Hello dewdrops! That's what I will be calling you. I don't know why but it just seems right. Anyway, here is chapter no 3. A big thank you to those who added this story to their favorites. I love you! Here take this pie I just made, or the edible part of it that is *hands over virtual pie* Alright, I am going to cut my blabbering now and give you the chapter. Here you go….

Rukia's POV

The warm pressure of his arm around my waist was a welcome development from my usual lonely nights. I shifted around to make myself more comfortable and became minutely aware of the piercing pain in my abdomen, solar plexus and further down. I groaned and attributed it to the rain. It always seemed to have crazy effects on me. I propped myself closer to his sturdy chest, inhaling his spicy scent.

I was obviously not in the Mansion.

WHAT THE FUCK?! I WASN'T IN THE MANSION!

I scrambled up from the futon waking Renji in the process. He growled and draped his arm over where I had been seconds ago. I grabbed my Shinigami uniform from where I had tossed it on his nightstand after changing into some more comfortable clothes of his last night and rushed to the bathroom down the hallway, screaming "Oh you can sleep all you want! The worst that can happen is Byakuya Nii-sama will kill us both! That is it!"

I stopped midway in what I was doing. Now that I look back, I was changing out of his shirt then. How in heavens was I going to face him? What would I say? What would he say? What would happen? Oh my God!

I quickly stripped off, bathed and changed into my now dry uniform, singing 'Rose Blood' by One Ok Rock, a song I had heard in the human world to keep my mind from wandering off in the unknown for I knew that would only make me procrastinate. I stepped out of the bathroom and rushed back to his room to find my slippers. I was relieved to see the futon folded back, which indicated he was up.

I skipped down the stairs once I found my slippers and managed to put them on, only to find him standing in the kitchen, messing around with pots and pans and spoons and containers. He cursed heavily as he dropped something that made a huge clatter.

"Renji, as much as I would have loved to stay and save your kitchen from the devastation that is on its way, I need to leave because if Nii-sama finds out I am not home I am landing in deep trouble.", I said as I made my way towards the door.

"Relax, Rukia," His gruff voice was loud and unconcerned as he bent to pick up whatever he had dropped. I turned around to face him. "Byakuya knows you are not at the Mansion. Hell, yesterday when he told me that you were in the community park, he also said that if you didn't feel like going back to the Mansion you could go wherever you wanted, so long as you kept out of trouble's way."

I froze a bit at his words. So Nii-sama knew where I was yet he sent Renji to get me. I was overwhelmed by a sudden urge to pull at my hair. What the hell was going on?!

"Are you sure?", I asked. It was just like Renji to get confused about the simplest things of all time.

He turned to face me, scowling. "No, the neighbor's mad dog just came and bit me on his way to loo!"

I rolled my eyes and walked back to the dining table. I propped myself up on a chair. They were quite high so my legs dangled above the ground. I heard him drop and break a few more things but said nothing. "Did he give permission for me to have breakfast out of the Mansion, too?", I wondered. Aloud. Oops shit! I turned in time to see the beginnings of a growl from my red haired best friend.

"Since when did you become a doll for him to command as he wished?", he demanded as he pointed a frying pan my way.

I sighed. I wanted to say, 'Since the day you gave me away.' But I checked myself in time. He had explained to me yesterday why he sent me away. The reasoning was unlikely but just like Renji at the same time. Especially when I remembered all the nights in Rukongai. The times when he gave me whatever small amount of food we had and ran on an empty stomach whole day, starving himself. Or how he would give my blanket, his blanket and his shirt to me just so I kept warm. I sighed. He always did want me to have the best. But that time, he just went too far.

For I would have patiently dealt with the Academy, failed (because it was obvious I was going to), then gone back to the same class or maybe back to the District all so I could stay by him. But no, he had to go and put me out for adoption. Did he really think materialistic pleasures were all I cared about?

I sighed again and watched his back, he had turned back while I was still spacing out. "What are you trying to do, Renji?"

"Breakfast.", he grunted. I chuckled and waited patiently for him, even though in the end all he could pull together a burnt toast with a layer of butter. And upon further enquiry, I figured out he always had breakfast with Madarame-san so he didn't know the first thing about cooking. That only caused more chuckles and screaming, and everyone knows who did what.

I put the plates away and did the washing for him as he sat there grumbling about how cooking wasn't his business. In general, so many complaints would irritate me and cause me to snap but not today, for today I had reunited with my best friend. I was sincerely happy and that was a first in a long time.

That train of thoughts lead me to Ichigo. I shook my head, attempting to shake his expressions, or rather lack of them, from my mind as well. I would talk to him. As soon as I got a chance but for now I couldn't let him ruin the day for me.

We finally exited his apartment after about two arguments about why Soul Society wanted him to cover up his tattoos. They weren't arguments either since we both wanted his tattoos to show but to any onlooker it would look like we were fighting though we were both in favor of the same thing. I smiled softly. That was just how things turned out for us.

We drew more than one curious glance when people saw us coming out of his apartment together but my best friend/body guard addressed them all with his 'special for when Rukia is with me' growl and they all looked away. I marveled silently at how strong he had become. He had achieved the strength he always craved and it just simply felt nice to look up at one of the feared vice captains of Soul Society and be able to claim I have watched him grow from the phase when he would still be dribbling in his sleep to what he was now.

I went off to my office, and yes, just as expected he came to escort me to the very doors. I rolled my eyes at his childish behavior. He acted like any moment now, Aizen would jump out of the shadows, grab me and disappear. I shivered slightly at the possibility and yes, it was a possibility. And it was on everyone's mind.

I sighed as I drew open the doors to my office, and endless stacks of paperwork.

*TIME SKIP*

I stretched my arms over my head and yelped joyfully. Ukitake taichou looked over to me and I flushed lightly. But he did nothing but smile and gesture for me to leave. After wishing him, I slid open the doors. And then the thought crashed on me.

I had to go back to the Mansion.

Byakuya's POV

I waited patiently for her. I had come about fifteen minutes earlier today, just to give myself a better feeling about the whole situation. It did not seem to be working.

Renji had told me she had spent the night at his house. I was momentarily angered by the fact that he could just walk up to me and state that so shamelessly but I concentrated on my work and waited for the anger to drown out of me, which didn't seem to be happening.

The doors opened and Rukia walked in. For the first time in so many years, I felt hesitation. I had no idea how I was going to deal with this. I knew it would most probably be extremely hurtful if I just let it be without uttering a word about what happened last night but deep down I wanted it to be just like that, and the moment I looked at her face, knew she did too.

She said the formal greeting and we began the meal in a silence interrupted only by the dull clang of spoons against plates. The tension in the air was so thick I doubted if it could be cut by the fine blades of Senbonzakura either. The hollowness of the room seemed to magnify it. Anticipation was gnawing at my stomach. I recognized this feeling from long ago in my childhood. It was a strange mixture of curiosity and speculation. Something Ginrei had warned me against. If this state of mind was handled incorrectly, it could lead to devastating results. I looked at the petite, black-haired beauty in front of me.

"Rukia." I closed my eyes.

"Yes Nii-sama?" Her voice was so farfetched I wondered if she was whispering. But I knew, she won't. Not in my presence, at least.

"Did you find Kurosaki yesterday?" As soon as the words left my mouth I knew it was the wrong approach.

"I did, Nii-sama. But I would like to request a permission to visit the human world someday this week, as I need to," I sensed her hesitate. "address some matters of relative importance with him."

I hated how she was all formal and, dare I say, stiff around me. But that was just how we had taught her to be. It was intriguing how we had failed in dampening her original confidence and perkiness while we had broken her enough to make her succumb to a lifestyle that wasn't appreciated or welcomed by her. The powers of family were undeniably strong.

I nodded and we fell into the familiarly uncomfortable silence again. I took a deep breath. I had to address this issue or it could mean risking our relationship. Or what had begun as a bad travesty of it. I braced myself to engage her attention again but she beat me to the chase.

"Nii-sama, about last night,", she let her voice dissolve into steady silence, obviously ignorant as to what she wanted to say.

I basked in the final moments of silence before the time taken to answer could go out of normal. When I finally started speaking, the words that came out of my mouth were the exact ones I shouldn't have said while at the same time appeared to be the easiest way out of this. "You do not have to bother yourself with the occurrence of last night, Rukia. It should not concern you more than necessary and under the present circumstances, I do not deem it necessary in the least. I would suggest you forget it."

'Byakuya, you fool, what the hell did you just say?!' I was more than startled. Senbonzakura never addressed me in that manner. I opened my eyes to look at her but could only glimpse her silky raven hair. I glanced down at my plate to find it bare of its contents. I was about to get up but a small voice pulled me right back.

"No." I looked at her to find her still burning holes through the wood with her glares. "I can not forget it. I want an answer, Kuchiki taichou. Why did you kiss me?"

I was not sure whether I was pleased by the omission of Nii-sama or hurt by the increased amount of formality between us. My eyes widened slightly at her demand. She had never behaved that way before. It landed a harsh blow to my pride. The edges of my mouth formed an even more straight line, that is if that was possible. "Rukia.", I warned.

"What?!" Her head jolted up. I could see right through the anger boiling in her eyes to all the emotions she was trying to conceal. She glared at me, apparently having forgotten her place and mine. "Am I not even allowed to express my anger over valid subjects in this household?" She stood up and looked inches away from drawing out her zanpakuto. "I refuse to be a toy for your pleasure, Kuchiki Byakuya. I don't care if you cast me out! I am not my sister! Be generous and remember that I am me and I can either be someone you want or someone you choose to leave behind. I am not an object for your temporary pleasure." With that, she turned and marched away, managing to leave me glaring behind her back, stunned into silence, twice within 24 hours.

I glared down at my guiltless plate. Was that how I had made it look? That was not how I had meant it to be. Terrible guilt smote me. Did I make her feel used? Or perhaps unwanted? I didn't know. I didn't want to know.

'Your knack for getting into deeper trouble than necessary never ceases to amaze me Byakuya.'

I had no answer for my zanpakuto. So I thought back the first thing I had in my mind.

'Under no circumstances do you get to call me a fool, Senbonzakura.'

Rukia's POV

I walked through the corridors to my room. I could not believe I had just spoken to Byakuya Nii-sama that way. But honestly speaking I was not the least bit guilty.

It was already hard to restrict all the pain and grief in an inaccessible abyss. He had just layered it with further hurt. What the hell did he mean by 'forget'? Earlier I had thought he kissed me because I reminded him of Hisana, but now I know. That wasn't the case. What had he tried to do? Was I just that, an object to direct his lust or sudden-desires-to-kiss to? I felt another pang hurt my chest. I knew I wasn't anything to him but this was just a bit too much. He just fucking made it clear to me that I was of no importance.

But I refused to be that. I refused to be a use and throw. A disposable. I no longer cared what he thought of me. I was going to abandon the quest to please him. I didn't freaking care anymore. I rested my head against the closed door behind me.

I did not care!

*TIME SKIP*

I tossed and turned on my futon trying desperately to get some sleep, which seemed like some distant possibility to me today. I groaned as I sat up. A calm breeze blew in from the half open gates. The smell of dew-damp leaves wafted up to me from the gardens. I looked at the gates in a trance.

Minutes later, I found myself standing under a cherry blossom tree. The soft undergrowth tickled my feet refreshing my senses. I took a deep breath allowing a small smile to leak through my perfectly practiced Kuchiki façade, reminding myself of the fact that I just didn't care anymore.

"Rukia." His deep voice held the calm before the storm. And it was the only thing that alerted me to the fact that I had strayed in his personal garden.

Yay we are another chapter down! And tomorrow is still update story no. 2 day so you might get a bonus incentive. But I have recently published a new story which I have no idea of what I am going to make of it so I might be updating that. Oh, don't worry your pretty little heads with that, dewdrops! I don't even know why I have typed this here but since I broke my backspace in a fit of inexplicable rage and frustration I can not erase that. Sorry! Thank you for giving this a try! I love you! Stay awesome!

MinaBlueGlass: Yes it is indeed a Rukia centric story. She is my favorite character after all! *fangirling* I am straight though XD. Anyways, I agree with you that the stuck up brother is a brother and does not seem to have any emotions for anybody (not just Rukia) in canon. Well I wholeheartedly support the bro-sis arc of those two as well. But this story began as an experiment to venture into the unknown emotional depths of pre-developed characters, so I could add the missing emotionality in my fantasy novel I am currently working on. So I am sorry if it offends you. I am not against incest and honestly, I just like ByaRuki dammit!