Hey guys, so I won't ramble this time, because I honestly don't feel up to it. I'll just say this: First, the last scene of this chapter made my heart melt, and lastly, I'm not prideful like our favorite noble, so i'm not above begging for feedback. I know I updated quickly, but it's only the first week of school, so the work load hasn't really kicked in/my ass yet. I'm going to need your support to keep up the motivation since I'm both a full time student and worker.

Song: "Let It Be Me," By Ray LaMontagne.

A Crepuscular Serendipity

Serendipity(n): an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

xXx

"Now, I remember all too well

just how it feels to be all alone.

You feel like you'd give anything

for just a little place you can call your own

That's when you need someone,

someone that you, you can call.

When all your faith is gone.

It feels like you cant go on

Let it be me.

Let it be me.

If it's a friend you need,

let it be me,"

On a night like any other, something strange occurred in the Kuchiki manor. Since the war, Byakuya had fallen victim to countless nightmares and restless sleep. Tonight was no exception. However, these typical terrors took a rather exceptional turn.

An invisible molester, a touch-less entity, began to mark Byakuya's body as it's own. First there was a shock, a tingling sensation that lit up every cell. Then there was a fuzziness, a creeping numbness that slowly claimed the nobleman's entire frame. His tongue became heavy and ballooned, filling his mouth until all he could do was vainly contort his lips. Suddenly, he began sinking into the depths of the futon, the cruel hard press of his unseen invader sitting upon his chest, submerging him into the darkness that shrouded him.

Finally, his eyes fluttered, them too unable to stay open as if they were weighed down by sinkers. To his astonishment, when his eyes managed to fight against the force that so desperately tried to possess him, he saw the moonlit out lines of his chambers. Shadows casted by his cherry wood dressers placed just how he remembered them could be viewed from his place on the futon.

Immediately, he attempted to move, only to find both his body and lips frozen, encapsulated and descending deeper into the futon like a glacier swallowed by the fathomage of a needy ocean.

These persistent arms that engulfed him, they attempted to coax him into surrender, to close his eyes and allow the pull to drag him back to it's infernal sanctum. It was almost as if, if he let go, stopped trying to fight it's insistence, accept his lack of control, he'd find peace in the clutches that imprisoned him. Only Byakuya did not trust the touch. It was malignant and intangible in it's strength and surrounded him in such an oppressive manner. Even unable to feel the grasp, it was cold and irradiated with dangerous intent. It would do him nothing but harm.

Fruitlessly, he attempted to move, thrashings and screaming, but nothing left him but muffled attempts. That's when he heard it, a harrowing cackle and the wails of an infant. Without needing to look, he knew someone was there. He could sense him in the room, looming, watching. Somehow, he knew the man was coming to prod him in his openness. This man, there was nothing good that could be yielded from his presence.

His eye's shifted frantically in search for the faceless visitor. From his peripheral he caught glimpses, flashes of hair and an almost formless build. He could feel his vengeful grin, his hatred, as he crept closer.

An abject terror filled him as he flailed harder, jutting his body in hopes it would unwillingly release him from this hold that embraced him. He needed to reach his zanpakuto. He needed to hurry, because surely, this man wanted to steal him away, feast on his skin, bath in his blood. Byakuya was certain, tonight he was going to die.

xXx

Completely exhausted, Ichigo dragged himself towards his current room within the Kuchiki mansion after some late night training with Ishida. He was grumbling about how the whole manor was too damn big, and, if he didn't use shunpo, it could seem like an hour to get in between any two points.

At the time, he had been dragging his feet, too sleep induced to flash away. However, that all flipped in an instant when he sensed the raging reiryoku of Byakuya Kuchiki geysering, flooding the dimly lit corridors. The all enduring peacefulness of Byakuya's energy taking such a drastic change was enough to cause Ichigo's hair to stand and heart to palpitate in hard, short thumps.

Sleepiness was completely forgotten as his body reacted, and Ichigo went zipping towards the foreboding pressure. The idea of something or someone making Byakuya of all people out lash in fright made Ichigo meet records speeds. A terror of his own filled the orange haired man as he rushed through the estate.

Imagine his surprise when he bursted abruptly through Byakuya's quarters to find the man asleep on his cherrywood platform - lifted futon. Ichigo tilted his head dubiously and took a few careful steps until he noticed the noble's arms were twitching in an odd yet barely perceivable manner.

It was obvious that whatever happened, though it wasn't imminently dangerous, was not normal nor right.

With this in mind, Ichigo took quick steps to the futon and sat on the edge right by Byakuya's waist. Grabbing both of his shoulders, he shook the man vigorously and called out his name.

It wasn't until the third time that Byakuya jolted up and immediately grasped onto the fabric of Ichigo's uniform, heaving and panting as if someone had been choking him in his sleep. He leaned his head against Ichigo's chest, feeling the most disconcerted he'd felt since his fight with As Nodt.

Ichigo looked at the hands that clutched onto him, almost as if they were trying to gauge reality through touching anything palpable. The touch was dire, anchoring, and Ichigo realized Byakuya's fingers convulsed like a seizure.

He ran a soothing, steadying caress across Byakuya's hand and down his forearm. Gently, he asked, "Hey, Byakuya, are you okay? Your reiryoku was flaring all over the place. I was worried about you."

Byakuya released the man as if he finally realized, embarrassingly so, what he was doing and slid back, bringing his knees up and closer to his chest. The look of pure confusion on Byakuya's face distressed Ichigo.

"Was someone here?" he asked suddenly

Ichigo's mixed glare of concern and puzzlement doubled at the question. "No..? Byakuya, I came in and you were by yourself sleeping. I'd say you must have had a really bad dream, but I've never known someone's reiryoku to surge like that over a nightmare."

"I.." the man faltered. Remembering how he could see for those few fleeting moments and how he no longer could, Byakuya stiffened his face and said, "Yes, it must have been a nightmare. I am sorry to have disturbed you, Kurosaki."

Ichigo looked more than unconvinced as he reasoned, "But you've had nightmares before, and it's never been like that. You seemed really shaken up and confused about where you were, so what actually happened?"

He noticed the way Byakuya coiled his knees even closer to his body and backed further on the futon. It was almost as if he was trying to fold himself up, make himself smaller, and Ichigo thought he'd never seen the other man look so troubled. It was both a worrisome and amazing thing to behold, a vulnerable and graceless Byakuya bath by the moon's emanation. He seemed oddly human, and Ichigo didn't understand why he found captivation in those fallibilities.

"It just seemed so very really," Byakuya sighed deeply and closed his eyes before brushing aside some strands of raven that disrupted his face. "As if I was.." he struggled to find the right word, "suspended between sleep and awareness. I kept sinking. I could see and feel everything that surrounded me, but I could not move nor talk..and there was someone in the room." Huffing in frustration, he concluded, "It was only a dream. This is all."

Ichigo netted his brow and shook his head definitively. "No, it's not. That's sleep paralysis. I didn't know soul's could get that."

Byakuya couldn't help the sardonic huff he gave in response. "Aptly named. What is this exactly?"

Ichigo chewed on his lip and looked as if he was struggling to remember for a moment. "Eh, It's a phenomenon that happens when people sleep. We kind've skimmed over it in my psychology class. It's not dangerous or anything, but supposedly it causes you to hallucinate and your muscles to stop responding. I remember the textbook saying something about how the patient would describe the feeling as waking up dead.." Ichigo scowled a bit, "Really weird stuff."

"Do you know if it is recurring?" Byakuya asked firmly.

"Depends on the person and the reason," Ichigo explained with a yawn. "That's really all I know about it."

Byakuya gave a nod of understanding. "Very well."

"Maybe you should talk to that clan doctor you have," Ichigo suggested. "You barely sleep as it is, and I can tell it really got to you."

"Nonsense, it was just some glorified nightmare," Byakuya challenged. "I shall be fine."

Ichigo sighed at how ridiculously prideful Byakuya could be, even at the expense of his own health. The man was already surviving on about three to four hours of sleep a night as is, and if Fujita's motherly concern was correct, that sleep was anything but restful.

"Pfh," Ichigo scoffed, "let's see how fine you are when you pass out from ex-" Ichigo stopped himself as he noticed Byakuya lifting from his futon. "Hey, aren't you going back to sleep? You have to be up in a couple of hours."

Truthfully, in the solitude of his own mind, Byakuya could admit that being so out of control of his body was..frightening. He was both metaphorically and literally paralyzed by fear, and that brought back memories of his fight with As Nodt and the way inescapable fear seeped into his body and ate at him from the inside. His own psyche became his downfall, himself his own worst enemy.

Though this admission brought no solace. He was a captain of the gotei, a war survivor for kami sakes, and here he was, running from sleep like a child afraid of monsters in the dark.

None the less, it had rattled him, and falling back into that suffocating hold of his own mind was a daunting thought.

"As you said, I will have to awaken in a couple of hours. I see no reason to attempt sleep now."

Ichigo, becoming as acclimatized to Byakuya's bull shit as he was, saw through the noble's attempts to sound cool and collective. "Just because it happened once doesn't necessarily mean it'll happen again."

"That has nothing to do with i-"

"I'm going to make you some tea," Ichigo stated simply, turning on his heels with a ridiculing roll of the eyes.

"I did not ask yo-"

"Sorry, can't hear you over how MANY SHITS I DON'T GIVE ABOUT WHAT YOU WANT!"

Byakuya practically growled in the privacy of his room. Sometimes he felt foolish for the level of comfort he'd allowed between them. As it was, it went against his nature to allow anyone to talk to him that way. Then again, he couldn't deny that he in fact enjoyed it. He enjoyed someone who was not fearful of his draconian speech and nobility and someone who could challenge his veneer, confidently opposing the contemptuous persona Byakuya clung too. It was humbling, a reality check, but still, severely irritating at times.

When Ichigo returned, Byakuya was sitting on his deck looking aimlessly out into the night. Ichigo, now feeling the weight of his own sleep deprivation, thrusted the cup of tea into the noble' s hands.

With a sigh, Byakuya nodded and took a sip of the piping beverage. At the unusual taste, he ran a tongue over his mouth in contemplation. "Something is different," he noted.

"I put warm milk in it," Ichigo explained with a yawn. "That's how my mom use to make it when I couldn't sleep."

Byakuya dipped his head towards the tea cup clasped between two hands and enjoyed the heat that radiated through his palms. When he said nothing, Ichigo sneered, "What? Not up to your taste?"

Byakuya gave a sharp shake of the head. "No, I find it quite enjoyable. Thank you."

Ichigo's face softened a bit, and he felt a weird fluttering in his chest that had only occurred since the end of the war. "It's no big deal. I'm going to bed, and you should too." When Byakuya went to open his mouth, Ichigo cut him off, "Yeah, I know, you don't need to be told what to do. You're so damn predictable." Stomping off, Ichigo said, "Now that we got that out of the way, get some sleep!" Before he could get a word in, Ichigo was gone. "Insolent brat," Byakuya groused before taking another sip of his tea. He finished his cup full, but decided to stay awake all the same.

xXx

"Byakuya!" Ichigo snapped. "Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!"

The noble jolted in his seat, shaking himself awake. Immediately, his eyes fought against his own will power and started to close once more. "There is no need to yell, Kurosaki Ichigo, I was merely resting my eyes."

Ichigo gave a patronizing scoff. "Yeah, and your head's going to rest on that desk when it slams right into it, and you're going to be in tough shit if you get a concussions, because then you really won't be able to sleep."

"You are being dramatic," Byakuya put off. It had been two days since Byakuya had woken in such a manic state, and though he attempted sleep every night since, every night the same thing would happen. It had began to lose its fright, but over all, it had been eating away at the noble's sanity. Ichigo had lost his patience with it.

"Byakuya!" he began as he slammed his palm down on the desk, "sleep deprivation isn't something to screw around with. It can kill you! I get how prideful you are, but when that pride gets in the way of doing what's important to you, that's when it becomes a detriment."

Byakuya would have thrown Ichigo one of his stern, militant glares, but his eyes were much too floaty to corporate. Truthfully, he knew Ichigo was right. He couldn't continue on like this for much longer. His body was weak, and he felt sick to the touch. More so, his duties were important, too important to let something so trivial impede his productivity.

Ichigo added, "I thought you would have learned that by now."

Something in those words and the silence that followed stung the noble, as if picking at an old wound. Their meaning was suspended heavily in between them. It was quite clear Ichigo was alluding to Rukia's execution where his once virtuous pride grew into an untamable beast that alienated anyone dear to him.

"So if you don't go willingly , I'll drag you to the clan doctor myself!"

"I will go," Byakuya conceded.

"Don't argue on this, because I will do it."

"Kurosa-"

"How do you plan to keep your training up!?"

"Kurosaki!" Byakuya snapped, finally earning the teen's attention. It took all of Byakuya not to laugh, and for that, he was sure the lack of sleep was driving him to delirium. "I said, I will go."

"Oh," Ichigo gaped, straightening up,

"We-well good! You've been grumpy as hell the last two days, and it's irritating me."

"Now you see how people feel about your grouchy disposition," Byakuya shot back sedately. Having managed to reply with his usual derisive wit, and in such a time of physical and mental fatigue, he couldn't help but to feel a bit proud.

"Yeah, well, if you have time to make jokes, you have time to go see the clan doctor now!" Ichigo scowled.

Pointing towards his paperwork, Byakuya began, "I need to fin-"

"No buts! I'm going to tell Fujita-san to summon the guy before you can change your mind."

Within twenty minutes, the clan doctor had arrived and was examining the Kuchiki lord in the seating area outside of his quarters. "Sleep paralysis, you say?" the healer asked, moving his gaze between the noble and Ichigo.

"That was Kurosaki Ichigo's diagnosis. I myself have never heard of such a thing," Byakuya explained, curbing the urge to let lose a tactless yawn.

The doctor rubbed on his chin thoughtfully. "From your description, that would sound about correct. It's extremely common in humans, not so much in souls, but it certainly isn't out of the realm of possibility."

'Something humans only usually have, I bet Byakuya will love that.' Ichigo bit back an amused snort.

"Yes, well," Byakuya sighed, closing his eyes, "how do I cure this, Akio-san?"

"Cure?" Aiko echoed, "That's..well, not possible. Think of it like a tumor that has gone into remission. It may never flare up again, but there's no sure fire way of making sure it never will return again. I can give you options that can remedy it, and hopefully, make it go away."

When Byakuya nodded his head, Aiko asked, "Now, tell me, Lord Kuchiki, have you been sleeping well prior to this event?"

Shortly, Byakuya responded, "I have not."

"Any specific reason?"

"Nightmares."

Aiko nodded his head curiously. "I see, and have you been under any particular amount of stress lately?"

Byakuya briefly thought back to the meeting with the elders. He was above lying, but in no way would he begin to delve into that.

"I am newly blind, a tachiou, a clan head, and the war has just ended," Byakuya deadpanned, "I would be troubled if I were not stressed." Aiko's lips curled into a knowing smile. "And as vague as ever. These nightmares," the doctor dug, "do they pertain to the war?"

The clan head hesitated briefly. "Yes."

"I see. Well, I'll be blunt with you, Lord Kuchiki, there are some small things that can help." Sternly, he suggested, "Getting more sleep would be a great start. Six hours a night would be ideal."

"Preposterous," Byakuya huffed.

"I thought you would say that."

"See," Ichigo pointed out, "I told you you're predictable."

Byakuya just gave a reprimanding huff as the doctor continued, "Not doing any work an hour before you fall to sleep would be helpful too."

"Do you have any suggestions that are actually doable," the noble sighed.

"Yes, but I already know you're not going to like it." Setting a more serious tone, Aiko explained, "This specific sleep issue is caused by an interruption in your sleep cycle. As you know it can cause hallucinations and your muscles to constrict, and it's often the cause of restless sleep. It's also much more common in those with high levels of stress and trauma because a scarred mind often plays out in ones sleep as a means of relief, especially for those who do not cope when they are awake. I believe you're suffering from some degree of post traumatic stress, and if you want to see a prolonged change in your sleep, I would highly suggest seeing one of the clan counselors."

Seeing that the noble's eyes went cleaved ever so slightly, Aiko said, "I hate to bring up bad memories, Lord Kuchiki, but you indeed almost died. You may say that this is normal for a soldier in the Gotei, but I would have to disagree, because in reality, it wasn't an almost scenario." A pause. "You did die. It was only the divine power's of the Zero Squad that resurrected you. You must understand how mentally taxing that can be." Softly, Aiko uttered, "People are not suppose to come back from that.."

Ichigo flinched at those barely discernible words, as they rang with a truth that was all too intimate for his liking. He, too, had died, and if it wasn't for him morphing into that savage, mindless hollow, he wouldn't be here having this conversation today. The doctor was right, people weren't suppose to return from that, because you never return quite the same, only fragments of the person you were. Ichigo had never spoken about it, because he knew no one would understand. No one would get what it felt like to slip into that cold nothingness, only to be yanked back out. He couldn't phantom telling other's that he actually felt some degree of relief and calm to finally be granted rest and a degree of disappointment to have such peace tauntingly dangled in front of him, only to have it ripped away.

Except for Byakuya, that is. He was the only other person Ichigo knew who had actually died and came back, and he had in fact died, because if Ichigo had thought there was even a glimmer of hope he'd survive, he would have found help that day. Even the research and development department concluded Byakuya had expired. Ichigo supposed this was one more tragedy that linked the two. He wondered if Byakuya even had time to understand or process the reality of what happened to him. He'd immediately went straight back into war, single minded and resolute Byakuya was. Then, when all the blood had been shed and every enemy had fallen, he awoken to find that his friend and comrade weren't the only thing he'd lost to the war. It wouldn't surprise Ichigo to know he'd yet to deal or even acknowledge what had transpired. It was probably easier to just try and forget.

After sitting in a tense silence for a moment, Byakuya concluded, "Very well, I will consider it."

The doctor wore a resigned expression. "Right, well, as for today, I want you to spend it resting."Before Byakuya could say anything to the contrary, Aiko stressed, "This is doctor's orders, and you know that I have no problem reporting you if you do not follow through."

At the way Byakuya immediately closed his mouth, Ichigo couldn't help but to think he liked this guy. "Thank you, Aiko-san. Now if you and Kurosaki Ichigo would show yourself out, I will try to get some rest."

As Aiko spoke his farewells, Ichigo glowered sadly. He noticed the way Byakuya had kept his eyes closed for the majority of the appointment, and it was clear he was trying to hide the emotions that filtered through him.

When the two stepped through the door and began to walk down the long entrance hallway, Ichigo uttered lowly, "He's not going to talk to that counselor, is he?" Aiko smiled ruefully. "You're rather keen to him, yes, Kurosaki-san? You two must be rather close."

Ichigo's steps halted, and he wore a questioning look. "Yeah, not that he would ever admit that."

The clan doctor gave Ichigo a small, almost comical smile. "He allowed you in the room with him during something he considers personal. You must understand how big of a deal that is?" There it was again, that weird fluttering.

"Yeah," Ichigo rasped, suddenly feeling parched. "I do not mean to put you on the spot," Akio clarified, "It is just, Lord Kuchiki hasn't given such allowance to his personal ongoings since his late wife. I only bring this up because there is something you can do for him."

"What?" Ichigo urged, forgetting all about that peculiar sensation.

"It's a short term solution, but It will be able to quell his restlessness. Usually I'd simply suggest a sleep kido, but even then, there's no guarantee it would banish these terrors he's having." Noting Ichigo's prompting gaze, Aiko asked, "You know of spirit ribbons, correct?" When Ichigo nodded, Akio continued, "Then you're aware that these ribbons bond with others ribbons. Our souls, the people we bond with, rather that bond be negative or positive, tether to each other. Though these tethers are invisible, you can assess them the same way you would assess your own. You'll note that surrounding your own are the soul ribbons you've tethered to. All you must do is intertwine yours with his ribbon, and it will flood the tether with alleviating energy."

"That's all?" Ichigo asked dubiously. Aiko concurred with a nod of the head. "Yes. Though, I must warn you, if you intertwine your spirit ribbon with his own and it causes you discomfort, release. That means the soul tether you share is a negative one. Though I can't imagine you having this problem." Quickly, he added, "Also, you will need to be in close proximity when you do this, preferably skin to skin contact."

Blushing ferociously, Ichigo sputtered, "S-skin to skin contact!"

Rolling his eyes, Aiko couldn't help but to chuckle at the other. "Get your head out of the gutter, Kurosaki-san. I simply meant overlapping your hand with his. I've seen this method used by comrades many of times, for many of reasons. Physical contact is actually quite the medicine in and of itself. It releases chemicals known to induce comfort."

"Oh," Ichigo amended sheepishly, grabbing at his nape. "If it'll help Byakuya, then yeah, I can do that."

"As I said, this is temporary. However, I've known Lord Kuchiki for a while. The concern and exertion of a comrade will push him towards something more than any of my reprimanding ever will."

With a nod of the head, Ichigo said, "Thanks, Aiko-san." "Think nothing of it," the doctor rebutted, waving off the gratitude. Turning to take his leave, he said, "Goodbye, Kurosaki-san."

xXx

Byakuya, for all his dissent, felt as if he was truly sleeping for the first time in ages. There were no vividly gruesome nightmares playing on a loop in his head, no waking to find himself in a frozen trance, just a stillness that he forgot was possible. If it weren't for something soft tickling at his nose, he would have stayed in the tranquility for a bit more.

As his eyelids flickered, he inhaled dulcet whiffs of something undefinable. It reminded him of Ichigo, who had a scent similar to the air after a bad rainstorm, fresh, revived, chaotic with energy. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming. "Ichigo," he muttered, blinking dazedly. A rustling sound mixed with some incoherent muttering could be heard, and Byakuya's heart hitched in his chest when he realized this hand clutching his tightly was most certainly real.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya hissed.

There was some more shifting until Ichigo, who had fallen asleep sitting in a chair by Byakuya's bedside, moaned, "Pipe down, will you? I have a headache."

"What are you doing in my sleeping chambers? Furthermore, why are you resting your hand and head on top of my hand?!" Byakuya interrogated.

"I'm helping you," Ichigo yawned, lifting his head up slightly to met his hazy eyes with Byakuya's magenta ones. "Geez, you could say thank you." "And pray tell how you are helping me exactly?" Byakuya contradicted.

"Well," Ichigo smirked, "how'd you sleep?"

"I -" the noble faltered, "slept well, actually..How?"

Ichigo slumped back in the chair and removed his hand, shrugging sleepily. "I intertwined my soul ribbon with yours. Aiko-san suggested it. It was easier than I figured it be."

The noble, feeling rather startled, sniped, "I did not need nor request your help."

"Oh yeah?" Ichigo mocked, "Byakuya, you're a pretty guy, but you look like shit."

"I'm charmed."

"Im serious!" Ichigo, feeling both flushed and frustrated, declared, "You haven't been taking care of yourself. God damn, can't you stop being so stubborn for a minute and see that I care about you! If you weren't so pig headed all the time, this wouldn't even be an issue."

There was a sense of imploring and genuine concern backed by every passionately delivered word in Ichigo's scolding, and Byakuya had to close his eyes against the guilt that besieged him.

'You are always putting yourself out for me, Ichigo, and I am nothing but a burden on your shoulders. All I have brought you is trouble since the day we met. I have caused you to worry by neglecting myself, because I forget that, when someone cares for you, seeing you ill or in pain woes them. No. I know this…I suppose it is that I still can not phantom why you care for me, and I think by ignoring these problems, I am burdening you less by not appearing weak, when it is quite the opposite.'

Ichigo leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and sighed in despondency as he tried to form a sentence from his clustered thoughts. "In Hueco Mundo," Ichigo began, "when I fought Ulquiorra, I…" Ichigo hesitated, "…I died." Byakuya's eye's widened in shock, an emotion that registered as bronze specks. "I guess they never told you guys."

"No," Byakuya whispered.

Cringing at the painful memories, Ichigo explained, "I had a massive hole in my chest, but my hollow went ballistics and saved me, making me stab Ishida in the process. Afterwards, I don't know, I don't think I've ever been the same, not really. I felt…empty a lot of the time. I never said anything because I never wanted to bum anyone out. Besides," he scoffed, "I knew no one would understand. I was alive, I should be happy, right? " A pause. "It catches up with you eventually, Byakuya," he warned, resting his hand against the noble's once more. "You're not some glacier, so being affected by all of this crazy shit we have to endure, it doesn't make you weak."

The hand on his own made Byakuya's flesh turn torrid, and his breath's felt denser. He couldn't help but too shutter. "You don't have to tell me anything, but I get that feeling, the one where you feel like no one could possibly understand what you went through, and honestly, you don't want someone to. That's why..I'm glad I have you. You understand, and you don't try to fix me, you just…accept all my dark parts. So if you decide you need that too, I can be that for you."

"Why would I attempt such a thing when there is nothing to fix?" Byakuya questioned adamantly. "Your sorrow is very much a part of who you are. Without experiencing that sorrow, overcoming it, you would not be the man you are today." Byakuya closed his eyes and let the deafening drumming of his heartbeat reverberate within him, accepting it for whatever it was. "The rain that fills you, do you not see this is where your greatest power comes from? It is spectacular."

Ichigo's mouth wilted in pure astonishment of the words stated so simply. He was bewitched for what seemed like an eternity, captured by these mini fireworks that erupted in tandem, one by one lighting his entrails on fire until his whole body was overpowered by their beauty. They did not burn him nor smother him with their roaring resonance. Instead he felt dazzled by their presence in the way a wide eyed child looked upon the colorful explosions for the first time with breathless wonder. Perhaps that was because seeing himself through Byakuya's eyes was like seeing himself for the first time.

Byakuya sighed raggedly, biting at his own lip as if to bare against the pain, "I suppose I still feel a degree of shock. With losing Renji and my eye sight, at times, it feels as if life is just passing by too quickly to be perceivable." His voice became vaporous as the drumming claimed his lungs too. "It is almost as if I am living the life of someone else at times, and it has all became so surreal. I do not feel as myself, so I just..stay afloat until one day I do."

Ichigo, a vigilant listener, found his fingers reflexively intertwined with the nobel's as the man briefly explained what had plagued him since the war. He was not a man to speak novels of his misery, or to speak of his misery in any regard. He spoke none on the wounds of his past and merely showed Ichigo just a scintilla of what was behind that hard expression he showed the world, but that was more than enough, because Ichigo could feel the man grow lighter by the syllable. He was just happy he could offer Byakuya relief, if only for a moment, from the mental suffering he had only ever allowed himself to brave alone, because that was exactly what Byakuya did for him. "I would very much enjoy feeling more like myself, so if I need to speak to one of our clan's counselors to achieve this," he reluctantly agreed, "than I suppose I have little choice in the matter."

Ichigo smiled blithely knowing Byakuya was willing to relinquish his pride for the sake of his own well being, considering the noble was not a man to do for himself. "Besides, your obstinate ways would not allow you to leave me be until I did, and I simply have not enough energy to contest you."

"I'm wearing you down, Byakuya," Ichigo smirked.

"And I am sure you are pleased with yourself," Byakuya quipped, "you are ever the cocky one."

"Oh, very," Ichigo remarked playfully. "Soon I'll even get you to call me Ichigo."

"That will happen when you begin to address me formally," Byakuya remarked in return, "Now If you're satisfied with yourself, will you please leave my sleeping quarters."

Ichigo released Byakuya's hand, reluctantly so, but not before looking up to the clock. "You really didn't sleep that long, only a few hours. I should stay and help you sleep more."

"I am plenty refreshed," Byakuya contested, pulling on his silk sleeping rope which began to droop from his shoulder, "I do not have the luxury of languishing my day away when there is paperwork to be done."

"Yeah you do," Ichigo contradicted, "because me and Fujita finished it all."

Byakuya faltered. "All?"

"Divide and conquer," Ichigo smirked. "Look who has people who cares about him, even if he is a pain in the ass."

Despite the irritable huff Byakuya gave, Ichigo could see he was happy from the yellow that sparkled in his eyes. "Fine, I will rest a bit longer, but I do not need your assistance. You have not slept much yourself lately."

Nonchalantly shrugging a shoulder, Ichigo claimed, "I have the vitality of youth on my side."

"Kurosaki," Byakuya said, appearing almost bashful, "I am not being stubborn here. I am simply telling you I feel as if I will be able to sleep restfully today after our conversation."

Ichigo gapped marginally at the implications before a heart warming smile found him. "Okay Byakuya," he digressed as he lifted to his feet. "I'll rest too then."

As Ichigo left, Byakuya lied back down and felt as if he melted into the duvet. Somehow Ichigo could always leave him feeling positively creamy, making everything feel lighter even when he seemed to uproot and alter all of the rules Byakuya had set for himself. The Kuchiki noble couldn't help but to smile a bit as the soft rhythm of rain pelted the earth and signaled the dawning of a rain storm. 'Thank you, Ichigo. You are the most beautiful storm I never realized I wanted.'

xXx

Zangetsu strolled lazily along the confines of his inner world, kicking some debris that cloyed the often desolate expression of Ichigo's soul. He looked up towards the sky as the feeling of drizzle painted his face.

'Why would I attempt such a thing when there is nothing to fix? Your sorrow is very much a part of who you are. Without experiencing that sorrow, you would not be the man you are today. The rain that fills you, do you not see this is where your greatest power comes from? It is spectacular.' "He's right, King. Maybe the rain isn't so bad after all."

Zangetsu dropped his head and caught sight of an erect sakura tree standing pridefully amidst the tangled mess of sideway buildings. "Moonbeam?" he baffled.

Suddenly, something staggering occurred. The spirit no longer stood just amongst the vast and vacuous landscape of his home, but amongst the expanse of a thriving garden. He could feel both no wind and a breeze, smell both nothing and flowery aromas, feel both his own emotions and the emotions of another. It was as if he was in two bodies, two realities, two consciousnesses.

As a hollow/sword spirit, Zangetsu had seen many things in his time, many of those things being peculiar. Cycle after cycle of reincarnations, even those of which his king's shinigami powers were never awoken, he had always been apart of Ichigo's soul, and therefore he thought himself desensitized to the bizarre, but quickly learned that was not the case. In all of his days, he'd never experienced something so jarring.

"Why do you insist on calling my master by such a silly nickname," asked a haughty yet familiar voice.

Zangetsu looked to his side to see Senbonzakura standing beside him in both versions of his reality. "Sunshine!? What the hell are you doing in my inner world? Wh-why am I in your inner world? HOW AM I IN TWO WORLDS AT THE SAME TIME!?"

"I believe I asked you a question first," sniffed the regal samurai, crossing his arms childishly.

"I think this is a little more important!" Zangetsu reasoned. Though, seeing the samurai was not going to budged, he groaned in submission. "Ugh, fine! His name's Byakuya, right? Byakuya means 'white night', like something so white it lights up the dark. It reminds me of the moon."

The samurai stood silently for a moment before saying, "That's rather beautiful."

"Well your master's a beautiful guy," Zangetsu rebutted with a smirk. "You are too, even if you hide it behind that mask." Seemingly able to feel the other spirit's emotions as his own, he could feel the samurai growing flustered.

"We-well of course I am!" he bellowed in a show of temper that was much greater than his master's. "I have pride in everything, including my appearance!"

Zangetsu just held his ever present smirk in place. "That's good to know, Senny. Now will you please tell me what the hell is going on here?"

The samurai sighed wistfully, and Zangetsu could feel his euphoria. "This is what we call soul lock."

"Soul lock?" the spirit echoed.

"Yes," the samurai nodded. "It is when two souls tether to such a degree that they lock into place. It's extremely rare."

Raking his hand through his frost white tresses in a show of confusion, Zangetsu asked, "That doesn't make sense. If it has to do with closeness, why only with Moonbeam? He's just as close to that feisty midget."

"Because it has nothing to do with two soul's level of closeness, but how they complement each other."

"Wait! So are we talking about soulmate stuff here?"

"No," the samurai answered definitively. "This is nothing quite as idealistic as soulmates or a lover's bond, nor is it fated." He gave a sentimental, fanatical sigh that made the other spirit smile at it's warmness. "Though that would be quite romantic, wouldn't it? No, this is complete serendipity, and it is equally as beautiful in it's rarity. You see," he went on to clarify, "both of our masters are two complete people, both equipped with their virtuous and their faults. They need no one else to complete them, however, sometimes a soul will come around that is so compatible to their own, that it will only help their soul flourish, bring out the best parts of that soul. The reason behind this rarity is because it's not so atypical for one soul to have all the aspects needed to be compatible for another, or at least, for one soul to think another soul has all of these things as my master did with his late wife, but it's extremely rare for two souls to complement each other both equally and to such a high degree."

The sword spirit nodded in understanding as he sat against the trunk of sakura tree, or in his world, the wall of a skyscraper. The samurai did the same, sitting on the opposite side of the tree and the adjacent wall of the topsy building. "So why this? What's this weird connection between us?"

The samurai looked up to the sky that did not cease with a smile as he removed his mask. "Their soul lock has just awaken. As a result of soul lock, two soul's can share a consciousness. I am not really in your world as much as you are not really in mine. All they must do is intertwine their soul ribbons to do this also. They will be able to sense and feel as the other does. Also, they could share memories if they so choose."

"So they don't know?"

"No, not yet."

"Well what are we waiting for?" The spirit urged, "Let's tell them!"

"Don't be foolish," the samurai admonished, "It has just been awaken but not realized. You can not rush these things. Neither of our masters are in the place to comprehend such a connection."

The sword spirit scratched his head pensively. "You're right. King's so dense and fragile about some emotional stuff that he'd probably go cationic learning all this."

"Zangetsu-san?" the samurai addressed.

"No need to be so formal with me, Senny," the spirit smirked. "I think we're beyond that."

"Very well," the samurai acquiesced. "I shall give you a nickname," he declared with a blush. "It is only fair."

Endeared, Zangetsu chuckled, "Go ahead."

"You shall be called Zan!" the samurai decreed as if he was passing favor on some important law, making the other spirit bite his lip at how adorable the formidable samurai was capable of being. "As I was saying, I can feel you as I can feel myself. I can feel your hostility, your passion, your confidence, and I must say, you are a beautiful spirit."

Though he didn't think it was possible with his boney, ashen flesh seeming almost bloodless, the spirit blushed for the first time in his long life. "You too, Senny…"

"I also feel that you find yourself charmed by me," the samurai all but whispered.

Smirking, the spirit rebutted, "And you find yourself flustered by me."

Before the samurai could respond, he felt a churning melancholy in his gut that he knew was not his own. "Zan, you are sad. Why?"

"You said soul lock wasn't a romantic thing, right?" the spirit asked, shifting uncomfortably against the hard material at his back.

"It is not intrinsically romantic. However," he informed, "the intimacy lends itself to a romantic relationship."

"So do you think they're in love, our masters?"

After a moment of silent contemplation, the samurai assessed, "I think they have every possibility to be one day. We both know our masters well, so I can say with certainty that the feelings my master holds for yours are well beyond platonic."

"Yeah, I can say the same for King," he sighed

"Then why does this make you sad," the samurai glowered, feeling his own empathetic sadness.

Zangetsu tutted in frustration. "King, he's so fucking dense sometimes, like how he never realized that human girl loved him for years. I never let him in on the oh so obvious crush because I knew the feelings weren't returned, but this is different. I don't want him missing out because he can't get a goddamn clue."

"But as you just said," the samurai pointed out, "he did not return those feelings, but he does return my masters. The brain sometimes takes a while to catch up with the heart, but eventually, it will."

For whatever reason, the comforting logic of the samurai did not quell him. "I think seeing his mom die messed him up in that department," the spirit explained. "His best example of love ended in tragedy. Ever since then, I think he unconsciously avoids those types of relationships. He always says he doesn't have time or something like that, so he just doesn't regard it." Scowling, he added, "Shit, he even ignores any physical attraction he feels."

"Does Kurosaki-sama not usually find others attractive?"

Zangetsu shrugged a shoulder. "I mean, he's found a few girls kind've good looking." Laughing nostalgically, the spirit reminisced, "When he reached the age where he'd start waking up with boners, he remembered the guys at his school talking about porno magazines, and he got into his old man's stash. I can't even say he's really into girls solely. I think that's just what he thinks is normal, and since he never gave it any thought or care, the dumb ass doesn't really know what he is. I know one thing though, he sure does likes Moonbeam a lot."

"Zan," the spirit prompted curiously, "what are porno magazines?"

This sent rivets of laughter through the sword spirit. Through breathy chuckling, he said, "I'll tell you when you're older. You're too innocent to corrupt quite yet. Ahh..anyway," his voice took a more somber tone, "I just hope he figures it out."

"One can not outrun the heart, Zan. Trust me, he will figure it out one day," the samurai reassured. "Also, the way most soul's actualize their soul lock is by means of extreme emotion. If one of them is to experience an emotion to it's max, the other will automatically be thrusted into their consciousness."

Grinning foolishly, Zangetsu mused, "It's sort've poetic, ain't it?"

"How so?"

"Well," he explained, "If they share a consciousness, Moonbeam will be able to see through King's eyes. King helps Moonbeam see."

The samurai gave another romantic sigh. "I do not think he needs a shared consciousness to do that. Kurosaki-sama has already shown him so much, even in the dark."

For a while, the two sat in a velvety silence, enjoying the lulling company of the other's vicinity. "Zan," the samurai finally spoke up, "can I ask of you a favor?"

"Anything, Senny," said the spirit.

"Earlier, when Kurosaki-sama held my master's hand," he began with a blush, "though I could not feel it myself, I could sense that it made him feel tingly and warm." Demurely, the samurai questioned with a simper, "Can I hold yours? I've always wanted to know what it felt like, this touch that soul's find so imperative."

Zangetsu chuckled and smirked as he laid his hand upturned towards the middle of the tree trunk. "Didn't I say anything?"

Carefully, the samurai placed his hand near the vortex where the two adjacent walls met and intertwined his fingers with Zangetsus. His eye became saucers, and his breath abandoned him at the sensation. "How curious, your hands are cold and hard."

The sword spirit was going to inquire on if that was a bad thing, but he could already feel the answer swelling in his chest.

"Yet…it feels fantastic," he exclaimed with all the childlike amazement he could muster. "So this is what it feels like to hold another's hand?"

"No," the spirit corrected with a chuckle, "this is the way it feels the hold hands with someone special."

xXx

Magician Girl Mirani: Hello again! Thank you for taking the time to review. Later on Byakuya will get different things that will help with his current disability. I know brail lessons will be a thing, but maybe audio books too! Theres so much I want to do, but this fic is already going to be the size of a harry potter novel! Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying this story. Most of the fic is character driven. There is plot, but it's so far between that it really drags out. I dig that though. Your little joke about the archery made me crack up. :) lol Thank you for that.

Tifanny91: Ah! I hope one day you will do an english fic, and if you need a beta, I'm your girl! I also wanted to thank you for commenting on my other story. I've been meaning to message you, but lost track of time. I swear I have the attention span of a gold fish. Ichigo and Byakkuya are good at bringing out the best qualities in each other, as you see in this chapter. I just believe their personalities could mesh so well. Ahh, I don't want to ruin it, but let's say you're burning up with the orange thing(I don't know if they do the 'You're getting warm, you're getting cold' thing in France to say if you're close to getting something right. Theres a whole game for it in America. lol) I'm glad you enjoyed the part where Byakuya talks about using his other senses. It's very important, and we don't realize how much we rely on our sight. Oh, I know, the elders can be horrible, but I think you'll like where the heir thing goes. Thank you as always, love! :)

kiel Chea: Yess, you have a great taste in music. Hahaha, Oh yeah, eventually something will crawl up there. This thing is ratted M for a reason.

LustfulAvarices: Thank you for your continued support! Your words flatter me, and I hope I can continue to live up to you expectations. One day, I promise I won't make you cry! lol.

Engkantada1905: Wellll, I don't want to ruin anything, but I will give you a hint. I don't write Mpregs. It's not that I have anything against them, their just not my thing. However, this is the soul society where they can basically create life out of nothing. So who knows what may happen. ;) Thank you for your support, dear.

siwon611: I think you'll like where the heir thing leads *Fingers crossed* Thank you for your support! I look forward to hearing from you!