A/N: Hey, it's Wilder-chan! Anyway, I thought I'd actually do one of these this time. FIRST! Anywho.... This didn't turn out quite how I wanted it to, but whatever. I don't like the ending, especially. I don't understand it and I wrote the damn thing. Yeah, Wilder's having a bit of a brain fart, or at least I did when I wrote the end of this story. I suck at ending things. I did piles of good on the title, I think. Does that not sound good? Rate 'n' Review and stuff!

----------------------------------------------------

The Only Nobody

Rukia was practically invisible. She was an unseated member of the Thirteenth Division, lead by Captain Ukitake. She was so weak, she practically cursed herself for it. Everyone she knew was growning and delveloping their powers, surpassing her, leaving her in the dust. Leaving her for dead. She was so dissapointed in her own abilites that she thought many times of retiring, much to her older brother's dislike. She had brought up the subject once in his prescence, hoping that it would be one of few things that he'd let her do. Instead, he glared at her.

"I'll hear of no such thing. To retire at such a young age is to disgrace the Kuchiki Clan."

Rukia hung her head and sighed. She hadn't been able to gain her powers back while living with Ichigo, the one person she had felt strong, smart, even beautiful around. He had so many questions, and she had the answers. He needed a close friend in the world, closer than Tatsuki or Chad. The kind of friend who lives in your closet because they like to watch you sleep, and wants to protect you. The kind of friend that, no matter how short they are, you look up to and respect them because they have the qualities of an admirable person. And though she would never admit it, she needed something like that too.

Rukia needed the friend that saves you from execution even if you tell them not to.

She hoped that was what Ichigo had in mind. She still hadn't quite accepted her immanent death. The image of the Sokyoku was forever in her head, and from her tiny window, it was all she could see. Some days she felt like crying because of this. All of this. The Sokyoku, her prison cell, the disgrace to the Kuchiki... ruining Ichigo's life forever.... It hurt her.

But it won't.... Not for very much longer, anyway, she thinks as she stares up at the execution site. Why am I so weak?

Everyone she knew was above her. They were all higher-ranked, except for Kisuke, Yoruichi and Isshin (who were formerly higher ranked than her); Uryuu, Orihime, Chad, and Ichigo (who were all stronger than her); Ganju and Hanataro (who were both sort of insignificant, so they gave her some pride of sorts); Mizuiru, Keigo, Chizuka, and Tatsuki (but they were humans anyway). People like Byakuya, Renji and Captain Ukitake were high-ranked and good looking. They had so much to brag about. What did she have to show for all her training?

Unseated status in the Thirteenth Division and Sode no Shirayuki, the most beautiful zanpaku-to in the Seireitei. But was was the point of a beautiful blade if it wasn't deadly as well?

What Rukia didn't know was that she was strong. She could have been a Vice-Captain; but Byakuya was pulling the strings to keep her safe. It was the only reason Ukitake didn't take a new Vice-Captain. He wanted Rukia. She was the one he knew Kaien would want to take over for him, and Ukitake was secretly negotiating with Byakuya to let her have the position. Jyuushiro had been fighting with Byakuya about it for ten years now. The battle had changed after Rukia was imprisioned. Ukitake fought to have Rukia let go on probation and with temporary suspention of her powers, that he would moniter himself. And Renji would've given anything for Ukitake to have his wish, because it was what he wanted as well. For Rukia to be allowed to excel.

Being an unseated member and never even coming close to being seated made her feel as if she was the only one who could do wrong. Like she was the only one with no talent when, infact, she was brimming with it. She was such a great Shinigami that many of the younger ones looked up to her, secretly though almost obsessivly. They were on the side of Jyuushiro and Renji. There was a whole army that wanted to see Rukia become a Vice-Captain, maybe even a Captain someday.

They wanted Rukia to see she wasn't the only nobody.