Every motion confirmed what his pesquisa suggested. Rukia had grown subtly stronger. A most curious development for he had recognized with his own eyes her limitations...was it perhaps determination that strengthened her hand? Her sword?
Giving her the power to move and counter a seated Shinigami high above her?
Whatever the case was, Ulquiorra reassessed her skill level higher than he had previously set it as. Rukia was proving thus far to be a specimen of a specific kind. A rare being that peaked his interest from the beginning - to this moment, she had not failed his expectations. He had no desire to see her blood spilt needlessly however and Ichimaru's gain of ground was becoming disconcerting.
One hand slipped from his pocket.
The Shinigami Taichou teased her now, feeding her lines that made her body react, her power flare in icy waves as she dealt one last blow.
"Shirafune."
Aizen caught his eye and subtly shook his head in the negative. Ulquiorra paused, hesitating for a brief second as a fifth being intruded. Reiatsu masked perfectly by the Gigai, he could almost admire the craft of Szayelaporro had the scientist not been so ..fruity. Distastefully so. Ulquiorra chose to disregard his thought line as trivial and fixate a subtle glower in the Primera's wake.
Stark did what Aizen forbade, catch her as she fell.
He knew he should not have felt anything - least of all a disquieting burning sensation in the pit of his being. Like with everything he observed, he isolated it aside from any other sensations such as sight-taste-touch-hearing...probing that other thing, cautiously.
There was no logical explanation for it.
...
Rukia felt almost outside herself, watching the body of the man that had tormented her in the past vanish. Aizen had looked none the least sorrowed at his cohort's death and politely – if that could even be countenanced with his actions, perhaps kindly, asked if her injuries bothered her?
She knew very well that they did and were in fact stained with Ichimaru's reiatsu, she could feel it herself in the bloody gashes that made it hurt to move let alone breathe. "I'm fine, thank you." She replied coldly, averting her face to hide the fact that she bitten down on her lip. Once the majority of the danger had passed, the adrenaline that had kept the pain at bay receded leaving her in a whole lot of pain. She supposed too from the damp quality of her shihakusho, it was a mixture of blood and melting ice as well that contributed to her general discomfort.
To her surprise, Ulquiorra spoke. The slight hint of a command in his tone irritating her.
"No, you must receive medical attention, preferably not by the Shinigami. The wounds are too obvious in that they weren't dealt by a Hollow."
Who did he think he was, bossing her around?
Aizen observed him with an inscrutable expression. "Hm, I agree. Perhaps it would be best if Szayelaporro took care of Kuchiki-san for now."
Stark glanced at her and yawned, "shall I accompany her, Aizen-sama?"
Rukia caught a fleeting glare sent to the chestnut-haired Shini- Arrancar by emerald eyes. Intercepting a reply from the Fifth company Taichou, Ulquiorra coolly replied, "that will not be necessary." Stark shrugged, eyeing the waves of animosity- or was it her imagination? Ulquiorra finally broke stares and turned to her, motioning for her to follow. She glanced at Aizen whom nodded, wearing a vaguely amused look. She wasn't sure what he found so amusing about the situation. Forcing herself to walk steady, she approached him and watched as he ran his fingertips along the atmosphere like she remembered.
It took all her strength to keep on walking steady to pass through ahead of him. She was damned if she was going to let him walk ahead and her behind! "I will bring her back within the hour," he informed Aizen before the portal sealed shut. She had moved on ahead and missed the response he received for Ulquiorra soon replied quieter.
"I understand."
Understand what? As infuriating as it was when he wasn't the most talkative male around – even Stark talked more when he wasn't sleeping his lazy ass off—Rukia stopped her mental tirade, pausing in the middle of the reishii path she'd created. Had she just compared Stark to Ulquiorra? As ridiculous as it was, they had very little in common. She let out a tiny huff, irritated that she had wasted even a thought about the male species as a whole.
His voice came from behind her.
"Why have you stopped?"
"No reason!" she snapped, stalking forward for emphasis, only to almost trip over her own feet. His quiet sigh caused an irritating flush to creep up, one she averted her face to the ground to hide.
"Do you require assistance?"
"No!" and forcibly trudged on. It wasn't good for her pride to keep blushing like that and even less for a few minutes later to almost trip again. This time it was her lack of focus that had warped the path and made it uneven. With a faint cry of annoyance, her sandal caught and she nearly went down save for the sudden pull on the back of her sash.
"Do not deny when you require assistance, Rukia." He said quietly, without a sweat fixing the path ahead with his own strength. She watched the remainder thicken and solidify with envy. He had done a much better job than her. To disguise it, she sniffed, "put me down."
"No." Ulquiorra said flatly, brooking no argument.
She recognized his tone but still struggled with the way she was carried at his side by the sash of her hakama. "Put me down, you idiot! It's gonna tear! You—" she promptly shut up once her body was gracefully and swiftly lifted up and pressed against a slender torso. Her glower was reserved for the white expanse beneath her hands.
The only thing lacking was the beat of his heart.
"Were you…worried about me?" Though it went against her coda as a warrior to wish for the concern of another, she was curious as to what his reply would be.
"No. It was only logical to let you fight your own fight when I was positive you could handle it."
"Oh." Then as the atmosphere in the tunnel began to lighten, meaning it was near its end, she dared to lean against his shoulder, nestling her head in the crook of his neck. It was slightly uncomfortable given the long sheet of bone helmet pressing against her forehead, but Rukia chose to ignore it for the sake of his nearness.
There were so many unanswered questions, her own state of loyalty on the line as she wondered what sort of deal she had made...was Aizen-Taichou a traitor to Soul Society? Why was he allied with - seemingly commanding Ulquiorra and Stark - and Stark...was he really an Arrancar?
She sensed the darkness petering out, giving way to a lighter shade of grey. Ulquiorra's step echoed quietly against stone; her head lifted to find the dimensional portal sealing shut behind them, leaving them in a vast white hallway.
"Where...where are we?" Though instinctively she wasn't afraid, the place itself bore no recollection of any kind in her memory, even more than that, she could sense quite a few high level reiatsus spread out in their vicinity. Ulquiorra calmly turned and begun striding up the corridor, replying, "Las Noches. The Octava's palace is not far."
Rukia found that brought up more questions that she was sure he would find either annoying or impertinent. As accomplice...now, to whatever Aizen-Taichou had planned, she figured she'd know everything sooner or later - though it annoyed her greatly to proceed in the proverbial dark. His voice once again intruded upon her thought process.
"Refrain from sleep."
She made a childish face at the order, muttering tersely, "hai, Taichou." She could tell he didn't get it, chuckling under her breath in amusement. "It's an expression, Ulquiorra."
At length they proceeded up the corridor, his sigh soft yet echoing still in the vastness of the space. "I'll never understand you, Shinigami."
That just made her smile.
...
The approaching reiatsu did nothing to soothe Szayel's nerves. He could only wonder if this conundrum he and his brilliant brain were in, was a result of immediately letting Aizen-sama know of the Cuatro's unscheduled excursion.
Ulquiorra was going to be very pissed off. Szayel went as far as to putter about his lab restlessly, making half a will of sorts before deeming it inappropriate seeing as he was an evolved Hollow. The quiet echo of footsteps - closer, made him jerk his head up in surprise, plastering a fake clinical smile on his face as if he hadn't been just considering bolting Las Noches.
"Why hello there, Ulquiorra. What can I-" he blinked owlishly. At the sound of his voice, a black-clad bundle had shifted in Ulquiorra's thin arms, struggling to turn about and present a small blood-streaked face to him. This time he couldn't suppress his smile of manic glee.
"Ah, yes! You must be Kuchiki-san?"
The Cuatro impassively watched him, adding as he strode to the nearest examination table to deposit the girl, "she is not for..experimentation."
Szayel's smile froze, his twitching hands stopped itching to take up the nearest scalpel to begin dissection. "Ah...no. Of course not." He relaxed some as his imminent doom seemed to have not been approaching on silent wings. "She seems to be...wounded?"
Ulquiorra's back was to him, the tails ends of the white jacket swishing as he turned. "Yes." The Cuatro assented, stepping back to present the girl seated at the edge of the table. It was clear from her pinched expression the amount of pain she was in. Szayel went forward, passing a cursory eye over her external injuries. After a long moment, he glanced to the silent Espada, curiosity in his tone. "Ichimaru's reiatsu?" Through his pesquisa, he could sense the lingering remnants of it lacing her wounds along with the materializations of ice that had stopped most of the massive bleeding.
Ulquiorra assented once more - without words. Yet before he could enunciate further, the girl spoke up, not a trace of pride in her tone. "Ichimaru is dead..I killed him."
Szayel's thin pink brows flew up high to his hairline, his mouth relaxing softly into a smile. "Really now?"
Her violet eyes sent him a challenging stare.
He shrugged and snapped his fingers, yelling over his shoulder. "Lumina! Verona! Get in here!" Familiar squeaks then shuffling sounds came from the interconnecting archway leading to a deeper part of his palace; satisfied, he turned back to her, withdrawing a pair of latex gloves from a pocket. "Don't worry, Kuchiki-san. We'll get you fixed up in no time..."
...
Within a surprisingly short space of time, the pain had receded, leaving only sore muscles and caked on blood staining her uniform. Rukia grimaced at that but guessed it would serve everyone's purpose for her to appear as if she had - fought Hollows. Bearing that in mind, she glanced at Ulquiorra's back - to her request, which the pink nutjob had snickered at, Ulquiorra had politely turned away when she had been forced to undress.
"All done." Szayelaporro chirruped a little too gleefully for her taste. Rukia glowered, tugging her kimono back into proper alignment. "You can turn around, Ulquiorra." she called, still glaring at the scientist when he moved away to dispose of the styptic supplies. She was unsure of why something fluttered in her stomach though she had not eaten anything since a light meal in the morning which was hours before, nor why she suddenly felt hesitant under the weight of his intense gaze.
None of it suited her, that she refused on. Meeting his emerald eyes wishing she could read the thoughts passing through his head at any given moment. Somehow neither of them noticed Szayel's approach. Dimly she was aware the scientist was asking if there was anything else needed?
She tried to form a coherent sentence, reluctantly dragging her eyes from the Arrancar's. "No, I-I'm fine, thank you."
Szayelaporro just nodded absently and rocked on his heels. She half-expected him to start twirling around - to complete the picture. Contrary to her expectations, he didn't, rather Ulquiorra drew closer into her line of sight. "You are fully healed?"
"Yes."
"Of course she is!" Szayelaporro preened, "what do you take me for? A half-baked scientist! No no! On the contrary I am sufficient as well in the healing arts!"
Ulquiorra's gaze slid to the pink-haired Arrancar who immediately paled, seeming to shrink down perceptibly under the withering look. Glad she was not receiving the attention of those eyes, she was still somewhat awed over the fear he was able to inspire in those around him. "You require a wound-"
"Why?" It flew out automatically before she had even thought about it.
He gave her look that made it clear he questioned her intelligence. Annoyed by it, she scowled at him, daring him to come any closer. Ulquiorra regarded her stance silently for a moment - as though he were trying to figure out an intriguing puzzle.
Lips pursing, she gradually relaxed her crossed arms, still attempting to read his thoughts. Szayelaporro hovered off to the side muttering to himself as he scribbled furiously on a pad of paper. She had the oddest notion the scientist was recording their interactions - Ulquiorra disregarded the other and slipped a pale white hand from his left pocket. She watched it approach her tentatively, a strange hesitance in his manner.
When the fingertips reached her, they lightly slid along her chin. Such contact was rare between her and - anyone at all, so much so that she flinched the tiniest bit, catching a flicker of something pass through the opaque green like a shadow. Her throat tightened, she had the vague notion of apologizing - wanting to - yet unable to find the words for something she was unsure of.
"Ulquiorra.." she trailed off, feeling coldness brush against her skin when his fingertips withdrew. Some part of her longed - no, that didn't encompass the sensation she felt, nor describe it in anyway. Floundering adrift in her confusion, she felt more than saw his hand descend lower, hovering at the line of her white collar.
"Surely you're not suggesting-" Szayelaporro inquired loudly from nearby, incredulity dripping from his high-pitched tone.
"This does not concern you, Octava." He spoke coolly, precisely. The graze of his fingertips against the sensitive flesh of her throat burned wherever they touched."This resides only between she and I."
The Arrancar scientist seemed suitably offended at the dismissal, huffing to no one in particular, Szayelaporro turned on his heel and sashayed off. "Hah! I know when I've been insulted!"
That they both chose to ignore.
The tension remained profuse, a sense of expectation heightened the air. Rukia could almost taste it, scent something between them, a change perhaps brought about by her choice. Though she could not whole-heartedly embrace her slaying of Ichimaru Gin, she couldn't feel entire regret...not when it had brought her to this moment.
She wanted to grasp it, feel it tangible in her hands- this unnamable thing - simultaneously afraid to destroy it with her confusion. She had not asked for anything but was only too accepting to have whatever he offered.
"Ulquiorra...?" she prompted with more assurance in her being as a state of its own. She wouldn't flinch from this soulless creature, nor avert her gaze from staring into the void of his eyes. The thought occurred to her to take up his hand and clasp it within the tiny prison of her own, but feared the action was too bold to be undertaken. They had rarely initiated contact with one another, even she could glimpse flickers like light passing through the impenetrable depths of his eyes. Sparks of hesitation, curiosity..heat.
Rukia suppressed the shudder it evoked, aware of the implications of following such a course. At that point she could not say whether she was disappointed when the flicker left her captivated sight, unsure of her own yet evolving wish to follow the twisted path of pleasure it promised. Her lips suddenly dry, her tongue darted out to wet them, in the process drawing a slant of interest from emerald eyes above.
A tint of flush blossomed on her pale cheeks. Feeling its arrival, she tried to break eye contact, cursing her awkwardness, when the lift of his other hand snaked out, capturing her jaw line. A touch lacking subtle gentleness, lead her head back around. Now when she risked a peek to his impassive visage, she glimpsed a newer understanding reflected in his green orbs.
Her heart started pounding faster.
"Ulquiorra.."
He said nothing at first, dipping his raven head lower, severe elegance in very motion as he cupped her face to cease all motion. Rukia's breaths came out shorter, something about his proximity causing her heart to beat wildly like a caged bird in her chest, she felt faint and very much awake at the same time.
Then - then, she could see no more. His bi-colored lips hovered a hairsbreadth away, whispering words meant for only her to hear.
"I alone have the right to wound you from now on."
...
Rukia knew she was the perfect actress.
"Kuchiki-san, you must have been so frightened!"
"Kuchiki-san was so brave!"
On and on it went.
She doled looks of understanding, tremulous smiles, even tiredness to Unohana-Taichou. The motherly healer was the hardest to deceive yet released her - without making her stay the night simply to fuss over the remaining member of the surveyor team. If anyone thought it was a repeat of Thirteenth's misfortune, they thought it best not to speak it in her presence.
For that, Rukia was glad of. Sympathy ran high for them as well as for she. She did not want to be under fastidious care, preferring to be free to wander the streets of Seireitei as the moon rose across an inky cloudless sky.
Her thoughts were her only company for a time, passing through the walled boulevards like a shadow. Rukia kept to the safer areas, avoiding the well-lit bars with the reek of alcohol pouring from them. She stayed in silence, wrapped in darkness...thinking.
Aizen-Taichou had been gone by the time Ulquiorra had returned her bearing a fresh wound to the bloody clearing. Stark had eyed it but said in a monotone the rest of her orders.
She was to send an urgent message by soul pager requesting help -
Rukia had watched Ulquiorra disappear through the portal, somehow emptier with the lack of his presence. She had shored herself up with Stark -until he had been forced to melt away into the forest with the arrival of the first responders, relieved in a strange way that the air had been cleared. He was not a Shinigami - he was the same as Ulquiorra.
How could she be afraid of the lazy jerk?
Reminiscing alone, she basked in the light of the moon, absently reaching a hand up to touch the bandage hidden beneath the collar of her kimono. Unohana-Taichou had given her a strange look when she had asked to not be healed thoroughly. Rukia supposed it was an odd request, thankfully one the woman had said nothing more on.
Searching fingers dug a little further past the fabric, wincing once the gauze patch was discovered. It would scar, of that she was sure. It would be the first mark - tangible - true proof that Ulquiorra was a presence in her life. With those thoughts in mind, she failed to hear someone approach until they came upon her.
"Mah, hello, Rukia-chan!"
The manner of greeting was familiar - as was the chill it evoked. She spun about, her heart in her throat. "G-Gin Ichimaru?" Out from the shadows of the L-shaped section of the road, a familiar fox-face loomed. She started back, hand shooting for her waist only to encounter thin air. Rukia remembered then that she had left Sode no Shirayuki at Thirteenth's barracks. She cursed her foolishness as the apparition leered closer -
"What's a matter, Rukia-chan? Long time no see, eh?"
At that, her brow quirked, her shaking ceased. There was something not quite right about his statement. As she warily shuffled back to let him have clear passage to the road, she mumbled, "yes, it...has. Have a ...goodnight, Ichimaru-Taichou."
The thin figure strolled on by, tossing off a backward wave as he went, a Sake jug tucked beneath one arm. Rukia bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, forcing herself to look after his retreating figure to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her - when she did, her heart skipped a beat at the sight that she saw.
...
A few lights still shone in the windows of Fifth Division. Rukia hastily made her way to the entrance, rapping harder than usual. For a long moment as light footsteps echoed behind the panel she thought about what she had seen and endeavored to gain a semblance of composure before the door slid back to reveal a faintly surprised Hinamori Momo.
"Oh? Kuchiki-san? Is there something I can help you with?"
Rukia dimly wondered staring at the timorous-voiced girl if she knew anything of what Aizen Sosuke was - or was capable of. In the end she forced a smile to her lips. "May I speak to Aizen-Taichou...it's ah something rather confidential."
Hinamori's smile dipped then returned with full pale force, "o-oh, of course!"
Somehow the girl's manner put Rukia on edge. She was just too soft, too innocent looking with large brown eyes like a frightened doe's. Being let into the homey confines of Fifth's outer shell, Rukia felt her teeth grate at Hinamori's sweetness. It was simply too much at odds with the interior she had seen of Aizen Sosuke.
"Ah well, Aizen-taichou is in his office...shall I see if he'll talk to-"
"No!" Rukia said more forcefully than she had meant, retracting with a small shake of her head. "No, he knows I'm coming, see...I..was expected to." It was all of course a lie, a fairly blatant one at that but Hinamori simply beamed and lead the way. "Oh, alright. Follow me."
Rukia's unease only grew with each step closer to the inner door. The slight buzz of Aizen's reiatsu grew steadily stronger until Hinamori rapped timidly, "sir, Kuchiki Rukia-san is here to see you."
The faint sounds of a quill scratching parchment faded into silence. Aizen's quiet baritone followed cheerfully, "show her in."
Hinamori slid the door open, stepping aside to let Rukia pass in. Behind his desk, Aizen sat, a fine brush paused in long fingers. Her gaze unaccountably strayed to his face seeing a kindly bespectacled man before her - not the cruel leader of a Hollow band, watching with amusement as she fought his subordinate. For a moment Rukia felt sick, almost believing it had been a mistake to venture so close to the man - then forcibly stopped herself from backing up. Pasting a smile on her face, she advanced to his desk, her courage a false front.
"We have a few matters to discuss. Sir." She couldn't keep the accusing bite from her tone, sensing poor Hinamori look bewildered from her precious Taichou to the barely veiled animosity radiating from Rukia.
His cool brown eyes lost some of their warmth, meeting -clashing with hers, she refused to back down an inch from her stance. At length he nodded absently, "..yes, we have indeed, Kuchiki-san." An element of tension descended between them, veiled amusement glinted in his gaze, indolent grace followed his dismissive gesture in Hinamori's direction.
"If I recall there was...something that needed to be attended to?"
The girl fidgeted, twisting her hands. "But...wouldn't you like some fresh tea, sir?"
Pity surged anew for the Fukutaichou, the longer Rukia observed Aizen.
"No, thank you, Hinamori-chan. Kuchiki-san won't be staying very long." He said softly, breaking gazes with her, to send a note of finality to the girl standing awkwardly in the doorway.
"Oh..okay." The girl's disappointment was as sharp as knife blade. Eventually the door slid shut gently, plunging the room into deep silence.
Rukia waited until Hinamori's footsteps and reiatsu had quite faded before blurting out, "Ichimaru is dead- isn't he?"
Aizen leaned back in his chair, a smirk playing on the ends of his lips. Her gaze dropped to them - unable to stop herself from the tiny motion. Immediately upon glimpsing his amusement, she thumped her fist down hard on his desk, "what the hell is so funny, Aizen?"
"Nothing, Kuchiki-san." He seemed unperturbed by her act of violence. "Merely that your reactions ...amuse me. You see - yet you do not believe. You are...quite perceptive, I'll give you that much." He watched her pale look through narrowed eyes. "Like...the slight of a hand." Aizen murmured, leaning subtly forward. Rukia blinked as the teasing caress of the bristles from his brush fanned across her lips.
Before her startled eyes, he had halfway risen, leaned across the space between them in the blink of an eye. Instead of the calligraphy brush... his breath a mixture of green tea and something indefinable gusted softly across her mouth.
She started back, raising a hand to wipe at her tingling lips. The image before her blurred - and he was sitting, leaning back like formerly, smiling fully now at her confusion and sudden anger. "You...what the hell...did you do?" she breathed, her body threatening to shake. Feeling her own weakness, Rukia immediately clamped down on it, stilling her motions, her furious gaze resting on his subtle head shake.
"Nothing...Kuchiki-san. Nothing at all."
She felt a simultaneous dismissal as though he had spoken all that he'd had to say on the matter. Still shaken inwardly, Rukia turned on her heel, forsaking any civilities. Aizen's quiet voice came to her at the door.
"Ichimaru was killed by you, Kuchiki-san. If it makes you ...sleep any better."
She had stiffened initially, her hand hovering above the panel to the door.
"With all due respect, Aizen-taichou." She slid it back forcefully. "It doesn't." and left to the sound of his soft chuckle.
...
She slept fitfully that night, dismissing the maids attentiveness at the Kuchiki compound. Distantly she sensed her brother's reiatsu in his private wing - so he was home, she thought, filing it away. Then as she slipped into her inner bedchamber, laughed hollowly at her own self. Home? The Kuchiki mansion was no more home than the air she breathed.
Morning came on the heels of bitten off warmth. Sunshine spilled slants onto the floorboards of her room, doors to the veranda thoughtfully slitted by a maid to allow freshness in. Rukia felt nothing from the light, shivering as she drew her thin covers closer to her chest. As she sat there wondering what had awoken her, she glimpsed a tiny flitter of black hovering at the corner of her eye.
She blinked and rubbed bleariness from her eyes, refocusing to see a jigokucho flitter closer to her face, arcing in black and orange flashes - impatiently. She couldn't quell the unpleasant sensation stirring in the pit of her stomach as she slowly extended her hand to receive the message.
The jigokucho alighted on her outstretched fingertips, relaying its silent message swiftly.
Byakuya requested her presence in his office within the hour.
...
Coldness reigned in the pit of her stomach. Striding swiftly up the halls to Sixth, she passed a few Shinigami who recognized her - none called out greetings, only served a few stares. She held her head high, ordering one to present her to 'Kuchiki-Taichou.'
The Squad member hastened to do so, bowing deeply to the suddenly conversation-less room. Her brother was seated behind his desk, grey eyes never meeting hers, nodded to the officer of his Division, dismissing him. But that wasn't what caught her attention... no. It was her old friend from the Rukongai.
Renji... the ghost of her childhood whispered forlornly. Yet the tall slightly of muscular-build male hardly fit the image of the red-haired scamp in her memory. Rukia swallowed her bitterness as Renji - coolly acknowledged, "Kuchiki-san." shuffled papers in his arms and stepped away from Byakuya's desk, awkwardly.
"I'll be off then, Taichou."
Byakuya said nothing to hold him there and soon Renji's shadow had passed fleetingly near her. Never touching. She bit the inside of her mouth and walked slowly forward.
"You called, nii-sama?"
He offered no seat for her. Rukia was glad at this moment for his lack of meeting her gaze directly on. Instead rather, Byakuya gazed off somewhere over her shoulder. "Yes." He murmured, gravity deepening his tone. "Only for a few questions."
A hint of nervousness gripped her. Did he know something - suspect something - keeping silent, the questions ran in circles in her mind. "About what...may I ask?" she demured, careful in speaking softly, properly to him.
"I presume you described the particular Hollow to the first responders at the scene yesterday evening." He began at length, his voice giving away nothing. She kept her expression precisely blank, hoping she had achieved Ulquiorra's emotionless air well.
"I did." She mimicked his seriousness, pretending she was giving the matter deep thought. "I believe it was expected of me."
Byakuya's gaze flickered, thin lids dropping over grey. Their color was unlike the stormy pewter of someone else's, rather her nii-sama's was a colder, harsher slate, sealing everything within, rendering him unreadable to her. When he next spoke, she realized she'd been staring, comparing his eyes to Stark's. Rukia gave herself a tiny mental shake, refocusing back to the present, keeping her impassive wall intact.
"Yet...it was not released in the official report."
She wondered distantly if Aizen had something to do with it.
"Why?" Byakuya asked pointedly - almost accusingly as if she'd deliberately withheld information from him. Rukia searched her mind, coming up a blank as to his reasons - suspicions... choosing to flavor her next words with a hint of a smile.
"Nii-sama, I do not know. I...was too focused on surviving out there. I'm afraid," her smile turned vaguely apologetic, deliberately, her violet orbs sought his. Snaring them for a half moment of fleeting unguardedness.
"I don't recall many details about the Hollow."
Silence fell.
A faint pallor descended over his face like a mask. Almost jerkily, Byakuya averted his gaze from hers, disconcertion evident in every tense line of his body. Perversely pleased at this unexpected slip of composure, she took note of it, allowing the same tiny smile to reside on her lips, ignoring the fact that it felt like acid - smiling in such a way.
"I..I see." He murmured, looking anywhere but at her. Rukia could see her very presence aggravated something within his ice cold interior, disturbed - her thoughts broke off as the sliding door to the office rattled open loudly.
"Taichou!" Renji stuck his head in, faltering when Byakuya's gaze drifted to him. "Uh...I need your help..um please?" he looked so pleading that for a second she wanted to laugh. She stifled the urge however as her brother nodded curtly arising with a grace not unlike Ulquiorra's. The moment she thought it, she immediately rejected it. There was nothing alike between them. Stepping aside, she chose to let him go first, her gaze lowering as he passed.
"We'll speak more on this...another time." Byakuya said softly, crossing to the door. Rukia kept her gaze trained to the floor, her smile still perched on her lips. "If you wish, nii-sama." Renji's relief as her brother joined him was palpable, the excited voice of Sixth's Fukutaichou echoing long as he lead him further away - to some unknown incident.
Rukia absorbed more of the bitterness with the reflection of how little her old friend had changed- her stomach threatening to turn on the flipside of realizing how she had altered. Catching her breath, she fought off the waves of nausea, forcing the deeds of the past twenty-four hours to recede from her psyche.
For a few minutes, the cheerful hum of Squad members resuming their duties reached her - warm sunlight spilled pools across the room, slanting across the desk...highlighting a word. She espied it, snatching for the half-buried paper without thinking. Others cascaded away at her touch, the one she seeked, withdrawn to her eager eyes, scanning the rambling report.
Minutes later, the paper fluttered from her trembling hands, nearly overcome with a dozen different emotions, Rukia inhaled and exhaled a few times, attempting to process what she had just read.
...an orange-haired boy had been spotted slaying Hollows in the place called Karakura town.
Ichigo ...it had to be him...how had he become a Shinigami?
-TBC
AN: Thanks for reading :)
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Reviews loved :~)