Characters: Byakuya, Hisana.
Pairings: Byakuya x Hisana.
Warnings/Spoilers: Spoilers for Soul Society Arc.
Timeline: Set between the end of the Soul Society Arc and when Byakuya re-appears in Chapter 238.
Author's Note: I don't know why, but I seem to be just fascinated with this pair.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

All the chaos had made memories of Hisana impossible to ignore. They weren't entirely unpleasant, but they were cluttering Byakuya's head and he didn't want to risk losing his composure in front of Rukia or any of the servants.

Byakuya had been discharged from the Fourth division's hospital, and still felt a little light-headed and weak in the limbs; he took the time off because Byakuya highly doubted he could perform his duties to the best of his abilities, considering the state he was in. There was little to do around the Kuchiki estate, and Byakuya did not want to wander aimlessly around Seireitei, where everyone knew him, where everyone would try to talk to him.

Byakuya wasn't sure what drew him to Rukongai. He could only recall being there five times in his life. The first time was when he had been seventeen years old and Yoruichi had enticed him into a game of tag all the way around the first thirty districts, until his grandfather had finally grabbed him by his collar at sunset and dragged him home, telling him his ruckus would keep everyone in a five-mile radius awake all night if he didn't stop.

The second had been when he'd met Hisana for the first time. The third and fourth was seeking out Hisana's company again; Byakuya had had a great deal of interaction with her via an assignment in Rukongai.

The fifth time was three months after Hisana's death, searching for Rukia. Byakuya had had nothing but the girl's name, nothing else; he had no idea what Rukia looked like, what her surname was, where she was. He had just wandered through the districts for a mind-numbing three weeks, searching desperately for a girl named Rukia, convincing nearly everyone in his clan and the Gotei Thirteen that grief had unbalanced his mind. He had had no luck, and had given up in despair as Hisana had until the day he saw her in the Academy.

Now, he was back again.

Rukongai was unchanged from what Byakuya remembered. It still ran the entire range of human existence. The first district was decent, though not as much as Seireitei. Byakuya knew from bitter experience how seedy, how miserable, how utterly vile the outer districts were. Everything in District Seventy and beyond were miserable hovels, the cesspools of humanity, crime-ridden and Byakuya could not imagine a more dangerous place for a child to grow up. That was why he had never underestimated Rukia's ability to take care of herself; if she had lived in Inuzuri for any amount of time than she knew full well how to live by the skin of her teeth.

Hisana had never quite shaken off her roots here. A part of her had involuntarily clung to Rukongai, ruthlessly even when it hurt her, because her sister was there, because somewhere in that massive mass of life Rukia of Inuzuri still lived there, and Byakuya had searched for Rukia doggedly, not just because of Hisana's wish, but because of Hisana's desperation and his belief that if Rukia had anything of her sister in her than she would make Byakuya's long search worthwhile.

Even in Rukongai, Byakuya still saw traces of Hisana everywhere. The bright sunlight was her smile, the soft whisper of the wind her laugh and her mellow voice, the clear blue her kind, gentle heart.

This place had caused Hisana so much pain, but Byakuya found a little peace there, seeing reminders of her in the very pulsing skin of Rukongai. For once, the sultry summer heat didn't seem so oppressive on his plain black kimono.

But there was one thing that still made Byakuya flinch with regret.

Hisana had deserved far better than what she had ended up with. Hisana had drawn her lot, and her lot had been suffering, guilt and debilitating illness, none of which Byakuya had been able to alleviate, no matter how much he strived and strained. They had both cracked, but while Byakuya had only cracked and found a way to glue himself back together, Hisana had shattered instead.

She had rarely been happy, and she had deserved so much better.

The heat was incredible; Byakuya had not felt it quite so keenly before, but now, it beat down on his shoulders, and the bandages under his kimono became sweaty and uncomfortable. Byakuya stepped under the shade of a store awning to find relief from the ridiculously high temperatures.

It was a restaurant, Byakuya discovered, and a waiter standing at the door asked him if he'd like anything to eat or drink. Byakuya ordered water and sat down at one of the iron-wrought tables, taking long draughts out of the glass pensively. He stared at the street beyond, watching as residents of Rukongai and the occasional Shinigami (obviously haunting the streets and shops as he was) passed by, oblivious of his presence. The street wasn't particularly crowded.

As Byakuya drank out of the tall glass, his eyes stared at nothing in particular. They flitted from the denizens of Rukongai to the buildings, to the food that was passed nearby to other patrons at the restaurant and everything in between. Hisana still hung heavy on his mind, and Byakuya wasn't sure he wanted her memory to loosen its hold on him.

A woman stepped out of the house opposite the restaurant, letting two small children run out from either side of her as they tossed a ball to each other. She watched them at play, leaning in the doorway, smiling contentedly.

Byakuya wasn't sure what drew his eye to her. She was unremarkable, with long hair, a plain kimono and the hardened arms and callused hands typical of workers in Rukongai.

Until he looked at her eyes.

Their eyes met momentarily, and Byakuya was sure the color drained out of his face, already pallid as it was from the blood loss of roughly a week ago.

Her eyes were round and soft, a deep, smooth, endless shade of violet, tinged with indigo blue near the outer rim, wide on her face and opened wide to face the world. Byakuya wondered if his face gave away the extent of his shock.

In no other way did the woman resemble Hisana, at least not outwardly. She was tall with dark brown hair and sun-browned skin. Her face formed an easy, confident smile, and there was no trace of timidity in her straight carriage.

But at the same time, her spirit felt similar too.

No, it was more than that.

Byakuya felt his throat start to swell shut.

It was the same.

Byakuya felt his eyes drawn irresistibly to the two children. Hisana had wanted children, but had never been able to carry one fully to term. After her last miscarriage, the physician told her it would be too dangerous for her to try to get pregnant again, and had drawn Byakuya aside once out of the room. The memories of that conversation had grown fuzzy, but it had had a great deal to do, Byakuya remembered, with Hisana's eating habits. The physician had especially wanted to know if she had been malnourished as a child, or had certain illnesses associated with the wretched conditions of outer Rukongai.

The two children were a girl and a boy; the girl looked to be a couple of years older, and both were clearly under the age of ten. They both had dark brown hair like their mother, but had brown eyes, a trait almost certainly inherited from their father.

They played with their ball, tossing it back and forth and laughing in the street, idyllic, blissful, unaware of the people milling around them, until the little boy missed the ball when his sister threw it.

The ball went sailing through the air, and Byakuya saw it land at his feet, touching his shoe gently.

The boy ran up to him, but stop when he met Byakuya's eyes.

Byakuya was aware he was a bit imposing in appearance, and he supposed that was why the child didn't approach him any closer than he did, a slightly wide-eyed expression on his face.

Byakuya leaned down, picked up the ball, and held it out to the boy. "Is this yours?" he asked softly. He couldn't quite put a smile on his face, but his eyes were warm.

"Kaito! Misao! Tell the Shinigami thank you!" their mother called from across the street.

The two children dipped their heads. "Thank you," the girl murmured.

"Thank you," the boy squeaked before snatching the ball away and running off down the street with his sister to continue their game.

"Thank you," the mother called from across the street. She smiled a smile that made Byakuya's heart clench. But he wasn't sad, as she continued to smile and watch her children with an air of contentment about her.

Hisana had gotten her happy ending, two lifetimes overdue.