Aimless

Chapter 4

He looked as if he had seen a ghost. His mouth tightened in obvious disdain, although his eyes remained cold.

"Byakuya?" his mother called out to him cautiously, surprised at his initial reaction.

"I'm sorry mother. You were saying?"

"Well," she continued; a smile back on her face. "This is going to be your new sister, Rukia."

He stared at the portrait in front of him again. At second glance, he began to notice their differences. The girl had a more roundish face, child-like eyes, and unlike Hisana, there were no traces of malice on her smile.

"How old is she?"

"Sixteen, but she's only a grade below you. Your father mentioned that she skipped a grade right?"

Byakuya recalled the conversation and nodded. So, they couldn't be twins either. Hisana was significantly older. Still, how is it possible to have such an uncanny resemblance?

"You're going to love her," his mother gushed. "We've already visited her a few times, and she's absolutely wonderful. Your father is driving her here as we speak. They should arrive in half an hour. Do you think she'll like her room?"

"Mother," Byakuya began calmly, "I'm sure she would like it just fine, and if she wanted, she could simply make adjustments."

"Of course. Of course. But it's also very crucial that we make her feel right at home."

Byakuya could not comprehend his emotions. His insides were in turmoil at the thought of having to live with someone who resembled her, the epitome of deception, a cunning and heartless witch. And now she was brought here to torture him, to remind him of his foolishness. This Rukia, who was the mirror image of his greatest mistake. Through that single picture, he has drowned her with Hisana's personality. He imagined the terrifying and catastrophic words that could come out of her mouth, the feelings of complete and utter madness she could provoke with a single grin. It was impossible. He could never love her as a sister. He could not love her at all. Because to him, she was already Hisana.

He was in his study when he heard the smooth purr of the engine. A few moments later, a car door opened and then another. He resisted the temptation to peer out the window knowing that his mother would have one of the maids summon him to finally meet his new sister. The commotions downstairs grew louder. His mother's laughter rang throughout the house. He could hear the greetings, the servants being introduced to their new young mistress. But he could not hear her voice, not even a murmur. And so he grew curious. Just as he stood up, a knock came to his door.

"Sir, your mother wishes to see you."

"I'll be right there."

With a heavy sigh, Byakuya opened his door and descended downstairs where he was to meet his new sister. Each step felt heavier and heavier as he got closer. The noise became more pronounced. He was able to distinguish his father's deep baritone, his mother's delighted laughter, and a foreign voice, timid and hesitant. Byakuya refused to acknowledge the relief he felt. At least she didn't sound like Hisana. Pausing in front of the door that separated him from the inevitable encounter, he listened. While Hisana reeked of overconfidence and arrogance, Rukia was pleasant and polite. She did not address the servants haughtily nor did she take any means of pretense. Byakuya scoffed. Of course, it was to be expected. She was raised in a humble environment, lacking the obvious luxury of the wealthy. But enough exposure to their lifestyle would immediately alter her into an unrecognizable person. Soon enough, she would be just like Hisana, and he would no longer be able to tell them apart.

Byakuya opened the door to the common room. Without announcing himself, he absorbed the scene in front of him. It took only a few seconds for a servant to notice him and soon enough, they were bowing. His mother ushered for him to come closer. With the confidence of a lord, Byakuya sauntered forward and halted at a respectable distance from his new sibling.

"Rukia," his mother said slowly, as if building up the suspension of the introduction, "this is Byakuya. He is your brother."

Byakuya successfully hid the wince triggered by the word. After almost two decades of being an only child, a new sister was suddenly thrust into his life.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," he bowed.

Rukia observed him with a guarded but utterly fascinated manner. Her eyes were bright, and almost too big for her rather smallish face. Her mouth was set in a slight upward grin, suggesting an almost indispensable mirth in her nature. But despite all these, she seemed tense. Her hands were gripping her bag with unrivaled tightness. It was then that Byakuya realized that she must've been completely nervous. And it almost made him regret having such a cold and often unpleasant personality…almost.

"Um, yeah. Me too," she replied.

Byakuya felt an uncharacteristic urge to roll his eyes. Her reply was less than charming, but it was to be expected.

"Byakuya," his father's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Why don't you show Rukia around the house and of course, to her room while we prepare for supper?"

"That is a wonderful idea!" his mother gasped, gripping her husband's arm in glee.

Byakuya resisted to urge to purse his lips in obvious disdain but instead took another deep breath before answering.

"Of course," he conveyed curtly, motioning for Rukia to join him.

At that point, Rukia looked as if she wanted nothing more than to run away and hide.

"B-but," she stammered helplessly, "I'm sure you're busy. I don't mind."

"Nonsense," his mother admonished, "I'm sure he can find time for his new sister, right Byakuya?"

One of the maids stepped forward and carefully eased the bag out of Rukia's death like grip. Seeing that there was no escape to her situation, Rukia sighed shakily and turned to face Byakuya. She countered his scrutiny with a tight and uncomfortable smile. Without acknowledging her strange grin, he spun around and walked to the door. He motioned for Rukia to follow him with a slight angling of his head to hear direction to see if she was catching up. With a bow and final greeting to her parents and the servants, she exited out with her 'older brother' only a few paces ahead of her.

"So, pretty strange huh? I mean, this…thing."

Rukia's painful attempt at a conversation was greeted with silence. After leaving the room, Byakuya took several sharp turns and finally stopped in front of a door.

"This is the main hallway. To your right is father's study. This door must remain closed at all times. You must never enter this room without permission"

Rukia nodded her head exaggeratedly, trying not to gape at his curtness.

Byakuya continued forward without a beat.

"The door to your left is the library. The resources are open to you except for the restricted section in the back which contains the family's history…in detail."

Rukia continued to nod as she strode in silence next to him. It seemed as if Byakuya was entirely convinced that he would not attempt to converse with her at all. However, Rukia's disbelief was interrupted by the smell of freshly baking bread. Opening another door that led to another section of the house, Byakuya led them into the kitchen where the chef and several other people were busily preparing their dinner.

"This is the kitchen. Chef Amador will be available at almost all times of the day. If you cannot find him, then you are more than welcome to ask one of the maids to cook something for you. Every single one of them should know their way around the kitchen."

"Um," Rukia began, "Can I use the kitchen too?"

Byakuya did not hide the tightness in his voice, "Whatever for?"

"To cook? I sometimes like—"

Before she could continue, Byakuya spun around, piercing her with a cold stare.

"I am not going to pretend to understand the situation you were raised in, but here in the Kuchiki household, we do not spend our precious time in places like these. If you have enough time to cook, you might as well spend it in expanding your knowledge of more important things."

Without another word, Byakuya continued his tour of the house. Rukia remained on her spot for several moments, simply flabbergasted. The dream-like visage of the mansion as a warm, familial place slowly began to crumble. Her adoptive parents, as she has learned, were amazing people. Although her father was more reserved, there was kindness that seeped through his dark grey eyes. Her mother on the other hand was the ideal woman. She was what Rukia aspired to be. So it came quite as a surprise to her on how such lovely people could raise such an excruciatingly frigid person. It would seem as if her new brother had no intention of becoming familiar with her; much less develop a functioning sibling relationship. She always thought that her new brother would be a more refined and mature version of Renji. Having turned eighteen, Renji had no choice but to leave the orphanage and fend for himself. But he never failed to visit her at least once or twice a month, bringing with him her favorite candy. He helped her find a job, and even with the most mundane and insignificant things, he did not hesitate to come to her rescue. Although he was crass and loud, Rukia knew that he cared for her immensely. Byakuya was the complete opposite of the fire that was Renji.

"This concludes my tour," stated Byakuya tonelessly, "I have other matters to address. A maid will bring you to your room and show you the dining room for supper."

Without even glancing back at her, Byakuya climbed up the stairs.

"Wait!" Rukia called out.

Byakuya abruptly halted his step and with a slow grace, spun around to face her.

She racked her brain for something to say, something that would make the heavy tension on the air between them disappear.

"Do you hate me?" surprised at her daringness, she proceeded to ramble on, "I mean, your mother always said that you're kind of…impassive? I guess. It could just be me. I might be overthinking it. But if I have offended you in any way, I would really like to know so I can apologize."

Byakuya's aloofness did not falter. Without a beat, he replied. "We've only met recently. There has been no room for any offence in the course of our introduction."

Rukia sighed in relief and tried to stifle a smile, "Oh, that's good. I was afraid that we were off to a bad start. I would really want us to get along. I've never had a brother before so it's—"

"I am not your brother."

Rukia's blood ran cold at the sharp tone of his voice.

"You may live in this house, take my name, and claim my parents as yours, but I will never be your brother."

"Wait," Rukia began slowly, trying not to break under the pressure of his intensity, "If…if you were so against me, if you hated the thought of me so much, then why did you agree to the adoption?"

If Byakuya was not burdened with such a demeanor, he would have scoffed.

"I am many things, but I am not a selfish son. My mother wanted another child."

"So you made such a noble sacrifice," Rukia laughed humorlessly, "Aren't you just the perfect son?"

Byakuya's mouth tightened at the sarcasm in her voice. It reminded him very much of Hisana. In a flash, he marched in front of her with the arrogance of a prince, head held high in obvious disdain.

"I will tolerate you for the sake of my mother, yes; but I will not be chastised by an orphan whose only redeeming feature is her intellect. Tell me Rukia, did you honestly think my parents chose you because they liked you?"

An echo resounded in the large room as her hand tingled with the contact.

"How dare you?" she said shakily, quietly, "You don't know me."

Byakuya rubbed the spot on his cheek where she had just slapped him.

"I could say the same to you."

And he was gone, leaving an already broken girl shattered.

Sorry for the slow build up, but the actual story line will pick up in the next chapter. Thanks for all the reviews I've received! They are very well appreciated and I've kissed them all and put them in my pocket for safe keeping. I would love to hear comments and suggestions, maybe something that you would want to happen in the story? My creativity is dwindling due to summer assignments and my part-time job.

Oh and if I have any spelling or grammatical errors in the fic, I do apologize. I have this weird thing where I find it hard to read what I write. Maybe cause I read it over and over and over again as I am writing it. Constructive criticism is welcome!

-Rose