Honestly, I was NOT happy with my last chapter. I know what I would like to happen in the story but that's about it. I write the chapters pretty much unplanned. I really wish I didn't post the last chapter and worked on it some more because it is just not where I would like it to be. But at least I got some humor in the story. Now I can finish that up and move onto the serious stuff. :) Thank you to all my reviewers! You make my day with your encouragement! Please read and review. But no flames! I am working on another ByaRuki fanfic, but it won't be posted for a little while because I am going to write a lot of it first. But I am working on that and it should be out right after I finish this fic. Please excuse any errors and stuff like that. Thanks! ^.^ I own nothing. Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo.

Feelings~

"Oomph!" Rukia said as she stumbled backwards trying to keep Byakuya on her back.

In front of her was the 8th division captain, Kyoraku-Taichou, who was staring down at the awkward-looking Rukia trying to stay upright.

"Oh. Hello, Rukia-chan. How are you today?" The Captain said looking down to see the small Shinigami carrying what looked like a Byakuya crash test dummy that was in a car accident.

"Well…Nii-sama is sick. I need to get him to the 4th right away." Rukia said.

"Do you want me to get Unohana-Taichou for you? I don't think you should move him around too much."

"Get her? You mean bring her here?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah. Unohana-san responds immediately for any Captain or Lieutenant that is in need of care." Kyoraku said, surprised that Rukia did not know of it already.

"Seriously? I came here all the way from the Kuchiki Manor for her to come to me?" Rukia yelled angrily. She can't believe that she put Byakuya in potential danger because of her lack of knowledge. Maybe she wasn't fit to be a Kuchiki…

"Calm down, Rukia-chan. Let me send a Hell Butterfly to her right away. For now, just set Byakuya-kun on the ground and I'll take a look at him myself." He said as he helped Rukia get Byakuya off her back and laying on the ground. Luckily, she had found…or tripped over…Kyoraku-taichou as he was laying underneath a sakura tree, drinking sake. They were in a perfect spot to lay Byakuya down in the shady grass.

"Oh, thank you so much, Kyoraku-taichou!" Rukia said as she bowed in appreciation to the Captain.

"No problem! Anything for my dear Rukia-chan." The flirtatious Captain walked into his division and a couple seconds later him and a hell butterfly came out. The Captain held out his hand and the butterfly flew away in the direction of the 4th.

"She should be here in about 10 minutes. For now I'll try to use some kido to heal him. So what happened to him?" Kyoraku inquired.

"Well, it all started 2 days ago. Nii-sama got really sick right before an Elders Meeting and I was really worried about him. He asked me to go to the meeting for him, and I did. But after I got back, he got worse. His fever got really high and he passed out after I tried to wake him up." Rukia explained quickly.

Rukia was kneeling beside him as she looked at him. She never noticed how handsome he was when he was relaxed. He truly was Byakuya Kuchiki. Kyoraku-Taichou was still healing him with some low-level kido as Rukia told the rest of her story.

"After all that he has done for me over the years, saving him now is only the beginning of what I owe him. He has done the same for me countless times and never even wanted a 'thanks'. It was like he considered rescuing me part of his job. Well, by his logic, rescuing him is my job. And I will do anything that it takes to get him better…but I only have four more days…" Rukia said, now in a tell-all mode. She had needed to vent for some time now and Kyoraku was listening.

"Four more days? What do you mean, Rukia-chan?" He asked her.

"Did I say that out loud? I meant…umm….that…he needs to get back to work in…four days…or….umm….Renji…he'll be mad…." Rukia tried to cover up her statement, flustered at the question.

"Rukia-chan, I can't help you unless you tell me what's wrong." He said in that charming voice of his.

Rukia sighed. She knew that she wasn't supposed to tell anybody about her impending expulsion from the clan, but it was going to be hard to take care of the head of the Kuchiki Family, when you are not in the Kuchiki Family. Maybe, she should let Unohana-Taichou take care of him…

"Hello? Rukia-chan?" Kyoraku-Taichou waved his hands over Rukia's tear-welled eyes.

"Oh sorry." She said, wiping the tears out of her eyes. "I was thinking, hypothetically, that if Nii-sama and I weren't adopted siblings, if I would ever be able to see him again."

"I don't know Rukia-chan. I would think not, considering the difference in status. Captain Kuchiki has made quite a name for himself over the years." The older Captain said.

"That's what I thought….Kyoraku-Taichou?" Rukia asked, getting his attention.

"Yes, Rukia-chan?"

"Can you watch over Byakuya and make sure he gets taken care of? I need to go somewhere. Please send me a Hell Butterfly when he gets to the 4th." She got up off the ground and stood up.

"Sure." Kyoraku-Taichou sat down near Byakuya and took out a sake cup. "You don't mind if I drink a little—Rukia-chan?" But Rukia had already shunpoed off in the direction of the 6th Division.

"My, My, My, she sure was in a hurry, wasn't she, Byakuya?" Kyoraku said as Byakuya slightly opened his eyes and tried to get his weak body in an upright position.

"Where….is Rukia?" Byakuya sounded extremely tired as he managed to sit up straight.

"Rukia just left. Retsu is on her way. Did you know that Rukia was mighty worried about you, Byakuya?" Kyoraku asked him.

"No. I was not aware."

"…Not aware of what now, Kuchiki-Taichou?" An approaching figure with a kind and yet terrifying voice said.

~*.*.*~

"Oi, Rukia! What's wrong?" Renji said, seeing his friend running into his office crying. Renji ran into his office after her, dropping his paperwork on the ground, and shutting the door after him.

"Oh, Renji! I-It's, I'm, so afraid." Rukia was not afraid to cry in front of her best friend. He has been through it all with her, seeing her cry was not a first for him.

"What is it, Rukia? What happened?" Renji was starting to get worked up seeing her so upset. Even though they have been through a lot together, she was more upset now than Renji has ever seen her before. She looked like she had just got done running a mile. Her hair was sticking out all over the place. Her face was flushed and pale and her big violet eyes were darkened as streams of defeating tears rolled down her cheeks. "Byakuya" was all she could manage to say to him.

"What did he do to you? I swear, if he hurt you, I'll kill him!" Renji's reiatsu was rising to Bankai levels as some of the structures around them were crumbling. This included: the desk, five unseated officers, some trees outside, and the ceiling that were starting to bellow.

"H-he is sick. H-he is very sick. B-But, he…I'll, never…" Rukia was shaking. Not only from Renji's rise in reiatsu but also because her emotions were getting the best of her. She couldn't even stand anymore as she realized what was too hard to put into words. That she would never see him, her house, or most of her friends ever again. She fell to her knees and sobbed. As Renji watched the whole ordeal unfold the only thing he could do was bend down and hold Rukia as she cried on his shoulder.

After a couple minutes of crying, Rukia wiped her face and stood up, with the assistance of Renji. She hugged her arms as she tried to keep herself together. Finally, Rukia motioned for Renji to sit down as she took a seat herself and told him everything that had happened.

"Rukia. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Renji asked her. He was a little mad that she didn't inform him before, but he was more concerned about what Rukia was going to do.

"I couldn't. I had to take care of Byakuya." She said solemnly

Renji shook his head in understanding. "So why did you leave Byakuya at the 8th Division so you could come here?"

"When I was talking with Kyoraku-Taichou I realized what leaving the Kuchiki Family really meant. I knew then that I would never see Nii-sama again after this, and that my life was going to change forever. I needed to talk to you, Renji. You have always been there for me. And even though we were out of touch for a long time when I first joined the Kuchiki Family, you were always my friend. I came here to ask you a huge favor…"

"What is it? You know I'll do anything for you. You want me to go beat up those Elder scumbags?" Renji said, making a fist to show her how serious he was.

"Since I will no longer be living in the Kuchiki Family Manor, I need somewhere to go. I don't make enough on an unseated officer's salary to buy a house. And—"

"Rukia, my answer is yes, but why? Why would you want to stay with me when you can stay at your Division?"

"That's exactly it. If I was staying with Nii-sama's lieutenant than it would be easier to see him and take care of him." Rukia reasoned.

"Oh. Well, of course. I can't blame you for wanting to see your brother, even if he is just an adopted one…But I thought you told me, that he never once looked at you, and that he didn't care about you?"

"Well, that was true. But after the execution incident and Aizen, he has become much closer to me. He started to spend more time with me, talk to me, and genuinely care for me. After he told me about Hisana, he felt like he could open his heart to me. He began to tell me many things that happened to him, that made him who he is today. That was when he became my brother. Then, I realized how much he trusted me, how much he cared for me…Renji, did you know that I am his pride?"

"His pride? I never knew Captain was so deep." Renji said with a slight frown at where this conversation was going.

"Yes. And I felt the same way towards him. I knew that I could trust him with my life, my soul, with everything. He listened to every story I told him about me and my life. That was when he became Byakuya Kuchiki." Rukia said.

"Rukia? What are you talking about? Are you saying—"

"Yes. I am in love with Byakuya Kuchiki." Rukia said. This was the first time she had ever said it out loud and it felt wonderful. She wanted to shout it to the world. But she was so scared.

"In love with? Rukia, just how far did your 'relationship' progress?" Renji questioned.

"I just told you. I love him. I have never told him and he has never told me that he feels the same. So I can't speak for him. But I don't want to leave him. Not now, Renji. I finally put my heart in someone else's hands again and I don't want to lose that again. You are the only person I have left who I trust with that same thing, my heart. So please, help me." Rukia groveled, trying to let the tears form again.

"You're not kidding, are you? Goodness gracious Rukia, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?" Renji stood up and offered a hand to Rukia.

"Tomorrow you can start moving your stuff into my place. I am not sure if you noticed this or not but, about 5 minutes ago a Hell Butterfly came in here. I am guessing that means that Byakuya is at the 4th. Let's go." Renji said.

"After being an idiot all your life, how did you suddenly get so smart?" Rukia asked as the two were walking to the 4th Division.

"I am not smart Rukia. If anything, I am more of an idiot than I was before…" He said before trailing off. "We're here." Renji opened the door for Rukia and she walked inside, followed by him. Rukia went up to the front desk asking for Byakuya's room and was told where it was. The two shortly arrived at his room to find Byakuya lying in bed, now conscious and doing much better, thanks to Unohana-Taichou who was standing right beside his bed.

"Rukia…" Byakuya said as he weakly held a hand up for Rukia to hold.

"Hai, Nii-sama?" Rukia asked, going to his bedside and grabbing his hand.

"I have become aware of some things that are going on currently and I would like you to explain them to me when we get back." Byakuya said as he gripped her hand tightly.

-Flashback-

"…Not aware of what now, Kuchiki-Taichou?" An approaching figure with a kind and yet terrifying voice said.

"Oh. I was just telling our little Byakuya here about Rukia-chan." Kyoraku said with a smile on his face.

"Do you two know something about Rukia that I do not?" Byakuya asked with a little bit of attitude in his strained voice.

"Well, I believe we do." Unohana said, kneeling down and beginning to heal Byakuya with high level kido.

"And what exactly would that be?" Byakuya asked as the two older captains smirked at each other.

"Little naïve Byakuya-kun, you may know a lot about Rukia but you don't know the most important thing about her." Kyoraku said.

"Which is?"

"Where her love is." Unohana answered.

"Her love? Rukia is not involved in any dating, she has told me herself." Byakuya was starting to get worried. Did Rukia lie to him?

"Hahaha. Little Byakuya-kun, oh how I admire your blissful ignorance." Kyoraku-Taichou said.

"Insult me once more, and Senbonzakura will have your head." Byakuya warned.

"Kyoraku-taichou, try to be nice to him. We will get nowhere with talk like that." Unohana said, finishing up her kido.

"But Unohanaaa-san! It's no fun if we just tell him!" Kyoraku whined in a child-like fashion that made Byakuya roll his eyes.

Unohana replied to Kyoraku's outburst with one of her death smiles. Which, Byakuya thought were even scarier than his or Rukia's signature death glares.

"Anyway, Kuchiki-Taichou, Rukia's love is not with anybody you don't know." Unohana said while still giving her death smile to Kyoraku.

"Impossible. No one who knows me would dare to betray me." Byakuya said assertively. Unohana turned her head and inflicted Byakuya will the bad ill of her death smile as she continued speaking.

"Her love is something that was earned by someone who gave their love to her first." Unohana said with great wisdom.

"Can we put a name on this someone?" Byakuya asked, trying to look away from her deadly smile.

"Sure." Her smile softened. "His name is Byakuya Kuchiki, and as you know, he is you."

-End of Flashback-

"What are you talking about Nii-sama?" Rukia asked, concerned that he found out about the meeting's results.

"We will talk about it at the Manor." Byakuya said, getting up out of bed with the help of Unohana.

"Are you able to go home?" Rukia asked him.

"Yes. Kuchiki-Taichou came down with the same disease Hisana-san contracted. Luckily, Kuchiki-Taichou was strong enough to overcome it." Unohana answered.

"Hisana? My sister?"

"Yes, Rukia." Byakuya said with a tear in his eye. Byakuya now had more sadness in his heart than ever. He was able to live after having the disease that took his wife's life. He felt like he was dying all over again; this time, on the outside and inside.

Thank you all for putting up with the long wait. I am really sorry that it took me so long to get this chapter out to you all. And because I was rushing, I didn't have time to read over it and check for errors. Please forgive those, as I will try harder next time to have an even better chapter out to you. The next update will not take so long. I promise. :) Because mastermind, Musicgirl1796, has a plan! Yes. I know! So very exciting! It only took every ounce of determination I had to do it, but I did it! Please read and review! ^.^

Next Chapter: Confessions~