Disclaimer:I don't own Bleach (do I still need to put this?)

The door to the Kyouraku household opened to allow the younger son entry. Receiving a bow from one of the servants, Shunsui stepped through the door and into the foyer.

"How is Saya doing, Shunsui?" The deep voice of Daisuke asked as he walked around the corner to greet his son.

"She is doing well, although I can tell mother's condition is constantly on the back of her mind. I think something else is bothering Saya as well, but I haven't been able to figure it out yet."

"How did you manage to come here without Saya? I'm sure she would have insisted to come along with you had she known."

"Well," Shunsui laughed a little, "She's currently passed out from consuming a large amount of sake."

"SHUNSUI! I let her go out of the house for three days and you allowed her to get drunk to the point of passing out?" Daisuke wasn't pleased to hear this news.

"No father, it wasn't so much that she passed out, more like she just fell asleep because of drinking a large amount of alcohol. Don't worry, she's safe and sound in my manor and I was with her the entire time."

"Was it you that gave her this sake, Shunsui?" His father asked while eyeing him heavily.

"Well, Matsumoto-san was there too…" Shunsui said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Nevermind, I'm sure she's fine.I know you wouldn't let any true harm come to her." Daisuke said taking a few breaths to hopefully calm down enough to keep from hitting his son upside the head.

Smiling at his father, Shunsui was thinking, I bet he's trying not to hit me right now.

"How is mother?" A grave tone covered Shunsui's words.

Daisuke looked down for a brief moment before answering, "She's… not well."

Shunsui simply nodded once indicating that he understood. "I would like to see her."

A son looked at his mother lying on the bed. She was beyond thin with her skin hanging off of her bones. Her face was sunken in giving her an overall skeletal appearance. What should have been the whites of her eyes were now tinged yellow. A shallow, ragged, and slow breath escaped from her mouth. Sluggishly, the woman turned her head to look at the son that was standing at her side and a deliberate smile graced her frail lips.

"Shunsui, how glad I am to see you.You've come to wish your mother farewell, have you?"

"I have mother. I wanted to be able to see you one last time before you pass on."

"Shunsui, you and your brother have always been such good sons. Then Saya came into our lives and I felt that our family was complete. I'm so proud of all of you; I have no regrets to take with me. No person has led a happier life than I have." Her words were almost as soft as a whisper when she spoke, her phrases short and haggard sounding.

Shunsui watched how hard it was for his mother just to get a few simple sentences out. "Please mother, don't speak anymore and save your strength. I'm glad that I got to see you, one last time."

"Worrying about me, Aisoku?" (Beloved son) Akemi said with a smile, "Try not to and I'll speak as much as I want to. Tell me, how is Saya?"

Shunsui couldn't help be chuckle and his mother's stubbornness, "She is well mother, and she seems to be enjoying the Sereitei. In fact, I'm pretty sure she's developed a crush on my good friend Ukitake Juushiro, you've met him. And, if I am right, she probably fancies Kuchiki Byakuya as well." Shunsui decided to leave out the part where he got her drunk and she was currently sleeping it off.

"Oh yes, I remember Ukitake-san. He's that good looking man with the white hair and kind smile. I can see why Saya would have a crush on him. But Kuchiki Byakuya? He may be very handsome, but he's just so… cold."

"Like you said, mother, he is very handsome." Smirked Shunsui.

Akemi's tone turned serious, "Shunsui, do you think Saya will understand why I couldn't let her be here with me when I go?"

"I'm not sure, mother."

Akemi sighed and turned her head to look out the window. "When Saya first came to us, I could see how upset she was. She didn't know who she was, where she came, or what happened to her. Although she tried not to let it show, I could tell that she was scared and worried. It took some time before those feelings left her. I know it's silly to think that she isn't worrying now, and that she won't be upset when I die. But I didn't want her to see me in my final days as a weakened body. Instead of being constantly reminded of my impending death, she is out enjoying herself and isn't surrounded by misery. This is for the best; her being with you when it happens. Shunsui, please let Saya know how much I love her."

"Of course, mother."

"And Shunsui…"

"Yes?"

"I love you, very much."

"I love you too, mother."

"I think that you're a female, Ichijin." The blonde captain said while mixing some vials together.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" An amused Ichijin responded.

"Your movements just seem to be altogether more feminine. Even though that uniform is somewhat baggy and doesn't give away your shape, and you continue to distort your voice with some sort of device, I can tell by the way you walk, your posture, and even the way you sit. All of them reflect that you're most likely a female, or at least a very effeminate male." He said with a light tone.

Ichijin just laughed.

"You won't tell me if I'm right though, will you?" The captain asked.

"Nope. So are you going to tell me what you're making over there, Taicho?"

"I'm developing an artificial body for shinigami to use in the material world. If they become severely injured, they will be able to use this to heal until their powers return."

"Interesting, when do you think it will be perfected?"

"I'm not sure; it's in the initial stages at the moment. So you're not part of the stealth squad, your uniform doesn't match theirs."

Ichijin couldn't help but smile beneath her mask. Over the past couple of months she had grown used to this back and forth banter between them. He would ask a question to try and figure out her identity, she would usually respond with a vague answer (if she gave him one at all) and then she would ask him a question about his latest experiment or try to change the subject, and so on. "I guess with that reasoning you could deduce that I am not a part of the stealth squad…I hear you're very friendly with its commander, Shihoin Yoruichi-sama."

Ichijin observed the captain stiffen for a split second but then he quickly relaxed, "I've known her since childhood, and we used to play together. You are a shinigami, you must be, you carry a zanpakuto and I can sense your reitsu."

"Did I say I wasn't one?"

"No, but you didn't say that you were."

"If you base your definition of a shinigami on the fact that someone possesses reitsu and carries a zanpakuto, then I wouldn't say you were wrong."

"Are you saying I'm right?'

"I didn't say that either. I'm simply saying based on your definition then I would be a shinigami."

"What else would you be?!"

"I don't know.I'm not the one who asked the dumb question in the first place."

Saya opened her eyes and saw a man standing in front of her. He smiled slightly as he looked down at her, like she was an old friend he hadn't seen in years. Stunning was the only word to describe what he looked like. Wind-blown black hair framed his handsome face and his amethyst eyes bore into her very core. He wore a black mandarin collar suit that was trimmed in a purple that matched his eyes perfectly.

Saya allowed her gaze to wander from his face to her surroundings and she saw nothing but a field full of fox gloves and Jacaranda trees. A constant, but playful breeze made it look as though the flowers and branches were dancing to a soft melody that only they could hear. This had to be the most beautiful and peaceful place that Saya had ever been to.

"Saya, wake up."

"What did you say?"

"Saya, it's time to get up." She could feel herself being shaken slightly.

This time when Saya opened her eyes she saw her brother's face. He was standing over her and shaking her slightly to wake her out of her deep slumber.

"Saya, are you awake now?" Shunsui asked.

"Hai, Aniki. What are you doing?"

"It's best if you get a little something in your stomach. Do you think you can handle anything to eat?"

It was then that Saya felt the full weight of her earlier binge-drinking incident. "Ugh Aniki, my head! I don't know if I could eat more than some soup. Food sounds gross to me right now."

"Haha, that's what I thought you might say.But some soup will do you some good, trust me."

"Okay, Aniki."

Shunsui looked at his sister slightly amused for a moment. "You know?I almost didn't wake you up. You looked so peaceful, more peaceful than I had ever seen you before."

Saya's thoughts took her back to the dream she was having, "Hai Aniki, it was a peaceful dream," and then she smiled up at her brother.

Saya choked down some miso soup while her brother ate udon noodles with shrimp tempura. Looking at his food almost made Saya sick to her stomach, but luckily nothing came up.

"So what were you dreaming about anyway, Imo-chan?"

Saya furrowed her brow a little bit, "I'm not really sure, Shunsui-nii; I can't say that I really understand my dream or even remember it clearly now. But I was happy in my dream. I remember feeling like I was content, at peace with everything around me."

"What a lovely state to be in, ne?"

Saya just chortled a little, "Hai Aniki, it is."

The next few days were relatively uneventful. Saya had stayed within the 8th division or on the manor grounds. When Saya wasn't following her brother around, she liked to sit by the fountain or under the sakura tree and read one of the poetry books that Shunsui had in his vast library. But Saya's tranquil state didn't last long.

Shunsui opened his eyes and looked at his ceiling. The moonlight flooded his room which made his belongings cast long shadows on the floor. Did I just hear someone on the roof? Could it be Saya-chan? Then he laughed to himself, who else would it be? She's the only other one around here that makes a habit of sneaking onto the roof late at night. That's when it hit him. Shunsui flashed onto the roof to see Saya standing there in her sleeping kimono, shaking from the night's chilly breeze. She was hugging herself in a vain attempt to keep warm while she wept silently. Saya's gaze left the direction of their parent's house to look at her brother. Tears stained her face, but the light from the moon made them glisten with a sad beauty while rolling down her cheeks.

"Shun…sui?"Saya managed the get out while she sobbed.

"Saya-chan." Shunsui said as he stepped towards his sister. He hadn't brought anything to wrap her in to help keep her warm, so he pulled her into a hug. Burying her head in his chest she continued to cry while her brother smoothed the back of her hair.

"I… can't… feel… her… anymore, Aniki. I can't feel her."

"I know, Saya-chan." He held onto her tighter, trying not to shed his own tears. Shunsui was determined to be strong for his sister.

"She's… not… with… us."

"No, Imouto."

"I… didn't… even… get… to… say… goodbye. I… didn't… get… to… tell her that… I love her."

"Saya, she knew. You know she loved you too."

"But I…"

"Saya-chan, it's okay." Shunsui said in his gently voice, attempting to calm his sister.

"NO!It's not okay!" Saya exclaimed and pushed her brother away angrily, "She tried to tell me goodbye before I left and I didn't say it back. I didn't do it properly! I can't even remember if I told her I loved her the last time I saw her! It is NOT OKAY! "Saya was almost yelling and her tears were coming out even hard than before. "You got to tell her goodbye, didn't you Aniki? You were able to say a suitable farewell and tell her you loved her! That's where you were the other night while I was napping off all that sake! I could tell that you had been to see mother, I could smell her medicinal ointment on you!" Saya spat out at her brother. "How could you do that?! How could you not take me with you?" The look in her eyes was cold and her attitude callous towards her brother.

Shunsui looked at his sister dumbfounded. In twenty years, Shunsui had never seen Saya act this way. He didn't even know that she had it in her to be so upset. Not knowing what to do, Shunsui didn't answer. He simply stood there while his sister glared at him. An odd wind whipped around them both, blowing their hair about and making it lash at their faces.

"Well, brother?" Saya said in a harsh tone.

Shunsui sighed, "Saya-chan, please try to understand, the last thing that I wanted to do was hurt or upset you in anyway. But mother asked that you not be brought to her.

Saya's gasped and her eyes opened in shock. "What did you say?" This time her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Don't you see, Saya? Mother just didn't want you to be sad. She said you were so upset when you were first brought into the home and she only wanted for you to be happy. She wanted you to remember her as she was before she fell ill, not weak and pathetic. But above all else, she wanted me to tell you that she loved you so much more than you would truly be able to comprehend."

Now it was Saya's turn to look dumbfounded. She walked over to her brother and grabbed the sleeves of his kimono, she then feel to her knees and began sobbing harder than before. "How could she ever think that I would look at her as weak and pathetic? She was the kindest and strongest woman I know. She was and will always be my mother."

Shunsui kneeled down in front of his sister and took her into his arms once more, "I know, Saya."

"Forgive me, Aniki. I had no right to act that way towards you. I didn't need to say those things. I'm so ashamed. I am not the only one here tonight who has lost a parent."

"It's okay, Saya. You were upset; all is forgiven."

"Aniki?"

"Yes, Saya?"

"Arigato." She whispered.

Shunsui just held on tighter to his sister. He didn't want her to see his tears.

Author's note: I'm sorry for the depressing chapter, but it had to be done.

Thank you to those who added my story to your favorite's list, alerts list, and me to your favorite author's list. It makes me happy to think about (especially after writing a sad chapter like this one). Please comment and review, they help me to get motivated to keep writing and get the chapters out quicker! HINT HINT!