Sigh… I have lost motivation. waaahh… but I hav 2 finsh this. I will. Eventually. in the meantime I am going to start another fanfic…

Darkchocol18807… I apologize. But I am a RenRuki fan.

Chapter Twelve

Byakuya stared at the gate until it stopped swinging, and after that followed Kimiko's reiatsu with his mind until he could feel it no longer. After that, he just let her face, and the song she sang, linger in his head, filling it up. He felt suddenly weak, leaning on the bridge's railing for support. He didn't have a clue what was going on, and it was tearing him apart.

Even now that he knew there was no doubt that there was a connection between Kimiko and Hisana, he was still restless and unsatisfied. There were too many questions- too many mysteries. It was if Hisana had come back to life without her memories- and without her feelings. That part was the worst. Then it hit him- the only person who might have some idea who- or what- Kimiko was.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi.

With that thought, he used shunpo and flashed out of the garden, leaving nothing behind but a wispy puff of smoke. He didn't care who saw him at that moment. All he cared about right then was finding answers; and if he was lucky, internal peace as well. As he leapt over the roofs of Seireitei, he was nothing more than a shadow in the corners of peoples' sight, if they saw him at all. He had a purpose and a destination- he advanced towards them with single-minded determination. At about midnight, when the moon was at its zenith, he stood breathlessly in front of the twelfth squad gate, a tall, intimidating arch. He only realized how far he had run after standing there for a second. He was breathing heavily, and his legs were shaking. It was a long run for even him, one exceptionally skilled in shunpo.

From behind him, a light, crisp voice rang out. "Captain Kuchki." it said. Byakuya whirled around to see Nemu standing about ten feet away with inhumanly perfect posture. When he could see her properly, she gave a small bow and spoke again as Byakuya struggled to compose himself. "Come in. We've been expecting you."

"Expecting me?" He asked in a monotone, dreadfully curious but not showing it. What was that supposed to mean?

"Yes." Nemu replied matter-of-factly, not elaborating on the theme. Byakuya accepted that for the moment, not willing to put down his mask of indifference in front of her. She wasn't Hisana- he wasn't altogether comfortable around her. She led him through a wide, bland grey stone courtyard and into a large, square building at the other end. He was enveloped in darkness almost immediately- the inside of the building was cold and black, lit only occasionally by small, blue floating lights. Nemu seemed accustomed to the darkness, leading Byakuya through a series of turns and hallways with the ease of someone who had taken the route many times. He followed solemnly; he had never liked the dark much, because Hisana didn't like it. The dark reminded him of her, and how she used to cling to him when she was scared, just grabbing onto his kimono with both delicate hands. It made him happy that he could protect her just by being there. But now she was gone, and the dark held nothing but ghosts of memories.

Eventually they came to a large door, outlined in blue dots. Nemu pulled it open and executed a short bow in the doorway. "Mayuri-Sama. Captain Byakuya Kuchki is here to see you."

"Yes, I know." a voice drawled from inside the room. "Nemu, go away. Captain Kuchki, come in." Byakuya complied, walking into the room with rhythmic steps. Mayuri was sitting in a black chair in front of a multitude of screens that blue characters ran across in continuous streams, back facing Byakuya. He waved his hand nonchalantly as he spoke. "I suppose you're here about the Kimiko/Hisana issue."

Byakuya's eyes opened in shock. "W-What?" he stuttered. "H-How…"

"Why else would you come here in such a state?"

"B-but-" Byakuya stuttered, but then accepted Mayuri's statement and struggled to regain his composure. Mayuri was obsessed with knowing everything- he supposed it was only natural he would know about the Kimiko/Hisana issue.

"Well, it's only natural I should know about that particular issue in extreme detail, because I created it."

"What?!" Byakuya could not stop himself from exclaiming in shock.

"Please be quiet and let me explain." Snapped Mayuri. Byakuya complied, taking a weak step backward.

"Well, she was part of a series of experiments a while back involved with bringing people back to life; her soul was, I mean. I gathered the spiritual particles of her soul, and experimented with them over a prolonged period of time, and eventually I succeeded in bringing her soul back to life, along with a few others. However, the one side effect I have not been able to cure, to this day, is loss of memory." he muttered to himself for a few seconds, apparently frustrated, then looked back up at Byakuya. "What are you still doing here? Nemu is waiting outside to take you out. Go away." He turned back to the computers and began to type on a small keyboard suspended in front of him. Feebly, Byakuya stepped backward and then turned around to follow Nemu back through the labyrinth of hallways. His mind was blank, not able to process the information he had just been given. He and Nemu eventually came into the light again, beaming down on them in a bright wave. Nemu left him standing there dumbly. Then, as he was about to put one forward to take the first step across the courtyard, it hit him.

Hisana was alive.