Disclaimer: I still wish I could claim ownership of these awesome characters…but I can't…

A/N: sorry everyone, another delay…I really have no clue where the time goes, before I knew it it had been a week since I updated and I hadn't even started writing this chapter…which is bad since I knew almost exactly everything that I was going to write. And then for some reason things just wouldn't go from my brain onto the page…sorry it's a little shorter than usual too, but I got what I needed to in here…I hope you pick up on the bits and pieces…

A/N2: there is more art that I have drawn, I would love if some of you drew some too…also, there is a poll in regards to a possible sequel to this story…your votes will help me decide to course to take in the later chapters (I have too many ideas for once) and in choosing the ending too, so please take a moment to vote.

Thanks: Special thanks goes to Yulien who is the person who the original idea for the final scene of this chapter belongs to. Also thanks to Snowkid for her helpful suggestions, I'm sure you'll see more of them eventually (sorry there's so much Reiko in this chapter, gomen).

CHAPTER 38

Reiko smiled to herself a little as she read over the reports and notes Hinamori had left her from when she had been away.

The girl was starting to do much better now, little-by-little, and this time Reiko had been away had proved by just how much; everything was still running smoothly and systematically and there was nothing left for Reiko to do except catch up on her paperwork.

What felt like eons later she sighed heavily and glanced out the window.

She had only been at this for two hours and she was already bored stiff, but she had only gotten back this morning and had no right to put it off after taking a break.

Reiko glanced up in surprise when Hiroto entered.

"Rin-san," he greeted. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Something that's brought you to Seireitei must be an important favor. You know I can't really pass on any messages to Kimiko-dono at the moment, she's still in the World of the Living."

Hiroto nodded. "That isn't it, I intend to go by and talk to her later…but I want you to introduce me to her husband."

"Ukitake Taicho?" Reiko frowned.

Hiroto nodded again.

"Whatever for?"

He blushed. "Just because…"

Reiko raised a single, skeptical eyebrow.

"Alright, fine," he rolled his eyes and glanced away. "When I first met Kimiko-sama, she spoke of her husband," he shrugged. "I just want to meet him."

"You want to see if he's worthy of her, don't you?" Reiko couldn't help the smirk that tipped her lips up. "Do you have a bit of a crush on our Ryuukin-sama?" she batted her eyelashes, teasing him.

He blushed more and frowned. "No! It isn't like that…I don't…"

"I never thought I would witness the day when Hiroto Joji got flustered," Reiko chuckled.

"Which makes it even more obvious that you never met me before I became a fukutaicho…not that I remember you before then either…"

Reiko nodded. "You became a fukutaicho after me didn't you? You never did explain the rumors I heard about how you transferred from Kanchiki Division to Naitan Division to get the position. People said something hardened you, otherwise you never would have even been considered let alone been accepted into the Himitsukeisatsu…you always reminded me of, well, me…" she trailed off.

Hiroto's face had gone blank, his eyes icy and Reiko shivered.

"Your cold stare is almost as freaky as Kimiko-dono's," she muttered, standing. "Come with me, I needed to pass something on to him anyway."

She had a quick word to her third seat and then led the way to the Tirteenth, where they found Jyuushiro running around after his best friend…who seemed to still be pretty drunk from the night before and was dancing around the room in just his hakama and pink haori.

"Please tell me he isn't the half-dressed one?" Hiroto muttered.

Reiko shook her head and called Jyuushiro's attention over.

"Reiko-san," he smiled briefly in greeting, looking slightly hungover himself. "What can I do for you?"

"Someone here to meet you," she indicated Hiroto.

"Oh," Jyuushiro blinked at Hiroto for a moment, before nearly getting barreled over by Shunsui for the distraction. "Shunsui!"

Shunsui only started singing a love song, loudly and very off-key.

"Do you want me to tell Nanao-san about all this when she gets back?" Jyuushiro demanded.

Shunsui pouted but continued to spin. "You'd never," he grinned.

Jyuushiro was about to retort when Shunsui stopped abruptly, paling as the hangover caught up to him.

Jyuushiro had a bucket ready.

"Now sit!" he put Shunsui on a couch with the bucket and approached Reiko and Hiroto.

"Sorry about that," he apologized and held out his hand to Hiroto, smiling his warm, friendly smile. "I'm Ukitake Jyuushiro, Taicho of the Juusanbantai."

Hiroto shook the offered hand. "I'm Hiroto Joji, Soutaicho of the Naitan Division and Shirei* of the Himitsukeisatsu of the Tatsu Gunryo."

"Ah, so you're one of Kimi's soutaicho, she's told me a bit about you all,"

Hiroto nodded. "She's told me a little about you too."

Jyuushiro looked surprised. "Really?"

Hiroto nodded again.

They glanced over briefly as Shunsui started retching again.

Jyuushiro sighed. "I keep thinking it would be great if he'd learn from the mornings after but he never does."

"He's Kyouraku Shunsui," Reiko commented. "He'll be fine."

Jyuushiro smiled at that comment and nodded.

"That's Kyouraku Shunsui?" Hiroto's eyebrows went up. "Kimiko-sama mentioned him too…"

"I'm sure she did, he's our closest friend after all," Jyuushiro smiled. "He's usually better composed, but I don't think he's been sober for a couple of days, so you'll have to forgive him."

Hiroto nodded hesitantly.

There was silence until Reiko broke it.

"Hiroto has a crush on your wife," she grinned at Jyuushiro and stepped away from Hiroto whose glare followed her.

"I don't," Hiroto muttered.

Jyuushiro just smiled. "It's okay, she's a very beautiful woman, I'm in love with her myself," he grinned and Hiroto couldn't help but smile a little at the joke.

"I admire Kimiko-sama is all," he informed the man.

Jyuushiro nodded. "She's an easy woman to admire too. What did she do for you?"

Hiroto looked surprised.

"Well," Jyuushiro started to explain himself. "Kimi doesn't get admired for no reason. I admire her because I know how she grew up and how strong she became because of it, it was why it took me so long to get her to open up to me; which is also why I appreciated her all the more when she finally did."

Hiroto nodded. "I have a few reasons. The first was when I saw her reaction after reading a letter from you."

"Eh? The letter?" Jyuushiro seemed surprised.

"I admired her for still appearing to stand strong even though she was without the man she so obviously loved so much," Hiroto nodded again. "Second was the way she dealt with the soldiers and inevitably won their respect. Third was…well, it's personal,"

Jyuushiro nodded his understanding. "Of course, don't say anything if you don't want to."

"Jyuuuuu~chan," Shunsui whined as he flopped back on the couch. "I need more sake."

"I think you've had more than enough Shunsui," Jyuushiro commented.

"Datte–"

"No buts," Jyuushiro spoke firmly.

Shunsui muttered something dark under his breath and pouted childishly.

Jyuushiro just rolled his eyes.

There was a moment of silence.

"Ah," Reiko lit up as she remembered her other reason for coming along. "Ukitake Taicho–"

"Remember I told you to call me Jyuushiro?" Jyuushiro smiled slightly, raising his eyebrows. "Or at least drop the taicho…you're on the same level as me after all."

"Ukitake-san then," the corner or Reiko's mouth twitched and she reached into her gi. "Kimiko-dono wanted me to pass this on to you," she handed over the letter.

"Domo," Jyuushiro grinned as he took it to read.

A fond, adoring even, smile formed on his lips as he read it.

"She's having fun then," he chuckled. "She's enjoying the invention called a television…who is Tim Burton?" he looked to Reiko curiously.

She just shrugged. "Beats me, but Nanao-san and Kimiko-dono were talking about him this morning…it was a very heated discussion too."

"Nan~ao~channnnn," Shunsui sang in the background.

Jyuushiro grinned. "That's good, Kimi loves a good argument occasionally," he went back to reading and couldn't help but laugh. "Shunsui, Kimi's mourning the fact that she can't go out drinking with the girls and thinks Nanao-san must be sick of her by now; perhaps we shouldn't mention what you've been doing lately."

"You too Jyuu-chan," Shunsui muttered. "You beat me in last night's drinking contest."

Jyuushiro spluttered. "I always beat you, besides, you were already drunk, we only got to three cups before you fell off your chair."

"I was sitting on a chair? I thought I was already on the floor."

"We were at the Nominuke last night Shun, they have chairs there."

"Oh…"

Jyuushiro rolled his eyes again.

He found where he was up to and a moment later his face flushed red and he gulped, quickly folding the letter back up and hiding it away to finish later.

"Ooooooh," Shunsui leant up on his elbows. "Kimi sent Jyuu-chan a dirty letter."

"Shunsui!" Jyuushiro protested, going even more scarlet.

Shunsui just grinned.

"Reiko-chan," he turned his attention to the young woman. "Are you and your companion going to join us for a drink tonight?"

Reiko raised questioning eyebrows at Hiroto.

"If you have somewhere for me to spend the night?"

"There are plenty of places," Jyuushiro smiled, glad the attention was off him so his face could cool off. "Most of the eighth squad has taken to just sleeping on the floor so they don't need to make the trek from party to home and back again for work the next morning. If you're more particular, Shunsui has an empty apartment you could use, we also have a few extra futons at home."

During this time, Shunsui had climbed to his feet and somehow stealthily snuck up on his longtime friend, steeling the letter from Jyuushiro's clothes at the same time Jyuushiro realized he was there.

"Hey! Shun!" Jyuushiro moved to take the letter back, frowning at the idea that someone else would see what Kimi had written there.

A game of cat and mouse insured as Shunsui stayed one step ahead of his friend, opening the letter as he went.

"Well…I never realized just how naughty Kimi could be," he stopped, grinning broadly as Jyuushiro collided with his back.

"Shun, give it here," Jyuushiro demanded, red-faced, as he managed to snatch it back.

Shunsui yawned and stretched. "I think I'll take a nap."

"Remember you promised Nanao-san you'd have the paperwork done when she got back?" Jyuushiro reminded as he slipped the letter back into his kimono.

Shunsui pouted. "Spoil my fun."

"Well the Eighth has currently gone back to being a party division. I have no idea what kind of schedule you are operating on, but the paperwork needs to get done or you know Genryuusai-sensei wont let you come with us to visit Kimi's family."

"Hai hai," Shunsui sighed and disappeared in a flashstep.

"I envy his quick recovery rate," Jyuushiro shook his head. "Always makes me wonder whether or not he was actually drunk to begin with."

Reiko nodded her agreement.

"We'll leave you to it then and meet up with both of you later," she told the white-haired taicho.

Jyuushiro nodded and watched them leave…

Reiko and Hiroto arrived at the Hachibantai in time to see the last legs of Jyuushiro and Shunsui's drinking rematch…they were both equal at twenty-eight cups and neither looked ready to back down or fall over.

Glancing around, Reiko noticed that the party definitely hadn't been restricted to anyone.

Zaraki, Ikkaku and Yumichika where representing the Juuichibantai, which meant there were probably a few other of its squad members about.

Iba and some of his Nanabantai buddies were present. Kira and Renji had come. Hisagi was there too.

With Matsumoto still in the Real World it was impossible to identify if anyone was from the Juubantai, and it seemed Sentaro had followed his taicho here.

The Hachibantai barracks were a mess, and that was putting it nicely.

There was loud booing and Reiko looked back to see that the drinking contest had been interrupted by a woman with breasts the same size, if not bigger, as Rangiku's had landed in Jyuushiro's lap and was kissing his surprised lips quite passionately.

He forcibly pushed her back, a rare expression of disgust evident on his face.

"What was that for? Everybody knows I'm married now,"

"I have a thing for married men," the woman positively purred.

"Well I have a thing for my wife, and if I were you, I'd run away and hide somewhere very, very far away where she can't find you…while you still have a head-start," Jyuushiro practically spat the words, pushing the woman out of his lap.

"Mmmm, and I swear, it's like she has some kind of extra sense, all she has to do is look at Jyuu and she knows someone else has kissed him," Shunsui agreed. "Kimi isn't very forgiving towards women who kiss her husband."

The woman looked good and frightened now.

"Though she did forgive me, but I suppose that was before you got married…"

This was greeted by absolute silence as Jyuushiro's face went bright red and Shunsui began to hum in his drunken haze.

"Eh?" was the next collective noise and people began to demand explanations.

"Ma, ma, quiet down and I'll explain," Jyuushiro soothed them.

Silence reigned again.

Jyuushiro took a deep breath.

"Ah, ano…I guess this incident was how the rumors of Shun and I being lovers really solidified…" he began hesitantly. "It's simple really; we were still in the academy and had gone out for weekend drinks, and after a few everyone had loosened up some. Someone thought it would be funny to dare Kimi to kiss both Shun and I since we were friends and Shun was in love with her; then for some unknown reason, Kimi, in turn, decided it would be a good idea to only do it if we both kissed each other first."

"She didn't believe we'd do it," Shunsui chuckled, picking up the story. "I was just in love with her enough and just drunk enough that it sounded like a funny idea…you should have seen Jyuu's face after I smooched him in front of all ours and Kimi's friends."

"It wasn't funny Shun," Jyuushiro frowned.

"Course it was, Kimi was as shocked as everyone, it was freakin hilarious, admit it," Shunsui grinned. "Besides, we both got our kisses from Kimi afterwards so it was worth it…though I suppose you were already used to her kisses," he frowned now. "Where you two together by then?"

Jyuushiro nodded. "Yes Shun, we were well and truly together by then."

Shunsui pouted.

"Don't give me that look," Jyuushiro frowned back. "By tomorrow morning all of Soul Society will be talking about this."

Shunsui shrugged and leant backwards. "Doesn't matter. You're secure in your marriage and I'm…" he trailed off, a dreamy little smile appearing on his lips.

The party began to get rowdier the more alcohol everyone consumed.

In light of Shunsui's admission, stories circulated about everyone's most embarrassing kisses; some stories more scandalous, some more horrifying…and some were just plain funny.

Around midnight, much to everybody's surprise, Byakuya joined them in time to see Reiko and Hiroto kissing thanks to the human world game named Spin the Bottle.

Byakuya couldn't believe how much it hurt.

He knew she had been with other men in the time she had been gone; and given the circumstances he could understand it…thought that didn't make it hurt any less.

But this…

Anyone could see that she and the man beside her knew each other intimately enough to feel comfortable with touches and passionate public kisses.

It was good to see her laughing though, Byakuya mused as they separated, laughing together. She was beautiful when she laughed, her smile was stunning, and jealousy began to unfurl in the pit of his belly.

Reiko glanced up and spotted him, a grin he recognized as the one she used to always reserve for him lighting her face as she waved for him to join them.

He didn't want to. He didn't want to be in their presence while they were together like that…but he couldn't stop his feet, his pride and curiosity demanding to face and meet this man.

"Byakko," she greeted him. "How's it going? I didn't expect to see you here."

"Byakko?" Hiroto blinked, clearly startled, before Reiko gave him a slap and a warning glare.

Hiroto frowned before seeming to straighten himself out, his face turning serious as he stood and held out his hand.

"I'm Hiroto Joji, pleased to make your acquaintance,"

Byakuya glanced down at the offered hand.

"Byakko is a noble Joji-kun, he doesn't shake hands," Reiko commented.

"Ah," Hiroto retracted his hand and bowed formally.

"That is not necessary," Byakuya frowned, for some reason this didn't sit well with him, and he held out his hand. "I am Kuchiki Byakuya."

Hiroto grinned and shook the proffered hand, a glint in his eyes showing he understood what Byakuya was doing.

Skin on skin contact a handshake required was a good way to gauge another's power levels without reiatsu flying all over the place…it was a civilized way.

Hiroto, Byakuya observed, was a powerful man; powerful enough to be a noble.

"Byakko, Joji-kun is a soutaicho of the Tatsu Gunryo," Reiko told him. "He and I were part of Kimiko-dono's top team. He came with us to Karakura a few months back when we tried to apprehend Aizen."

Byakuya was understandably surprised.

Clearly the ranking system worked differently in the Tatsu Gunryo than in Seireitei, he would have to get Reiko to clearly explain it to him later…but first he needed to talk to her, he had to get this weight off his shoulders once and for all.

Before he could speak again, Reiko smiled up at him.

"Sit and have a drink with us?" she requested.

"Just one," Byakuya conceded. "But Rin-chin, tomorrow when you are sober, I need to speak with you."

"Hai, hai," Reiko nodded with a promising smile.

Byakuya disappeared after his one drink and the night wore on.

Around 2 a.m. a disagreement broke out between Zaraki and Jyuushiro, and to everyone's surprise, Jyuushiro threw the first punch, Shunsui immediately coming to his angered friend's aid when Ikkaku and Yumichika jumped up to join their taicho's fun.

Around that time, all hell broke loose as brawls irrupted all around.

As the sound of steel ringing from it's sheath interrupted Reiko's shocked wonderings, she spotted the captain's of Juusanbantai, Hachibantai, and Jyuuichibantai with their zanpakutou out.

This was going to get ugly at shunpo speed.

"Hiroto, round up as many people as you can and get them out as fast as you can," Reiko ordered, reaching for her own zanpakutou.

She could stop this in an instant.

She wasn't quick enough.

Jyuushiro was facing off with the Kenpachi; Shunsui and his two blades facing Zaraki's seated officers.

"Hekireki, Raiden," Reiko skipped her initial release and went straight to her greatest advantage.

The fiery tendril whipped out, catching both Zaraki's blade and Sougyo no Kotowari in its grasp.

She flicked her wrist again and the zanpakutou were yanked from their masters' grasp.

She followed up by immediately lashing out at the seated officers of the Juuichibantai.

Ikkaku got his hand burned and Shunsui also had his blades stolen.

Yumichika realized that the burning whip of the Gobantai taicho could harm his beauty and wisely stepped back.

At the sudden release of a taicho-level zanpakutou, the room had quieted, the shinigami staring silently.

"Everyone listen up," Reiko turned pissed off amber eyes around the room. "Tonight's party is over. Those of you who need medical attention go straight to the yonbantai. That is a direct order! Those of you who are inebrieated, go home and sleep it off. Another order. And you lot,"

Those blazing eyes turned to the three taicho and seated officers that had started the fight.

"You should know better," she glared. "Since you are all bleeding, I suggest you all see Unohana Taicho before you retire."

There was more silence.

"Now!"

People rushed around her and Reiko stood still until the room emptied.

An abashed Jyuushiro was left in front of her.

"Ukitake-san, you are bleeding, I suggest you go to Unohana Taicho," Reiko repeated.

"Mmm, I will, demo…"

"You don't want me to mention it to Kimiko-dono, do you?"

The blush grew a little.

"Something like that. You don't need to lie, she'll find out anyway…"

"I understand, sir, now go," Reiko jerked her head in the general direction of the door.

"Hai, hai," Jyuushiro smiled slightly and headed off.

"Ahhh," Hiroto sighed. "You always know exactly when to get strict with people," he grinned. "No wonder half your division went out of their way to please you…though I have to say, you're pretty sexy when you're being strict."

Reiko rolled her eyes. "Come on, you can sleep on my couch."

"Kimi's going to be pissed when she hears about this," Jyuushiro sighed as Unohana bandaged the slash in his shoulder Zaraki had manage to open up. It wasn't bad, but it needed to stay closed.

"Nanao-chan too," Shunsui shivered at the idea of the two women getting mad at them. He only had a few minor scrapes and a heavily bruising cheekbone…though he imagined the elbow Ikkaku had managed to slam into said cheekbone would be smarting for a few days.

"That cueball is more powerful than he let's on," he observed.

"Lots of people are," Jyuushiro muttered, pulling his gi back on. "But as I mentioned, Kimi is going to be mad…I'm more frightened by her than by all of the Jyuuichibantai combined. Especially in her present condition."

"Ah yes, hormonal angry Kimi…do you think we can find a suitable hiding place in time?"

Restless as she now was, and still not entirely sober, Reiko decided to drop by her childhood friend's home and was there before she could think twice.

Something about his manner had worried her.

Sneaking into his room without any of the guards catching her – she'd need to point out their incompetence to him – she expected to find him asleep.

He wasn't.

He was sitting in the dark staring at the table, his futon still neatly folded from the morning.

"Byakko?" she frowned and moved to light the candle that had gone out beside him.

With the flame flicking light around the room, Reiko finally noticed a few things that were…unusual.

Reiko stood for an unsure moment, unable to decide what to deal with first.

The empty sake pots on and around the table; or the lightly swaying Byakuya.

His eyes were at half-mast, and to most it would just seem as if he had fallen asleep sitting up.

He'd been drinking alone? Reiko frowned.

That couldn't be right.

"Byakuya?" she put a hand on his shoulder and his stoic Kuchiki eyes turned to hers. "Was someone here with you?"

He shook his head slightly.

"Then you drank all of this by yourself?"

He nodded this time.

"Byakko, that isn't healthy," Reiko frowned. "If you wanted to get drunk you should have stayed at the Hachibantai. One should never drink alone."

"Well I guess I'm a baka that way," he mumbled, a slur to his words.

"What do you mean?" Reiko wondered as she started to pick up the sake pots and put them aside neatly.

"Drinking alone…las' time I did it I drove the wedge between us,"

Reiko blinked and looked up in surprise.

"Eh? You? What are you thinking Byakko? I was the one who pulled away."

"I was upset and there was a party here and I had the customary amount of drinks so as not to offend the visiting noble," Byakuya explained, watching the flame of the candle flickering. "You used to come by 'n' spend the night after I had to deal with noble duties, you always said it was to prevent me from forgetting those below me," he smiled a little.

Reiko nodded, she remembered.

"But you weren't there that night…the one night I needed you to be," Byakuya sighed and lifted an elegant finger to play with the melted wax of the candle. "Hisana was in my room laying out my futon that night, and I was almost drunk…I took advantage of her…"

"You rapped her?" Reiko looked horrified.

Byakuya shook his head so vigorously he started to fall over before she caught him and held on so that their eyes met.

"She consented, how could you think that of me?"

"You sounded guilty,"

He sighed heavily and nodded.

"We were never officially together Rin-chin, but in my heart it was only you…I felt so guilty, so ashamed, that I could barely think about you without the guilt consuming me. I was unfaithful to you and I couldn't say it to you…I didn't want you to think I had moved on, we always said we would stop if either one of us found someone else. I was worried you'd leave me alone."

"Byakko no baka," she was frowning again.

His eyes drifted shut momentarily before reopening to meet her troubled gaze again.

"I made one stupid mistake that night and everything changed in a way I didn' want it to. Worse, I felt guilty because Hisana never should have had to go through that. I loved her, I did, but not like my Rin-chin," he sighed heavily again.

"Byakko, you should have just told me. I would have been jealous, but I would have gotten over it eventually."

Byakuya shook his head. "I mucked things up," he pouted sadly. "My guilt got worse, and then you found out I was marrying Hisana before I could explain why to you and I saw your fire die…Rin-chin, I smothered your fire."

"My fire?" she frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"She got pregnant,"

An ant could have been heard in the silence that followed that confession.

"I tried was going to tell you, but you got injured and then disappeared before you had even healed. You left before I could tell you. Then Hisana lost the baby before we even got married and with you gone, I saw no reason to back out of the engagement…"

He trailed off sleepily, comfortable in his childhood friend's arms, not noticing the way she was staring blankly at the wall.

He was asleep by the time she looked back down.

Reiko stood, moving about to lay out his futon.

She removed his taicho haori, his scarf and the kenseikan from his hair before she lay him out on his futon and covered him up.

As she continued to tidy the sake pots, more out of a need to distract her blank mind than anything, she came across the letter that had sent this chain of events into action.

The letter she had delivered from Kimiko.

Reading over the note, Reiko dropped back to her knees, clutching her hands to her chest.

What did she do now?

Kimiko had only meant well, but this confession from Byakuya…what did she do?

A/N: opinions needed here people, if you were Reiko, how would you react, given the circumstances? Reviews…

*Shirei = commander…not sure if this is the right word to be using…

*Nominuke = drunkard