And her I am again. I finally got this finished, well this chapter after all. I'm so sorry. I just forgot about it. Please, Review.

Love, Keta.

Chapter 2: Nebel (Rammstein)

And then he kissed her

Where the sea ends

Her lips, delicate and pale

And his eyes tear up

The last kiss was so long ago

The last kiss

He doesn't remember it anymore

Keta's POV: Saturday, 11:13

"Come on, Keta-chan! You need to take your pills!"

I sigh. "Just a minute, Alex! Let me finish the flowers!" I call and swipe the brush in oval like patterns. The opaque black centers dwindle in size as the stark white covers them little by little. Three hours have passed here in this fake field of flowers; my only company, a pale reflection of my brother for I cannot truly capture the beauty I see in him.

But still my imaginary brother has a beauty all on it's own. To show what a vampire, or even an arrancar as he is both, truly is, to show the beauty of the race is to show how beautiful my brother is.

Orihime Inoue saw it. Szayzel's seen it. Hell, even Nnoitora's seen it. My brother and his beauty.

They say I am beautiful too. But I am not, cannot have more beauty then he. A child with night black hair and snow white skin. Shining acid green eyes set in a deadened expression, seemingly only motivated when they see me. Dual colored lips, white and black. Night nails soaking and bleeding through the snow. And a sword, our mother, gleaming like the skin.

Oh, how I crave the beauty of my brother. To be around it, not to keep, just to be with him. For he is said to be beauty. And I am said to be the embodiment of love.

I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. I haven't seen him since our real mothers, Lucy and Rosiel helped me bring him back. It was so stupid of him to try and fight Ichigo; the man I have a date with.

I know, unorthodox and wrong. But he and his hollow remind me of the mates I lost, Ichigo and Ichimaru Karyushima. And any remnant of them helps keep me stable. That's why after all of these years I still have his jacket, the green and black one. I'm wearing it out today.

I sigh and walk out of my studio and down the hall to the main lobby where Alex and Chris work. I wave to my Brooklyn-born friend and continue up to where Alex and, is that? Yes, it is, Ryuken Ishida are. "Hello, Ms. Castlionia," he says with a quick bow.

"It's Keta, Ryuken. If you don't call me by my first name, I won't continue to call you by yours."

He smiles. "Alright… Keta." I beam at him and grab the pills from Alex's hand. Thank goodness, Saya made them small. Otherwise, dry swallowing would be a lot harder.

"So," I say, swallowing them, "what can I do for you today?"

"I was wondering if you could do a portrait of my son, Uryu and I." I nod. "Here's a picture."

I take a hold of it and smile softly. "He looks a lot like you." Inside my head, Spirit's oohing and awing, proclaiming how cute he is. "Ok, hush it," I whisper to the Dá Iiandāo, while trying to hold in my laughter. Ryuken's one of the only people, scratch that, normal people, minus the whole Quincy part, who talks to me. After all I'm the crazy woman, and I don't wanna have him see me the same way everyone else does.

"Keta! Don't you have somewhere to be?"

I turn around to see Maybel coming down the staircase to her office loft. She runs an hand through her teal and lavender hair, rustling the blessed cross headpiece. The Wiccan pulls me off to the side and thrusts a bag into my hands. "What's this?" I question, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"A protection from harm."

"Ichigo won't hurt me."

"Not from him, but from others." She brushes a strand of hair out of my face. "I care about you. Now be thankful I haven't attempted to track him down and preform and exorcism." I snort. "You know I would. But I find people are less likely to come outside, sleep, talk to people, get dressed near windows or doors and seem to like nachos a lot more after one. I really don't think you want me to do that to Kurosaki. Even though Lord Aizen may wish for his death."

I shake my head. "He doesn't want him dead. He says when the time arises for Ichigo choose between staying loyal to the Soul Society or defecting to the Arrancar, we will be upmost supportive if he defects. Even Grimmjow wants him to."

"But Grimmjow just wants to fight him."

"It's a start." I sigh. "I've got to go now. Bye, Maybel."

"Bye, Keta." I bid Ryuken a goodbye and race out of the studio. I don't want to be late.

Ichigo's POV, 12:22

I race to the fountain, hoping I make it in time. Stupid Grimmjow, always cutting in at the worst possible time. And Ulquiorra Schiffer, showing up to say that he'd kill me should I hurt Keta. Why?

Hollows don't care about their own kind, let alone humans. But he seemed actually worried for her. Does he? I wonder if he went to see her more than once? He had to. I mean how else could she have known to give him marshmallows. And why marshmallows?

At that moment I arrive at the fountain where Keta's once again sitting. She looks up, and a bright smile lights up her alabaster face. "Hello, Ichigo!"

"Hi, Keta." She hops up and takes my arm as she leads me into the crowd. 'Damn, she's fast.' We weave through the lunch hustle and bustle to a diner called Calypso's. "What's this place?" I ask when we slow to a walk.

"My favorite restaurant. Some of my friends work here." Keta leads me to a back corner near the kitchens and sets down. I take her lead and look at the menu. My God, some of this is expensive.

'What'd you expect?' Ichimaru asks.

'I dono. Maybe a cheaper date?' He sniggers.

Said date's laughter draws my attention. Her eyes are trained on my face, sapphire and cool. "I'm paying, Ichigo."

"But..."

"I get a discount here because of my..." she pauses to think of the appropriate word. "connections."

"Like what?"

She shakes her finger at me and says, "I can't tell you now."

"Why not?"

She gives me an almost snake-like smile. "Because," she whispers, coy and playful, "that'd ruin the game.' She giggles manically.

'Ask her if she likes games.'

"Do you games?" I ask.

"Yes! Games are the most amazing thing in the world!" She grins wide and gives me a scrutinous look. "Do you?"

"Yes."

'Ask her what kinds of games.'

'Why? Why don't you ask her?'

'You did not just ask that.'

'What?'

'I'm stuck inside of you, moron.'

'Oh, yeah. Temporarily forgot.'

'That's obvious.'

'Don't be an ass.'

'Too late. Now ask.'

'Okay!' I give her a smile and ask, "What kinds of games do you like?"

"Finding games," she whispers, "and war games. Actually, I love all kinds of games. What kinds of games do you like?'

"Any kind really."

"Good then we'll get along splendidly." She takes my hand in hers, squeezing slightly. About this time, a waitress comes out with our food, setting it in front of us. She lets go slowly, motioning for me to eat…

"Do you want to do this again sometime?"

She looks up at me, clearly surprised. "Sure," she answers after a few moments, surprise gone from her face. "When's good for you, Ichigo? For the most part, I can leave work whenever I want."

I think for a moment before answering. "How about tomorrow?"

She nods. "Do you want to go climbing?"

"Where?"

"In the abandoned part of the city."

"Okay."

She smile and leans up to kiss me on the cheek. "See you then, Ichigo."

"See you, Keta."

Keta's POV

'So… you've got another date.'

I roll my eyes. 'Yes, I do, Kanna.'

'Don't be a prat,' the hollow says, 'what do you think of him? Is he boyfriend material, like Ichigo and Ichimaru?'

'I think so. I think they are, but I don't think they remember me.'

'Oh, Keta.'

'It's okay. I can get them back I swear! I will.'

'And I'll hold you to it.'