Byakuya held Tama's hand as they flash stepped back towards the manor. After a few paces she glanced down and noticed a bit of blood on his hand, near the first knuckle of his thumb.

"You got hurt," she remarked.

"It's just a little scratch," Byakuya replied, brushing it off. He glanced to her and added, "I've seen you take far worse than that."

He smiled as he gave few more paces but noticed something off with Tama's flash step. He stopped, then appeared in front of Tama, and braced her shoulders to keep her from falling. She gripped his forearms and chuckled a little as she confessed, "I'm a little tired."

"Why didn't you say anything? I could've carried you," he asked.

"Aren't you always? I don't know. I told you before; I'm not used to having other people around doing things for me. It feels weird," she admitted.

He nodded in understanding and suggested, "Do you want to rest for a bit?"

She nodded her head in agreement; he found a shady spot under a tree and waited for her to join him. She sat next to him and rested against the trunk of the tree. He sat with one leg stretched out the other bent at the knee. She glanced at him, and noticed he was a bit more pale than normal, yet his cheeks were a bit flushed and she was certain he was sweating a little.

"Bya-kun, are you alright?"

He gave a smile and a slight nod of his head while replying, "just a bit tired. I was searching everywhere for you."

She raised her eyebrows at him and inquired, "Do you promise that's all it is?"

Byakuya softly chuckled as he pointed out, "that scratch is too fresh to already be infected. Let's just rest here for a bit then we'll keep moving."

"The blade could've been poisoned," Tama suggested.

Byakuya shrugged his shoulders and replied, "If it was, best it got me and not you. Since I was young, Yoruichi's been exposing me to low doses of toxins to build immunity to them. I might get sick, but likely nothing worse than that."

This information caused the girl to sweat drop and ask, "how sick?"

He closed his eyes as he leaned back against the tree and replied, "depends on the dose and what the toxin was."

She nodded a little as she leaned up against the trunk of the tree, with her eyes closed. She then felt him shift closer to her so their arms were touching. She observed him momentarily before coaxing him to lay down with his head in her lap.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"If you were poisoned, you should rest," she replied. He shifted in her lap so he could look up at her and point out, "that doesn't answer my question."

"I'm the one that coaxed you into this, didn't I? If I'm not okay, that's on me. Don't worry about it. Just rest," she nearly scolded him.

His shoulders slightly quivered with suppressed laughter. She was fairly timid most of the time but sometimes she had ferocity within her that emerged. Almost like a tiger who was normally docile, but then when a threat endangered her or someone close by the fierceness kicked in.

She gently stroked his hair while he laid down, his head resting on her lap. Every few strokes she'd loosely twirl a few strands around her finger, then return to stroking. After a few minutes he asked, "what are you doing?"

A slight raise the relax of her shoulders was her initial response before wanting to slap herself for not realizing he couldn't see behind him. She stopped her hands from moving and replied, "just playing with it your hair Want me to stop?"

"No. It's soothing," he answered. She softly smiled while she suggested, "try to rest, maybe you can sleep it off. I'll be awake."

"Hmm," he responded, gently fisting the skirt of her kimono with one hand. She was curious at first before he mumbled, "nobody's gonna take you."

"I don't doubt you'd fight them off," she agreed as she felt his breathing even out. She smiled and began taking in the scene around her. She observed the birds, the swaying of the tree branches in the gentle breeze. She became slightly giddy at the butterflies that fluttered near, a blue monarch landing on her extended finger. She observed it momentarily before it took to the air again, flying up away and out of sight.

She knew where they were, it was the thirty-sixth district. Examining the buildings it was an odd sensation, a sense of familiarity. It was as if she'd been here before, perhaps even lived nearby. That was a concept she hadn't thought of yet. Feeling him shifting his head on her lap, she glanced down at him, seeing he was a bit flushed.

She wondered if maybe that was due to the sun getting to him, or maybe his body fighting against the poison. Either way, she resumed playing with his hair, which seemed to soothe him again. She could feel him gently pressing his head into her touch, causing her to smile as she gently teased him, "you enjoy it when I play with your hair?"

"Yes. It feels nice," he groggily admitted, almost nudging her hand to play with his hair more.

She softly giggled while thinking, 'he's almost like a cat.'

His breathing deepened as she continued to run her fingers through his hair, her fingertips occasionally massaging his scalp a little. Before he could realize what was happening a small soft moan escaped his mouth. He felt her instantly freeze, he tensed up, and wanted to slap himself. However her motions with his hair resumed before he said anything.

"I'm sorry. It's not like that, it just feels good," he apologized.

"I guessed. Besides if you were going to hurt me, you already had more than enough chances to," she replied.

He chuckled, a small smile across his lips as he conceded, "true, but I would never. Well, at least, not intentionally."

"I know it," she assured him. Byakuya relaxed again under her touch, he smiled to himself as she continued her ministrations. He sighed, closing his eyes as he thought to himself, 'mom used to stroke my hair when I was sick. It's nostalgic but it's also different.' It wasn't doing anything unmentionable to him, but he'd be lying to himself if he thought he'd mention this part of the day to anyone. It was their moment, the two of them, in a mid-range district away from the rules of the Kuchiki clan, away from the terrors of her past. In this moment they were just a boy, and a girl quietly enjoying each other's company under the shade of a cherry blossom tree.