A/N: Thankyou for your review, B000097z!

I decided to add another chapter today as I'm gonna be out of the state for a pretty long time and won't be updating.

Anyway, I just wanted the first chapter to go a little future-y...to add effect, maybe, but now I'm just going to write how Rukia ended up at Seretei in the first place and then I'll start off from where I ended in the first chapter.

Hope that's okay and doesn't bore you guys because it's gonna be a good three-four chapters before Ichigo turns up again. But if you want, I can add little sneak peeks here and there ;)

DISCLAIMER- Don't own Bleach. Just the plot of this fic.


Ungiven Attention


-:- 22nd March, 2010 7.00 p.m. -:-

Rukia rubbed her eyes in exhaustion. The sun was setting as she made her way back home.

It had been a disastrous day at school. If the fact that her grades were still slipping wasn't enough, and she was being constantly bullied on and told her how flat-chested she was, now she had been told off by the principal. For probably the tenth time.

"And if that isn't irritating enough, they have to mention my sister." Rukia said to Kaien as she kicked a rock.

Kaien was the only friend who understood her, or the only friend she had, to be more precise, probably because he was imaginary.

"But Hisana's not that bad." Kaien said, shrugging.

"Are you falling for her now?"

"No, of course not!" he cried, then peeked at her, bending a little "Besides, you know I'm secretly in love with you."

She rolled her eyes and pushed the door of her house. Just like that, Kaien vanished into thin air.

"I'm home!" she cried.

No answer, as usual. Rukia climbed the stairs up to her room that she shared with Hisana.

Hisana was there, reading a book, looking light and beautiful- similar to what Rukia would look like if not for the several scratches and purpled bruises that flawed her arms and face. She made no attempt to talk as she threw her bag and loosened her tie.

It was almost seven, and Hisana and Ami Kuchiki needed no explanation as to why Rukia had been late. They all knew she'd been in detention. As usual.

Half of the room that the sisters shared was purple and filled with posters of teenage heart throbs, famous actors and actresses, and fashion magazines. There were books, teddy bears and mirrors, and clothes hanging smartly off the hangers. There was no mistaking that this half of the room belonged to the pampered, much-loved Hisana Kuchiki.

On the other half was Rukia's bed, with beautiful paintings that Ami called worthless adorning the walls. Color pencils, oil pastels and sketches were littered all over her bed- all bought by Rukia with her own pocket money. The paintings were probably the only thing that attracted a person to Rukia's half of the room and not her sister's.

"How was your day?" Hisana asked.

Rukia fell on her bed "Not better than yours, don't worry." she retorted back, closing her eyes. She made to make herself comfortable when a harsh cry awoke her from downstairs.

"Rukia, get the hell down here!"

Sighing, she got up and walked down the stairs to where Ami Kuchiki stood, arms folded and foot tapping.

"Why haven't you changed out of your uniform?"

"I just came back from school."

"Another detention then. You don't learn, do you?"

Rukia snorted.

Smack! Wrong thing to do. Ami was obviously not in a good mood.

"When I ask you a question, I want you to answer it. Don't you snort in front of me!"

Rukia glared.

"Yes, I had detention, and no, apparently I don't learn but it's not my fault! You think I enjoy it?"

"No, but I would've thought that after years of telling you to concentrate, you would've at least tried! Stop making excuses for yourself. Now take that uniform off and run it by the washing machine if you want it to dry off by tomorrow."

"You never tell Hisana that."

"There are many things I don't have to tell Hisana." Ami came closer to Rukia, her icy blue eyes sending chills down her body "Believe me, girl, if you were even half of what she is, I wouldn't be so pissed."

Something about the way Ami had said 'girl' hurt. It was like as if she didn't even want to acknowledge the fact that Rukia was her daughter.

Well, for all she knew, Ami didn't.


It was nine by the time Rukia got free to start with her homework. Ami had told her to come and help with the house chores, telling not to disturb Hisana.

Her left cheek hurt from where Ami had hit her. Rukia's eyes stared fuzzily at the notebook filled with numbers and symbols she never understood, no matter how uch she tried to try.

She stood up, taking her oil paints out and one of her paintings that she hadn't finished.

"You know you're supposed to finish your homework, don't you?" Kaien asked, appearing out of nowhere.

Rukia grunted as he came behind her and put his arms around her "I don't care. She was there when the doctor told I was dyslexic, but she's somehow got it into her mind that I'm just making up excuses because I'm pathetic."

"She will understand one day"

Rukia laughed, trying to ignore the nostalgia of it all. The time in the doctor's office when her parents had told her everything would be all right, that they would get her through it somehow, that they'd manage it together.

Who was she kidding?

"She won't" she said, looking into the vivid blue of the ocean in her painting.

Paints. It was the only thing that calmed Rukia down when she felt like ripping someone out. The sheet of paper was a way to express herself, an entirely new world- her world. Her way of showing a places inside that other might never see otherwise.

Rukia had never learnt painting in any classes, she'd just gotten it on her own. She just let everything in her loose and her fingers knew what to do.

She worked with a critical eye. Her world would go away and she would get lost when she painted. It was the only thing she was good at. The only talent she had.

"Bravo!" smiled Kaien as she did the last strokes and the finishing touches, and stepped back to view the piece of art. "It's perfect!"

She let herself smile. Perfect- a word she was dying to hear from someone's lips.

It was a pretty simple painting- the full moon at a beach with a dark figure standing on the sands, her dress swaying. Somehow, it reminded her of herself.

The water shimmered and Rukia was lost in it, so much so that she didn't hear Ami's rampant yelling, or the stamping on the staircase.

It was only when Ami banged the door open that Rukia jumped and turned to looked at her mother's furious face. Hisana shot up, awoken by the bang and gasped, looking around.

"Mom? What's the matter?"

"Rukia Kuchiki, have you been hiding your test results from me?"

Rukia winced as she was pulled down by the hair. So the secret reason for her detention was out.

"I found this when it fell out of your bag." Ami held up an exam paper, showing a big, red 'F' marked on top "Tell me! How dare you? How dare you!"

"M-Mom-"

"Out of this, Hisana! You're despicable, Rukia!" Ami pushed her away. Rukia fell on her canvas and sunk into the floor, taking her painting with her.

"N-No!" she cried, clutching it delicately, but the paint had already been smeared off. It was ruined.

"And what is that?" Ami grabbed the canvas, and her rage only grew. "I told you to stop this pathetic drawing! I do not earn for you to wile it all away in some messy scrawl and rainbow colours!"

Rukis tried to reach out for the painting desperately but failed as Ami stamped downstairs, muttering cuss words.

She looked back to see Hisana's face holding an expression of pity and remorse.

"She's in a pretty bad mood tonight, Rukia. Her boss threatened to fire her." Hisana explained, biting her lip "You shouldn't have done this, you know it'll only egg her on."

Rukia threw her a glare before running down the stairs.


She froze when she saw Ami kneeling towards the fireplace, the painting in the flames, and her mother curled up, rocking herself as tears ran down her face.

"Wha-"

Her voice died from her throat. Rukia didn't know what to do as Ami looked up at her.

"What am I supposed to do w-with you? I- I try s-so hard, Rukia...and then I c-come back and everything- everything- I hope f-for both of you goes down...I'm so s-sorry.." she cried to her daughter "..I d-don't know what to do with you..."

Rukia's violet eyes watched as the waters of the ocean in the painting were engulfed by the flames. Her vision was blurring.

"Come...p-please come, I'm so sorry..." Ami raised her arms but Rukia started backing away.

"Leave me alone."

"Please, I love you..."

"Leave me alone!"

Rukia ran up the stairs and inside her room. Hisana stared at her tear-smudged face, wide-eyed.

"What happened?"

Rukia said nothing, just fell on her bed and curled up inside her covers, trying to forget it all.

What had happened to that old, happy-go-lucky family? The family that went on picnics, laughed, the mother who held her and told her it was okay, the father who pulled on faces and got scolded. It felt like it had happened only hours ago, that memory of the good, old days. So real, so terrifyingly real that if Rukia turned, she thought she might see her set of parents sitting on the picnic sheet, spreading out the food and kissing while Hisana went "Ewwwwww!". But all Rukia saw was the plain, brick wall staring back at her.


A/N: Well, aren't I depressing? Sorry, but had to live up to the angst part of my fic, hadn't I?

Hope it wasn't too boring, yeah? Please review, and thanks for reading!

~SS~