Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, because I'm not Kubo-sensei. The bleach I own keeps my whites white.

"Kaa-san, how much has 8/13 changed in three years?" Kyouraku Halu said to his mother in an undertone, tucking her hand into his elbow as they walked behind Shunsui. The elder Kyouraku was exclaiming about all the "changes" he'd made to the venerable studio.

"Besides general maintenance, nothing much." Nanao rolled her eyes. "But you know your father."

"Indeed I do." He smiled slightly. "I suppose he's doing all of this for my benefit."

"In a way, he is. He and Jyuushiro-san are getting old. We're all getting old," Nanao admitted. "I think they're both getting ready to hand over the running of the studio to you, once you graduate from Todai."

"I do know that," her son acknowledged gravely. "And on some level, I am ready."

"But on the other level?"

He shrugged. "Kaa-san, you know I can handle the business affairs of 8/13 as well as tou-san, but I would prefer not to." He preferred working with people as opposed to figures.

"You can always get a partner – in fact, I think your father and your uncle would prefer it."

"I intend to."

Nanao looked up at her son. There was a certain calculating gleam in his eye. Since she knew her son very well, she knew where his thoughts were headed. "Aki will not agree to this idea easily," she cautioned. "Halu, it's been three years and you've barely spoken."

"It was partially my fault," he admitted. "She hurt my pride."

"And your feelings."

"And my feelings," Halu agreed, adjusting his glasses. "But she is still my best friend and I cannot imagine running this studio without her. It is even for the best that she has been studying business matters so diligently at Keio."

"Halu, speaking as your mother and a woman, do not go about maneuvering her," Nanao warned. "It will not turn out well for either of you. Aki is her own woman. If anything, she has become even more stubborn in the last three years."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." He smiled, and that smile was so similar to Shunsui's when he was plotting something that Nanao couldn't help but be worried. "Don't worry, kaa-san."

Yes, Kyouraku Halu indeed had a plan. It had been three long years since Hitsugaya Aki had announced her "retirement" from ballroom to the world. It had been three years since he'd stormed off to California to study with Urahara Kisuke in an uncharacteristic fit of pique on his part. He'd seen Aki's announcement as nothing less than a complete betrayal and acted accordingly. He could not understand why she saw fit to throw away years of training and to his mind, years of friendship.

But Halu was never one to stay angry for long. It had always been Aki who held a grudge. After about a year in L.A., he realized that the fault had been shared on both sides. He should have made the effort to discover her reasoning instead of overreacting. She should have talked to him when she'd begun having doubts, instead of springing her decision upon him so suddenly. There were things they both should have done to ameliorate the situation, but they'd both been too stubborn and hurt to do so.

All of that was going to change. Halu nodded to himself. He wanted Aki by his side when he ran 8/13. He wanted to show her that she could have business and ballroom – and more. Partners, but in more ways than one.

Three years had also taught him that he never wanted to be separated from her again.

"And in here we have – why, just look at who we have here!" Shunsui cried.

Halu glanced up and into Hitsugaya Aki's startled gaze as she bounced Abarai Hajime on her hip. The women of 8/13 were all assembled, cooing over the newest addition to Renji and Nemu's brood.

"Halu-chan!" Rangiku-ba squealed happily, bounding across the studio and pulling him into one of her infamous hugs. Halu refrained from rolling his eyes. From his father's tone to Rangiku-ba's overenthusiastic greeting, he knew that this "chance" meeting was a setup. Rangiku-ba and his father had always been far too obvious in their efforts to play matchmaker. He wouldn't be surprised if they had the entire wedding already planned. However, this behavior – which had been annoying when he and Aki were teenagers – was most welcome right now. There was no better time to set his plan in motion.

"Come, come!" Shunsui chirped, plucking Hajime from Aki's grip while Halu was swarmed by his "aunts." "Let's let these two kiddos catch up!"

Halu endured a few more pinches on the cheek, his eyes locked on Aki's. He fought down a smile. She'd gone white with surprise to red with anger in a matter of seconds. Yes, Aki could indeed hold a grudge.

Hitsugaya Toushiro looked curiously at the swarm of women making their way down the hallway with Shunsui in their midst. "What's going on?"

"What's happening is that our spouses are up to their old tricks," Nanao said tartly, nodding at the open studio door. Toushiro's eyes widened when he spied Aki and Halu.

"They're talking?"

Violet eyes regarded him with amusement as she guided him behind the group. "Toushiro-san, if you think my husband and your wife have given up on our children being together, you are sadly mistaken."

He groaned and buried his face in his hands. "They found some way to bring them face to face? Even though Aki's made it clear that she never wants to see him again?"

"I assume so, yes." She sighed and folded her hands. "Do you remember how terrified we were when we made the decision to let them learn the Argentine tango when they were teenagers? Add to that three years of misunderstandings and I daresay the explosion we expected then is going to happen now."

"Aki is barely finished being a teenager. Like hell if I'm going to let her-" Toushiro stopped himself. "What am I saying?"

"Something about not letting Aki and Halu be together," Nanao said with amusement.

"No. I admit that if I'd want her to be with anyone, I'd want her to be with Halu." He grimaced. "If anything, you're the one who should be afraid, Nanao-san. Aki is far more likely to try and take advantage of Halu than he of her."

"True enough," the older woman mused, frowning slightly. "Though I daresay there's just enough of his father in him for you to be wary."

"Well, if it's going to happen then it's going to happen." He offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Nanao accepted. "We shall."

"Halu," Aki said stiffly.

"Aki," he returned pleasantly.

She looked at him suspiciously. "I can't say it's a pleasure to see you," she remarked, her tone deliberately catty.

"And for that I'm sorry," he replied, knowing very well what she was up to. He knew that he'd have to do a lot of humoring and coddling over the next few weeks. Normally, he would have balked at such a thing but Aki – and their relationship – was worth it. "I know it's a little late for apologies-"

"I'll say so," she snorted, puzzled by his reaction.

Halu fought the urge to sigh. "But I was hoping that you would accept it anyway. I have a proposition for you."

"A what?"

"A proposition." He strolled around the studio, noting that the floors had been waxed recently. "I will be shadowing tou-san and Jyuushiro-ji for the next year or so, gradually taking over the running of 8/13." He stopped and examined the sound system, making a mental note to talk about upgrading it. "I have spent my entire life watching tou-san run this studio and I know that I will do a good job in his stead."

"Yes, you will." It rankled to pay him such a compliment, but Aki knew everything that he was capable of. Halu was brilliant; 8/13 would flourish under his hand. "But what does this have to do with me?"

He wiped his glasses, wondering how he was going to approach this. "I am not as business-minded as I would like. I need a partner in the running of this studio, just as Jyuushiro-ji is a partner to tou-san. Someone who knows business. I cannot think of anyone better than you."

Aki gaped. She had to have heard that wrong, but she knew her hearing was perfectly fine. "You…you have a lot of nerve, Halu! You disappear on me for three years and now you just ask if I can help you run 8/13? Need I remind you that you stopped talking to me because I chose business over ballroom?"

"And I already told you that I apologize for that," he said calmly. "Yes, I could have handled it better but you also could have talked to me when you were making your decision, as opposed to blindsiding me. Let me finish," he said, holding up a hand as she opened her mouth. "I understand that this puts you in a difficult place. You may have given up on ballroom entirely, I don't know. But we worked well together once and I believe that we can work well together once more. We just need time."

She didn't really have anything to say to that. Halu was right. The sensible side of her was offended by his offer and the irrational side of her wanted to take it with everything she had. "I…" she began.

"You don't have to give me an answer now," he interrupted, making his way out of the studio. "Just think about it. You know where to find me."

Aki plopped on the ground, her mind whirling. She felt like she'd been run over by a train. "A train named Kyouraku Halu," she grumbled. Her emotions were conflicting: rage at his audacity to try and come back into her life, happiness that he had, confusion with his proposition, and sheer helplessness at the effect that he still had on her.

She rubbed her temples. There was the rub. Three years should have cured her of any feelings that she'd been harboring for her best friend. She should have known better – there was no getting over a guy like Halu.

Now he was back – and with a crazy idea, no less. She'd expected that his return would come with some attempts to get her back into ballroom, but she hadn't expected this. Did he truly mean it? Did he really just want her business skills? She gritted her teeth. This required some thinking.

"So, Halu-kun, I've gathered all of the figures for the last month: revenues, expenses, and so forth," Ukitake Jyuushiro explained, handing a folder over to Halu as Shunsui looked on. "I wanted you to get an idea of what we go through on a monthly basis."

"Thank you, Jyuushiro-ji," Halu said, skimming through the contents.

"I assume that there are quarterly and annual reports as well?" Aki asked from the doorway. The three men turned around to look at her.

Jyuushiro's brow furrowed. "Yes. I keep detailed reports, Aki-chan, but I don't know why-" he began.

"Aki's decided to be my partner in this endeavor," Halu said smoothly, hiding a smirk of satisfaction. The plan was in motion. "Isn't that right?"

"A strictly business partner," was the brusque reply as Aki strode into the office. She wore a smart-looking pantsuit, her white hair rolled into a simple bun at the nape of her neck. She plucked the folder from Halu's fingers. "I'm leaving the ballroom aspect to you."

"Is that all right with you two?" Halu asked his father and uncle, completely unruffled by her behavior. The older men seemed baffled by the tableau in front of them, though there was a dawning sense of excitement in Shunsui's eyes.

"I suppose so," Jyuushiro murmured.

"It will be fine!" Shunsui exclaimed. "We wanted Halu to have a partner, anyway! And it's all for the better if it's Aki-chan, since she knows the studio so well." He smiled benevolently, the gears turning in his mind. He just had to tell Ran-chan: being partners meant that Aki and Halu would be spending a lot of time together. "Aki-chan can simply join you in your apprenticeship! We'll leave you two to look over the figures together for a little while and then we'll be back to continue your training!" He dragged his protesting best friend out the door.

"Shunsui, will you just wait a moment, there are still things we need to discuss-"

"Nonsense!" he boomed. "It can all wait until later, can't it?"

Halu rubbed the bridge of his nose. His father had all the subtlety of a rampaging rhinoceros. He glanced over at Aki. "So, would you like to explain what some of those things mean?"

She closed the folder and looked back at him. Kami he looked good today, with dark jeans and a black t-shirt beneath a white military-style jacket. "Aren't you curious as to why I decided to say yes?"

"Not really," he replied with studied negligence. "All that matters is that you said yes."

"Are you serious?" she said incredulously. "You don't want to know?"

"Again, not really." He fought to keep his lips from twitching. It was always fun to provoke her. "But I suppose you'll tell me anyway, as that's your way."

Aki's eyes narrowed. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction, the bastard! "Well, maybe I won't!"

"Then don't." He raised an eyebrow. "The figures?"

"Oh, I'll show you the figures," she muttered, opening the folder. "Now, looking at the monthly revenue…"

Truth be told, there was no clear reason as to why she'd agreed. Perhaps it was just a random moment of insanity – one that Bya-kun approved of.

Kuchiki Byakuya raised his eyes from the computer screen. "Kyouraku Halu asked you to do what?"

Aki paced up and down the length of his office, her hands clasped behind her back. "Halu asked me to be his business partner for when he inherits 8/13."

Grey eyes flickered ever so slightly, but Aki was too agitated to catch it. "Did he, now?"

"Yes, he did. He has a lot of nerve, coming to me with this," she muttered.

"I agree that he has some nerve, but I do believe Halu-san has a lot more sense."

"Sense? How is there any sense in this, Bya-kun? We haven't spoken in three years!"

Byakuya sat back in his chair. "Aki-chan, look past the…improbability of this request and see it for the opportunity it is. 8/13 is the most successful and well-run dance studio in the country. There are worse places for you to garner some real-world experience."

"And I haven't been getting any here?" she pointed out.

"Versatility is a must in the business world. Whatever experience you can get, the better." He raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to let this opportunity pass you by?"

"But…versatility? And Halu only wants me there in a business sense."

"Does he?" Not for long, he wagered. That was when things were going to get interesting. "It is still a most impressive item to add to your resume, is it not?"

Aki sighed. One could always trust Byakuya to boil something down to its most logical constituents. Indeed, it was entirely logical to accept Halu's proposition, if only because being a partner in the running of 8/13 did look greaton her resume. It was something few of her classmates at Keio could boast. Besides, Shunsui-ji and Jyuushiro-ji always professed that they loved their job. If she could love this job as well…

"All right, numbers session is over," Jyuushiro announced, coming back into the office. "Time for some observation."

Things fell into a fairly simple routine after that. Aki and Halu would come to 8/13 after their respective classes to shadow Shunsui and Jyuushiro as they went through their tasks for the day. Aki spent most of her time with Jyuushiro, fielding telephone calls and answering e-mails regarding events and obligations and tracking revenues and expenses. It was very rare for him to teach; only once in a while did he take on the task of training a promising couple.

Most of the day-to-day teaching and coaching was left to Shunsui. He was the one who decided on what classes would be taught and when they were scheduled. He kept track of all of the amateur and pro dancers who trained at the studio. He was the chief dance instructor and coach, though he delegated those tasks to the dancers as he saw fit. It was these tasks that Halu would take when he inherited the studio.

Aki glanced at the clock and then out the window, where true night had fallen over Tokyo. She had discarded her suit jacket long ago and rolled up the sleeves of her Oxford shirt, her hair escaping in wisps from her elegant chignon. All of the classes would have ended by now, so it was about time to powwow with Halu as she usually did at the end of each day. Jyuushiro-ji and Shunsui-ji had begun to take more of a step back in their duties as mentors and were allowing her and Halu more responsibility.

"Jyuushiro-ji, I just received a fax from Tokyo General Hospital about the charity ball-"

"Hmmm, yes, it is about time to start planning the children's performance, isn't it?" he mused. "Well, I'll leave this in your capable hands, Aki-chan."

"M-me?"

"Of course. You and Halu-kun have been doing such a wonderful job. I'm sure Shunsui will agree with me in this. You two should plan this together. Think of it as a challenge." He winked. "Good luck!"

She sighed. It was time to do some brainstorming. "Halu?" she called.

"In the ballroom," was his faint reply.

"We've been put in charge of planning the children's performance at Tokyo General's charity ball, so I think we'd better get started on some ideas-" she began as she walked through the giant double doors. Anything else she might have said died in her throat.

Halu stood in the middle of the darkened ballroom, barefoot and clad in black pants and a white wifebeater. Moonlight streamed through the windows, highlighting the sheen of sweat on his skin and the way his shirt clung to his lean, muscular form. Brown curls were escaping from his usual ponytail and his glasses were nowhere to be seen.

"Ideas?" he echoed, turning towards her. "Would any of those ideas have anything to do with choreography?"

"Well, I believe I'll just leave that to you, as you're the one who's taking over the position of chief dance instructor," Aki replied as nonchalantly as she could. Every hair was standing up at the back of her neck due to the intense focus of his gaze.

"That doesn't mean that it should all be my idea, don't you think?" Halu countered, gliding forward. They were truly alone and he wanted to dance with her. He'd been going agonizingly slow the past few weeks. It was time to show her that she could have ballroom and business – and more.

"I'm perfectly all right with working on the logistics of this performance, Halu," she said nervously. It was like being stalked by a panther: sleek, dark, and dangerous.

"I'm sure you would, but I'd appreciate some help." He circled her slowly. "Aki, do you miss dancing at all?" He kept his tone light and teasing, so that she didn't think he was criticizing her.

"I don't miss getting all sweaty, stinky, and sore," she joked weakly. "Halu, I'm having space bubble issues here, can you just back away?"

"Nope." He smiled and approached her slowly from the front. "Dance with me." One. Two. Three and four. His steps echoed the rhythm.

Her heart sped up. She knew exactly what he wanted. It was the Argentine tango, the very last dance that they learned together. It was a dance that had the potential to ruin them both. "No." But somehow, he'd pushed her to the center of the ballroom. She tried to dodge right – but he pivoted on his left foot, spinning in a half turn until she ran into his back. She tried to go left – but he simply slid left as well, his left arm naturally coming up to land on her waist. It was like a fiery brand through the thin material of her shirt.

"Dance with me," Halu coaxed, still smiling. She tried to go right again, only to be stopped by the same move. He pivoted around to face her, stepping forward into her space as a challenge.

Aki felt something in her waver. Dare she admit how much she wanted to dance with him again? "Fine," she snapped. "But just this once." She allowed him to pull her into hold and she remembered why this was such a bad idea. Being in Halu's arms was an experience like none other, especially when it came to the Argentine tango.

The Argentine tango was about everything being subtly sexy. There was innuendo in the way her toe delicately teased its way up his calf, the way he captured her foot between his, the way their legs slid against each other's as they moved together seamlessly. The hold this time was incredibly intimate, close on the upper body with their faces never more than an inch apart.

Aki hated how easily she slid back into the rhythm of the dance, and it showed in her eyes. Her gaze was insolent and rebellious on his as she showed resistance in every movement. She wouldn't give in, even though her heart was racing, just begging to jump right out of her chest. She wouldn't give in, even though his scent of spices and musk threatened to overwhelm her. She told herself that she didn't want this, even though deep in her heart she knew it to be a lie.

He would make her give in, Halu thought. She had to see it, to feel it. He couldn't dance with anyone but her. Heaven knows he'd tried, but there was no one he had that connection to. He tried to channel that and everything else he was feeling, but it was hard to escape the heady feeling of finally having her in his arms again. How could she not see the way she just fit perfectly against him? How three years couldn't erase the seamless communication they had? How could she deny it?

They ended with her right leg twined about his hips, her face buried in chest, and her arms about his neck. Halu's hand skimmed up from her waist to her chin, tilting it back so that he could see her. Her eyes were a brilliant blue-green, shimmering with passion and fury. Something deep inside of him responded and he closed the gap, their lips meeting ferociously.

Aki gasped and clung to Halu, her head spinning. She'd dreamed of this since she was thirteen, though she'd imagined their first real kiss to be more…tender and soft, since that was Halu's style. No, this kiss sent waves of intense and shocking need straight to the system. Any reservations she might have had floated away as she wrapped herself around him even tighter, intent on prolonging the moment.

This was right, and they both knew it.

The timbre of the kiss changed. The torrent of passion that started the kiss ebbed into a softer, deeper emotion built on years of friendship, understanding, and trust. Kami, Aki thought prayerfully. This wasn't a crush anymore and hadn't been for a long time. Somehow, the years apart had deepened that shallow affection into something more, much more. Something…like love.

Aki's heart turned over in her chest in a mixture of panic and sheer longing. "Halu…what do you want from me?" she whispered. Everything was so confusing. He'd been so perfectly nonchalant and businesslike in the past few weeks, and now this. He was turning her whole world upside down again.

"What I've always wanted, Aki," he said raggedly. He hadn't planned for the kiss; it threw all of his well-laid plans right out the window. The only thing he could focus on was her. Shock made him honest. "You. Only you."

That simple phrase simultaneously mended the break she'd carried in her heart for the past three years and broke it all over again. It was far too much to handle. Aki put her hands on his chest and shoved him back. "I…I can't think right now, Halu. Just…stay away from me right now, okay?" She ran from the ballroom.

Halu ran a hand over his face, shaken.

"Aki?" Rangiku tapped on her daughter's bedroom door. "Darling, are you all right?"

She and Toushiro were used to the wild swings of their daughter's emotions, but that never made things easier. It was especially worrisome when she looked like that, all wild-eyed and frazzled. Aki had only looked like that once before: when Halu left for L.A. without a word.

"Rangiku, it's obvious that she's not all right," Toushiro stated, shrugging when she glared at him. "What? It is obvious. The better question is if she wants to talk to us about it."

"Why wouldn't she? We're her parents!"

"Aki is also twenty years old. You can't expect her to tell us everything, no matter how much we want to know."

The door opened and it was only Toushiro's quick reflexes that kept Rangiku from falling inside Aki's room. "I can hear you two, you know," she said. "Come on in."

"Aki, don't invite us in just because your mother's nosy," Toushiro said, ignoring Rangiku's indignant 'Hey!' "If you don't want to talk right now, it can wait."

"Nah. Kaa-san might explode if I don't." Aki winked and plopped down on her bed. When her parents settled down on each side of her, she reiterated the whole story.

"Oh dear gods, finally-"

Toushiro shot her a warning look. "Don't listen to your mother. You know how she feels about you and Halu."

"Don't I just?" Aki drawled, shooting a mischievous look at Rangiku, who looked put out that she was being ganged up on. She leaned on her mother. "Be that as it may, I can't wrap my head around this right now. I mean, we aren't where we were three years ago. I feel like we haven't gotten our friendship back yet – and I know that will never be the same, but now this? It's all too much."

Rangiku's eyes softened. "Sweetie, I understand, I really do," she said, stroking Aki's hair. "As ridiculous as Shunsui and I have been, the only thing we really want is for you two to be happy."

"It's all right if you're overwhelmed," Toushiro added, taking his daughter's hand.

"I think overwhelmed is too small a word, tou-san," she mumbled.

"Yes, well love does tend to make everything a bit more complicated."

"Whoa!" Aki's head shot up. "I never said anything about love, kaa-san."

"You didn't have to." Rangiku ignored Toushiro's glare and Aki's panicked look. "Aki, I know you too well. You'd be lying if you said you didn't love Halu."

"I loved the Halu I grew up with," she corrected, unable to really disprove the statement. "I don't know who this Halu is."

"Find out, then," Toushiro suggested.

"Halu?" Nanao called as her son passed the den. "Come in here, please."

Halu sighed. He did not feel like talking to his parents right now. "I'm tired, kaa-san. Could we talk tomorrow?"

"Halu, listen to your mother," came his father's low, rumbling voice. He rolled his eyes and complied, walking into the den to see his parents curled up together on the couch, watching the latest "it" drama on TBS. He felt a slight pang as he looked at them. They were so remarkably in tune with each other and still blissfully in love, even after all of these years. He wondered now if he and Aki could ever have something like that.

"Yes?"

Nanao smiled up at him. "I just wanted to know how the planning for the charity ball performance went."

"It didn't," he sighed.

Shunsui looked away from the television. "It didn't?"

"Things…changed," he muttered, perching on the ottoman.

Shunsui and Nanao exchanged a look. There were volumes and volumes of meaning to those two words and they both reached the same conclusion. "Things do change," she ventured.

"You and Aki-chan have changed," his father added shrewdly. "The question is, how are you two going to adapt to it?"

Halu rubbed his forehead. He loved having philosophical conversations with his parents, but now was not the time. "Thank you, I think. I would really like to continue this conversation again, but some other time please."

"Go to bed, Halu," Nanao said softly. "Things will be clearer in the morning."

"I hope so," he sighed.

Nanao watched as her son wandered out of the room, lost in his own thoughts. She leaned against her husband with a sigh. "I am so happy that we've passed that stage a long time ago," she murmured. "The uncertainty, the waiting, the hoping…no, I am very glad to be here." A slight snore buzzed in her ear. "Shunsui?"

Sure enough, he was dozing. Nanao rolled her eyes. "Silly man," she said affectionately, tracing the laugh lines on his face that had deepened endearingly over the years. She reached up and kissed the corner of his mouth. "I love you, Kyouraku Shunsui. Plus que hier, moins que demain."

Strong arms wrapped around her. "Lovely, lovely Nanao-chan," he crooned in her ear. Chocolate-brown eyes regarded her adoringly. She seemed to grow more beautiful with each passing day. "Never doubt how ecstatic I am to be here with you, mon âme sœur."

Halu was in the office early the next day making phone calls to Tokyo General when Aki came in. "Yes, Ishida-san, I would be grateful if you could make arrangements with the children's wing." He nodded absently at her. "My time schedule is very flexible, so I can work it around their availability. Just let me know." He paused. "Yes, I am aware that your daughter-in-law is a costume designer. She is my first choice for the children's costumes. Yes, thank you Ishida-san. Please keep me updated."

"Good morning," Aki said coolly.

"Good morning," he replied amiably. The two stared at each other from across the desk.

It was better to get straight to the point, Aki decided. "What happened yesterday should not happen again, Halu," she said quietly, holding up a hand when he would have protested. "I'm going to be honest here, so let me finish. I'm fine with a working relationship. Maybe in time we can be friends again. But last night opened up a lot of wounds for me." She swallowed. "Three years ago, I loved you. But you left. Now you're back, and things have changed. We have changed. I have the responsibility…the right, to protect myself from you. I'm not willing to go through that again."

There. Everything was on the table. She folded her hands and stared at him.

"Perhaps I should explain something too," he said eventually, flabbergasted and off-balance with her admission. "Our friendship meant everything to me. I reacted badly to your change in vocation because in my mind, I felt that by abandoning ballroom, you were throwing aside our friendship as well." He tilted his head and looked at her. "Can you blame me for my reaction?"

"But that's not what-" Aki began, incensed.

"We've gone over this," he interrupted, pausing to wipe his glasses. "It was a misunderstanding on both our parts. I realize that now and so should you." His brown gaze was disconcerting. "If I'd known you loved me, perhaps I would have done things differently, I don't know. We were young and we made mistakes. We can't change what happened then, but we have control of our actions now. I would not mind being friends again."

Aki let out a long, slow breath. It was disconcerting that he had not admitted to feeling anything but friendship. Perhaps she shouldn't have felt put out, but she did. But as long as they could put the events of last night behind them, she would be all right. Her heart would be safe. "Friends is good, Halu."

Halu got to his feet. "Perhaps you could contact Ishida Orihime about designing the children's costumes for the event. I'm thinking about a ballroom dance revue."

"That's a good idea," she said, scribbling it down on a pad. She could deal with business. She needed it right now. "You'll divide the kids into groups performing certain dances, then?"

"I think so." He paused in the doorway. "Aki?"

"Yes, Halu?"

"There's one more thing you should know."

"What's that?" she said vaguely, her mind already going through the possibilities.

"I'm in love with you."

Her pen flew out of her hand, her heart leaping into her throat. "What?"

"Autumn and spring, always connected," he murmured, one hand on the doorknob. "But they haven't been connected for three years. Last night, autumn and spring met once more, and spring realized that it never wanted to be separated from autumn again."

"Damn it, Halu. Damn it." She was trembling.

"For what it's worth, my heart is yours, Aki. It always has been." With that, he left.

Aki watched from the doorway as Halu coached the children through their first run-through. He'd done a spectacular job with choreography, assigning partners and then dividing them into groups for each style of dance. The audience would get a small taste of every International Standard and Ballroom dance.

Aki had done her part as well, coordinating with the events crew over the actual performance. She had also procured the costumes, courtesy of one very agreeable Ishida Orihime. The now-famous designer had barely blinked at the request for thirty costumes for ten different dances. "Don't worry, I'll handle it myself!" the woman assured Aki, bouncing a ginger-haired, blue-eyed baby girl on her hip. "I'm going to have so much fun!"

In short, the children's performance was going to be an absolute success, so she wasn't even worrying about that anymore. Instead, she worried about the conversation she'd had with Halu close to a month ago.

Sometimes it seemed like he'd never confessed that he was in love with her. Truth be told, they were both so busy coordinating the children's dance for the ball on top of their responsibilities at school and at 8/13 to really talk about that last incident in the office. However, Aki had plenty of time to stew over it at night, which she did.

She was lying when she said she didn't know this Halu. Somehow, she'd always known him better than she knew herself. Even the years apart hadn't changed that. The combination of the dance and his confession had opened this Halu up to her. She understood everything he did and every motivation he had. She knew, without a doubt, that he did love her.

And she loved him. It was rather surprising to learn that their separation hadn't weakened those feelings – in fact, they had only strengthened them. She'd only thought she hated him, simply because she'd been so hurt by the loss of him for three years. Yes, she loved him and wanted everything that he was poised to give her, but part of her still hung back, reluctant to take the leap once more.

"Well, that's an expression I never thought I'd see again, Aki-chan," a liquid gold voice purred in her ear.

Aki spun around. "Yoruichi-ba!" she gasped, launching herself into the older woman's embrace. "It's so good to see you! What are you doing here? What do you mean about my expression?"

The Shihouin clan head laughed and tossed back her long purple hair, now liberally streaked with gray. "So many questions, as usual! I'm here for the charity ball, what else? It wouldn't do for a member of the hospital board to be absent, right?" Her golden eyes turned shrewd. "And as for your second question…well, I haven't seen that mixture of terror and longing on your face since you were seventeen."

Aki blushed, mortified. Was she really that easy to read? "Ah…"

"For heaven's sake!" Yoruichi put her hands on her hips, scowling. "Will you two stop dancing around each other and just dance together?"

"W-what?"

The older woman shot her a look. "You and Halu have been in love with each other since you were children. You know it, he knows it, and the rest of the studio knows it. So do something about it!"

"But the three years-"

"Are irrelevant because you love each other."

Aquamarine eyes clouded in confusion. "It cannot be that simple."

"And yet it is." She shrugged. "Those three years shaped you both into the people that you needed to be. You've grown up, and along with growing up comes the understanding of what it takes to be together, do you understand?"

"I think so." Aki bit her lip.

"Good. Explain it to me, then."

"We're more mature," she said slowly. "We've learned how to work together, to discuss issues and work them out. We…respect and trust each other. We wouldn't have known how to do those things when we were younger."

"Indeed. And how do you feel about Halu?" Yoruichi prodded.

"I love him," she admitted, thinking it over. "But it's more than that. It's knowing that we have come this far and seeing who we are. It's seeing him now, as the man that he is..." Her eyes sparkled with the sudden knowledge. "And knowing that the wait, the pain, and the distance was worth it. He's worth it."

"Aki."

She whirled around, going red all over again. Halu stood in the middle of a crowd of whispering, giggling kids. Even though she and Yoruichi stood in the doorway, the acoustics of the ballroom had made their dialogue public. "Hey! This is a private conversation!"

His eyes blazed with the depth of emotion he was feeling, turning chocolate brown to molten black. Caught in that gaze, it felt like someone was pounding out the beat on a taiko drum inside her chest. "I don't care." He crossed the length of the ballroom in a few long strides, hauling her up on her toes as his mouth swooped down on hers.

The kids began cheering. This was the best show ever! Yoruichi nodded with satisfaction. Rangiku and Shunsui so owedher.

Halu broke the kiss, cupping Aki's face between his hands. His strong, capable hands, she thought dizzily. He was right about their connection. It was still there. He would always be there to catch her, to save her…especially if it was from herself. "I don't care what you decide," he whispered. "Business, dancing, or joining the circus, it doesn't matter. I just want you to be happy."

Kami, she was going to embarrass herself if she started crying in front of the kids. "Baka," she said affectionately. "Halu, I have only ever been happy with you by my side. You are all I need to be happy."

"Thank god," he said feelingly, pulling her back into his embrace once more.

She grinned impishly. "Though that circus thing is a novel idea!"

"Koneko-chan, come on, we're going to be late for the board meeting…what on earth is causing this commotion?" Shunsui, Nanao, Byakuya, and Jyuushiro stopped in the doorway.

Nanao reacted first. "Oh!" Despite herself, tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at her son and yes, future daughter-in-law so closely twined together. She hastily accepted the handkerchief Byakuya offered her. "Thank you, Kuchiki-san."

"It is no problem, Kyouraku-san." He cleared his throat. "I am happy that the two children have resolved their issues, though should Halu-kun break her heart again…I will not be so favorably inclined towards him."

"I think you would have to line up behind Rangiku and Toushiro-san if that were the case," she chuckled. "But I do not believe that such a thing will happen again."

"Indeed not," Byakuya observed dryly as a sobbing Shunsui launched himself at the two. A corner of his mouth twitched as Jyuushiro tried to drag him away from the embarrassed couple while Yoruichi laughed hysterically from off to the side. "With a love like that, one endeavors to learn from their mistakes and not repeat them."

"Hear hear," Nanao laughed softly. "Now, I must retrieve my wandering parakeet, as we still have a board meeting to attend." The petite woman walked over to her husband, grabbed his ear, and marched out of the ballroom.

"A most remarkable woman," Byakuya said to no one in particular, following after the two.

Aki sat on the concrete railing, her feet swinging out over the edge. She hummed happily to herself, tilting her head back to look at the sky. She didn't care that she was probably getting runs in her silk evening gown. The children's performance had gone off without a hitch, with the children looking spectacular in Ishida Orihime's designs and performing with exuberance and glee. Everything had come together perfectly.

Especially her relationship with Halu. She knew they were in the "honeymoon" stage right now and that they would probably fall back into the casual, bickering stage that marked much of their friendship, but the fact remained that they were together. She knew the four seasons song that her mother had named her for, and it was indeed true that the man autumn loved was a matured person. So was autumn, in any case.

"Uh-oh, I've seen that look before," Rangiku laughed as she came up beside her daughter. "Besotted much, my dear?"

"Please, like I haven't seen you looking at tou-san like that before."

"That's why I'm so thrilled!" the golden-haired woman protested good-naturedly. She winked. "Let's look at wedding dresses tomorrow, ne?"

"Kaa-san!" Aki was torn between amusement and horror. "Just because Halu and I are officially together does not mean that we're anywhere near ready for marriage!"

Rangiku pouted. "But I've been planning-"

"The wedding since I was born, I know. You'll have to wait a little while longer, kaa-san." She grinned impishly and kissed her on the cheek. "But that doesn't mean that we can't order some bridal catalogues!"

"That's my girl," Rangiku said proudly. Her eyes brightened as the band struck up a new song. "Oooh, I love this song. I'm off."

Aki watched as her mother literally pounced on her father and pulled him onto the dance floor. He made the token protest, as usual, but acquiesced quite easily. Aki smiled as they moved together on the dance floor, still graceful after all these years. They were so perfect together, so in tune, so in love. Her mother would make some sort of random observation and her father would roll his eyes, but he would also run his fingers through the ends of her hair. She used to be envious of the way they looked at each other. There was no mistaking it, even when her father was at his most exasperated.

"Dance with me?"

Aki looked down to see Halu standing right in front of her, a hand extended. "Of course!" she exclaimed, placing a hand in his and hopping off the railing. When he pulled her into his arms, she could hardly suppress a delighted shiver.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We fit perfectly." She grinned.

"As if there was any doubt," he chuckled. They swayed in silence for a while. "We'll soon be full partners in the running of 8/13," he remarked.

"I'm ready for it, as long as you're with me."

"Always," he promised.

Aki tilted her head back to look at him. Her breath caught in her throat at the look in his eyes, as it did so often these days. Yes, she used to be envious about the way her parents looked at each other, but no longer. Not when she knew Halu looked at her the exact same way, and she him.

Halu pulled her closer, burying his face in the fall of her hair. He'd waited so very long for the chance to love her and now it was here. They had come full circle, starting fresh, just like the seasons they were named after.

Byakuya watched the two of them, a sentimental smile on his face. "How I wish you were here to see this, Hisana," he murmured. A breeze smelling of plum blossoms wafted over him, bringing with it a sense of peace. His smile grew wider. She was there. He raised his champagne flute slightly. "A toast to the young lovers," he said. "That there may be more life, laughter, and love at the 8/13 studio."

A/N. Wow. It is officially finished. I am so, so sorry about how long it took me to put this back up. Life, such as it is, has a way of crashing down on your head. I also encountered a block of epic proportions - I cannot tell you how many drafts of this chapter I wrote and discarded before I came up with this one. OCs are pretty hard to write, as it turns out!

This has been the wildest journey. I never, ever could have imagined this when I first wrote Sway. I fully intended to leave it at that, but the series kind of exploded on me! This really could not have happened without you guys, the readers. Your praise and encouragement have truly kept me going throughout this entire series. Your reviews have remained a bright spot for me on many a gloomy day. Yes, that last bit was totally cheesy, but it was also true! I'm truly humbled by you guys. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

As always, poptate has been instrumental in the execution of this series (she's the one who encouraged me to write Sway in the first place). Hugs to the best beta ever! A special shout-out also goes out to MatsuMama, for filling in poptate's shoes occasionally and coming up with so many great ideas for the series.