Sorry it took me a while to update. Spring Break kind of messed up my normal routine.

And thank you to those who reviewed! You made me so, so happy!

Rukia: Stop being emotional and get on with it.

Right. So here's Chapter 3.

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There was a quiet knock on the door, and then it opened.

"Rukia?"

It was Byakuya.

His eyes fell on the bright purple hair, and narrowed in displeasure. It took him a few seconds to register the rest of the girl, to whom the hair was attached.

She was laying on her stomach, her face turned away from him, on top of the covers. He was uninterested and turned to leave, until she groaned and shifted in her sleep, and he caught sight of something on her lower back.

…

"What were you thinking?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not in the mood for stupidity. I thought you were out-of-control before, but this is getting out of hand. How many tattoos have you gotten?"

"Just the one…so far."

"No one is to see it. Am I understood? No one else is to know about this."

Rukia smirked. Finally, something that got to him! "Does it bother you, nii-sama?"

Byakuya wasn't saying anything. He had his back to her.

Or not! He was still refusing to communicate! What did it take with this guy?

He turned to face her. Rukia couldn't tell anything by his face. Then he said,

"Perhaps this behavior is acceptable in Rukongai. I've never really had to worry about this sort of thing. You have not been a member of the Kuchiki family for very long yet, so maybe it has yet to become apparent to you…"

Rukia wasn't sure what he was getting at, but she had a feeling it wasn't going to be anything she wanted to hear.

"Your behavior is unacceptable for a Kuchiki. We of the Kuchiki family set an example to everyone in Soul Society. Yours is not the sort of example that should be set." He was very close to her now. More quietly, he added, "I am going to be very clear. I will not allow you to tarnish the image of the Kuchiki family. I will not allow it. You are being very selfish in destroying our family's prestige for the sake of 'making a statement.' Any quarrel you have with me should be kept between the two of us, and not extended to the honor of our family as a whole…that is all."

…

"Hey, you seem down. So what's your issue?" Rangiku downed another cup of sake.

Rukia, who was still on her first cup, wondered how Rangiku drank it down so fast. "Oh. Nothing. It's just my brother."

"Who's your brother?"

"Byakuya Kuchiki."

"Wha---! Really! I didn't even know he had a sister!"

Oh. Great. So no one even knew she existed.

"So what's the problem?"

"Well, for one, talking to him is like talking to a wall. And, for another thing, he acts like a robot…I mean, I don't see how it's even possible to connect with him. It's like you run into this giant barrier before you can reach him…"

"Well, anyone could have told you that. You're his sister. You live with him. Don't you know anything about him at all?"

"Well…he used to have a wife. He…adopted me because I looked like her."

"Really? Well, I'm sure you don't anymore, with that hair and all those piercings."

"Um…don't repeat anything I say to anyone, okay?"

"Oh. Right. I get it. So it's like a girl-to-girl moment, right? I gotcha."

"…yeah…it's just…when it comes to Byakuya nii-sama, I feel…"

She remembered their earlier conversations. Byakuya's subtle warnings…her previous failures to please him…him avoiding eye contact…disregarding her like she was not worth his notice…

"I can't stand him!" Rukia slammed the cup down on the counter. "He pisses me off! Why do I even waste my time worrying about his opinion? Why should I care?"

"You know what I think…?" asked Rangiku, "You might say that, but you'll always care. Because you can't be that close to someone and not care."

"But I'm not close to him! That's the whole point!"

"You're closer to him than most girls. You're probably closest of all because like I said, you live with him."

"That…that has nothing to do with this conversation!"

"You obviously care very much what he thinks…otherwise you would never have gotten a makeover…you want him to say he hates it and that he liked you so much better the way you were before."

"He…he would never say something like that. He…he's not the sort who would say something emotionally revealing. Or reveal anything through facial expressions, either, for that matter. Since he's got about all the expression range of a rock…" Rukia stood. "Well, he's pretty stubborn, but I can be stubborn, too! There's no way he's gonna make me cave!"

"I thought you didn't care about his opinion?"

Rukia sat back down. "I don't!"

Rangiku eyed her skeptically. "Uh-huh…well, just remember…the people you're closest to are usually the ones who are farthest away."

…

Rukia climbed back in through the window, then closed it behind her.

"And where have you been?"

She froze. Byakuya came up to her.

"Well?"

"N…nowhere, nii-sama. I mean…I didn't do anything bad, if that's what you're worried about."

"I thought I told you that you were not to go out? Didn't I say that?"

"Y…yes, you did."

"Are you deaf? Or just stupid?"

Suddenly, it seemed as though she had no words.

"I've had quite enough of you", said Byakuya, "I gave you the chance to rethink your behavior. You spurned that opportunity. Now…you will have no more chances."

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That's it for Chapter 3. I hope to update soon!