Author's Note: So, I'm updating early because I may be out of a laptop at any time because I'm currently trying to sell mine. I may end up missing an update, or two. So if I end up missing an update, that's why. Hopefully it won't take long for my new laptop to arrive so keep your fingers crossed! So long as I have my laptop, I will continue to post on schedule. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 7

The swirling mist smelled of freshly bloomed cherry blossoms to his senses. Every time he took a breath, the gentle aroma filled his head more completely than the trees in his garden. Each breath, each lungful made him feel as if time was slowed. His energy wained to the point where he felt as if he couldn't resist, in fact, he knew that he couldn't, which meant that all he could do was watch and listen to the crimson eyed woman as she made her way around the circle.

After she had called upon her Bankai, she had begun her circle with Soi-Fon, whom at first, managed to resist the woman's advances, but ultimately had succumbed when the woman had forcefully gripped her cheeks and heaved a heavy breath of mist directly into her mouth. The crimson eyed woman then moved to the youngest of them, being that of Tōshirō Hitsugaya. She had cooed at his young face, his youth, claiming how she felt a bit wrong by advancing on him, but with the last vestiges of his being, the young Captain had told her to proceed. She did with the tenderest of kisses that bled the mist into his mouth and withdrew the light from his near glowing turquoise eyes.

She had made her way around the circle, kissing each of them with the same passion and desire she had done so on Kyōraku during the captains meeting. Kenpachi didn't resist whatsoever and, to the shock of those whom hadn't been taken yet, Retsu Unohana had even seemed to kiss back in the last moment before she was pulled into the illusionary cage. The crimson eyed woman had even nose nuzzled Sajin Komamura before exhaling a small cloud of mist into his face that promptly vanished through his snout.

Now, there were only three of them left, and the crimson eyed woman had come to Shunsui Kyōraku with a sultry smile on her face that clearly said she was pleased to be given the chance to kiss the man again.

"I don't think I'll ever be tired of your lips." She whispered, her face close enough to his that her breath drifted across his stubble covered skin.

His eyes blurry, the man stretched his neck up, bringing his lips to hers once again. Their kiss lasted for several moments, one that was mutual, but just like the others, his eyes too, lost their light and faded into dull splotches of color across a white field.

Byakuya looked to his right with eyes just as blurry as the woman came to stand in front of Jūshirō Ukitake, where she knelt down in front of him and softly floated her hands over his hair and down his neck.

"This will not be unpleasant." She said softly as her fingertips drifted beneath his top to graze over his pale skin.

"It's not... the comfort... I worry about." Ukitake said, his throat filling with the slightest of gulps as his eyes struggled to focus through the blur that the sweet smell had caused.

With a playful smile, she softly ran a finger down his lips, "Do not worry."

With a soft and airy sigh, she closed the distance between them, her lips delicately covering his as her hands came to rest on either side of his neck. Ukitake's hands had even risen to come to rest in the same position against her own as they kissed, which he had clearly begun to participate in.

As she pulled away, the trailing edges of the mist left her body and filled the man's lungs, never once causing him to cough as his eyes became void of consciousness. He too had become a drone under her sole command.

"Oh, how I've been waiting for this." The woman breathed, having turned her attention to Byakuya as she crawled to him like a cat stalking its prey.

"Why?" Byakuya managed to ask, his head becoming almost too heavy to keep up.

"You have skin made of velvet that is soft and perfect, and your hair is made of the finest silk. Your eyes glisten as if they are made from the moon themselves and your entire body is satan wrapped steel. I just want to run my fingers over your entire form until I cease to exist." The woman purred, licking her upper lip to clean it of her previous kiss.

"Let her... have control." Byakuya said, his voice alien to his own ears.

The woman crawled forward until her lips were against his neck, and despite wanting to resist, wanting to push her away, he couldn't. His head had even lolled to the side to give her better access to his flesh. He felt her lips place ultra soft kisses to his neck, up in a line until they reached his ear where her hot breath drifted from those tender lips.

"I can't give control to someone who doesn't want it." She whispered, placing another soft kiss to his earlobe.

He opened his mouth to speak, but his tongue couldn't form the needed words. His breath was heavy, hot even, thick from having been entranced by the heavenly scent that had put him in this state. He didn't even have the resolve to stop himself from reaching up to place his hand on the nape of her neck and bring her to him, hovering just above his lips with her forehead against his.

"Why... do I feel... like this?" He asked, his voice airy and the words nearly lost in each exhale.

"An aspect of my Bankai. It keeps my multiple victims from acting up while I turn them." She whispered, her breath sweet and smelling just like the mist.

Unable to continue, he used what strength he had left to pull their lips together. His world erupted into a swirl, dizzying and absolute as if caught in the torrent of a storm. His lips danced with hers, hot and slick, with their tongues battling for control that he seemed to be losing. The scent of cherry blossoms grew even thicker as what remained of his consciousness told him the mist was entering his body. He could taste it, feel it in his lungs and it was at that moment his world went dark.

Byakuya's eyes shot open as he sprang bolt upright in bed, finding that he had been moved to the master bedroom some time during the night. The air was warm, comfortably so, and he could clearly see that it was well into the daylight hours by how the sun's light hit the sliding door of his room. He had no idea how long he had been asleep, so he made to get up and reached for his morning robes that he instantly tied around himself.

He slid the door open to reveal a sunbathed garden that was alive with birds, cherry blossoms and fish that played in the perfect pond. The branches of the trees slowly swayed to the breeze's lead, filling the air with a gentle rustle that echoed within the breeze itself, carried on whispers that stretched from horizon to horizon.

He took a step forward out into the sun, his bare feet becoming swathed in the heat of the sun's rays as he looked around for any sign of life other than that of the birds that had nested in his trees. There was no one around, not a soul, so he stepped out into the garden and relished in the feel of the soft grass against his chilled skin.

"What happened last night?" He asked himself as he began to walk along the stone path that encircled his pond.

"There you are, My Darling." Said a voice from behind him.

At the sound of the voice, he froze where he stood, hesitating to turn around. He knew that voice, knew that sound that could send his mind splitting in every direction. He knew the lips it came from, knew the throat, knew the tongue that said every word and it was a sound that had haunted his dreams.

However, it was that very same sound that willed him to turn around to see the woman standing behind him with feather, shoulder length black hair that curled around her pretty face. Her eyes were large and a warm shade of violet, her skin pale, but warm at the same time. Her small figure was wrapped in a lightweight pink and purple kimono that hugged her curves better than water in a bath ever could. He knew this woman, this small woman with eyes filled with love that were looking back at him.

She was his wife.

"Hisana?" He exhaled, his silver eyes wide with disbelief.

"Of course, My Darling. I was wondering when you'd wake." She smiled as she trotted up to him and wrapped her arms around his larger frame.

It was her. The way she acted, the way she hugged him, the way she felt against him. His arms instantly snaked around her and lifted her off her feet with ease, burying his nose into her sun warmed hair for a breath that was entirely comprised of her scent. She weighed the same, smelt the same, was the same.

"Hisana, where have you been?" He asked, setting her down, but keeping his hands on either side of her soft jawline to stroke her cheeks with his thumbs.

"Looking for my sister, of course." Hisana said, resting her delicate hands over his.

"Did you find her?" Byakuya asked, not even giving her a chance to answer as his lips crushed down on hers.

The sound of her laugh against his lips sent his heart a flutter, the mere sound of it enough to send a roaring wave crashing down his spine. He kept her there for several moments before releasing her lips and giving her a chance to speak, keeping his forehead to hers out of sheer desire to have her as close as possible.

"Yes... Yes, Byakuya, I did." She said, smiling even wider and with a newly formed glassy sheen over her eyes that he would have missed if he hadn't been so close.

"You found Rukia?" He gasped, swiping a thumb beneath her eye to capture a soft tear that was camouflaged by her skin.

"Yes." She continued to smile.

The sound of a laughing child drew his attention, seeing a small, beaming little one running towards them. Her face was hers, it was his adopted sister's, but she was so much younger than he had thought. She was but a child with big bright violet eyes and equally as big a smile.

"Nii-sama! Nii-sama!" The little girl beamed as she ran into his awaiting arms.

He swept her up and held her close, hugging her as if afraid she would vanish if he let her go. The little girl giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, still giggling, still smiling and as he lovingly rubbed her small back, his silver eyes began to sting.

"Rukia... You've gotten so big." He said softly, resting his cheek against her feathery black hair.

The little girl sat up, still with her beaming smile in place and rested her tiny hands against his cheeks.

"Of course, Nii-sama!" She giggled.

At the sight of it all, he couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face and in all honesty, he didn't want to.

"Oh! She's not the only one who's gotten big. Feel!" Hisana smiled as she grabbed his hand.

The smile that the little Rukia had caused fumbled as Hisana placed his hand over her belly that he only then noticed was pushed out through the fabric of her robes. His eyes filled with more barely contained tears as the barest of thumps kicked against his palm.

No... No, this can't be! This can't be real! His mind raced as the tears began to fall.

As if all of it couldn't be any more unreal, more giggling children's voices began to fill the garden to break his train of thought.

"Daddy!"

"Daddy!"

The pair of voices belonged to a small boy and a small girl, both with midnight hair and eyes of silver and violet. They ran and played through the garden as they made their way to him, laughing, beaming with true happiness until they plowed into his legs and attached themselves to each one.

"We love you, Daddy!" The small children sang, their voices music to his ears.

"Wanna go play tag?" Little Rukia asked, looking down from her high perch in his arms.

"Yeah!" The boy and girl shouted.

Byakuya knelt down and set Rukia on her little feet, and the three little children ran off into the garden, chasing each other as they laughed and played. His heart was racing, slamming against his chest as if it was trying to punch a hole through him. This couldn't be real, couldn't exist. It was too perfect, but the sheer torrent of emotions that was washing over him was too much to consider otherwise. This is what he wanted, to wake up to a family with smiling faces and love in their vibrant eyes.

"Is something wrong, My Darling?" Hisana asked as she leaned into him and rested a hand on his barely covered chest.

Yes... Yes there is. "No, My Dear. Everything is... perfect." He said, his smile nearly completely gone as he wrapped an arm around her petite shoulders.

"I'm glad to hear it." Hisana said as she rested her temple against his chest to listen to his racing heart.

He didn't want to admit it to her out of the fear of causing her worry, but something was, indeed, wrong. Something that he couldn't place. He couldn't think about what it was however. There was no thought, no realization as to what could be causing this ache in his heart that thumped along with each pump. The air was real, the feel of the warm day against his skin was real and she was real; They were all real. But he just couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

Just as he had reserved himself to forget the ill feeling, the edges of his vision began to blur with hazy black, swirling, dancing in inky circles that were closing in on his vision. His head spun and he stumbled to the ground as a pain in his head spiked and roared as if he stood beneath a thundering waterfall. His ears rung, his chest tightened and it took everything he had to keep from collapsing into a trembling heap on the grass.

"Darling? What's wrong?" Hisana asked, crouching beside him with worry clear in her soft tone.

"I-I don't know." Byakuya groaned, clawing at his hair as if it would help to steady the unstable sensation coursing through him.

The pain in his chest erupted to the point where he couldn't bite back the growl of pain from escaping his throat. His teeth clenched hard, only adding fuel to the fire in his head and he couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't stay up on all fours.

Giving up, he collapsed to the ground just as the world darkened and finished closing in on him.

Byakuya fell forward onto the bamboo mat that covered the training room floor, his chest heaving with breaths that nearly instantly turned stale in his panting lungs. His head throbbed and his skin felt oddly warm and cold like he was stricken with fever. His forehead was caked with sweat that beaded down his skin and soaked into his hair, making it clump to his face in uncomfortable dreads.

He slowly pushed himself up, only then feeling the wet heat just beneath his nose. He dabbed his fingers against it and pulled his hand away, bringing the blood into view, but it was only a small trickle that had stopped before he had even realized his nose was bleeding.

"Here." Said a soft voice in the darkness, holding out a small piece of cloth in a delicate, yet trembling hand.

Byakuya looked up to see Nyruki, golden yellow eyes looking down on him with a thick shield of tears covering each one. He took the cloth and dabbed his nose as he took a moment to take in what was around him.

All the other captains lay sprawled out on the floor, most having passed out from exhaustion, but some where simply laying on their sides trying to catch their breath that heaved in and out. He looked over to Ukitake and Kyōraku to see that Ukitake was being supported by the latter, whom was rubbing his back, and the white haired man was supporting his own head in one hand while he breathed into a cloth held in the other.

"What happened?" Byakuya asked, his voice more ragged than he would have liked as he fully sat down and tried to catch his breath.

"I had... an attack." Ukitake said with a thick accent of hoarseness that was easily heard, even through the cloth over his mouth.

"When?" Byakuya asked.

"During the illusion." He admitted, his eyes shifting over to look at him with a pained haze that made Byakuya's chest ache.

Byakuya shifted his gaze back up to Nyruki, whom had gone to tend to each captain. Soi-Fon, Hitsugaya and Kenpachi were all fast asleep in various positions with their breathing hoarse and sped up. Unohana had slumped over against Sajin Komamura whom had simply fallen backwards onto his back with arms spread eagle and Kyōraku continued to tend to Ukitake, but he too had a small, thread thin stream of blood that trailed around his mouth to the point of his sharp chin.

There was no forgetting what he had seen, what he had experienced whilst under the Zanpakutō's illusions. His eyes continued to sting just as they had been, threatening to pour tears down his face in a war that he was very much losing and no amount of his near unbeatable resolve was going to change that. He was awash with anger, hatred, love and affection; All of it battled within him without a care of the damage they were causing.

The only thing that served to distract him from the storm was when Nyruki, her own tears already plunging down her cheeks, knelt down in front of him with a defeated slouch.

"I-I'm sorry." She quietly sobbed, her shoulders slumped and her head hung that dangled her sweat clumped hair in front of her face to shield it from view.

"She showed me perfection." Byakuya said, his voice cracking from the emotion that he was struggling to bring back under his control.

"She showed us all perfection, Kuchiki." Said Kyōraku, finally dabbing the blood from his nose with the back of his hand.

"Why do our noses drip blood?" Byakuya asked, dabbing once more to make sure the flow had stopped, which it had.

"You can't stay under Kibōyūwaku's hold for too long. It's the start of becoming locked in her illusions when your noses start to bleed." Nyruki said, never once looking up from the floor to allow him to see her face.

"I was only there for a few minutes!" Byakuya snapped angrily, unable to stop his voice from rising. His eyes were wild, angry and his teeth were clenched down hard.

"You where under for five hours." Nyruki said, shaking.

The wind had gotten sucked from his sails as he slumped from his energy reserves being nearly exhausted. That couldn't be right, but as he looked towards the closed doors of the training room, the silver moonlight that had been there at the start, was gone. The moon had changed its position in the black sky.

She was right.

Through all the battling, the struggling to keep his emotions in check and return to the stature that was his shield, he lost the war as those very tears leapt from his eyes for real.

With both hands covering his face, the great, expressionless Byakuya Kuchiki, 28th head of the Kuchiki clan and Captain of the 6th Division, sobbed into his hands.

"She was your wife." Nyruki said softly, still unmoving from her spot in front of him as he sobbed.

Byakuya simply nodded, never lifting his head from his hands.

"She died about fifty years ago." Kyōraku said, rubbing Ukitake's back as the softest of coughs shook through him. The last remnants of his attack.

"She died in front of me during the plum blossom bloom." Byakuya mumbled, finally lifting his head to look at Nyruki with tear stained cheeks.

"I know." Nyruki said.

Byakuya's brows instantly pulled down hard into an angry sneer, "How would you know?" He barked loudly.

The sudden snap from her Captain made her jump backwards, landing on her backside and still with falling tears that clung to her jaw.

"Byakuya!... Relax." Ukitake hissed, looking over but never once removing his head from his hand, his eyes blurry and face tear stricken.

Ukitake was right in that he needed to calm down, as it wasn't her fault. He had to remind himself of that several times before he could release the tension in his brow. It took a moment, but eventually, he was able to as Nyruki continued.

"I know everything she showed you... What she showed to everyone. I felt every emotion, every injury-" She was interrupted.

"Injury?" Byakuya exhaled with the return of a mild crinkle in his brow, but this time, it was not born of anger.

With a soft sniffle, Nyruki simply reached up and carefully tugged aside the hem of her top, revealing an angry red, but clean cut across her collarbone. It wasn't bleeding, but by all accounts, should be because it appeared deep, even in the darkness.

"What happened?" Byakuya asked, shifting his eyes up to hers in time to see the painful wince as the cloth of her top returned over the cut.

"Captain Zaraki. He has its twin." Nyruki said ultra softly and with another soft sniffle.

Byakuya looked passed her at the monster of a man passed out on his side. Even in the dark, he could see the slash across the man's chest, but his had bled, staining his tattered captain's haori with deep crimson.

"If we're injured, you're injured?" Byakuya asked, sitting up straight and back on his heels as he dabbed his forehead dry with the cloth.

"Kibōyūwaku says it wouldn't normally be that way, that if I was in control, I could pick and choose whose illusions I see and I won't be hurt, but since I'm not, it's not my choice." Nyruki said, her sobs quieting as she just sat still, not wanting to agitate her wound.

"All the more reason for you to gain control." Byakuya said with an uncharacteristic sniffle that was so light, most would have missed hearing it.

Nyruki nodded, "I understand, Captain."

Byakuya used the cloth one last time to dry his face from the lingering tears and he was relieved that he was given that semblance of self control. It had been a long time since tears were seen by anyone other than his own eyes, and he would very much like to keep it that way.

However, his own feelings were pushed into the back of his mind when Nyruki began to sway in front of him, teetering despite being knelt on her knees. She was having difficulty staying upright and he could see it, clearly, in her golden eyes that she was fading and fast.

"Are you alright?" He asked, finally being able to even his breathing so he wasn't panting for breath.

Nyruki nodded, but the action spent the last of what she had left. She fell forward, only to be caught when Byakuya reached out his arms to keep her from falling face first into his chest. That proved an impossible feat, as his own strength was on its last legs and she slumped against him with her ear over his heart and his hands gripping her shoulders.

"I'm... so... tired." Nyruki breathed, just allowing herself to sink against him, as she didn't have the energy to right herself, let alone care.

"As... am I." Byakuya whispered, unable to get his voice any louder.

Before anything else could be said, he looked over just as Ukitake and Kyōraku both slumped onto the floor, unconscious, with their breathing even and unlabored. Nyruki soon followed, as he could tell when her muscles completely gave up trying to keep her up. The dead weight of her against him felt like a boulder, as his strength was completely exhausted. He fell backwards onto his back with Nyruki slipping from his grasp, rolling off of him to lay at his side with her head resting against the outside of his hip. He wanted to care about it, but that would require energy that he just didn't have. Every limb was heavy, even his head which had lolled to the side out of sheer lack of ability to keep it up. He had nothing left and with the tank finally empty, his eyelids closed into a dreamless sleep. A blissfully dreamless sleep.