Byakuya noticed that Rukia has been in a good mood lately. She would unconsciously hum to herself, and at times during supper, a small smile would grace her lips before disappearing once more at her brother's inquiring stare. His cold demeanor did not seem to affect her any longer. She would often just ignore it and continue with whatever she was doing. She greeted him with more enthusiasm instead of the pathetic little 'good mornings' she would mumble awkwardly during breakfast. Byakuya's curiosity took the best of him, as he could no longer concentrate on his paperwork. Her unusual perkiness provoked such strange emotions from him. He would not dare admit it, but he found her bubbly personality rather adorable and would not mind seeing more of it. He just needed time to get used to it. He was so accustomed to her serious no-nonsense personality that having her cheerful irked him to no end. It was on a cold day in January that he finally decided to approach his lieutenant about it.

"Abarai," Byakuya called.

Renji looked up, surprised to see his captain actually talk to him while they were doing their paperwork. "Yes taichou?" he replied.

Byakuya seemed to hesitate, taking a deep breath, he continued, "Do you know why Rukia has been so . . . happy lately?"

Renji seemed to contemplate something before his eyes widened, "Are you serious taichou?" he almost screeched.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed dangerously, his fist clenching tightly. Renji coughed before stammering, "It's almost h-her b-birthday."

'Birthday?' Byakuya's mind seemed to scream. He dismissed Renji with a nod, resuming his paperwork. It was almost her birthday and he didn't even know about it. 'What type of sick person am I? Not even knowing my own sister's birthday.' As he was mentally beating himself with his own zanpakuto, he didn't notice Renji sniggering at his expression. Byakuya's face was constricted in agony, almost as if he was being castrated. Despite his promise to Rukia not to mention her birthday to her brother, he had to admit that the satisfaction of seeing his captain so worked up over it was worth it.

'Sorry Rukia. It seems like you're getting a surprise for you birthday,' he smirked. 'And we all know how much you love surprises.'

…

'Fuck this!' Byakuya mentally yelled. It had been three days and he still doesn't know what present to give Rukia. Her birthday was in two days, every single one of her close friends had their respective gifts, except him, her very own brother! Upon further analyzing any successful prospects, he had of course thought of Chappy. Rukia's love . . . obsession for Chappy was by no means a secret. But after hearing that Matsumoto had already gotten her a life-sized Chappy plushy, and the thirteenth squad third seats had already bought her a copy of the new chappy movie, Chappy and the Beast (along with her collection of Chapirella, Chapunzel, The Amazing Adventures of Chappy Hood, Charzan, and even Chars). His own lieutenant had bought her a season's pass to the new Chappy amusement park. Aside from Chappy, Byakuya was completely clueless on his sister's preferences. He could not even order a cake because he did not know what flavor she wanted. Fortunately, the cook already knew her favorite foods, and as he had suddenly been made aware of, they had been cooking her favorite meals on her birthday ever since she was adopted. He had not even noticed this.

'You bastard,' he reprimanded himself, 'You stupid, sick, idiotic bastard.' His title as the sixth squad captain and head of the Kuchiki clan meant completely nothing to him if he couldn't even get his own sister a decent birthday gift. Sure he could lavish her in rare gems, and expensive kimonos. He could provide her with a large ball with a guest list of over five thousand, he could buy her an island if she so wished. But Byakuya knew that Rukia was not the type of person who could be genuinely happy with such a careless display of wealth. He himself preferred more humble items compared to the boisterous products his wealth could afford him.

"Nii-sama?"

He had not even noticed Rukia enter the study. Apparently she had been calling her name several times now. A worried look was plastered on her face. She seemed as if she was about to reach out and . . . poke him, for her hand was risen, hanging in mid-air. Byakuya shook himself and ran a hand through his hair. His long luscious, silky-

"What is it, Rukia?" he asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Rukia blushed prettily, her cheeks burning, and her ears turning pink. "Well," she stammered, "I was wondering if you would be free two days from now, on the fourteenth?"

Byakuya pried inside his mental calendar, checking if there was anything important that had to be done. He could distinctly remember that there was a very important event on that day, though he would have to check his actual calendar to remember what it was.

"I'm busy that day." He replied bluntly.

Rukia's face fell, and the small smile she had on earlier faltered, "Oh, well then, okay."

Byakuya was now curious at her reaction, "Was there anything important on that day?"

Rukia shook her head violently, but she seemed as if she was about to cry, "No it's of no importance at all Nii-sama." With a bow, she left the room.

'What was happening on the fourteenth' Byakuya asked himself. He finally stood up and checked his calendar. On the box of January 14, it had been circled several times with a red pen, and it had been labeled, 'Rukia's birthday." Byakuya's face paled. Rukia had most likely come to him about something concerning her birthday, and he had dismissed her so blatantly .

'Shit!'

…

It had been decided. Byakuya was about to do something completely dangerous. If he failed, his life and reputation would be in danger. Rukia would forever hate him and she would most likely move out of the manor. She would always remember him as the creepy pervert that she once lived with. She would most likely be traumatized, maybe even have some trust issues.

Byakuya took another look around. When he made sure that there was no one in close proximity, he stealthily entered the door. He breathed in the sweet girly scent of the room. 'So this is Rukia's room.' It was simple and pleasant. She had stuck several posters on the wall, mostly consisting of Chappy and a handful of what seemed to be her favorite bands. Her desk was neat, her Chappy pens, paper, and paper clips tucked nicely into their drawers or little containers. There was an impressive amount of books in her bookshelf, upon further inspection, they seemed to be romance novels, and some of them were not very . . . innocent. Byakuya coughed and placed them back, making sure they were put in as they were before. That was something he didn't need to know, not that it was unwelcomed though. Byakuya decided to look through her drawers. Surely there was something that could give him just even a mere hint of what Rukia could possibly want for her birthday. His desperation disgusted him, but he was determined to give Rukia the best damn present ever, because that is simply what she deserves. Byakuya pulled open the first drawer; it was a collection of little knives and daggers. Well that was unexpected. If he had known that Rukia was into sharp objects he would have bought her the best knives in Seiretei, only handled by the most skilled artisans. But he didn't think she needed any more of these. She seemed to have a sufficient amount of artillery and giving her another one wouldn't be anything special. Byakuya quietly closed the drawer and opened the second one. His breath hitched at the sight of so many under –clothes. 'Is that lace?' he gaped. They were arranged by color and in the order of the rainbow too. Byakuya quickly shut the drawer. Staring at the last one, he hoped that it contained at least something remotely normal. He had no idea that Rukia could be so eccentric. Prying the final drawer open, he was relieved to see that there were only scrolls, but scrolls of what exactly? He took one from the top and unfolded it. He was completely amazed at what he saw. It was a painting. One of the most beautiful paintings he ever saw. It was a painting of a bunny; it was so alluring and ethereal. Its round head was almost a perfect circle. The skinny arms were drawn to perfection, and the tail hung proudly from its impeccably painted behind. He had no idea that Rukia was such an excellent artist! And she didn't have any lessons either. At that moment, he was so utterly proud of her. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the footsteps approaching the room. It was only when the door slid open that Byakuya panicked. He looked around, and the only reasonable place to hide was under her bed. He quickly dove under her tiny bed. His large frame could hardly be contained, and he was afraid that his robe might leak out at the sides. He could hear her hum a tune suspiciously similar to 'happy birthday' and he was once again reminded of his failed mission. Kuchiki Byakuya has never failed a mission. Leave it to Rukia to break his perfect record.

He heard a rustle of cloth on the other side, and he wondered if he was undressing right now. He reddened madly at this. He didn't need that image, especially not now that he was cramped up into this tiny box-like space. After several minutes, he could feel Rukia climb up her bed. He waited for her breathing to even out, and when it did, he finally released a heavy sigh. He wasn't even aware that he was holding his breath. Byakuya slowly crawled out of her bed. He was silently thankful that she didn't seem to notice that her drawer had been slightly open. He wondered how he was going to reprimand her at being more cautious of her surrounding without revealing himself. With another resigned sigh, Byakuya exited her room, and strolled back to his, his shoulders slumped down in defeat.

…

Byakuya woke up with an epiphany. He just suddenly knew what he was going to give her. It was completely perfect! It was something he was sure she would like, and it was also personalized. By doing so, he would be able to receive her good graces, and any other things she would like to bestow upon him. He wasn't really picky. With much determination, Byakuya set out to accomplish making the perfect gift for Rukia. He smirked, not even his lieutenant, with his seasons pass to 'Chappy in Wonderland' could surpass the sheer genius of Kuchiki Byakuya.

'Just wait Rukia. Nii-sama will give you a present that would blow your mind.'

….

He was pissed. After working so hard with his present, he simply couldn't wait but give it to her. Unfortunately, Matsumoto dragged her to a party, thought it was really just drinking with pointless people. He had trailed her since before breakfast, eager to give her his present. He scowled when he saw her squeal at Abarai's gift. He could hardly contain himself when he saw her give him a hug, and he just wanted to rip his eyeballs out when Renji blushed at this. 'If it wasn't Rukia's birthday, you'd be dead Abarai.'

Next, he followed her as Matsumoto once more dragged her to the tenth squad office. There he saw a blushing Hitsugaya-taichou hand her a Chappy ice sculpture. Rukia was ecstatic, she seemed as if she was about to burst from her giddiness. But all Byakuya wanted to do was burn Hitsugaya-taichou until his body was no longer recognizable. 'You're pushing it, kid.'

There was no freaking way, absolutely no freaking way. Byakuya had been trailing, because he certainly wasn't stalking, them for three hours. He was just about ready to unleash Senbonzakura on all of them, especially Matsumoto-fukutaichou for dragging her all around Seiretei to receive her gifts.

With a resigned huff, Byakuya stalked towards them. Rukia's eyes widened at the sight of him.

"Nii-sama! I thought you were busy today?"

He grabbed her arm, ignoring her questioning gaze. He turned towards Matsumoto and said, "Excuse me Matsumoto-fukutaichou but I need the assistance of my sister right now. It would be to your benefit to find another time to drag her around. Thank you."

He pulled a stunned Rukia towards the direction of the manor. She was too surprised to even protest. Once they arrived, Byakuya gently lead her to a seat in the study. Rukia had seem to finally shake herself back to sanity and simply stared at him with wide curious eyes.

"Happy birthday, Rukia," Byakuya began. Rukia looked as if she was about to faint.

"H-h-how d-did you know?" she sputtered.

Byakuya grinned handsomely, "I have my ways."

Rukia was breathing so hard, almost to the point of hyperventilation as Byakuya grabbed a box from behind him. He handed it to her with a slight tint on his cheeks, very unusual for Kuchiki Byakuya indeed. Rukia wordlessly took it, too dumfounded to even speak.

Byakuya waited in great anticipation as she unfurled the ribbons that surrounded the box. His heart pounded uncomfortably beneath his chest. His eyes were fixed on her face, waiting for any sort of reaction that would indicate whether she liked it or not. He stopped breathing altogether when Rukia opened the box and . . . cried.

'She's crying,' Byakuya sat there, speechless. 'She hates it. I can't believe it. My gift is absolute shit.'

"Nii-sama," she sobbed. Byakuya began to panic. He had never dealt with a crying female before. There was no one important enough that he would actually show any type of concern towards them. But this is different. This is Rukia. The most precious person in the world to him, and he made her cry, correction, from the looks of it, she was already wailing.

'Shit. Shit. Shit! What should I do? Should I sing to her? Singing is good right? It calms people down . . . right?'

And so Byakuya sang. His deep baritone resonated throughout the large study. It rang pleasantly, and most importantly, it made Rukia stop crying. On the other hand, Rukia was too flabbergasted. Everything that happened within the few several minutes they had been there had been so surreal. It was all so, so, so- Rukia began to cry again, louder this time.

Byakuya was an absolute mess. She was crying, again! He stopped singing as soon as her hiccups turned into pitiful sobs once more.

'I have to apologize,' he decided bravely, 'I have to apologize for putting her through this. What was I thinking? Giving her this pathetic present and singing to her with such a horrible voice. She must hate me.'

"Rukia, forgive me," Kuchiki Byakuya swallowed his pride and bowed. He threw himself on the ground and planted his face on the floor. "Because of me you had to suffer through this. Even if my intentions were admirable, it is no excuse for exposing you through such horrors."

Rukia had to be dreaming, because there was no possible way that her brother would be on his knees in front of her, apologizing. There was no possible way that Kuchiki Byakuya could be so, so, so, utterly stupid!

"Nii-sama!" Rukia exclaimed, "How could you even think of apologizing for this!"

Byakuya flinched. Of course there was no easy way out. "I know, Rukia. I do not even deserve your forgiveness so there is no point for an apology. But I had to show you that my intentions were pure."

Rukia has had it. She grabbed Byakuya by the shoulders and slapped him. Byakuya nodded in understanding. 'Yes, I deserve this pain. I deserve more than this. She should stab me with her zanpakuto.'

"How could you?" she cried once more.

'Yes, how could I? What type of sick person am I?'

"How could you even think that you would need to apologize for something so beautiful!" she sobbed.

'I know that I wha-?'

Rukia tackled him in one of her rare hugs. "It's perfect Nii-sama!" she wept, her cries muffled by his robe. "The gift is so beautiful and perfect and just completely wonderful, and singing to me was just so touching. I had never been so overwhelmed with such feelings of love before."

Byakuya's astonishment could not be masked by his usual aloofness. Rukia was hugging him. She had loved his gift, and his voice, and she was hugging him! Byakuya wrapped a shaky arm around her and pulled her closer. She continued to sob in his arms. Her grasp around his waist was tight enough to suffocate a person, but Byakuya simply enjoyed it. They stayed that way for several more minutes before Rukia finally pulled away.

"Thank you Nii-sama," she whispered, grabbing his hands. "Thank you for giving me the perfect birthday present."

Byakuya allowed a smug grin to escape through his facial barrier. It had been expected of course. Kuchiki Byakuya was not prone to failure, especially when it concerned his little sister. He had to be the best for her, everything he did was absolutely perfect for her sake.

"Don't worry Nii-sama" Rukia whispered mischievously this time, "I won't tell anyone that you're completely oblivious when it comes to gifts."

For the first time in several years, Byakuya laughed. He laughed and laughed and laughed until he could no longer laugh. Rukia joined him, her giggle in perfect contrast with his laughter.

And the painting of the seaweed ambassador lied on the floor, a smile on the figure's face and a twinkle on its eye, as if it was laughing along them too.

This is my first one-shot and I would have to say I'm quite pleased with it. As you can see it's not really over-romantic and Byakuya just seems like he has a sister-complex. I love how he beats himself up for every single thing he thinks he does wrong. I find it quite adorable . I hope you like it to. I would of course appreciate some nice reviews. ;). Thanks for reading!