CHAPTER 9
An Anniversary He Wishes To Forget

Her breaths were rigid as she panted, running down the pathways to Squad Six. A hand was on her neck, holding the seashell charm against her skin, her fingers feeling the curved texture of the shell's smooth surface. A wide smile was on her face. Her feet thumped against the wooden floors as she ran down the halls of Squad Six's barracks. Not even knocking, she opened the door, "Byakuya?" she spotted Byakuya standing at his desk, placing papers in a tray. He looked at her, noticing the necklace on her neck. She ran to him and embraced him, "It's beautiful! Thank you!" he returned the tight hug, his nose buried in her soft black hair, "Where did you get it?" he shrugged.

"I saw it in a souviener shop. I remembered you telling me about your love for the color yellow and seashells." he looked at her, seeing her happy face making him happy as well. Kami how he was beginning to crave her smile, her laugh, everything about her.

"I can't thank you enough. You've been so kind, whereas I've been acting like a bitch." he tilted her head back up with a curved finger under her chin.

"You haven't acted like that at all in my home that I know of. You've been acting more like... a vixen." the tone of his voice sent chills up her spine as he whispered it in her ear. Her sultry grin send flames through Byakuya's body as she nibbled on his weak spot.

"You think that is being a vixen?" she whispered slowly a her lips ghosted over his porcelain colered neck, "I don't think you've seen how vixen like I can be." she felt him gulp against her lips as her hands found their way inside his shirt, said hands running over his chest and muscular stomach, feeling every dip that every muscle made. Her tongue snuck out to taste his flesh, earning a gasp from the 6th Squad captain as he tilted his neck back.

"You'll get burned if you play with matches Hisako." his breathless voice said. She smirked, looking up at him while reaching to take the scarf off his neck. She was successful, and the scarf fell to the floor.

"Then let me light them, one by one." her mouth latched onto his jugular, her teeth nipping and caressing until the flesh became a dark red. His groan was deep, throaty and husky as his hands came to find her black locks, "Do you like that?" her purring voice asked him. He shivered as her hot breath tickled his skin.

"You're leaving a mark." he felt her lips curl into a smile upon his flesh.

"But it's so lonely. There needs to be another one." she bit down harder on a different spot, causing him to hiss and tug on her hair. He wasn't... used to this. He wasn't used to having a woman other than Hisana... treating him like this. But Hisana... she wasn't ever like this. She was sweet and quiet, while Hisako was loud and... seductive was the best term for this woman. What she was doing to him... it sent feelings through his body he never thought he had. Flames travelled through him as her hands and lips caressed his warming skin, "You need another dip in the hot spring. You're so tense from all this work." with her hands grasping his shirt, she gently led him to the couch, sitting him down on the edge. She crawled behind him, her hands running along his arms and shoulders, giving occasional squeezes. Her hands went down his back. Even his back was muscled! With a groan, a true groan, Byakuya leaned his head back to Hisako's shoulder, his eyes closed as his body relaxed against her, "That's it, just relax." she whispered into his ear once she felt his tense body give in to her massage and fall limp against her body. His hands clenched and unclenched on his legs as her hands squeezed different places along his back and sides. Then her lips... those deadly moist petals nipped and kissed his neck, her nose brushing in his hair. She was right, it was incredibly soft. She would have to try his shampoo later tonight, "Why don't you take the rest of the day off? You've worked too hard these past few weeks. You need a break. I was going on a vacation in a few days. Shuhei is just convinced that I'm working too much as well, although I don't really do much. Why don't you come with me? I'm going to a beach in the World of the Living. I hear it's very romantic~" she wrapped her arms around his chest, her head leaning on his, "We can catch up with each other... and talk about things. We don't really talk that much, only about things we like and don't like. I would like to know some of your past. About your childhood, your parents. And I would love to hear some stories about Hisana." his breath caught in his throat, "If you want to talk about her that is. You don't have to if you don't want to." she moved her head to press the side of her face in his shoulder. He smelled heavily of blossoms, mixed with that smell of aloe. She breathed in a large lungfull of his intoxicating scent. It was calm... peaceful as they sat there, each leaning against one another. Her right hand was still slowly stroking Byakuya's chest.

"A vacation?" the question broke the silence.

"Yes. For two weeks in the World of the Living. Shuhei is just convinced that I've been working to hard. I've barely done anything except move stuff around and do paperwork." he looked up at the ceiling. A vacation in the World of the Living. It sounded nice to leave for a while and not have to worry about the duties of a soul reaper, "I feel like we aren't connecting that well. This vacation could give up time to learn more about each other. I want to try and make this marriage work. How can we do that if we're spendig night and day in our offices?" she had a point. Since the marriage he had been working extra hours. But now it was really starting to take its toll on him. He was becoming over tired and was feeling it too. A vacation sounded... nice.

"I would rather like a vacation. When do we leave?" she smiled at him, her hold on his chest tightening gently over those firm muscles.

"In one week. But let's go back home right now. There's no more paperwork in my squad today, and you're finished with yours. Why don't we go home and take a well deserved dip in the hot springs. I won't take your towel this time." he gave a slight chuckle, turning his head to look at her.

"Somehow I don't believe that." she giggled and kissed his cheek.

"I swear upon my family's name-"

"I thought you hated that place." she rolled her eyes, popping him in the head lightly.

"Anyway, I swear I won't take your towel." he smiled, a true, genuine smile as he stood up.

"Then let's go." he offered her his hand, which she took without questions... for once. Then they left, still not knowing they were still holding hands.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Hisako was stretched out on the bed, her arms behind her head as Byakuya took a shower. She could hear the water running, momentarily quieting and hitting the glass, signaling that he kept moving in and out of the water's way. She closed her eyes and let her mind wander, eventually leading back to Byakuya... who was in the shower... wet... and naked... Her eyes snapped open and a gasp escaped her mouth. There was that image from her dream again! Those same muscles that were glistening as they moved over her and the same hands that held and caressed her in her dream, the same body that was in her dream was in that shower. She rolled to the side, her arm dangling off the bed while the other rested underneath her head, "Byakuya?" she called. It was several seconds before he answered, "What is it Hisako?" she sat up, her feet touching the floor.

"I forgot... my hairbrush. Can I come in and get it? My hair is still wet and it's tangling." she lied.

"...Sure." she stood and messed with her hair, making it look tangled and messy. She smoothed her... outfit down, consisting of a purple silk nightgown that went to her mid-thighs and black silk robe that went to her knees, and slowly opened the door. Steam poured into the room as she went inside. She immediately looked to the counter for her hairbrush. She tucked a messy bang behind her ear. Her eyes blinked to the shower, and a blush settled in on her cheeks. His back was turned to her as he continued to shower. He was currently washing his hair. She watched as the shampoo ran down his back, dipping with the curve of his spine down to...

Her blush deepened as the suds washed over his firm buttocks and down his toned thighs, dripping to the floor where the drain disposed of it, "I told you I wouldn't take your towel this time." he turned his head, his dark blue eyes watching her as she leaned against the counter.

"Doesn't mean you won't do it again." she giggled, running her finger across the cotton towel on the counter top.

"Really? Then I may just take it now." she lifted it and unfolded it, wrapping it around her shoulders and batting those long eyelashes of hers over deep purple eyes.

"We are in the private quarters of the manor Hisako. I can easily get out and take another towel from the closet." she raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" he reached for the door.

"Do you want to test me Hisako? You've been doing that frequently. I don't mind one more test." with a squeak she dropped the towel and ran from the bathroom. He chuckled, going back to his shower, "Something tells me she didn't even want her hairbrush..." he muttered while staring at her hairbrush that was sitting in plain view next to the now crumpled towel, "That woman's going to be the death of me."

Hisako was leaning against the bathroom door, slowly sinking back to her side of the bed. Kami, he was perfect! Sure all she saw was his backside, but every curve, every dip of muscle and every strand of hair was perfect, even in the shower. After a few more minutes she heard the shower go silent and the shower door be pulled back. She listened to the ringing in her ears until the bathroom door opened. Byakuya walked out wearing a black pair of yakuta pants and a towel around his neck. His hair was still damp, and clung to his shoulders and bare back. He dried his hair a bit more before settling in the bed beside Hisako. She turned to him, brushing his wet bangs from his face, "Goodnight." she whispered to him. He took her hand and kissed it.

"Goodnight, my vixen."

Byakuya woke up to screaming. It was Hisako, but she was still right beside him. He quickly sat up, looking at her. Her screams were ear piercing! He moved to his knees, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Hisako! Hisako! Wake up!" her screams didn't let up. She began to flail about the bed, her elbow successfully hitting Byakuya in the righ cheek. It was just a little pinch of pain, so he got over it and continued to shake her, "Hisako! Dammit wake up!" he shook her one last time before Hisako's eyes popped open. She sat up, holding a hand to her racing heart as she took deep breaths. Byakuya's hands were still holding her shoulders, "Hisako, what in hell's name were you dreaming about?" he asked, exhausted. Her eyes looked down.

"It was the war, when I witnessed my brother's murder." she replied softly, almost a whisper, "I saw it... when the sword went through his heart. I remember the blood.. He was so pale and cold." her voice was breaking. Byakuya gathered her trembling body in his strong arms, holding her against his form. She didn't cry. She didn't think she had the tears to after crying so much in the past weeks. Her hands held onto his back as she wrapped her arms around his chest, "I saw him again. Those red eyes... He was in the shadows... I could only see his eyes." she pressed herself closer to him. He was so warm... He stroked her hair and back, shushing her gently.

"No tears Hisako. Don't shed any tears." Byakuya spoke calmy into her ear, "It was just a dream. Nothing can get to you. I'll protect you from anything that threatens you. Go back to sleep." he gently laid her back down, laying down close beside her. She curled to him. He covered her back up with the blankets and draped his arms on her side, pulling her closer to his side, "Sleep Hisako." he whispered, "I'll be here when you wake." she never heard him this sensitive before. It sounded sweet. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Without a second thought, she let sleep take over her body, laying comfortably and warmly in Byakuya's arms.

THE NEXT MORNING

Byakuya slowly shifted, only stopping when he noticed he was holding something... someone. He cracked an eye open, the early orange rays of morning in pouring into the room. A small smile graced his face when he saw Hisako sleeping peacefully in his arms. He moved the stray hairs from in front of her face as he tried to rise from the bed. Hisako moaned, tightening her hold around him, "No... Please don't get up. You promised you'd be here when I woke up." he arched an eyebrow.

"You are awake." she frowned.

"Do my eyes look open to you?" he shook his head, leaning forward to kiss her forehead, then to kiss both closed eyelids, making her giggle, "It's to early to wake up. Can we sleep a little longer?Please?" she snuggled closer to him. With a sigh, he laid back down on the bed, allowing her to rest her head on his cream colored chest. She mewed, "You're so warm." his skin tingled as he felt her breath tickle his skin. He nuzzled his nose in her hair, taking in her exotic scent of lavender, honey, and a hint of some spice.

"We need to get up. We have already taken too many days off and taken off early." she groaned, not about to let up on her hold around him.

"So? What's one more morning gonna do? I'm too comfy to move." she protested, "And besides, we've still got to decide on which beach to go to." she kissed his neck tenderly. He gave a short gasp, leaning his neck back. Yes, him giving in was much easier since she found that spot, "Please?" she kissed the slight bruise that was on a certain spot on his neck, "That's a pretty spot. But the other side of your neck is lonely." her nail brushed the left side of his neck, making him shiver, "It's too bad your scarf covers them up. I can give you as many as I like and no one will see them. No one will know that you're mine and mine only." she moved to straddle his waist, hands pressed to his bare chest. She leaned down and kissed him softly, her lips ghosting over his, "I just want to rip that scarf in half." her hands tangled in his hair as she pulled his lips back to hers, rougher than before. He groaned quitetly, a hand coming up to hold her head to his. His other arm came to wrap around her back as he sat up, locking her to him, "Mmm, Byakuya." she mewed against his lips, wrapping her legs around his waist. He smirked, pecking her lips. "I thought you said it was too early to get up." giggling, her eyes met his.

"To get up. It's not to early to have a little fun before work." she playfully maneuvered her lips over his neck, nibbling as she went. Her fingers tugged on his hair, pulling his head back to grant her more access to his delicate throat. She moved to his collarbone, sucking and nipping at one place.

"Hisako..." he breathed out, enjoying the treatment she was giving his flesh. She tightened her legs around his waist, grinding her hips against his. A sweet hiss was what Hisako heard in her ear as he leaned to her shoulder, so she did it again, moaning as his hips reacted and returned the gesture. She kissed him again, pushing him back against the pillows. But a sudden sound of a stomach growling broke the kiss, Hisako blushing wildly. Byakuya smirked, "Hungry?" he teased, pressing his lips to her cheek in a tender peck, "Let's go eat breakfast." he whispered to her. She looked down. Damn stomach... With a sigh she climbed off him, sitting on the edge of the bed with her arms crossed, her stomach growling again.

"Shut up. Stupid stomach." she complained, standing up and going to the closet. Byakuya sighed, bringing a hand to wipe his eyes, "Are you dissapointed?" she mewed once she finished dressing. Byakuya had come to love that certain outfit, consisting of the articles of clothing that she wore to her first captain's meeting. It made her look like a member of Squad Eleven, not a captain. Well, she was indeed a former Squad Eleven member, and she looked like she didn't want to change that image. She crawled to him and gave him a small kiss, "I think you are." he raised an eyebrow, dragging her back to his side.

"You think a lot of things, my vixen." she chuckled, running a hand over his chest.

"But I'm almost always right." she kissed his cheek and moved to his ear, nibbling on his earlobe, "Maybe if we hurry to breakfast, I can give you a nice massage before we head to our squads like the one I gave you yesterday." his eyes widened. That massage was very relaxing... He quickly stood up and rushed to the closet, throwing on his clothes. Hisako giggled, watching as her husband dressed in a fast pace. She went to him and wrapped her arms around his back, "You don't have to be a speed demon. Let's enjoy this morning like a nice, happy married couple." he looked at her, a smirk upon his features.

"We have a lot of work to do before we become a nice, happy married couple." she giggled.

"Well, then we should head to breakfast and talk."

10 MINUTES LATER

The dining room was quiet for the firstfew minute of the meal. Rukia hadn't shown yet, and Hisako guessed that she was still getting dressed. She cleared her throat quietly, reaching for her fork, "So, what do you want to talk about?" he shrugged, pulling a fork with scrambled eggs to his mouth, "How's your paperwork coming along?I hear that one of your members killed a stray arracar." Byakuya nodded, wiping his lips with a napkin.

"Yes. Katsurie managed to kill an arrancar. But it wasn't very strong by her reports. She's only my fourteenth seat. It must have been pretty weak for her to defeat it on her own." Hisako shook her head.

"Give her some credit. She must have trained a lot since entering your squad. Chances are she levele up and just wanted to stay at fourteenth seat. That's how one of my members is. Kenji is my seventh seat, yet he's trained so much over time he can easily take fourth seat, but he says he likes being the errand boy. Go figure." she chewed on some pancakes, "Do you train with your subordinates?" he shook his head, "You should. It's a great way to bond with your squad members. It makes them less scared of you." Byakuya straightened up.

"My squad members aren't scared of me." Hisako scoffed, leaning forward on the table.

"They are terrified of you! Ever since Renji fought Ichigo alone and you ordered him to be taken to prison without treatment, it made them want to steer clear of you for a good bit. And then when you pretended to betray us during the zanpaku-to rebellion, that didn't go well. Rukia was so worried and Renji was just pissed. But then again, Renji is always pissed about something. Your eigth seat said that your squad is always on their toes now. They don't know when you're going to disappear again, and they don't want it to happen again. Your squad loves you, but at the same time they're afraid of what you can do. With a flick of your wrist you can easily defeat Renji in his bankai when you are only in shikai." Byakuya shrugged, looking to the side.

"I have more fighting experience than Renji. It's not my fault he challenged me when he wasn't ready. And he hasn't trained enough with his bankai to fully master it yet. It will take a few more years before he can master a bankai such as Zabimaru. I've seen its destruction power. It will take a good five years, if not more, to completely bend it to his will." Hisako nodded. Zabimaru was a powerful zanpaku-to when handled properly. Renji was a little... random when battling with it.

"But he is strong. When Aizen was the one controlling Central 46, and he decreed the fake order for Rukia's execution, Renji was so.... distraught, to say the least. Then he vowed to kill Ichigo for making her go through that. He really cares for Rukia." Byakuya gulped. That's all he needed, Renji and Rukia forming a relationship.

"If he has the right mind, which I seriously doubt at times, he would make no efforts into forming a relationship with her." his wife giggled, putting a hand on his arm.

"I'm not saying a relationship. I just think he cares about her. He did grow up with her after all. She's his best friend. After all those years of missing her since your family adopte her, I would be the same. They just began to hang out and talk again. They probably missed that." Byakuya suddenly felt guilty. He had kept her away from Renji. Not intentially, he didn't even know that they knew each other before the incident, but those fifty years away from her best friend was probably why she was so distant.

"I had... never thought of that." Hisako's attention was grabbed when a hell butterfly flew into the room by the window. She held out her finger and allowed it to land, "What is it?" he asked when he watched her eyes grow wide.

"There's an arrancar. We're the closest to it. I think we'll have to cancel that massage." she took her zanpaku-to from the shelf, as dis he. They slipped them into their sashes and ran out the door. Hisako stopped, "That reatsu. It's out of control. We'd better hurry." with a few flash steps they were off. The closer they became to the arrancar, the higher the reatsu went up, "It feels like an espada's reatsu." she whispered, drawig her zanpaku-to, "Create, Mintizumo!" her blade began to glow as the blade separated into three, each glowing the colors of the rainbow. They came into a clearing. It was quiet, too quiet for Hisako's liking. There was a rustle in the trees above them.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura." Byakuya's blade shattered into thousands of little razor sharp blades, headed straight for the tree. It surrounded the branch, something jumping from it as the blades destroyed te limb. A flash of long purple hair was all Hisako viewed as it disappeared.

"Should we go after it?" Byakuya shook his head.

"No. He could be leading us into a trap. He may be the leader of the rest of the other arrancar. We need to attack him with other captains at our aid." she nodded before they flash stepped back to the manor.

LATER THAT NIGHT

"Who do you think that arrancar was?" Byakuya shrugged, pulling back the covers to the bed.

"I don't know. But his reatsu was higher than normal. I believe you were right. He has an espada's reatsu." they both climbed into bed. She turned to him.

"This week hasn't gone by fast enough. I want to be at the beach now." he smirked, drawing her closer to him with an arm around her waist.

"It hasn't. I need a vacation as well. I can't remember the last time I took a vacation. Being a captain has limited my free time." Hisako nodded, snuggling to him.

"I know. I've been more tired than usual since becoming a captain." she yawned, rather loudly, "Goodnight." before he could answer, she was fast asleep.

THE NEXT MORNING

"Captain Manataki?" Hisako looked up from her desk to see Renji standing in the doorway.

"Yes Renji?" he closed the door behind him.

"Have you seen Captain Kuchiki? He hasn't been in at all today?" that was unusual. He was getting dressed when she left for her squad this morning.

"I didn't know he hadn't left the house." Renji shrugged, sitting down.

"Well, it's just unusual for him to miss work. Usual he's getting on to me for being late." she giggled, then stood up, heading for the door.

"I'll go see if he's still at home. Thanks for informing me Renji." he nodded as she left Squad Nine's barracks. After a few flash steps, she stopped in front of the Kuchiki front door. She opened it to see Mina sweeping, "Mina, is Byakuya home?"

"Yes mam. I don't recall him ever leaving." Hisako was puzzled.

"How come Byakuya hasn't left today Mina? Would you know?" Mina looked around and checked that no one was around. She returned to her work.

"Today is Hisana's death anniversary. He usually shuts himself away on this day to mourn." that's all Hisako needed to know. She immediately turned on her heels and made her way down the hallways, until she reached two large sliding doors to their bedroom. She slid them open and walked in, but saw an empty bed with used sheets. Hisako heard the sound of water and looked towards the bathroom.

"He must be taking a bath." she whispered, moving to the bathroom door. She knocked softly, "Byakuya? May I come in? It's Hisako." she called out in a gentle voice. When she didn't get a reply, she cracked open the door. Her eyes softened when she saw him. He was in the large bathtub, his head leaned back on the edge of the tub with his neck resting on a rolled up towel. He still had black boxers on, but that was mainly it. His hair was free and hanging over his closed eyes. She walked over to him and knelt down, "Byakuya?" she cupped his cheek in her hand. His eyes fluttered open slowly, the pained onyx/blue orbs looking at her.

"What are you doing here?" his raspy voice asked. She smiled at him.

"Renji was worried when you didn't show up for work today. He said that you are never one to skip work. So I decided to come see if you were here." Hisako slowly took her haori off and put it over the back of a chair, along with her black kimono. She then took off her sandals and socks and dipped her feet into the water. Moving to the other side of the tub, she moved to her knees and finally laid beside him in the hot water, "Lift your head." he did and she slipped and arm underneath, wrapping around to gently stroke his hair. Her left arm moved to his stomach, rubbing gently up and down while her head laid on his shoulder, "Tell me what's wrong Byakuya." she whispered, "Is it about Hisana?" he nodded, his eyes looking at the wall. She knew from the maids it had something to do with Hisana, but she wanted to hear it from him before she meddled.

"Today is the fifty-second anniversary of her death." Hisako looked up at him, moving her left arm to rub his cheek.

"I'm sorry Byakuya. Is there anything you need or want me to do?" he shook his head.

"No. Just stay here... a little while longer." she nodded, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

"I'm not going anywhere Byakuya." the water warmed her clothed legs as she continued to stroke his stomach and chest. They were silent for a few seconds, just listening to the water as it trickled from the spicket into the tub.

"She said she was so cold that day... I was walking with her and she said she was cold, even though the house was very warm. She said she was going out for some fresh air, and I just followed her a few feet away, when she collapsed. She didn't get to see the cherry blossoms bloom that year." he finally said, looking out the small window across the room where blooming cherry blossom trees were in view, "Spring was her favorite season. I remember watching her read in the gardens or making bouquets of flowers in the afternoons. She would sit under her favorite cherry blossom tree and read. Now she's buried under its shade." his eyes, filled with sorrow, looked at Hisako, "I take long walks at night to try to clear my head. Other times I try and concentrate, seeing if I can remember her laugh, her voice, anything. But all I hear is you. You fill my mind now." she softly smiled, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Is that bad thing?" he shook his head, turning to her.

"No. It isn't. I'm just glad that... when I'm filled with sorrow, I now have someone I can talk to, someone to help me get over this sorrow." he held her tighter, "I... I love you Hisako." her relaxed form was pulled closer to him. He leaned down and gently kissed her.

"I love you too." was it true? Did she really love him? She glanced down at herself, submerged in the water with him as he held her to him. The answer cleared in her mind.

Yes. Yes she did.

Ok, this chapter was a little OOC. Gah. Sorry. The last part with the bath and everything was actually something I had written earlier on in this story. I write separate peices and add them in later when they can be. I thought this could be a good chapter to. Oh, and the next chapter is very... interesting. Not in the Lemon way my perverted readers you. :) Things take a turn for the... worse to say the least. But it will get better. OH! And I do havea lemon written for this! I shocked myself actually. Lemons arent really my thing and I just started to write one. I finished it and was like, this is actually pretty decent. :) So be sure to look for that in future chapters! *Smirks* Please please please review!!!!! It fuels my inspiration for this story! Who likes Hisako? A little rambunctious isnt she? Hehe. Just you wait! *wags finger* Byes!