disclaimer: Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo; Kita belongs to me

01: "Heartlines"

He sat back against the wall of the corridor with a quiet sigh: he knew she shouldn't have gone, he was a fool to have sent her out there.

'What, me? Like hell I am! Just to prove you wrong, I'm gonna go and kill all those damn bastards!' She'd huffed annoyedly; her dark brow folded into a scowl before she turned on her heel and sprinted out of his office.

He frowned at the memory and ran a hand through his black hair.

Such a stubborn woman, he thought, hating her stubbornness and hating himself for letting her go out to exterminate the large hollows that had infiltrated the 80th district in the Rukongai.

"Kuchiki-Taichou." A quiet voice shook him from his thoughts, making him look to meet the humble eyes of the 4th Division Lieutenant.

He cleared his throat reflexively, his stoic mask returning to hide his brooding emotions. "How is she?" He asked, surprising himself at how quiet his tone had been.

The lanky woman smiled in elation for her patient's concerned fiancé. "She's going to be all right, her injuries are on the mend." She replied in her quiet voice.

His shoulders all but slumped in relief; he exhaled. "Good. Thank you, Lieutenant Kotetsu." He nodded, bowing briefly to the silver-haired woman.

She nodded back. "She's sleeping right now, but you can see her." She added, smiling at the stoic captain before turning to go check on another patient in the next ward, leaving him alone in the corridor.

He opened her door, slipping inside and closing it quietly behind his entrance, moving towards the bed his 3rd seat slept on. His eyes traveled to the bandages wrapped around her wrists and palms of her hands, the bandages showing beneath the white sleeping gown she wore.

His eyes tightened minutely as nostalgia hit him when looking at the woman he could've lost mere hours ago in battle.

Sitting down at her bedside, he reclined a little in the chair, looking away from her as the nostalgia seemed to travel further down his gut, almost like a cold fear running through his blood.

The thought of Kita ever dying like Hisana shook him to his core: he loathed the mere aspect of seeing her bedridden and dying.

Kuchiki Byakuya was a stoic and oftentimes cool-headed man, but he both loathed and feared ever losing the one woman that could love him as much as Hisana, if not more, knowing her too well at this point in his life.

Kita was beautiful, stubborn, passionate and caring; he had often thought of her as being more hot-headed than he was, when they first met so many decades ago... And now, if it weren't for her teasing mannerisms or her blushing face he found adorable, he doubted he would've ever been able to smile again.

Her eyes squinted slightly, opening a little; they rounded on the brooding man sitting at her bedside, the usual seriousness on his face seeming graver now that she noticed.

"Taichou." She murmured softly, perking his ears; his head snapped back to look down at the awakened woman, at the grogginess in her eyes that reminded him of clear blue skies.

She sat up slightly, grimacing and lifting an arm to hug her ribs. "Ow, shit." She muttered under her breath.

He abandoned the chair to support her, holding her back and shoulders. "Lie back down; your injuries are still healing." He ordered gently, watching her groggy blue eyes look up at his concerned gray stare.

She held onto his scarf, shaking her head. "I'm all right. I'll sleep when I'm dead, okay?" She remarked quietly, meeting his stubborn gray eyes with a stubborn look of her own.

They held each other's gazes for a few seconds longer; he reluctantly backed down, exhaling and smiling a little at her. "You almost did die today, you know." He retorted, perching on the edge of her hospital bed.

She smiled a bit wryly up at him, releasing his scarf of her grip. "Those hollows are dead, aren't they? I did my job, knowing I ran the risk of getting killed in combat; it's what we were trained to do, you know that." She reminded.

Byakuya scowled reprovingly at her. "That's beside the point, Kita." He remarked lowly, making her lift a brow at his tone.

Kita huffed. "Enlighten me then, Captain." She declared with emphasis on his official title, scowling back.

He sighed and looked at her hands held in his larger ones, squeezing them gently despite feeling frustrated with her. "You… I could've lost you, today. I swore to myself to never let you go through hell a second time, and that basically happened earlier when I sent you out there to go and kill those hollows. Kita, you're the most stubborn and passionate woman I've ever met in my entire life and it's a miracle you're not dead." He explained, his voice quiet by the time he finished telling her those things.

She blushed slightly and then nodded, looking down and laughing quietly, pushing some of her hair back from her face. "I must really mean a lot to you, for you to basically admit you're afraid of losing me." She muttered, meeting his gray eyes.

Byakuya scowled and groaned quietly, leaning towards her to kiss her, his fingers cradling the back of her head and stroking her cheek; Kita reached to curl her fingers in his long black hair, kissing warmly, feeling his hand at her head curl its fingers in her wavy locks.

"You're thick when you want to be, you impossible woman. Of course you mean a lot to me! I completely despise the thought of ever losing you, Kita Akatsuki. I'd never forgive myself if you were to die before me." He stated stubbornly, kissing her again, his mouth moving upward to kiss her forehead slowly.

She ran her fingers through his hair, holding onto him and blushing a little from his words. "The feeling is mutual, then. I doubt I would live long if you left before I did, too. I'm sorry I scared you, though." She added softly.

Byakuya gingerly pulled her closer to his body, feeling her dig her fingers into his back as he squeezed her hips. "It's all right, now. Just promise you won't do it ever again." He added in a soft and low tone, kissing her throat gently.

Kita trembled slightly and tugged at his scarf, pressing her cheek to his chest. "I won't." She replied.

He nodded and nuzzled her neck, kissing the spot between her shoulder and neck tenderly, making her tremble again as she leaned into his body.

She blushed and smiled again, hugging his neck; she often knew of Byakuya to be a stoic and level-headed man, but she knew better to know that when he was with her, his cold façade melted at her touch and he was the gentle and passionate smiling Byakuya she loved most.

"Heartlines" - Florence + the Machine/ Ceremonials (2011)

a/n: one of two, please review. thanks~