A/N: SO SHORT! It's like a drabble! But the next one will be longer again.

#gives cookies to EulaliaGal and Magickless Sorceress # That's right! You got the smarts.

Also, I have to say I know nothing about the court, neither the system nor the vocabulary. In case you do... pretend you don't. xD

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are all owned by Kubo Tite. I make no profit of writing this.

Rukia looked so small compared to all her surroundings sitting on the chair of the accused, her back straight and posture so elegant it rivaled her brother's. Her big, dark eyes stood out of her pale face even more than they normally did, even though they were downcast and held look of remorse and acceptance of her bitter fate.

Maybe she did accept the future, but Renji didn't. Seeing her usually fiery spirit so tamed and broken pissed him off immensely.

The tattooed red haired man stood out in the court hall as well. He tried to look as presentable as he could, but couldn't fade the punkish attitude and the feeling of stray dog he always wore. The jury, the judge and everyone else in the hall looked at him oddly and smiled a little, as if they believed someone would soon come to point out the hidden camera and everyone would laugh.

Let them mock him, Renji didn't care. He tugged at his suit and tie, feeling the clothes unfitting to his character. He tried his best to ignore the people, the fancy suit and all the things that could distract him from his mission.

His enemy and teacher, Kuchiki Byakuya who was currently the prosecutor in Rukia's case.

He couldn't be any more at home even in his own house. The suit, much more expensive than Renji's, was probably custom made for him. The calm air of properness that always surrounded him was underlined by every detail and object the court hall held..

Cool as it can be.

Renji wasn't a newbie either, even if he hadn't yet gotten used to the atmosphere. He had been taught by the best. If they thought he hadn't learned anything they got it wrong.

The judge signaled session to start. The fight was on.

I won't lose.

"You did a good job for a newbie, Abarai. But as it stands, not good enough."

It was over. Renji had lost, but somehow he wasn't too surprised about it. That made him all the angrier.

The session had ended. People were already leaving the court hall, only Byakya and Renji were left. The defeated red head was sitting on the audience's bench, looking tired and drained. Little farther away, Byakuya was looking him with emotionless, unreadable eyes.

"Do you realize what you have done, you dipshit?" Renji roared, his temperament getting the better of him. The anxious man shoot up from his bench and gripped the front of Byakuya's styled suit. "You have sent her to jail! An innocent woman, and your wife's sister! What will become of her now! Tell me that, you son of a bitch!"

The calm, emotionless surface of Byakuya's gaze momentarily shattered, revealing a glimpse of an agonized, tortured and lonely man.

"You have misunderstood, Abarai." The man stated calmly, recalling his composure quickly. "I no longer have wife." His hands grasped Renji's which were still firmly attached to his jacket and strictly guided them aside. The younger man was too puzzled by the statement and the look in the other's eyes to resist. "What do you mean?"

"The sister of the woman just sentenced to prison died three days ago", Byakuya stated coldly, the vulnerable lok in his eyes already gone. "Now, move out of my way, Abarai."

Unsure what else he could do, Renji stepped out of the way and let the pale man walk past him. Without thanking him or even looking at him, the man walked calmly towards the door, as if Renji had suddenly become invisible.

Only at the door he stopped, but still refused to look back. "There are rules, Abarai." he said tiredly. "Maintaining the authority of those rules is worth more than the happiness of a few selected individuals... or even their lives."

"That's bunch of bullshit. I started this job because I thought that those rules are for protecting people."

Byakuya laughed, but the sound of it was bitter. "You are in the wrong line of work then, Renji. Totally wrong." He said and finally left.

It took fifteen minutes for Renji to realise that Byakuya had first time in their working history addressed him with his given name. On the morning of the following day he went to their shared office and moved out his stuff. Byakuya was nowhere to be seen.

The next time they would see each other would be years and years later.