Chapter Eleven:

Reiko's apartment was one room darker. Hisana had moved out. Not just moved out, left for another city: Tokyo. She was accepted into Keio University, hands deep in modern medicine. She wanted surgery, and that was the place to be. Dad was putting her up in an apartment. It was a quiet place where she could study in peace. He made her swear not to have boys over; he did not want grandchildren. Dad most certainly did not appreciate her pointing out she could have sex in a dorm well, as well as the apartment.

At least the apartment was quiet.

The lock clicked loudly as she pulled her key from its cradle. It was pitch black inside her tiny abode; she had forgotten to open the curtains before she left this morning for class. Somewhere in the dark, Keke, her giant puppy, would be dancing, his nose pressed into a corner. Hisana truly had not intended to stay out so late––she was very aware of her responsibilities as a pet owner, but did could not tear herself away from Dr. Yang's side. She had been shadowing him in general medicine before hurrying to the library with Alma and Shinto to write up lab reports. When she entered university, Hisana knew that there would be hard work, but she had no idea how tired she would be.

"Keke?" she called into the darkness. "Where is my sweet boy?"

A whine echoed for a moment, and then the white Samoyed puppy bounded into her arms. Hisana immediately dropped to her knees, bags tossed away. "How are you doing? How are you doing, my little boy?" she cooed, ruffling her fingers through his thick fur. "I missed you! Yes, I did! Yes, I did!"

"How was your day, today?" Ueda asked from her doorway. Ever the professional, he did not enter her abode without her expressed approval, nor did he address her on the street. He liked to give her her privacy, and for brief moments during her day, she forgot he was there. Then one of her classmates noticed some guy always trailing after her, and any explanation she could come up with never seemed to satisfy them. Alma accused her of being a secret heiress. That one made Hisana laugh in her face.

"Long," she answered as she latched Keke's leash on. "But good. You?"

Ueda shrugged his shoulders. "I learned very much today. Your friends always make me laugh,"

Koh wanted to know why she never made Ueda carry her books. She giggled. "You're kind of a big deal to us,"

Ueda closed her door. "I am a very boring person, Reiko-san. I assure you,"

"Oh, please. There has to be some glamor living with the Kuchikis. You have to have seen some super famous people, or maybe a slimy politician or two," she winked at him. Keke was sniffing around the trees at the dog park

"Perhaps," he nodded indulgently. "If you find glamour in watching paperwork being signed, and standing by the doors during the meetings of people who don't speak Japanese. Yes, it is very interesting,"

She shook her head. "I can't imagine,"

Just like that, they were out of the building and in the public eye. Ueda fell approximately three steps behind her, a silent shadow. He was as prim and proper as the rest of the Kuchiki family. He did not speak to her unless she addressed him first, allowed others to acknowledge her presence but not his, and opened any door that she might meet. He was so careful not to invade her personal life, and though she was grateful, it was still awkward to walk around Tokyo with a body guard. People thought she was somebody important. They were always so disappointed to find out that she was not.

Every night, they made a familiar trek around the dog park that was across the street from her apartment. It had been a huge factor in choosing her abode: she wanted Keke to have plenty of room to stretch his legs. The same patrons frequented the walk; most had grown used to Hisana and Ueda. One couple was Eric and Megumi, her neighbors. Eric was an American, here on business and Megumi was the unexpected love of his life. They always smiled and waved as they walked their maltapoos.

"It's another beautiful night," she glanced up at the sky. There were no stars to see, but she could envision them hidden by the light pollution. It was warm, and a gentle breeze blew. Keke seemed happy to putter about, sniffing plants and light poles. He chomped away on a butterfly before she realized what he was doing.

"It is," Ueda agreed softly. He sensed her exhaustion. It had been a long, long day and she was sure that he was as tired as she was. Keke needed to hurry up so she could crawl into her bed.

"I am going to sleep so well, tonight," Hisana yawned. Rolling her shoulders, she glanced behind her. "Wha––"

There was a loud explosion. The light came from behind Ueda, turning him into a silhouette as he leapt towards her. Wrapping her head in his arms, the body guard jerked her to the ground. Keke shrieked, or was it Hisana––as another explosion shook the world. "Stay down," Ueda hissed. He kept her head pressed against his chest "Let the tremors stop before I move you,"

Move her? "What's going on?" she gripped Keke's leash tightly. Her puppy was whining, yanking and tugging on it.

"I don't know yet," Ueda answered. How could he, when he had not left her side? "It does't matter what is happening."

Then the screaming started. People were running towards her and the dog park. It sounded like something large kept running into buildings. Sirens blared. Finally, someone was coming to help.

"What is that thing?"

"What is happening?"

"Oh my God!"

"Yumi? Yumi, where are you?"

She heard a bone chilling roar that seemed to even scare Ueda. Retching her head out of his grasp, Hisana fell backwards, eyes wide. A hollow. A hollow was terrorizing downtown Tokyo, and she had eyes on it. It was freaking huge, thundering down several blocks over. Six arms hung from its side. They swung, knocking into buildings, shattering cars and sweeping living people out of its way. She watched in horror as it grabbed a struggling girl and thrust her into its mouth.

"Ueda!" she grabbed his hand. "We have to run!"

"I don't see anything," he followed her gaze.

"It's a hollow," she stood up. "One of those things that the Kuchikis and the other shinigamis fight,"

"I can't see it," Ueda put his hand on the middle of her back and began to lead her forward. They walked quickly, but did not run. Keke kept up with them, pulling on the leash to urge her to go faster. He would turn his plushy head back and yip, pleading to hurry.

"Most people can't," she kept talking just to keep herself calm. If she stopped, she would think about what that creature was doing to all those innocent people, and then she would lose her lunch. No. Keep thinking about walking, about one foot in front of the other. "It won't pay attention to us,"

Ueda was more worried about fallout damage than the unseen monster. A hit to the head was just as deadly, and much harder to predict. "Where are we going?" Hisana demanded. They bypassed her apartment building completely. "It's safer indoors!"

Udea agreed with her there. But staying near the incident area increased the chance of his ward getting injured. Her building was just blocks away from the zero point, so it was logical that the beast could continue towards it. Plus, he could not fend of a hollow. "Get in the car," he opened the door.

Hisana squeaked in shook when he pressed his hand at the top of her head and guided her forcefully into the seat, like a cop would a criminal. Keke barely managed to hop into the back seat before Ueda slammed the door shut. He was on her other side in seconds, doors locked and key in the ignition. The car roared to life, and Ueda sped down the road.

"What out for people walking!" she screamed, clutching on the armrest for dear life. If the hollow was not going to kill her, his driving was! "Ueda! Where are we going?" He did not answer her; his eyes were glued to the road and his hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

There was only one place that would be safe during a hollow attack. The lion's den. The same people who paid this man way too much money to sit on his ass and do nothing under the guise of 'protecting' her. They were going to Kuchiki Tower.

***BH***

"You are so lucky that I'm off tomorrow," Hisana muttered as stupid Kobaru Kuchiki escorted her out of the lift. "I'd sleep at the university before I slept here if I had to,"

Kobaru glanced at the fuming girl beside him. "Ueda did the right thing to bring you here. Keio hospital was close to the attack site."

"Blah blah blah," Hisana finished his sentence. She had heard it all before: the more people there were meant that there was a greater concentration of spiritual energy, and it also increased the likelihood that some freak with uber spiritual pressure was around. Those were the jerks that attracted the hollows in the first place.

"There is no harm in spending the night with us," Kobaru continued speaking. He opened the door to his office, where Dai waited in his pajamas.

"Sani!" he smiled when she ducked under Kobaru's arm. "Glad that you're okay,"

She grinned right back. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I swear, you all worry like old grandmothers."

"I can't see these things. They are just invisible monsters to me," he shrugged before tossing one arm around her shoulder to squeeze. She hugged him right back, and then pulled away as he sat down on the couch. "That is pretty scary, you have to admit."

"Blood clots at twenty-two are scary," she tossed herself onto the loveseat, across from the sofa where the lovers reclined. "Invisible monsters, not so much…"

Dai flipped her off. "You just have a skewed notion of scary," he decided. "How's life at the hospital? Blood clots at twenty-two aside."

Hisana yawned. She was still exhausted, but it seemed rude to crawl into her bed away from home the moment she walked into the room. They were being nice enough to let her stay over. "Hectic. There is so much to learn, and so many different ways to kill someone. Or save their life," she amended. "I might be way in over my head."

"You have just started. Don't worry, it will get better soon," Kobaru slipped his arm around Dai's waist.

She watched, slightly simpering, as his thumb stroked the pale flesh just above his waistband. It was so intimate and loving that it made her skin burn. These two before her might have been her OTP, and she envied them. This was exactly what she wanted in a relationship… "I hope so,"

Dai rested his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "I am just happy that you are here safe," he stifled a yawn. "Hopefully the rest of the month is quiet."

"Seriously," she agreed. "I just want to get a routine down now that term is underway,"

"Mmhmm," Dai hummed in agreement. He was in his finishing up his master's work, and looked a little ragged around the edges. He had started working for a tech company that dominated most of the European market. They demanded a full forty hours out of him, not including his post-grad work. Dai looked like he wanted to go to bed, too.

He yawned again, and that gave Hisana all the encouragement she needed. "Will it offend you guys if I go to bed? I just want to forget that today happened."

"We understand," Kobaru nodded indulgently. "Goodnight, Hisana,"

She barely found the strength to get up off the loveseat. She probably would have fallen asleep right there if it had been her apartment. "Night,"

"Sani's got the right idea," Dai mumbled after her door clicked shut. "Bed sounds so nice right now,"

"It's been a long week," Kobaru agreed. "We could all use the day off tomorrow,"

Dai did not know what his lover had been up to all week. He assumed it was convoluted business deals, stock ventures and boring trade deals. It was exhaustingly boring to even think about. "Come on," Dai quickly stood up. "Let's go to bed," he offered his hand to Kobaru.

Hours or moments later, Dai really was not sure, they were woken up by a tingling bell. It was soft, but it seemed to shake the entire room. "Huh?" he grunted.

Kobaru was already out of the bed and pulling on his lounge pants. "Go back to sleep, Daichi," he ruffled the brown hair that came alive with static. "We have a visitor, and that is all,"

A visitor. That meant it was someone from the Soul Society. Those visits had become few and far between as Captain Kuchikii prepared for his wedding. More often that not, he sent Bunko Kuchiki to counsel with Kobaru in his place. Occasionally, it was a relative of Naramura or a member of the family itself. There were too many of them; Dai could never wrap his head around all of their names, even if they did give him the time of day. Usually, if it was a family member, Dai was squirreled away to the bedroom until they left. Out of sight, out of mind.

They must really have hated his relationship with Kobaru.

"Kay," he rolled over, compliant in his sleepy haze.

Byakuya Kuchiki stood in the middle of Kobaru's office. Though he had expected his cousin to come soon, he would have preferred it to be when the sun was out. "Cousin," he bowed to cover his own yawn. "It's been a long time,"

"She's gone again," Byakuya hissed breathlessly. He had run to Reiko's apartment after ditching his own wedding to fin only that man. No Hisana in sight. It was a Friday night, and though it was possible that she was at a friend's house––perhaps Miyako's, he knew she was not. He had not been able to locate her damnably faint spiritual pressure anywhere in Nagoya, as teeming with life as it was. "You said she was home, but she isn't there,"

Kobaru squinted and shook his head. "No," it would be helpful if his mind would wake up enough to process something besides his cousin's frantic tone. "She…she moved out months ago when she began university."

"What?" his cousin was confused, and so was Kobaru.

"Didn't you get my messages? I sent them via Hell Butterfly,"

The butterflies often went to Iruka instead of Byakuya. It took so much effort to convince both families that the wedding was legitimate that he had to delegate some work. Letting Iruka and Bunko advise Kobaru on finances seemed like an acceptable solution. Now he was afraid that he might have tipped his hand too soon, and unwittingly revealed Hisana to the entire family. "No,"

"She came back to Japan months ago," Kobaru swept a hand through his hair. "That was what I meant when I said that Reiko-san needed to speak with you urgently. I thought you would understand that it was Hisana and not her father,"

"Your father never passed that message on to me," Byakuya admitted. "He must have assumed it was just the lawyer,"

"The lawyer?" Kobaru repeated. "Her father, you mean. The father that we have worked tot he bone in order to keep him from seeing who we really are, and who she is to us. Not just the lawyer,"

Byakuya drew back and arched an eyebrow. "You have grown soft in your time among the mortals,"

"You have grown callous in your machinations," Dai's voice stopped the budding argument. Both Kuchikis turned to look at the man who had quietly slipped into the room. He glared at the Soul Reaper captain. "Why are you even here?"

"Daichi––" Kobaru said warningly.

The translator shook his head. "No, not this time," he ignored the warning completely, which was unusual for him. "You haven't spoken to Hisana in over a year, Captain Kuchiki. And, you are engaged to another woman. Maybe it is better if you let her go,"

Rage flared in Byakuya's chest like a monster. Never! He would never let her go; no matter how many times she disappeared, he always found her. Now would be no different, and if he had to break hearts and steal her away, he would. "Noemi Fujimika eloped with Bunko Kuchiki this afternoon," he drawled slowly. "I would imagine that they are enjoying their all expense paid honeymoon right now,"

"What? Bunko and Noemi?" Kobaru pressed his palms against his forehead. "What the hell happened while I was down here?" Dai made a show out of cleaning his ears. Each word that came out of the shinigami's mouth was more preposterous than the last.

"Apparently, they are in love. Who am I to stand in the way of love?" he looked pointedly between the two of them.

Kobaru sighed and walked over to Dai. Grabbing the younger man's wrist, he dropped his head onto his lover's shoulder. "She's here,"

Dai watched the color drain for Byakuya Kuchiki's face and he stopped fidgeting with his uncomfortably tight gigai. Hands fell lax, and the cuff on his oxford shirt remained unbuttoned. The tightly controlled facade started to crack at the mere idea that Hisana was close by. Kuchiki swallowed. "Where?" His voice was hoarse, his throat swollen and dry. Gone was the callous man from moments ago; now he was a pilgrim on his way to the temple.

Kobaru nodded toward the room for a queen, "There was a hollow attack near her apartment. She is staying her, but just for the night." Dai watched as Kuchiki moved mechanically, eyes transfixed on the door almost reverently, as if it would open up to Heaven itself. "She isn't locked in," his lover continued on softly. It seemed silly to lock her away when she was already barricaded in by their walls.

Byakuya did not appear to register his cousin's words. he touched the doorknob hesitantly, his face still impassive. Dai could imagine that his eyes were raw with apprehension and longing. It was the moments before the culmination of his efforts: Hisana was about to take up permanent residence in their lives, or she was going to disappear forever. Please, let her stay. Wordlessly, Captain Kuchiki pushed the door open, and his disappeared inside, as quite as a shadow.

"Don't look so nervous," Kobaru stroked his arm. "It is going to be fine. You'll see,"

Dai was not so hopeful. The two in the room seemed fated to dance along a finite edge: magnetically attracted and repellent at the same time. They came so close together, but could never touch. He could not help but wonder if they just weren't meant to be.

"Let's go back to bed," Kobaru kissed the top of his head. Hours later, just as the sun began to creep over the horizon, Daichi Tamagi lay awake. His thoughts stayed trained on the two in the room for a queen, and he imagined that they were happy.

***BH***

She was lying supine on the bed, legs curled up beside her and an arm snaked under her pillow. She was small on the large bed, but still managed to claim ownership of the entire thing. Her long hair that he loved so much fanned out around her, snarling and tangling as she shook her head. Her chest barely moved. No sound was made. This was the only time she was completely silent.

He stood at the foot of the bed, and watched her. Byakuya could not bear to tear his eyes away from her. If he stopped looking for even a second, she might disappear again. God knew that her presence blew in and out of his life like the wind. If he had to, he would watch her all night just to keep her here.

Bu he saw no reason why he could not keep his vigil her wrapped in his arms. That doubly insured that she could not be torn away from him. Slipping his shirt off, he saw the pajama pants laying on the chaise. His cousin was devious, Kuchiki realized wryly. Slipping them on, he then slid beneath the purple sheets.

Hisana grumbled something, and he stiffened, certain that she had woken. Instead, she curled towards his warmth. Byakuya easily slid his arms around her to pull her flush against him. Hisana nuzzled his chest before stilling. Neither moved for the rest of the night, and Byakuya was content to stay that way for eternity.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. This chapter was really hard to write for some reason, and I am not entirely pleased with it. That said, it stays as is for now. Life is too hectic for me to love every word I write. My roommate has spent the week in the hospital. She came home from work on Monday, and her calf had swollen up until it looked absolutely bulbous! We spent eight hours, that's right…eight hours in the ER only to find out that she had three bloodclots in her leg. She is better now, thankfully, but I'm still going all mother hen on her. The next chapter should be posted much quicker! Promise :)