Chapter 4: Promise

Rukia felt her heartbeat suddenly speed up as she watched the haori flutter gently before disappearing through the doorway. She hadn't even looked up to check to see who it belonged to. A few quiet seconds passed and she quickly sprang into action, tossing her legs awkwardly over the bed and shouting out a hoarse plea.

"Wait!"

Her bare feet touched the cold floor and she winced as she jostled her injured shoulder with the sharp movement. She stumbled clumsily and then ran out the door without thinking.

"Wait!" she called again. Her eyes were wide in panic, fearing that the person would disappear again like in her dream. "W-"

She stopped dead; finally grasping who it was that donned the white haori.

Byakuya's eyes widened when he felt the faint reiatsu and he turned around. His eyes narrowed slightly in disapproval when he saw that it was Rukia and that she was out of bed. He kept his expression blank as he saw the girl stiffen and tense when she saw who he was. He watched, almost with a hint of amusement, as recognition dawned on her and a look of fear flashed across her face before she smothered it, putting on a brave front.

He frowned when he realized she was struggling to stay on her feet and he was at her side before she could blink. When her slow reaction allowed her to realize he was right there, she watched, dumbfounded, as he knelt down gracefully and slipped his arm under her knees and picked her up, his other arm supporting her back.

Before she could react, she was already being lowered gently down onto the bed. She did nothing, confused as to why this man was being to kind to her (and also utterly blown away by the speed of the man). She looked up at him questioningly as he pulled the covers over her. Rukia opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

When Byakuya was finished with his task, he stepped back and gazed calculatingly at the girl.

"You are not to move from this bed until Unohana concludes that you have recovered from your injuries," he said in a cold voice.

She stared, open mouthed at him.

Wasn't he the one who attacked her? Of course, Rin and Kubota had been trying to steal something of his but that didn't justify him trying to kill them, did it? He was the one who put them in this state and now he was telling her to stay here in only gods know where? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became and in her increasing fury, she forgot all about her fears and her dream. Combined with her strange predicament and her abrupt removal from the only home she knew, she mounted all her frustrations on the stranger standing before her.

She sat up rebelliously in the bed, wincing as the movement irritated her broken ribs, and glared vehemently at the shinigami.

"I don't have to listen to you," she spit out and proceeded to yank the covers off her body. A hand shot out and closed around her wrist. However, this time, the grip was not painfully tight, instead, it was firm but gentle, emanating a silent warning. She shot the shinigami another glare but his gray eyes intimidated her somewhat. Rukia shrank back slightly, but refused to show him her fear.

Byakuya regarded her wearily. "You will listen if you value your friend's lives."

Rukia gasped and whipped her head around to see Rin and Kubota, still sleeping peacefully. Her face plummeted in dismay, realizing that they were all at the shinigami's mercy.

She hung her head dejectedly and forced herself to turn back to face the tall shinigami towering over her. After a moment's silence, she steeled herself and lifted her head to look at him, her expression angry yet fearful at the same time.

"Why am I here?" she asked.

Byakuya sighed inwardly, thankful that she was going to cooperate. However, he stopped short, realizing he was unprepared as to how he was going to explain to her why she was here. He had promised Hisana that he would not reveal that Rukia was her sister, yet he had no other way of telling her why she was to become his sister.

His eyes narrowed slightly in thought.

"I will answer that when you are fully recuperated," he said before drawing away, his hand letting go of her wrist.

"No!" she ground out, her teeth grinding together. "Tell me now!" she demanded, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. Her fists clenched the sheets tightly until her knuckles turned pale white and he feared she would act rashly and injure herself.

She was so unlike Hisana, he thought again. Rukia was brash and rebellious and annoying, so unlike Hisana's peaceful and pleasing decorum.

He took some time to think through his dilemma and Rukia grew more and more agitated by his silence.

She opened her mouth to demand and answer from him again before he stopped her. "If I spare your friends from stealing from me, you must stay here in return," he said, gauging her reaction.

He watched with slight amusement as her face contorted with various expressions, fear, confusion, anger, and worry. Judging the way she leapt fearlessly to her friends' defense, he concluded that she would do anything to keep them safe.

"I will assure you, I do not intend on harming you. I am only not prepared yet to tell you my reasons for keeping you here and you may not want to hear them until you are fully recovered," Byakuya informed her, trying to get her to agree.

"I attacked because I did not realize who you were yet and your friends were trying to take something special from me," he said, explaining his actions.

After a few moments, she let out a frustrated growl and hung her head in defeat.

Now that she thought about it, the man was kind enough to give them aid when they were injured. He had spared them so far, even though she didn't know why (he was so angry beforehand that he had tried to kill them). Many others would have just left them to die. She knew in Inzuri, thieves were dealt with harshly. Usually, death was a very likely prospect if they were caught. She had to admit; he was being kind, even though his request was highly unreasonable and questionable.

"You'll let them go back?" she asked softly, looking up at him.

He gave her his word.

She sighed. At least for now, they were all alive. She felt the rest of her anger leave her, taking the adrenaline with it. She was left feeling drained and tired. Right now, sleeping didn't seem to be such a horrible idea. Her eyes shot open suddenly and she quickly whipped her head towards the leaving shinigami.

"Shinigami-san!" she called out, her voice a less harsh now, but with a hint of urgency. He stopped, his back still facing her, waiting. Her eyes rested on his haori.

"Can I know your name?"

Slate gray eyes closed. "Byakuya."

She nodded. He took another step to leave again, but her voice stopped him.

"Byakuya-san, why did you call me Rukia?" her voice questioning, her tone, confused.

His eyes opened and he turned back to look at her sharply.

"Pardon me?" he asked, his eyes a little wide and his voice not as smooth as he would have like it to be for her question caught him off guard. It's not possible he got it wrong, was it? Surely, this was Rukia.

"W-well, you called me Rukia. I was just wondering why?" she stuttered, taken aback by his tone.

His eyes narrowed. "Is that not your name?"

Her eyes widened. "W-well, I-I…I'm not sure…"

Her voice dropped to a tiny whisper. "I don't know my real name."

He nodded. "Your name is Kuchiki Rukia," he said.

She looked at him with confused violet eyes. "What? How do you know?"

He regarded her with cold gray eyes, before turning around and leaving, disregarding her question. Really, there was no way he could answer that without endangering his promise to Hisana. "Rest and I will tell you later," he said in a farewell, leaving her dissatisfied and even more confused than before.

After he left, she lay back down on the bed and glanced at her sleeping friends. They looked fine. She turned to look up at the ceiling and was absorbed by her thoughts.

She did not want to stay, but if that meant keeping the three of them alive, she would do it. Besides, after Byakuya took Rin and Kubota back to Inzuri, she could always find a way to leave afterwards. She still did not have any idea why Byakuya insisted on keeping her here and she was very eager to know. She guessed that this was the place where Renji is and she was hopeful that she could catch a glimpse of him during her stay here. She let herself revel in a brief moment of joy as she thought about her best friend.

Finally, she sighed and bit the inside of her cheek while rolling over to her side, her eyebrows furrowing as she tried to decipher what Byakuya's motives were. Either way, somehow, she had to return to Inzuri and resume her search for the person that held the key to her lock. She tugged at her hair.

However, there was a chance that the person could be here too, she debated, torn over what she should do. Her hands came up to reach for the precious penchant for reassurance but they only grasped thin air.

She looked down, horrified.

The locket was gone.

-

-

Byakuya made his way back to his manor and sat himself down wearily. His eyes wandered to a picture of Hisana and his expression blanched. The two of them…they just looked so alike. He couldn't believe that such an uncanny resemblance could resist between two people. His lips formed into a small frown as he walked over to the portrait and stared at it. His eyes softened after a while as he remembered his lovely wife.

Hisana…

With a start, he remembered the necklace that had made it possible for him to find Rukia. He brought both of them out from his robes and laid them on the table, examining them. The chain to Rukia's was broken when he had slashed her (he flinched inwardly at the memory) and he intended to get a new one before returning it to her.

Byakuya knew that he could not show Hisana's necklace to Rukia; she would immediately suspect something when she found that he had possession to a necklace that matched hers. However, she was already suspicious of his motives and he still did not know what to say to her.

Frustrated, he picked up Hisana's locket and stared at it.

"What…do I tell her, Hisana?"

When the penchant provided him with no answer, he set it softly to his lips and then set it down by her portrait. After a moment's thought, he put the chain over his head and rested the locket on the hollow of his neck. The small weight soothed him somewhat and he arranged his scarf to hide it from sight.

He picked up Rukia's charm and slipped it into his robes and then set out to find the Kuchiki elders.

He sighed, knowing that adopting Rukia into the family would not be easy. He was not even sure that Rukia would continue to cooperate and accept her position here in the Kuchiki house, by his side, as his brother.

She was stubborn, he could already tell, and he couldn't help but wish.

If only…

If only you were here, Hisana.

-

-

Renji sighed exasperatedly as he mussed around with his hair, pushing and prodding at the tangled and burnt red locks. He rubbed at his face too, trying to ignore the searing pain that surfaced when his skin was touched.

He hated kido with a burning passion.

And he hated that Kira too. He wasn't all that, it was just a lucky shot.

Renji hated his instructor too.

I don't need extra practice, damnit!

Renji, finally deeming it an impossible task to resurrect his hair back to its former glory, flopped down on the ground on his back and groaned, letting himself bask in the warm heat of the sun. He was dead tired from all the practice and as much as he hated to admit it, it seemed like he wasn't getting anywhere.

His expression hardened and he immediately slapped himself. How dare he think that? He needed to improve; he needed to become better and stronger. Otherwise, who else would take care of Rukia?

He had promised her that he would become a better man and help her. She, of course, had punched him angrily in the face before shouting that she didn't need anyone's help. He could still remember her violet eyes burning bright with passion and anger. But he had seen hope behind those eyes, and sadness.

Sorrow that he was leaving, but also happiness that he would be leading a better life. She was happy for him, and as much as she wanted to go with him, she also wanted to stay behind.

To find the key.

He still didn't understand her gibberish but he let her go. She had promised that they would meet again and she stuck to her promises. He found comfort in the thought that Rukia also had reiatsu; she was strong. She could survive and she had said that she would come to the shinigami academy once she had fulfilled her goal in Rukongai. Her face was flushed with energy and passion as she grasped his hands tight and glared furiously up at him before promising.

"We will meet again."

Then she had ducked her head, (Renji wondered if she was trying to hide tears as he was) and backed away before saying a muffled goodbye and running away, her black hair fluttering erratically behind her.

"See ya, Renji."

Renji closed his eyes and smiled.

This was all worth it.

His senses immediately alerted him to the soft pitter-patter of feet and he opened his eyes, startled. Everyone had already left the training grounds and he propped himself up on his elbows to see who was coming.

Unfortunately, the intruder was very fast and he only managed to catch a glimpse of white before the person's bare feet stomped heavily onto his chest.

He emanated a choked gasp of pain before it was cut short abruptly by a hard smack to his cheek. The figure glared down at him, blocking all sunlight from his view, allowing him only to see a dark silhouette as he snapped his head back furiously to glare at the intruder who interrupted his peace.

"Oi. You've gotten uglier."

That voice…

"Renji."