I learned I was pregnant… the joy I felt was indescribable. After all the struggles we had been through it had all been worth it all. Happiness was mine at last… then it ended as quickly as it began…"

"I walked in on him with another woman. Those lips that had whispered such beautiful words to me were now on another. Given that most of the marriages in Seireitei are arranged, adultery is quite common for both the man and woman. The general rule is as long as the infidelity is discreet and the children are legal, any such behavior is ignored. But our marriage was different, one of love… at least that's what I thought."

Another pause followed as Yoshino tried and failed to hold back her tears.

"He didn't even bother to deny it. He had every right to take a concubine and didn't need to explain his actions to me. Then he said I was nothing but a harlot, I had no right to meddle in his affairs, and he doubted that the child I was carrying was his… that was certainly what everyone else was saying. I could not believe this was happening… it felt so surreal… like a dream… or nightmare… but his dark eyes that had once radiated with warmth were now were filled with nothing but ambition… and I knew that this was his true self. He had blinded me with a false veil of light and hope. It is so easy to see now that the love was never there. He has lost his heart as a person, if he had one to begin with. But that wasn't even the worst of it."

At this, Yoshino closed her eyes and whispered her next words.

"I learned that the child I was carrying wasn't going to be his first."

Hisana couldn't stop the small gasp that escaped from her lips. Yoshino's eyes seemed to dim but she went on.

"Yujin followed protocol by not acknowledging the boy but would secretly provide for him a comfortable lifestyle. He still had Utagawa blood in him after all. However I learned that the boy's mother, whose name I still do not know, wanted Yujin to have the boy declared his lawful son or she threatened to go public. It was bad enough that such an important noble had married such a lower lady but being forced to recognize an illegitimate child would shame the entire clan as well as their relations to the Kuchiki Clan. The mother… disappeared shortly afterward and the boy in question is an apprentice to one of the estates carpenters… living in my home."

"I have met the boy. He is a rather shy but a hotheaded young man. He has his father's square face but other than that bears little resemblance, lucky for him. He doesn't know. The boy… doesn't know his paternity. Yujin treats him just like another servant, his own flesh and blood. I do not hate him. The boy is blameless in all this… he does not deserve to be treated so."

"After that, everything unraveled. Unbeknownst to me, he had used my inheritance to forward his own plans. You see, as wealthy as the Utagawa House is, much of the money is tied up in maintaining the manor, providing for the servants, pensions for elders and so forth. Plus at the time Sawatari was still in command and had severely restricted his son's assets. So Yujin began looking for an heiress and I was perfect for him. The Soma Family had capital and no pesky councils to determine how it should be spent. All the finances went to me, a foolish woman who just wanted to be loved. I fact, in my euphoric state, I had given him complete control of my savings and he in turn used it to buy off several elders. In his own coup d'état, Yujin virtually exiled his father from the family and assumed full leadership himself. The once great Utagawa Sawatari is now little more than a figurehead, both in the Utagawa Clan and the Kuchiki Clan. Everyone knows though it remains unspoken."

The tears were now rolling down both ladies cheeks but the worst was yet to come.

"My labor was very difficult. There were whispers that Yujin was going to make sure I died so that his silly wife would no longer be an issue. Obviously that didn't happen… though a part of me wishes that I did die. Even through all the pain, the only thing that kept me going was my child. Though I hated Yujin with every fiber of my being, I loved my child more. I gave birth to two little boys, Hou and Ban, which was a delightful surprise. My bliss didn't last. In fact, the moment they were born, both were taken from me before I even had a chance to hold them. It was days before I saw them and I had no say in what their names were. In fact I had no say in anything. High ranking ladies were put in charge of raising them and I was only allowed visitation time so that my "lower" ways wouldn't rub off on the heirs. Limited time with my own children! But there's nothing I can do. I have so little money, but even if I did have my rightful inheritance, I still couldn't go. Yujin has made it clear that if I were to leave he would make sure that I would never see my children again. And my boys are slowly becoming more like him. For the sake of my own sanity, I cannot forgive him. But I can't forgive myself more for not being able to stop him."

"That's what caused me to run here in the first place, my self-loathing. Though in poverty, you have a sense of freedom that I have never had. It may sound unbelievable, but a part of me wishes we could switch places. Souls in Seireitei can live for hundreds of years yet here your lifespan could drastically be cut down. That's why the people of Rukongai try so hard and that is why they are so content. I have been happier in these last two months than in several years but it has come at a terrible price. He knows, my husband knows about our friendship. I wasn't worried until now because he had never said anything. Yujin likes to psychologically ensnare his victims with ambiguous words before he attacks."

"Hisana, I know what I did was terrible. I have lied to you and now your life is at risk. I don't expect you to forgive me but…"

Yoshino's words were cut off as slender arms wrapped around her frame. Stunned, she gazed at the small mound of black hair beneath her chin.

"Hisana… how can you forgive me so easily?"

"Yoshino-san, I could never be angry with you. I love you and nothing can ever change that. I wondered why we related so well to each other and now I know. It is because we have pasts so painful that we try to stifle it. We also have strings that prevent us from moving forward. I understand why you are afraid but I do not fear this man. I would not trade our friendship for anything. Am I right to believe you feel the same way?"

Yoshino made a sound that was a mixture of a hiccup and a sob but nodded her head.

"I believe it is time I told you my own story."

"Hisana, you do not need to feel obligated in any way. Daiji said…"

"I am well aware of his concerns but this is a turning point in our relationship. From this moment on, I promise to be completely honest with you. Do you agree?"

"Yes, Hisana… I promise."

"Good," she said before quickly glancing up at the beautiful orb in the sky, almost praying for strength to be able to continue.

For a moment, the unnamed shinigami crossed her mind and she wondered if he was looking up at the full moon that was so brightly above. Wait, how could she be entertaining such thoughts at such a time? This was serious.

Hisana then took a deep breath before at least being able to fulfill this oath. "It begins…"

XXXXXXXXXX

(The same night, the Kuchiki Manor)

It was now the time when the moon had slid down behind the blackness of the night.

In a very dark room, a single figure sat at an antique desk only lit by a small hearth, filing several pieces of paper into an embroidered case. Pledges of loyalty had come flooding in as soon as the unofficial announcement made its way with lightning speed across Seireitei. Not that any one of them was to be believed. Politics in the aristocracy were fickle things with alliances switching constantly.

Almost as if coming directly from the shadows, another person walked directly up to the table. The shape was covered from head to toe in a pitch black robe, making it impossible to determine if it was male or female. From one of its pockets emerged two pieces of parchment and handed them to the other in the room. The seated one read the first without an expression. The face continued to show no emotion, but fingers lingered slightly on the second piece. Glancing up at the silent stature, a question was asked.

"Does anyone else know about this?"

The clocked one shook its head. The other nodded and with a flick of a hand it was dismissed, the undeclared command lingering in the air.

"Make sure no one else finds out."

The first being stood up and walked toward the small brazier in the corner of the room. Information was true power and Miyahara Ran made sure that nothing escaped her. All her spies and servants were mute and had been so extensively trained in stealth that they rivaled the Onmitsukido. They had also developed their own written code and any communication was immediately destroyed. The commanding elder also made sure they were loyal. Wearing the cloak and depriving them of names was used to destroy their sense of self. Their very identities were dedicated to her. It also didn't hurt that she had spies spying on her spies.

She causally tossed the two parchments in the flames, slowly watching the ink that held such powerful words gradually disappear, becoming nothing more than fuel feeding the fire.

XXXXXXXXXX

Done! So Byakuya is still in complete denial (he's so stubborn but I love him anyway!) and he's absolutely miserable (You can see why. I created Benin and I hate her!) Hisana is a little busy right now to be lingering on her shining prince but I managed to squeeze that small detail in.

Sorry, Hisana's past isn't going to be reveled for a while though some of you have probably figured out a thing or two (just not the exact circumstances). I came up with Hisana's story first then had to come up with an equally tragic, but different, one for Yoshino. After all, there are many different kinds of abuse.

Then there's Miyahara Ran (one of my personal favorites, maybe because I'm a girl and I love the idea of a woman controlling everything and playing the game even more viciously than men.) Don't be too harsh, people have done a lot worse for power.

But what did those two pieces of paper say? (Something very important I'll tell you that!)

Please remember to comment!