Come on... Pick up, child!

Byakuya Kuchiki was pacing his bedroom back and forth with his cellphone pressed up against his ear. The blasted thing kept ringing and ringing, but never went to voicemail because of course his adopted sister would forget (again!) to delete her voice messages and clear up some storage space. He was always on her back about that. One would think that the girl would learn.

The only consolation Byakuya had was that Rukia would be looking at a dozen missed calls from him. That should teach her a lesson!

'Geez, calm down!' Rangiku Matsumoto sat obnoxiously on Byakuya's bed with her legs crossed. She leaned backwards on her palms and admired the marbled, grey aesthetic of his room. It was immaculately clean and generally colourless, devoid of any accents that could give away hidden aspects of Byakuya's personality. 'I can't believe you let me into your room... You're really freaked, huh? You're not even thinking straight.'

'I always think straight.' he snapped before attempting to dial his sister again. 'I simply do not trust you to behave yourself in the waiting room.'

'Excuse me?'

'Who knows what those poorly manicured fingers are going to swipe at when no one is looking.'

'Alright, first of all...' she raised a perfectly manicured finger to show that she meant business and he better listen. 'I'm perfect. Second, not everyone can be a business tycoon like yourself, but I make good enough money that I don't need to claw at your wealth to sustain myself. Gosh, you're so full of it!'

'Listen.' Byakuya rubbed his face with a hand, while the other clung to his phone. 'You need to shut up. I need you to stay put while I deal with this-'

'Deal with what?' she challenged, standing up with her arms crossed. 'You know that you're overreacting, right? So I told you that Shiro is Kurosaki Ichigo's brother... What's the problem? I mean, yeah, it sucks for Kuchiki pedigree, but-'

'You also told me...' Byakuya began. 'That the Kurosaki lineage is plagued by an unspecified mental illness.'

'Yeah. So?'

'So...' he grit his teeth. 'My sister is essentially standing next to a ticking time bomb parading as her fiancé!'

'No, no.' the lawyer shook her head defensively. 'Shiro's not like that. He can be a bit of jerk sometimes, but he's not crazy-'

'Not yet.' he countered. 'He may just be hiding it really well, or he simply has not reached the brink of insanity... yet. One cannot trust those who have questionable breeding.'

'Questionable breeding?' Rangiku was losing her patience. 'Do you hear yourself right now? He's not a cow or a pig or some other farm animal that you breed. He's a human being. You don't know what he's gone through! When Kurosaki Isshin was sentenced to fourteen years in prison, Shiro picked up the pieces! He did what he could and actually made a name for himself! He's smart. He's persevered through times. He's so much more than this cookie cutter maniac you're making him out to be!'

'I suspected from the beginning that you were fucking him.' Byakuya sighed nonchalantly, shocking his guest. Rangiku's breath caught in her throat and she could do nothing but stare at the businessman, wide-eyed and disbelieving.

How did he know?

'It was odd.' Byakuya continued, flinging his phone clumsily on top of his mahogany dresser. The wood was carved with intricately designed cherry blossom trees, and Rangiku winced at the lack of care Byakuya gave his things. The dresser looked like it cost a small fortune. She supposed, however, that the amount was probably just a drop in the bucket for the Kuchikis.

'What was odd?'

'That you had come to me with such valuable information, and only seeking the dissolution of my sister's engagement to Shiro. You thought you were being sly, but the fact of the matter is that you are a woman scorned. You like him, do you not?'

'Just because I like doesn't mean I want to stay with him.'

'But you want to see him suffer for not returning your feelings, and that in itself is proof of how fond you are of him... Which is why I cannot trust your perception of him. However, I must thank you for this missing piece of the puzzle you have shared with me. The murky waters of the past are making sense to me now.'

'What are you talking about?' she frowned. Byakuya eyed her wearily. He didn't think he should trust this woman, but she was the only connection he had to more valuable information that could finally uncover the truth behind Kaien's murder.

Byakuya wanted the truth for only one reason; to end Rukia's suffering.

Ever since Kaien died, she had completely withdrawn from everyone around her. She was always on guard, and the sweet, affectionate, little girl who once used to crawl into Byakuya and Hisana's bed in the middle of the night because she was afraid of monsters in her closet. The shy Rukia who used to gush to her older brother about her "dreamy" tutor Kaien Shiba was now gone. The adopted noble was now cold, calculating, and obsessed with a dead man. It was nearly inappropriate how stuck she was on her deceased mentor.

Byakuya suspected abuse.

The night of the last session Rukia had with Kaien, she refused dinner. She was cooped up in her room, which was locked. Byakuya had a master key, so he barged inside anyway. To his dismay, he found his sobbing sister buried beneath her blankets. He managed to convince her to come out of hiding, and what happened next was impossibly confusing.

The doctors said that there was no evidence of abuse of any kind. Sure, she had a few bruises on her arm - but she could have just gotten into a spat with a friend, or perhaps she had fallen (although there were no broken skin or fractured bones).

When questioned, Rukia herself failed to be of any help. In fact, she didn't recall the events of that day at all. Not even when her brother walked into her room and found her crying all alone.

'Do not lie to the nice doctor.' Byakuya scolded her gently. 'Tell him the truth.'

'But I am.' Rukia whispered. 'I woke up and now I'm here.'

'You don't remember going to school?' Dr. Kisuke Urahara pressed. 'Maybe you got into a fight? Don't be scared to tell us. We promise you won't get in trouble. The adults just want to know how you get these bruises.' he gestured to the dotted bruises on her forearm. 'They look like they hurt. We just want to get you better.'

'I'm fine.' Rukia insisted, and there was nothing more that anyone could do.

If Kaien could have abused Rukia due to a mental illness, then Shiro could be just as violent.

Which meant that Rukia was in danger.

'Kuchiki-san.' Rangiku growled. 'I'm asking you what you're talking about.'

'Nothing.' Byakuya murmured before attempting to call Rukia once more.

Just pick up the phone and come home, where it's safe.

'Just take a left here.' Ichigo cooly directed Rukia, who was on the wheel of her vehicle. The pair were on their way to Ichigo's house because... Well. Just because. Quite frankly, Rukia was having second thoughts the entire ride there. The butterflies nipping at her guts were growing more restless as time went on, and her heartbeat was thundering so loudly in her eardrums that it was dizzying. She thought she was going to pass out any second now.

'Hey...' she murmured just loud enough for him to hear. 'Do you even know where we're going? I've been driving for a while now...'

'Pull up here.' Ichigo directed, dismissing her concerns. 'Yeah, that's it; the house with the green roof.'

Rather than park directly in front of the house, Rukia stepped on the brakes just a few paces away from the Kurosaki household. The place was only a few steps away, but in this position, no one inside the house would be able to see her car from inside. After all, Rukia still wanted to keep herself under the radar. She had no idea how his family would be like, and she didn't want to be traceable. Karin, Ichigo's sister who Rukia met briefly before, seemed to be particular about who her brother hung out with. The adopted aristocrat was sure that Karin would be extra attentive to all matters concerning her - she didn't want to give more information about herself than what was absolutely necessary at this point.

'Yo.' Ichigo poked her arm, interrupting her thoughts. He sensed that she was tense. Well, more like he could see it; she was gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. 'What's wrong? What are you thinking about?'

'Nothing.' she stated matter-of-factly in that defensive Kuchiki persona she put on when she was uncomfortable.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. He might not have known her for long enough (he'll be the first to admit that), but he was pretty sure that he had a good grasp on her personality by now. Every time she felt like she was being attacked, she became icy. He could tell that it was a learned mechanism that was honed from years of hardship that she had yet to fully open up abut, but he wanted her to know that there was nothing scary about him.

Or rather, he already told her all the scary stuff.

And she was totally fine with it! It was her who said that his past was his past. It was her who approached him, seemingly unaffected by his off-putting history. It was her who told him that he had to move forward because the only one blaming him for anything was himself.

No one made him feel like that; like it was OK, like he could move forward, like he didn't need to beat himself up anymore.

No one gave him strength.

No one.

Except Rukia.

She was a tough cookie. He loved her for it. She had nothing to fear from here on out. For fuck's sake, she was just going to meet his sisters! She already met Karin in less than desirable circumstances and she did just fine! She had no reason to be nervous about all of this.

'Hey...' he reached over to curl a lock of hair over her ear. 'You'll be fine.'

'I won't be fine.' she snapped, shrugging him off. 'I... I'm not this person that you think I am.'

'Rukia.'

'You think I'm this perfect supermodel, and I'm really not. I feel like you put me on a pedestal and you don't see me the way others see me, or the way you should.'

'I see the real you.' he insisted. His hand came up to cup her chin and move her head to the side so that she was forced to look at him. 'Don't you think the real you is wonderful?'

'Ichigo, you're a fool.' she averted her gaze. 'You're a stupid, stupid-'

'You're crazy and mean.'

'Am I blushing?'

'And so graceful in everything that you do. You mean well, you always mean well and that makes you a beautiful person.'

'You don't know that I mean well.' she huffed indignantly. He chuckled at her stubborn attitude. Of course, he didn't catch the implication of her words. Rukia was alluding to the fact that her intentions weren't exactly pure when she first made contact with Ichigo; a man she convinced herself to hate for the last three years, but also the same man who she was surely falling for. She kept telling herself that she'd woman up and be honest about the past, but she never felt like it was the right time.

Was this very moment the right moment?

When he was fawning over her before introducing her to his family?

Her stomach churned. Obviously, this wasn't the ideal situation to reveal her darkest secrets to him. But she should do it soon. Real soon. She and Ichigo were growing more and more serious by the second, faster than she ever thought was possible.

Rukia had a bad habit of putting up walls with people. Ichigo was the only man who had convinced her to break these walls down so quickly. For some reason, Rukia wanted to let him in. She wanted so badly for this all to work out, because this man made her feel so comfortable around him, and in her own skin. She didn't feel like she had to put on a mask, although she still resorted to the safety of her Kuchiki facade whenever she felt threatened. And yet, she didn't feel like she was in any danger around him. She almost felt safe. Like nothing bad could happen to her with Ichigo at her side, because he was so kind and good and sweet that he could attract no evil.

'By the way...' he interrupted her thoughts. 'Before I forget, would you mind giving me your number?'

'W-What?!' Rukia choked on nothing. Her cheeks tinted a darker shade of mad red with every thunderous bang her heart took against her ribcage. Even though she and Ichigo should have been way past the initial, giddy stages of dating, the fact that he wanted her number still flattered her tremendously.

Being a workaholic, Rukia never really had time to date. Getting involved with Shiro was more of a calculating, heartless move than anything else, so she never really embarked on an emotional rollercoaster in regards to that.

On the other hand, this time around, she was actually seriously interested in Ichigo. She was wildly attracted to most everything about him; the physical, the internal, and even his annoying impulsivity. But most of all, she loved the liberation. She could be unapologetically herself and he would accept her without question.

He was the only person to ever do that for her.

'Rukia.' he cleared his throat. He wasn't about to give up so easily, despite her ominous pause. 'Your number?'

'Ah...' she quietly swallowed a lump in her throat before digging into her purse for her phone. Perfect. The damn thing was nowhere to be found. 'Sorry... I think I left my phone at the office...'

'Then tell me what your number is.' he persisted, hoping she wasn't making this up to get rid of him. 'I'll shoot you a text with my name or something.'

She laughed. 'You just don't give up, do you?'

'Not even if you push me away.' he confirmed.

Rukia happily dictated her cellular number out loud, which Ichigo made sure to enter into his phone then and there.

'Come on, we're wasting time.' she smiled. 'Your sisters might be getting ready for bed soon.'

'Trust me, they don't sleep until late. Yuzu's always fixing up the house. I think she's got OCD. Karin, on the other hand, just likes to play video games... She's really smart, you know? She doesn't study a lot, but her grades are really good.'

'Karin-chan's the one I met, right?'

'Yeah.'

'She's... Is she going to be there right now?'

'Rukia.' he flashed her a warm smile. 'Don't worry. You'll be fine.'

'I'm just saying that it must have been weird for her to see her brother with some woman she's never met before...' glossy blues were downcast. 'I'd find it strange.'

'Hey...' he leaned over to her seat so that he could whisper into her ear. 'You'll be fine. You're an amazing woman. The only thing that they'll find strange is how I ever managed to get someone like you to give me a chance.'

'I never said I was giving you a chance.' Rukia huffed haughtily.

He chuckled briefly. 'Well, you don't have to say anything...'

As if she knew all the steps to a secret, choreographed dance, Rukia turned her head to face him so that he could press his open mouth on hers. Her eyelids shut, and his warm palms cupped her face. Wet tongues mingled once more, but neither of them could ever get past the electricity that shot up their spines whenever they did this. Ichigo decided that he was never going to get used to it - and he wasn't complaining.

Intimacy was always fun with Rukia. It was always exciting, awkward, and most of all, satisfying in more ways than one. Of course she turned him on - duh. But what he had with her was more than just sensual, instant gratification. Even when she wasn't around him, he thought about her. He would wonder how she was doing, who she was with, and if she was still wearing those sky-high heels that caused him to bite his lip with desire. When she was insecure, he was compelled to tell her just how beautiful and wonderful she was - because she really, truly was, and she should know that more than anyone else. But part of Rukia's charm was her lack of self-awareness.

And whenever she threw him a bone; a girlish glint in her eyes, or a particularly lovely intonation when she says his name - well, moments like those kept him smiling like a fool for hours on end.

He's in love.

He knows. She doesn't know yet. He'll tell her when he's ready.

'Come on.' he whispered against her lips. If he didn't break this off now, he'd never want to get out of her car. 'Let's go.'

She nodded.

They left her car, and Rukia nervously tiptoed behind Ichigo along the path leading to the Kurosaki household's entrance. He looked over his shoulder to see if she was doing alright (she wasn't). She was fidgeting and fixing her hair even though it was absolutely perfect. He extended a hand out, which she took. Immediately, her anxiety quelled.

People could be so cold, but Ichigo was always warm.

Hand in hand, they walked right up to the doorway. Ichigo rang the bell, although the pair could hear laughter emanating from the house.

'Sounds like they're having fun.' the orange-haired youth grinned to his crush. 'You're going to have a good time too. They're really nice.'

'Mhmm.'

A moment passed. Ichigo rang the doorbell again. The laughter continued, and he heard Yuzu say that she was going to get the door. It must be Onii-chan! she says, He knows you're here!

His stomach sank.

Who knows he's here?

Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling about this?

'Kurosaki-kun's here?' Orihime's voice quipped with sickening sweetness.

Ichigo couldn't wait to be let in.

To Rukia's surprise, he swung the door open so hard that it banged up against the wall.

'Wait!' she called after him, but he was stomping his way into his home. She thought that was odd, but more importantly, she knew that he was upset and she didn't know why. They were kissing and smiling only a moment ago. What happened? Was something wrong? 'Ichigo, come on!' Rukia calls after him as she follows suit. She normally never enters someone else's home without kicking off her shoes, but her aristocratic training is forgotten. The impulsive teenage boy makes it to the living room, where he stops dead in his tracks and Rukia is relieved that he stopped running. 'Ichigo, geez... What's wrong? Why-'

'Kurosaki-kun, welcome home!'

Rukia is stunned.

A ridiculously beautiful woman with vibrant, voluminous goddess curls and bright eyes rushes over to Ichigo. Orihime leaves a trail of cinnamon dust behind her, and it wafts over the petite businesswoman's face when the taller lady wraps her arms around Ichigo's neck and gives him a hard kiss on the mouth. Rukia is unable to prevent an audible gasp from escaping her throat. Sure, she was surprised by this woman's forwardness... But even more so than that, Rukia was upset that Ichigo didn't make a move to push Orihime away from him. He didn't kiss her back either, but his complacency cut Rukia deep.

'Kurosaki-kun!' Orihime repeated, her hands on Ichigo's shoulders as he stared at her with an open jaw. 'I haven't seen you in a while, so I checked to see if you were with Yuzu-chan and Karin-chan. But then even though you weren't, we had so much fun just hanging out!'

'Orihime-chan has really interesting recipes!' Yuzu piped up, her eyes twinkling with girlish delight. It was obvious that she actually had fun in Orihime's presence, and that she admired the older woman. Ichigo's stomach somersaulted. 'We were exchanging ideas for dinner tonight! Orihime-chan has a different take on traditional dishes... She modernizes it a bit, but you know that, don't you Onii-chan? I'm sure you've had your girlfriend's cooking, after all!'

Oh.

The back of Rukia's eyeballs burn with something akin to betrayal, but she knows that she shouldn't be so quick to blow up. It wasn't like she was Ichigo's girlfriend anyway. Still, if he was already seeing someone, then she didn't want to be that person. She'd have to talk to him about it later. Besides, maybe a reasonable explanation would crop up in that conversation. She just had to keep a cool head, quell her emotions, and just get through this awkward meeting.

Despite Rukia's best efforts to keep calm, there must have been a change in her aura, because Ichigo glanced at her over his shoulder and flashed her kind, soulful eyes.

And somehow, Rukia knew that she had to trust him.

So she didn't say anything.

'Hey, Rukia-chan.' Karin cleared her throat as she walked up to the noble. What a nasty situation. Her brother's girlfriends meeting for the first time... Karin always thought teenage boys were stupid, so she didn't find this predicament particularly peculiar. Although it went against her principles, Karin decided that she'd help her brother diffuse the situation before it got weird. 'Nice to see you again. I need to show you something outside, why don't we-'

'Hi!' Orihime waved a hand in Rukia's direction. 'I'm Inoue Orihime!'

'Kuchiki Rukia.' she returned, off-put by Karin's less-than-subtle efforts to remove her from the house.

'Rukia-chan.' Karin interjected. 'Come on. I need to show you-'

'What the fuck are you doing here, Inoue?' Ichigo demanded. He was furious and his voice failed to hide it.

'Onii-chan, what's wrong?' Yuzu was worried. 'You're acting strange. You shouldn't talk to your girlfriend like that...'

'Inoue is not my girlfriend.' he spoke through clenched teeth. He had tried so hard to keep up the facade that Orihime was his girlfriend when Yuzu was in the hospital because he didn't want to give his sisters reason to worry. Truthfully, if Rukia wast around, then he'd probably go along with all of this nonsense. Unfortunately, right now, he wasn't thinking straight. No, he was over it. He was angry and resentful and frustrated that he couldn't shake Orihime off of him.

'Well, I was your girlfriend when you were taking money from me.' the baker said off-handedly, not caring that the Kurosaki twins were in the room. The identical pair were paralyzed with shock. What did this woman just say? Money? Their brother was taking money from his girlfriend?

Everything fell into place in Rukia's mind. Ichigo mentioned to her before that there was a woman he had to entertain to secure funds for Yuzu's hospital bills. This... This must be the woman.

How horrible.

'Inoue.' he raised a hand. 'Don't.'

'What? It's true. Is that all it was then, Kurosaki-kun? You only loved me when you had an allowance?'

'Oh, please. You are fucking disgusting.' Rukia, against her better judgement, butted in. She was, however, careful to remain cryptic as to not wrongfully expose Ichigo. 'Do you hear yourself right now? You know what you did. How dare you imply that Ichigo was in the wrong-'

'You call him Ichigo?' Orihime raised her brows. 'Wow. You guys are that familiar with each other?' she tilted her head and scanned Rukia from head-to-toe. 'Nice clothes. You look rich. Do you give him money too? Hey, Kurosaki-kun.' she turned her attention to her former employee. 'Did you fuck her for money, too?'

Yuzu's face fell.

'You're disgusting!' Rukia pointed a finger accusingly at Orihime and wedged herself between the beautiful woman and Ichigo so that the "girlfriend" was forced to let go of Ichigo's shoulders. 'How dare you touch him! How dare you talk to anybody like this! Who do you think you are?! You-'

'Rukia.' Ichigo gently swept Rukia to the side. 'Please stay out of this!'

'Ichi-!'

'Rukia.' he repeated more sternly. 'Please leave. I need to do this alone.'

Crestfallen, Rukia shot him a disbelieving look as if to say Are you serious? But one look at the determination on his face forced Rukia to set her pride and concern aside. True; this was Ichigo's business. It involved his family, and his own personal villain. He only met Rukia recently... Why should she be allowed to be a part of this? This was a problem that Ichigo had to deal with on his own. Rukia had to respect his wishes and trust that he'd be alright.

'Sure.' Rukia mumbled, making her way out the door. 'I'm sorry. Excuse me.'

'Rukia-chan-' Karin began, but Rukia had already left.

When the Kuchiki heiress made her way back to her car, her brain was cursed with tunnel vision. She was breathing hard and her heart raced dangerously so that each heavy thump reverberated painfully in her eardrums. She was floating on her stilettos effortlessly, but she felt as if the pavement was cracking beneath her. The adrenaline rush took away from her cautiousness, so she didn't sense anything wrong when she slid into the driver's seat of her car.

Please be OK, Ichigo.

That thought played in a loop in her head, but she fought the urge to turn right back and let Orihime have it. Ichigo wouldn't be happy with that. She had to trust him, she had to believe in him, she had to respect him.

She had to leave him alone. Just for now.

'Fuck.' she cursed when her shaking fingers reached into her breast pocket for her keys. 'Fuck, fuck-'

'Fucking drive.' a familiar voice barked as she felt the cold end of a gun press on her temple.

Rukia was speechless. Her eyes darted to her peripheral, where Shiro was, perched on the passenger's seat with murderous intent scrunching his sharp features painfully. How had she not seen him? Was she so into her emotions that she failed to notice?

'Shiro.' Rukia swallowed hard. 'What are you doing?'

'I told you.' he hissed. 'I told you that if you ever came for Ichigo, that I would come for you ten times over. You know, you almost convinced me, Rukia.' he chuckled humourlessly. 'I thought I was wrong for a second. Thought that maybe you really weren't after my brother, but way to prove me wrong, huh?'

'It's not what you t-think.' her voice was shaky. 'Please put t-that away. Listen t-to me. You're wrong.'

'Shut your fucking mouth.' he pressed the gun harder against her head and she whimpered. 'Fucking drive. Now.'

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone supporting this story!

Thank you to RukiYuki, Kidzin, IchiRuki 4vr, IRReader, FaeofLight, and the Guest reviewers!

IchiRuki 4vr, nor does it bode well for Rukia! Rukia will have another confrontation with Orihime, but she has to be confronted by Shiro first.

FaeofLight, I'm so glad that you understand the psychology that I am attempting to underline in this story! There's some trauma exploration I want to do next chapter, and I hope to hear your thoughts on it! It's always so nice to read your reviews.

IRReader, I promise that it will come in later chapters!

Thanks so much, everyone!

Working hard on the next chapter for you guys!