Disclaimer: If I owned Bleach, Hisana would still be alive and in love with Byakuya, she would have found Rukia and Rukia would have forgiven her, and Hisana and Byakuya would have like, fifty kids. BECAUSE THEY BOTH DESERVE A HAPPY ENDING, DARN IT!

To everyone else in Soul Society, Kuchiki Byakuya was the proud epitome of dignity, strength and health, the same as he always was.

Hisana knew better.

She saw the tiny hint of red in his cheeks, the smallest sway in his step and how he sat down almost too fast to be dignified.

Yes, Kuchiki Byakuya was sick. It was the first time either could remember that one of them had been sick-and it wasn't Hisana.

"Byakuya-sama," she said softly once they'd retired to their bedchambers. "You're ill."

"I assure you, I'm perfectly healthy," he said as he removed his kenseikan. "It's your health you should be worrying about, Hisana."

Hisana got the smallest and, were Byakuya the kind who used such terms, the cutest pout on her face.

"Byakuya-sama, you sit down right now."

Unaccustomed to his wife ordering him around, Byakuya sat. Quickly. Even the renowned head of the Kuchiki family knew better than to test his wife when she was angry. Satisfied, Hisana pressed a small hand to his forehead.

"A fever. I knew it. You're working too hard, Byakuya-sama. And you have a sore throat, too."

"I-"

"Don't try to fool me. I can see you grimace ever so slightly after you speak."

Byakuya sighed softly. While Hisana was meek and delicate, she had stood up to those nobles who opposed their wedding. If she wanted to stand up to him, there was no doubt that she could. And he was powerless to stop her. After all, she was just so beautiful when she was stubborn.

"I know all sorts of cures from Rukongai," Hisana was saying, kneeling in front of him. "Whenever I had a sore throat, I'd catch lizards and rip their tongues out, then swallow them. Worked better than anything! I wonder if we can get some here." She watched his steel grey eyes widen slightly, letting out a small giggle.

"Don't worry, I'm only joking, Byakuya-sama." She smiled, kissing his forehead gently. Her expression creased into a frown as she felt again how warm it was, and her voice turned serious. "You mustn't underestimate illness, though. Go change into your sleeping robes, then into bed."

"Hisana, you needn't worry so much. It's only a cold."

"Byakuya-sama," Hisana nearly whispered, a sad smile on her face. "I'm always sickly, and never able to properly fulfill my duties. Let me be a proper wife to you this once, and take care of my husband?"

Byakuya reach out a hand and gently stroked his wife's raven hair.

"You do enough by just being there, Hisana." She smiled, leaning into his hand, then pointed.

"Go change please, Byakuya-sama."

Hisana awoke in the middle of the night, not an uncommon experience for her. She had dreamed about Rukia again, and had a nightmare that left her sitting upright and gasping in bed. She looked around wildly for a moment, confused as to why she didn't feel Byakuya-sama's arms around her.

That's right, she thought to herself as she stood. Byakuya-sama insisted I sleep separately from him tonight, so I wouldn't catch his cold. She shook her head, an affectionate smile on her face. He worries far too much.

She stood, wrapping a robe around her thin sleeping kimono, walking toward the thin sliding door separating the two halves of the room. The door wasn't necessary at all, but was installed by a Kuchiki Elder in hopes to separate the "commoner" from the noble Kuchiki heir. It was in vain, however; she and Byakuya-sama simply shared a futon.

It was never a problem, sharing a futon. Byakuya-sama was the type of sleeper who would lay down in one position and stay in one position for the entire night. Usually with his arms pressing Hisana into his chest, which wasn't anything Hisana was going to complain about.

It shocked her, though, as she walked in and saw the blankets strewn about, Byakuya-sama tossing in his sleep. His face was red, and covered in sweat. He looked almost nothing like the dignified man most of Soul Society knew.

"Byakuya-sama," she whispered, rushing over to him. His fever had undoubtedly risen in the night, and as she watched, several coughs shook his body. "Oh, Byakuya-sama."

He stirred, turning toward her.

"Hisana…?" He stifled a cough, then continued. "You'll get sick, you shouldn't be here."

"Don't be silly. It's my turn, remember?" She stood, brushing his sweaty bangs off of his forehead. "I'm going to get some water and a cloth, all right?"

"Mm."

Hisana went into the hall, ringing the bell. Moments later, a sleepy looking maid came in, not bothering to hide the disdain in her eyes for the "Rukongai woman."

"I need a bowl of water and a cloth. Byakuya-sama is ill."

"Shall we call Unohana-taichou?"

"Not yet." Byakuya-sama would hate for someone to see him in this state. "He's not to be disturbed."

"Yes Hisana…sama." The maid left, though returned moments later with the dish and cloth. Hisana nodded, and the woman gave a convoluted sort of half bow. Hisana turned back to the room, kneeling back down next to Byakuya's head.

"Hisana, you'll get sic-"

"Byakuya-sama, at the moment it's your health that's the problem."

A cough shook his body, as if to prove Hisana's point.

"How long have you been sick?"

Byakuya was silent, turning his head to the side. Hisana sighed, shaking her head.

"You've been working too hard, Byakuya-sama. It's no wonder you're sick." She dipped the cloth into water and wrung it out, gently wiping it over his face. "And don't you say anything about how I'm going to get sick. You needn't worry about that now."

He coughed again, his face flushing even redder. Hisana frowned, stroking his face.

"Try to sleep, Byakuya-sama. You need it."

He nodded, closing his eyes. He opened them moments later, though, and wasn't able to sleep. A half hour dragged by, and Hisana finally resorted to drastic measures.

"Byakuya-sama, be still for a moment, please."

"Hisana?"

She gently reach underneath his head and lifted it onto her lap, running her fingers through his black hair.

"Sleep now, Byakuya-sama. I'm not going anywhere."

Byakuya closed his eyes and was able to sleep, Hisana humming a love song and combing his hair through her fingers.

That's right. She was there. Hisana was there.

Kuchiki Byakuya lay in a futon, staring at the ceiling.

Where did she go?

Hisana?

You're gone...

Gone, gone, gone...

"Rukia? How's Taichou?"

"Oh Renji..." Rukia ran a hand through her short black hair, looking back at the closed door to her brother's room. "He woke up, and I thought his fever might have broken at last, but...

"But?"

"He started calling for Hisana-sama. I don't think he saw me or heard me."

"Damn..." Renji looked toward his captain's room, worry on his face.

"That's not all." Rukia sat down, hands covering her face.

"What else happened?"

"He..." Rukia swallowed hard before continuing. "I guess he realized Hisana-sama wasn't there, and, well..."

"Rukia." Renji sat down, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What happened?"

"He's crying, Renji. Nii-sama's in there, cold-hearted emotionless nii-sama, and he's crying."

Oh Byakuya...poor poor guy D: ByaSana is by far my favorite paring, just because they were both so in love and it's so tragic...

This is my first ByaSana fanfic, though. I hope you liked it! The little button down there really really really wants you to click it and leave a review...so you should. Really. Make the button (and me) happy, please?