I'm back! It's a bit later than usual but I got distracted... and no it wasn't sparkly. Well, maybe a little... just a bit... Who am I kidding, it was very sparkly, and if you turned it it glittered and... Yeah.

But anyways, I have just found a slightly confusing typo in the last chapter. Where it says 'With one final glance over at his captain, Byakuya turned to his squad and began shouting out orders.' It should actually 'With one final glance over at his captain, Renji turned to his squad and began shouting out orders.' Sorry. Thanks to Abby-Flourite for pointing that out =)

OOC Byakuya in this chapter, but then he's been OOC all along so I can't see how it will come as a surprise. He'll probably be relatively OOC for the rest of the story. Sorry, but if he's not nothing will happen...

I don't own Bleach. If I did there'd be a whole bunch more sparkles. I like sparkles =) I'm like Yumichika that way XD (I just recently figured out what XD means! I'm so proud of myself)

Anywho, thankee to reviewers! On with the story.

By the time that dark fell, the injured had been cared for as best as possible, and blankets, extra food, etc had been retrieved from the shed at one end of the training yard. Byakuya and Renji had had a small argument when the supplies had been put there. Renji had called it being paranoid. Byakuya had called it being prepared. Now, Renji thought, watching the members of the squad settle down, it seemed that Byakuya had been right. Again.

They had tried to find the rest of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, which was difficult, since even the rest of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads didn't know where they were. In the end they had decided to look after the rest of the Seireitei in the morning. Now people were milling around, comforting each other and talking in low voices. Renji sat with the group of guys that he often played kickball with. None of them were really speaking, but that was okay. Nobody really wanted to talk.

Renji looked over at Byakuya again. He was standing by himself a distance away, quietly doing nothing. Renji was getting very strong 'stay away' vibes at the moment, and decided against trying to speak to his captain. The small man looked near to his breaking point, as though he might go Bankai on anybody who interrupted him now. Either that or burst into tears, but for some odd reason, Renji was leaning towards the first option. He turned back towards his friends, deciding that he'd talk to his captain later. When he didn't look about ready to murder somebody.

Byakuya watched his squad silently, in a sort daze. His whole body ached, as though he had been hit by one of those World of the Living mechanisms. The ones on wheels that moved around without anything pulling them. He knew that he had known what they were called, but now he couldn't remember. Using a healing kido that complex without really having the ability to probably hadn't been the best idea. But he couldn't have just let them die without trying to save them. He had managed to save two, but four more had died despite his efforts.

Small arms wrapped around his waist, jolting him out of his disconnected thoughts. He glanced down to see Kaili bury her face in the cloth of his robes. Byakuya knelt down slowly, and the small girl sobbed softly into his shoulder.

"I wanna go home," she whispered, her voice slightly muffled.

"You can't," he told her gently. He wasn't quite certain what you were supposed to do when a small child began crying on your shoulder after their home had been destroyed, but he had a feeling that just standing there wasn't going to help much. Awkwardly, he tried rubbing her back, which seemed to help a bit, despite how uncomfortable it made him feel. He'd never had to deal with children before, although he was beginning to wish that he had. Weren't you supposed to reassure them somehow? And… oh damn it all. He'd just have to wing it. "It'll be alright," he assured her quietly.

"Will it?" she asked.

"Yes, it will." He said with more conviction than he actually felt. The small girl climbed into his lap, and curled up against his body, nestling her head against his neck. Feeling extremely uncomfortable he slung an arm across her back in a way that he hoped was comforting.

"What're we gonna do now?" she asked, clinging to his sleeve like it was the only thing keeping her alive.

"Now?" Byakuya asked. Kaili nodded. "Now we're going to sleep."

"And then?" Kaili asked. "Will we wake up and it'll all be a dream?"

"I sure hope so," Byakuya murmured, briefly resting his cheek on the girl's head. Kaili was silent after that, and after a while Byakuya realized that she was asleep. He carefully lay her down on the grass and pulled a blanket over her sleeping figure. Then he turned and walked away, leaving Kaili to her dreams.

Everybody had been watching Byakuya and Kaili's hushed conversation through the corners of their eyes. Seemingly, the sight of Byakuya being gentle and considerate to a child had come as a bigger shock than the recent explosion. Renji was beginning to see flickers of emotion through his other interactions with the stoic man, and was beginning to wonder why he hadn't noticed them before. Was a small child really more perceptive than he was? It seemed so.

Byakuya seemed a lot calmer now, so Renji risked being sliced into a million tiny pieces by just as many shiny little blades and sat beside him.

"You're good with kids," he informed the smaller man quietly.

"Really?" Byakuya sounded slightly amused. Renji nodded. "Hm." Renji had heard that little contained laugh before. He glanced over at his captain, and sure enough a little smirk played with the corners of his mouth. Although he had no clue what Byakuya found so amusing, he knew better than to ask. It would just make the small smile disappear all the faster, and get him an icy look.

The two men were silent for a bit, and after a while Renji was beginning to wonder whether Byakuya had fallen asleep. A glance to the side told him that his captain hadn't, unless it was with his eyes shut and perfect posture, which seemed impossible. Instead, Byakuya was staring off into the distance, head tilted slightly to the side.

Renji shifted uncomfortably, wondering if he should disturb the captain, or just get up and walk away.

"Do you need something Abarai?" Byakuya asked, not moving. Renji started, surprised.

"Uh… yeah actually…" he squirmed again. "Do you think I'd make a good captain?" He'd wanted to ask for some time now, but Byakuya had always seemed so unapproachable. Now though the smaller man seemed more open. Maybe he'd always been that way, but Renji just hadn't noticed it. Byakuya was silent for a moment, and Renji could see him quietly checking off requirements. He frowned slightly, and looked over at Renji.

"Can you sleep standing up with your eyes open?" he asked. Renji stared at him, mouth slightly open.

"Huh?"

"Can you?"

"No…"

"You might want to work on that."

"Why, is it an important skill?"

"More important than Bankai."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Captain Zaraki doesn't have Bankai and he gets by. The last person who couldn't sleep standing up with his eyes open went insane."

"You're joking." Renji said flatly.

"I'm not."

"So you use it often then?"

"Every Captain's meeting," Byakuya confirmed. Renji stared at him again. "Honestly Abarai. Did you really think that anybody could stay awake through that without going insane?" Renji didn't answer, he was still in shock. Byakuya shook his head, and that faint smile was back on his lips. It suited him, Renji thought distantly. "If you've ever had to sit through one of Head Captain Yamamoto's speeches you'd understand," Byakuya promised.

Byakuya fell silent again, and after a while Renji stood up and walked away. Soon after that he returned with a blanket, only to find the smaller man curled up on the ground, sound asleep. Renji gently draped the blanket over his captain, and stood back, watching him. He looked so peaceful asleep, as though all of the worries that plagued him during his waking hours had simply fallen away. He had let his hair out of its ponytail, and a few strands fell over his face. A tiny smirk tugged the corners of his mouth up, and Renji wondered distantly what he was dreaming about. Something happy he hoped, although almost anything could be better than the situation that they were in.

"Goodnight," he murmured. The sleeping man at his feet didn't stir. "Byakuya," Renji added softly, loving the way the name rolled off of his tongue. He turned and crept away, searching for a blanket of his own.

Behind him steel gray eyes flickered open. "Goodnight Renji," Byakuya replied in a whisper, before closing his eyes again, and going to sleep.

Review please? What's good, what's bad, what's inaccurate, what could use improving, any grammar/spelling mistakes etc.

-Stormy