BL34cH I don't own.
I blinked as bright sunlight spilled in through the open doorway. Much too bright for my liking. But I had heard a knock and most knocks deserve an answering to the door. I glanced for a second towards the room where Rukia lay sick with a fever. It couldn't be helped, I was leaving for a mission anyway.
The light continued to aggravate my sensitive eyes and I was growing tired of peering into the empty walkway. Where was the one who had knocked?
Suddenly, a soft hollow sound thumped below me and I looked down to see a boy of around 8 years old crouching on the ground. He appeared to be trembling and the folds of his kimono seemed to completely engulf him.
"C-c-captain Kuchiki, s-sir…" he peered upwards with big blue terror-filled eyes. In his hands, he clutched a small stack of papers.
"Yes?" I answered.
"Th-th-this is for your s-sister Kuchiki Rukia…" The boy tried to stand but simply buckled on his knees and stretched out his arms with the papers kneeling on the ground, "Sh-she was a-absent today, sir, and this is the work that she missed today in her classes."
"Oh?" I replied.
"Y-yes, sir," and with that, he squeezed his eyes shut and seemed to focus all his energy into the paper he held in his hands.
I took the papers and before I could say anything, the boy had dashed off.
Feeling indifferent, I turned back and entered Rukia's room. As I closed the door behind me, a feeble, dry cough erupted from the small figure surrounded in blankets resting on the tatami. Rukia then shivered for a moment before resuming her ragged breathing.
"Rukia, your schoolwork is on the floor beside you," I stated, placing it a few feet from the blankets.
"Thank you… onii-sama," Rukia's small voice barely carried past the insulating bed sheets around her.
I stared down at her for a moment, thinking how vulnerable she looked and something may have given in during my thinking process. It was strange how the Kuchiki family had adopted someone like this 78th district runt into the household. She apparently had some special sort of skill yet to beheld. Well, it wasn't my place to question the head of the family.
Unsure of my actions, I reached down and brushed a stray lock of black hair out of her eyes, and they widened considerably, locking with my own. I looked straight back at her, and then I knew that she would never become a true Kuchiki. How humane and pure the blue was!
Abruptly I stood up and turned towards the door. But I couldn't help it and looked back just once more, and a child-like, sweet smile had enveloped her face. The one word that appeared in my mind was innocence… something I had never experienced.
"Rest well," my voice directed at her and I walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.
I stood there for a moment in the main hall. Unconsciously, my fingers brushed against the hilt of Senbonzakura and I noticed how icy cold it was to the touch. Then, somehow, my fingers found their way to my face and grazed my cheek. It was no warmer.
An unknown emotion slithered among the plain thoughts in my head and I felt strange and detached. Rukia's skin had felt so warm and pulsating with life when my own was as cold as marble. There was a wrong truth in the thought but this was the Kuchiki way. And now I knew for sure that I would never accept Rukia as one in the family.
She could never don a Kuchiki mask, for I would never let her.
For I would never want her to become a Kuchiki.
>
>
>
>
>
>less drama more trauma: wait for the knight in white
>
>
>
XD Wheee… I love Byakuya… he completely rocks all characters. But 1st person POV for him is sooo infinitely tough to write; you never quite know what he is thinking. So I'm interested in seeing what you dear readers thought.
This obviously takes place in the past about the time when Rukia is first adopted into the Kuchiki family. There is so much mystery involving that so I kind of just made do with what information I could gather. If anything is off, like shinigamis can't get sick or anything like that, pray do tell so I may not make the same mistake in the future. By all means, FLAME MEE! XD I need criticism to improve right? But don't flame for things like "I hate Byakuya! Why'd you write about him?!" That's just… lame.
Anyhoo, thanks for reading!
DreamerDust