Hey guys :) It's been too long and I'm beyond sorry! For everyone who waited for my update still THANK YOU! Thank you so much. And sorry for not answering your guys' questions. Sadly, it's hard enough updated regularly. But I'm gonna take this a lot more seriously and hopefully be able to continue even when shcool is back. Thank you to all who read and reviewed and everything! I appreciate all of you beautiful souls out there! Enjoy!

And sorry for the spacing issue. Thank you to the guest who pointed it out. I tried to fix it but I couldn't. I'll keep trying though. I'm really sorry for any inconveniences guys :(

Wait never mind. I figured it out! Sorry! I never noticed cuz I set my tablet to have a HUGE font cuz I can't see anything to save my life! Sorry if the spacing was bothering any of you.

Rukia's POV

What's going on? Why are there so many people around me? I'm in my room, aren't I? Why are they in here?

Suddenly, a horrible feeling surged through my stomach. It reminded me of the events that happened these past three days.

My heart was broken.

I lost control of the powers I didn't know I had.

I lived in fear of someone finding out about my new secret.

I went to Kaien's grave again. It was only a reminder of what I've done.

My training with Captain Hitsugaya.

The blackmailer's note.

Captain Hitsugaya's kiss.

My hope being shredded by the fact that the blackmailer is still out there, still tormenting me.

The blackmailer's call.

His voice.

His hideous cackle.

Then a memory I didn't know I had came to mind.

I was running. There was rain. The trees were wobbling all over the place. I couldn't get up.

When did this happen?

I sighed.

I wish I could just forget all of that.

I would be better off not knowing what happened than trying endlessly to run away from my mistakes and fears.

Wouldn't that be nice?

Why is it so noisy? Geez, Ichigo must be bickering with his father again. Why can't those two ever get along? Or at least just in the mornings? I'll go insane soon if they keep at it. I like my sleep. If they keep it up…

"Rukia…?" Was that Ichigo? I must be really tired; his voice sounds muted.

"Everyone, out!"

I groaned. "Ichigo…shut up. I want to sleep. Go to school without me," I said, my eyes remaining shut.

"Rukia," he repeated.

I sighed. "Ok, I'll meet you there. Just go already," I grumbled.

"Wake up." This time, Ichigo's voice was clearer, and it didn't sound anything like him.

"Ichigo?"

"No. It's me."

"Yuzu?" I asked aimlessly. I knew it wasn't Yuzu or Karin.

"No. It's Captain Hitsugaya."

"What?" Captain Hitsugaya? That would mean I'm in the Soul Society. But I've been in the World of the Living for weeks now. I haven't gone back yet. I'm in Ichigo's closet…

"Rukia, wake up."

What is going on?

"Rukia, you're in the fourth squad's infirmary."

What…? "No, I'm not. I'm in Ichigo's room—"

"Rukia, you've been in the Soul Society for five days now. Ichigo's not here."

"No, I haven't gone back to the Soul Society yet."

"Rukia, you came here on the tenth of February. Something happened to you on the 13th of February. You've been asleep for two days since that day."

I'm not in Ichigo's room?

I'm in the Soul Society?!

Something happened to me?!

Two days?!

Wait…

TWO DAYS?!

My eyes finally flew open and I shot up to a sitting position. I instantly regretted my rash actions. My panic induced actions were rewarded with a sharp, agonizing pain that surged through my head. I groaned and slumped back onto my back.

"Ow!" I moaned silently.

"Are you all right?!"

This time, I slowly, cautiously sat up. I opened my eyes. I flinched. The lights were so bright. I blinked a few times, until my eyes adjusted to the brightness. When I could see clearly, I looked around.

I gasped.

I am in the fourth squad's infirmary.

But…how did I get here? When did I get here?

My eyes landed on…Captain Hitsugaya?!

What is going on?!

"Rukia, you're awake!" he said happily.

Why would he care?

"Are you all right? Are you still drowsy?"

"Um, yes, I am," I admitted slowly, rubbing my head. "How did you know?"

"You were sedated," he informed me.

Sedated?! "Sedated?! What for?!"

"When you were brought in…you were a bit…out of control."

"I was? I don't remember that. I don't even remember coming back to the Soul Society! Captain Hitsugaya, please, tell me what's going on!"

The room was silent. I was stuck looking into Captain Hitsugaya's strangely familiar eyes, searching for answers.

He only looked back at me, his eyes sad.

"Please," I said more calmly. "Tell me."

He sighed. "I might as well start at the beginning."

He waited a moment to see if I would change my mind. I didn't.

"On February tenth, you and Ichigo had a…an argument. You were devastated by what happened between the two of you. Your sorrow generated…a sort of power break. You unknowingly lost control of powers that you didn't know you had.

"You came back to the Soul Society that night. Kisuke Urahara had given you an envelope for your captain. It turned out to be pictures of what you did when you lost control."

When he saw my worried—more like panicked—expression, he added, "You didn't hurt anyone. Don't worry."

Then he continued, "Your captain then sought me out for help. He asked me if I would train you to be able to control all of your newfound powers. I agreed. We had only one training session before things got…complicated.

"You see, no one was supposed to know about your powers. Only you, Matsumoto, Captain Ukitake, his two third seats and I knew. But, somehow, someone else found out. They threatened you. They told you to stop our training or they'd tell all of Soul Society about your powers and…"

"And what?"

"Eh, he threatened to tell everyone that we were…involved with each other."

He looked at me, waiting for my reaction.

"Um, but that's just a rumor. We actually aren't involved with each other. Right?" I added when he didn't respond.

"When the threat was made, no, we were not. But, as of two days ago, kind of," he said slowly.

I let the words sink in. Something happened between us two day ago. That would have been the day I was brought to the fourth.

"After the first threat, you tried to stop our training. But I noticed something was wrong. I convinced you to let me help you. You showed me the note that the blackmailer gave you. I thought I had figured out who it was. I thought I took care of it. When you were brought in, I realized that I hadn't.

"Moments before you were brought here, Matsumoto had wanted to talk to you. She went to the Kuchiki Manor. On the way there, she found you. You had collapsed. She tried to bring you to the fourth. When she picked you up, you woke up. You started to…protest." Obviously, I did more than just protest. "You tried to run from her. She said you were yelling random things. 'Call,' 'blackmailer,' 'Captain Hitsugaya,' 'tell him,' 'two strikes,' 'end,'" he listed. "I put them together and figured that you had gotten a call from the blackmailer and that you had to tell me that our training had to come to an end. You have two strikes left."

He stopped talking for a moment. I didn't speak. I was too busy trying to remember when and how all of this happened.

"Matsumoto called Abarai, Kira, and Hisagi to help bring you in. You resisted the whole time. They had to restrain you when they finally got you to here. When I arrived, they were holding you down so they could sedate you. You've been asleep since."

After moments of silence, I said, "I don't remember any of that happening. I thought I was at Ichigo's."

He looked at me with sad eyes. "I should go get Unohana."

He walked out of the room, leaving me alone.

What is happening to me? Why can't I remember any of this? Who threatened me? Why did they threaten me? Did I do something to them? I don't think I've done anything wrong.

I sighed.

Maybe it's better not remembering all of that. These past days sound so…depressing. I kind of wish I hadn't asked about it. I wish I could just wake up in Ichigo's room and start all this over.

Suddenly, the door flung open. I turned to see who it was. I panicked when I saw a small group of people rushing towards me.
Lieutenant Matsumoto flung herself at me and hugged me.

"Rukia-chan," she cried. "Are you ok?! Please, tell me you are! I wouldn't be able to live happily without you. I—"

"What are you doing?! Get off!" I yelled.

She gasped before she got off of me. "Rukia-chan?" she asked, her expression hurt.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto—"

"Lieutenant?" I heard her whisper. She looked surprised as to why I would address her that way.

I continued. "I appreciate seeing you are worried for me, but this is not necessary. It's not like we are friends."

"Rukia-chan…?"

"You are my superior. Nothing more, nothing less." I didn't say anything after.

I looked around at the other faces. Lieutenants Hisagi, Kira, and Yachiru were there. As to why they were here, I didn't know. Renji, Sentaro and Kiyone were also here. They all looked confused.

The door opened, dragging everyone's attention to it. Captains Unohana and Hitsugaya came in.

Captain Unohana sighed. "I need everyone to step out. I specifically told all of you that Kuchiki-san needs to be left alone. I have to run some tests. Having everyone here all at once might affect the results."

Everyone groaned, but they still left. As Lieutenant Matsumoto was closing the door, she looked back at me with the same sad eyes Captain Hitsugaya had looked at me with. That's when I noticed a bruise on her left cheek.

An image flashed into my mind. Renji and Lieutenants Matsumoto and Kira were holding me still as Lieutenant Hisagi tried to lift me up. Another image came. This time, Lieutenant Matsumoto was kneeling next to me, struggling to get a hold of my wrists. Then a more disturbing image came. I was screaming. And my fist was painfully coming into contact with Lieutenant Matsumoto's face.

Did that happen? Did I do that?

A sigh came from Captain Unohana. "All right, Kuchiki-san, let's begin."

After the tests, I was told—more like ordered—to get some rest. I had tried to fall asleep. Of course, I couldn't. I rolled this was and that way. I paced around for a while too. I looked out of the window to the garden, trying to give myself the illusion of peace. I tried tossing and turning again. Nothing had worked. And pretty soon, it was night time.

I opened the window again, letting the cold air hit my face. I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. Maybe not for a while.

There was a knock at the door. I turned as a medic stepped in.

"Someone is here to visit you," he informed me.

"Who is it?" I asked.

I hope it isn't Lieutenant Matsumoto or the others. I feel terrible for some reason. Maybe it's the images that flashed into my mind. I don't remember it happening. But I guess it did since the memory of it is somewhat there.

"Me," a familiar voice said. Right after, Ichigo stepped in.

On February tenth, you and Ichigo had a…an argument. Captain Hitsugaya's words were ringing through my head.

"Rukia," he said, his voice creaky. He walked towards me in three steps. He reached a hand towards me. I stepped back. "What? What's wrong?"

"We fought?" I asked him.

His expression darkened. "Yeah, we did," he admitted shamefully.

"W-Why did we fight? What was it about?"

He sighed. "They told me you had memory loss, but I didn't think you'd forget that much."

"Don't change the subject. Why did we fight?" I said as firmly as I could.

He stayed silent. I looked at him, my expression strong. He finally gave in. "You were leaving again. I lost it when you told me. It was almost Valentine's Day. I was-I was going to confess that day. But you had to leave. You were going to leave me all alone. And I couldn't take it so…so I yelled at you," he admitted.

I looked at him. We've yelled at each other before. We have many, many times. But the way he said it, I knew it wasn't like that other times.

"Rukia, I said so many things that I shouldn't have. After you left, I was still mad. I was furious for days. But then, literally right before I got the message about you being here, I realized I was wrong. I realized that I was overreacting. You're a soul reaper. You have better, more important things to do. And when they told me you had some memory loss, I was praying that you forgot about what I said. And you did. But I guess I couldn't hide it from you. I understand if you're mad at me."

I took in a shaky breath. I looked at him, at his sincere eyes. He was being completely honest.

"I…I'm not mad."

He sighed in relief. He put his hands to his face and took in a deep breath. "Thank you," he breathed silently.

"You-You said you were going to confess. Confess about what?"

"I was going to tell you on Valentine's Day," he said more confidently. "Seeing that that was yesterday, I guess I could still tell you."

He stepped closer to me. He was barely an inch away. His hand reached for me and lifted my chin. He smiled. I miss that smile.

"Rukia Kuchiki, you came into my life in such a strange way. But I'm glad you did. And I don't care how strange our meeting was. I'm thankful every day for you being in my life. When I wake up, I look to my closet to see you still sleeping. Every night, I get to have you only a few feet away. Every time I look into your beautiful, enchanting purple eyes, I'm reminded of the way you saved me and my family. When I leave my body and become a soul reaper, I think back to when you gave me your powers, despite knowing the risk. When I use bankai, I get this weird feeling in my stomach. I guess it's because I know that I wouldn't be able to use it if it wasn't for you. And that all my power, every last bit of it, has a small piece of you. Rukia, you are my power. You are my sun and moon. You are my guiding light. You are my reason to keep on fighting. And now, you have become my life. Rukia, I don't care about the Kuchiki name or the fact that you're a soul reaper. I love you. I love you! I don't know why it took me so long to realize it. I was blind back then. But now I know. And I can't help but repeat it over and over again. Rukia, I love you. I love you. I love you."

I just stared up at him, dumbfounded.

"You…love…me?"

He chuckled. It was a familiar chuckle. I also missed that chuckle. "Didn't I say that, like, five times? I'll say it again and again. I will until you finally understand." He brought his other hand up and ran it down the side of my face. "Rukia. I. Love. You."

I was shocked. More than shocked; I was paralyzed. I didn't know what to say. With all the confusion of today, and now this, I didn't even know if this was actually happening.

Finally, I found my voice. "I—"

And just like that, the door opened.

Before Ichigo or I could back away from each other, the person came in. "Am I interrupting something?" they asked sounding more hurt than surprised. They must think that Ichigo and I were…

We finally pulled back from each other.

"Captain Hitsugaya, I'm sorry. Is there anything you need?" I asked, my face burning.

"It's fine," he said, his expression turning cold. "I just came to tell you what Unohana told me."

"Oh," I said.

"Could you step out of the room for a moment, Kurosaki?"

"Yeah, sure thing, Toshiro," Ichigo said as he stepped out.

After a moment, I asked, "So, what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Unohana just told me what might have caused your memory loss. It was a bit unclear at first. Then I explained to her what has been happening to you—I didn't go into much detail, for your sake—and she had a breakthrough. She explained that you went through many traumatic events, a lot of them within a short period of time. She said you psyche snapped. She said that these recent events, along with your past experiences, finally took their toll on you. You, in a way, decided that it would be better to forget those things. You 'erased' those recent memories to save yourself from them."

"I see."

"May I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course," I said. "I hope I can answer."

He looked at me. His cold expression disappeared, and was replaced by pain. "When I was explaining things to you earlier, I told you something. I told you that we were involved with each other. Do you…remember anything that happened between us?"

I tried thinking of whatever happened between us. I found nothing. "I'm sorry. I don't remember any of it."

"Oh," he said. He looked down, looking defeated.

"I'm—"

"Don't apologize. It's ok. It's not your fault."

"Could you tell me what happened between…us?"

"It wasn't much. You fell asleep in my arms. And I, eh, kissed you."

I looked at him with wide eyes. "You kissed me?! Are you sure?!"

He scoffed lightly and his face softened for a bit. "Yes, I'm sure."

His small smile disappeared.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"It's nothing."

"What is it?"

"It's stupid and childish."

I looked at him, begging him to tell me.

He sighed. "You might have forgotten whatever it was that you felt for me, but I remember clearly. I still feel the same way. It's just, to me, the kiss meant a lot. I thought it would mean a lot to you too. But, you didn't bother remembering. You threw that memory away with the other ones, the bad ones. Was it not a nice memory?"

I was shocked at how sentimental he was being. I never thought something like that would be said by him.

"Captain Hitsugaya, I don't know what ran through my mind when I decided forgetting everything would be better. I don't know what to say."

"It's all right. I just wanted to know if the kiss meant anything to you. I'm being insensitive right now. You can't remember. I shouldn't be pushing you like this. I'm sorry."

He turned to leave.

"Captain Hitsugaya, wait," I called after him.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be here. I'll leave. Don't worry about anything. I won't try to come back into your life."

"Wait!" I called again.

He didn't listen to me. He left the room, leaving me in a cold state.

Toshiro's POV

I never visited Rukia after that day. I wanted to, but I knew it was pointless. I practically had to tie Matsumoto down so she would leave Rukia alone. I had to explain the same thing over and over to her.

Rukia forgot about everything that has happened between me and her and her and Matsumoto. Now, we were back to being her superiors. To her, it's as if we never came into her life. And it should stay that way now. The memories we all made together weren't worth keeping. She threw them all away. I don't blame her. It wouldn't be fair if I did.

They ended up keeping Rukia in the fourth's infirmary for almost a week. They said it was so they could evaluate her and her health.
As soon as she was released, she went back to work. That's just like her.

I know I said I didn't visit her and that I'd stay out of her life. But that didn't mean I wouldn't keep an eye on her. I'd usually ask Ukitake and his two third seats about her.

At the start of the week when she was let out, she was doing fine. Ukitake didn't notice many changes in her. Kiyone and Sentaro would, once in a while, see her looking behind her back though. She'd also be a bit fidgety sometimes. They said it barely happened though.

Then things started getting worse. Ukitake told me Rukia was having trouble staying awake. I asked a servant from the Kuchiki Manor about it. She told me that she heard screams coming from Rukia's room at night. She must have been having nightmares; dark circles were starting to form under her eyes. Then Ukitake informed me that she was fidgeting more. She was anxious. She flinched every time someone accidentally brushed against her.

At the end of the week, Ukitake told me he had to tell her to stay home to get some rest.

It was noon. I was in my office, finishing my paperwork. For once, Matsumoto was doing hers as well. Ever since Rukia forgot about their friendship, Matsumoto has been like that. She's looked so sad. She hasn't drunk any sake, she hasn't snuck out of work, and she has been doing her work. Part of me thinks she's trying to convince me to let her see Rukia. The other part of me thinks she's too depressed to do her usual antics. I didn't think Rukia's absence from Matsumoto's life would do this. But, as this goes on and on, I see that Rukia's being gone is doing this to her.

I looked over to Matsumoto. She had the same depressed expression on her face that she had when I told her we had to stay out of Rukia's life. Her eyes looked like bottomless, grey pits. Her mouth, that usually smiled, was in a frown. She was slowly writing on a document.

I heard a heavy, miserable sigh come from her.

This can not continue.

I got up, out of my seat. Matsumoto's attention came to me as I walked to the door.

"Hm, Captain, where are you going?" she asked. She showed no energy.

"To see Rukia," I said nonchalantly. When she didn't say anything, I added, "Are you coming?"

Part of me thought that Ichigo would be there with her. Then I was reminded of something that was somewhat reassuring.

That day, when Ichigo came to see Rukia, I overheard their conversation. I thought that she was going to forget about me and fall for Ichigo all over again. Before I could hear more, I decided to step in and interrupt their moment. Then, I was later informed that they hadn't discussed the subject any further. Nothing happened and nothing will. For now.

Ichigo left Soul Society a couple days ago. He had to go back because of all the hollow appearances. He couldn't stay here any longer. Thank goodness.

I saw Matsumoto's face light up once we arrived in front of the Kuchiki Manor. Soon after, I noticed she wasn't the only one smiling; I was too.

A maid let us in and took us to Rukia's room. When we arrived, she hesitated for a moment.

"Are you sure you would like to see Miss Rukia right now, Captain, Lieutenant? You see, Miss Rukia is not—how do I say it?—herself at the moment. She is very distraught." The way she said it made it sound as if "distraught" wasn't a strong enough word.

"We are sure," I answered for the both of us.

The maid looked unsure of whether she should still let us in. But finally, she announced we were here. There was no response. "She must be asleep," the maid said. She opened the door and let us both in. My heart sank when I saw Rukia. She looked so weak and vulnerable. Her face was stained with dried tears and her lips were in a frown. She was shivering despite her whole body being covered in a thick, warm blanket.

The maid left. Matsumoto and I walked over to Rukia. We kneeled on either side of her.

"Captain," Matsumoto said. "This isn't right. Thing's aren't supposed to be this way. Rukia-chan should be in the office with us right now, having fun. I should be off dragging her to a bar to meet people. And you're supposed to be tracking us down like a crazy old man. You two were gonna fall in love." Her voice was breaking and she started to cry. "How did things get so bad? What happened?"
I felt guilty for keeping Matsumoto in the dark. She doesn't know about the note or the blackmailer. Not knowing that and seeing Rukia so weak right now must be unbearable.

My hand drifted to my pocket, where the note was. I battled with myself for a while. Should I show her the note, or not? She needs to know. She's practically Rukia's sister. But what if she says something about it? Matsumoto wouldn't do it on purpose, not when Rukia's in danger of getting hurt. But it could slip when she's drunk.

I looked up and Matsumoto's depressed look imprinted onto my mind. In that moment, I decided.

I took out the note. Matsumoto noticed. She looked at it for a while. I finally handed it to her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just read it," I said quietly.

To me, it seemed as if it took her an eternity to read it. I saw so many emotions cross her face as she read. Tears started falling from her red eyes again. She put the note down finally. She choked back a sob.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes before speaking. "Who wrote this? No. How could anyone possibly write something like this? And to Rukia-chan, of all people!"

"I thought I had figured it out. I thought it was all taken care of, finished. I thought Rukia was finally safe. But I was wrong. I should've taken care of it myself. I should've seen it through until the end. And because I didn't, Rukia's…" I couldn't finish.

"Captain—"

Whatever she was about to say was cut short. Our attention turned to Rukia. She was stirring around. I stared at her hopefully. I waited to see her eyes flutter open. My wish was granted. She was waking up.

"Captain," Matsumoto whispered excitedly.

Rukia's eyes opened. She saw us. She suddenly jerked up and looked at both of us with panicked eyes. She started hyperventilating.

"Rukia-chan, it's just us," Matsumoto tried reassuring her. She put her hand on Rukia's lap to comfort her. "It's all right. We're not here to hurt you."

Gradually, Rukia's breathing went back to normal. "W-Why are you two here?" she asked. I could tell she was still terrified. Composure and etiquette were the last things on her mind.

Neither of us said anything. We were both too shocked to move. Seeing her again made me realize that my heart was broken. Rukia had forgotten every last memory of me. She erased the time we had spent together, laughing, smiling. I wasn't important enough to her. She didn't bother saving our time. I know that the terror and pain she had felt was unimaginable. I know that I would've done the same if I was in her shoes. But how could she? To me, those moments, although short, were too amazing to be described by words. I would think about them for such a long time. For hours after sharing moments together, I would be stuck in a daze. I would let myself be intoxicated by her sent. I forgot about work and stress and responsibilities. I was stuck in a world of lavender and amethyst. I thought the time we spent together would have been worth saving. But I was wrong. She threw them away as if they were trash—

"Rukia-chan," Matsumoto said. "We know that you don't remember any of the time we spent together. But we haven't. Rukia-chan, we were best friends! I know we barely knew each other back then, but I feel as though you were my sister. I know that maybe now you don't want to be friends, but I can't let that happen! I don't know about you, but I thought our bond was, like, indestructible! You were the first person I've ever met that didn't judge me because of my actions. And you're a noble! I bet that your title hasn't once crosses your mind when you're put in difficult situations. You're an honest, down-to-earth girl. The most honest-est and nicest one I've ever met. And I know I'm not exactly the best person to hang around, but you are! You've changed me in ways that no one, not even me, will be able to understand. I've become a better person. Right now, it's not easy to see the changes. I still act super immature and I still load my responsibilities onto Captain and I don't really deserve the "Lieutenant" title and, well, I still have a long ways to go...But I am becoming a better person. And it's 'cuz of you. I don't know how, but your presence makes someone want to be better. You give off this aura of perfection and justice and honesty and purity. It's too powerful to be ignored by anyone. Even me, an irresponsible procrastinator with a really, really, really bad alcohol problem, can't ignore it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want you absent from my life. You're way younger than I am but you're so much better than me in so many ways. You act like someone a hundred times older than you, but you're so young. I act the way you should be acting! Even though I'm supposed to be your role model, you are mine. I still have a lot of growing and maturing to do. And that's something I don't want to do. But having you around has helped me grow more in the past few weeks than I have in my whole life! Rukia-chan, I guess our friendship wasn't as important to you as it was to me—I don't really know—but I still want to be in your life. I want to be "that one friend." You know, the one always causing trouble for you and leaving their messes for you to clean up. I was already "that one friend" for you. I want that to continue. I know it doesn't sound like the best offer, but you didn't mind. That's how it was…"

Rukia didn't say anything. She was still processing her words. I saw her mouth open. Before any words could come out, the door slid open.

We all looked up to see Byakuya. Matsumoto and I stood up. She bowed.

"Am I interrupting anything," he asked. The question was out of curtesy. I could tell he wasn't thrilled to see us there.

"No," I replied. "Should we leave?"

"Lieutenant Matsumoto," he said, ignoring my question. "You are a friend of Rukia, no?"

"Y-Yes, Sir," she said as respectfully as she could.

"Then I suppose you should know. Captain Unohana has recommended Rukia goes see a therapist. She said it would help her deal with her current situation and one day, in the future, regain her memory. Rukia has an appointment today. Could you two do me a favor and escort her there?"

"Forgive me if I am overstepping my boundaries, Byakuya, but shouldn't you be taking her to something like this. I think that right now, Rukia really needs you," I said.

He looked at me for a moment. "Yes, that's understandable. But I'm quite busy at the moment."

"Byakuya—"

"We'd be happy to take Rukia for you," Matsumoto cut in.

"Thank you." With that, he left.

I looked at her.

"Captain, it's no use. Just, let it go."

I don't know why, but I felt the need to be in there with Rukia. It was more instinct than want. When her therapist said Matsumoto and I had to wait outside, I was about to protest. But I knew what the therapist was trying to do. I understood that Rukia needed to be alone at the moment. She needed to feel as if there was no pressure to "get better."

After about five minutes I had had enough. The silence and uncomfortable aura in the waiting area was too much for me. I had nothing but the quiet and my thoughts to comfort me…and at the moment, my thoughts weren't very comforting. I got up and told Matsumoto I needed fresh air. I know Matsumoto very well. Normally, when an opportunity like this came, she'd use it to sneak out and drink sake. So when she said, "Ok, I'll be waiting here," in a very serious and understanding tone, I almost pinched myself.

The fresh air hit me with a refreshing chill. The crisp air made me realize how stifling it was inside. I finally noted how hard it had become to breath.

I let out a groan. I leaned against the wall and tried to relax. I ran my hands down my face in an effort to get rid of this tired, dreadful feeling. When it didn't go anywhere, I brushed my hair back, out of my eyes, as if this action could magically un-blind me and help me find an answer to this mess. Surprisingly, it didn't work either.

How did everything get so messed up?

Matsumoto's POV

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, could you please come in here?" When I heard the therapist say these words, I just about lost it. The fact that I'd be able to take a part in helping Rukia-chan recover was amazing! I also wanted to show her that, even though she doesn't remember our friendship, I do. To me, nothing has changed.

All I had to do at first was sit and listen.

"Rukia, do you know who this is?" the therapist asked.

Rukia-chan nodded. "Yes. That's Lieutenant Matsumoto."

"Yes. Do you remember that last time you two have crossed paths? Before all of this happened."

"I'm pretty sure it was the last time I was delivering paperwork to the Tenth Division. Before I left for the World of the Living," she added.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto, when was the last time you remember seeing Rukia?"

I looked down as I remembered the last time I remember seeing her. I cleared my throat. "Uh, the last time I saw her was when I went to visit her at the Fourth. I wasn't fully aware of her condition at the time, and so, when I went to hug her, she freaked."

"And, Lieutenant, do you know what happened to her before she woke up in the Fourth Division's infirmary?"

"Not really. But I was the one who found her—"

"What do you mean by 'found her'?"

"Well, I had wanted to talk to her that night…

Flashback

Oh man, Rukia-chan left. What am I gonna do now? Ah, I know! I can go to the bar and hang out with Kira and Hisagi! And Captain can't yell at me for it 'cuz he never said I couldn't!

I started skipping to the bar. I had won a bet against Hisagi and Kira last week, so now they have to pay for my tab for a whole month.

I smiled. Now I don't have to hold back!

I hadn't even made it halfway before I stopped. It was Rukia-chan…and she was talking to Captain! Before they could notice me, I hid behind a building. I cheered at my good luck; I could hear them perfectly.

"Why are you crying? I thought you were happy," Captain said.

"I thought I was, too. I'm—"

"Don't apologize," he whispered affectionately.

Captain, you sly dog, I thought. Any woman would fall for those honey soaked words. Poor Rukia-chan! She'll never be able to resist!

"I'm…I mean…I'm so stupid."

"You are not stupid. Why would you think such a ridiculous thing?"

"I—"

Captain chuckled. "You are so cute."

I gasped. No way, there is no way that that is Captain! Oh, my goodness, he's flirting!

End Flashback

"...I didn't stay at the bar long. I wasn't even drunk when I left. I wanted to talk to Rukia-chan so badly. So, I headed to the Kuchiki Manor. And there she was, out cold on the ground. I ran to her and tried to pick her up. Her eyes shot open and she started to panic. I tried to calm her down. I tried to tell her that everything was fine, that I was only going to take her to the fourth. But she wouldn't listen. She just screamed. It was as if she didn't know me! Rukia-chan tried to run, but her legs were all wobbly. She couldn't go far without falling. I knew she was going to hurt herself. I tried to stop her. To get her to sit down. But she yelled louder and louder. I think she thought I was the enemy or something. She was so scared that she started attacking me. So, I called some friends. They were there in a flash. We tried to restrain her. But even between the four of us, it was still hard. She fought all she could in that condition. We had to use a binding spell. It took us a while, but we finally got her tied up. Hisagi picked her up and we all flash stepped to the Fourth. From there, they took her away."

"I don't remember any of that," she whispered apologetically.

The therapist took a moment to think. "Well, Rukia, here is what I think: in short, the past couple of days have been quite stressful. Your mind decided to erase them because it has reached its breaking point. So, what I can do, is, one: have you come in a couple more times to help you fully understand what is going on in your head. We wouldn't discuss anything from the past few days. When you feel more comfortable with your memory loss, you'd stop coming and that would be that. You'd live on without that small piece of you life. Or, two: you'd come in and we'd all try to reconstruct those missing days. It's a very stressful process, though. And you'd have to ask the people from those days to come in. Moreover, the process takes quite a while, and the chances of it working are...less than likely."

I saw Rukia-chan's eyes flash to me. She frowned.

"Rukia-chan," I said. "Don't worry about me and Captain. We're strong! We'll support any decision you make! If you want to remember, then we'll both come in and repeat the story as long as we have to! If you want us here all night, then so be it! But," she whispered, "if you want to forget, we'll let you. It's not up to us. God only knows all the things you've been through in your life. I can't imagine going through even part of it. Wanting to forget doesn't make you any less of an amazing person. No one would judge you. It's your choice and yours alone! If that is what you want, then Captain and I will disappear. We won't visit you. I mean, I get it. We'd only be reminders of those horrible missing memories."

After a brief moment, she said, "I want to remember! I'll put in my all! I don't care how scary those days might have been! From what you and Captain Hitsugaya have told me, those days weren't all that bad! We all had some good times, right? So, because of those good times, I'll work hard. I won't give up until I remember! I'm done being weak!"

"Very well, we will start tomorrow. Lieutenant, I would like you and your captain to come in with her. We'll go for as long as Rukia can. That's all for today."

He waved us off with a big smile.

When we were outside, I saw Captain taking a nap on the grass. I fell to the ground laughing when I saw he was drooling. He woke up and started to fuss about it.

When I was calm, I decided to share the good news. "Captain, guess what? Rukia-chan decided that she wanted to try and remember everything just for us! Isn't she the best-est?!" I picked Rukia-chan up and swung her around. But I immediately put her down when I remembered how she freaked out the last time I hugged her. "Sorry, Rukia-chan."

She shook her head. "I told you: I'm done being weak. I won't let a simple hug get to me. And, besides, I might as well get used to it since we are going to be friends." She smiled.

I squealed. "She truly is the best-est, right, Captain?"

He smirked. "Yeah," came his husky voice. He got up and planted a small kiss on her cheek. "The best-est." He took her hand and started to walk.

Rukia-chan's face was burning red. I squealed.

"Matsumoto, come on already, or we're leaving you behind."

I ran to the cute couple and took Rukia-chan's other hand.

Normal POV

The therapist looked out the window. When the three were gone, he said, "They're gone, my Lord."

A man stepped out from the shadows. How he listened in to the session without being noticed, the therapist didn't know.

"We will be having our next meeting tomorrow-"

"Yes, I heard."

The therapist remained silent.

The man spoke. "It is obvious that I can not leave my duties every time the girl comes in. I want you to record every session, from the very beginning to the very end. When she starts to remember her feeling for Captain Hitsugaya, I am to be informed immediately.

When she starts to remember about the note, stop the session. Try not to bring it up the next time. But if she insists on it, then go on. I don't need the Captain becoming suspicious. And when you get to the day that Lieutenant Matsumoto found her in the forest, stop right away. I want to be there when you discuss it. There is a certain piece of information I do not wish for her to remember."

"If I may ask, My Lord, what is that certain piece you don't wish for her to remember?" The man glared at him, so he added, "I wish to know just in case she remembers it on her own."

"Very well. That night, before Lieutenant Matsumoto found her, right before she fainted, she saw my face."