FIVE YEARS LATER

Byakuya married Hisana a couple years after they met, against the advice of Ginrei and some others in the clan. He loved Hisana; she made him feel like himself, free, and useful. He knew he was odd ever since Urahara and Yoruichi left the Seireitei and the strange voice in his head grew stronger and stronger, louder and louder. Hisana didn't care about that, nor the strange tears that he shed. Byakuya never wanted it to end.

I will rule you, Byakuya. You're not going to resist me… Soon, I will take over you. Fight me, Byakuya! FIGHT ME!

Byakuya gasped, waking up and sitting up. He was sweating profusely and breathing heavily, as if he had just finished running a race.

"Byakuya? What's wrong?" Hisana asked beside him.

"I'm fine… don't worry…"

"Was it the voice again?"

"Yes… It was so loud… He was screaming in my ears, filling my head with aching air! He's still there!" he said loudly, holding his head.

Hisana sat up and touched Byakuya on the shoulder with her dainty hand.

"Maybe you should face him in your mind like he asks, show him that you're not afraid of him."

"He knows how I feel… I can't face him because he knows I fear him already. I'm not like Kurosak-san… I don't have that kind of power."

Hisana turned her head at the mention of "Kurosaki" and reached up to turn Byakuya's face to hers.

"Who's Kurosaki?"

"My mentor." He moved his face from her hand. "But he's gone. He had some sort of mask on his face and when he pulled it on, it felt like a Hollow. Listening to my grandfather, he said that the captains that were Hollowfied by Urahara had the same feel of Kurosaki-san. If that was the case then… maybe I'm like them."

"Can you not ask Kurosaki?"

"No. He's far away…"

Hisana smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, kissing it softly.

"You've never mentioned him before. You seem to really admire him."

"He was my mentor… almost like an older brother to me. But he didn't belong here… He was from somewhere else. He had to leave and didn't even say goodbye to me. I vow that I will kick his ass when I see him next time." he growled, clenching his fist.

Hisana laughed at her husband's childish temper and turned his face to hers. She looked into his gray eyes and wanted nothing more than to love this man to the end of days.

"I love you, Byakuya. Don't ever let anyone tell you that you are unlovable or heartless. Hollows don't have hearts, that's why they have holes in their chests." She put her hand over his heart. "Yours beats strong and sure. Never let anyone take that away from you."

Byakuya smiled at her and laid back down on the bed, pulling her to him for a snuggle.

"I wish you could have met Kurosaki-san… Though, you may have…"

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nothing."

Hisana shrugged and put her head in the crook of his neck.

Byakuya sighed. She was all he ever needed.

A WEEK LATER

Byakuya held Hisana's hand as she looked up at him. He was holding back his emotions, the tears, and she knew it was because of the strange voice and the strange tears he shed. His eyes were red from holding them back.

"I'm sorry, Byakuya-sama… I'm sorry that I cannot remain with you.

"You'll be fine. You'll pull through this and be on your feet in no time."

"No… I feel my time has come… Byakuya, please find my sister when I'm gone. After you find her, please do not tell her that I am her sister. Without telling her anything, please protect her, no matter what. I abandoned her… I don't deserve to be called a sister. So, if it's your will, Byakuya, please be a brother that I could never be."

Byakuya nodded, trying to hold back another wave of tears. Hisana knew he needed to cry and reached up to touch his face tenderly.

"I'm sorry, my love. Even at the end I am still asking more of you than you deserve to do for me. I am so sorry I couldn't return enough of the love you've given me… I am so sorry… Just know that being with you for the past five years has been like a dream come true for me. I would do it all again just to be beside you… my beautiful husband…" Byakuya choked back another wave of emotions and Hisana reached a thumb to his eyes, even though he wasn't crying. "Cry… Please… My beautiful Bya… ku… ya…"

Hisana's hand fell from his face and he breathed in deeply, trying to hold his composure but he lost the fight very quickly. The flood gates broke and he cried harder than he could remember.

Yes… feed your sorrow!

Byakuya yelled, screaming in agony. He could hear the people of the house clamoring to get to him and Hisana's room. He could feel the strange gelatin tears he always tried to hide building up on his face as he wracked his body in sorrow.

RELEASE YOUR HOLD!

Byakuya keened suddenly, throwing his head back and his arms. The sound was mournful and full of pain, sorrow, and agony. That is until it shifted into something different, haunting... Hollow-like.

Finally.

Byakuya's tears suddenly wrapped around his face and though he felt his body move, he was not in control. His consciousness fell into his inner world, holding himself as storm clouds gathered in the field of cherry blossoms.

His body let out another feral scream as servants and Ginrei reached the room. Ginrei frowned and opened the door to his grandson's room. His eyes widened as he saw Byakuya's Hollow mask and the screeching noise it was making. He turned to the servants.

"Open the dungeons in the lower levels. We must get him down there."

"Should we inform the Head Captain about this?"

Ginrei watched as Byakuya's body writhed on the floor, screaming.

"No. Get in contact with Squad 12. I want to speak to the captain about this mutation."

The servants looked at their master in shock. Ginrei was known for sticking to the rules, no matter what, but now he would be helping a Hollow?

"Ginrei-sama, are you sure-"

"Do you not think I know the best way to handle this situation? How to handle my own grandson?"

"No sir, it's not that at all… It's just that… He's a Hollow, milord."

"Yes. He is. But why? That strange scientist that took over for Urahara-san would know how to help him. Besides, I've seen someone like this before and he had complete control of himself. If he could do it, then I know Byakuya can."

The servants bowed and sent word out to Squad 12.

INNER WORLD

Byakuya was shaking in pain, agony, and anger. He knew the strange man who had been sneaking around his brain was now truly a Hollow and now had taken over his body. His grandfather did not disobey the rules and would have him either executed on the spot or have him exiled. Most likely executed... He'd probably even do it himself to keep the grief at bay as well as keep the head captain from thinking he was cavorting with Hollows. Whatever the case, he was dead and waited patiently for the blackness to engulf him. But it never came...

He sat up and looked around, seeing the forest of his inner world leafless and a low fog had descended on the naked Sakura trees. Everything was hazy and he was unsure if he was in the right place. He stood up and looked around when he felt someone watching him. He looked behind him and saw what looked like self but the colors were strange. He had stark white hair like ukitaki and they didn't have the kenseikan in his hair. His hair was longer, blowing in the wind and was dressed in the samurai armor that he had seen him in before.

"So, you're here."

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I think you know what this is. I told you I would take you over when you were weak and man, that little wifey of yours was definitely your weak point. Sucks she died... For you. Not for me. Now I get to have your body and that works for me."

Byakuya frowned. "My grandfather has not killed me?"

"Nope. Odd cuz he seemed like a stuck up guy that would do it. He seems to think you can overcome it like a strawberry... I have no idea what he's talking about."

Even Byakuya was confused when he suddenly remembered Ichigo turning to him and pulling a mask over his face. Ichigo... strawberry. Kurosaki Ichigo! he had to see Ichigo again. Ichigo had promised that he was one of the strongest opponents he had ever come in contact with. He had to be there... He had to adopt Rukia like Hisana asked. There were too many things he needed to do that be overtaken by a Hollow. He got up, taking out Senbonzakura and pointing it at the Hollow.

The Hollow threw his head back and laughed.

"Give it up Bya-Bya! I have your body. You can't defeat me."

Byakuya lowered his eyebrows and clutched his sword hard.

"If Kurosaki Ichigo can overcome a Hollow then so can I. I am Kuchiki Byakuya, 28th leader of the Kuchiki Clan, and I will defeat you!"

Byakuya opened his eyes slightly and looked around for a second. He felt that his arms were shackled behind him. He must have been in the dungeon... He went to reach up to his forehead where a headache was developing but was hindered by the shackles. He must have been dangerous if the chians were so short he couldn't even touch his face. He looked up as metal moved against stone and saw a guard looking at him.

"Master Kuchiki, are you alright now?"

"I believe so... Where am I?"

"The dungeon. You're grandfather would like to speak with you if you think you um... have control of yourself?"

"I do."

The guard nodded and left. Byakuya was very confused as to why he was still here. His grandfather should have killed him by now or the Head Captain would have known about it... He looked up as the hinges to the dungeon creaked and Ginrei walked in slowly. He looked at Byakuya with a relieved look but also a cautionary look.

"Have you gained control?"

"Yes... Ojii-san, why am I not dead? Why did you not kill me?"

"Because I saw Kurosaki Ichigo in the same state and his spiritual pressure was the same as yours. If he could do it and was a Substitute Soul Reaper, then you as the son of a nobleman and a fully trained shinigami can do it. I knew you would be able to take control but... We cannot have this again. I believe your Hollow is fueled by your negative emotions."

"Why do you say that?"

"Your tears, my boy. You cannot cry normal tears. Ever since the night Urahara was exiled because of the Hollow experiments he was a part of, you have not been able to cry true tears; they seem to trigger that strange mask. Unless you have the training Kurosaki had in fully controlling it, you must suppress it instead. Maybe when you meet him again he can help you but for now... I have asked Captain Kurotsuchi to help us in this regard."

Mayuri walked in and looked at Byakuya. His blue face and strange features made Byakuya give him a look as he bent down in front of him. He grabbed his face and looked at it side to side, seeming very unimpressed and also annoyed.

"You have acid scars... Your Hollow tears have also left marks on your face. Since I cannot experiment on you," He said with an aggrivated look at Ginrei. "I took some of that idiot's samples from that strange kid and made a suppressant. The only problem is that since it's made from the strawberry, it will suppress the Hollow but you will forget him and I put something else in there so you may lose most of your emotions."

Byakuya stared at him for a second.

"Lose my emotions?"

"Well, more like make them easily controllable. You seem like a hot head and anger is hard to control on your own. You have too much of it... This will help you."

"But I'll forget Kurosaki-sama."

"What would you rather do? Forget the strawberry kid or be controlled by the Hollow again?"

"You don't have the proper training to control the Hollow." Ginrei said with a sad expression. He knelt down in front of his grandson. "This will allow you to live your life as a shinigami without risk of the Hollow taking over. You have too many things to do to be hindered by this trial."

"If it helps to know this is also a trigger serum." Explained Kurotsuchi. "Since it's made from that kid, it will suppress him but will react to him as well. Ginrei has told me about his traveling through time and when you meet him again, the block will disappear. By then you will have a control of your emotions enough on your own to go through with whatever is set for you in the future. When you encounter him again, the suppressant will leave and your own training will begin. You will see how much of a control over your emotions you have then."

Byakuya looked at the two captains, the only two who seemed to care enough (even if one of them was a crazy scientist) and nodded slowly. He didn't want to forget Ichigo since he was like family but he would lose control if he didn't take the serum. He looked at his grandfather and nodded more firmly.

"Good. Let us begin."

now starts the beginning of the beginning of the cannon story line. just to warn you, the next chapter is some of his encounters with ichigo in cannon but small changes because of my story. it's not going to be the most amazing chapter but it starts up the second half of the story *nod* - also, hisana's farewell was actually lines from the bleach movie FADE TO BLACK, I CALL YOUR NAME in a flashback of byakuya and hisana. so yeah... that sucks he has to forget ichigo but it's for the best... or is it?