Miracle – X

The next day was an awkward one for Ichigo and Rukia. The former was desperate to ask the latter what her parents had said to her after they left the school. But that would have been prying to a degree even he knew wasn't right. And she wasn't volunteering the information. So he kept his mouth shut about it. But he really wanted to know. Kuchiki Hisana had been quite friendly with Ichigo. Kuchiki Byakuya didn't know him. What were their opinions of him now?

Rukia bustled from class to class, keeping her head down, avoiding all stares necessary. Everyone had seen Kenpachi's nose in an odd, bandage-cast thing, and of course, news spread quickly around Karakura High, so everyone knew who had broken it and why. People kept stopping to try and ask Rukia questions, but she moved forward, ignoring them. It didn't earn her any points with the kids in her class, of course, but she didn't care. She'd gone through interrogations enough in the car the night before, most of the questions shot at her from Byakuya, who now seemed interested in every detail of his daughter's life. Rukia noted the irony, and thought bitterly that she'd have to get into trouble more often, if it got her father's attention that easily.

Hisana, meanwhile, seemed quite torn. On the one hand, she knew Ichigo, unlike Byakuya (who knew next to nothing about his daughter's life), and up until last night she found him to be quite a nice young man. But the look on her face when she'd seen what Ichigo did to Kenpachi (and what she thought he did to Ikkaku) definitely expressed a change in her opinion. Rukia knew she should have said something to convince her parents that Ichigo was really okay, but by the time her father stopped talking, they were home, and she was exhausted and wanted to sleep. And she knew it wasn't best to confront her father right after a...confrontation. So she took her pills (after a short but stern lecture from Hisana about how she should have been more responsible) and went to bed, deciding she would talk to her father the next day, when he'd had time to calm down a little and think over what had happened more rationally.

Until that time, Rukia could only hope that Byakuya didn't make any rash, but somehow scarily accurate decisions. When Kuchiki Byakuya decided something, he stuck with it. So if he decided he didn't like Ichigo...well, then he didn't like Ichigo. And Rukia would never be able to change his mind.

Ichigo sighed as he thought about the advice his father had given him during the ride home last night. The orange-haired teen had made the mistake of telling Isshin what had happened with Kenpachi, Ikakku, Rukia, and her parents. His father's advice was anything if not helpful.

----Flashback----

"So, heard there was a little trouble on campus," Isshin said as they drove home. Ichigo winced; he had hoped his father hadn't heard anything.

"Yeah?"

"You broke some guy's nose? What exactly was he doing?"

"You mean besides the fact he was trying to hurt Rukia?"

"Ah..." Isshin nodded knowingly, "I see how it is. Go after the sick girl approach. You got some good guys in your school, don't you ?"

"Uh huh," Ichigo sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "There's just one problem. Her parents stepped into the scene right after I finished breaking Zaraki's nose"

"Oooh," Isshin nodded again. Ichigo really wished he would stop. "I see. Guessing her parents didn't take too kindly to seeing you break someone's bone?"

"I'm not really sure howthey took it, actually," Ichigo admitted, "I mean, her mom looked kind of scared...her dad just looked pissed"

"Gotta expect that from Kuchiki Byakuya," Isshin said with a grin, "He's probably not gonna be too fond of you now, better watch out, might complicate your chances for a relationship with his daughter if he doesn't like ya-"

"Oh shut up," Ichigo grumbled, folding his arms angrily and leaning back in the seat, "I don't want a relationship with his daughter. I also don't want him to hate me though..."

"Ah well," Isshin smirked, "Too bad. I suppose if you wanted you and Rukia-chan could always just elope-"

"Shut up!"

"All right, all right. You want some advice Ichigo?"

"Not really"

"Well I give it to you anyway," Isshin sounded smug, "Kuchiki Byakuya doesn't like anyone, except his wife and – I'd say -his daughter. If you're going to aim for his approval, you're going to be waiting for a long time. So instead of trying to get 'im to like you, just worry about making sure his daughter is still interested. Then you'll be set"

At that moment, they pulled into the driveway. Ichigo took advantage of this and slapped his father as hard as he could over the head.

----End Flashback----

Yeah. Definitely not helpful. Ichigo sighed wearily as he ran a hand through his spiky orange hair. He wasn't worried about what Kuchiki Byakuya thought of him. He was worried of what Kuchiki Byakuya might say to Rukia, worried that he would convince her that Ichigo was a bad person to hang around. Ichigo might not have had personal feelings for the girl, but she was a good friend, and Ichigo wanted her to stay that way. If Byakuya had his way though, the friendship thing would definitely change.

And Ichigo didn't take kindly to change

For a minute, all Rukia could do was stare. She reached blindly behind her and clutched tightly to the kitchen counter. She gaped soundlessly at her father, who stared back unconcernedly. "W-What?" she finally managed to say, breathing hard, "Dad...no, you can't...please, don't-"

"That's my final decision, Rukia," Byakuya said coldly, "I don't want you seeing that boy – Kurosaki Ichigo – anymore"

"Dad, you've got it all wrong, please, don't," Rukia was practically begging. She couldn't help it; she was desperate. If her father was really saying that...

Hisana looked between her daughter and her husband, obviously torn. "There's no more to say, Rukia," the tone of Byakuya's cold voice didn't change, "He's obviously not a good person, I don't want you interacting with people like that-"

"You don't understand!" Rukia said angrily, "How could you, you don't know him!"

"I know where he comes from," Byakuya said simply, "I know his father, that's enough. I don't want you with him anymore. Understand?"

"No, I don't," Rukia struggled not to show her tears. She knew they wouldn't help her 'I'm-old-enough-to-choose-my-own-friends' argument at all. "I don't understand. At all. I don't understand how you can try and live my life for me! How you can decide who my friends, how you just know that what you're doing is completely right!"

She was shaking now, but paid no mind to it. It was more from anger than anything. She couldn't believe her father was putting her through this. This was the first time she'd been able to be completely close and honest with a friend in ten years, and now her father was telling her she couldn't be with said friend anymore. Just who did he think he was anyway? "This is what's best for you," Byakuya said simply, "You'll understand someday"

"No," Rukia said quietly, "I don't think I will, actually"

She whirled around on her heel and darted upstairs, unable to look her father in the eye anymore. As soon as she was in her room she slammed the door and leaned her back against it, sliding down to the floor and burying her face in her knees, allowing her tears to fall. He couldn't do this to her...she wouldn't let him do this to her...

Rukia raised her eyes to look out the window, and was surprised to find it snowing quite heavily. When had that started? Not bothering to lock her door, she pushed herself up and walked over to the window. Apparently it had been snowing for awhile; the white powder had already built up quite a bit on the roads and sidewalks and everything else. She opened the window, and a frigid breeze slammed into her. In someway, it felt good. She stared out for a second, contemplating...

As soon as Rukia's door slammed, Hisana looked around. She hadn't been able to get a word in edge-wise while Byakuya and Rukia had been arguing, but as long as they weren't going to have a round two...

"Don't give me that look," Byakuya said, catching his wife's slight glare.

"Don't you think you're acting a little rashly?" Hisana decided to try for reasonable first. It was always better to be reasonable than irrational. Something her husband really needed to learn.

"No, I don't think I'm acting rashly at all, actually," Byakuya said, turning away, "There are better people to associate with than a Kurosaki-"

"You're basing your opinion on a boy based on who he's related to," Hisana said, "How is that fair?"

"The apple never falls far from the tree"

"Then why is it that Rukia is so much more reasonable then you are?" the words slipped out before Hisana could stop them. Byakuya didn't seem at all put off by them though.

"I'm not being unreasonable, Hisana, I'm being practical"

"Somehow, I have a feeling they're the same thing in your case"

"I don't trust him-"

"He's an eighteen-year-old boy, Byakuya"

"Exactly. I know how his mind works-"

"Which means you must know that he'll grow out of it"

"Did you see what he did to that boy? It was completely-"

"Reasonable when I think about the fact that the boy was threatening Rukia," Hisana cut in, "Come on Byakuya, it's not like you didn't make stupid choices when youwere a teenager"

"Name one time," Hisana blinked. Rukia had said the exact same thing when she had gone through her 'ten-year-old-rebel' stage. Good God, those two really were alike...

"Name one time? Well, if you insist"

----Flashback----

"Good movie," Hisana said dreamily as she leaned on Byakuya's arm, smiling. It was a typical evening for the teenage couple. Neither of them liked being home much, so they tried to spend their nights together, only going home when their curfews had been completely pushed right to the limits.

"Yeah, it was," Byakuya wrapped his arm around her shoulder and drew closer (which was hard, considering she was already close). He looked down at his watch and sighed. "I really, really hate to say it, but..."

"We should get home," Hisana sighed deeply as well, "Yeah, I guess. Do we have to?"

"I wish we didn't," neither of them liked being home. At all. "Well, I suppose we could always...stay out a little later..."

Hisana smiled. "That's always a good idea too"

They got onto the main street, and were surprised to find it crowded. It was past ten, after all, usually there wasn't much business after ten on the main street of Karakura Town. "Better be careful," Byakuya said, "We don't want to get separated..."

They started down the street, trying to stay close to each other. They were jostled quite a bit by the crowds, but managed to stay close. Until a particularly large crowd came their way. That was when they got separated. "Oh no," Hisana groaned, "Byakuya, where'd you-"

A hand shot out of the alley next to where Hisana was standing, and dragged her in. "Ow! Let go-" a large, dirty hand covered her mouth completely, "Mmffm," she struggled against the large hands angrily holding her.

"Quiet down girly," a man hissed in her ear, "Don't want your pretty little boy toy comin' and lookin', now do we?"

Hisana's eyes widened in shock, and she struggled harder against the man's grip. "Calm down now, I ain't gonna hurtcha. Not yet, anyway..."

He pushed her against the wall, careful to keep a hand over her mouth, and started tracing a finger along her shoulder with his other hand.Stop, stop, Hisana begged silently. But she couldn't say anything out loud, of course. "Don't worry, it'll be over soon..." he drew a knife. Hisana nearly stopped breathing, and began thrashing in the man's grip. "Stop it!" the man growled. He brought the knife up and drew the very tip along the sleeve of her shirt, ripping it just a little. He dug his finger into the grip and tore it a little bit more. "Now then – agh!"

A fist connected with the guy's cheek, and he was thrown away from Hisana. She slid down the wall she had been pushed against, gasping for breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Byakuya walk towards the man and pick him up by the throat. The guy struggled and gasped for air. "You...bastard..."

"Don't you ever," Byakuya growled, "Let me see you touch her, or any other person like that ever again. Understand?"

The man nodded, and Byakuya flung him to the ground. "Now go"

He scampered away. Byakuya glared after him for a second before walking over to Hisana and kneeling down beside her. "Are you okay?"

That was all it took. Hisana, still shaking, buried her face in Byakuya's chest and began crying. Byakuya wrapped his arms tightly around her trembling body and drew her closer. "It's okay," he muttered, "It's all right. I'm here. I'll protect you. I promise"

----End Flashback----

"That was different," Byakuya said coldly, "You were in danger. I was trying to protect you"

"And just howis that any different from what Kurosaki-kun was doing?" Hisana was sure she had gotten her point across. Apparently not though.

"I just want what's best for her"

Hisana snapped. "Best for her?! Byakuya, how can you possibly know what's best for her? You spend so much time working, you don't even know her!"

The second the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Byakuya turned around to stare coldly at her. But Hisana could see the hurt in his eyes. "Hisana. Do you know why I work so hard? I work hard to be able to provide for you, and for Rukia. I may not always be around, but I'm the provider for this family"

"You don't get it, Byakuya," Hisana said quietly, "Rukia doesn't need you to be a provider. Not right now. She needs you to be a father. She needs you to be there for her like you used to be, she needs you to tell her that everything will be okay. Like you used to. Before she got sick"

"What Rukia needs," Byakuya said, "Is a dose of reality. Someone just saying everything is going to be okay doesn't mean it will be"

"Maybe not. But it'll make her feel better"

Hisana turned and walked upstairs. She'd left Rukia alone long enough. The poor girl needed to know that someonewas on her side. "Rukia?" Hisana knocked lightly on her daughter's door, "Rukia, I know your upset, but please...just talk to me, okay?"

She turned the doorknob, surprised to find it unlocked, and step inside. She was greeted by a blast of cold air, an open window, and an empty room. Her eyes widened in shock. Oh God...

"Byakuya!"

Author's Note: So I've recently come into some time off, thanks to the snow. I'm on my second day of fully missed school (I missed about half of Friday and all of Thursday). And I never thought I'd say this, but I want to go back. The only good thing is, it gives me time to write. So, good, bad, or stop-writing-already-I-want-to-claw-my-eyes-out-from-reading-this-terrible-story? Let me know, review! - Sam