Byakuya's eyes closed even as he fought them. He was tired, distraught and too emotional where Jamie was concerned. He shouldn't have gone over, but when Unohana retold him of her workings on the girl that even after a few days still drew an unprecedented pale and no smile from the captain it had disturbed him. "Never in all my life have I seen so much disregard for her own body. But never one so brave, she shames the whole society with her selflessness." She had said and then asked him. "You were there when they took her, were you not?" The question had caught him off guard, for he had made his report days ago. She frowned. "How were you made immobile? You are not only a lord but a very powerful captain. One not easily undone." HIs only answer was one that made her study him more and then she suddenly had her smile back. She even had laughed slightly. "She is lovely, even at her ancient age. " Byakuya had stiffened at such a suggestion. Jamie was not his type. She stubborn, sloppy, boisterous, more like a child then an adult. Yet his memory flashed a picture of another Jamie this one sinking with a face that looked as if it had never smiled or laughed. Just grieved. It was then that he had gone, feeling the cold from that Jamie cling to him like his robes. He needed to see that irritating face and hear that annoying laugh. What he had received was a bandaged from head to toe Jamie who was slipping on a robe and sliding a sword into its sheath, before addressing him...."Like what you see? I must thank Lily when I see her again. She's done such a great job making me seemingly a soft target. Don't you agree, my arrogant lord?" He'd even wasted a flash step to get to her faster only to hear her still healing vocal chords laugh. "Got to be quicker my lord." God! How he hated her! Always with the last word! Always making him crazy! He had seen the dark blue patches through the wet bandages. Only her throat and lungs had been spared....to make her able to scream. Tears flowed and anger flared as he had again not been able to protect her. 'Why do you want to protect someone who clearly does not want you to protect them?' A voice said. 'She is as you believe unworthy of you. You have told her yourself that you think this of her. Yet you act as if she is worthy. Which is it? Than ask yourself if you are indeed in love with such a woman. Have you fallen so low as to need such a female?
She acts more like a warrior then a noble, in fact she'd refuse even the notion of being of the blood. Boy do you think that she has been honest with you? Think again. She has stolen more of your memories then you think. Every time you go between they are wiped, with barely enough left so that you can make out your reports. Go and look, see Mayuri he will tell you the same. How can you even trust such a creature? She would be better on the slab for his dissection then anywhere near you and yours." Byakuya's heart calmed and cooled. He opened his eyes and knew that the voice had told him the truth. How could he have forgotten Hisana in all of it. How could he have forgotten that the soul smith's life was needed to procure Hisana's life even if that smiths life was a cursed one.
Jamie stretched and yawned as a new day began. Ugh. Monday. Not only did she have to tutor a mental midget like Keigo, but she had to go over smith basics with the fledglings. Now she had them all on a line. She just had to push it, hadn't she.....Shadow had made sure she had seen Byakuya's worried face and just how close he had come to catching her. Byakuya. He looked just like his name sake, but he wasn't hers no matter how much she may want him to be no one could be....and that kiss? She had seen how he had reacted once he had realized who he'd been kissing. He must have been drunk, or in a drug haze, because any other option meant she'd been wrong....She was never wrong. That didn't mean he hadn't considered her a friend, a friend could be concerned. A friend like him would be really pissed off by her actions. "Mom you're going to be late, and don't forget we're all going Christmas shopping after you tutor the mental midget." Jamie sank back into her bed and pulled the pillow tightly over her face trying to smoother herself. "Mom, I'm going to dress you myself if you don't get up this instant!" P.B. threatened as she took out an 'I love bunnies!' pink t-shirt and a tight pair of pants that would get her suspended for a day if it weren't casual Monday. Go figure! The red uniform school she attended had decided to have a backwards spirit week. All except for the pep rally on Friday. "Fine give me the damn outfit. Maybe they'll revise the day and suspend my ass!" Jamie grabbed the out fit and nearly went purple when a string bikini popped out of the haul for underwear. "I'm not wearing that!" P.B. sighed. "Sorry but all your other clothes shrunk in the wash." Jamie's mouth hung open. "What the hell! Most of them were clean!" P.B. shrugged and walked out of the room before Jamie could catch her. Jamie giggled and then laughed. "Payback's a bitch." Then giving herself a good shake she put on the, 'make all the girl's jealous and boys drool package before heading out of the room.
Keisuke whistled as he saw her walk past him quickly and onto her motorcycle. She had to get to her apartment in the bad part of town to catch the bus and set up the kids for coming down to the glass head ache for a snow day festival. As she gave the keys to the man she paid handsomely for his care of the toy. " When I leave it's all yours." The man had nearly had a heart attack but had recovered well enough to sign the contract. Tossing him the keys today, she got a frown. "Its backwards week at school. Casual day today. Must be bad joke at home they shrunk all but this out fit. " The man snorted but followed her up and to her apartment that she shared with an elderly woman and her supposed grandson. "I'm home." Lee Ling zoomed up into her out stretched arms. "Shauni! Your home! " Jamie kissed Lee on the cheek and put him down. "And how is grandmother?" She whispered and got a kick in the pants from behind. "I totally deserved that. " Jamie smiled and rubbed her butt at the pretended sting. "Sorry I should have called earlier, but things went kitty-wompus during my study group weekend. Won't happen again, promise. Or at least not without a much earlier phone call." Kiu Ling nodded and then kissed Jamies forehead. "You are a rotten child but we love you. Do not make us worry too much." Jamie bowed deeply. It felt good to be cared about in such a small manner. Not panicked over or made to feel so much out of place. "What are you wearing sister?" Lee said as he took a look at her through a 6 year olds eyes. "Oh this, its for school. Its Casual Day. Not mine. Its one of the girl's from school also she said I had to wear it or be prepared to get it at school. Its always better to agree when its this stupid." Lee frowned. "But you can kick everyone's butt at school. You're number one." Jamie squeezed him in her arms. "Only in your book pee-wee." Knowing he'd squirm and pout from her nickname for him. When she let his squirming self down she kissed him on both cheeks. "This weekend all the kids are coming to the big glass head ache, for a snow day. I'll pick up some snow pants and things you'll all need." Liu shook her head with a smile. "Until you came I doubted the very existence of a good soul. Now I would believe you if you said you were Kara herself come back to us." Jamie winced at the mention of her friend's name. " No I would never claim to be that saintly lady. I'm just me." Lee giggled. " Of course your you who else would you be, silly." Jamie rubbed his hair and caught the bus with the rest of the hard luck cases to the prime and proper private school of the Red Dragon. Uryu met her at the door, his eyebrows raised, while Abel was as red as the mascot. "Hey not my call. Damn P.B. shrunk all my other clothes except these. You don't want to even know about my underwear. I'm going to kill her the first chance I get." Abel snorted and then laughed. "You'll have to get in line, look at what Renji's having to wear." Jamie looked over to where Abel had pointed. "Oh mother of god! Has she no shame!" Renji put his best face forward which was swearing under his breath and refusing to look up from the ground as he made his way across the grounds. "Ho Ho we've got a set of twins!" Someone said as he crossed. Jamie cut to him quickly. Becoming the one on the receiving end of lurid heckles and wolf whistles. "The bitch must pay." She smirked and saw Renji give her one of his. "Most definitely." They walked arm in arm into the school while Abel and Uryu covered the rear.