Chapter 5: Lost

They stared into each other's eyes for a brief second before Rukia suddenly shifted back, effectively blinding Renji with the sunrays flowing over her shoulder.

He clawed viciously at his eyes before he felt himself being tugged up by the hand. His eyes immediately snapped open, amazed at her strength. Renji stared at his childhood friend, taking in her appearance. She hadn't changed at all.

Still short stature, bright violet eyes, thin cheeks. Her hair had grown longer, he noted, watching in fascination as her black locks flowed gently in the soft wind. He shook his head when he realized he was close to ogling and saw the annoyed glare that she sent his way. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, opening his mouth to speak.

He was abruptly whisked away as Rukia tugged violently on his arm and began running.

"R-Rukia."

He heard her sigh exasperatedly. "Finally. I thought you didn't recognize me at first, me being covered in bandages in all." She let out a brief laugh and he reveled in it. "I almost didn't recognize you but no one could forget that hair color. Good thing I found you," she said, giggling as he narrowed his eyes.

She let out a frustrated sigh again. "Really, they should tone down on the bandages. That shinigami-san's crazy," she murmured. Her eyes widened confusedly as she was suddenly pulled violently to a stop and she staggered clumsily against Renji.

Now, he was gripping her wrist tight and he spun her around to look at him.

"Rukia!"

She narrowed her eyes irately. "What?" she snapped and tugged on his arm. "Hurry up, I-"

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, his gaze slowly turning horrified as he got over his joy that Rukia was back and took in her injured body. His brown eyes widened, assessing her injuries and they slowly narrowed into dangerous slits.

"Who did this to you?" he asked, his voice deadly calm.

She looked up at the sky and scratched her head with her free hand. "Eh…well, I met a shinigami," she said thoughtfully before she looked back at him. She was slightly taken aback by the murderous look on her friend's face.

She stared at him. "What?"

Renji forced himself to calm down and he tugged her closer to him. She fell against him clumsily and he saw her flinch as he pulled. His eyes widened in horror and he immediately let her wrist go in favor of taking her shoulders.

"You broke your wrist?!"

She snorted. "I didn't. The shinigami did." She looked up at him and flared up and poked his chest in annoyance. "You shinigami are rude. You-you the shinigami are violent! And unreasonable! Why…why I don't understand why you wanted to become like them, they are horrible people!" she shouted, letting out her annoyance and frustration. Rukia looked up at him with burning violet eyes and he pulled back a little at the intensity behind it.

"R-Rukia, that's not me."

She stayed silent for a beat. He stared down at her with sad brown eyes.

"I'm still me."

She stilled and returned his gaze and then hung her head. "Sorry," she mumbled.

He shrugged. "Eh, it's okay. It's understandable that you'd be…EH Rukia, you still haven't told me what happened! Why are you injured? How did you get here?" he asked, shaking her.

A vein twitched on her head and she sighed exasperatedly. "I was with some friends who tried to steal something from a shinigami." His eyes widened and he opened his mouth but she quickly went on. "He attacked us and I tried to fight back but he was way too strong. I don't know why, but here I am," she said shrugging.

Renji immediately put his hands back on her shoulders. "Tell me who he is. I'll kill him."

She promptly smacked him on the head, disregarding the pain in her arm.

"OWWW! Rukia what the hell was that for?"

"You can't kill him, look at you. You look like you've been tramp-"

He cut her off, embarrassed. "I'm fine, I just got into an accident."

She smacked him again and he rubbed pitifully at it, whining and looking at her with tears in his eyes. She seethed at him. "Will you shut up? I need your help!"

He quieted, staring at her. She stared intently into his eyes.

"That shinigami-san's not letting me go back to Inzuri."

Renji couldn't decide whether he should be happy or mad. "Why don't you- Hey!"

Rukia slapped his hand irritably. "I still haven't found the key yet," she said, frustrated.

Renji put his head in his palm. "Rukia…" he said tiredly. She was always going on and on about 'the key.' What the hell was the key? "Have you ever thought that the key might be here?"

She slapped him again. (OW! WHAT THE- RUKIA!) "Shush! People will hear us. Yes, I have but I need to go back to Inzuri!"

He frowned. "Why?"

"Because I lost the lock," she hissed.

Renji felt a vein surface on his head. "Rukia, what the hell are you talking about?"

Her hands itched to strangle him. "My lock! My necklace, remember? They one I've always had?"

He stared at her blankly until he felt a memory resurface.

"Hey…Renji?"

He turned back to look at her and she was staring at him with a foreign emotion in her eyes.

"Rukia?"

"Um…do you have the key?"

He stared at her with confusion. "What?"

She hesitated before pulling something out of her kimono. A silver chain was hung around her neck and dangling before his eyes was a beautiful locket in the shape of a lock. "Do you…have the matching key?"

He blushed and backed away. "N-no, why did you think I would?" he said, stuttering and laughing awkwardly, looking away. That was clearly a couple thing, wasn't it?

She stayed silent and he looked back at her, noticing a change in her expression. Her eyes were not as bright anymore. She sighed.

"Never mind."

He waited for a moment. "Hey, why don't you sell that thing? It would probably get us enough food for a week."

Her eyes flashed and he took a step back. "Or you could keep it…it's just I never knew you to want to keep jewelry around," he mumbled.

Her eyes softened. "This, is worth much more than a week of food," she said passionately. "If I have this, I can know who I am. It defines me," she explained.

Renji nodded, not really understanding. She sighed.

"How do you know your name, Renji?"

He scratched his head. "Well…my ma told me before she died," he said, shrugging. "Isn't that how you know?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what my name is. I just picked Rukia as my name."

"EH?"

She smiled sadly. "I didn't have a mother."

She had a faraway look in her eyes as she stared at the horizon. "This necklace was the only thing I had when I woke up alone."

"I've always wanted a family," she said wishfully.

He stayed silent for a moment and then spoke hesitantly. "Maybe it's better that way. You don't have to experience the pain of losing one," he said, his throat closing up.

She looked over to him with doubt on her face. He tried to comfort her, trying to explain to her the feeling of losing someone close to him.

"Just…just imagine if one of our friends died."

Her face immediately paled and took on a pained expression. He grimaced. "Yeah, that's the feeling."

They were quiet for a while.

"Besides…Rukia. You do have a family."

She stared at him.

"You have me."

Her eyes widened and he valiantly tried to hold back his blush.

"A-And the whole g-gang," he amended awkwardly.

She gave him a genuine smile. "Baka," she whispered.

"That's right. I have you."

His eyes widened. "You…lost it?" he said in a whisper. He couldn't help but notice the way her face fell when he said it. "Yeah," she said forlornly.

"He must have cut the chain when he cut me and it must have dropped somewhere on the street…" she suddenly grabbed on to Renji's robes and held on tightly. "I need to go back and find it," she said.

Renji stopped her. "Rukia, listen to me. Tell me who the shinigami was. We need to stay clear of his division, he might come looking for you."

Rukia looked up at him. "He told me his name was Byakuya."

Renji's eyes widened in horror. She had come across a captian? "Y-you…said Byakuya?"

She nodded.

"K-Kuchiki Byakuya?" he stuttered.

Her brows furrowed together, the name tugging at her mind. "Kuchiki? He told me my name is Kuchiki Rukia."

Renji's eyes narrowed. "Wait, he told you?"

She nodded. "He's very strange. I don't know why he brought me back here but he won't let me leave." She spoke her thoughts aloud. "How does he know my name?" she mused quietly while Renji only stared wide-eyed at her.

"Renji?" she asked worriedly when he did not speak.

He choked. "Rukia."

She stared at him, anxious. "Renji, what is it?"

Suddenly he stiffened. He took her wrist and pulled her roughly behind him. He felt his form tremble and his chest seize up. Renji swallowed thickly. Behind him, he felt Rukia stiffen also and start to shake.

This spirit force, the overwhelming reiatsu.

Renji did not even have time to comprehend what was happening when Byakuya suddenly appeared behind them. Rukia was about to turn around but Renji quickly dragged her behind him, swinging her around his larger form, shielding her from the 6th Captain.

He licked his dry lips and forced himself to speak.

"Kuchiki-taichou," he said, forcing the words out, his arms shaking.

"Renji," Rukia whispered, her grip on his arm tight. "You know him?"

Byakuya regarded them with a hint of annoyance. "Rukia, you have disobeyed my orders. Do you not care for the safety of your friends?" he asked, ignoring the boy. He was an inexperienced shinigami, he could tell by the burn marks on his body.

She stiffened as he called to her and she felt her anger flare. He had caught them?

"I've decided to let them go as I have found you now. As long as you don't try anything, they will be not be confronted, " he said blankly, his eyes boring into hers, answering her silent inquiry.

Rukia felt a chill run down her spine as she realized her friends were once again in danger. She cursed herself for not going with them as her desire to Renji had endangered them all. Her eyes narrowed in distress and she felt Renji's arms reach behind him to squeeze her hand comfortingly.

Byakuya couldn't help but notice the gesture.

"I'm sorry I cannot fulfill your request, shinigami-san, but I need to return to Inzuri. Will you please let me and my friends go?" she asked as humbly as she could.

"You may not leave."

She bristled in anger and she was about to retort when Renji spoke up.

"Kuchiki-taichou, what business do you have with Rukia? She's already apologized from trying to steal from you but she was only trying to make a living," Renji spoke, speaking through his fear.

Byakuya's eyes shifted to regard the boy and Renji could clearly see the disdain written on his face.

Before either one of them could react, Renji was ripped away from Rukia and thrown several feet away.

"Renji!" Rukia shouted, running towards him.

Byakuya stepped quietly in her way, blocking her. She pushed blindly at him in her rush to reach Renji. He would have stopped her but oddly, some of her reiatsu had flowed out of her into him. He stiffened as she stepped around him and ran to Renji.

There was a dark hint to the reiatsu and his eyes narrowed. But…the feeling was somehow familiar.

He turned to see Rukia help Renji stand up. The boy brushed off Rukia's fluttering hands and stepped in front of her, blocking Byakuya's view of her. This irked the captain somewhat and he raised his hand.

Renji tensed, fearing that the Captain would use kido.

As it happened, that was not the case as the man disappeared from their view and appeared at their side in the next instant.

Damn, he's fast.

Renji turned around, his eyes wide in fear for Rukia but he found his arms being twisted painfully behind him with Rukia several feet away.

Her violet eyes were wide as she stared in horror at him.

"Renji!" she called, frightened, her hand outstretched towards them.

Renji struggled desperately in the tight grip of the 6th taichou. "K-Kuchiki-taichou, please stop what you are doing! Don't hurt her!"

Byakuya merely glanced down at him but the look in his eyes was dangerous. "It was never my intent to hurt her," he said calmly.

Renji stilled, confused.

Byakuya regarded the small girl carefully. She had surprised him again, blatantly disobeying his orders and running around Seretei with injuries that were still not treated. Did she not understand how dangerous it was?

What if she had run into the 11th division?

More surprising was she seemed to know one of the shinigami, namely the redhead in his grip right now. He concluded that this shinigami must have also come from the same area in Rukongai as Rukia, therefore were acquaintances.

However, as Byakuya took in the wide set of Rukia's violet eyes and the fear that shone in them, not for herself, but for the boy, he knew that they were more than that.

Perhaps old friends?

He decided to test his claim.

Swiftly, he unsheathed his blade and set it carefully on the boy's neck. He watched in subdued interest as the girl's eyes widened even further. Fleetingly, he wondered how such a small face could contain such big eyes. It was the same for Hisana, he realized.

"Stop!" she cried.

Renji struggled again but stopped as the blade pressed deeper, a thin drop of blood escaping his skin.

Rukia's fists clenched in helpless anger and she glared furiously at Byakuya.

"Why are you doing this? I want you to tell me now!"

"If you value your friend's life you will not question me and return to the 4th division. I only have the state of your health in mind," he stated calmly.

She spoke through her teeth, powerless to do anything. "Let him go!"

The blade only pressed in deeper and Renji visibly winced.

Rukia felt fear for Renji consume her and she started shaking, her eyes clenched shut. Soon, her fear changed to anger and her anger overflowed, her reiatsu bursting out as the consequence.

Byakuya frowned as he started to feel waves of reiatsu leak through her small body. If he concentrated, he saw that the waves were dark violet, almost bordering black. His eyes narrowed.

The pattern of her reiatsu was strange. His eyes narrowed.

The tinge, the color…the feeling. He remembered the burst of reiatsu that she had unconsciously thrust into him.

It was almost like a Hollow's, yet he reasoned, it could not be.

It was too familiar.

Renji's eyes widened, seeing Rukia's tiny body shake in anger as waves of her reiatsu lapped around her. They were dark.

Rukia shook her head as images suddenly assaulted her.

A dark haired woman in a white kimono. It faded slowly and Rukia's fists clenched violently.

Wait…

Rukia opened her eyes and glared vehemently at Byakuya. She felt a new feeling course through her, exhilaration, excitement, and a rush of something she couldn't describe. She felt lighter as she stared at the shinigami. The anger was still there but her fear had left. She felt oddly drawn to the man and she stared at him.

Byakuya's eyes widened.

The violet had lightened. The colors of her eyes had changed just the slightest, but he noticed.

How could he not?

Those were Hisana's eyes.

-

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He wasn't Romeo, she wasn't Juliet. It was a tragic love story, nonetheless.