Rebirth: A Tale of Two Souls

4: Fears and Hesitancy

Since you own your life, you are responsible for your life. You do not rent your life from others who demand your obedience. Nor are you a slave to others who demand your sacrifice. You choose your own goals based on your own values. Success and failure are both the necessary incentives to learn and to grow. Your action on behalf of others, or their action on behalf of you, is only virtuous when it is derived from voluntary, mutual consent. For virtue can only exist when there is free choice.

-Ken Schoolland

"What do you mean?" Rukia blinked in shock at the man bowing in front of her. The news he'd brought almost too shocking for the woman to bear.

Blood was caked into the left side of her head, sticking her hair to it and her uniform was dirty and dusty from the near constant battles of the last four days. It seemed that the tides were finally being turned but this was enough to make her sit back down on the ground.

"There has to be some sort of mistake." Ishida piped up, he'd ended up near the soul reaver that seemed to often join his high school class early in the battles and just happened to be by her when the news was delivered. "I'm not completely familiar with him but I doubt it'd be that easy."

"My deepest apologies." The messager said without looking up. "It came to a shock to all of us but no search of the area can find him. It is believed that Lord Kuchiki Byakuya has fallen in battle. You are ordered hereby to return from the field and begin preparations for his funeral. Lieutenant Abarai Renji has already been pulled from battle and is in soul society to speak to the members of the sixth squadron."

"I…" She glanced toward the battlefield, they had so few members left that could battle well that losing her would be dangerous for everyone involved. If they lost Renji as well it could be the difference of the life and death of her friends and co-workers. "I won't return right now. There is a war that needs to be finished before we can begin to mourn for those that were causalities."

She didn't believe it. Her brother couldn't have been killed by that demon. She had only seen a few moments of his battle with the impish ex-captain Gin Ichimaru but she knew that even her brother would be stressed by such a battle. He couldn't be dead though.

"You are ordered to return Kuchiki-san." The man repeated, hesitating as to how to proceed with her refusal.

"Get out of her, she said no." Ishida snapped at the man. "Give her what she wants."

He wasn't one to help a soul reaper but at the moment Rukia wasn't a soul reaper. She was just a girl, a destroyed little sister that just lost her older brother, he would be less of a man if he failed to defend her at that moment.

The message bringer glanced toward the Quincy, Ishida's arm alight with the bow that was an extension of his spiritual power. He then nodded a little. "I will return your message that you wish to remain in the battle for now."

Then the man disappeared and left the two in an awkward silence.

"I…Are you all right?" Ishida asked uncomfortably, he didn't know what he could do.

"He's not dead." Rukia replied, denial had never been something he would expect from her but in the circumstances it had to be for the best. "He said they hadn't found a body, he isn't dead then. They just can't find him."

"I can try to search for him if you want…I've felt his energy enough that I should be able to sort through the ones fighting to find him." Ishida offered, he was at a loss as to how else he could offer the girl aid. "They expected one less to be in this battle anyway."

"You wanted to save Orihime anyway didn't you?" Rukia replied, blinking at him in her own surprise at his offer. She didn't know the Quincy at all really, other than the times she'd seen him in battle or the few times he'd shown his extraordinary senses…it was amazing that he would offer such a thing.

His face grew more tight at that comment. "She doesn't want me to be the one to save her. I think that Ichigo will manage without me perfectly fine. I will do what I can to find your brother, don't get distracted and get killed."

"You don't know who you are talking to." She returned hauntily, the strange emotional moment between them fading as she joked around. "Good luck Ishida."

He nodded toward her and headed off on his own search, speeding across the false streets of the mirror version of Karakura town.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

He didn't remember when he'd fallen asleep, though cursed his discipline as the end of the loud rumble echoed through the sky. It was still dark so he couldn't have been unconscious for too long a period, the girl was still slumbering against him but she must have woken at some point and readjusted them. She'd placed the blanket she'd brought for him over him and then had turned over to the other side, her face near his flat stomach as opposed to facing away from it.

He could feel her warm breath and could tell that her fever had dropped considerably from before just by the heat her head was generating through his pants to his hip. Silky black hair scattered across his lap, seeming to softly reflect the light from the streetlights outside.

Whatever light had been on in the room where they were was gone now, replaced only by the silver-ish left over light from beyond the windows. The rain was still pouring heavily outside and the sounds of thunder with the flashes of light was a sign that the storm was far from over.

She was so much more innocent than he ever would expect from a woman in her position of work, strong of personality than he would expect from anyone that would sell themselves. If it were conceivable for a member of the nobility to take such a consort she was someone that…

He paused then and frowned, stopping himself. This girl had made him rethink his whole belief of such women so much that what? If he would ever lay with one she would be acceptable?

He was disgusted with himself for even considering such a possibility…the work of a whore would never be compatible with high society and shouldn't be accepted within society at all. She was gifted enough that perhaps he could convince her to take on another way of life. That would be a good return for her saving his life would it not? Making hers a better place in which to live.

More thunder rumbled and flashes of light illuminated the home and the face of the woman resting so peaceably on his lap.

"This isn't a befitting position." He reminded himself as he stared at her. He didn't want to wake her but it was too thin of an excuse to get him to stay when his noble bearing was at risk. He instead moved her head very gently as he slipped from under her, settling one of the pillows on her couch under her head instead. "I've overstayed my welcome in this world. Feelings that aren't mine are starting to creep into me."

Becoming attached to people in the mortal realm was frowned upon because of the problems it tended to cause. Staying too long many soul reapers would grow attached to the beauty of the realm that as surreal as soul society was couldn't measure up to. He knew better than to allow such a thing to continue and went off in search of his clothing…the thought of teaching her not forgotten but pressing on him all the more reason that he needed to leave.

Though, the fact that he couldn't find his clothing was troublesome. If she was drying them why weren't they hung somewhere in the area she kept wandering off toward? He didn't want to delve into the various shelves and boxes within her home, it would be rude of him to search through her things. With a flash of lightning however he noted his insignia inside one of the larger metal boxes with a window. He went over and pulled them out of the dryer, surprised a little by the fact that they were warm to the touch. The real world did have wonders they'd developed in the ages sense he'd visited for more than a few hours on a mission.

He returned to the odd automobile worship room (Souta's room) and changed again, leaving the clothing folded on the bed within as he headed back toward where his savior was sleeping soundly on the couch, hugging the blanket that had been covering him until minutes before.

For a split second he felt he urge to apologize for leaving as such…

He pushed that away, he would find a way to repay her without having to interfere in her life. It was below him to continue such contact with a common woman; more or less one in her seedy profession. He pulled the kensaiken from his hair, the bangs falling into his eyes more but he ignored it, settling them on the table…it was a fitting gesture for the life she'd renewed in him.

Then he turned and left her to her dreams as he opened the door and it closed again, figuring he was leaving the woman behind forever as the rain started to soak through the kimono that had so recently been dried.

To be continued…

Okay, I know people want longer chapters but I end my chapters where I feel they should end. This was a good place as far as I was concerned. I think it's funny that he still has the misconception that Kagome is a whore 4 chapters into the fiction. I'm not sure where I'll fix that but it's become something that makes me giggle when I write it. I hope people don't think I'm playing Byakuya too out of character as he is very conflicted about all the actions he takes and rarely speaks or shows just all the thoughts going through that complicated mind of his. Reviews definitely are an inspiration for me to continue…they're a way for me to know that people are reading the words I put together.

-Aura

P.S. Thanks for the reviews I've gotten thus far, I'm honestly shocked to have nearly 30 after three chapters. I'm blushing on my end. As far as any oocness on Kagome's end I apologize but it is because of her feverish issue. In the future; after she gets better, she'll be back to Kagome. Next chapter there will be some Byakuya battle goodness.