"Shuhei! Shuhei!" you shout, searching for your vice-captain. "Is the game still going on?" you consider silently. You felt someone coming from behind you.

"Taichou!"

You draw your sword and block the attack. It was Shuhei. "What are you doing!" you say harshly. He just smirks, "Now!"

You sense two other shinigami coming. "Don't get caught!" you recognize the voice to be Kazuko's. She and her friend appear to be the only two people un-caught. You use shunpo to get out of the triangle, before it closes. You land next to Kazuko. "Let's go," you order. As the three girls run through the territory, avoiding the other team, you ask, "What's going on? I thought we were the shinigami."

"We were, but Hisagi-fukutaichou switched it while you were gone. Now we're the only three left," Kazuko explains.

You scan the area. "So where is everybody?"

"The other team caught everyone in one spot, and it's very heavily guarded."

You think for a moment before saying, "I'll disable the guards, then we'll free everyone." You sprint ahead. "Just don't get caught!"

You use shunpo to sneak up on the unexpecting shinigami. "Way of Binding, Number 61, rikujokoro." Six rods of light slam into each shinigamis' abdomen, making them immobile. You signal for the other girls to come. Quickly, the threesome frees every shinigami.

"Switch!" you declare.

Since most of the other team was bound by your kido, it was a pretty quick win. Your team was ecstatic, but the others weren't too happy.

"I guess, since I used Kido, then you guys only have to do one lap," you compromise.

The shinigami seemed slightly pleased, but still upset that they had to run.

You walk into your office to do paperwork. Sighing you mutter, "Being a captain has its ups and downs…" You slump down into your chair only to notice a small Cherry Blossom sprig lying atop a neat stack of papers. Underneath the sprig there was a small card with the words 'Be Organized' written in neat calligraphy. You smile to yourself. "Guess he's not all that cold," you think.

The next morning run to the Senkai Gate. "I'm late, I'm late!" you cry out. It was about two minutes until noon. In desperation you use shunpo. "Sorry I'm late," you apologize to Rangiku.

"No problem, we're still waiting for Rukia. I hope you don't mind though, I invited a couple more people," she replies. You look behind her to see Renji and Shuhei standing, looking bored.

"Why are they here?" you ask.

"Weeell, I figured that these two are you and Rukia's most likely dates. Abarai for Rukia, and Hisagi for you," she says happily, as if she did you a big favor.

Just then Rukia arrives. "Rangiku-san, I hope you don't mind…but Nii-sama wanted to come…and…I couldn't really refuse…soo," she starts fiddling with her fingers.

"Why would Kuchiki want to come?" you ask.

"Probably because Yuki's going…and I might have mentioned something about Hisagi," Rangiku replies.

You cast her a dark look, "Do you want to die…"

Rangiku starts laughing nervously, "Let's get going then!"

You arrive in Tokyo through the Senkai Gate. Instantly, you and Rangiku dash to the first store, dragging Rukia and the guys behind you.

~Hisagi P.O.V.~

You watch Yuki, Rukia, and Rangiku shop for dresses.

"Renji, why's Kuchiki-taichou here?" you murmur. The captain wasn't very far away, but still stood between you and Yuki. Renji shrugs in response, "Why?"

"I swear he raises his reiatsu every time I try to get close to Yuki…"

"You're just imagining things."

You take a step in the girls' direction. There is a sudden increase of gravity. The reiatsu doesn't bother you, but the employee drowning in clothes starts looking feint. You return to your spot next to Renji. "See," you say.

~Your P.O.V.~

You sense Byakuya's reiatsu growing. "Ummm, I'm going to look at shoes. Either of you want to come?" you ask hurriedly. Without waiting for a reply, you grab Rukia and push her in the general direction. As you pass Byakuya you whisper, "Watch your reiatsu. The humans can't handle it." You feel his reiatsu lower, but not by much. The rest of the day was filled with flying cloth and reiatsu battles.

~Back in Soul Society~

"Goodness! Rangiku cannot make up her mind," you sigh to Byakuya as the two of you walk through soukyoku. Byakuya just nods his head indifferently. "So, who were you going to ask to the ball?" you ask trying to sound casual.

"I was," he began. Your heart begins to beat faster. "not planning on going." He finished.

"Oh, of course," you say, trying to hide the hurt in your voice. "Um, I should be getting back to my squad. Have a nice day Kuchiki." You run as fast as you could as if you could run away from the pain.

Once inside your office, you flung yourself onto the giant sofa in the corner. Your heart throbbed painfully, each beat reminding you of Byakuya's rejection.

"Excuse me, Yuki?" someone said outside your door.

"Come in," you reply not bothering to move from your spot. It was Shuhei. You smiled warmly at him, "Can I help you?"

"Well, um, I was wondering," he started to turn bright red "you know what, never mind." He turns to leave, but before he can go you grab his wrist.

"You were wondering what?"

"I was wondering…if…you…would…go…to…the…ball…with…me."

You were taken aback from Shuhei's proposal. He had always seemed like a brother to you. After an awkward silence you stammered, "Oh, umm. Sure, I mean yes.

Shuhei makes a pleased expression, "Thanks. I guess, I'll see you tomorrow then." Neither of you quite knew what to say. Shuhei left, leaving you alone in your office. As soon as you heard the door slide shut, you collapsed onto the sofa. Thoughts began to buzz through your head like bees. For one, Sosuke had your brother. Two, Shuhei had just asked you out. And three, Byakuya just rejected you.

You decide to go on a walk to help clear your head. It was a crisp moonlit night. You didn't concentrate on anything, but let your senses take over. There were no sounds, but the sound of your own feet and the occasional shout from a shinigami. You closed your eyes and let your feet move beneath you, not controlling where they went. For a few minutes you were conscious of where you were going, but soon you were completely enveloped by the night and its tranquility.

When you open your eyes you are outside the 5th squad's captain's office. Sosuke's ex-office. You stand there transfixed. Subconsciously, you reach out to knock lightly on the door; but your hand never touches. It hovers centimeters from the wood. And then, before you could stop yourself, you begin to cry. Memories washing over you like waves crashing on the beach. You remember Sosuke's humble appearance and how he always helped you through difficult times. You remember the day you finally got the courage to ask him out. And then, you remember the most painful memory of all. The day he left without a word. You remember all the nights you spent crying from grief and shock. How he crushed your heart by his betrayal and treachery. And then, as if fate itself pitied you, you met Byakuya. For the first time your thoughts weren't echoed by Sosuke. In hopes of being able to heal yourself, you opened up, let your guard down. But instead, Byakuya just reopened old wounds.

Suddenly, you sense someone behind you, and you knew who it was.

"What do you want?" you say trying to keep your voice from steady. By now the tears have stopped, but your voice was still croaky.

"I, I wanted to see if you were okay," the sixth division captain replied.

"I'm fine," you reply still not turning around. There was an awkward silence, before you mutter, "I'm going to Hueco Muendo with Sosuke."

"…Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I trust you. I trust that you won't tell."

"Then you are a fool."

"I was a fool. But you taught me not to open up to people because when I do, those people only hurt me."

"Yuki, I-"

You spin around and look up at Byakuya with clouded eyes. Slowly you reach out and take his hand. "We don't know each other remember?" You press his hand to your cheek before giving his palm a quick kiss. "I'll miss you," you whisper before walking away, leaving Byakuya in the cold night.