Disclaimer: Don't own BLEACH. If I did, somebody would've died already and Ichigo would not be so god-like with his powers.
Rukia's musings on her various relationships with other characters.
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Thoughts Inside A Closet
Introduction
She had not noticed it when she first met him. He was just a brash teenager with a strong spiritual pressure. But it was not long before the realization sank to her brain.
"Kaien-dono."
The kid resembled her dead vice-captain on his attitude and outlook in life (aside from the superficial physical resemblance). He was so much like him that it hurt her sometimes.
But despite their uncanny resemblance, Rukia kept herself from mistaking Ichigo for Kaien-dono. That much she had learned from her older brother, who had never mistaken her for his wife with whom she resembled greatly.
"He is not Kaien-dono. He is Ichigo. He is Ichigo. He is not Kaien-dono. He is Ichigo!" This mantra she had drilled inside her head immediately following her realization. It was not long before she could look at him and not see her vice-captain but him, Kurosaki Ichigo.
The effort required to separate the two identities from her mind was immense and Rukia again understood why her brother never really looked at her.
"And yet," Rukia mused to herself, "it's not the same, what Byakuya-nii-sama and I experience. Ichigo and…" Rukia paused. It still affected her whenever she thought about Kaien-dono. "Ichigo and Kaien-dono do not resemble each other closely in terms of appearance. Not like me and Hisana-sama." A shadow crossed Rukia's features.
"Hisana-sama," she sighed. "I wonder what type of person she was… to have made Nii-sama love her so much."
Rukia closed her eyes. Lying there inside the kid's closet she could think about things with no fear of being disturbed (unless there's an order). Ichigo was not the inquisitive type and she was thankful for that. It was not like he didn't care; it was more like he respected her privacy. Just like Kaien-dono.
Rukia opened her eyes with a start. She couldn't dwell on the memories of him too much. It affected her performance and considering she was inside a faux body with limited Death God powers, she couldn't afford to be more of a burden when hunting Hollows. So she tried to search her for another memory, another event to replay in her mind, another person to think about.
The image of a man with a haughty bearing, a face as impassive as stone and lips that never spoke words of affection loomed in her mind.
"Nii-sama."
(...to be continued...)