TR: Finally I've reached the end of the day! There is some serious Toushirou whump in this chapter, but I promise it does have a purpose.

"It's been a long day, hasn't it?" Dawn asked as she stared at Byakuya's reflection in the bathroom mirror.

"Yes it has, but it's mostly been good too. Tomorrow will be better though." Byakuya replied as he walked farther into the room. Wrapping his arms around Dawn's waist from behind, Byakuya tucked her hair over her right shoulder and pressed his face into the crook of her neck. Inhaling the scent of her skin deep into his lungs, Byakuya smiled softly against the column of Dawn's throat as she relaxed back into him. He was glad that he could finally relax and revel in his presence.

Dawn closed her eyes with a sigh as she leaned back against Byakuya's chest. She felt like she had been running nonstop for the last three days getting ready for Toushirou and dealing with all the other new arrivals. She couldn't help the relieved smile that crossed her face at the thought of Byakuya having survived. Dawn honestly didn't know what she would have done if he hadn't made it out of the war, Byakuya meant so much to her. Turning in his arms so that she could face him, Dawn slipped her arms around his back as she leaned into his chest. Standing in the bathroom and soaking up each other's warmth, Dawn and Byakuya finally felt their stress begin to fade.

After staying in each other's arms for a few more moments, Dawn and Byakuya detached and moved into the bedroom. Glancing at the alarm clock on her night stand, Dawn was surprised to see that it was only eleven. Switching on her lamp as Byakuya turned down the covers; Dawn walked to the wall next to the door and turned off the overhead light. As she turned back to the bed she heard a light knock on the door. Opening it to identify the source of the knock, Dawn looked down to see Toushirou standing in front of her with his dragon clutched to his chest. As soon as she saw that his eyes were red and his cheeks were streaked with tears, Dawn's maternal instincts kicked in to overdrive and she swept Toushirou up in her arms before closing the door.

Byakuya switched on his lamp for a bit of extra light before sitting on the bed. He was stunned for a brief moment when Toushirou climbed out of Dawn's arms and latched onto his night shirt, but Byakuya quickly overcame his surprise as he wrapped his arms around the little boy. As he soothingly stroked Toushirou's back, Byakuya spoke softly. "What's the matter little one? Did you have more nightmares?"

Toushirou sniffled a bit and nodded into Byakuya's chest, he didn't trust his voice at the moment. Gently petting the upset child's white hair, Dawn leaned against Byakuya's shoulder as she comforted the boy in his lap. "It's ok sweetie. They're just dreams, they can't hurt you. Was it the same as before?"

Leaning back so that he could look at Dawn, Toushirou wiped his nose with his sleeve as he replied. "H-hai. It was mostly the same, but there was more. This time Aizen didn't kill me right away. He made me watch as Ichimaru and Tousen killed Matsumoto and Kuchiki-Taicho. Then Soi Fon-Taicho tried to save me and Aizen killed her too. One of the Espada came over dragging Ukitake-Taicho and Kyouraku-Taicho too. He killed all of my friends so that he could make sure I died alone. I had it three times already tonight and… I-I'm scared to go back to sleep." Toushirou's voice had grown small and week and it quavered with unshed tears.

By that point, both Byakuya and Dawn had tears in their eyes as they shifted so that they could both hug Toushirou. As their eyes met and an agreement was made, Byakuya spoke gently to the little boy in his arms. "How about staying here for tonight? Dawn and I will do our best to keep your nightmares away."

Teal eyes blinked up at him in awe. "R-really? Are you sure? I don't want to be a pain."

Dawn smiled at him lovingly, and Toushirou couldn't help the light blush he felt spread to his cheeks as she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Yes, we're sure. Just lie down and try to get some sleep sweetheart, no one will hurt you here."

With one more little sniffle, Toushirou nodded. Lying down between the two people who were quickly filling the two biggest voids in his life, Toushirou couldn't deny how comforting it was to be cuddled by people who truly cared. Closing his eyes hesitantly, Toushirou could have cried in relief when he saw the frozen plains of his inner world instead of the rubble of a war-torn Karakura. Giggling softly as he felt a cool breeze tickle the back of his neck, Toushirou turned to smile at Hyourinmaru.

'I'm really glad to see you Hyourinmaru.'

"I know master. I am grateful that I can reach you now that the nightmares are gone."

'They'll come back though.'

"Yes, they probably will, but in time they will fade."

'Hyourinmaru?'

"Yes master?"

'Is it horrible of me to hope that Dawn-san and Willow-san can't reverse what Kurotsuchi did to me?'

"I don't think so. I think it is perfectly normal for you to want to stay as you are."

'Really?'

"Yes. For one thing, as a mortal you will age much faster than you would otherwise, and I know better than anyone how much you want to look older. Also, it is perfectly natural for you to want to have a second chance at a happy childhood. I think that is how you should view your current situation. Dawn-sama and Kuchiki-Taicho seem to be doing their best to act like a mother and father to you, and I believe that you should let them."

Toushirou considered the dragon's words for a moment before responding. 'You won't try to make me call them that until I'm ready right? Just in case we're reading them wrong?'

"Of course master."

Smiling up at the spirit of his zanpakutou once more, Toushirou changed the subject as he leaned into the side of the massive creature. 'You know, I think I have a name for that stuffed dragon that Dawn-san gave me. I'm gonna call him Kusaka.'

Smiling at his master as best as any dragon could, Hyourinmaru nuzzled the little boy gently. "I think that is a very good name for it." Hyourinmaru curled around his little master protectively as they sat in comfortable silence for the rest of the night.

The whole time that Toushirou was speaking to Hyourinmaru, Byakuya was having a very good dream. As he slept, he found himself walking down a hallway in his home and he could hear children playing in his favorite garden. As he walked out the door to the porch that led to the garden, Byakuya smiled as he saw Dawn sitting on the edge with her feet hanging toward the ground. He couldn't help but notice how elegant the brunette woman looked in the pale blue kimono that his mind dressed her in. Looking out over the garden, Byakuya smiled as he saw four children chasing a ball around in the grass. Taking a seat next to Dawn, Byakuya took great pleasure in watching his children.

At the front of the little pack was Toushirou, and in Byakuya's dream the boy looked like he had during the war in regard to age, but he was smiling brightly. Hot on Toushirou's heels were two little girls who looked to be roughly five or six. Twin raven braids streamed behind them as two pairs of blue eyes sparkled happily. Teetering along behind the girls was a little boy who could be no more than three. Short brown hair framed his cherubic face as his gray eyes showed a fierce sense of determination. As he watched the children kick the brightly colored ball, Byakuya's mind helpfully supplied names for the three that obviously shared his blood. His girls were named Hisana and Hoshi, and the little boy was Tatsuya. Byakuya laughed softly as Tatsuya veered toward the porch and climbed into Dawn's lap, and he felt his heart sell with love as the toddler spoke.

"Tousan, I tired. You go pway for me, kay?"

Byakuya smiled brightly at the little boy and leaned over to kiss a chubby cheek. Standing to move into the garden, Byakuya's beautiful dream faded away as he woke up. Blinking rapidly, he could feel tears pricking his eyes as his vision adjusted to the darkness of the room. Pushing himself up with one arm to see the clock that sat on Dawn's side of the bed, he groaned mentally at the time. The bright red letters informed Byakuya that it was four in the morning, which meant he had gotten less than five hours of sleep. Lying in bed for about ten minutes, which of course felt like an hour, he realized that he would not be going back to sleep any time soon. Byakuya took great care to disentangle himself as he crawled out of bed; there was no use in waking Toushirou and Dawn just because he couldn't sleep. As he tucked the covers back in next to Toushirou to keep the little boy warm, Byakuya decided that he would be productive and get some training done. Silently grabbing a kosode and a pair of hakama from the dresser, Byakuya quietly slipped into the bathroom to change.

While Byakuya had been dreaming of a family, Dawn had dreamt of another important aspect of the future, her wedding. In her mind, Dawn was staring in a mirror while Rukia and Buffy pulled her hair up, white kimono made her skin look like porcelain. In no time at all, Dawn found herself standing behind a shoji door getting ready to walk down the aisle. Sensing movement from behind her, Dawn turned to see Giles and Spike dressed in simple but dashing men's kimonos. Smiling at the two men as they stepped up to stand on either side of her, Dawn took a deep breath as she clutched to bouquet of camellias tightly. Blinking against the sunlight as the shoji door opened. Dawn stepped onto the stone aisle with shaking legs as she took in the scene before her.

The wedding was being held in a garden full of cherry blossom trees, and the pale flowers were in full bloom. Dawn barely even noticed the sea of faceless guests as she looked down the aisle. Standing in front of the faceless officiate was Byakuya, and Dawn couldn't believe how incredible he looked in just a simple black shihakushou. Standing next to her betrothed was Toushirou, and she could feel a smile growing as she saw how handsome he looked in a dark blue kimono with a silver dragon pattern. Proceeding down the aisle, Dawn finally reached Byakuya as her perfect dream played on.