Right... I'm cutting it a bit fine with this chapter- only half an hour until midnight! But I made it. And no, I haven't been procrastinating (well, maybe a little bit) I was stuck. I honestly couldn't think of anything, and I need a few things to happen before the big 'hug' scene. So... I was drinking apple juice and eating fishy crackers and I thought... party. And so... this happened. Please don't kill me!

Anyways, if I owned Bleach, we'd know the name of Nanao's zanpaku-to. And if I owned Star Wars, I probably would've watched it. Yeah, I haven't watched Star Wars... I know it's sad but... I'm really bad with movies. I can't watch them through to the end to save my life! Unless it's Harry Potter. I can do that.

The weeks passed, and the Seireitei was built again, with many minor (and a few major) setbacks. Since the Sixth Squad's Barracks had been changed around, much amusement was gained by watching people trying to adjust. Renji tried walking through a door that wasn't there. Yuki fell down a set of stairs that definitely hadn't been there before. Many other little mishaps happened, and somehow Byakuya seemed to be there to see them all. It was embarrassing for the person making a fool of themselves but… it was quite fun for him. And he needed something fun desperately. After all, there wasn't much in his life at the moment. His Captain's Haori had been put back on, the Kenseikan had been secured in his hair, his scarf had been wrapped around his neck, his tekkou (the glovey things!) once again adorned his slim hands and his mask had gone back on. Once again he was uncomfortable and very, very lonely.

It might have been more bearable had he not had to wear the uncomfortable accessories that showed his status. Everybody knew who he was, after all. He didn't really need to show who he was with uncomfortable garments. But according to Yamamoto, and his late grandfather's memory, he did. Just in case somebody forgot, which was highly unlikely.

The days went back to normal, as though nothing had happened. Sure, in the seclusion of his own home, Byakuya walked into walls that were supposed to be doors, and fell down stairs that weren't supposed to be there, since of course the manor had been changed around, but in the barracks, he was careful not to do anything like that. Although he had gotten lost once, he'd hidden it well, and nobody had managed to figure it out.

Everything was normal… And then Kaili informed him that she wanted to have a party. And since he couldn't say no to that face, he said yes. So now he was sitting in the newly repaired barracks watching everybody get drunk. Kaili was sulking because of this. She'd insisted on having apple juice, because apparently it was her favourite, but most had brought sake anyways.

In order to avoid being trampled, the only non-drinkers, Soi Fon, Nanao, Byakuya, Hitsugaya, Kaili, Unohana and Isane, were huddled in an abandoned corner, watching with fascinated horror.

"I didn't know that somebody's body could bend that way," Soi Fon observed softly, wincing.

"Trust me," Nanao replied tiredly. "Anybody can be a contortionist while they're drunk. They'll feel it in the morning though."

"Oh no…" Hitsugaya groaned. "Not the strip dancing! I'm never going to hear the end of this tomorrow. Matsumoto will have to replay the bits that she can remember in vivid detail."

"And there goes the table…" Isane commented drowsily, leaning her head on her knees. "I hope it wasn't important."

"Not important," Byakuya muttered. "Just expensive."

"Well that sucks then." Soi Fon said.

"Maybe."

"I don't like it." Kaili pouted. "I don't like it when people get drunk. They're only fun to other drunk people!" A burst of raucous laughter from Ikkaku only reinforced her conclusion.

"You're right," Unohana agreed. "But there isn't much to do about it now."

"What is Ikkaku doing to Yumichika?" Soi Fon asked, sounding as though she were mentally scarred for life. Byakuya quickly covered Kaili's eyes.

"What is it?" Kaili asked. "I wanna see!"

"Not a chance," Byakuya replied grimly. Isane toppled over sideways, sound asleep. Unohana chuckled softly, and shook her back awake.

"Wha-?" Isane asked sleepily.

"Come on," Unohana gently pulled her to her feet. "Let's go." She smiled down at Kaili, whose eyes were still covered, and didn't see. "Good bye Kaili. Thank you for the apple juice."

"Bye bye," Kaili waved in Unohana's general direction, and leaned back against Byakuya, obviously realizing that there was no way in hell that he would allow her to view the spectacle in front of them.

"I'm going too," Hitsugaya said. He patted Kaili's head with an uncharacteristic gentleness, waved, and tried to locate the exit. He was back several minutes later. "On second thought…" he began, "I'm just going to stay here. Less chance of being trampled to death." He shuddered. "Or be found by Matsumoto and nearly suffocated to death. Those things are weapons, I swear!"

Nanao and Soi Fon laughed. Kaili looked up at Byakuya, or tried to; he was still covering her eyes. "I don't get it. What things?"

"You'll understand when you're older," Byakuya told her calmly, although inside he was panicking. He definitely didn't want to be the one to give her The Talk. Maybe when the time came he'd hand her off to Unohana and tell her to take care of it. Or, if that didn't work, get Isane to help.

"So…" Soi Fon began awkwardly. "Now what?"

"We wait," Nanao was a veteran at this type of thing, having been dragged into some of Kyoraku's drinking parties. "And then, when everybody's either stumbled home, or passed out, we walk over their unconscious bodies, step on anybody we don't like, and leave."

"That or try to leave and be trampled." Hitsugaya added.

"Can I step on everybody?" Kaili asked Byakuya. "They didn't drink the apple juice so I don't like any of them."

"Maybe," Byakuya agreed, looking around for Renji. He found him, standing with Izuru and Shuhei. The three of them were laughing, looking on as Ikkaku and Yumichika did… Something. It involved large quantities of sake, a few shirts, and something that Byakuya could vaguely identify as a light sabre. He knew what the glowing 'sword' was called, but he had no clue what it came from. It had something to do with stars, and somebody called Darth though, he knew that much for a fact.

"So all we do is wait?" Soi Fon asked. "… Well this is boring."

They waited, and watched. The one good thing about all this, Byakuya reflected, was that he learned something new. Their tables couldn't stand up to fourteen people trying to strip dance on one at once.

Again, crappy ending but... Meh.

Still open to commissions! So, want something written? PM me =) Also, anybody who wants to draw pretty pictures for me, PM me =) That's really my answer to anything. PM me.

Revew? Please? To make me happy? If I'm happy I might not leave things until the last moment...

-Stormy

THIS IS SPARTA! (I haven't watched that movie either...)