Hi, lovelies! xD

As promised, here I am to update this story. I know I said I would update in one week, but guess what? I changed my mind. Why? Because I realized that if I updated once a week, I would run out of chapters in August and since I won't have time to write during next semester, there wouldn't be any updates for this story until December or January. However, if i update twice a month, there will be updates till November. I already have chapter 26, 27 and 28 ready and I'm writing now chapter 29. Well, that's the reason for such delay. Hope you are not too mad at me!xD

Again, thanks to each one of you who reviewed last chapter and favorited and followed and etc. I love you all so much :3 I already replied all of them. Go check your inbox or my profile, the replies in case you are a guest or blocked your inbox are all there :3

And I think that's all. Ah, biggest thanks to Flavia and Roberta who helped me a lot with this chapter and pointed out my plot mistaxes and suggested how to fix them. Love you, girls!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, but I own this plot.

Warning: OOCness and a small smut towards the end, in case you want t skpi it ^^

Happy reading!

Chapter 25. Unexpected Guest

"Dear Diary, is this a dream…?"

If not for the gloves, the fact she was sweating in nervousness would be quickly noticed by anyone in the Church, not that there were many of them. Apart from Rukia herself and the Duke only the Bishop was present. She could not forget the Duchess Shihouin and her husband, Lord Kisuke Urahara.

She did not convince the Duke to tell them about the wedding. The couple simply appeared on the Church. It seemed the Duchess' influence was greatly felt and not even the Duke responsible for the village was enough to keep the Bishop's tongue from whispering the news.

As far as he seemed annoyed with the fact she defied his authority again, he did not seem to care about her presence — even if all of them knew he would be much happier without it.

Rukia bit her bottom lip before smiling. Throughout the ceremony the Duke's eyes kept her from thinking it was all a dream and not reality. This time, they were of a shade of gray so intense she could no longer keep her attention from him.

It did not matter the Church was lightly decorated with beautiful Lisianthus or that the sun was shining brightly outside. The birds singing happily were nothing but a nuisance and the words spoken by the Bishop were of little importance. All she could pay attention was to her heart beating madly on her chest and his eyes. It meant very little the lack of emotion on his face — she doubted she would have fallen in love with him if he were as transparent as she — for the look in his gray orbs said it all.

Emotions ran deep inside of him. He did not need words or a passionate look all over his face to show much he cared. He proved it through his actions. There was this well-known saying about actions speaking louder than words, but it was particularly true with Byakuya. He proved his affection with every single one of his attitudes, with his care and his protective nature. With his touch, his kisses, his way of making love to her.

Rukia was still unsure he loved her as much as she loved him, but who was she to judge? She was not that naïve girl anymore who believed people loved in equal measure. She loved Ichigo once and all he could feel for her was sympathy — he cared about her, sure, but he never loved her like a real lover. She could live knowing the Duke did not love her with the same intensity. She just hoped he would have her for the rest of their lives, for she did not want to be apart from him anymore.

Love is thing for woman. Only the stupid ones.

Oh, she was the stupidest of all. And for the first time in her life, she did not care about it. She welcomed it even.

…keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?

"I will."

His deep voice woke her up. She focused her attention back on him and bit her bottom lip as she waited her time to utter the votes.

Her right hand was arguably shaking as she placed it over the Duke's. He squeezed it lightly in a reassuring gesture. She nodded and spoke after the Bishop.

I Rukia take thee Byakuya to my wedded Husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse…

The rest of the words came out whispered, for there was no need to make it a chant. Everyone in the small Church heard her votes perfectly. Even if they did not, she could not care less. The Duke heard and it was more than enough.

He tightened his hold over her hand a little as she recited the vows, his eyes clouded by some emotion she was close to label as pride — she would dare to say happiness, but she could not quite understand yet when he was happy if he was not smirking — his emotions were still a little difficult to understand. But she found the act endearing.

As the Bishop proceeded with the ceremony, she closed her eyes for a brief moment and enjoyed the beatings of her heart. It never beat so fast before. It was like she was in a thrilling race with a horse she did not want to escape or slow down because it meant to lose all the fun.

She found it amusing for she did not like wedding celebrations before. Brides were too emotional for her liking, or lacked any emotion — definitely most of the cases. It filled her with fear to be married and spend the rest of her days beside someone she could not bring herself to care. But what surely scared her most was to love someone so strongly she lost all control.

Until she fell in love with the Duke.

Yes, it still upset her she could not rein her feelings and that she had to lie to protect him, to keep him by her side. It was frustrating to marry him without easing all the lies between them. But she would definitely not go back on her word.

Only if… she gulped at the thought, but only if… she could go back in time and never meet him. She wished once she never met him and the thought was still valid. To keep him safe she would deny even her heart's strongest desire.

Deny her happiness and her feelings.

She was awful. And selfish.

A horrible person.

Rukia would rather let him believe she was his promised bride and keep up that stupid lie than losing him forever. Love should make people better, but it only made her worse. She would keep and cherish that lie if it meant he would not leave her side.

Oh, Lord Kano would surely disapprove of her actions.

She hated herself. Her weakness. Her feelings for him.

"Rukia," he called, his deep voice filled with concern made her look at him and sigh. Such thoughts were of no use now.

"I am sorry," she muttered and looked down, too embarrassed to face him. He tilted her chin and as the Bishop cleared his throat, his hand went back to hers, holding onto it firmly.

The Bishop was now reciting the Psalm 67, almost at its end. Kneeled in front of him and the altar, Byakuya held Rukia's gaze with curiosity. At first, he thought she was emotional, but then he realized by the sorrow and regret on her eyes it was not the case.

Was she having second thoughts?

Did she regret saying yes?

Now?

When he woke up that morning and while he waited for her arrival at the Church he was afraid she would turn his proposal down once again — she never seemed sure of this marriage in the first place. His worries were washed away as he saw her entering the Church, however.

She was a mirage.

He had to hold back his smirk as she walked to him in small steps. He told himself countless times he could not get any surprised at her beauty after watching her during their intense lovemaking. However, there she was, sculpted in all glory in that purple dress that highlighted and matched her violet eyes perfectly.

When she placed her gloved hand on his and shyly looked at him, his heart finally found the much needed peace. Contrary to hers that beat madly on her chest, his was so calm he found it strange at first, but then he came to understand it as signal of happiness.

After a lifetime of painful losses, Byakuya finally understood what was to feel happy again.

A small smirk took over his features.

In her presence he was happy.

In her arms he found peace.

Her arms were home.

So he could not understand that strange emotion on her face. He did not have time either, for the Bishop finished the Psalm and by looking at them started.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

"Christ, have mercy upon us."

In spite of his sure answer, he did not believe in God; his faith lost a long time ago. He did not thought God had anything to do with his feelings for Rukia and the success of their marriage, but it was the tradition to get married in a Church and receive the blessings by the Bishop and he was not one to get rid of the traditions so easily.

His promise was finally fulfilled.

Lord, have mercy upon us…

The rest of the litany was spoken by the four of the present in the Church in unison. When it was ended, the Bishop proceeded with the prayers and blessings. It seemed the man would need ten more hours to declaim the Sermon declaring the Duties of Man and Wife — even if he stated he did not need to do it in the first place when he settled the date by the means of a special license. Out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the huge grin on Yoruichi's mouth and realized it was her own way of punishing him for not telling her the truth at once.

He closed his eyes briefly and when he reopened them, the Bishop was almost at the end of the annoying Sermon. When the ceremony was over and the four of them signed the papers of the Parish register, he finally turned to Rukia.

She did not have that strange look on her face anymore, but even so he tilted her chin and forced her to stare at him.

"What is wrong, Rukia?"

"Nothing." She smiled. "I have never been happier," she replied, biting her bottom lip. As he pulled her to his arms, she embraced him back tightly. "Forgive my silliness." A sigh escaped her as he kissed her forehead lightly. "I was just overly emotional."

She then moved slightly apart from him and moved on her tiptoes to brush her lips against his. Her right hand touched and caressed his face lovingly, her violet eyes focused on his.

It was a waste of time to think about their lies. Although she did not like getting married to him while lying about her position, he never asked her about their betrothal. It was also a bit selfish of her to put the blame on him now, but what was done was done. All in all, she was doing it to protect him. If she were to tell the truth it would mean he would know about her position as the translator of the notebook.

Highly dangerous…

It was indeed more dangerous than he could predict. He could take care of himself, sure, but he knew nothing of the people he would have to deal with. She was protecting him in advance.

A new sigh escaped her lips.

She just hated this notebook and everything that came with it. She would destroy it if she could, but Rukia was smarter than this. She knew what was bound to happen once it no longer existed.

His next action caught her off guard. His lips were soft and warm against her skin. He kissed her face, his arms tightening protectively around her frame. Gently, he took her lips. Slowly, he took her breath away in a kiss that poured all his feelings for her. All his well-guarded love.

Rukia knew it was cliché to think the scene seemed to have stopped around them, but she felt that was what really happened. The Bishop and the devilish couple were gone. The birds were no long singing and the fresh morning breeze froze. Nothing mattered in the world but being in each other's arms.

He kissed her like never before. Kissed her as if it was the first time. The last time. The happiest time of his life. The most important, surely. Kissed her to reassure her of his feelings boiling strongly, deep inside of him. To reassure him it was real, not a dream. Rukia was finally his. Entirely his.

Lovingly, he showed she was the most important one. The only one. He made her feel like never before.

When he tried to stop, she kissed him harder. Possessively. Until she assured herself it was silly of her to feel guilty for something that was already done, for her choices. Until she assured herself there was nothing wrong with lying to protect him — he would do just the same.

A thought she would never turn into words took over her mind.

I should be sorry for loving you.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." He moved her slightly away and looked at her. "Rukia..." His eyes were so clouded she could not help but hold her breath. "I…"

"Now, now… Congratulations, Little Byakuya! Congratulations for conquering the girl!"

###

This time, she could not hold back her laugh as the Duchess teased Byakuya endlessly. Rukia embraced her and smiled in gratitude.

After they came back from the Church, they had breakfast and prepared to say goodbye to Yoruichi and Urahara. Their departure was delayed because of the wedding the Duchess did not want to miss, much to Byakuya's displeasure. Luckily for him, they were to leave after the ceremony and give them some peace.

He longed to have the house to himself and Rukia alone for the next two days, for they would too leave shortly. To his utter surprise — and relief after the negative answer — Rukia asked the devilish couple to wait two more days and depart with them.

Urahara stated they wanted to enjoy their company, but really could not. He was too much focused on the case and solving the mystery of Gin Ichimaru to afford to spend one more day away from his house and laboratory. Later, he told Byakuya the letter was accompanied by a small machine he was not acquainted with, but would decipher shorty if given the proper time to survey it.

It has been practically ten days since she first said yes to his proposal and only three since she recovered fully from the injury in her ankle. The Duke was firm in his promise to see her recovered.

"He seems like a machine, but he has a good heart, that stupid boy," Yoruichi told her and messed up Rukia's hair as if she was a child.

"I know." She smiled, removing her bang from her eyes. When it landed back on the same place, she sighed in defeat. It seemed it would take a while for it to mold as she wanted. "Thank you for your visit. We are really grateful for such joyous stay."

"We, huh?" Yoruichi laughed at the pronoun. Obviously Little Byakuya could not be more grateful at her rushed depart, but never at her stay. The girl was cute though. "When you arrive in London, visit me. Let's beat your husband in Whist."

Her comment had the Duke looking at her with narrowed eyes. Both women laughed at his lack of sense of humor. With a devilish grin, Yoruichi entered the carriage and joined her husband. Before Shuuhei could close the door, Urahara removed his hat in a curtsy, his green eyes focused on Byakuya's gray ones for a moment.

Rukia waved her hand in goodbye, already feeling sad at their departure. Byakuya was by her side, his hands unmoving by his side. She would have smiled if the coachman looking at them out of the corner of his eyes did not freeze the blood in her veins.

She shivered.

"Come." He outstretched his hand for her.

"Huh?" She looked up at him with a confused expression, but placed her hand on his nonetheless. "Where?"

"We are training." It did not go amiss by him how she looked at the place where Shuuhei was a few seconds ago. He never understood the way she felt uneasy when closer to him. "Rukia." He squeezed her hand. "What is wrong?"

"Noth…"She even thought about lying, but stopped herself. They lied too much already. "I do not like him." She looked at where the coachman left.

"Him…?" Byakuya knew of whom she was talking about but encouraged her nonetheless.

"Yes. The coachman. Shuuhei Hisagi. I feel weird whenever closer to him. He looks at me in a…"

His eyes grew colder as she mentioned the servant. The way her face grew paler and the how her body trembled did not please him. Stepping closer to her, he lifted her chin and forced her to look at him. He knew she would try to dismiss his concern with shooting words, but her eyes could never lie to him.

"Did he do something?"

"No! I mean…" She bit her lip, unsure. "He looks at me in a familiar way. It's like I know him, but I can't remember."

"You do not like him."

Rukia nodded, feeling horrible all of sudden. She did not like judging people before she knew them. She judged the Duke once and look at what happened. Although she knew it was an entirely different situation. She wanted to hate the Duke because of what she was about to do to him, but she never wanted to feel anything towards the coachman. She certainly did not want to feel so weird when close to him. To feel as if he was someone she knew from her past and did not like the tiniest bit.

It was not the first time he noticed she felt weird near his servant. Or any other person for that matter. Shinji was on the team of the ones who hated him. He thought Shuuhei was closer to let his mask fall the day he came back hurt and bleeding after his encounter with Nnoitra — his apparent happiness gave him away. However, he fought alongside him in the inn back then. He helped him.

Of course it was not sufficient to make him trust the man. Byakuya never thought he was loyal to him and as Shinji stated before, he was merely keeping the coachman close to watch him and discover his true intentions. Perhaps he lost too much time playing house with Rukia and did not pay attention to such pressing matters.

"I will make sure he does not approach you again," he told her in a firm yet reassuring tone.

She wanted to disagree and tell him it was not necessary, but somehow she felt grateful he did. Before she could realize, she was muttering her gratitude as he dragged her towards the training hall.

Neither of them realized the coachman was still watching them with a serious expression.

###

In spite of the fact the last time he watched her using those loose trousers was not a very good situation, Byakuya would have to admit he missed the sight of her well-toned legs in that flimsy fabric.

He had to close his eyes more than once to dispel the image of him ravishing her over the big table in the training room. He concentrated on the fact she was a quick learner and the lessons he had thought to that morning to clear his mind. He kind of missed their morning sparring and forgot how much he enjoyed training with her.

With satisfaction, he acknowledged her movement against him. She was quick enough to dodge his attack and strike him on his side. If they were using real swords and that was a real fight, she would have hurt him. Both of them knew it was a lucky strike though.

Next, he was teaching her a new movement she took a while to understand and perform. He approached her and positioned her hands and feet in the right angle. He was behind her, slightly towered over her. His voice caressed her ears.

She had to close her eyes at the feeling of his body so closer to hers. Slowly, she turned her face to him, breathing in his scent and asked in a whisper.

"Like this?"

He smirked at her intentions. Her apparent desire amused him to no end. It took him a while to concentrate. He was not letting her ruin it so easily.

"Again," he instructed and broke apart.

Rukia sighed in defeat.

It was not the honeymoon she had in mind — not that she would tell him she had another thoughts — but after ten days away from his touch, her body sang whenever he approached her.

From the other corner of the room he watched her practice the movement to perfection. She was graceful with the sword, her movements were fluid; it seemed like she was dancing.

He was aware Lord Ukitake taught both of his daughters how to fight. Hisana was quick in her reflexes too, but she was always too sick to oppose anyone. Afraid. Perhaps used to be abused. Rukia did not remember the lessons, that much he was aware she did not recover with the hypnosis sessions he prohibited from taking place in his house, but it was carved inside of her. It showed in how quickly she learned.

Byakuya filled his glass with water and arranged a few of his weapons over the table. He then watched the sweat running down her face and throat. She was getting exhausted and her movements slow.

"You are allowed to stop now."

A loud sigh left her mouth as she walked to him to drink water. He served her his glass and placed a strand of hair behind her ear. His eyes bore into hers as he pulled her by the waist and lifted her until she was sitting on the table with him between her legs.

She bit her bottom lip in anticipation as he removed the glass of water from her hands and forced her to wrap her legs around his waist. Next, he was taking her lips in a powerful kiss.

Rukia sighed in happiness. She had been expecting him to take her on that table since they entered the training room. It did not mean they were about to get caught like they were when they made love inside his study room, she only wanted to feel him, touch him, love him. She did not think she could afford one more day away from him.

However, when he broke apart it was to surprise her thoroughly. He grabbed the sword placed beside them, a real one, and directed it to her. Acting on her instincts, she pulled the dagger and avoided his strike.

"What the hell?!"

"Good," he commented as he let go of the sword in his hands. But not before reproving her words with his eyes. "Your reflexes are getting faster."

He tried to break apart — no matter how much he wanted to stay and teach her another lesson that was not related to swords or self-defense at all, he knew he had to go —, but the way she tightened her legs around him and pressed her dagger against his throat forced him to stay.

"Kiss me," she commanded, her eyes filled with lust. The blush always crept to her cheeks, but she fought it. No matter how much she would avoid his gaze later, she felt powerful whenever she exerted such power over him.

"Rukia." His eyes were heavily narrowed by now, but he did not seem displeased with her. On the contrary. The light in his gray orbs served merely as a warning. "Do not play this kind of game. You are bound to lose."

Her confidence flew as soon as these words left his lips, but his next action surprised her beyond measure. In a quick movement, faster than she could follow with her eyes, he removed the dagger from her hand and tossed it away. She did not have the proper time to know where it landed for soon all she could feel was his mouth upon hers and his hands angling her hips against his.

She tore her lips away from his and looked at his eyes. They were heavy-lidded with lust. She closed her own as she subconsciously moved her hips, feeling him pulsing against her. A moan formed on her throat at the delicious friction and pace they both followed in that scandalous sex simulation.

Part of her screamed they should not indulge themselves in such place, with so much light and so open, but the other part could not care less. She just knew she wanted him and the feeling was so raw, she could barely contain herself from removing both of their clothes and engage in the act right away.

The fact his lips were now capturing her nipple through the fabric did not help the tiniest bit.

"I want you… so much," she gasped as she pressed his head against her chest, her hips moving against his leisurely. In a sinful dance.

"Your Grace," Chōjirō's voice echoed in the corridor. "Your horse is already ready. May I tell the Master of Stables you are ready to leave?"

Her eyes shot open at the butler's voice. The Duke stopped his caress momentarily to look at her face. A confident smirk took over his features as she spoke,

"Not again… Please."

"Chōjirō," he called and then dragged his lips against Rukia's.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Do you really have to go?" she whispered before he kissed her lightly.

"Tonight…" he promised, his voice huskier. "Tonight, Rukia."

"What about me?"

"Tell Shuuhei to prepare the carriage. He is going with me."

"Yes, Your Grace. Will that be all?"

His answer was barely heard because of Rukia's light squeak as he placed her on her back over the table. In a quick movement, he rid her of her trousers and undergarment. Stunned, she tried to close her legs and hide herself from his prying eyes, but he held her in place and lowered his face until he kissed her knees.

"What are you doing?"

He smirked against the inside of her legs. His lips ghosted over the sensitive skin before he placed a small kiss on her thighs.

"Pleasuring you."

###

Her heart was thundering inside her chest as she dismounted from her horse and approached the Doctor's house. Lady Ran'Tao lived in a small residence in the village close to a charming square.

Rukia knew that what she was about to do could place her in a very difficult situation with the Duke if he were to discover it. Mister Sasakibe himself did not seem to approve of her actions. She herself disapproved of her own actions.

As soon as Byakuya left her and departed to visit the dockyards, she ran to her chambers and asked Candice to help her changing her clothes. Her legs were still shaking after him and his skillful mouth pleasured her so thoroughly. She had to ventilate herself at the thought of him between her legs even now. Then, she was asking Chōjirō to have the Master of Stables to ready her horse for she would leave in the next minutes.

He tried to reason with her, telling her the Duke would not like to know she left without his consent, but she told him her almighty husband — and now using this word had a whole different meaning and taste — would only know if he spoke of it himself, which obviously he would not.

The butler agreed with a discontented Your Grace.

She did not like treating Chōjirō this way.

Nonetheless, it had to be done. She just had to return home before the Duke.

She was quite sure that bad feeling she felt whenever closer the coachman could only be related to the fact he was someone of her past. Someone she disliked. Even hated.

There was little doubt she would not be able to sleep that night if she did not seek the answers she needed right now. She had only one choice: convince Doctor Ran'Tao to guide her to the specific memories of Hisagi, if she had any.

Unsure, she raised her hand and pressed the latch against the wooden door. It took less than a minute for someone to open it. The girl stared at her with widened eyes and hurried back inside the house. Rukia sighed. It seemed everyone in Plymouth knew she was the Duchess.

Soon the girl was back with Doctor Ran'Tao by her side.

"Your Grace." She bowed respectfully.

"Lady Rukia," she corrected. "May I?" She motioned with her head to the house. As the girl opened the door completely, she looked around to check if no one recognized her. To her relief, it did not seem the case.

"What do I owe such pleasure, Your Grace?"

It did not go unnoticed by none of them how she stressed the words Your Grace. Rukia frowned but made no comment, instead, she removed the hood that covered her face.

"I want to recover more of my memories."

"You are aware His Grace asked me to keep away from you."

She bit her bottom lip. No one told her, but once the Doctor did not come back to their sessions and with the fact notebook was hidden, it did not take her too much to guess what happened.

"Yes, but…"

"Then, I shall ask of you to leave, Your Grace."

"What? Why?!"

"I presume you know your husband well, Lady Rukia." This time, she sounded exasperated. It made Rukia feel sorry for her. "He is powerful enough to destroy the little prestige I have in Plymouth if he so wants. He asked of me to keep away from you and I will do as he asked."

"He commanded," she said, displeasure written all over her face. She simply hated starting her marriage by telling him to stop meddling in her business, but if she had to she would. It did not seem really fair if he asked her to stay away from his business and at the same time kept controlling her life. "Why?"

Lady Ran'Tao looked at her as if she did not understand such question. If she knew what he had done, she surely knew why, right?

"Doctor Ran'Tao?"

"He gave no plausible justification."

"Of course." She sighed. Of course he did not. It was him after all. He gave orders and expected people to follow it in spite of their own interests.

"I am sorry I cannot help you, Lady Rukia, I really am, but…"

"You cannot risk your career for me." Her voice was in total dismay now. She knew she could even plea with the Doctor and tell her no one would ever know what happened, but she did not want to become a version of Byakuya. She would respect Lady Ran'Tao's decisions. "I understand."

There was silence between them for a moment. Ran'Tao walked to the table placed next to Rukia and wrote something in a piece of paper. Out of education, she looked away and noticed the white cloth covering most of the furniture and the baggage against a wall.

"Here. Take it." She outstretched her hand, the paper between her fingers. Rukia touched it tentatively. "I am moving back to London to spend a few weeks there. If you want, we can meet and I will see what I can do to help you."

By the apprehensive look in her eyes, Rukia realized it was time for her to leave. She muttered her thanks and pulled the hook over her head once again. The young servant hurried to open the door, but before she could leave, Doctor Ran'Tao spoke,

"Your Grace…" she stopped and smiled sympathetically. "Lady Rukia, perhaps His Grace did it in order to protect you. It's very dangerous to recover one's memories…"

"Thank you." Rukia smiled back. "But either way, he has no right to decide for myself."

###

It was almost evening when she finally opened her eyes. The sky was tinted with a gorgeous blend of colors she could not quite name, but find exquisite.

The Duke was gone for the rest of the day and she did not see him yet. For most part of her way back she debated with herself whether to call him on his actions or keep it to herself. Either way, she placed the address inside her diary and placed it safely back on her personal belongings. He never rummaged through her stuff and she doubted he would, but in case he found it somewhere…

Without the Duchess' presence, she had very little to do besides packing her belongings. The Duke already did his part and she did not have much to pack anyway. Candice helped her two days before and they completed it in less than a few hours.

She had basically nothing to do in that insanely huge mansion. She tried to read, but she could not concentrate. She copied part of the notebook, but could not concentrate on the task.

The thought of getting rid of the notebook still lingered in the back of her mind, but Rukia quickly dismissed it. The consequences could be fearsome. They would chase her, chase her loved ones — chase him — and she could never allow that to happen. The copy was the safest thing she could do right now.

Tired, after not getting much sleep in the night before, anxiousness eating her alive, she decided to get some sleep. To her dismay, she slept almost the whole day.

It was weird Candice did not come to wake her up.

Yawning, she sat on the bed, but froze in the same spot as she found the Duke staring at her. He was sitting on the armchair close to the mirror in her room. The scarf was gone as well the waistcoat. He would look relaxed with his shirt half opened if his expression was not unreadable and his arms were not crossed at the height of his chest. His narrowed eyes could only indicate he was none so pleased with some of her actions.

She gulped.

"You were gone to meet Doctor Ran'Tao," he stated with that deep, emotionless tone of his.

Rukia closed her eyes.

Someone betrayed her. It seemed her popularity in this house was not that great.

Good.

"Mister Chōjirō?" she asked, biting her bottom lip.

"He remained loyal to you."

She gaped. Wow. That was just wow. She would never think the loyal butler would keep her lie. Protect it even.

Well, she would not call that a lie. She just left. She was not a prisoner, forbidden to leave, and as far as she was aware he never said Doctor Ran'Tao would not come for more sessions. It was her right to go after her, if she so wished.

But if not Chōjirō, who had given her out?

"Who?"

"Your lady's maid."

"She has a name." Despite her reprimand, she felt quite stunned Candice would give her out. Why? It made no sense. She could not imagine her lady's maid doing such a thing. "It makes no…"

"She is quite meddlesome. When Doctor Ran'Tao stopped coming she asked the reason." He rose from the armchair and walked to her slowly. When he was in front of her he lifted her chin with his finger and forced her to look at him.

"And you told her? Did you really tell her?" Her surprise was expressed by her voice and her face.

"No," he replied and let go of her.

Rukia sighed. Well, that was a relief. She was starting to worry he was sick or something like that.

"Then, what's the reason?" she asked as he approached her back, holding a glass of water and something she could not identify from that distance. She did not think he was going to answer, but it did not mean she could not try.

"You forgot the medicine this morning again." He placed the pill inside her hand and waited until she swallowed it. He gave her his back again and returned to the armchair.

"I know… I did not feel pain the last few days... I know I should remember…" She closed her eyes and breathed tiredly. "You did not answer my question!"

"I expect you to forget your meetings with Doctor Ran'Tao. She already forgot this… appointment."

"I am not a prisoner in this house." She was indignant. She barely noticed it, but she walked to him in heavy strides. "I refuse to be. I did not get marr—"

"And you are not," he cut her off. "You are free to go as you please, but I do expect you—"

"Expect what? For me to remain blind about my memories while you know more about my past than I do?" She all but whispered these words in a hurtful tone. She knew she was being unreasonable. "The reason why I stayed is because you promised you would help me recover my memories. Fulfill your part of the deal."

"It cannot be considered a deal if one of the parts have nothing to offer."

Well, she could not argue with that.

Yet, it did not mean she was not angry anymore at him for taking her choice away and giving no plausible justification for that.

She tried to walk away, but he pulled her to him, forcing her to sit on his lap.

"You are having fun at my expense," she whispered, not entirely sure she was mad at him or relieved he did not resent of her angry words. She did not think of what she was saying. The stress of so many lies on her shoulders was charging its price. She was on the edge. Stressed. Hurt. Worried to death. Regretful. Feeling a filthy bastard for getting married to him and partaking in a happiness that was not rightfully hers.

"It is for your own safety," he confessed as he caressed her face tenderly.

"It's not safe to stay in the dark," she whispered back, closing her eyes at the feeling of his warm fingers on her skin.

"No, it's not," he agreed. "But it is safer than watching you having mental breakdown."

…perhaps His Grace did it in order to protect you. It's very dangerous to recover one's memories…

Could Doctor Ran'Tao be right?

He was really trying to protect her?

Even if she loved him for showing he cared about her and worried about her health, she could not let him decide everything for her. It was her life for god's sake!

"Please, don't decide anything for me anymore, right?"

Before he could give her any reply, two knocks sounded on the door. Startled, she tried to leave his arms, but he held her in place.

"Dinner is ready, Your Graces."

###

The sun was high in the sky when Byakuya woke up with Rukia's uneasy movements. He opened his eyes and stared at her trying to leave his arms and the bed. He tightened his embrace around her and whispered in her hair.

"Where are you going?"

"Sorry. I did not mean to wake you up."

He touched her waist and noticed she was clothed, unlike him. Then, he remembered. Last night, after they lay together, completely breathless, trying to calm down the beating of their hearts, she left the bed and looked for her slip in the dark. He watched with amusement how she pressed the blanket against her frame to cover herself from him.

She fumbled in the darkness, but soon returned to his arms. To her extreme displeasure — and his delight — it did not take too long before he had her naked and writhing beneath him. Unlike her who slept most of afternoon, he was too tired and slept even before he watched her wearing back the slip.

"I am thirsty."

He let go of her and sat on the bed, not really bothered by the fact he was completely nude before her. Her eyes widened and she bit her bottom lip, ogling him, but then as he caught her in the act, she looked away, her cheeks in flames.

It was funny to watch how shy she still was around him. How she desired him and yet tried to dismiss it.

She offered the water to him, but he denied it. Slowly, he flexed his arms and got up from the bed. The watch-pocket he usually left in the nightstand announced it would soon be time for breakfast and their morning ride — she asked to ride with him that morning and if possible to visit Sir De La Rosa; once the man was headed to the village that day, Byakuya postponed the visit to the next one, so they would only go on a ride — but he did not care.

His gray eyes travelled Rukia's bedroom slowly, until they landed on the huge mirror placed close to her armchair and facing the bed. A small smirk took over his lips as he rose from the mattress and walked to her.

"It's a pity Sir De La Rosa is not at the Convention Center today," she commented with a sigh as he placed a kiss on her shoulder and embraced her from behind. "I wanted to give him some of Misses Hikifune's pie. Well… I guess he'll have to wait."

"Yes," he replied, his fingers leisurely descending upon her arms as his lips traced the column of her neck and shoulders. She sighed and leaned against him, enjoying his tender caress. Her eyes were closed and her left hand shot to his hair, holding him closer. When he touched the straps of her slip and started removing it leisurely, she froze in place.

"What are you doing?" Her hands landed over his to stop his movement. "We are to leave shortly."

"Relax."

Byakuya guided her to the mirror and placed his hands back on the straps of her slip. She looked up to him and frowned.

"Look at me through the mirror, Rukia," he instructed with his lips on her ear. She shivered at the deepness of his voice.

Slowly, very slowly, he started removing her slip. Her breath caught on her throat at the act and a deep blush tinted her cheeks as inch by inch her body was laid bare. She wanted to make him stop, but could not bring herself to. She was far too mesmerized by the way he slid the fabric over her sensitive breasts and caressed her arms and flat belly with it.

Her whole body was on fire.

Before she could realize, her own hands joined his, guiding him in his strokes, dictating the rhythm and intensity of the touch. The slip was long forgotten pooled around her feet. However, he avoided touching her where she needed the most; his skilled hands lingered in places she did not even knew could bring her pleasure.

His gray eyes through the mirror were so intense she could not help but look away, shift her attention to everything but him. The blush on her cheeks made her seem feverish, as if sick.

"Look at me, Rukia," he commanded, his firm voice left no room for disobedience. "You are gorgeous."

If she thought she could not blush more she was deeply wrong. The rawness of his compliment made her look away, but she quickly looked back. She could not help her shyness around him.

Leisurely, he touched her in places that made her sigh in utter pleasure and when he finally cupped her breasts, she could not hold a small cry. The strokes were so light, so phantomlike they felt like a dream. As if his fingers ghosting her skin were not real. An illusion.

She bit her bottom lip when his lips left her shoulders and neck — she loved when he showered such areas with so much love and attention — and returned to her ear. He placed a small kiss on her earlobe and whispered,

"Touch yourself in time with me."

In spite of the fact the command was not new, her eyes widened all the same. She shivered in his arms and followed his instructions.

Moans and sighs left her lips as they set a pace together. Her legs seemed like jelly at this point and if not for having him holding her up, she would have collapsed.

"Can we go to bed?"

He did not reply, but complied with her request. He walked them to the bed and positioned her in way he knew would force her to keep staring at them through the mirror. And he was not letting her close her eyes or even deviate her attention from it.

Byakuya would make her realize how beautiful she was. How gorgeous he thought she was.

Her eyes widened even more as she realized what he was doing. The blush came back with full force to her face.

He would not… No. He would not do it, right?

She looked quickly at his face and his expression told it all. The smirk on his lips told her he would.

Oh, he certainly would.

###

Her laugh filled his ears as they rode back towards the Silent Hall. He enjoyed watching her like this. Happy. He would give anything to watch her happy.

But it seemed most of times all he achieved was to drive her successfully mad at him. He knew it was because of his inability to talk to her and be open about his decisions. He knew he could not have decided any different towards her sessions with Doctor Ran'Tao. It was too dangerous to keep them going on.

It's madness to recover her memories.

The Mad Pirate was right. He would never jeopardize her safety anymore, even if it meant standing against her decisions and depriving her from her choices.

She was ahead of him, riding his black horse and talking to the animal as if it was her confident. It still amazed him how many emotions she could feel at once. At first, she was sad they were returning Chappy back to the nature — the rabbit tried to escape more than one hundred times, so she decided it was best to concede it freedom now it was fully healed — and now she was even laughing as she rode as faster as she could.

He stood slightly back, watching her. It brought him peace to look at her this way. He knew clouded and dark days waited them in the near future, so if he could enjoy that bliss by her side for a while he would. It would be even better if he could postpone or avoid it, but he knew not everything fell under his control.

Pity…

Upcoming days were unpredictable and Byakuya simply hated what he could not foresee and get ready for in advance.

"Are you not catching up with me?"

He nodded and urged his horse to go faster.

Within minutes, they were inside the perimeter of the Silent Hall. Still at a good distance, he dismounted the horse and helped her to do the same under her protests that she could dismount fairly well by herself.

Holding both reigns in one hand he started walking towards the residence. Up in the sky, a few clouds started gathering. Together, they covered part of the sun and the bluish mantle.

It smelled of rain.

"Let go of the horses," she said, her fingers sliding shyly between his hand.

He did as he was told and held her hand, much smaller, inside his. Then, he brought it to his lips and kissed it gently. The horses trotted towards the stables and Byakuya and Rukia stopped in the middle of the field.

Alone with her, he watched as the morning breeze shuffled her hair. She blinked a few times, trying to remove it from her eyes. He did it for her, his gray eyes as serious and clouded as she remembered. This time, it was not with lust, but some kind of emotion she could not understand.

Worry?

Was it worry?

Before she could think about asking, he dropped a kiss to her forehead and by taking her hand, he proceeded to walk back to the Silent Hall.

"Wait," she said, pulling his hand a bit forcefully.

Byakuya stopped and looked at her puzzlingly. Standing on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips against his and closed her eyes.

"I thought you did not like audiences," he commented with a small smirk on his face.

"I do not…" She fought the blush, but failed to succeed. Hands between his, she started walking back, but stopped at the sight of a distant figure walking to them. "Who is coming there?"

The Duke did not reply, kissing her cheeks. She sighed against him and touched his lips leisurely with hers. Soon, he was kissing her passionately in the middle of the field.

When they broke apart, the figure was much closer. He looked at the man and subconsciously his arms tightened around Rukia's frame.

"Rukia!" The man yelled, causing her to divert her attention to him.

Her blood froze in her veins.

"Ichigo!" Her hand between Byakuya's tightened the grip ridiculously. "Holy shit, it's Ichigo!"

A/N - Hope you don't hate me too much after such ending! xD And please, don't kill me hahahahaha

I know this chapter is OOC (very OOC), but I couldn't figure out any other way to make it less OOC and I removed a lot of sweet (too sweet to my liking) lines. I reached a point where I have no other option than to leave it OOC. My point is: we have never seen them in love, so we don't know how they would behave. Sorry if I couldn't make it more faithful to the original series. Hope you don't find it too horrible :)

Well, they finally got married. I hope I surprised some of you who thought Hisana would come in and ruin everything. Not that she can't do it now, but things are a little bit more complicated. I gotta tell you I hadn't this marriage planned since the beginning. Actually, things would turn out very differently, but after reading a few of your reviews and your claims for them to get married I thought: why not? And that's the result. I doesn't mean everything is settled between them though, xD

Now, I know it sounds contradictory of me to mention in chapter 23 there wouldn't be so many smut scenes in this story and two chapters later BOOM there is exactly this kind of scene. I explain why: from now on, the focus in their relationship is over and the plot must go on so there will be a lot of important developments in next chapters and no space for lemony scenes. It doesn't mean Byakuya and Rukia will be too tired to have sex * who wouldn't have a lot of sex with Byakuya? hahahahaha* but there won't be much space for them in the plot. So hope you have enjoyed it ^^

Ah, the scene of the wedding ceremony, I took some of the lines of the Book of Common Prayer and the color of her dress is not white cause at the time it was not a common color for wedding dresses. I didn't describe it too much because it was from Byakuya's point of view, but if anyone is interested, I can share the picture I had in mind when I wrote the scene.

Again, my biggest thanks to those who follow/favorite and review this story. All reviews are finally replied. To the guest who corrected me about the mistake in the name of Indian deities: thanks, beautiful. I hope you are not too mad at my mistake, I had no intention of offending anyone.

And if there is someone still interested in this story (I am getting worried about some absences, hope you are just too busy playing pokemon go xD, or enjoying your holidays and not actually tired of this story. If you are though, please by no means feel forced to continue reading, I'll totally understand ^^) leave me a review and tell me what you think ^^

I won't see you next week or the other, only next month: August, 7th.

Take care, my lovelies.

Velvetsins