A/N: It's a miracle! The next chapter is up and it's only been two days, yay! Okay, a few quick reminders: italics are either flashbacks or thoughts and… well that's it actually, so yeah, enjoy!

Coming to Terms

It wasn't him. It couldn't be, not in Rukia's eyes. She hadn't seen him in fifteen years, there was no way the man sitting across the room from her was the boy she left behind.

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Upon entering the main hall of the Kuchiki manor, where her sister and brother-in-law were already waiting, Rukia could feel her earlier nervousness trying to resurface, but she pressed it down, remembering Michiru's advice. She wouldn't let her apprehension ruin this event.

"Ru-chan, you look beautiful." Came the sweet voice of her elder sister. Hisana laughed when she saw Rukia's face blanche slightly. "Look, Byakuya-sama, she's blushing. Reminds me of the time I found you … and now you're getting married…"

Rukia sat down next to her sister. "Not yet, I'm not."

"Yes, Hisana. It's not as though she will be wed this afternoon." Said Byakuya, agreeing with Rukia.

"I know, but still… Are you nervous, Ru-chan?" she asked, putting her sentimentality aside for a moment.

"I am a bit… bothered, but it's nothing I can't handle." Rukia replied matter of factly. Sensing that her elder sister was a little put off by her distant response, she quickly changed the subject. "Were you nervous Hisana nee-sama? I mean, when you met Nii-sama for the first time?"

Rukia saw a look pass between her sister and her husband; she had a strange suspicion that she wasn't supposed to see it, but she did.

"I was terrified." Hisana said, looking at Byakuya. "But I don't think you were too scared, were you Byakuya-sama?"

"I fear nothing." He stated, half jokingly.

"Of course not; my Byakuya-sama is a fearless leader of the masses, aren't you?"

"… You could put it that way." He responded, a small smile beginning to grace his face.

"My Byakuya-sama is too valiant and dashing to-"

"Okay!" interrupted Rukia, getting uncomfortable with their banter. "I understand. You were scared. He wasn't."

"Rukia, are we discomforting you? Perhaps it would be better for you if we departed?" came Byakuya's voice.

"No, I want you all here. I am just not in the mood to be teased is all."

"Oh, Ru-chan, don't worry." Said Hisana putting her slender arm around Rukia's shoulders, causing a scent of lilacs to fill the air. "You'll like who Byakuya-sama and I have selected. I guarantee it."

"How can you guarantee something like that Hisana nee-sama when I have never met him?"

"I just think he will definitely be to your liking…"

Not wanting to put too much of her hopes in her elder sister's optimistic view, Rukia turned to Byakuya. "What do you think, Nii-sama?"

"You will find him suitable."

Rukia thought this over. It wasn't that she didn't trust their judgment, she did. It was just so much uncertainty. She had grown used to having a stable life, and now it was like she was suddenly being thrown back into the streets of Rukongai; never knowing what was coming next. It was unsettling. At least then, I had Renji by my side…

Suddenly a new thought occurred to her.

"Nii-sama, have you selected a new Lieutenant for your squad yet?"

"Yes, I have."

"When will Hisana nee-sama and I get to meet him?"

"I have already met him, Ru-chan…" spoke Hisana, her voice tinged with delight.

"Well, when will I get to meet him?" asked Rukia, becoming a little exasperated.

"Soon, Rukia, soon." Answered Byakuya.

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There was no way it was him, but Rukia couldn't tear her eyes away, not when he looked so similar. He sat not but three feet across from her, giving her a perfect view of him… and his attire. He was clad in fine silk robes, forest green ones embroidered with gold leaves that glinted brightly in the light of the room. The tie at his waist matched the detailed embroidery on his robes perfectly. But what intrigued her most were the tribal tattoos that adorned his forehead and trailed down to what she could see of his neck.

His hair was the same… yet somehow different. Some of the ruby tresses were tied in tight bun on the crown of his head, while the rest flowed to his shoulders like a blood red fountain. Crimson sideburns lined either side of his face flawlessly, coming to a point just below his cheekbones.

But what ultimately caught Rukia's eye above all else was the gleaming golden badge tied to the upper part of his left arm, the badge of Lieutenant in the Gotei 13. It was engraved with the symbol of the Sixth Squad.

"Rukia," spoke Byakuya upon the man's seating, wrenching Rukia from her scrutinizing, "This is Abarai Renji, Lieutenant of the Sixth Squad."

Rukia looked over to the man just as he raised his head to meet her gaze; upon locking her indigo eyes with his chocolate brown ones, she felt the floor drop out from beneath her.

It was him.

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"We'll be together forever, right Renji?"

"Baka! Of course we will!"

"You promise?"

"Yeah."

"…But how do you know?"

"Because wherever you are, I'll make sure to be there with you."

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Rukia didn't know how to react. He was here. He was here. He was here and she was here. They were here together. Renji was here.

And her Nii-sama and Nee-sama had known he was coming.

They had known he was coming and they hadn't told her. She had never felt so naïve and betrayed and exposed in her entire life. There were so many emotions flowing through her at once that she could barley register them. But she couldn't sit there in shock forever. No matter how caught off guard she was, she had to respond.

"…Abarai-san." Rukia said, bowing slightly.

"Kuchiki-sama." Renji responded, bowing deeply.

His voice, it was so much richer than Rukia remembered, it held so much more power than the one from her memories. How could this be him?

Rukia felt Byakuya and Hisana rising on either side of her and panic surged through her small frame, drowning all her other emotions and causing butterflies to flutter incessantly in her stomach. They were leaving her here alone.

"We'll return shortly Rukia." Said Hisana sensing her sister's distress. "Byakuya-sama and I must retrieve the marital documents from his office." With that , they exited the main hall.

Rukia wasn't ignorant to their ruse. She knew it didn't take both of them to complete that simple task; if anything, it should have been taken care of before the meeting even started. No, they were doing this to her on purpose.

But before she could think further on the subject, she became all too aware of the other presence in the room and the spicy cinnamon aroma emanating from him.

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She was beautiful, so more so than he remembered. Her features had refined over time and she had grown into a rapturous young woman. Renji found himself admiring the way her fine silk robes draped over her slender shoulders, and how the silver rose embroideries complimented the jewels in her hair.

But upon catching her eye, he realized she was staring at him as if she were seeing a ghost. She was terrified. He hadn't seen that expression cross her face in fifteen years, not since that time she turned back to him in the orphanage. But why did she look so afraid?

Renji had assumed she would have been happy to see him…

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Rukia didn't know if she should say anything to him. What could she say? That she had been missing him dreadfully for the past fifteen years and had thought she would never see him again, and that seeing him now, sitting before her as the man she was to wed made her feel like everything on her inside wanted to be on her outside?

Certainly not.

Maybe she was still dreaming; maybe she would be waking up soon and his image would fade away just as it had before.

Still staring into his eyes, Rukia knew there was only one way to find out.

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Then he saw it. A fire lit behind Rukia's eyes. He watched as she straightened her back and jutted out her chin. There's the Rukia I remember…

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Regaining herself, Rukia continued to stare into his eyes, not letting herself waver even for a second, she asked the question that had been burning like acid on her tongue. "Renji, is that really you?"

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"Hisana, I don't think it was wise for us to leave them alone so early." Said Byakuya as he and Hisana crossed the threshold into his study where the marital documents still sat on his desk.

"Why not Byakuya-sama?" asked Hisana, leaning against his desk. "I think it was a-" she stopped short as a severe coughing fit wracked her body.

"Hisana!" exclaimed Byakuya, coming around to assist he to the plush couch on the other side of the room. He helped her to lean back against one of the cushions. "Are you sure you're up for this today?" he asked, his normally calm voice laced with concern. "You know what Captain Unohana said; you shouldn't over exert yourself."

"I-I…I think maybe I should rest for a short while…" Hisana admitted reluctantly. She hated to ruin Rukia's big moment, and she wanted desperately to be there by her side, but in all honesty, she knew her body wasn't feeling up to it, no matter how much her heart wanted it.

Byakuya proceeded to call the servants to assist Hisana to their sleeping quarters. He then made his way back to the main hall. This meeting would have to wait until the next day.

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He still hadn't answered her question, and Rukia was beginning to think he hadn't even heard her, but before she could repeat herself, Byakuya entered the room. Neither the marital documents, nor her sister were with him.

"Nii-sama…" began Rukia heasitantly.

"I apologize, Rukia, but something has come up, we must continue this tomorrow." He sent her a meaningful look.

"Of course." Knowing immediately the matter concerned her sister, Rukia rose from her seat and left the room without another word.

"Lieutenant Abarai," said Byakuaya turning to look at Renji who was still staring after Rukia, "You may return tomorrow."

"Yes, Captain." Came Renji's prompt reply. He stood and bowed to his captain and left the main hall, traveling back down the corridor he had come, heading towards the main entrance.

He didn't know what was going on, but from the panicked look he saw in Rukia's eyes and the way she fled from the room with such urgency it make his insides twist just thinking about it, he knew it wasn't good. He wanted desperately to turn around and find out what was wrong, and more importantly, what he could do to help, but he knew it wasn't his place, not yet. He would just have to wait by the sidelines; he had been doing just that for fifteen years now, one more day wouldn't make a difference.

Stepping out into the sunlit gardens of the estate, Renji knew he would never forget the day he started waiting. He would never forget the day he let her go.

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His first thought was that he would never see her again. As he watched the carriage slip further and further into the distance, the young Renji couldn't help but feel as though his world was crumbling around him. He had just let his only family walk right out of his life.

Rukia hadn't spoken to him that morning. In fact, she hadn't spoken to him since yesterday afternoon. She didn't say good bye when she left either. She didn't say good bye to him or to any of their friends, she didn't even say good bye to Baa-san; she just up and left with her new family. She didn't say good bye at all.

But neither did he. He was afraid to.

It had taken all his strength yesterday afternoon not to beg her to stay, not to beg her to runaway with him; not to convince her that they could run away together and start a new life far away from Rukongai and Seireitei. It could be just like it used to be before they came to the orphanage, just the two of them against the world. But even at such a tender age, Renji knew that that life wasn't what was best for Rukia. He knew he couldn't get in the way of her happiness. If he had said anything else to her, it would have been pleas for her not to leave him.

So he kept quiet.

Walking back into his home now, he realized it wasn't really a home without Rukia there to fill it. It felt as if a piece of him was missing; like it had fallen right off his being. The orphanage seemed less bright and more lonely than it ever had before. Without Rukia by his side, life wasn't worth living. She was the only family he had. She was his home… and he knew he couldn't live without her.

Right then and there, the young Renji made a promise on his soul that he would find her again. He would do whatever it took, and go wherever he had to. He would find her and make sure they were never apart again.

But for now, he would wait.

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And wait he did.

He waited patiently for fifteen long years, and when he saw his opportunity, he grabbed it.

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Hisana stared up at the ceiling of her sleeping quarters and cursed her body's timing for the third time that day. Instead of participating in one of the most important meetings of her sister's life, she was stuck in her room on bed rest. She was all set to fall into a brooding stupor, but stopped herself when she saw Rukia enter her quarters with a look of worry that made her heart ache.

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Rukia hated it. She hated it when her sister was ill, which seemed to happen often. She had thought she was getting better, but it seems that she was mistaken. Looking at her sister now, she couldn't believe how translucent her skin seemed, her complexion pale even against the lavender sheets.

"Hisana nee-sama, what happened?" Rukia asked, coming to kneel at her elder sister's bedside, not caring in the least that she was wrinkling her favorite silk robe.

"It's nothing, Ru-chan." Replied Hisana with a serene smile on her face. "I just had a bit of a coughing spell is all." She was intent on keeping the focus on Rukia. "How did it go with..."

"… With Abarai-san?" finished Rukia.

"Yes."

Rukia debated with herself. She wanted to demand answers from her sister as to why she did not tell her that Renji was the man she was to marry. How she could keep such a secret from her… but looking at her now, lying so still on the bed, she couldn't bring herself to be angry with her. She felt only worry. Despite this fact though, Rukia knew her sister didn't want any pity or special treatment, so she decided to ask her anyway.

"Nee-sama, how could you not tell me?" asked Rukia, her voice dripping with anguish.

"Oh, Ru-chan. I wanted to tell you but-" she paused as another fit of coughing came over her.

"Hisana," came Byakuya's voice from the doorway where he had been watching the scene between the two siblings. "Perhaps now isn't the time…"

"No, Byakuya-sama, "said Hisana, regaining her breathe and propping herself up a bit against the pillows. "We have hid this from her long enough, it is time she knew." She turned to face Rukia, clasping her hand in her own. "Ask Rukia, and I will tell you all you want to know."

Okay, I worked really hard on this chapter to get it out early, so please tell me what you think! Don't hold back, I can take it!

~*BONUS QUESTION*~: What do you think of Renji's new hairdo?