A/N: Sorry it's been awhile! Classes are starting soon for me, so updates will be whenever I find some free time away from studying/work.
Let me know what you think! :)
Ohayou: Good morning
Onii-san: Older brother
-----------------------------------
Rukia awoke the following morning with a smile on her face and feeling completely rejuvenated. She had spent the last few hours in a deep, dreamless sleep wonderfully devoid of hollows. Hardly able to believe the events of the previous night had really happened, Rukia felt an intense desire to see Kaien. Stretching, she slowly got out of bed and gathered a fresh set of clothes before heading towards the bathroom for a morning shower. She had no intentions of facing Kaien again dressed as inappropriately as she had been the night before.
A short time later, Rukia stood in front of the mirror, running a comb through her raven hair one last time. She ran a hand along her black robes to smooth the fabric, straightened her back and squared her shoulders. She looked professional, like a member of 13th division should look. However, she felt anything but professional. She felt nervous and excited, impatient and hesitant. From just down the hall, she could feel the gentle pulse of Kaien's reiatsu. He must still be sleeping. Rukia tightened the sash around her waist, put Sode no Shirayuki in its proper place, and headed out of her room towards the kitchen.
It was as she walked down the hallway that Rukia first noticed the hushed voices coming from outside the front door. It was also then that she felt the distinct reiatsu of her captain, Ukitake-Taicho, mixed in with that of her brother. Nii-sama must have sent a Hell butterfly this morning while I was still sleeping! Kuso!
Attempting to still the on-coming panic building in her chest, Rukia tried to think the situation through logically. It made sense that Nii-sama would contact somebody about Kaien's return, that was the responsible thing to do. Closing her eyes, Rukia stretched her senses out to their limits. As far as she could tell, there were no other Shinigami nearby. That was good....that likely meant that Yamamoto-Genryusai had not yet been notified. If he had, she could only imagine he would be there personally. At the very least, he would have sent additional reinforcements.
She took it as another good sign that Ukitake-Taicho and Nii-Sama chose to speak quietly outside while Kaien and Rukia had been sleeping practically next door to one another. Surely, if either man held the slightest suspicion that Kaien was a threat, they would have either gotten Rukia out of the house or removed Kaien before she had awoken.
Quietly, the small Shinigami made her way over to the door, trying to hear the conversation outside.
"Do you really believe this man to be Shiba Kaien, Byakuya?" That soft voice undoubtedly belonged to Ukitake-Taicho.
"I do. Although his presence is inexplicable, I believe it to be so." That dry, unemotional voice was clearly Nii-sama. "I have seen nothing to lead me to believe that the man who came here last night is either dangerous or an imposter."
"I see. I appreciate you contacting me so quickly-"
There was a pause in the conversation that seemed slightly unnatural. Rukia pressed closer to the door then jumped as Nii-sama spoke again, his voice louder than before.
"Come out here, Rukia."
Blushing furiously at being caught eavesdropping, Rukia immediately pushed the door open and joined the two men on the front porch, closing the door behind her.
"Ohayou Ukitake-Taicho, Nii-sama!" Rukia bowed her head slightly towards both men respectively.
"Ohayou, Rukia!" Her captain smiled warmly at her while Nii-sama simply nodded an acknowledgement.
"I hear you and Byakyua-san had a visitor arrive last night."
"H-hai..." Rukia looked from Ukitake-Taicho to Nii-sama, hoping for some indication as to what the two Shinigami were thinking.
"It's okay, Rukia." Ukitake obviously sensed Rukia's trepidation. "Byakyua-san sent a Hell-butterfly last night alerting me of the situation. He informed me that there was no need to come over immediately, that it could wait until morning."
"So...you both believe that the man who showed up here last night is really Kaien-dono...no questions asked?" Rukia felt like she was missing something. Both Nii-sama and Ukitake-Taicho knew of Aaroniero, the Espada who had taken the form of Kaien and nearly killed Rukia. It seemed very odd to her that they would both simply accept that a man showing up who looked like Kaien was, in fact, Kaien.
"Well..." Ukitake exchanged a look with Byakuya. The dark-haired Shinigami nodded once before reaching for the door handle.
"I'll put some tea on the stove." With that, Rukia found herself alone on the porch with her captain, confused and wanting answers. She sat down on the steps and looked up expectantly at the dignified man before her. With a sigh, he sat down beside his subordinate.
"You must understand, Rukia, that Byakuya-san and I decided to keep certain things to ourselves....to protect you. We didn't want you getting hurt..."
"With all-due respect, Taicho, I think I deserve some answers." Rukia's voice was soft and anything but disrespectful.
"Hai, of course." Ukitake swept blonde hair out of his face before continuing. "It was about two years ago now. Everyone in Soul Society, and Seireitei in particular, was preparing for the war with Aizen. One night, while going over some paperwork, I felt... something. Although I can remember it clearly even now, I cannot being to convey exactly what it felt like."
"What was it?"
"It felt similar to a massive explosion of Kido. I could tell it was far away, a thousand miles maybe, but it shook my soul. And at the very core of that explosion was an undercurrent of reiatsu...it...." The captain was interrupted by both emotion and a short coughing fit. When he remained silent, Rukia spoke up.
"What about the reiatsu?" Already knowing what the answer would be, Rukia felt a chill travel down her spine.
Ukitake looked away, unable to meet her violet eyes.
"It was Kaien." It wasn't a question. Rukia was simply stating what Ukitake seemed hesitant to say.
"Hai." He finally turned to look at Rukia. "The reiatsu I felt was that of Shiba Kaien. I ran outside to see if anyone else had felt the explosion, but no one seemed to have noticed anything. His reiatsu continued to pulse for several minutes before fading away. I was unsure of what to do, or if I should even do anything. So I waited. There was no way at that time that I could have known or truly understood the implications of what I had felt."
"And Nii-sama? Where does he fit into all of this?"
"After several days had passed with no further incident, I decided to contact Byakyua-san. I felt it prudent to tell somebody of what had happened. However, I found out that he had left Seireitei days before in the middle of the night." He answered Rukia's question before she had a chance to ask it. "He had gone to Hueco Mundo."
Rukia was frozen in silence. Even if she could have spoken, she didn't know what she would have said. So may questions were running through her mind that she wouldn't know where to begin.
"Upon returning to Seireitei, Byakyua-san actually contacted me. He said he had some important things he needed to discuss. He, too, had felt the Kido-explosion that night and had also recognized the reiatsu as Kaien's. At the same time, he had a sudden premonition that you were in grave danger and went immediately to Hueco Mundo to find you, Rukia. He didn't realize at the time that the two events were connected."
"That was the night that Aaroniero almost killed me, wasn't it?"
"Hai. And he would have succeeded had it not been for Byakyua-san."
Rukia paused before asking her next question. "Why didn't either of you tell me that you had felt Kaien's reiatsu?"
Sighing again and meeting Rukia's direct and questioning eyes, Ukitake replied. "We didn't want you getting hurt, Rukia. You must believe that our intentions were honest. We didn't know if it was even truly Kaien. And if it was, we did not know what condition he would be in... We did not want to get your hopes up rashly."
"I see." Although hurt, Rukia could understand their logic. Still, it was getting very old that everyone tried so hard to protect her. Didn't anyone realize that she could take care of herself, that she could handle things like this? It was hard not to let her frustrations show.
"Ukitake-Taicho... You said earlier that Nii-sama didn't know at the time that Kaien's reiatsu and my near death were related... What did you mean...?"
At that moment, Byakuya appeared on the porch. Rukia had the burning feeling that he did not want her to hear whatever it was that Ukitake-Taicho had been about to tell her. That was the final straw. She'd had enough of everyone trying to protect her. If it killed her, Rukia was going to find out what was going on. Before she had a chance to express just what she was thinking, Byakuya spoke.
"We have guests arriving."
Right on cue, a senkai gate opened midair. Out of it stepped a graceful blonde Shinigami wearing green robes and carrying what appeared to be a cane. Behind him, and much less gracefully, appeared two large and brash Shinigami, one with fiery orange hair spiked in all directions and the other with crimson locks pulled back into a high ponytail.
Rukia jumped to her feet, excited to see her friends after such a long time apart. All anger and frustrations were momentarily pushed aside.
"Ohayou, Rukia-san!" Urahara called out to Rukia, drawing out the greeting in his usual sing-song tone. He raised a hand to keep his hat in place as he bowed to the Shinigami on the porch.
"Urahara-san!" Rukia returned the greeting, running over to the small group. Byakuya, never a huge fan of Urahara's playful antics, had bid farewell to Ukitake and disappeared back into the sprawling Kuchiki household.
"Oy, Rukia!" The substitute Shinigami with orange hair smiled one of his rare genuine smiles as he called to her.
"Ichi-go!" She couldn't help but squeal as she threw herself at Ichigo, taking him by surprise. Instantly embarrassed by her public display, Rukia released Ichigo from the hug with a blush on her cheeks. A look of surprise had passed over his features only momentarily before his smile returned.
"Hey, pipsqueak!" A large hand came down upon Rukia's head and ruffled her hair in a friendly manner. "Where's my hug?" Before he could say another word, Renji was rewarded with a tiny but fierce fist to the chin. He rubbed the area while pretending to be offended. "Oy! Why the hell does he get all the love?!"
Unable to hold back a smile at the familiar bickering, Rukia replied, "Because he doesn't insult me and mess up my hair after not seeing me for almost a year!"
Behind her back, Ichigo made a face at Renji, sticking out his tongue at the red-head.
Renji growled and lunged at Ichigo only to receive a swift kick in the shins.
"Dammit, Rukia! He made a face at me!" Although he tried hard to lace his words with a heavy feeling of injustice, Renji's amusement with the situation was evident. "Nice uppercut, by the way. You been practicin'?"
Smiling a little smugly Rukia simply thanked Renji for the compliment.
Urahara cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.
"My, my! What a greeting, indeed! I am sorry to break up this little reunion, but there is work to be done!"
"What work?" Rukia was confused.
"Byakyua-san and I actually asked Urahara-san to come here. We were hoping he could help us with....the current situation."
Rukia was still confused, but a little less so. It would make sense for Nii-sama and Ukitake-Taicho to want some sort of tests or analyses to be run. Just because they believed this man was really Kaien certainly did not mean that the rest of Soul Society would be as accepting. And for their own peace of mind, the added assurance would be necessary.
"So you called Urahara-san to come run some tests on Kaien."
Ukitake nodded.
"What are you two doing here, then?" Rukia turned to address Ichigo and Renji.
"We wanted to see ya, Rukia! I thought that would be obvious!" The hurt in Renji's voice was genuine this time. "Urahara was going to have the senkai gate open anyway, so we thought we'd tag along."
Rukia blushed slightly at his words. "I didn't mean it like that..."
"I know ya didn't!" His wolfish grin instantly back in place, Renji patted Rukia on the back. Then, lowering his voice, he asked in a more serious tone, "Rukia....can we talk?"
Glancing up, Rukia saw that Urahara and Ukitake were deep in conversation, no doubt going over the situation and the various tests the blonde shop-keeper had in mind.
"Go on," Ichigo said simply. "I wanna hear what's goin' on from Ukitake anyway."
With that, Rukia and Renji went inside. The tea Nii-sama had put on much earlier was being kept warm on the stove. Feeling a hint of dejavu, Rukia poured two cups of tea and set them on the table before she and Renji sat down beside each other around the small piece of furniture.
"Rukia, look...." Renji began, ignoring the tea before him. "I just want you to be careful..."
Furious, Rukia set her teacup down hard enough to crack the saucer. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"
"Rukia-" Renji was obviously startled by her reaction.
"Dammit, Renji! I'm sick of everyone trying to protect me! I know how to take care of myself. Isn't that obvious to anyone by now?!" She couldn't help the tears that were pooling in her eyes. She didn't want to cry in front of Renji; that seemed to negate the point she was trying to make. But she was just so tired of everyone treating her like a child. Didn't anyone respect her at all? Hadn't she proven her strength time and again in Hueco Mundo?
"Rukia..." Renji let his voice trail off. He waited until it looked like she'd calmed down. He knew Rukia better than anyone else; he knew that she didn't like to lose her control like this. And so he gave her some time to collect herself.
"I'm sorry, Renji. I didn't mean to go off on you like that." He voice was once again soft, her eyes downcast. "I just wish that people would stop trying so hard to protect me from everything. It's always been easy for you....being as strong as you are....people don't feel like they have to protect you. They see you as the protector." She paused for just a moment, taking a deep breath then releasing it slowly. "I just want people to stop thinking I'm this fragile girl who needs to be protected."
"I don't see ya like that at all, Rukia! Ever since the day we met I knew you didn't need protectin'... I wanted to be near ya just to be near ya...."
Rukia was instantly sorry their conversation had gone in this direction. Renji had confessed his feelings for her decades ago. There had been a time when she had felt almost the same way, when she thought she could return his feelings. For some reason, however, her feelings never grew quite as strong as his and although she truly loved Renji, she didn't think she was being fair to him.
Then she had met Kurosaki Ichigo. Her instant attraction to him had more to do with his resemblance to Kaien than anything else, something she had ardently denied for over a year. But, as she'd gotten to know him, she had started to experience other feelings for Ichigo, deeper feelings. It became something she could no longer ignore
"You know he's not Shiba Kaien and he's never going to be."
Violet eyes liquid with tears, Rukia had replied, "That has nothing to do with it, Renji! I love Ichigo for who he is, not for who he looks like!"
Sighing, Renji pulled her into an embrace which she accepted. He rested his chin on her raven head, rubbing his hands in slow circles over her back. "Oy, Rukia. If that's how you really feel..."
"It is."
It had broken her heart to say those words to Renji. She knew they were like a knife to his heart. But his love for her was so immense that he had supported her decision and let her go. However, she'd never had the chance to express her feelings to Ichigo. The day following her emotional talk with Renji, they had received notification of Inoue's kidnapping.
Coming out of her reverie, Rukia reached out and took Renji's hand in her own.
"Rukia, I know ya loved Kaien. But just please....promise me you'll be careful with all of this... You say that the man in that room is Shiba Kaien. Kuchiki-Taicho and Ukitake-Taicho seem to think the same thing. That's good enough for me. But....just promise to be careful. I don't wanna see ya get hurt again like before..."
"Renji...arigato."
Rukia didn't know if it was the hot summer morning, all the emotions from the previous night, or simply seeing Renji again for the first time in so long, but she couldn't help the momentary flare of old feelings that washed over her. She could see that Renji was feeling the same thing. He brought his free hand up to caress her cheek. His war-roughened skin was a nice contrast to the softness of her own. The nostalgic feel of his touch made her skin tingle.
"Rukia..."
He moved closer until their faces were almost touching. His fingers slide under her chin and tilted her face up towards his own. Without thinking, Rukia leaned forward the slightest fraction of an inch. It was enough to bring their lips into contact. Rukia let her eyes close as Renji deepened the kiss, allowing herself to be taken in by his overwhelming presence and surprising gentleness.
The moment was broken almost as soon as it had begun by a quiet noise in the hallway. Rukia and Renji jumped, both pulling out of the embrace.
Looking up, Rukia saw Kaien in the hallway. He brought a hand up to the back of his neck and put on a smile that Rukia knew was fake, attempting to cover up the embarrassment and disappointment she had not missed just a moment ago.
"Ohayou, Rukia!" He started walking towards the pair. Rukia felt extremely flustered and was sure her cheeks were as red as Renji's hair. "Abarai-san, it's been awhile!"
"Shiba-san..." It was clear that Renji didn't know how to act. His discomfort was palpable.
"Please, call me Kaien!"
Renji looked to Rukia to see how he should respond.
"Ohayou, Kaien." Her voice was soft and when she met his eyes she wanted to cry. He could smile and speak cheerfully all he wanted, but Rukia could suddenly read his feelings just by looking into his eyes. His eyes told her that seeing her with Renji a moment ago had been more than just an embarrassing and uncomfortable accident. It had hurt him to see her with someone else like that. There was also a look of understanding and something like resignation.
Has he always been this easy to read? Is this something new since he came back? Can everyone read him so well, or is it just me? Does it have anything to do with what he said....about leaving his heart with me when he died?
Renji stood up abruptly. "I think I'm gonna go see what Ichigo's up to..." And with that, he was out the door.
"Kaien..."
Before she could offer any explanation, Urahara came twirling into the house. I think we should really start using the lock...I can't finish a conversation around here! Rukia's thoughts were layered with frustration as she looked apologetically up at Kaien. He smiled weakly back.
"Shiba-san! How are you? It's been years!" Urahara really was a curious man. His sing-song way of speaking and nonsensical behavior had most people convinced that he was nothing more than a ridiculous old man. But those who had known him when he'd been a captain in Seireitei knew better.
"Urahara-san. It's good to see you..."
Kaien's voice trailed away as Urahara pulled from his robs several items: a tiny vial, a small pair of scissors, and a strange machine about the size of a metal-detector. With the scissors, Urahara snipped a small spike of Kaien's hair before Rukia even knew what was happening and placed the sample in the vial. He then picked up the strange looking metal-detector-sized machine, pushed several buttons and began waving it around Kaien's body. In fact, he looked just like an airport security guard using a metal detector at the airport. Rukia was able to make this mental comparison because, on lazy nights in Karakura-Town, Ichigo would show her movies in an attempt to "culture" her in the ways of the living world.
After several long moments of this odd behavior, Urahara pushed some more buttons on the machine and then all three items were returned to his robes from whence they came.
"All done!" He all but sang the simple words, a large smile on his face.
"So, what was all that?" Kaien looked very perplexed having stood still throughout the entire procedure.
"Just getting some samples! Nothing to be concerned about. Yet, anyway. No, I am sure: nothing to be concerned about!"
"What was that metal-detector thing?" Rukia knew she sounded suspicious and hoped her tone would not offend Urahara.
"That, Rukia-san, was a reiatsu collector! It's one of my newest inventions! Shh!" He raised a finger to his lips. "Don't tell anyone, though! It's not exactly what you'd call legal...."
"So...you collected a sample of his reiatsu?"
"Precisely! I plan to run some tests on it to prove without a doubt that this man is Shiba Kaien and to maybe help us figure out where he's been and how he's here now! Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return to the shoten! But don't fret! Ichigo-kun and Abarai-san will be staying here for awhile to keep you company! Bye-bye!"
And with that, the crazy shop-keeper was gone.
"Interesting man." Kaien said softly behind her.
Turning around, Rukia saw that Kaien had sat down by the table. She slowly walked across the kitchen and lowered herself onto a cushion beside him.
"Nobody thinks I'm really me. They think I'm dangerous."
Suddenly, Rukia realized that she and Kaien were feeling two sides of the same emotional coin. He was upset because everyone thought he was dangerous, and she was upset because everyone thought she needed protecting. In simply remaining by Kaien's side through all of this, she could show people that she didn't need to be protected. At the same time, she could show Kaien that she didn't believe he was dangerous.
"Kaien-dono, they just want to be sure. You have to admit, it's pretty miraculous that you're here!" She smiled warmly when he finally looked up and met her eyes. "Everyone that's seen you today, we all know who you are and that you're not dangerous. Do you think Nii-sama would let me sit in here alone with you if he thought you were dangerous? Do you think he would let us sleep one room apart?"
He didn't answer, but she could see it was making sense to him so she continued.
"They want to have enough evidence to show everyone else. You know how cautious and suspicious Yamamoto-Genryusai is. If they were to alert him now that you're back, he'd have you locked up immediately while he decided what tests to run. If Urahara-san can prove scientifically that you are who we know you are, then things might go a little smoother.
"You're right, Rukia." Finally, a genuine smile broke across Kaien's face, albeit tentatively.
Rukia reached over and took his hands in her own. It was something she couldn't avoid doing; ever since she had seen Kaien last night for the first time, her instincts had been to protect him, to care for him. She couldn't hold back those urges any longer.
Kaien looked down at their joined hands. "Won't this upset your koibito if he comes back inside?"
"Kaien....I was trying to explain that earlier before Urahara-san waltzed in here. Renji and I....that wasn't what you thought it was...it wasn't what it looked like..."
Kaien looked at her with a wistful expression. "It's okay, Rukia... you don't have to explain."
"Yes, I do! I need you to know this Kaien! Renji is not my koibito! Renji and I.... we have a long history, as I'm sure you remember. There was a time when....when things were like that between us. I haven't seen him in over a year and...I think I was just overcome with so many different emotions that....well, you saw what happened."
Their eyes met and the look Kaien gave her made Rukia blush.
"My point is, there is nothing between me and Renji anymore. There's nothing between me and anyone right now period..."
A shy smile tugged at the corners of Kaien's lips and his eyes lit up, returning to life. It amazed Rukia that such a simple admission on her part could change his entire demeanor so drastically. She couldn't help the answering smile that broke across her face. She felt as if they were on the brink of something, as if this moment was a very significant turning point in their relationship. With each second she was near him, Rukia felt a hole in her soul closing and getting smaller; it was a chasm she hadn't even known existed until she'd felt it begin healing last night.
"Rukia..."
Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside. They both jumped and ran to the door, Rukia getting there first. She threw it open and they stepped out onto the porch to see what the commotion had been.
Urahara and Ukitake were both gone by now and, by the looks of things, Renji and Ichigo had been sparring in the expansive yard. Both Shinigami were now in a tangled pile with a third hulk-of-a-man on top of them and a large boar-type animal grazing a few feet away.
"Get offa me!" She couldn't tell if the words had come from Renji or Ichigo.
"Shaddup! It's not my fault Bonnie-chan doesn't know when to stop!"
"Ganju?" That voice came from beside Rukia; it was Kaien.
"Kaien! How the hell are ya, onii-san?! Yer back and ya don't even come to see your brother and sister? Do ya know how pissed Kukaku's gonna be?!"
[A/N: Yeah....I didn't intend for the Renji/Rukia twist to actually be two-sided; it just happened! Could make things interesting in upcoming chapters perhaps?]