You guys are lucky I'm a sucker for praise.

One more chapter so I don't leave you with a cliffie on this one.

Byakuya stared. It was still almost impossible to make out their features but that voice, he would know that voice anywhere.

Suddenly they were both moving. He would never remember if they used Shunpo or just ran or how they closed the distance between them so fast but one moment they were separated and the next she was in his arms, her feet dangling off the ground thanks to their height difference. His heavy cloak lay on the ground collecting snow as he swept her off her feet. Hisana's arms were around his shoulders as they simply held each other tightly. Hisana drew back slightly before leaning forward and kissing him deeply. Byakuya returned the kiss, his arms still warm around her waist. Finally they drew back but neither was willing to break the contact.

"How are you here?" he breathed looking down at her.

"Well according to the Guard there's too much going on down here to have someone like me up there," she said with a bright smile, "they seem to feel my, uh, talents could be put to better use somewhere else," her fingers tightened against the folds of his shirt, "somewhere like Soul Society."

"So you're--" he could barely think the words, let alone actually say them.

"I'm here," she said, "no mission, no nothing. Just me."

He didn't think he had ever heard more perfect words. Ducking his head he kissed her again. Hisana smiled and returned the kiss just as eagerly, neither even feeling the cold.

Trudging back through the snow Rukia was glad she saw Renji. Her old friend had shrugged off his cloak and given it to her saying that he was crashing at his Division that night but she was trekking all the way back to the Kuchiki Manor. Because of the ice she had no desire to use Shunpo. The last thing she needed was to trip and fall and be injured her first week of being a Lieutenant.

Raising her eyes Rukia's feet stopped dead. Ahead on the path was her brother.

Making out with someone.

Rukia's jaw hit the ground at the sight, her mind going completely blank. Who the hell would Byakuya be making out with? Then the person he was making out with peered over his shoulder. Rukia's eyes widened as she took in a sharp breath at the sight of the woman who could have been her twin, but was actually her sister.

"Rukia!" she cried.

"Hisana!" she threw off Renji's cloak and ran forward.

The two women collided and toppled into the snow. Their voices echoed all around the gardens. They were laughing and crying and speaking a language that Byakuya did not even try to understand. He didn't mind. He was content to stand back and watch his wife have the reunion with her sister that she never got to before. Rukia had muttered, bright red, about how she might have been a bit mean to Hisana when she first saw her. But now, now looking at them it was almost impossible to think of what had happened to them.

Suddenly he found himself with his wife in one arm and his little sister in the other as the two women hugged him with just as much force as they had each other. He had almost forgotten that despite being so small the two were so strong. But he didn't care. He hugged them back just as tightly as they had hugged him. This was what he had done it all for, what he had adopted Rukia for, what he had refused to move from Hisana's memory for. It was all for his family. Now in the midst of the all the fragile rebuilding, they were there.

"Why are you just in that?" Rukia demanded looking at Hisana.

"I'm afraid the Guard was far more eager to send me on my way then they were to look at the weather here," she said with a smile.

"We should get inside," Rukia said immediately.

"You," Hisana said, "sound just like our mother."

"I-I do?" Rukia flushed a bright shade of pink.

"Yes, you do," Hisana said, "and just like her, you're right. Come, lets go home."

The three of them walked back to the Kuchiki Manor. Most of the household was asleep and selfishly Byakuya was glad of it. At least for one night he wanted to be with Hisana without all of the duty that seemed to come with their marriage. With a bow and a tight hug to them both Rukia had gone to her bedroom. Now he and Hisana were making their way towards his bedroom.

"This isn't our bedroom," Hisana said when he stopped outside the room. Understanding flared in her eyes, "well then," she said, "we'll just have to change that," she said sliding open the door and stepping inside.

The room was overwhelmingly Byakuya. Simplistic, clean and almost aloof to the untrained eye. There was a dresser, a wardrobe and a neat futon laid out ready for sleep. But Hisana's eyes were trained and she knew that the walls of the room were actually not white but a warmer shade of creme. She knew that even in the summer Byakuya liked warm blankets on his bed and that somewhere in the room was a collection of papers filled with his horrible drawings. On a cushion against one wall was Senbonzakura's blade, though Hisana imagined the Zanpakto was off having a reunion of her own.

"You're freezing," Byakuya said touching a hand to her damp garment.

"It is snowing," she pointed out.

He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a simple sleeping robe. Hisana smiled and quickly discarded her cloths, pulling the heavy garment on. Byakuya heard a light laugh and realized that he had turned away to give her some privacy to change. Before he could turn around a very cold hand was pressed to the skin of his neck. Byakuya's eyes widened at the sensation, his equivalent of a jump before the sound of his wife's laughter reached his ears. He turned around to see her dressed in the robe, the garment making her look like a child playing dress up rather than his wife.

"Perhaps you should borrow cloths from Rukia for the time being," he said.

"Why?" she asked holding up her hand, hidden under his overly long sleeve, "you don't think it suits me?"

"I think nothing suits you better than my cloths," he replied, pleased when she flushed and ducked her head. When she raised it again he was holding a box in his palm.

"What is this?" she asked. He said nothing. She accepted the box and opened the lid, revealing the two bands inside, "you kept these?" she looked up at him, her eyes wide.

"I could not wear mine without you but yes, I did," he said. She laughed, "what?"

"I'm just--do you remember that day?" she looked up at him, "I don't think I've ever seen that much silk in my entire life," Byakuya smiled, remembering how she tried to look comfortable but they both were just horrified at the amount of lavishness in the ceremony, "so," she set the box down and pulled out his wedding band, "Byakuya," she looked up at him, her violet eyes sparkling, "you've given me a family, you've given me a reason to fight and somehow shown me that I don't always need to," she pushed the band up onto his finger, "I may have gone around the world but besides you, I am home."

Byakuya reached out and took Hisana's own band in his fingers. He remembered their first wedding, the horribly stuffy affair, and now as they stood just in the bedroom, both dressed in his cloths. He felt himself smile before he took his wife's small hand in his own much larger one.

"Hisana," he looked at her, "how you managed to kidnap me and at the same time set me free, is yet another thing about you I will never understand," she smiled, "even when you left you gave me something precious," her eyes softened at the mention of Rukia, "I have had many honors in my life but being your husband has been the greatest one," he slid the band up her finger, pushing it against her engagement ring, "welcome home."

Hisana smiled and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around her husband and pressing a lingering kiss to his lips.

"You know," she said, "I'm still cold."

"Well," he looked at her in his arms, "I'll just have to warm you then."

Hisana smiled and stepped into her husband's embrace, thrilled to be home at last.

"I can't decide if I like snow now or hate it," Renji announced.

"I hate frozen sake," Kira said morosely looking over at the bottles that they had all brought. Bottles that were icicles at the moment, "thats not fun at all."

"I know," Hisagi sighed leaning his head back, "lets go steal Yamamoto's Zanpakto and melt this bitch down."

Renji laughed at that. Initially when Tobiume and Shinso had been discovered missing all fingers pointed to Hitsugaya thanks to the chain marks. Unfortunately the Commander General had seen Hitsugaya with his own eyes and suddenly all accusations were directed to Hisgai. Though vouched for the Lieutenant was still in a bit of trouble. Two almost-executions was bad but three would have been ridiculous. Still while he didn't admit any guilt, Hisagi also didn't condemn the so-called traitors. When they interrogated him the only animosity he showed towards either of them was that he didn't see why Gin got to be the one to kill Tousen since he wanted to do it.

"Its it melted yet?" Kira demanded picking up a bottle and giving it a shake, "damn it!"

"It is so cold outside!"

All their eyes turned to see a shivering Senna in the door, her teeth chattering. Renji's jaw hit the ground as he took in the sight of the woman who had vanished only yesterday. Hisagi and Kira seemed to vaguely recognize her as well.

"Senna?!" he demanded

"Hi," she said with a bright grin, "did you miss me?"

"How are you here?" he demanded.

"Because the Guard didn't want troublemakers anymore. Hisana wanted to be here so they got rid of her and I like working with her way better than any of the Guard so I came here too," she said walking over to the bottles, "who froze the sake?" the three men all pointed at each other, "thats a bit counterproductive don't you think?"

"I'm here!" Matsumoto sing-songed into the room, "why's the sake frozen?" Senna jerked her thumb at the boys, "men," Matsumoto glared before she realized who she was talking to, "Senna! You're back!" her smile turned devious, "does this mean Byakuya's getting laid?"

"I'm gonna say yes," Senna said.

"We have to celebrate then!" Matsumoto cried, "lets get drunk."

"We're trying to if someone hadn't frozen the sake."

"Hold on," Matsumoto said snapping her fingers, "I've got an idea. Haineko!"

Despite it being cold out the group there discovered that sake slushies were actually that bad.

In the living world, a completely different thing was going on.

"And then I left his bleeding carcass on the meeting table to rot until the next Espada meeting," she crossed her arms, "so if I wanted you all dead, you would be."

Urahara seriously regretted asking Halibel why she, Nel and Grimmjow were willing to work with them. The Espada had proceeded to give him a very graphic description of exactly what she did to the ex Fifth Espada. Not as a way of telling them she was on their side but as a way of telling them what she would have done if she was not willing to work with them. The three Espada had agreed to aide them in their quest to track down and murder Aizen.

The three former Espada had agreed to work with them. As it turned out Aizen was far more an enslaver than a leader and very little love was lost between most of the Espada and the man who considered himself to be their master. Gin had vouched for Grimmjow, explaining the Espada's role in stalling the majority of Aizen's forces while Urahara knew of Nel's role in their resistance. She told them that Halibel was on their side now but doubt must have shown in their eyes because Halibel had taken it upon herself to tell them what she did to people who questioned or pissed her off.

On the other side of the room Hinamori pulled her ear away form the door with wide eyes.

"Did she really do that?" she asked looking at Gin.

"Yeah," he said.

Though his hands were healed the muscle damage to his legs would take a bit longer to heal. So the former Third Division Captain, former--or was it still, he wasn't truly sure--traitor was sitting on a window seat with his legs bandaged as they healed. Hinamori shifted sightly, still adjusting to the gigai she was in. it was stretching out but even when she was a Lieutenant, Aizen rarely sent her to the transient world and when he did it was always for quick missions.

It was late winter and bitterly cold outside. Though warm inside, Hinamori was still bundled up in dark blue jeans and a deep violet sweater that fell to mid-thigh. He hair was shorter now, more like it was when she was in the Academy. Gin was not yet in a gigai to aide the healing of his legs. After the two had been rescued they had wound up in some kind of warehouse. Though they wouldn't say it Hinamori knew by saving them Urahara and Yoruichi had once again become traitors in the eyes of Soul Society. She was both humbled and grateful that they would do what they did for her and for Gin.

She heard him hiss softly as his leg muscles knitted together.

"Does it hurt much?" she asked looking at him anxiously.

"I can handle it," he said with a shrug. She nodded and shifted her weight, still lingering by the door, "you don't just have to stand there," he said after another moment. Hinamori blushed but nodded walking over and pulling a chair up next to him, "I meant what I said," he continued looking over at her, "you did well in that battle."

"Thank you," she said flushing, "it was really tiring though, like I ran for miles," she shook her head.

"New Bankai's are like that," he said, "and epic battles are not the best place to first use your Bankai."

"I know," she said with a smile looking over her shoulder, "I think Tobuime needed a rest."

Tobiume and Shinso were lying on each other, Tobiume's head on Shinso's back and Shinso's tail was on Tobiume's stomach. Both were sound asleep. Tobiume had only woken momentarily, blearily looked around and gone back to sleep. Shinso had grudgingly told Gin he wasn't half the idiot he thought he was but if he tried something like that again Shinso was going to save everyone the trouble and save him himself. Before Gin could retort Shinso had passed out alongside Tobiume.

"Oh my Gosh," she said looking out at the window, her face lighting up, "its snowing."

Gin looked out the window, watching as a gentle white snow began to cover the city outside.

"Byakushi!" Yachiru sailed through the halls of the Kuchiki Manor looking for her favorite person to annoy. Some of her tunnels had been destroyed in the attack but mots of them were still around. Enough so that she could get inside and skate around on her refurbished scooter, "Byakushi!" she cried looking around for him.

She heard someone laughing. People rarely laughed in the Kuchiki Manor except for her. Intrigued she turned her scooter and followed the sound. She knew that Byakuya had certain rooms in the house that he never used and this was one of them. She could never see why since it was a pretty room that overlooked the gardens of the Kuchiki Manor, especially a certain plum tree.

"Byakushi!" she slid open the door and froze.

Byakushi was there alright but he didn't look half as uptight as he usually did. His hair noodles weren't in and his scarf was missing as well. The screens of the room had been open and he was dressed in a simple robe, a thick outer cloak over his shoulders. But what caught Yachiru's eye was the woman sitting next to him. She was dressed similarly but Yachiru could see her outer cloak also belonged to Byakushi. When she slid open the door with a shout of his name the two stopped and turned to her.

"W-who are you?" the Lieutenant asked looking at the woman, noticing she looked a lot like Rukia but only really caring about the fact that she was sitting so close to Byakushi.

"I'm Hisana," she said, "you must be Lieutenant Kusajishi."

Yachiru nodded and looked at Byakushi who looked much happier than she had seen him in ages before returning her gaze to the woman who had clearly made him so. An idea occurred to her.

"Are you that lady Byakushi always seemed so sad about?" Hisana nodded. Yachiru threw down her scooter and marched over, "you better not make him sad anymore or I'll get Kenny and Pinball and everyone to come and beat you up."

Hisana smiled and nodded.

"Absolutely," she said, "I promise not to make Byakushi sad anymore."

"'Kay!" Yachiru said, "and you can't board up my tunnels either."

"I would never," Hisana promised.

"I'm gonna go get snacks," Yachiru announced, skipping off happily to retrieve her scooter and go to the kitchens.

"I hope you are not planning on calling me Byakushi," Byakuya said looking down at Hisana.

"Oh I was just going to call you Byaboo," she said, teasing him with Yoruichi's nickname. He arched an eyebrow, "I'm joking," she laughed, "I think Byakuya is just fine," she said resting her head on his shoulder.

"Really, Little Thief?" he looked down at her. Hisana raised her head with a smile at the use of her old nickname.

"Yes, really Young Lord."

Though he was not that young anymore, but still a lord, and she was not really a thief, but still little, he smiled down at her.

In the midst of the Kuchiki Manor, finally home with the family they were always supposed to have, husband and wife kissed as high above them the first plum blossom bloomed despite the frost.

Alright now we're really on hiatus!

The Espada have agreed to work with Urahara & co. but their agenda is unclear, can they really be trusted?

Separated by adversity and distance, Hinamori and Hitsugaya struggle to understand how they can go on.

Soul Society is still in chaos with the Divisions becoming fractured under the street. The question remains, will Aizen destroy it or will Soul Society implode on itself?

For those who read Arcana, updates are coming very shortly so get ready for those.

Happy Holidays to all!