"Byakuya, who is that girl? I met her this afternoon and-
"You met Rukia?" Byakuya asked sharply, as he wondered how on earth did the two women meet.
Sakuya blinked, confused, "Yes, only briefly. I fell and she helped me up. Who is she?"
Byakuya stared at Sakuya,, his mind already shifting back to what on earth happened happened to her these past six years. There were a million questions racing through his mind and taking a moment to calm himself down, he took a seat opposite her and asked his first question.
"What happened to you these past six years?" He asked.
Sakuya, looking extremely uncomfortable, whispered, "I don't want to talk about it, okay?"
She looked terrified, Byakuya realised.
Byakuya wasn't sure if he should approach her so he quietly stood and watched her. She looked the same. Nothing much about her had changed except for her hair. She used to have it dyed brown but now it was her natural colour; black. Black suited her even better. Everything about her pretty much stayed the same but there was one thing Byakuya didn't fail to notice. Sakuya's eyes were different. Those eyes that once shone so brightly looked dejected and sorrowful now.
After a moment of silence, Sakuya pushed back her chair and stood up with a bright smile on her face.
"Is everything here still the same?" She asked in a cheery tone. "I noticed the antique furniture are still the same."
She was forcing that smile on her face, Byakuya could tell. Did she really think he could fool her with that smile?
Byakuya started, "Sakuya-
"You don't mind if I take a look around, do you?" Sakuya interrupted swiftly as she pushed the dining room doors opened and stepped out.
That forced smile stayed on her face as she walked quickly up the staircase that led to the second level. Byakuya followed her as he watched a look of nostalgia cross her face.
"Your study still looks the same…" Sakuya gave a small genuine smile as she continued walking.
When she reached the front doors of Byakuya's bedroom, her hand hovered shakily on the handle and after a slight hesitation, she asked, "I can go inside, right?"
"Yes." Byakuya replied.
She opened the doors after his permission and stepped inside. Byakuya watched her as she silently walked around the room and finally stopped in front of the grand piano.
"You still have my photo." Sakuya's voice cracked as tears started forming in her eyes.
Byakuya remained silent as he approached her.
"Did you miss me while I was gone, Byakuya?" Sakuya asked tearfully, looking up at him with her watery eyes.
"Yes." Byakuya answered honestly.
At his answer, Sakuya burst into noisy tears as she wrapped her arms around Byakuya, "I miss you so much too. To the point that I thought that I was going to go crazy, Byakuya. I've dreamed about this day for years. Every single day, my dream was to see you again!"
Byakuya's hands came up to Sakuya's shoulders and gently pushed her back so he could talk to her.
"Where did you go?" He asked. "What happened in these six years?"
Sakuya's lips trembled and then took a few steps away from Byakuya as she whispered, "I don't want to talk about it, okay? Please, j-just drop it..."
Byakuya persisted, "If you dreamed about seeing me again every single day for six years, why did you not come and see me? Did you really leave me because you decided that marrying me was a bad idea?"
Sakuya looked up, shocked, "Of course not! Why would you say that?"
Byakuya stared at her, "I never believed that theory too but it was better than believing that you were dead somewhere!"
"You really thought that I would regret marrying you so I left?" Sakuya asked.
"How could I not?" Byakuya's voice rose. "There were so many rumours and I have no leads about you! For six years. I've never stopped looking for you and you just disappeared for no reason!"
Sakuya fell silent as she watched the anguish on Byakuya's face.
"I'm so sorry..." She said softly.
"Tell me what happened." Byakuya said, this time in a gentler tone. "Where did you go and if you did not regret your decision to marry me, why did you disappear?"
"Stop forcing me to tell you!" Sakuya shouted angrily. "Why does it matter?! I'm here now, aren't I? If you love me, then please, drop this, Byakuya!"
"How can this not matter?" Byakuya retorted furiously. "You disappeared for six years and I spent the entire time searching for you! Why are you even back now? You can't just disappear and return and not expect me to have any questions!"
Sakuya stared at Byakuya, upset, "You never once raised your voice at me. You've changed..."
Byakuya stared at her, "Do you expect me not to change after six years? Do you expect everything to stay the same? If the reason you left me years ago was because you had second thoughts, at least tell me so I wouldn't have spent the last six years searching for you!"
"I've told you! It wasn't like this!" Sakuya cried out. "How could I leave you when I love you so much?! It's the thought of seeing you again that kept me sane all these years! For six years, Byakuya, I've been locked in a small room for six years!"
Byakuya's eyes widened in shock as he watched the girl in front of him crumple to the floor as she sobbed.
"And you thought that I had second thoughts about marrying you? How could you say that?" Sakuya cried.
Guilt overcame Byakuya as he wrapped the crying girl in his arms, "I'm sorry. I did not know it was like this..."
She clung onto Byakuya and cried as Byakuya's mind was whirring from all the questions he was dying to ask.
When Sakuya had finally calmed down, Byakuya led her to sit on the couch. He was about to leave to get some tea for her but Sakuya's hold on his hand tightened.
"Don't leave me." She whispered painfully. "Just stay here with me. I'm afraid that this is going to be a dream when I wake up."
Nodding, Byakuya sat down beside her and asked softly, "Can you tell me what happened now?"
Taking a deep breath, Sakuya said, "Remember that day I was bringing the ring to the jeweller's to get the size fixed?"
Byakuya nodded and she continued, "I didn't make it to the jewellery shop. On my way there, I was grabbed and before I knew what was happening, I was gagged and blindfolded and was taken away in a car."
Byakuya stiffened immediately and asked, "Who did this to you? Was it because of me? Where did they bring you?"
"They brought me out of Tokyo since we travelled for hours and when I arrived, it was already dark. They took off my blindfold and brought me to this small house right in the middle of the forest and held me in one of the rooms. I've never stepped out of that room since. And no, I have no idea who did this to me... The room had no windows and the door was always locked. Food was delivered to me through this small flap on the door. The men that brought me there were taking orders from someone and the only times their leader talked to me was through the door. I couldn't see him at all." Sakuya said.
"Did he tell you the reason for kidnapping you?" Byakuya asked.
Sakuya nodded, "He told me I was to be used as leverage."
"Against me." Byakuya murmured.
"Yes." Sakuya nodded.
"But no one has ever come forward to demand any ransom." Byakuya replied.
"I don't know. He was alway saying that I was to stay there until something big comes along and I'll be of use to him..." Sakuya said shakily. "He never comes around much anyway and I was often left alone in that room."
Byakuya looked at Sakuya painfully, hating himself for putting her through all these for the past six years.
"Did they hurt you in any way?" Byakuya asked.
"Physically, no. Emotionally? All the time." Sakuya replied, as she wiped her tears away furiously.
"What did they say or do?"
"The man... Their leader. Whenever he comes around, he would tell me things. Things about you. He was always saying how insignificant I must be to you as you didn't take my disappearance seriously and went about with your business."
"That was a lie." Byakuya said angrily.
"That was what I told him too... But after months and even a year or two later, I believed him. He said that you had given up on searching for me and that was the reason I was still cooped in that room." Sakuya continued. "For six years, he was the only person that talked to me. His men weren't allowed to and their job was only to guard me, deliver my meals and laundry. That man came every month to check on me without fail and to feed me information about you. Sometimes if he was in a good mood, he would bring me newspaper clippings of you. Those news weren't even anything much, usually it's news about how you have acquired a company or your collaboration with some company but to me, they're everything. At least I can see your face and that you're doing well..."
"I'm sorry." Byakuya said again, his voice filled with remorse.
"Don't be... I know how upset you must have been when I disappeared. I know how much you love me." Sakuya said.
Byakuya froze when he realize that she was using the present tense: love.
Sakuya continued, "The man came monthly for five years. And then for the past year, he stopped coming completely. His guards still delivered my meals but this man just stopped coming by. I was curious but no matter how many times I shouted to the guards through the door, they never answered me. I almost went crazy. I hate the man who kept me there but his monthly visits was also something that keep me sane. With no one to talk to, it can really drive someone to insanity. I almost went crazy when his visits stopped. But I tried to be positive and think about you. I imagined how our life would be if I haven't been kidnapped. Would we already have kids? But these are just dreams and when I came back to reality, I always felt ten times worse because it just made me feel lonelier..."
"How did you escape? Or did he release you?"
"A week ago, his men blindfolded me and brought me out of the house. I thought that this must be the day that I was going to be used as leverge against you. They put me in a car and drove for a few hours until they stopped and pushed me out. I heard them drove off and for a long moment I just stood there and since they didn't tie me up, I removed my blindfold and realised that they have just simply dumped me on the side of an expressway. There were no buildings around and very little cars drove past. It was almost an hour later when I managed to stop a car and the woman gave me a lift to Tokyo."
"You were released a week ago? Why did you not come straight to me?" Byakuya asked.
"I was scared. I didn't know if I should even look for you. The man kept saying how you never missed me when I was gone and how you never came looking for me. Over the years, I believed him to a certain extent." Sakuya replied dejectedly.
"So what have you been doing for the past week?"
"I re-activated my bank account and stayed in a motel. It felt strange for me to be out and I was afraid that the man might come after me again so I just stayed inside my room everyday. I hated the feeling of being in a small room again but I was even more afraid of going back there." Sakuya choked out.
Byakuya's gaze travelled down to Sakuya's leg and forced himself to say, "I noticed you were limping earlier. Did something happen to you?"
Sakuya's hand that was resting on her lap froze immediately, "I-It's nothing..."
"What is it?" Byakuya asked.
Sakuya looked away, "I don't want to talk about it."
Putting his hand on top of hers, Byakuya said gently, "Tell me so I can help you."
Sakuya swallowed thickly and then said, "There was one time when one of the guards opened my door to clean up the room and I ran. It was a few months after my capture. I managed to run out of the house but then two more guards arrived and dragged me back to the room. They reported the incident to their leader and he instructed them to punish me."
"Punish?" Byakuya curled his fingers into a fist in anger.
"They said that to prevent me from running away again. They'd have to break one of my legs." She whispered.
Byakuya looked away and swore softly under his breath. How could they do this to her?
"I begged them and promised them I'll never do it again but they took turns and hit my leg with a bat. I cried for them to stop but they didn't listen. Their leader had given them an order and they followed."
"I'm so sorry." Byakuya whispered.
Sakuya looked down and sniffled, "That was the worst pain I've ever felt in my entire life. I even blacked out and when I came to, they were already gone. They never even sent for a doctor when I begged them to. Over the years, it had been recovering but I don't think the limp will ever go away... And, I don't think I can dance ever again."
Byakuya could see the turmoil in her eyes. He knew that ballet was everything to Sakuya. She had been doing ballet since she was seven years old and now that she couldn't even walk normally anymore, Byakuya could see why she almost went crazy while being locked up.
Byakuya stood up and with a determined look, he said, "I will find out who did this to you and make him pay."
Sakuya stood up and grabbed his arm, "Don't. I don't want you to look for this man, Byakuya. I don't want us to live like this anymore. Byakuya, let's go somewhere far away and leave everything in Japan behind. Please, I'm finally back with you. I don't want you to pursue this man. I don't want to risk losing you again!"
"Don't you even want to find out who did this to you?" Byakuya asked. "Don't you want him to suffer for what he had done to you?"
Sakuya shook her head, "No, all I want is to live a peaceful life with you from now on. And for us to do that, you can't look for him! Please Byakuya, we can be happy somewhere else. Let's start afresh. We can go to Canada or Paris... Let's just get out of Asia. Let's go to somewhere where we can put all of this behind."
"What do you mean?" Byakuya stared at her.
"I know I have no right to ask you to do this..." Sakuya said softly. "But can you give up everything you have here? Your position, your status and your businesses... Start afresh with me."
"Sakuya, can we talk about this another time?" Byakuya asked. "You should rest and let me think things through."
Sakuya's gaze dropped in disappointment as she muttered, "You wouldn't give up everything for me, isn't it? I'm sorry I asked that. I just thought that... nevermind."
"I owe you a lot and I know there is nothing I can do or say to make things better for you. Because of me, you were kidnapped for six years and you even lost the one thing you cared about the most in your life." Byakuya said.
"Two." Sakuya said softly.
"What?"
"I lost two things that I care about the most in my life..." Sakuya replied.
Byakuya's gaze drifted to her leg and then he looked up at her. He knew one of the things was her love for dancing. But the other one? He wasn't sure.
"You. I've lost you." Sakuya replied.
Byakuya stared at her, "I am still here."
"I know," Sakuya said sadly. "But you're different now. The past Byakuya would have dropped everything and leave to start afresh with me... But I could see your reluctance earlier."
Guilt consumed Byakuya as he remained silent. Sakuya was right and he couldn't find any reason to defend himself. If this was happening six years ago, Byakuya would have went with Sakuya's wishes and leave everything in Japan behind for her. But now, things were different. Now, there was Rukia...
"Let's talk about this another time, alright?" Byakuya said.
"Byakuya... Who is that girl?" Sakuya asked curiously. "The girl you were with before I interrupted."
Byakuya tensed and he slowly replied, "Her name is Hitoshi Rukia."
"And she is your...?" Sakuya asked worriedly.
Byakuya cleared his throat and then said, "Friend."
Relief flooded Sakuya's face immediately and Byakuya relaxed a little. He didn't mean to hide the truth from Sakuya but with everything that she had just gone through how would she deal with the fact that he had moved on to some other girl? She had lost six years of her life, one of her legs and the only thing that kept her alive was the thought of reuniting with him again. What in the world would happen if he were to tell her the truth about Rukia? He would tell her he truth but now is not the time.
"Byakuya," Sakuya said softly. "I'm scared that the man may come for me again..."
"I won't let anyone hurt you again." Byakuya promised. "I will get my men to protect you at all times. You will be safe now, I promise."
Sakuya let out a soft smile and embraced Byakuya, "I'm so glad to be back. I've missed you."
It was close to midnight and Rukia sat on the couch as she chewed on her nail anxiously. It had been hours since she had left Byakuya and he hasn't called or dropped by. He said he would call so why hasn't he?
What had happened to Sakuya? Why was she back and where had she disappeared to? And what happens now that she's back? She clearly still have feelings for Byakuya... And what about Byakuya? Does he still love Sakuya? Byakuya only moved on because he believed Sakuya was gone for good, right? So if that is the case, does that mean that she, Rukia, was out of the picture?
Rukia had unknowingly skipped dinner as she was too absorbed in her thoughts. There were a few times Rukia had picked up the phone, wanting to call Byakuya but stopped herself in time. She didn't want to sound like a needy girlfriend and besides, she was sure that Byakuya and Sakuya had a lot of catching up to do. It was when a sudden ring startled her and she grabbed her phone immediately.
Staring at the screen, disappoinment filled her as she realised it was Soi Fon Taichou who was calling. Not Byakuya.
"Taichou, what's up?" Rukia answered.
"Rukia, I'm sorry to be calling at this hour but I thought I should let you know that the apartment you're staying in now will be taken back by the police force. As you're no longer one of us, the force can't have you staying there so you will need to move out soon." Soi Fon said.
"Okay, I understand." Rukia replied.
"They need you to move out by tomorrow. Will that be okay? Will you be able to find a place in such short notice?" Soi Fon asked.
"Well, I can move back to Ichigo's place..." Rukia said.
"You can't." Soi Fon said immediately. "Rukia, you can't go back and live with the Kurosakis' now that you have decided to be with Kuchiki. What if he checks up on the Kurosakis' and finds out that Ichigo is a cop?"
"Right, of course. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. I j-just have a lot on my mind right now." Rukia replied.
"Rukia, now that you have decided to be with him, you shouldn't hang out with Ichigo and the gang so much anymore. If Kuchiki decides to check on them, it would be very easy for him to find out their identities since Ichigo, Shuuhei and Kira are not working undercover. It's for your own safety."
"You're right... Sorry, I just..."
"Is everything okay?" Soi Fon asked.
"I'm fine." Rukia replied and forced a laugh. "I'm just really tired, that's all. Don't worry, Taichou, I'll be able to find a place to live."
"Okay. Besides, I'm sure Kuchiki will be glad to take you in, woudn't he?"
"Y-Yeah... of course." Rukia replied.
"Alright. Take care of yourself, Rukia and... if you really need help. You know you can always call me." Soi Fon said.
"Thank you." Rukia replied.
Once Rukia had hung up, she forced herself to start packing everything into her luggage. She didn't know where she could go now that she couldn't return to the Kurosaki residence.
And about staying with Byakuya... She wasn't even sure if it was possible since Sakuya was back now.
It was a few hours later at three in the morning that Rukia found herself all exhausted from the packing. She didn't have much to pack and packing only took an hour but she proceeded to clean and mop the entire apartment, forcing herself to do something instead of thinking about what Byakuya and Sakuya were doing.
She had worn herself out successfully and after coming out from the shower and deciding to head to bed, her doorbell rang. Surprised, she dragged herself to the door and opened it, to find Byakuya standing right in front of her.
"I t-thought you said you would call. Why are you here?" Rukia stared at him as he entered the apartment.
"I thought it would be better to talk to you face to face." Byakuya replied tiredly.
Rukia clasped her hands together nervously in silence. She wanted very much to hold him and ask him if Sakuya's return meant that anything had changed between them but trying to be reasonable and level-headed, she stopped herself.
"I'm sorry, I should have called earlier but so much had happened to Sakuya and-
"You don't have to apologise." Rukia said immediately and stepped forward to him. "Is everything okay? What happened to her?"
Byakuya sat down on the couch, his eyes angry with remorse as he said, "Sakuya was kidnapped because of me. Her captor wanted to use her as leverage against me. He held her for six years and broke one of her legs when she tried to escape..."
Rukia gasped in shock as she sank down on the couch next to Byakuya.
"For some reason, her captor had decided to release her a week ago. And I have no idea who that man is. Sakuya does not know his identity too." Byakuya said. "It was my fault, Rukia. Because of me, she had to suffer every single day for six years."
Rukia felt her heart clench as she watched the usually stoic man beside her. She could see the guilt and regret on his face as he talked.
"I'm so sorry..." Rukia whispered as she pulled Byakuya into her arms.
She stroked his back comfortingly and he stayed in her embrace for a long while.
"Why don't you come to bed?" Rukia asked when he finally pulled away from her. "You look exhausted. Let's sleep and see how we can help Sakuya when we wake up, okay?"
Byakuya looked at his watch and then said regretfully, "I am afraid I have to leave."
"What? But you just got here." Rukia's eyes widened.
Byakuya stood up and Rukia got up as well.
"Can't you stay a little longer?" Rukia asked, her voice sounding a little needy to her dismay.
Byakuya bent down and kissed her softly on the lips but before Rukia could fully enjoy the warmth of his lips on hers, he straightened up and said, "I have to leave before Sakuya wakes up. She would panic if she realises I am gone."
Rukia stared at Byakuya, "S-Sakuya's staying with you?"
"She does not have anywhere else to go. And she cannot possibly keep living in a motel. Besides, she is afraid that her captor will come back for her. She would be the safest living in my mansion." Byakuya replied.
Rukia's heart fell. She didn't want Sakuya to be living with Byakuya but after what Sakuya had went through, she couldn't possibly ask Byakuya to drive her away.
Byakuya seemed to have noticed the look on Rukia's face and said, "I promise I will help her find some place else to live once she starts getting better."
"Okay." Rukia said softly.
After Byakuya had left, Rukia sank down onto the floor as she thought about what Byakuya had told her. Sakuya disappeared because she was kidnapped, not because she didn't love Byakuya anymore. And it was because of Byakuya that she was kidnapped.
Rukia knew how deep Byakuya's love was for Sakuya. She knew Byakuya love her too but everything was different now. If Sakuya had disappeared because of some personal selfish reason, Rukia wouldn't have been worried of her return. But Sakuya was actually kidnapped and went through so much for Byakuya... How can she compete with that?
Drawing her knees to her head, Rukia started sobbing.
Rukia furrowed her eyebrows in concentration as she stared at the computer screen in front of her. Her luggage were by her side as she scrolled through the list of apartments for rent. Nothing was suitable. Either they were too expensive or too worn out to actually live in.
Rukia sighed as she leaned back against the chair and looked around the computer cafe. She had been browsing through different sites for two hours and nothing decent had come up. If she couldn't find anything soon, she would really have to live in a motel. And it wouldn't work in the long run. She's jobless now and staying long term in a motel would be really expensive.
She couldn't even talk to Byakuya about this now that he had to deal with Sakuya and Rukia wasn't even sure if she would like to live under the same roof as Sakuya if Byakuya had offered her his place. It just seemed so complicated. And right now, Rukia didn't want to think about the whole situation since it was out of her control anyway.
"Rukia?" Someone called out.
Rukia looked up and her eyes looked around until she saw a girl walking towards her.
"Miyo!" Rukia called out happily and stood up.
"I haven't seen you in so long." Miyo replied. "The last time was at Kuchiki Byakuya's party!"
Rukia smiled, "Yeah, that was quite a while back. Sorry, I had been really busy."
Miyo's gaze travelled to Rukia's luggage and she asked, "Are you going on a trip?"
Rukia laughed, "No. I had to leave my rented apartment today so I'm actually looking for a place to live."
Miyo's eyes brightened up instantly, "Really? Why don't you come live with me?"
Rukia's eyes widened, "You have a spare room available?"
Nodding, Miyo replied happily, "Yes! My friend had just moved out as she's going to live with her sister so I have a spare room if you're keen. The room's kind of small but it's neat and cozy. Although it's quite a walk to the main street and train station, the rent is cheap."
"I'll take it!" Rukia said immediately.
She was out of a job and cheap sounded really good to her right now. She had accumulated quite a bit of savings from her previous jobs and what her parents had left her but it was still better to be frugal as the future of her career was still looking bleak.
"Great! Do you want to come over right now? I'm heading home." Miyo grinned.
Rukia agreed and after paying for her time at the computer cafe, she grabbed her luggage and headed to Miyo's apartment.
After spending the entire afternoon settling in her new room, Rukia finally had the time to check her phone but to her dismay, there had been no calls or texts from Byakuya. She fiddled with her phone for a moment and then finally gave up and lay down on her bed. She was feeling extremely tired from the lack of sleep recently and soon, Rukia drifted off into a fitful sleep.
"Oto-san, Oka-san! I'm home!" Rukia shouted once she opened the door and dropped her bag to the floor.
"How was the sleepover, Rukia?" Her father came out from the kitchen as he beamed at his daughter.
"It was fun!" The seven year old girl replied. "We had ice cream for dinner and talked alot!"
Rukia's mother poked her head out of the kitchen and asked, "What did you girls talk about? Boys?"
Rukia wrinkled her nose, "Boys?! Of course not! Ew!"
Rukia's father laughed, "Our Rukia will soon be talking about boys in a few years and before we know it, she'd be bringing home a guy for us to meet!"
"Oto-san!" Rukia whined. "Why are you saying these? I'm still young and have no interest in boys!"
Rukia's father grinned, "Alright, alright... I'll stop teasing you. But promise us, Rukia, when you meet the man of your dreams, you have to bring him home and show us, alright?"
"But I want to live here forever with Oto-san and Oka-san." Rukia replied.
Rukia's father laughed, "I want that too but there's something I want more. I want you to find a man who is able to protect you and love you no matter what happens."
Rukia tilted her head, confused, "But Oto-san has been doing a good job."
"I know... But I won't be around forever, Rukia. Just promise me that when you meet this man, bring him home so Oto-san can take a look at him. You'll need Oto-san's approval!"
Rukia's frown deepened as she slept and continued dreaming.
"Oto-san, Oka-san! I'm home!" Rukia shouted once she opened the door and dropped her bag to the floor.
"How was work, Rukia?" Her father came out from the kitchen as he beamed at his daughter.
"It was good!" The adult Rukia replied. "We managed to close a case and Soi Fon Taichou was so pleased!"
Rukia's mother, poked her head out of the kitchen and asked, "Rukia, who is that man behind you?"
Shyly, Rukia stepped aside to allow a handsome man into the house.
"This is Kuchiki Byakuya." Rukia smiled.
Both Rukia's parents stared at the man before them and Rukia continued, "I found him, Oto-san. I found the man who is able to protect me and love me just like you."
Rukia's father's face paled instantly, "Rukia, why are you doing this?"
Rukia's mother let out a bloodcurdling scream as she sank down on to the floor and started sobbing.
"Oka-san!" Rukia shouted as she rushed forward to her mother. "What happened?"
Her mother was crumpled to the floor and blood was gushing out from her stomach all of a sudden.
"Oka-san!" Rukia screamed as she held on to her mother who was now unconcious.
"Byakuya, help me! Call an ambulance!" Rukia shouted.
But when Rukia turned around, Byakuya was merely standing by the door, his face impassive.
"Byakuya! Call an ambulance!" Rukia screamed again.
Again, Byakuya made no motion to reach for his phone. He merely stared back at her.
Frantic, she turned to her father who was now staring at her, betrayal in his eyes, "Get him out of this house, Rukia."
"Oto-san, oka-san needs to go to the hospital! Call an ambulance!" Rukia shouted.
"Get him out of this house, Rukia! Now!" Her father bellowed.
"We have to save Oka-san first!" Rukia pleaded.
Her father shook his head, "What's the point, Rukia? Your mother is already dead..."
"What?" Rukia glanced down at her mother's lifeless form in her arms.
"The man you just brought him killed her."
"Byakuya? B-But..." Rukia stared at her father and then back at Byakuya helplessly.
"You disappoint me, Rukia..." Her father mumbled sadly. "Why would you want to be with a cold blooded murderer?"
"Byakuya is not-
"His grandfather killed us, Rukia."
Rukia stared at her father's fading form, "Oto-san, you don't understand, Byakuya's different from his grandfather!"
Her father wasn't even there anymore and Rukia turned to see that her mother had disappeared as well. The house was empty except for all the blood around and Byakuya still standing by the door.
"Byakuya..." Rukia choked out as a tear slipped down her eye.
"No need to cry, Rukia." Byakuya's cold voice answered. "Your parents deserved to die as they have decided to interfere with the Kuchiki organization. This is the fate your father had chosen for his family."
"What?" Rukia stared at him in shock.
"Come, Rukia, we should go. Do not make me repeat myself again. There is no need for these useless tears." Byakuya said, his voice devoid of any emotion.
Rukia's eyes snapped open as her face was mixed with her sweat and tears. She panted heavily as she sat up in bed when she realised it was a dream. The first dream was an old memory that actually took place a month before her parents' tragedy.
And the second dream was not something Rukia expected. Will her parents rest in peace knowing that she had fallen in love with Kuchiki Byakuya? The grandson of the man who had murdered them?
She missed her parents so much and the dream just made Rukia realize how guilty she felt towards her parents. She had let them down. What happened to the Rukia who was so strong and bent on finding her parents' murderer?
Rukia turned and stared at the mirror in the room. The girl looking back looked pale and pathetic. Has being with Byakuya turned her into someone like this?
The Byakuya in her dream was unlike the Byakuya she knew but for a second, Rukia wondered if Byakuya could turn to be just as ruthless as his grandfather. Or perhaps Byakuya already was, just that Rukia hadn't had a chance to see it?
Grabbing her pillow, Rukia cried into it as she tried to muffle her sobbing as much as possible. She hated herself for throwing her principles away to be with Byakuya. She hated how she had tried to convince herself that letting go of her parents' murder was the best choice.
It was an hour later when the sun had completely set, leaving Rukia in the darkness of her room when her phone started ringing.
Feeling like a zombie, she answered without looking at the screen.
"Hello?" She mumbled tiredly.
"Rukia." came Byakuya's voice from the other end of the line.
Rukia snapped up to attention as she felt the familiar ache in her chest at the sound of his voice.
"Rukia, I want to see you." Byakuya said.
Rukia took a deep breath. She craved to see him and talk to him but now that the wounds of her parents' murder had re-opened, she had decided to stay away from Byakuya in the meantime. Besides, he had Sakuya to deal with right now. Although she do need to take some of her belongings from Byakuya's mansion just in case she decided to stop seeing him for a long time.
The thought of not seeing Byakuya for a long time pained her but she decided she need to be strong. Even if there was no way she could avenge her parents, there was no way she could be with Byakuya.
"I'll come over now." Rukia said.
After hanging up, Rukia took a shower and dragged herself out of the apartment.
A/N: Thank you for taking the time to comment on the previous chapter! It was really nice to hear your thoughts and I really appreciate it! Do keep the comments coming as I'm always looking forward to them and they do spur me on to write faster.
As usual, let me know what are your thoughts about Sakuya's return. Do you feel sorry for her at all? Haha.