And it continues...enjoy! :)
"Renji…" Rukia purred, feeling Renji press hot kisses down her neck; stirring her from her blissful sleep. Renji groaned in response against her neck, feeling lust rise in his being when he felt her soft mounds pressing lightly against his chest. Renji detached his lips from her soft neck as he leaned over her, his lips pressing softly against her own, stirring a small whimper from the raven haired girl. Pressing insistently against his lips, Rukia deepened the kiss and Renji wasted no time as he slipped inside her tight folds.
Rukia gasped, a steady moan slipped from her lips as Renji set a rhythm that intoxicated all her senses, sending sharp bolts of pleasure surging through her body with each thrust. With Renji's face buried in her neck, Rukia whimpered, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly as his hips swayed against hers. Encouraged by her sharp whimpers and light mews, Renji quickened his pace pressing soft open mouthed kisses down the expanse of her neck, his large hand sliding up her taunt stomach to palm one of her soft mounds. Rukia bit her lip, her eyes blinking rapidly as pleasured sounds escaped her lips, her eyes focused on the ceiling; her vision becoming blurry and clouded with the lust Renji was stirring within her.
Feeling Renji's hips slam into hers more desperately, Rukia called out his name on a soft moan, her eyes blurring, but, just then…she felt her stomach churn. And it wasn't a feeling of pleasure or release…it was something oddly familiar but she couldn't think of it at the moment; then it hit her. That feeling of queasiness, that heat of nausea overtook her senses that taste arising in her mouth once more, hot and disgusting. Oh god. Rukia hastily pushed at Renji's shoulders, urging him to stop and with concern and confusion Renji stopped, pulling out of her body; watching in confusion as Rukia covered her mouth with her hand, gripping the bed sheet to her chest as she grumbled and ran clumsily into the bathroom.
Rukia burst through the door, practically throwing herself on the cold tile floor, her knees making contact with the hard tiles roughly as she spilled the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Her whole body lurching and jerking with the intensity of her sudden sickness, the bile rushing to her throat as she hovered over the bowl, barfing into the clean water below. Grunting in displeasure and feeling awful Rukia spit into the bowl, clutching at her stomach as she fought the urge to throw up once more, the horrible taste of bile in her mouth, the taste mixed with the wine she drank and the sushi she had consumed much earlier.
"Hey, Rukia…" Renji began softly, kneeling beside her, now dressed in his navy colored boxers as he rubbed up and down her back consolingly with his large hand. "Are ya alright?" he asked her, his tone dripping with concern, he cocked his head trying to examine her face to detect just how ill she was, when at the moment Rukia's nausea returned and she threw up once more, groaning in disgust after she finished.
Renji smiled sadly at the girls jerking form, he yanked at the hair tie on his wrist, sliding it to latch onto his knuckles as he gently gathered Rukia's silky black hair, pulling the combined strands into a rough pony tail to hold her hair back as she puked once more. Rukia whimpered in pain, clutching her stomach, she lazily reached up to flush the toilet, feeling satisfied when she no longer smelt the strong smell of her own vomit, as it disappeared from the bowl, the scent now replaced with the smell of toilet bowl cleaner. Rukia sighed, and that sigh turned into a slight cry of complaint when she felt ill once more, Renji smiled at her in pity, leaning over to her side, pulling a handful of toilet paper from the roll and handing it to Rukia. Rukia breathed deeply as she tried her best to remain unaffected by the discomfort in her stomach, she wiped her mouth with the soft paper before tossing it in the bowl, watching in a light headed daze as the wetted paper got sucked down the drain, spinning in spirals before disappearing from her sight, her hand resting its weight on the flusher, though she didn't remember reaching her hand up to do that in the first place.
"Are ya gonna be okay? Did ya drink too much wine or somethin'?" Renji asked with concern, studying her face as her eyes remained glued to the water in the toilet, her face pale and her body remained hunched over as she clutched her stomach. Rukia swallowed visibly, closing her eyes to calm her body before she sat back and hastily lowered her back onto the cool and welcoming tile floor, her hands covered her face to shield her sensitive eyes from the blinding light above.
"I don't know…Renji…" she answered with exhaustion, the cool of the floor below offering some sense of comfort as her stomach began to recover from its earlier upset. Renji hovered over her with concern, lingering a soft kiss on her cheek to calm her nerves before he stood to his feet, grabbing a paper cup from the stack and filling it with fresh water from the sink, kneeling beside Rukia's groaning form he handed her the cup as she pulled herself from the floor. Sitting up, Rukia mumbled a pained thanks as she clutched the cup in her hand, her lips covering the brim as she tilted the paper cup, feeling the sensation flood her senses, the crisp and cold water sliding down her throat and pooling inside of her; the coolness calming and taming her rowdy stomach.
"Aw, my poor baby," Renji sighed, kissing her cheek again, his hand rubbing gently at her partly covered back once more as Rukia set the empty cup into the nearest trash can.
"Uh." Rukia groaned, feeling her stomach churn once more she laid back down on the floor, feeling consoled by the tiles below, "I think I have to stay in…in here or something…"
"Okay, whatever will make ya feel better," Renji said, "Do you want some crackers or somethin'?" he asked with concern, watching the small girl groan and rub her stomach.
"No, thanks…Renji, I just wanna sleep…" she answered, savoring the feeling of the freezing floor consoling her heated back. Renji nodded at her, than Rukia watched as Renji's blurry form retreated and came back moments later with two pillows and his comforter. Rukia sighed, "Thank you, Renji," as she clutched the pillow in her hand, plopping the cool cotton below her spinning head, nestling into the softness of it. Renji smiled at her, sitting his pillow down beside her along with the comforter; rising to his feet once more Renji paced over to the light switch and flipped it off, walking confidently in the darkness to where his make-shift bed was beside the sick girl.
"Renji…you don't have to sleep in here with me, go to bed." Rukia urged with a blush, feeling embarrassed that she required care, just like when she was a child. Actually, she thought with a smile on her face, whenever she was sick when they were children, Renji fretted over her too much; she had to admit though that she did the same for him when he was sick. Of course, in Rukongai, falling ill meant being closer to death because neither of them could afford a healer or proper medicines; so taking extra care of each other was something they had grown used to over their years together. That thought made Rukia smile, she felt a wave of nostalgia over take her as she made out the dark form of Renji as he situated himself beside her in the darkness with a loud sigh.
"Don't be an idiot, Rukia…I'll always protect ya, remember?" he asked and she could practically hear his cocky smirk when he spoke those words, "Besides, ya won't get rid of me that easily…" he added. Rukia chuckled at that, snuggling closer to his form, her arm draped around his stomach as her head rested comfortably on his chest. Renji smiled down at the small girl that clung to him, and when her leg moved to drape over his right leg, he chuckled, leaning down to kiss her temple. Rukia sighed in delight, feeling her stomach recover, the pain fading away and the nausea leaving along with it as she clung to the tattooed man, her small palm clutching the comforter that covered his torso. Renji simply stroked her exposed back, his hand sliding lovingly up and down the expanse of pale, silky skin, drawing sleepy whimpers and sighs from the raven haired girl; before she felt him lull her to sleep. And the last thought on her mind was how lucky she was to have found him, to have him love her when she loved him back. Rukia found herself fighting sleep, if just to prolong this moment with him, because no amount of good dreams could ever match the feeling she had when she was with him….
"Are ya sure yer gonna be okay, Rukia? Ya don't look too good…" Renji said, his palm pressing against her forehead, trying to see if she had a temperature. Rukia smiled and blushed at Renji's blunt signs of concern, her hand coming to rest on his wrist, slowly lowering his hand from her head, her fingers squeezing lovingly at his thick wrist.
"Don't worry so much…you'll loose your edge," she said jokingly, a wide smile spreading across Renji's face as he leaned down to kiss her softly, her eyes drifting shut at the brief contact. Pulling away with a smirk Renji leaned back down to plant a soft kiss on her neck making her giggle and squirm, "Well I hope ya feel better."
"I will, I already do…" Rukia assured him, though she still felt a little weak and occasionally her stomach pulsed with discomfort. With her hand still on his wrist, Rukia slid her fingers into his own, smiling back at him when he squeezed her fingers gently as she walked over to the door, her other hand stretched behind her, clutching the small door handle as she prepared herself to leave.
"Bye, Abarai-taicho…" Rukia said with a small pout that made Renji chuckle.
"Bye, Kuchiki…" he said formally, bowing politely before her, making her giggle. Opening the door, Rukia stepped outside into the open hallway, the fresh breeze fluttering softly around the playful couple as they said their goodbyes. Rukia's hand was still tightly entwined with Renji's, the feel of his fingers lacing against her own made her smile. Bending down, Renji captured her lips, drawing a small whimper from the girl below. The kiss grew from a simply meeting of lips to a passionate clash, Renji's hand leaving her own, joining his other hand as they framed her face, her body pressing flush against his own.
Pulling away Renji broke the silence, "Will ya get out already," Renji laughed, his hands pushing her hips away from his own gently, creating distance between them.
"Fine, you jerk," she joked with a smile, "See you around…"
Renji smiled at her retreating form, leaning himself against the door frame as he watched her leave; she flashed him once last smile before she left his line of vision, traveling down the stairs. With a loud, happy sigh, Renji sulked back into his apartment, closing the door behind him, preparing himself for his first day of work as Renji Abarai, captain of the 6th squad….
Rukia sighed; a small smile gracing her face as she made her way back to the Kuchiki manor, the dim light of the early morning sun, combating with the thick fog overtook her senses. The fresh morning breeze sliding all around her material clad body. She was thankful that she stored some clothes at Renji's apartment just in case she needed to change into new clothes, which she did, considering Renji ripped off her underwear last night and she came in only a robe to begin with. She started to panic for a second when she woke in the morning, but than, remembered with a triumphant smirk, that she had a fresh pair of underwear stuffed in one of his drawers, as well as a plain black, silk kimono hanging in his closet.
Rukia headed towards the Kuchiki manor, looking both ways in alert before sighing in relief, sensing no one in the vicinity, she proceeded to climb back up the tree with precision. She entered the window feet first, sitting on the sill before sliding inside of the room, closing the window behind her before heading to her large, walk in closet. She sifted through the hanging garments and found her work uniform, and in minutes she was fully dressed and ready for work. Walking to her mirror, Rukia clutched the brush that sat on her dresser and combed her hair into submission, taming down the wild and knotty strands until her hair was silky and presentable. Smiling at herself in the mirror one last time, Rukia smoothed down her uniform and left her room, closing the door behind her as she made her way to the dining hall where she was to, like every other day, eat breakfast with her brother.
In the hallway Rukia greeted the numerous servants that bustled past her, all of them seeming to silently question her good mood, before bowing at her awkwardly, formally addressing her presence, to which she blushed. As soon as Rukia rounded the corner, the smells invaded her senses, the deep scent of miso soup and crisp rice attacked her nostrils. Her stomach quenched and just the thought of those food items made her queasiness return, her stomach rebelling against her silent pleads. Just then, Rukia felt and saw her brother as he came out of one of the many doors lining the hallways, he simply stood several feet from her, examining her features as she stood still, her face turning pale as she clutched her stomach.
"Rukia, you appear ill…are you al-" Byakuya began, but before he could finish Rukia ran to the nearest bathroom, her small hand covering her mouth, leaving one worried and confused brother standing alone in the hallway, the air of her sudden departure whirling around him. From inside of the bathroom, Byakuya could clearly hear Rukia crying out in pain and protest as she emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. The sound of splashing and the flush of the toilet filled Byakuya's ears as he walked calmly towards the bathroom door, watching from the door frame as his sister vomited once more, her face practically buried into the bowl and her hands clutching the bottom of the toilet.
Rukia groaned in pain, pulling her head back as she wiped her mouth with a handful of toilet paper that she had groped for in the midst of her sudden sickness. She could sense Byakuya's presence lingering in the near distance and she could feel the weight of his concern in his gaze.
"Rukia, you seem seriously ill," he stated from where he stood, his hard gaze revealed no expression to the naked eye, but Rukia could see blunt signs of concern. After all the years of living with him she is easily able to decipher his true moods and feelings.
"Thank you for your concern Nii-sama, but I am fine, I assure you," she said hastily, her voice betraying her as she winced and clutched her stomach once more. Just then, Rukia felt a gruesome pain overtake her lower body, the great force of the pulsing pain made her double over, her face contorted in pain as she cried out while clutching her stomach harder. The pain lasted for about 30 seconds but it felt unbearable and nothing she did made it subside, it seemed relentless, than it would subside only to return again seconds later. Soon, Rukia's back was pressed hard against the nearest wall facing her brother, to the side of the toilet, her knees pulled up as her arms lay bent and across her stomach, trying to subdue the intense pain. Byakuya couldn't keep up his façade; he ran to his sister and knelt uncharacteristically at her side, his hand resting on her shoulder as he examined her with concern.
"Rukia, are you alright?"
Rukia whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut as the pain overtook her once more, leaving her speechless and doubled over in pain.
"Rukia!" Byakuya exclaimed, his face clearly revealing his concern and his eyes flashed with nervousness as he witnessed his sister convulse in pain, he hated seeing her harmed or hurt in anyway and he began to feel utterly helpless.
Then, just as soon as the pain had come, it was gone. The repetitive pulses were gone and Rukia blinked down at her stomach, analyzing herself as she began to recover.
"Rukia, what it the meaning of this?" Byakuya questioned, his eyes searching her own as she faced him, she was stunned that she didn't even sense his closeness until now, which made her blush. As she analyzed his face, she could see how worried and panicked he was and she sputtered a response.
"I…I'm fine? Nii-sama, really…I…"
"No, you are to see a healer, I insist upon it, that was nothing like I have witnessed before, something is wrong," he retorted, standing up once more, and pulling her to her feet to which she muttered an embarrassed thanks.
Rukia panicked what if something was seriously wrong with her? What if she had like cancer or ammonia or was anemic or was…pregnant? Than it hit her, why did she think of being pregnant? Her eyes widened visibly, making Byakuya's eyebrows furrow in confusion as he watched his sister as she was lost in thought, he muttered her name but she didn't seem to hear it.
OHMYGOD! She thought, her jaw dropping some as she recalled last night, the long night she had spent with Renji. No, she thought, if I'm pregnant wouldn't it happen sooner, we've been having sex for awhile now…so, if it is possible I can get pregnant then it would've been a result of the first couple of times. What makes last night so special? Plus, a shinigami hasn't conceived a child in centuries, and that couple had been extremely powerful, both of them were fearless captains…and it took them decades to conceive…there is no way Renji and I could conceive after 6 months, right?
But, Rukia couldn't stop the thought of it, it all made sense, they had spent the whole night having sex, unprotected sex at that and in the morning she got…morning sickness? And that feeling, that pain in her stomach, it felt like, like reiatsu tearing through her body. Though she'd never heard of reiatsu being detected in the womb in the past when that child was conceived, could every shinigami pregnancy be different? Because in the real world there are usually typical signs of pregnancy, but they can vary from woman to woman. Rukia struggled with her thoughts, she had to admit that it would make sense that this is indeed a sign that she was pregnant, but…she couldn't risk letting someone else know about it if it was true.
"Um…" Rukia panicked, "Yes, Nii-sama, I will see a healer when you wish it so…" she mentally slapped herself, her mouth spoke for itself as she unintentionally agreed to her brother's wishes. But, she did know that she needed to find out once and for all what was really wrong with her. She knew she had to risk letting one person know in order to find out the truth, she figured she could ask Unohana-taicho and when she found what was wrong with her she could ask the captain to keep it confidential, and judging by the results she would either have to lie to her brother or tell him the truth, if she wasn't pregnant. Rukia's mind whirled with thoughts as several emotions overtook her senses, leaving her confused, angry, scared, nervous and above all frightened. But, she rid her face of any emotions, just how she had learned from her brother as she exited the room.
"Very well, I shall escort you to the 4th division, where we shall ask of Unohana-taicho to examine you and I shall return later to escort you home." Byakuya informed her as she stood with her back facing him, nervousness running through her body.
"Today? Nii-sama?"
"There is no need to wait, it is not wise," he answered as he walked past her, heading for the dining room, "You should rest before we depart."
"Um, yes...Nii-sama." she agreed, turning on her heels and heading back to her bedroom but not before glancing at her brother's retreating form, her mind flashing with panic. But she sighed, trying to calm her nerves as she headed back to her room for some much needed rest.
"He seems quite worried about you Kuchiki-san." Unohona observed with a smile as she motioned for Rukia to lie on her back on the cushioned examining table. Her eyes taking in the pale and sickly looking girl before her, as she lay down with a small sigh, her whole body relaxing, but her hands lay rested on her stomach, almost protectively.
"Nii-sama worries too much," she shrugged off, smiling softly at the captain before a worried frown replaced it once more, her wide eyes glancing down at her stomach as it churned notably within her.
"Nonsense, he's your older brother, he's just protecting his little sister and making sure she is alright, it's quite moving isn't it?" Unohona noted, to which Rukia simply nodded, trying to calm her nerves as she lay before the older woman. Earlier, besides when she was in the bathroom, when she retreated back to her room as her brother had instructed, the harsh pains returned and ebbed away like before leaving her terrified and weak, she hated not being in control, especially over her own body.
As if sensing the girl's nervousness Unohona consoled her, "Do not worry Kuchiki-san, you're going to be just fine, I promise. Now, take off your shirt so I can examine that stomach of yours more closely."
Rukia nodded as she sat up, untying the knot of her hakama top and parting the folds, her arms coming up to shield her breasts from view as she lie on her back once more, a small blush adorning her face.
"Do not be concerned, sweetheart, this is normal procedure for stomach ailments," Unohona told the small girl, once she flinched at the feel of the older woman's hands on her stomach.
"Okay," Rukia breathed, closing her eyes and trying not to shake with worry as the woman's hands slid across her stomach, pressing down firmly before lightening her touch, and Rukia couldn't help but wander what Unohona was thinking, what was she looking for?
Just then, light illuminated from underneath the captain's palms as she caressed Rukia's flat and pale stomach, moving her hands in every which direction she could. The warmth of the kidou on Rukia's bare flesh calmed her nerves some and she found it easier to relax and she felt she could trust this woman that she wouldn't judge or think any less of her if she flat out told her why she was so worried. But, Rukia decided to wait, there was no reason to spring that news on her so suddenly, plus, what if it was something else then she would just be exposing her secrets for no reason. Sighing calmly, Rukia took in a deep breath and released it softly, her eyes opening to observe the peaceful look on the captain's face as she examined Rukia using her kidou.
"Okay, now, Kuchiki-san…"
"You can call me Rukia…well, if you want." Rukia interrupted, making the captain smile down at her.
"Oh, okay then, now Rukia…explain the extent and details of your illness this morning," she instructed, her hands armed with the calming kidou still searched the expanse of Rukia's stomach.
"Um, okay…well," Rukia began, her mind searching the events and feelings that occurred this morning, "at about 6 in the morning I woke up and vomited like 8 times, and at first I thought it was because I drank a lot of wine last night. So, I slept for about an hour and felt a little better but my stomach was still churning and I felt a little weak and in about thirty minutes I was heading to the dining room. But, when I smelt the breakfast it made me feel sick again and I ran into the bathroom and vomited once more. Then, all of a sudden I felt this excruciating pain in my lower stomach, like a bolt of blinding pain…it almost felt like I was being stabbed by a sword, but not quite. And each episode lasted about 30 seconds, before they stopped and it was so intense that I couldn't even hear or sense my brother and he was kneeling right beside me…" she explained, making Unohona stare at the girl's stomach in confusion, sliding her hands to her lower stomach, just above the waist band of her pants. And, when Unohona concentrated harder she could sense something within the tiny girl, a small bundle of reiatsu emanating and flickering across her radar. Her kidou picked up the strength of the reiatsu in the girl's body, it was strong, but it was hiding its power deep inside of the body.
Flickering her light of kidou to make it blare stronger, its light turning from light yellow to dark gold, Unohona focused her skills entirely at the source of the reiatsu, her eyes widening slightly at what she felt below her hands. She had never personally come across this before, and she searched her mind for a decent explanation of what it could be. Could it be a possession? That would make sense considering she could sense some sort of strong presence hidden inside, but she'd read the past diagnosis' of possession, when hollows would burrow themselves inside of the body of a shinigami and eat its way out gradually. Though, she had never witnessed this herself, the documents explained what was found in examinations and the signs of the possession, but the documents' descriptions didn't match up with what she was sensing inside of Rukia.
She thought of another possibility, but she highly doubted the possibility of it, of pregnancy. The last pregnancy occurred when even she, wasn't alive, it was centuries ago and occurred as the result of two very strong captains who had been trying to conceived for decades. And even, in the records of the original examination of the pregnant shinigami, they recorded in the document that they found nothing, no signs of life or even signs of a pregnancy, there were no human signs like morning sickness or stomach pains, the only way the woman knew was not from the doctors but from her own intuition and the fact that her menstrual period hadn't occurred in quite awhile. And, as recorded in the documents, the physical signs showed, her stomach swelled and a child was clearly forming, as they could see much later through the human technology called an ultra sound. But, it was not officially announced as a pregnancy until that ultra sound, 5 months later when you could physically see the large bump in the woman's stomach.
But, there were no other records of shinigami pregnancies, so one couldn't assume that all would be consistent with the last one, Unohona stiffened and considered the accuracy of her thoughts, but she knew she must ask Rukia if she was even sexually active, which she couldn't help but doubt.
"Rukia," she began in a calm voice making the raven haired girl's eyes snap up to meet the captain's, "Is there any possibility, forgive me if I offend you, that you may be…pregnant?" she asked, making Rukia pull in a shaky breath as she sat up, her arms clutching her breasts.
"Um…" she began, preparing herself to tell the truth, "Maybe…I think," she said reaching to pull her hakama top back over her bare skin, tying the knot tightly, her shaky hands fumbling with it as she felt the captain's gaze rest on her face.
"You and Kurosaki?" Unohona asked curiously, her mind still in disbelief that Rukia had been involved that way, with anyone for that matter.
"Er, no…not Ichigo," she said with a blush on her face, she felt her heart race as she mentally fought herself, thinking of ways to get out of this situation, but she couldn't. "Um…you see, could you please not tell anyone, please?" Rukia begged, her eyes watering as she swallowed down tears, her voice cracking on her words.
Unohona watched the girl as she sat on the table, her eyes averted as she struggled not to cry before her, "Of course, Rukia…it's alright,"
"No, no it's not…I'm pregnant aren't I?" she asked, and she could no longer hold back the tears that slipped from her eyes, her whole body shaking with quiet sobs.
"Well, that is not quite certain, but if you have been involved with someone in a way that pregnancy would be a possibility, than maybe, but, based on the prior pregnancy, it wasn't detected this way and it was much later when they announced it as a pregnancy. But, since, there's been few to no pregnancies in soul society, it's hard to find records or past occurrences to compare your symptoms to," Unohona answered, her tone calm and comforting as Rukia listened quietly, stifling her tears. "I'm sorry but it is not in my capabilities to announce whether or not you're expecting, but, I can tell you that since human technologies have been known to work for, even us, in the past, I would recommend that you take a human pregnancy test…if you wish I will gather that item for you and you can come here tomorrow and we will test you." She offered, her hand resting consolingly on the crying girl's shoulder, and then her hand fell down to rub the girl's back when she cried harder.
"What am I going to tell Nii-sama? He's going to demand what is wrong with me, so what will you say?" Rukia asked, wiping the tears from her eyes as she glanced up at the sympathetic captain.
"I shall handle that, don't you worry, I'll come up with some minor illness and I'll inform him that you are to come for a follow-up appointment tomorrow,"
Rukia sniffled, "Really?"
"Of course, you can trust me Rukia…this is confidential and I shall speak of it to no one. But, pardon me if I am intruding upon your privacy, are you thinking of informing the possible 'father'?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with concern.
Rukia closed her eyes briefly, considering the captain's question, but she knew Renji shouldn't have to deal with this. Today was his first day at work as the captain of the 6th squad, he would be overwhelmed and stressed enough, and like Unohana said it may not be a pregnancy, it could just be stomach flu or something and she shouldn't concern Renji until she knew the outcome for sure.
"I don't think that would be…a good idea," Rukia admitted, smiling sadly at the concerned captain who simply examined the girl before her. Rukia turned in her seat, sliding her feet to hang over the side of the table, her hands coming to rest beside her thighs as her head hung down, her hair falling around her face, hiding her expression from the captain's view.
"It may not be my place to say so but I feel that you shouldn't deal with this by yourself you need the man's support," she insisted, her intentions pure and good.
"Renji," Rukia said with a soft smile.
"What?" Unohona asked, not understanding Rukia's reference to the new redheaded captain.
"Renji…you've been wondering who it was, right? Well, it's Renji…and I can't tell him, he's just become a captain, he can't worry about stupid things like this. I love him and I don't want to ruin his life," she said sadly, biting her lip to stop herself from crying again.
"Oh, Rukia…" Unohona said, stepping closer to the girl, her arms wrapping around the small girl's shoulders, trying to console her, "It's going to be okay, Renji is an amazing man, he cares for you greatly and he'd never want to see you suffer like this, he'd definitely insist upon being by your side," Unohana assured the girl, squeezing Rukia closer to her as she cried quietly. Pulling away, Unohona looked into Rukia's wide and watering eyes, "Thank you, for everything…thank you so much," Rukia said to the captain, bowing slightly before her.
"It's alright, Rukia. It was my pleasure," she said nicely, making a happy smile grace Rukia's face as she stood on her feet, preparing to leave the examining room as she followed behind the graceful captain.
Rukia couldn't even recall what was said in the next passing minutes, but her brother seemed to believe whatever Unohana had said, he simply nodded firmly and examined Rukia with his stoic expression.
"Complications brought on by stress?" her brother asked her as they walked side by side back to the Kuchiki manor.
"Yes, Nii-sama that is what she concurred after further examination, Unohona-taicho informed me to rest and avoid any stressful situations," she said, telling her brother what he wanted to hear.
"I see, very well I shall inform Ukitake-taicho of your absence and I will have the servants tend to you while I am away, but I shall return after work to check on your recovery myself," he informed her, and she couldn't help but smile shyly at her brother when he looked upon her face, she felt grateful for his concern.
"Thank you for your concern, Nii-sama…" she said, glancing at her brother's stoic expression as he opened the gate for her. Rukia stepped inside the gate, smelling the strong and calming scent of cherry blossoms as the soft wind caressing her figure, making her eyes close in content briefly before they flickered open as she turned to face her brother, who was just in the process of closing the gates behind him.
"Nii-sama…" she began, making him look behind his shoulder at her, "Thank you, for…well, everything," she said, her mind filling with memories of everything he did for her. She watched his as he breathed out, "Think nothing of it…" he said emotionlessly, but Rukia couldn't help but smile at his retreating form because she could clearly sense his hidden smile.
Renji smiled down at the stack of papers on his desk. Heh, it was just like when he was a lieutenant, only now he was sitting in his office, not Byakuya's. His day had been a pretty mundane one so far, he met with new recruits and gave them a speech on integrity and perseverance, he could sense a lot of great people in the bunch of trainees, their smiles and voices still floated throughout his mind. He remembers when he used to be one of them, just another face in the sea of people looking onto his prospective captains with great respect, his hopes high and spirits soaring. He even spotted a new recruit that reminded him of himself, a tall and semi-awkward boy, his reiatsu weak but it had potential. He couldn't help but smirk when he saw the boy fawning over a girl who he had been standing next to, and the way they talked made renji think they must've known each other for quite some time; he could sense it. Maybe they were childhood friends, he mused, maybe the boy had fallen in love with the girl and was hoping to lead her to a better life, a life of carelessness and love…he just wished for the boy that it wouldn't take him 80 some years to find.
All these thoughts made Renji think of Rukia…he was still in shock over the fact that she felt the same way…that she loved him as much as he loved her. Ever since he was a little boy he told himself, no he promised himself stubbornly that he would not fall for her charms, like so many of the naïve boys around her had. He had clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, repeating to himself that she was just a friend, she was just a friend, she's Rukia…for godsakes! After his mental chant, he felt the urge to turn his head, and there…sitting under the tree several feet from him sat the object of his thoughts. Her pale skin reflected in the moonlight, her wide violent irises blinked slowly, her knees were pulled up to her chest and her head was tilted up towards the sky where anyone's vision would be graced with the beauty of the full moon resting its large body on the blanket of night.
And she didn't even look at him, she just stared into the sky like she was trying to decode the mystery of life itself and it made Renji laugh bitterly. At that moment he wanted to rush to her side, to yell in her face how stupid and girly and lame she was that she didn't even see how much he cared for her. He wanted to grab her by the arm and pull her to her feet, his face would be inches from hers as he shouted that he would get her that star she was gazing upon, that he would travel all the way to where the stars lined the sky and grasp that orb of light and with all his might thrust it back to the earth…and if she wasn't satisfied with just one star he would return to the sky and pick her a new one, just to see that look of joy and pure happiness in her eyes. In his mind, he pictured her reaction perfectly…she would laugh at him and call him an idiot, and he wouldn't blame her.
Renji sighed at the memory, his hand sifting through the papers on his desk as he mentally reminisced about the past and what the future would hold for the two of them…