Starry Night

Realization

Rukia was quick to jump up, her hand instantly jetting to the hilt of Sode no Shirayuki, ready to pull it out at any given time. Her face was calm, but her eyes glared daggers toward the small girl.

Hitsugaya was to his feet as well, but he immediately glanced back to Rukia, shaking his head. "No, Kuchiki," he remarked sternly and then turned back to Momo. "Momo, what are you doing?"

Momo's nose wrinkled up in distaste at how Hitsugaya had positioned himself between herself and Rukia. Was he protecting her, or just trying to prevent the fight? She hoped only the latter was the reason. "Stand aside, Shiro!" she bit out, pointing her sword in his direction threateningly.

Rukia hadn't released her grip on her sheathed zanpakuto, even though Hitsugaya had meant for her to. She couldn't let her guard down when Momo so carelessly let her reiatsu flare wildly, like she was about to strike. And she knew she was.

Hitsugaya took a steady step forward, and then slowly took another one.

"Stay back. I don't want to strike you," Momo told him darkly. Her eyes glanced to Rukia. Using shunpo, she caught Hitsugaya off guard and disappeared. She appeared behind Rukia and sliced her blade through the air with intensity toward the other girl's back.

Rukia's eyes had shifted to the side at the sudden vanishing of Momo. Withdrawing Shirayuki, her body twirled around and blocked the oncoming attack. "Damn it, stop this!" Rukia spat, still using her blade to fend off Momo's. The clanking of metal was loud and somewhat satisfying in Momo's ears.

Hitsugaya was in a quandary, to say the least. Even though he was currently angry at Momo, he still cared about her. And he'd never draw his sword against Momo. He had promised he would never hurt her, like he had when he came to save her from fighting Gin. But he couldn't let Rukia fight by herself. The thought unintentionally entered his mind: who would win? Who would win, given he did let them continue? The thought was absurd, and he was about to stop the fight, but anyone would wonder such a thing, right? "Momo, stop!" he barked harshly. It wouldn't be long before people came out from their barracks, wondering who would be sparring at a time like this.

"No! I will kill her! Snap, Tobiume!" she yelled viciously.

Rukia's eyes widened slightly as she realized that Momo truly intended to kill her. They then narrowed. As Tobiume transformed, a blast of energy came from the blade's tip, toward her. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki," she murmured, watching as the energy ball hurled toward her. She was about to ice the bitch until someone pushed her out of the way.

Hitsugaya had wrapped his arm around Rukia's waist and swung her from the ball's path, and then swiftly appeared behind Momo as a crashing sound erupted from her attack hitting the wall. Finally, people started arriving on the scene, wondering what was going on. He gripped Momo's wrist and spun her around, his icy glare penetrating hers. "Arrest these two," he muttered to the approaching Soul Reapers, meanwhile never taking his gaze off of Momo.

Tears formed in the 5th Division lieutenant's eyes at how Hitsugaya could look at her so coldly...like he didn't care. She glanced over to Rukia hatefully as two Shinigami towed her away.

Rukia stood up and sheathed her zanpakuto. She didn't think it was very fair that she had to be put in jail, too. She was just defending herself for goodness sake. Sighing, she nodded as Renji Abarai pushed past the others, wanting to be the one to take her to her cell. What a fun trip that would be. She rolled her eyes at the thought.

Hitsugaya's eyes shifted from Momo's fading form to Rukia's. Without so much as another word, he sat back down on the roof. It was nights like these he was glad he could sit under the sky and think.

Did she truly intend to kill her?

He knew he owed Rukia yet another apology, but decided against it. Apologizing wasn't his strong point, but maybe he should visit her. What good would that do? Visiting her would not be good, because really, what would they say? He was fairly sure she'd be upset about being hauled off to jail for only defending herself, and he...well he wasn't a very big talker. But strangely enough, he wanted to see her. I'll go there to release her, he mused. After all, he knew for a fact she would only be kept there for a day or so.

It was protocol to arrest all participants in an unauthorized battle, even if one of the shinigami engaging in the fight was only protecting him or herself. This was mostly because said person would probably be angry and might irrationally want to strike back. So, they would be locked up in semi-isolation to allow time for their logical thinking to return.

The thought again entered his mind. Kuchiki Rukia versus Hinamori Momo. Why was he dwelling on such a thing? This was ridiculous! It was childish and very immature to imagine such things. But still, he contemplated. Maybe his comparisons of the two went further than merely determining who was the better fighter. He quickly shook that thought.

Rukia - She was known for her mastery of kido. Her zanpakuto was remarked as the most beautiful out of every shinigami's. Its element was ice, much like his. She, coming from a noble house, had her mental strength and ability to control emotions.

Momo - She was also known for her mastery at kido. She was a very timid, cheerful girl. He had known her for a long time. She was very--wait, he had strayed off topic.

This is ridiculous. It's as if I'm turning it into a 'who's better?' contest. But, who was better? He mentally slapped himself.

He knew nothing of Rukia, but after weighing hers and Momo's abilities, he concurred that Rukia would've won. Hands down.

"What the hell do you think you were doing, Rukia?!" Renji snapped, holding onto her arm tightly as he escorted her to a jail cell.

"You don't have to restrain me, Renji, it's not like I'd run away." She was thoroughly annoyed by the fact he seemed not to trust her to stay put.

"You know I can't release you until we're there. Now answer my question."

Rukia sighed dejectedly and closed her eyes as they walked. "She attacked me first. I was only defending myself. Geez! Did you think I'd attack her without a reason! Honestly, Renji, sometimes it's like you don't even know me!" And she hadn't even actually attacked her.

"Releasing your shikai wasn't necessary. You could've easily dodged her attack. Captain Hitsugaya was there, he wouldn't have let you get injured. You could've just waited for some other officers to arrive, but no, you just had to fight back. And I saw it in your eyes, too! You were about to use full force!"

"Listen to yourself, Renji. He wasn't about to do anything, so I was." However, she contradicted her words with her thoughts. Hitsugaya did save me, even if I didn't need it. But she knew he wouldn't have struck Momo, and therefore she was on her own.

It didn't take long before they reached the cells. Renji led her to hers and then locked it up. "I'll be back tomorrow to check up on you. They'll probably release you by then, anyway." He paused. "I'll tell Ichigo what happened."

"No!" she yelled with wide eyes.

"Look, they're gonna find out regardless. Better from me than someone else."

"What do you mean by they?" Rukia's expression was wary, and she eyed him curiously.

"Captain Kuchiki, Ichigo, and Captain Ukitake. They'll find out soon, and you should expect a visit from them." With that, he left her to ponder her own thoughts by herself.

This is stupid.

Meanwhile, Momo was lead to her cell. She hadn't realized it was Izuru who was escorting her (the other shinigami had left after Izuru informed him he had it under control). "What was going through your head, Momo?" he asked seriously. His voice was soft yet stern, and he wasn't admonishing her until he got the truth. He had learned from past experience that sometimes people had a right to strike. Namely Momo on his former captain.

"She's taking Lil' Shiro away." Her voice was soft and tired as he dragged her into her cell.

"How so?"

"I don't know anymore. Izuru, will you do me a favor?" she asked, looking up to him hopefully. When she saw him nod, she continued. "I want you to visit Rukia and talk to her. Find out how she feels about Hitsugaya. Please, just do this for me, and tell me the truth when you get an answer from her."

It was morning, and the first one to visit Rukia was Byakuya. Through his usual scrutiny, anger was prevalent. "Explain yourself." He had almost decided not to pay her a visit, and thought that she deserved his cold shoulder, but he knew that was impossible. He couldn't do that to Hisana's sister.

"I was defending myself." She grew tired of this explanation, and her voice showed it clearly. Her eyes were as dull as her brother's and she looked eternally bored.

"On what grounds." Maybe he hadn't heard the full story.

"She attacked me without warning." Well, the fact she even had her zanpakuto unsheathed should've been warning enough, but it wasn't.

"Unacceptable."

Rukia was confused. Was Momo's actions unacceptable, or her own?

"I will discuss this with..." He paused. Even though he had voted for it, he couldn't help but mentally cringe at what he was about to say. "Captain Kurosaki."

A breath released itself from her lungs that she hadn't realized she was holding in. Without any further words, Byakuya left to attend to business.

The next was Ichigo. Of course, he was mad. He was confused, and he was also worried. He'd have to visit two people in jail today--this wasn't something he had been looking forward to. "How you doin'?" Contrary to Byakuya, he had heard the full story.

"As good as I can be in this solitary box," she replied sarcastically.

He smirked slightly. "So you think ya would've beat her?"

Rukia returned his grin, but refrained from answering. "How is she? Have you visited her yet?"

"No. That's my next stop. Wanted to check up on you here, first."

Casual conversation continued, and when Ichigo was positive that Rukia'd be fine for the day, he left to go see Momo.

It was safe to say he was infuriated when he entered her prison ward. "Just what the hell was this about, eh?"

Momo looked up to the orange-haired boy with teary eyes. "I just don't...want to lose him." When she received a questioning glare, she continued. "Rukia...and Hitsugaya..." Even she--now--could admit she was paranoid. Why didn't she act like this about Matsumoto? Hell, Matsumoto probably was a bigger threat than Rukia.

"I'm not saying this to you as a shinigami, I'm saying it as someone who cares about Rukia." A pause filled the air. "If you go after her again, you'll have more than just a lecture from me to deal with. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." And the admiration continued. No matter how angry he was at her now, she still looked up to her Aizen replacement.

"Captain, you should be resting," Rukia stressed when she heard his hoarse coughs.

Ukitake waved her off. "Are you sure you'll be alright in here tonight?" He didn't know why he was asking this; she'd spent a much longer time in a cell before. A day or two wouldn't kill her.

"Yes, I'll be fine." She really wished he'd get some rest. The sickly pale color of his skin worried her.

With a few more casual conversational words, Ukitake took her advice and left.

Renji had followed through with his promise and popped into Rukia's cell for a brief few seconds, and then left.

It had then turned into night, and Rukia sighed at the sight of the moon. Renji had told her they couldn't release her until the next night, so she'd have to deal with it for one more day. This was fine, she guessed. She'd been through worse.

She stared through the single window which had bars blocking part of the view. It was a beautiful night out, and she wished she could be sitting on her usual spot, enjoying it there instead of from a prison cell. Her eyes shifted to the side at the sound of a door opening. Her eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of Hitsugaya. "What do you want?"

The 10th Division's Captain walked toward her cell and stood in front of it, staring in at her. "That is no way to speak to your superior."

Rukia's eyes rolled. "Did you come here just to annoy me?"

Letting out a defeated sigh, he shook his head. "No." Pulling a chair from the corner of the room, he sat down and stared through the bars. "How are you doing?"

Everyone seemed to ask her this. "Fine." She mentally laughed at the thought of the emotionless captain trying to make small talk. "How is she?"

"I haven't seen her." Something in his voice told her he wasn't going to, either. His stare never left her, and his thoughts ran wild.

"What?" Rukia started feeling uneasy under his gaze. His eyes looked like they held anger, anger toward her. "You're...mad at me, aren't you?" When she saw his eyes avert away, she jumped up from her chair and gripped the vertical bars. "Who the hell do you think you are?! I've done nothing wrong!" she seethed.

Hitsugaya, too, jumped up. "I know that!" he whispered harshly through clenched teeth. "But you're just..."

"Just. What." Her voice held a deadly tone.

"You've messed everything up." He paused, choosing his next words carefully. "Momo was finally adjusting and getting back to normal, and you...you..."

"And that's my fault?! I haven't done anything to the bitch!"

"Hold your tongue, Kuchiki!" he yelled, reminding her of when he visited her at her office.

"Leave."

"No."

Rukia's eyes narrowed vindictively. Twisting abruptly around, she sat back down in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest, and looking away.

This had not gone as Hitsugaya planned. "I'm not mad at you," he said, finally breaking the silence. "I'm angry at myself." Surprise surged through him as realization of what he was saying and who he was saying it to set in. He was spilling his innermost thoughts to a girl he barely knew, but at the same time knew inside out. He felt...a draw, a magnetic pull to her, and knew he had to stop the foolish addiction to being close to her. He became silent again, and Rukia still remained giving him the cold shoulder.

He stared off into space, thinking back on every night for the past few months. He knew nothing of Rukia Kuchiki, but all the same, no one knew her better than he. He never admitted to himself that the reason he finished his work early was to be able to sit under the stars. By her. With her. His eyes quickly shifted to her motionless form, and without a word, he left. God, had he actually allowed her to become a friend? The thought of a social life was somewhat frightening, and he knew he had to stop this. It was unhealthy to be able to tell your feelings to someone. He could talk to her without forcing--much--thought on it. Hitsugaya did not have friends. He had subordinates, co-workers, partners...but certainly nothing else. And he was sure that, if there was anything other than that, it was the relationship he held with Momo. His childhood friend, who he had vowed to watch over.

And now, Rukia. What was she? He couldn't possibly consider her a...companion. His brows furrowed in agitation. This was positively and absolutely ridiculous. Rukia Kuchiki was a subordinate, and that's all she was. There was no friend. She did not make him mentally smile at how easily she got mad, she did not make him want to tell her that he was impressed on how she carried herself. And he most certainly did not want to tell her that she was probably the most tolerable person to be around that he'd ever met.

Rukia heard footsteps a few minutes later and sighed through her frustration. "What do you want now, Hitsugaya?" she snapped and turned around. She instantly recoiled and widened her eyes. "Lieutenant Izuru..." This was...shocking? Yes, shocking.

"Hello," he greeted warmly. He still couldn't believe he was doing this. But he owed Momo and still felt guilty about attacking her the day they found Aizen's "body." So now, he was making it up to her. He sat down in the chair and stared in at her awkwardly.

"So...it's nice to see you?" Why the hell was he visiting her? She didn't know him like that. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that they had a mutual friend (Renji), then she would hardly ever see him at all.

And then something clicked. He's Momo's friend. Maybe he was apologizing on her behalf? By how nervous he looked, she assumed as much. "What can I do for you, lieutenant?"

He raised his hands in front of him. "Please, just Izuru." When he saw her nod, he pondered on how to go about this. "So, I heard about the incident."

Rukia's eyes rolled. That's what everyone called it. The Incident. It had its own name by now.

Izuru Kira saw the nerve that struck and decided to approach her differently. "I guess you're wondering why I'm here." He smiled slightly. "Well, I guess," he scratched the back of his head, "I just wanted to get to know you better. I don't have any work for tonight and tomorrow--"

Rukia couldn't help but find that to be a lie. With no captain, he was sure to have butt loads.

"So I hope you don't mind if I spend my time in here for most of the day. You're going to be released at 5 in the evening tomorrow, so I thought you'd like some company."

Rukia listened to him ramble on...and on...and on. "Sure," she forced and scanned his expression.

"So how's life?" he asked causally.

"Well, apart from having an angry Momo trying to kill me, my two best friends trying to lead my life, and rumors spreading throughout the Sereitei about me and the Captain of the 10th Division...good," she replied jokingly.

"Ah, I heard about that. Some people believe it's true, but most of us just think it's the most far fetched thing we've ever heard," he laughed. When he realized that sounded like a minor insult, his eyes widened. "Oh, no! Not that you aren't capable of being with someone...just that, well, Captain Hitsugaya...he's not the most emotionally inclined person."

Rukia laughed, whole-heartedly this time, and nodded her head in agreement. "He definitely is a cold bastard!" she yelled to the ceiling, hoping he could hear her if he was nearby.

Izuru looked toward her warifly. "Yeah..." There was no denying how strongly she hated Hitsugaya, but he couldn't help but notice she reminded him of an angry wife that caught her husband staring at another woman. His head shook that thought. Maybe...Momo wasn't so crazy after all.

A/N: I hated writing this chapter for some reason. It didn't turn out how I wanted at all...but it's better than nothing. And, it did have a bit of a relationship development on Hitsugaya's part...now to brainwash them both so they can fall in love :D

Once again, a huge thanks to Saint Sky, mah taicho, for being my lovely beta. She's the best and never misses a thing. Oh, and she also pointed out that Rukia might be coming across as somewhat bitchy, so I'll have to do something to fix that.

And a huge sorry note to all the Momo-haters, but she will not remain the evil, vindictive villain throughout the story. She'll be brought back into character once Hitsugaya and Rukia get closer.

Thanks in advance to those who read and review (: -Ami