A/N: O! OC, how I abhor thee!

Smile

She always seemed angry, tormented and troubled by the events of her past. That's all she'd ever seemed to him. She never smiled, well, genuinely at least, because when she did smile at someone, they were usually at the end of their lives. She always seemed strong and collected, despite the hate that danced in her dark eyes.

So imagine the 6th division captain's surprise when he heard faint weeping in the distance. He was on his nightly stroll, enjoying the light chirping of grasshoppers and soft rustling of leaves in the wind. Curious, though not entirely concerned, the captain followed the faint noise.

What he stumbled upon, was an oddly fragile Soifon standing on a bridge, elbows perched on the rails, staring out at the moon's reflection in the river. She wiped her eyes and let out a shuttered sigh.

Confused and shocked, the raven haired man stood, rooted to the ground. His limbs refused to move him, and from his sheltered spot he was happy the girl could not spot him. That wasn't to say, she couldn't sense him.

Kami, his heart stopped when her posture grew rigid, and her fragile expression became stoic and hard once more. He swallowed nervously, shaking his head. She was still a child, by his terms at least, she should not feel ashamed for crying.

He knew why she was crying, it was this night, years ago, that the former 2nd division captain Yoruichi Shihōin had betrayed the Gotei 13. At least by his terms. At such a young age, the girl was abandoned by her master. The woman she adored and admired. Clenching his fists and setting his jaw the captain urged himself back to his original path, making a swift detour and appearing as though he hadn't seen the girl standing on the bridge.

Face placid once more, the handsome man strolled towards her. She turned at the light tamping of his feet. "Captain." She nodded in acknowledgment.

The man looked up solemnly, "Soifon." His voice broke involuntarily, the kid did a terrible job at hiding the fact she had been crying. He pretended not to notice. "Quite a pleasant night for a walk, is it not? I'm not surprised to find another out."

She nodded, before returning her longing gaze at the moon.

Byakuya stood beside her, hands clasped behind his back.

"It must be lonely." Soi's voice rasped.

"Hm?" The man was caught by surprise, "What?"

"The moon. It must be lonely. It is the brightest thing in the sky, the first thing you notice, yet so distant. So...mysterious."

"I don't think so." He placed a hand on the railing.

"And why is that?"

"It has the sun, does it not?" A fond smile crept across his features, "the sun gives it its light. Otherwise, it would be a dark orb blending with the night sky."

"So you are saying its companion is the sun.."

"Disappointed?"

"Intrigued." she pursed her lips, "there's a man I know...."

"Is that so?" He quirked an eyebrow.

Nodding, she continued, "he reminds me of the moon. Distant, yet bright....Mysterious and keen."

"There's a girl I know..."

A soft chuckle, "is she like the sun?"

"She's like the moon, as well."

They found themselves standing in comfortable silence. The wind blew gently, and Soifon found her body being turned, her dark orbs staring into deep, concerned pools.

"Stop this." His voice was stern.

"Stop...stop what?" Her heart thundered in her chest, before she could process what was happening she found herself in a tight embrace. She was shocked, dumbfounded. Her personal bubble was utterly obliterated.

"Just...." His voice broke, "There's strong...and there's stubbornly strong. You don't...Have to deal with this on your own, you know that."

She brought a hand up to push him away, but found that his arms were too strongly wrapped around her, that, or she simply did not want to leave. Her throat was burning, teeth gritted and eyes brimming with warm moisture. She refused to let the tears fall.

It hurt him, he found out, it hurt. It hurt to see her struggling with her conflicting fears, it hurt him to see her distance herself simply because she feared being hurt again.

And he felt it. He felt his cold heart tremble as she buried her face in his chest, warm tears seeping into his clothing.

He held her.

He wondered just how long it had been since he last held another so close, but it felt...so right.

Seconds turned to minutes, and he lost track of how long they remained in each others arms. He hadn't noticed her shifting movement to wrap her arms around him and grip tightly to the cloth on his back, however he did notice the grip slacken, he heard the sobs eventually subside. The man refused to let her go, afraid she would run off in an instant. Afraid that, like a bird, she would spread her wings and take off.

She didn't seem to want him to let go either, face still buried in his chest, possibly a natural reflex of embarrassment.

"Don't go..." He felt her turn her head to the side, she refused to look up at him, but he saw the flush of pink on her face. The rejuvenated stubborn pout on her face.

"I wont." Voice softened, he reached up and stroked her soft, dark hair. "I promise."

With renowned confidence, she looked up into his eyes, a doubting look in her face that soon melted into a thankful smile when she saw the sincere look on his face.

He swore his heart melted in that very second, "I..." he couldn't believe what he was about to say, "I...I will be your sun.....I will help you shine!"

If she wasn't so shocked by the declaration, she would have laughed out loud at the uncharacteristic blush that played on the otherwise serious man's face. Burying her face in his chest once more she smiled to herself, butterflies in her stomach. "Thank you." For once in her life, she was genuinely happy, "its means a lot to me."