As Cold as Ice
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply. Parts of this chapter were derived directly from the anime.
A/N: Hello dear miemae04, thank you for your sweet words and your support. I've already pre-written several chapters so updating is not a problem. Hi CielDoll, I know exactly what you 's hard enough to lose a friend but to kill said friend even if you are saving that person is another matter entirely. Hello Rei Eien, I don't understand the pride deal either but I chalked it up to cultural difference. But can you imagine Ukitake's guilt over that? In the canon series, Rukia wasn't a seated officer yet because Byakuya (in the anime/ manga) prevented her from being one through Ukitake. I don't even understand what she was doing there in the first place, given that she wasn't even a seated officer. As for my series, I just hope that Byakuya is not too OOC. Hi FleurSuoh, I guess you'd just have to read the next chapter for that. Thank you for all of your continuous support.
Hello everyone due to the requests, I branched off the next chapter as this story deals with ByaRuki, I wrote an alternate one-shot featuring JuRuki. I hope you'd take the time to read it. The title of the one-shot branch off is "Bitter-Sweet".
The hollow attacked. It was unlike anything they've ever seen before. Both she and Captain Ukitake stood unable to prevent what happened next. As the tentacles of the hollow seemingly dissolved in Kaien's upraised arm, its body or shell collapsed. "Kaien Fukotaichou?" Rukia asked as she looked at the events in horror. "Yes, what is it girl? What do you want?" The hollow asked. It was not the voice of her lieutenant. It turned its attention to her and she saw Kaien's face, albeit his eyes and his tongue was different. "Kaien Fukotaichou…" She sobbed. "What is it girl? Why do you keep on repeating my name again and again? Are you that worried about me? Or maybe you're in love with me?" The hollow asked. Rukia froze when she saw the body of her lieutenant jump in attack. She was unable to move. All of the lessons she's learned in the academy and from Sui-Feng Taichou flew out the window. "I guess if you love me that much, then maybe I should eat you first!" The hollow exclaimed. But its attack was stopped by Ukitake Taichou who moved in front of Rukia and raised his sword against the hollow's mouth. "Taichou…" Rukia said in surprise, still frozen to her spot.
"Rukia, get out of here. Run away now!" Her captain commanded. So she did. 'Why? Why did this have to happen? Kaien…' She thought to herself as she ran in fear. Why did she run? She didn't know why but at that point she got so scared. She had faced hollows before but this was far different. Although her captain still did not release his zanpaktou, she knew that he was now attacking the hollow. She stopped from running. She couldn't run. She has to go back. What if something bad happens to Ukitake Taichou? She can't bear to see him turn into what Kaien turned into. 'No, he's a captain. He won't be one if he's not strong. Tou-sama says Ukitake Taichou's one of the oldest captains and is one of the strongest. I trust him. But I have to get back to see if he needs help if he gets an attack or something…' She told herself as she turned back.
She saw her captain on his knees. He was coughing and there was blood. He's just had an attack and the hollow ran away from her captain towards her. 'I don't know what made me go back. I didn't have a plan…' Rukia stood frozen to her spot, still not releasing her zanpaktou as she raised her sword in front of her. The hollow poised to attack. She could see Ukitake Taichou running desperately towards her. "Rukia!" He shouted as he ran. She did not even remember moving it but when the haze of fear cleared from her mind, she saw Kaien's body impaled on her sword. His blood splattered on her face and tears fell from her eyes. Before she knew it, rain started to fall down. "My captain… Thank you for understanding. Thank you for letting me fight to the end." Kaien said, his voice as weak as his life force slipping out of him. Ukitake Taichou let out a sound as he stood nearby. "But Kaien, does that mean that you…" Rukia asked. "Rukia, I apologize to you for getting you involved in the first place. I know that this was painful. But thanks to you, I'm saved. Now I can still leave my heart here." Kaien told Rukia. Rukia cried harder. 'No, I didn't deserve any thanks. I ran away because I was afraid to fight. Then I ran back, but it was only because I couldn't stand to see my friend suffer, my captain to face something like that and suffer it alone…' She thought to herself as she cried, Kaien's dead body was still impaled on her sword as she sobbed.