A/N: I know, I know...it's been awhile. I have never stopped thinking about this story and I'm always working on it mentally I promise. I have every intention of finishing this! I am no longer working a side business which has freed up some time for me to get back to this baby. Be on the lookout for another chapter much much sooner! As always, thank you so much for hanging in there with me and reading/supporting my writing, I love you all!

Exiting the bathroom, he made his way down the short hall to their shared room. They'd downgraded their place the previous year. Sleeping together for heat most of the winter meant they didn't need a second room, so why pay for one? It made perfect sense from a financial standpoint. They weren't broke, but it was necessary to cut back where they could to ensure they didn't end up so.

He was truthfully amazed that they had gone so long without having to find an additional source of income. Thanks to her management of their funds they were still living comfortably enough, and would be able to continue that way for a while. Hopefully they would get the Seireitei back before they needed to worry about it, but it wouldn't hurt to think about what they might do to earn money. What kind of mundane work could he do? Sure, he technically had a job as a Captain of the Gotei, but he didn't need the money he made from that. What would it be like to actually work for money? What kind of work would he even look for?

They Occasionally turned a small profit from their produce stall, but that couldn't sustain the two of them on it's own. Unless they made that more of a routine thing, like a job. Negotiating was a well honed skill of his, thanks to business dealings for his family, and she was a natural people person, drawing people in with her charm. They played to each others strengths easily making them a great team. Maybe it could work. He'd be sure to revisit that thought later.

Now that he was cleaned up and looking normal again, he felt amazing. He'd almost forgotten what it was like. When he'd first looked at himself in the mirror he was shocked. What he saw was a mess. A hot mess as Rangiku would say. His hair was unkempt and tangled, sticking out in odd directions. And even though he knew he hadn't shaved for a while, he had more facial hair then he was expecting. The dark shade of his natural hair color a stark contrast to the blonde on his head. He'd looked absolutely ridiculous!

"Rangiku, is it ok to come in?" He called from outside the door.

"Yeah, I'm decent." She replied.

Barely. She was wearing a black, silk robe that hugged her curves... tightly. He literally had to stop his jaw from dropping. And all he could think about for a moment was if she was naked under the thin fabric or not. It was strange, noticing things like that now. And getting hot under the collar over it was new too. In the past her clothing wouldn't have phased him in the slightest. But now, he was having trouble tearing his eyes away from her cleavage. And her waist, and her hips, and her thighs.

"Wow. Holy crap, I can see your face again!" Her face lighting up as she moved towards him from across the room. She hadn't noticed his gaze drifting down her body, or at least she pretended not to. The touch of her hand against his cheek was unexpected. Her fingers brushing gently against his skin sent a rush of excitement through him. He felt a little like a teenager with a crush. A horny teenager at that.

"I almost forgot how well you clean up." Smiling up at him.

"I'll admit, I had definitely let myself go. It feels good to get rid of the beard and be this neat again."

"Well...I'm certainly enjoying it." A slightly sultry tone to her voice as she let her hand fall to his chest and leaned in against him.

There was a look in her eye he couldn't quite place as she moved in closer to him. After what he'd just been thinking about moments before, he mistakenly thought she was about to kiss him. His heart was suddenly racing, his mouth had gone dry and his mind went blank. All he could do was wait for it to happen.

He was disappointed however, when her closeness had simply been so she could grab the mirror in his hand. He'd forgotten he even had the damn thing.

"I'll take that." Giving him a cheeky grin.

"Of course. I came to give it back. I'm finished in the bathroom, it's all yours now." A wink in her direction, playing it cool.

"I won't be too long. I'm looking forward to eating something I haven't had in years. I think you'll like the place I picked." Chatting as she gathered her things.

"I'm sure it'll be fantastic. I too am looking forward to it. I can't wait to see the menu."

That was close. He'd almost leaned in to meet her lips with his. How embarrassing would that have been? They'd grown so comfortable with one another that he hadn't realized just how... intimate some of their daily interactions were. It had all just happened so naturally, without his notice. They did everything together, yet he was not tired of her in the least. In fact he only seemed to want more… and more if his body had anything to say about it.

He couldn't seem to help himself lately. All of his thoughts were consumed with telling her he loved her, and then ravaging her until well after the sun came up. He wanted to kiss and caress every inch of her, to make her quiver with desire for him, to make her cry out his name in ecstasy. With any luck that fantasy would be coming to life later, but he was going to have to keep himself in check until then. He was a gentleman, of course, but even he had limits.

He was sure she'd look beautiful tonight. How could she not? Though when he thought about it, had he ever seen her dressed up? For a special occasion, a date, anything? He'd had to, but he just couldn't seem to remember. Honestly he never paid her much attention before the war, assuming she was the person rumors made her out to be, that the two of them could never relate to each other. But maybe he should have. Then again, they were both different people back then, maybe it was destined for the two of them to come together like this.

He thought she was gorgeous as it was. Her normal workout clothes, no make up, her hair in a messy bun. She was a natural beauty. Just how much hotter could she be if she got all dolled up? And would he be able to keep himself together until the time was right? He wanted the night to go perfectly, but she had a nasty habit of always throwing wrenches in his plans. A habit he initially loathed about her, but had since come to admire. She kept things interesting, never planning too far ahead or settling into too much routine. It had been jarring to him at first, but he'd grown to appreciate living life more in the moment.

"Oww! Shit!" Bringing her thumb to her mouth. She was out of practice with hair pins and curling irons, it had been so long since she'd bothered, and she'd ended up pricking the same thumb she'd already burned. It was all because she was nervous about tonight. But how could she not be? She was planning to tell what was, quite frankly, the man of her dreams that she was in love with him. And seeing him all cleaned up and looking so good had only added fuel to the fire inside her. The jittery, borderline sweaty, nervous kind of fire. Luckily doing her makeup had come back to her much easier and she felt a little better once that was done.

Finally finished, she examined her work in the mirror. She'd done two French braids, starting at the front and arching down towards the nape of her neck. She had just enough hair to twist the remaining length of the braids into a low bun. It was perfect. She'd left the braids loose, giving them a softer appearance, but not so loose they looked messy and she left a few loose tendrils that she curled (the cause of her burned thumb) to frame her face. All that was left was the super cute Kanzashi she'd found in the 15th district awhile back. It was a perfect match to her yukata for the evening. A simple hair pin adorned with deep purple violets with yellow centers. Placing it just behind her left ear it dangled beautifully along her neck.

They'd kept a few of the higher end clothes Byakuya had taken from his home when they'd escaped, and she was glad there was really only one option to choose from for their dinner. Otherwise she'd be worrying about what to wear and would probably take an extra hour to get ready. And honestly she'd already kept him waiting long enough.

The fabric was soft, almost silky to the touch. It was also purple. Starting out a light lavender shade and progressing down into a rich velvety shade as it got closer to her feet. An abstract gold, black and white design ran from her waist down the right side and around the bottom. The Obi was gold with a band of purple and white across the middle. It was probably the most expensive piece of clothing she'd ever worn and for a moment she felt like a princess. She was going to enjoy that feeling for the whole night, it might be the last time she got to wear something so nice. Especially if her little fantasy of him ripping her clothes off were to come true later.

"Ok. I think I'm ready. Just gotta find my shoes." She called as she made her way back to their room, only to find it empty.

When he didn't answer her, she assumed he must have stepped outside while he waited. She had taken a little longer than she planned, but he was probably expecting as much. He knew her well, better than herself most days, and she was excited at the thought of him feeling the same way she did. Of course she was also scared to death of him rejecting her too. She was pretty sure he wouldn't, but how would she handle it if he did? Could she handle it? It would surely crush her.

It didn't matter. By the end of this evening she would know one way or the other and she would deal with the results once she had them. Until then she was going to play it cool and enjoy their special night. Her stomach rumbled at the thought of the meal they were going to have. It seemed she wasn't the only one excited at the prospect of quality nourishment for the first time in a while.

Making her way out back, they would travel along the edge of the districts through the woods until they got closer to their destination so as not to draw attention in their expensive clothes, she found him enjoying the warmth of the sun. Leaning back against a large rock, he had his eyes closed and head tilted up towards the sky, there was even a hint of a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. She almost didn't want to disturb him.

She didn't have to though. She was just about to call out to him when his eyes snapped open and he turned his head in her direction, as if he sensed her presence. Watching his face as he took in her appearance made her feel a little flush in her cheeks. The way his eyes drifted over her from head to toe and back up, the way his jaw dropped, and something in his gaze she hadn't seen before caused a swarm of butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

"Wow.." He breathed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You look...amazing." Getting up and making his way over to her. Reaching for her hand, he lifted it high over her head, gesturing for her to do a little spin. The look on his face was one she hadn't seen before. She could only describe it as attraction, he liked the way she looked, and she liked it. As she spun around for him she got a little flutter in her stomach at the thought that he was checking her out.

"Absolutely stunning." He said softly.

"Thanks. You're not looking too bad yourself." Reaching out and grabbing the fabric of his kosode and letting her hands slide down it to the center of his chest. He looked like his old noble self, minus the kenseikan and scarf of course. She almost felt bad touching him. Almost. The dark green of his haori made the blonde of his hair stand out a little more and the gold designs matched the gold in hers. He'd even pulled his hair up, with the red hair tie she'd given him. It made her happy to see him wearing it.

"Thank you, but no one will be looking at me tonight. I could be wearing rags and they wouldn't notice." His hands coming to rest on her hips, and a genuine smile on his face.

She felt herself blushing, not only from the compliment, but also the feel of his hands on her body. They were strong and sure, he moved without hesitation. She could only imagine how they would feel gripping her tight in the throws of passion. And then there was that smile. Oh, that smile! She'd seen it plenty of times over the years, but lately it made her pulse quicken.

"We should get going or we'll be late for our reservation." Pulling away from him before she got lost in those wonderful gray eyes of his.

"I'm ready if you are." Gesturing for her to lead the way.

He was enjoying the fresh air and the late afternoon sun when he heard the back door open and close. Once he could feel her approaching, he opened his eyes and turned his gaze on her.

"Wow.." He could only whisper it, as she had stolen the air in his lungs.

His eyes drifted from her head to her toes and back up slowly, taking in the vision before him. That purple kimono looked better on her than he'd imagined, complimenting her skin tone perfectly. Her dark hair was pulled back in braids. It wasn't pulled tight, like noblewomen always did, instead the weave was loose and just on the edge of messy.

"You look...amazing."

Funny how loose and on the edge of messy could also describe how he was feeling in that moment. Taking her hand and watching as she turned in a circle so he could see her kanzashi, and the tie of the obi (not to mention a nice view of her ass), he was taken aback. She was perfect.

It made his stomach feel strange. Was this what they called butterflies? Whatever it was, this feeling was brand new to him. To think, after all the years he'd been alive, that there was still something he hadn't felt or experienced before. Before Rangiku, he thought he'd lived, and was living, a full life. But since she'd come along, he'd learned he hadn't really been living at all.

"Absolutely stunning."

"Thanks. You're not looking too bad yourself." She replied, curling her fingers into the fabric of his kosode. Her hands drifted from up near his collarbones down to his chest where she came to a stop, her eyes roaming over him and taking in his appearance. He didn't miss the smile that lit up her face when her eyes landed on the red hair tie she'd given him as a gift. Wearing it for a special night was an easy way to let her know how much it meant to him.

"Thank you, but no one will be looking at me tonight. I could be wearing rags and they wouldn't notice." Smiling and watching her blush as his hands came to rest on her hips. He could get swept away for hours in the sea of her eyes, those brilliant blue orbs able to hold his attention better than anything he could recall.

"We should get going or we'll be late for our reservation."

Finally getting closer to their destination, they made their way out of the forests and into the hustle and bustle of the crowds in the upper districts. It was almost as if this part of the Soul Society was completely unaffected by the Gotei losing the winter war. There were people everywhere, the crowd so thick in some places that it was hard to stay together as they walked. He was so focused on not running into anyone that he began to fall behind, the distance between them growing. And just when he thought he'd lost her, he felt the sensation of small, soft fingers lacing through his own.

"Don't wanna get separated. Come on, we're almost there." She called over her shoulder, dragging him in the direction she was going. He gave her hand a light squeeze to let her know he heard her, and once they were out of the thick of it he closed the distance between them to walk at her side. He didn't let go of her hand, and was pleased to notice that she didn't let go of his either. Instead giving him a dazzling smile before leaning her head against his shoulder casually.

"How did you manage to get a reservation here?" He asked when they came to a stop in front of the place. Having been there a few times he was well aware of how exclusive a place it was.

"I told them it was my 20th wedding anniversary." She replied with a cheeky grin and mischief in her gaze.

"I may have also shown a little extra cleavage...and maybe just a teensy bit of flirting."

"Well...you really are tenacious aren't you? So I guess tonight I am your husband of 20 years then? Were you planning to tell me this at any point this evening?" He said with a soft chuckle.

"Nope. You're my secret lover. My husband is away on business, our marriage was more about politics than love, so I've been celebrating my anniversary with you for the last few years." Laughing at the deadpan look he gave her.

"I see you've really thought this through." A wry grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"So what name is our reservation under then?"

"Nekozakura" Covering her mouth as a giggle erupted from her.

"What am I going to do with you Rangiku?" Wagging his finger at her and pretending to admonish her.

"Oh please, you love it. Now come on, let's eat. My stomach is rumbling just from the smell."

He was happy to see her smiling and laughing again after how down she'd been recently.

Run.

Run.

Run.

It was all he could do. Speeding through the canopy of the forest, he was fueled by a dangerous combination of pure rage and crippling fear. His adrenaline was soaring and he was operating on pure survival instinct, running blindly without a plan. His heart was beating so fast he wasn't sure how it hadn't exploded in his chest.

Think. He had to shake the haze and focus. Her life was in his hands, literally. Obviously they needed to get somewhere safe, but where? He couldn't go home. Even though Senbonzakura and Haineko were there, if they were being followed (were they being followed?) it would be foolish. They needed to lay low. But there was nothing out at the campsite, so that was not an option either.

There was also the issue of her condition. Her injuries were far beyond what he could take care of on his own, and finding someone to help them would be impossible, thanks to Aizen having anyone with spiritual pressure dragged in to attend the academy. Who would want to risk their freedom for a stranger? Even if they would, how would he know who to ask? It was his worst nightmare. She was seriously hurt and he had no idea what to do or where to go.

Instead of panicking he needed to take a moment and just breathe. He was frustrated, angrier than he'd ever been, and scared as hell all at once. The mix was a potent cocktail and all he wanted to do was scream, and then maybe breakdown and cry. He couldn't do that though. Instead he decided to scan for spiritual pressure once more, and finding nothing, finally stopped running.

Kneeling slowly he set her down as gently as he could manage, a painful whimper coming out of her. Finally getting a good look at her, he was quickly reminded that she was stark naked. She was bruised, bloody and broken, the large, deep gashes in her skin making his anger boil up again. He couldn't let that get the better of him though. She was more important than his need for revenge. Not to mention that without Senbonzakura he'd be hard pressed to win that fight.

Averting his eyes awkwardly he stripped off his kosode and wrapped her in it. If he had any chance of getting help it would surely be better to not be carrying a naked woman in his arms. Putting her arms through the sleeves would surely be too painful so he pulled the fabric around the front of her and tied it shut, cradling her arms against her. Hopefully it would help keep her broken bones from being jostled around too much.

"Uughh...Bya..kuya." Her voice pulling him out of his racing thoughts.

"It hurts...everything...hurts." She rasped out between ragged breaths.

"I know...I know, but you shouldn't talk, try to save your energy." He said quietly. He couldn't let her know that he was at a loss for what to do, he needed to keep her as calm as he could.

"No...I'm not...gonna…this is it…"

"Don't say that! You don't know that." The look in her eyes was breaking his heart. She was ready to give up, and that wasn't like her at all.

"I...can't...have to...tell you…"

"Stop, please...you can barely breathe let alone speak." He didn't want to hear her say she loved him this way, he didn't want to hear her say goodbye. This wasn't the end, it couldn't be. He wouldn't allow it.

"You...have to..know. Bya..kuya...I...I l-"

"NO! Whatever it is, you'll tell me later, when you're back on your feet, do you hear me? You can't give up...no matter what. I need you." He confessed.

It didn't matter what he had to do, he was going to make sure she survived. That might sound selfish, but he wasn't about to lose her. He'd been so close to telling her everything and he still couldn't understand how they'd ended up here. How could such a perfect night end so terribly?

"Byakuya...please…" Those blue eyes pleading with him.

"Look, you trust me don't you?" Watching her nod in response.

"Good. Then close your eyes and rest. Trust me when I tell you, everything will be alright the next time you open your eyes... I promise."

The look in her eyes changed and she smiled up at him. Confidence and determination replacing the desperation and sorrow that was there moments before. He felt a sense of relief when she closed her eyes and leaned her head into the crook of his neck. But it only lasted a moment.

The unfamiliar sting of tears coming to his eyes caught him off guard. He'd told himself for the last fifty years not to make promises because he was terrible at keeping them. But she was looking at him with such anguish, and he had to reassure her. She was literally trusting him with her life and now he was left with the realization that he had no idea how to save her. All of the things he was feeling finally bubbled over and he couldn't stop the tears from overflowing.

He hadn't cried in almost sixty years. And it felt completely foreign to him. Sitting there sobbing like a baby, it was terrible. The feeling of no air in his lungs, the tingle at the back of his throat, the clogging of his sinuses. Yet somehow it was also a huge release of his pent up anger and frustration. He could think more clearly with those things no longer clouding his judgement. Rangiku was the only thing he needed to worry about, and he wasn't going to let her, or himself down.

"What do I do? Where do I take you?" Speaking out loud, hoping it would help him think.

"I don't know how to contact Hitsugaya, and even if I did it would take too long. We don't know anyone in Rukongai that can help...which only leaves me once choice." Wiping his nose and doing his best to compose himself.

He was going to have to walk right into the devils lair and hope that no one would recognize them before he could get her to squad four. If he was caught, he'd deal with that when it happened. There was no way around it. He couldn't waste anymore time, she couldn't afford it.

"Off to squad four it is then. Hang in there, don't give up...don't leave me." Lifting her into his arms and preparing to use shunpo.

"That's a sure way to get yourself killed. Ne, Byakuya-bo?" A deep, familiar voice rang out to his right.