Summary
One of Captain Ukitake's siblings just so happens to recognize Kagome...
A/N: This idea hit me suddenly, and I had to do it! It's so perfect! I hope you enjoy this little moment!
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"Are you sure it's okay for me to come with you to your Captain's home? I mean, I don't want to intrude," Kagome insisted, withering slightly when Rukia sent her a look. Byakuya almost snorted, but reigned himself in. Just barely. Honestly, his subordinate always thought that she was interferring. It almost seemed like it was some kind of complex.
"Of course it's all right! Captain Ukitake even asked if you could come with me! He likes you!" the noble elaborated, noting that her brother had bristled up in annoyance and scrambling to correct herself, "He thinks your nice, and he wants to thank you for helping get rid of so much of his tuberculosis!"
"Well... that was kind of a fluke," the priestess admitted, scratching the back of her head sheepishly and biting her lip.
"Still, you aren't getting out of this!" the other girl harrumphed, taking the priestess's hand and dragging her along some more.
'That's fine and all, but how come Captain Kuchiki has to come with?' Kagome thought, glancing at her leader before giving a mental shrug. She had no idea as to why, and she honestly wasn't about to ask. He was a grown man and allowed to go where he pleased. If that just so happened to be the same place as her, well, who was she to say no? She did not, however, decide to get her hopes up and think that he was going for her. Suppressing a flush, the former time traveler chit-chatted back and forth with Rukia about nothing in particular. The pretty weather recently. The cherry trees at the Kuchiki manor getting ready to bloom. The fact that it was nice to not have to deal with Miroku's perversions every once in a while.
"We're having a get together at the Kuchiki manor when the cherry trees bloom, actually," Rukia stated offhandedly, waving her hand elegantly at the confused look on Kagome's face, "You and your friends are welcome to come. It's honestly an open invitation for all of the squads as long as they don't trample the grounds down completely."
"Oh wow! Really? I bet it would be beautiful!" the priestess sighed, staring up at the sky as she remembered how the scenary had looked in the Feudal Era in the spring time.
"You should come!" the noblewoman pressed, grinning when Kagome gave her a bright smile and nodded rapidly. A little later, the trio was through the Ukitake family's gate and knocking at the front door. One of the maids smiled brightly at Rukia and bowed politely to them as she ushered them in to one of the sitting rooms.
Kagome took in the walls and simple decor with a sense of peace. It was nice here. The atmosphere was calming. She pinpointed Ukitake's aura long before she saw the man, the vibrancy of it proving to her that he seemed to be having a good day. There was another aura that stuck out around him as well, this one full of energy and vitality. It was almost enough to make her smile because it reminded her of someone that she had known.
The door slid open and Ukitake himself gave them all a genial smile, though inwardly he was a little surprised that Byakuya was there. 'Then again, it seems where Kagome-san is concerned, I should learn to expect the unexpected.'
"Welcome. I trust everyone is faring well today?" the white-haired Captain asked, taking a seat and nodding at his fellow Captain.
"Yes, thank you, Captain. I see you're having a good day today," Rukia replied, bowing politely to her superior. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Kagome mimicking her movements.
"Yes. It helps that it is such a nice day out too. My siblings will be glad to get out of the house a little and enjoy it," Ukitake answered.
"You have siblings?" Kagome asked suddenly, a sparkle entering her blue eyes, "How many? What are they like?"
"I have five brothers and two sisters, and I am the eldest. They all have such a wide range of personalities, I wouldn't even know where to begin," he replied, smiling at the thought of his family. Kagome whistled lowly, impressed by the fact that the Captain was still so well-composed. She could remember times when she wanted to pull her hair out because Souta was being such a brat. And then there were times when the boy would have an insightful moment so profound, she had to wonder if he was really as young as he was.
"I bet, if they're anything like you, Captain Ukitake, they're good kids," the priestess countered, wishing fiercely to see her own brother. She missed him so much!
"Jushro-nii!" The door rattled and slammed open all of a sudden, admitting a little bundle of green and brown that attached to the sickly Captain. "Akane-nee is being mean again! She won't take me to the market like she said she would yesterday!" The bundle turned out to be a little girl with long brown hair wearing a green yukata with a yellow obi.
"Ah! Here's one of them now. This is my youngest sister and sibling, Rin." Ukitake turned the little girl to face the others. "Rin, we have guests. You remember Rukia-san, right?" The child nodded and waved happily to the noblewoman. Said noble waved back and couldn't keep the smile from her face. "And this is Byakuya, Rukia's older brother, and Kagome-san. She's a friend of Rukia's." By the time he'd finished, the girl was watching Kagome very carefully and wondering if it was the same Kagome...
'Ohh, it can't be...' Kagome thought, a haunted feeling coming over her. It just wasn't possible! But those huge brown eyes were oh-so-familiar to the priestess. She took in a breath and let it out slowly.
"I... Umm..."
"... Kagome-nee-sama?"
The former time traveler spluttered, face red as she knelt down by the girl. The other adults watched with growing curiosity as Ukitake's youngest sister suddenly screamed happily and threw herself at the older shinigami, almost successfully knockin them to the floor. "It is you! Rin knew it! Rin could tell it was Kagome-nee-sama the moment I walked in the door!"
"Rin! Don't-!" the white-haired Captain started, but was cut off when the priestess gazed down at the brown-haired girl in shock.
"Rin... chan? Sesshomaru's Rin-chan?"
"Yes! Sesshomaru-sama's Rin!"
It shocked them all when the older girl gave a huge sniffle and held the child tightly. Rin patted the girl on the back as consolingly as a ten year old could manage, hugging the other girl in her time of need. "I'm so sorry... I couldn't save you then... I'm sorry, Rin-chan. I'm sorry..."
"Kagome-nee... I'm not mad at you. You did everything you could. Rin watched you try to bring her back... but it was Rin's time to go. I'm not mad," the doe-eyed child consoled the priestess as she leaned back to wipe the almost tears away from those enormous sorrowful blue eyes, "So don't cry for Rin, okay? I have Jushiro-nii now! He's the best big brother ever!" Kagome let a laugh gurgle out as she wiped at her eyes. This was the closest she'd come to bawling her eyes out since coming to the Soul Society.
"I'm sure he is, Rin-chan." Smiling happily, the little girl bopped the older girl on the nose suddenly. It startled her enough to make her stop the waterworks.
"No crying, okay Kagome-nee?"
".. Okay. I'm sorry. I just... got really emotional," Kagome murmued, a small smile making her features glow as she mussed up the girl's hair. "Hey, now that I know where you are, I can come see you more often!"
"Oh, yes please! Rin would love that! Is it okay, Jushiro-nii?" She turned to the other adults, all of whom seemed to be in various states of shock. Byakuya was the most unreadable, but his mind was whirling on other possibilities. Rin had addressed Kagome with a high amount of respect. It was the same as when Miroku had done it. Glancing at his sister, he watched as she caught his eye and nod just slightly. She'd noticed it too.
"Y-Yes! Of course, Rin," Ukitake nodded, recovering from his shock admirably and giving his younger sibling an indulgent smile.
Something was up. He was sure that it would have to do with this seal business as well. And he was going to figure it out!
For the rest of the visit, Rin was attached to Kagome's hip, giggling and getting the shinigami's opinion on everything. The Kuchiki nobles weren't the least bit surprised at how easily the priestess took care of the child, doting and coaxing her to do other things.
'She'll make a good mother,' Rukia thought with an internal sigh, glancing at her older sibling and suppressing a smile. He seemed to be thinking along the same lines if the way his gaze would occasionally flicker to his subordinate and Ukitake's sister was any indication.
"Has Miroku-san made any progress?"
"Very little. It seems that whoever put this seal on Higurashi intended for her to never have it removed," Byakuya replied, biting back a sigh and resisting the urge to lean against the table. It would be highly inappropriate for someone of his station.
"I'll continue to look on my end and let you know if I've found anything significant," Ukitake murmured, nodding in thanks and accepting a cup of tea from one of his family's maids. "In the meantime, Kagome-san just needs to be careful with how she distributes her energy. At the rate she's going, she'll be forced out of the Court and into Detention before the month is out."
The other two nobles could only nod in agreement and quietly wonder why someone would want to hamper such a genuinely good person the way they had.
'Perhaps jealousy? Or maybe a grudge of some sort?' Rukia thought, letting out a little sigh as her brother stood and prepared to leave. Though Rin seemed upset about the idea, she let Kagome go with an extracted promise to visit again very shortly. As the trio left, Ukitake glanced down at his youngest sister and noticed a small secretive smile on the little girl's face.
"What are you thinking of, Rin?"
"Hmm?" The small brunette stared up at her brother and tilted her head to the side in an innocent manner. Then, she gave him a serious look that was completely at odds with her childlike appearance. "Can you keep a secret, Jushiro-nii?"
"Of course I can. You know that, Rin!" Ukitake knelt down to the child's level and gathered the little girl in his arms. Out of all of his siblings, he was probably the most protective of Rin. She had this... air about her; that she was much more than she appeared to be.
"Rin will tell you, but you can't tell anyone... yet. It's not the right time, but Kagome-nee-chan needs help, otherwise she'll lose the best part of herself."
Ukitake nodded sagely and deposited Rin on the floor next to him. "All right. I won't say anything to anyone."
"Not even Shunsui-nii?"
"Not even Shunsui," the Captain nodded, giving the little girl a soft smile.
Rin nodded and took a deep breath. This was going to be a long story.
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A/N: This little chapter gave me hell and left me in twitches from trying to work with the plot. It was meant to move it along, but I almost feel that it just left everything standing.
I am so sorry about how long it took me to get this out. So much time had passed and I feel awful! I can't even guarantee that the next update will be anytime soon either. Hopefully, I can get the next update done quickly, but I'm begging you guys not to hold your breath because it will probably be a while before things settle back down in my household. If it makes you all feel any better, I have not been idle in my time away. In fact, I have pieces and bits for the next six chapters of this. I just have to put them together and proof read them.
I have officially become a mommy to a little baby boy. He was born May 3 and is very healthy and likes to keep me up at night, thus inducing a lack of sleep that I thought was impossible before I had my little wiggle worm of a kid.
Anyways, thank you all for your patience and I hope you enjoyed! Please don't forget to review!