A/N This chapter focuses mainly on interaction between Jūshirō and Byakuya, but you won't understand why until you get to the end of the chapter.

Also, I apologise for the late update as my friend has been ill and we've had exams so we have been fairly busy (well, she has been studying while I was like, meh, stupid exams, don't care so stuff exams – most of the time :P)

Byakuya watched as Jūshirō ran his thumb over Tōshirō's jaw with a feather-light touch. He listened as the ill man spoke to his brother in a soft tone. Isshin had already awoken the boy from his coma and now they could only play the waiting game for when he woke up on his own.

Byakuya couldn't help but feel worried for the boy. He had never been in a coma himself, but he knew what it was like to wake up in an unfamiliar place, scared out of your mind. And with the child's already fragile state of mind, what if it was just too much for him…?

Minutes had passed by in silence. During this time, Jūshirō had fallen asleep with his head on his brother's mattress. Shunsui was sitting against the wall, watching the scene before him with sad eyes.

Byakuya was lost in deep thought until a weight fell on his arm. He glanced down to find Rukia's head against his arm, fast asleep. He shifted so that his sister's head was resting in his lap.

A few more minutes passed by before Tōshirō started to stir. Jūshirō's eyes opened and he stood up, glancing down with concerned eyes. Shunsui joined him, not sure what to expect. Byakuya remained where he was, watching silently. He reached out and placed a hand on Rukia's head as memories swam through his mind.

Tōshirō's eyes fluttered weakly for a few seconds before they opened. Everyone's breath held in their chest as the door opened and Nurse Unohana walked in.

"He's awoken..."Unohana muttered as she approached the boy's side. She reached out and grabbed Tōshirō's hand.

The second something made contact with his hand, Tōshirō let out a loud groan before he tossed his head side to side. A loud screeching sound that Jūshirō had never heard from him sounded next. It was a sound of pure terror mixed with agitation. Nothing the white-haired male had ever heard sounded as horrible as this sound of despair did.

"Shiro..." Jūshirō reached out to touch his brother's hand, but he was pushed away in a gentle manner by Unohana.

"Don't touch him," Unohana instructed as she tried to stop Tōshirō from thrashing around. She was having a hard time holding down the boy's upper torso. "I'm going to need to call in someone else to help me out. I'll only sedate him as a last resort."

Unohana reached out and pushed the buzzer by the bed, awaiting assistance. Not long had passed before Isshin and a student, Hanatarō, came into the room.

Isshin took one look at Tōshirō before he instructed Hanatarō to hold the boy down. He reached out and put a hand on the white-haired boy's arm in what was supposed to be a soothing manner.

However, it only caused Tōshirō to lash out worse. Feral snarls and curses escaped his lips as he struggled to break free from the ones who were holding him down.

Jūshirō couldn't hold back the tears. He stood there, crying as he watched everything play out before him. He had never seen his brother like this, and he never thought he would have. He was vaguely aware of Shunsui talking to him, but he didn't catch any of the words that were said.

When Byakuya stood up and put a hand on his shoulder, Jūshirō's eyes widened. He had forgotten all about Byakuya, and seeing the pain in the younger's eyes made him remember that he wasn't the only one in that room suffering.

Byakuya only had to remove his hand in silence to let the other realise that he wanted Jūshirō to leave the room with him. Jūshirō looked back at Shunsui.

"Go with him," Shunsui said as he sat down in the chair that was previously occupied by the Kuchiki. He reached out and grabbed Rukia's hand for comfort. The girl had awoken and was now trying not to cry at what was happening. "I'll stay here."

Jūshirō nodded and followed his younger friend out of the room. They walked down the corridor and made their way outside. Jūshirō stood with his back against the wall and his face in his hands while Byakuya sat on the bench beside him.

Things between them were noiseless until Byakuya spoke.

"I couldn't stay and watch him…" Byakuya's voice sounded strained. Jūshirō moved his hands so that he could observe the younger. "…He… He was moving like I did… Screaming… It was too painful…"

Jūshirō understood immediately that the Kuchiki was asking for an ear to listen while he spoke about his own experience. He pushed the thought of Tōshirō to the back of his mind as he sat beside his friend. It was extremely rare for Byakuya to have moments like these. They were almost non-existent, but when they did happen, it meant that things had bottled up and exploded for the raven-haired man.

The Ukitake remained silent, knowing that his friend would appreciate it. He wiped at his own tears, trying his best to put the younger first.

"…I don't know what I did wrong that day…" Byakuya continued on as he looked up at the sky. "My parents had always promised that nothing bad would ever happen to me because of my family name, but…"

Byakuya let out a sigh as he turned to face Jūshirō's direction. He was sure to avoid eye contact, though.

"…My grandfather told me that they had been waiting for me for weeks… My parents didn't tell me before this happened because they didn't want to worry me… Did you know it was the very first time I had ever left the grounds without telling my parents I was going somewhere, Ukitake?"

"I did…" Jūshirō whispered, knowing just what to say.

"I thought it would be okay to run to the candy shop and back. I didn't think anything would happen. But… When they pulled me into the van, I had never been so scared before… The things they did to me, Ukitake… They had me for a week before they dumped me back outside of my home…"

Jūshirō closed his eyes at these words, knowing what Byakuya was going to say next.

"…My parents… They were dead… Grandfather was hurt…" Tears welled up in Byakuya's eyes at the memories but he fought hard to keep them from falling. "…And then there was me… I was their pathetic little sex toy that they would beat when they were bored… I can still feel their touches, Ukitake…"

"You know that it wasn't your fault, Byakuya-kun," Jūshirō whispered again. He let out a light cough before he spoke again. "And you definitely are not pathetic. You were so young… You couldn't possibly have understood the consequences of leaving without telling your parents – and definitely didn't understand what they wanted. It was not your fault."

"Over and over again they said it…" Byakuya hissed as he clenched his hands. "They said it was my fault for everything that had happened. They said that it was all my fault for having been born…! But I didn't ask for any of it… I swear I didn't… And when you tell me it wasn't my fault… Ukitake, my entire life I've replayed their words over and over in my mind; I've agreed with them for so long… Don't think that just telling me it wasn't my fault can fix everything…"

"Byakuya, my brother is in hospital…" Jūshirō couldn't stop the frown from crossing his face. "I understand what you're saying, but… please, understand what I'm going through…"

Byakuya nodded, silent for a few more minutes. "…Your brother… Was exactly what I was like when it happened… I tried to resist… I tried to get away… You don't understand what it was like, watching something that happened to you play out in almost the exact same way…"

"I don't," Jūshirō agreed. "I don't think I could understand… I'm just so sorry that you've had to go through everything you have, but you know I'm always here for you."

Byakuya nodded, humming thoughtfully. He did know that Ukitake was there for him. The white-haired male was the one person in his life besides Rukia that he spoke with when he had a problem.

"…Rukia said I should go to a professional…" Byakuya said in a soft tone. There was a hint of doubt in his voice. He looked up and finally made eye contact with the elder. His eyes were full of fear. "…Am I really that bad, Ukitake…?"

Well, this was new… Jūshirō shook his head. "You're fine, Byakuya-kun. You had something horrible happen to you and despite that, you're normal."

"…" A lone tear dripped down Byakuya's chin. "…I want Tōshirō, Ukitake."

"W-what?" Jūshirō frowned. What was the raven talking about…?

"Tōshirō," Byakuya repeated. "I want him. He's just like I was. I want to be the one to take care of him and help him. …No one was there to help me…"

Jūshirō let out a few coughs before he spoke, this time with hurt in his voice. "Byakuya-kun… I understand your reasoning, but… he's my brother… I need to be the one who's there for him."

Byakuya shook his head. "Ukitake, please… You don't understand… No one wanted to help me… I had to pick myself up… I can't… let this happen to him!"

Jūshirō was greatly concerned. He had never seen Byakuya like this before. He bit his lip, reaching out to touch the younger's shoulder. He pulled back at the flinch Byakuya presented him with.

"If it means so much to you, I don't mind letting you see him, Byakuya-kun," Jūshirō started with a gentle tone, "but he's my brother and I can't hand him off to someone."

A few more tears dripped down Byakuya's cheeks as a choked gasp escaped his lips. He buried his face in his hands, letting his emotions out.

Jūshirō knew better than to touch the younger in such a state, but Kuchiki seemed worse off than he could ever have guessed. During the times they had spent together talking about the raven's past, Byakuya had never truly cried. Maybe let a tear or two escape, but never like this. And what was with the wanting Tōshirō thing…?

"I'm not normal, am I…?" Byakuya whispered through his cries. "…I'm… Rukia was right…"

"No…" Jūshirō moved to sit closer to the smaller male, ignoring the way the Kuchiki scooted away in fear. "No, Byakuya-kun. No matter what, you'll always be normal. You're fine just the way you are, and don't ever believe otherwise. I'll never judge you for anything and I would never want you to change. So, please… Stop being so hard on yourself… You don't deserve it."

Byakuya didn't reply. He could only cry harder.

-XX-

Once Byakuya had gotten himself under control and had washed his face, he and Jushiro returned to Toshiro's room. It was near silent as they stood outside of the door, the only sounds coming from the teens conversing with each other.

Jushiro pushed the door open and glanced in. His brother was lying on the bed with eyes on the roof, shaking. Rukia was talking to Ichigo and Matsumoto, who must have returned from the cafeteria sometime while the adults were outside.

Jushiro's hands trembled as he addressed Rukia. "What happened...?"

"They... ended up drugging him..." The girl spoke in a soft voice. "He was getting worse..."

Jushiro dropped his face in his hands, not knowing what to do. He approached the white-haired boy, intending on placing a hand on the younger's shoulder, but he was stopped by Rukia telling him not to.

"Why?" Jushiro asked as he held his hand out mid-air.

"The nurse said not to touch him under any circumstances because it triggers him."

Jushiro sighed before he nodded. He sat down in the seat next to Shunsui and rested his head on the elder's shoulder.

Byakuya, however, just stood where he was. He kept his gaze fixed firmly on the boy, taking in every detail he could. Toshiro's eyes were unmoving as he stared at the one spot on the roof. His body shook and small whimpers could be heard on occasion. He knew exactly what this was; Toshirou had become traumatised.

"He's gone, Jushiro," Byakuya whispered as his eyes remained fixed on the child. "He's gone."

Jushiro scrunched his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from falling as he grabbed Shunsui's kimono in a tight hold. He shook his head, not wanting to believe what he knew was the truth.

Unohana took this moment to return back to the room, poking her head in with Hanataro at her side.

"Ah, you are back." Unohana smiled at Jushiro and Byakuya. "He has settled down for now, but I'm afraid that he has a significant amount of trauma – both to his body and to his mind. I want to keep him for a few weeks – perhaps even a few months, depending on how he goes. I've already organised a physical therapist for him, but I would like for you to find him a psychologist when he is ready."

"He's not going to be ready..." Jushiro whispered, overcome with dread at his brother's condition. "He's never going to come out of this..."

"Don't give up hope, Ju-chan..." Shunsui grabbed his friend's hand, gripping tightly. "Toshirou is a strong boy. He's extremely strong. He's going to be okay. Maybe not for a long time, but he'll recover."

"Your friend is right," Unohana said in a soft tone.

Byakuya stayed silent throughout this whole ordeal, his past flashing before his eyes. He remembered how his own trauma had impacted greatly on him, making him withdraw from the world and hiding himself away with a cold, uncaring and superior attitude.

There was no way he could let Toshirou turn out the way he had, Byakuya knew. He had to help. He had just had to.