A/N

I own nothing nor am I receiving any compensation for this story (which, I suspect, is a good thing...).
I suppose spoilers abound..I don't read the manga but I am up to episode 212 or something like that in the anime. I use the japanese words and honorifics that I do because they are so very common in the japanese anime that the ones I use just seem natural to me.

Reviews make me endlessly happy and constructive criticism is okay, too! If you read it and like it, let me know! :)

Nii-sama: Older brother, respectfully. How Rukia refers to Byakuya
-dono: Japanese honorific referring to someone you have great respect for. Rukia uses it in regards to Kaien (obviously)
baka - Fool/idiot
Kuso: general Japanese curse word
kudasai: please

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Dark. Everything was dark. Rukia tentatively opened her eyes and looked around, trying to discern from her surroundings where she was, the frantic shriek still lingering on her lips. Although minimal light filtered through the lone window, it was enough for her to realize, with some surprise, that she was in her own room. Her small body was entangled in a thin sheet and covered with sweat. A warm breeze rolled in, ruffling the gauzy curtains.

Confusion swept through her. Why was she surprised to be in her own room? What had awakened her so harshly? Why was her heart pounding so violently and her body covered in a fine sheen of sweat?

Then she remembered the dream. No...nightmare. Or had it been something more than even that?

Kaien-dono. She hadn't allowed herself to think of him since.....since that fateful day in Hueco Mundo when she'd faced the most frightful of all arrancar, at least for her, Aaroniero Arruruerie. He struck fear in her heart more than any other hollow or arrancar she'd ever faced for one reason alone: his face was that of the man she'd loved...loved and had been forced to kill: Kaien-dono. He'd attempted to use Kaien's face to manipulate her emotions and guide her actions. Even after coming to terms with the fact that no part of Kaien remained except for his memories, it had taken all of Rukia's resolve and strength just to fight Aaroniero. In the end she had been victorious, but the victory was a bittersweet one and had come nearly at the cost of her own life.

Shuddering, Rukia shoved those memories away. It was bad enough that she was haunted by hollows in her dreams...that she had come to terms with decades ago as an unfortunate work hazard. But never before had Kaien haunted her slumber; that was something new. Rukia had a feeling that the flood-gates had been opened; now that she'd dreamt of Kaien once, it was likely to become a regular occurrence. She hadn't necessarily minded the first part of the dream. The only drawback to dreams like that were, obviously, waking up. Although each new dream would mean a new reunion with her lost senpai and secret love of her heart, it would also mean a new loss upon each awakening. Could she stand to begin each new day with such desperation and heartache?

Head dropping with a sigh, Rukia knew the truth. She would take anything she could get when it came to Kaien-dono. Although the pain she felt right at the moment seemed more than unbearable, it was nothing compared to the joy and ecstasy she'd felt minutes before when she'd been in Kaien's arms, finally feeling her love requited. Yes, she would certainly be able to withstand painful mornings if it meant beautiful nights.

Still....there had been something different about this particular dream. It had felt more... real than any she had ever before experienced. Had it been something more than just a dream? Another shudder traveled down Rukia's spine as she recalled in vivid detail the end of her dream; the terror and extreme helplessness she'd felt were unlike anything she'd ever known.

Wrapping the thin sheet loosely around her slender frame, Rukia rose from her bed. She headed out of the small room and made a lazy path to the kitchen, guided only by the pale moonlight that seeped in through the open windows. It had been nearly a year since her return to Seretei. To say the war was over would be an optimistic illusion. Although they had somehow managed to prevent Aizen and Gin from using the hogyoku in Hueco Mundo, all three were still missing. And though no threats had yet been issued, no one in Seretei had completely let down their guard.

Ichigo remained in the real world, spending his nights patrolling the streets of Karakura Town and his days either training or goofing off with Urahara Kisuke and Renji, who had been granted extended leave in Karakura Town during these tense, uncertain months. The raven haired shinigami suspected that Renji's extended leave had more to do with Soul Society's stubborn hopes of convincing Ichigo to join the Gotei 13 than anything else. Yamamoto-Genryusai was more than willing to overlook Ichigo's rebelliousness and less-than favorable attitude towards authority in his desparation to both reunite and strengthen the Gotei 13.

Smiling wistfully at the thought of her friends back in Karakura Town, Rukia grabbed an apple from a bowl sitting on the low table. She vaguely wondered what they were up to on a night like this as she bit into the shiny red flesh of the apple, the sweet juices infusing her mouth. Probably sitting on a rooftop somewhere in their shinigami forms, complaining about a lack of hollows to fight before one of them provokes the other and starts a fight of their own out of sheer boredom or pent up tension or both. Rukia smiled again, this time affectionately, as she answered her own question. Bakas.

Since returning to Seretei, Rukia had come to live at the only place that made sense: with Nii-sama. Although large and almost too spacious, the house was familiar and comfortable to her, something she felt she needed after the tumultuous years that had recently passed. The small shinigami missed Karakura Town and her friends immensely, but had been somewhat relieved that her current orders were to remain in Seretei with her squad.

Without intention, her midnight walk had brought her to the front door. Rukia slowly pushed it open and stepped outside, barefoot, onto the large porch, careful to close the door behind her. Nii-sama would be more than a little irritated if he awoke to bugs in his house. She took another bite of the apple and allowed the sheet to fall from her shoulders, pooling around her ankles. There was no need for such coverage when it was such a warm night; a gentle summer breeze stirred the hem of her cotton shift. Several shades paler than her violet eyes, the soft garment was all she needed on night like this.

Rukia stepped forward, away from the already forgotten sheet, and sat down on the edge of the porch, her thoughts turning back to what had awakened her in the first place. Could it possibly have been more than a dream? She had certainly never heard of someone being attacked via dreams before. And she hadn't been hurt, had she? No, there had been no physical damage to her body. The only effect the dream had had on her was psychological. A psychological attack, then? Was someone or something trying to mess with her?

No. That's ridiculous! What reason would someone have to come after me?! It didn't make any sense. No matter how real or disturbing the dream had been, it had been just that: a dream. The product of an overworked, over-emotional imagination. Period. End of story.

Sighing, Rukia looked up at the night sky, picking out her favorite constellations. As a child fending for herself on the streets of Rukongai, midnight star gazing had never failed to bring her peace and comfort. It was lost in these memories and this seemingly serene moment that Rukia somehow did not notice the nostalgic reiatsu approaching until it was right behind her. When she did notice it, she sat bolt upright, the remnants of her apple dropping to the ground and rolling away in the grass. An icy chill swept down her spine.

"Rukia..."

The voice was strained but recognizable. Rukia did not have to turn around to know that the eyes boring into her back were those of Shiba Kaien. Impossible! I killed Aaroniero with my own hands! How can he be here, now?! Why is he here now? Rukia kept her body very still while her mind raced. Like in her dream, she found she was once again without Sode no Shirayuki. Kuso! She cursed herself internally for her negligence. Wandering about sans zanpakuto in these times was ignorant, even when things seemed so peaceful and quiet. Using kido would be her only chance; perhaps she could stun Aaroniero just enough to get into the house where she could both rouse Nii-sama and grab her zanpakuto. It was her only hope. She mentally prepared herself to face Kaien's face knowing she would have to ruthlessly attack it. It's NOT Kaien-dono!

Rukia simultaneously jumped to her feet and whirled around to face Aaroniero, hands raised before her. The incantation for White Lightening never escaped her lips.

It was as she had feared...only...slightly different. The man before her did indeed have Kaien's face. This man, however, was crouched down on the porch, not offensively ready to attack but defensively, as if desperate to protect himself. He looked battered and bruised and his eyes were those of a man whose resolve had long been broken; he looked lost. In addition to all of this, Rukia noticed horrified, he was also naked.

"Kudasai....Rukia..." An unsteady hand reached pleadingly towards Rukia. She was frozen in place, violet eyes impossibly wide. Her instinct was to run to Kaien and comfort him but she knew better than to act rashly.

Is this really Kaien-dono?! I don't sense any trace of Aaroniero's reiatsu...could he be that good at hiding it?! I have to be strong...I have to remain rational and logical! How could this be Kaien-dono?! It's impossible...but....those eyes....

Before she could come to any conclusions, a sound behind them made both Rukia and Kaien jump. Rukia's head whipped around to see the front door open and Nii-sama standing in the door-way, the bed-sheet she had dropped earlier in his outstretched hand.

"Here." His voice and eyes were both emotionless as he took in the scene before him. "Cover him up and bring him inside."

Rukia grabbed the sheet before he dropped it. "Nii-sama..."

Byakuya's back was already turned as he prepared to disappear back into the house. He paused and inclined his head back towards Rukia.

"Is he...I mean, is it okay to..."

"Bring him inside," he repeated. "There's tea on the stove. The room at the end of the hall is prepared for guests; he can stay there for now."

Dose Nii-sama believe this is really Kaien-dono? Or is he just forcing him inside so he can keep a close eye on him?

Although her brother's intentions were not clear to her, there was no doubt in Rukia's mind that if this man with Kaien's face tried anything, Nii-sama would not hesitate to kill him.