Supernova

By Willow Athena

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or any of its characters, but Rien and this story are definitely mine

Author'snote: I hope you enjoy these three chapters. Please read them all in one go if you can.

CHAPTER 24 – You Have No Right!

Rukia and Byakuya were already seated for breakfast the next morning, when Rien appeared at the door. Rien wore one of her training outfits with the blue inner lining and blue tights, her usual black and red training outfit, the only one made by Ishida, was lying in a wet crumpled heap on her bedroom floor. Rien had woken up naked, freezing, and on top of all her covers. She had dragged her feet getting ready that morning, feeling like death warmed up.

She appeared like a vision at the door, not a hair out of place, and had stalked in with such feline grace that it surprised the siblings, who had stopped eating to watch her performance until she floated to the ground in her place across from Byakuya – always across from him!

Her eyes lifted to find Byakuya staring straight at her, mesmerized. With a swift movement of her head, she flicked her fringe in front of her right eye, smiled and then closed her eyes in the usual way Byakuya did. The chef brought her breakfast in, and the disruption allowed the siblings to be released from her spell.

Her elegant hand wrapped itself loosely around her chopsticks and she simply pushed the food around. She said nothing, just stared past Byakuya, like she could see straight through him to the wall behind. Byakuya eventually looked up at her, confused by her strange behaviour, but his expression did not betray him. Rien was acting so unlike herself.

Rien and Byakuya continued to stare at eachother, neither relenting, as though their altercation from last night were silently continuing, slowly sucking all the air from the room, Byakuya beginning to leak reiatsu like Ichigo – uncontrolled, dense waves of power.

"Nii-sama…?" Rukia squeaked. And just as suddenly as they had begun, the waves dissipated, and he was in control again.

"Um…Ukitake taichou has requested that Rien shadow me for lunch time patrols today, in Rukongai, as a part of her training," Rukia attempted to sound serious and formal in front of her Nii-sama. They both turned to Rukia, as though noticing her for the first time. Rukia's light shone brightly from within, even though she tried to hide her blissful mood. It made Rien smile, momentarily forgetting the anger directed towards Byakuya.

"No," was Byakuya's dry and toneless answer. Rien's expression would have made anyone else shrink back in fear, but not Byakuya. "Please inform Ukitake taichou that he should have consulted me before making such a rash decision. Shinigami's have to go to the Shinigami Academy for a reason, and she is therefore not prepared. I will not consent to her being allowed to be a part of squad business," he looked stubbornly at Rien.

"H-Hai Nii-sama," Rukia squeaked, for the second time that morning.

"Don't 'Hai Nii-sama' him, Rukia," Rien tried to control her rage, but the grip on her chopsticks dangerously tightened. She squared her gaze directly on Byakuya. "Where do you get off thinking that you have any say in what I do and do not do? Who do you think you are?" she said through clenched teeth, leaning across the table until she was only a few inches from his face.

"No further discussion is necessary. You are under my care while you are here, and I have forbid you from going – that is the end," he calmly stated.

"You have forbidden me…YOU have forbidden ME!" she threw her chopsticks on the table and sat back down, away from him.

"Rukia," the manner in which Byakuya said her name startled her. He was emanating those uncontrolled waves of reiatsu again, and she found it difficult to concentrate. "Leave us," he commanded. Rukia hesitantly looked in Rien's direction as she bowed and left, defiance and anger coloured Rien's beautiful features.

"I am not Rukia, you cannot forbid me from doing something," Rien clearly articulated each word once Rukia had left. "You are not my brother, we are not family…you have as much power over me as the ocean has over the moon," her anger leached into every word. She felt his reiatsu react in anger and instinctively push at her will.

"You will do as I have asked," acid coating each word.

"No, I won't," she defiantly insisted, pushing against the force he was applying with nothing but air, no reiatsu, just insubstantial air. "You have as much power over me as I give you, you would do well to remember that," she coldly informed him. His anger had gotten the better of him by now, he could not control the full force of his reiatsu any longer. He flung the table, having it hit the opposite wall, and fluidly stood up, fists clenched at his sides.

"I see it in your eyes, you want to protect me – but I do not require your protection. I do not need your concern, I am tired of it!" she explained in frustration. The whole manor could sense his murderous mood, but no one came to investigate for fear of falling unconscious due to the sheer magnitude of his reiatsu. They had all already learnt that lesson the first day Rien appeared. At least now she knew that if he ever decided to kill her, not to expect help from anyone in the Kuchiki household.

"We are strangers to eachother, what claim could you possibly have that would make me consider your request?" she pressed as she stood up to face him. Kuchiki Byakuya, 28th head of the Kuchiki Clan and Captain of the 6th squad, with his kenseikan, windflower scarf, and Captain's haori all signalling his authority and power to her, could not command one little ryoka. Why should he convince her? She should just defer to his superior judgement!

Silence and waves of angry, dense, powerful reiatsu were her only answer as Byakuya stood, frozen with rage. She turned to leave, stopping just before the door. "We understand eachother then," she said with determination as she stubbornly faced him, almost daring him.

"I will do as I please," she informed him, satisfied that she had made her point.

"No," he shouted, shunpo'ing to her, both is hands restraining her shoulders against the wall with as much gentleness as he could muster. It surprised her. She did not struggle, her anger momentarily forgotten and replaced with confusion. She had never heard him shout before. In fact, very few people ever had.

"You understand nothing," he continued to shout, shaking her slightly.

"Our fates have been sealed – I cannot turn back, ever since the day I…I kissed you," his anger ebbed, his reiatsu calmed, his voice trailed off into a whisper.

His left hand suddenly grasped her small right hand and placed it flush against his chest, between the open folds of his uniform. His heart became bold beneath her touch. His right hand flitted through her strawberry scented hair, causing her head to lift up towards his.

"Rien, I…," his heartbeat accelerated, he could hear the blood rushing in his ears, but he found it difficult to get the words out. Her eyes had melted from his touch, no longer able to sustain her anger when they were this close. She loved the way his lips caressed her name, with so much intensity it made her soul vibrate with joy. She instinctively held her breath as his slate eyes held hers, she could see the myriad emotions beneath his still surface.

"I cannot lose you," he admitted, his baritone vibrated around her in a whisper. He could not hold her penetrating gaze any longer, he had meant to say something different but he couldn't bring himself to do it, and he saw the disappointment in her eyes – an acknowledgement of his cowardice.

"I can no longer live in a world where you do not exist," his meaningful words fell on deaf ears. Anyone else would have been satisfied with this acknowledgement.

She shied from his touch and pulled her hand away from him. "That is not enough," she whispered back to him, her liquid blue eyes about to run as she shunpo'ed away. Her disappointment was evident in every word. This was torture, she thought.

Byakuya was surprised by her sudden exit, but most of all by her refusal to see things his way. He had thought an acknowledgement of any feelings he had for her would have been enough to persuade her to be cautious – so he could at least have peace of mind. He should not have even admitted caring about her safety at all – people could get the wrong idea, or perhaps they would hit too close to the truth.

He shunpo'ed to follow her, she could not have gone far. He was a shunpo master, she could never run far enough to be out of his reach – he would never allow it. He was not sure what he was going to say, but he knew he could not let her have the last word on this subject. What did she mean it was not enough? It was far more than he should have allowed himself to admit. He had spent half a century not feeling anything – banishing himself to his numb, isolated world where no one could reach him. Why did she have to come along and antagonise him to anger, entice him into caring, and lure him into loving her? It was deeper than love he finally admitted to himself.

He needed her.

More than air, more than water, more than pride…He truly needed her. There is no place for pride when you need someone. Their continued separation was torture for them both, but at least he knew how she felt – he knew how much she loved him. She was braver than him, he conceded as he flashed around looking for her – only then realising that her bravery would never allow her to run away. He shunpo'ed to the garden outside her bedroom.

He saw something strange at her bedroom door. His heart jumped into his throat, fear rose from some place deep within him – his recurrent nightmare was coming true. Rien lay unconscious in her doorway, her head on her hand, like a small pillow, hair all over the place. Byakuya shunpo'ed straight in. He called her name, hoping it was some strange joke, but she did not answer him.

He turned her around, moving her hair away from her face. Her skin felt cool and clammy. He called her name again, shaking her a little this time, but she gave no reply. He could not feel a pulse, could not see her breathe. If only she had some reiatsu, he would have been able to detect her condition.

He was unsure of what to do, all he knew was that he could not live without her. He placed a hand between her shoulder blades and lifted her body slightly up to his ear. The cleavage of her training outfit parted a little more due to the angle, giving him better access. Byakuya placed his right ear against her heart. He heard a shallow, erratic rhythm, almost undetectable…and then she coughed. Relief consumed him like a whirlpool, and he could have kissed her in that moment.

"What are you doing?" Rien groggily inquired. Her vision was blurry and unfocused as she slowly opened her eyes, but she could feel his warm ear against her chest and his cheek on her breast. She lightly coughed again and he slowly lifted his head, trying not to look at her.

"Hold on," he instructed as his arms went under her knees and behind her back. Her hands hesitantly snaked around his neck, lifting her face too close to his. He effortlessly stood up from his crouched position, as though she were as light as air. At this intimate distance, he could not hide the fact that he was blushing. Rien impulsively reached out and touched the light pink of his cheek. He turned towards her, their faces a breath away from eachother, he looked… surprised, and that's when she realised what she had done, pulled her hand away and put it back around his neck.

"Probably hit my head," she explained, half smiling as she rested her head against his shoulder and breathed deeply in. He smelt better than any cherry blossom she had ever sampled, he was the perfect mixture of something unexplainable.

He walked slowly over to her bed, and was about to reluctantly place her on it. "I wish you would stop wearing this," she suddenly said, touching the kenseikan. "You are so much more like yourself without it," she informed him as she withdrew her hands from his neck, and lovingly looked into his eyes. She knew he would forgive her for this presumption, and probably blame it on her illness, but she had to say something. She loved who he was, especially when he was not being who he thought everyone wanted him to be.

"I will call a healer," he gave as an excuse to cowardly run away and collect his thoughts. She had affected him far too much today, and he knew he could not trust his behaviour in her presence, especially when he had her all to himself like this.

"No, Byakuya, please," she implored as her small hand grabbed his. Rien rarely needed him, and it felt good to be with her when her guard was down, when she might do something they both would never regret. There had been so many opportunities already, but she hadn't taken advantage of one. Perhaps she was more disciplined than he was. He had wanted to kiss her when she touched his cheek, but she shied away when he turned, like she had done something wrong – it had snapped him out of his milieu of dishonourable thoughts.

Even just one kiss would cost them both. Over the last few days his need to be with her was insatiable. He wanted to be with her – mind, body, soul. She had his mind and his soul, it was just his body that he held back. He was in control. Most of his thoughts were about her, the only time his soul knew peace was when he was with her, and his body…it ached to give itself to her.

"You are not well, I will not take the chance you will fall ill again," he stated, removing her cool hand from within his.

"I will not voluntarily remain," she argued, trying to get up from the bed. She was so headstrong and opinionated – her thoughts on things were often an amusing stream of consciousness and begrudgingly astute. Only she could make him angry enough to cause a scene, to lose control like that. He had almost kissed her then too. The feel of her hand on his chest had made all his inner conflict subside, and he knew he would wage war to have her.

"I could use kido to restrain you," he coolly stated, blocking her path. He chastised himself for behaving so cowardly earlier, he knew what it did to her when he teased her. He never intentionally meant to tease her, ever, but allowing himself a little bit of her love every now and then was like a guilty pleasure that sustained him, allowed him to continue resisting for the next two days, or the next hour, whenever he needed another fix. She successfully avoided ever touching him these days, and it had been driving him insane. She often found a way around any excuse he concocted to touch her, even feigning injuries so she could avoid training with him alone when Renji was away. Now that he knew of her ability to rapidly regenerate, he knew all her stories if injuries were just ploys to avoid him.

"I would hurt myself even more by trying to break free from the kido," she countered, trying to side-step him but her legs failed her and he caught her once more, unnecessarily carrying her the insignificant two steps she had taken , and placing her back onto the bed.

"Think about this, Byakuya, this would not look good. All the servants know we fought, and then I fall ill. We would never live it down," she explained while holding her throbbing head.

"I don't care how it looks, you need to see a healer," Byakuya insisted, only slightly raising his voice this time.

"If you insist I see someone, I will see Ishida," she finally conceded as she had to close her eyes due to the nauseating, intense pain pulsating from the base of her head.

"How would the Quincy be able to help?" Byakuya could not understand her request, and was instinctively irritated that she had asked for Ishida.

"I am apparently alive in some way, and he is a human doctor," she explained, sheepishly adding, "and I trust him completely."

"Very well, but if he cannot help then you will have no choice but to have Unohana taichou examine you," he bargained. She nodded slightly, sending another shooting pain down her spine. Byakuya turned to go and fetch Ishida.

"No. Please ask Renji to go, if he's available," she looked pleadingly at him. He saw the pain she was trying to conceal reflected in her electric blue eyes and decided against leaving her alone. He summoned a hell butterfly to inform Renji of what needed to be done.

He moved to the end of the bed, lifted her legs and removed her boots. Rien's protests that she could do that herself were stopped in their tracks by the no-nonsense look he gave her. He also insisted that she drink some water.

He removed his wrist-guard gloves and placed them on the bedside table. Her bed was like no other in the Kuchiki manor, he had requisitioned a replica of the Quincy's bed from surveillance photographs. He had not wanted her to want for any comfort in his home. Reports had stated that she spent more of her time in the Quincy's bed rather than her own, and he almost hadn't believed the rumours until he had seen the Quincy passionately kissing her and undressing her on his balcony. Byakuya should never have allowed himself the indulgence of checking up on her. He hadn't expected the scene to anger him as much as it had, he now knew his anger was mixed with jealousy that night. He had been in such a hurry he had messily shoved his gigai into Urahara's attic cupboard and threw the key in anger, vowing to never return to the world of the living. His anger had made him careless, and he had unwittingly let the arrancar slip through the hastily opened senkai. His only thought had been to escape from what he saw. He felt something for her, even then.

'How could she give herself to him?', he had wondered, over and over. And when he saw the Quincy with her after he had killed the sneaky arrancar, his anger had lashed out to kill the Quincy so he would never touch her again. But she had loved the Quincy so much, she had taken his place and broken Byakuya's heart with her confession.

'How could she profess to love me and give herself to him?' he had wondered over, and over. He had been so plagued with regret, he had masked his reiatsu and gone to check her medical chart a few times while she was in hospital. He had thought she was recovering, he had even thought he heard her call his name, but he had dismissed it – he was too good at stealth for an unskilled, unconscious girl to know he was there. All he had wanted was for her to live, and once he was sure she would – he had immediately stopped visiting her.

Byakuya silently removed Rien's own wrist-guards from beneath the sleeves of her dress. An unnecessary accessory, Byakuya thought, but then again so were many of the things he wore. "Does the kenseikan make that much of a difference?" he uncharacteristically asked in that same dry tone.

"No, but it's what it does to you that makes all the difference," she sighed as she said it. "Without it, you are the man I love. My Byakuya," she admitted, daring to look up at him with her liquid blue eyes as she said his name. The way she said his name always felt like chocolate dripping down the back of his throat, unexplainably decadent, and undoubtedly addictive.

"Without the kenseikan, or scarf, or haori, you are the brother who cares about Rukia, who would do anything for her. The man who cares about me, the one that would rather die than see me hurt again. The friend who would protect Renji, and anybody else that depended on him, even Hanatarou. I want you to stop beating yourself up for being who you are, that is all," she bit her lip and looked down, as her bravery took hold of her and she revealed too much of her feelings to someone who could not have cared less. She concluded that she had definitely hit her head, she had become too bold.

He made no reply to her ramblings, and simply instructed her to lie back down, informing her that he wanted to check for himself that she had not hurt her head – even though he had found her lying face down on her hand, like it was a pillow and she was simply asleep. He gently moved her hair away from her face, and traced its contours with his fingertips to detect any bumps – there were none. "About earlier," he suddenly spoke after a long period of silence. Her eyes shot open, surrendering the content expression she had previously worn while he played with her hair – I mean, examined her for injuries.

"I should not have lost my temper…and flung the table across the room," he admitted, not able to look at her as he said it. "I must accept responsibility for the part I played in your current condition," he accused himself.

She smiled at him, capturing his quicksilver with the liquid blue of her own eyes, the intensity behind them made them fire with electricity – he could not turn away. He was always good at torturing himself. "Never apologise for expressing your feelings – it's not a weakness, you know. I enjoyed every moment of our fight, and I hope we will have more in the future," she confessed. Rien saw a flicker of confusion before his usual expression set in and he looked away.

"It's nice to know you care enough about me to get angry at me," Rien finally explained when he didn't ask the question he had been holding in. "But concern is not enough for me, Byakuya. I will continue to do as I please," she reminded him.

"Not if this is the result," he authoritatively stated, still hovering at her bed side even though a comfortable chair was close at hand.

"I'm feeling better already. This is probably because I have not eaten or slept well, especially these last three days. I probably don't even need to bother Ishida with this…," she rambled until she was cut off by Ishida and Renji's arrival.

"It's no bother, Rien," Ishida confidently stated from the doorway, pushing the bridge of his glasses up so his eyes were unreadable. He gracefully walked in until Rien jumped from the edge of her bed and he caught her.

"Ishida," she squealed with delight. She hadn't realised how much she missed him until he was charmingly standing right in front of her.

"Oh…Uh – Inoue," she smiled over Ishida's shoulder at the shy, beautiful girl behind him. Rien detangled her legs from around him, hastily slid her body down Ishida's and immediately let go. "It's nice to see you also, Inoue," she shamefully walked behind Ishida and hugged Inoue who was shyly grinning.

"We have also missed you, Rien-kun," Inoue offered, showing that she understood, and was not offended in the slightest that Rien had just thrown herself at her boyfriend. Rien noticed the beautiful ring Inoue wore on her right hand, a promise of some sort. It meant so much more than it appeared – their relationship was serious.

"Something you forgot to tell me," she angrily accused as she walked past Ishida and sat at the edge of the bed. Her socked feet had made no sound even though she had hesitantly dragged them towards him. The realisation that she was jealous surprised her, and she began to laugh, but then suppressed it into a smile hidden behind her hand.

"Did she hit her head?" Ishida inquired after her strange behaviour.

"I am not sure," Byakuya's cold tone rang from behind her. She quickly turned and shot him a disapproving glance.

Byakuya explained how he had found Rien as Ishida began examining her. "Has she been under any stress, or has anything different happened recently?" Ishida asked Byakuya, inwardly hating the fact that Byakuya spent the most time with her now.

"She had a bloody lip and a cut across the chest two days ago, when Renji hit her with his bankai," Byakuya informed Ishida as Renji tried to make himself invisible. "Ukitake taichou has informed me that their training is very physically demanding. She was also training last night, in the rain," Byakuya revealed.

"Alone?" Ishida accusingly asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," Byakuya confessed. "She has also been exposed to a significant amount of my reiatsu in the last few days," Byakuya admitted in a matter-of-fact tone, hoping no one would question him any further about it.

"I've also barely slept and haven't eaten for like, two days," Rien defensively added. She didn't want anyone else blamed for her stupidity. Now that Byakuya thought about it, she had not been present for meals for the past few days, in order to avoid him, she had admitted, and even when she was there, she barely ate.

Ishida held her close to him and listened to her breathing, placing the stethoscope lower and lower on her back. She didn't expect it, but her heartbeat quickened as he bent closer to her, and she tried to control it as she looked at Inoue over his shoulder. She moved her hair away and tilted her head to give him better access, and that's when he saw it. Ishida moved Rien's hair away and simply froze. He drew more attention than he meant to, causing everyone to swarm around them to see what was wrong.

Ishida bent her head down and moved all her hair away from her neck. Rien couldn't see anything, but felt them all surround her.

"When did you get a tattoo?" Renji was the first to ask.

"I don't have a tattoo," Rien denied.

"I'm looking straight at it," Renji accused. "Kinda girly, but beautiful," he added.

They were all rubbing at it, to check if it was paint or ink, and pointing to interesting things to debate what they were, and Rien was being very patient with them. Then warm slender fingers gently caressed the back of her neck and she had no doubt who they belonged to. His touch pulsated through her entire body, often paralysing her, causing her heartbeat to hasten.

"It is not raised," Byakuya commented.

"I noticed that also. It's probably not a tattoo then," Ishida added.

"Maybe she's always had it, and nobody noticed before" Inoue suggested.

A resounding NO escaped from all three men. It made Rien blush under her veil of hair.

"Kurotsuchi taichou's reports stated that her body was unmarked in any way," Byakuya explained, though he didn't know why he felt the need.

"Yeah, and she was moaping as usual the other day, her head lying in her arms and her hair everywhere, but no tattoo," Renji tried to give them a timeline.

Ishida said nothing about how he knew the tattoo was new, and it brought that murderous feeling Byakuya had had for him to the surface once more. How could she have professed to love him alone and given herself to this Quincy.

"Can you take a picture, Ishida? So I can see, and anyway, my neck is killing me," Rien requested.

Ishida took his cell phone out and took a picture. Then he hid the phone behind his back as she tried to grab it and instructed her to get back into bed as she had a fever. She felt a normal warm temperature, and for her that meant a fever, Ishida had concluded. Once she got under the covers, he kicked his shoes off and jumped onto the bed next to her, on top of the covers, inviting Inoue as well. Renji needed no invitation and was soon squashing Rien between him and Ishida. Byakuya still stood at the foot of the bed, glaring at them all.

"I will tell the chef to send some lunch to your room," Byakuya coldly stated, like everyone had been invited to a party except him, but he still had to buy them a present.

"Don't go," Rien almost jumped out from under the covers to stop him, but Ishida yanked her back down.

"You – stay," Ishida commanded, his blue eyes staring at her above the rim of his glasses. And Rien obediently stayed down and put her head on his left shoulder. Ishida already had his right arm around Inoue, who looked particularly content. It made Byakuya even more furious, and he started to leak reiatsu again, causing Inoue to immediately fall unconscious.

You – stay. Byakuya had to remember that the next time he forbid her from doing something. So that was all it took…You – stay! What Byakuya didn't get was that it wasn't about what was said, but about the feelings of the person who was saying it to her that made her yield.

And I trust him completely. Byakuya fumed, as though she was implying she trusted Ishida above him.

"Hey, Taichou, you're doing it again," Renji informed him.

"Renji, please attend to the squad business you have neglected by being here," Byakuya reprimanded Renji as he controlled his reiatsu and Inoue opened her eyes once more. He had only released a little, nowhere near the magnitude of their earlier fight, and Rien was completely unaffected both times. Perhaps she was getting stronger, he thought.

Renji left, and Rien smoothed Renji's vacant spot on the bed, her eyes filled with hope. Ishida scowled in Byakuya's direction for making Inoue fall unconscious, but Byakuya determinedly walked towards them, unphased and unapologetic. Rien looked up at him, her liquid electric blue now alive with hope, but he squashed it and stiffly stood at her bedside.

"As you can see, it's a tattoo, or something like that…I kinda think it could only be one thing, what do you think, Rein?" Ishida asked, pulling Rien away from the longing look she was giving Byakuya, and the arrogant way he looked through her. Their hate was mutual it seemed.

"Um..," Rien reluctantly tore her eyes away from Byakuya to study the picture. "It looks like a sakura tree in full bloom, the tree kinda looks like its burning, and maybe these drops could be rain – to put out the fire, or something. I don't know, maybe…," Rien offered, not really interested in what any of it meant.

"And don't forget the pretty hell butterfly," Inoue added.

"Why would you say it's a hell butterfly, Inoue?" Rien inquired.

"Because it's black," Inoue confidently stated. Rien didn't have the heart to point out that the whole tattoo was black, and that trees, rain and fire were not black.

"There is no need for concern. It is a marking," Byakuya confidently began.

"Like Renji's, maybe," Ishida finished, stealing Byakuya's thunder and pissing him off even more.

"Exactly," Byakuya agreed as he controlled his undercurrent of anger beneath his expressionless façade. "Renji was marked after he called out his zanpakuto, but I suppose it could work the other way around as well," Byakuya acknowledged.

"Or Rien-kun got a little too tipsy one night and got a tattoo," Inoue suggested. "Renji said…," but Rien's glare made her stop in her tracks.

"I don't think Rien can get a tattoo, she regenerates too quickly and her body would probably break down the ink beneath her skin if it was produced from anywhere but within her body," Ishida informed Inoue, kissing her forehead gently. It was such a disarming thing to do, and Inoue melted against his body. Rien was envious, and the sight made her want to throw up. "Maybe that's why Rien doesn't men…," both Inoue and Rien's hands found their way up to Ishida's mouth.

Ishida looked a little embaressed and guilty now that he realised Byakuya was stiffly standing there. "What?" Ishida guiltily tried to defend, "he already knows – I read it in the reports I stole…I mean, borrowed from that monster Mayuri," Ishida tried to explain his candour.

"I hate this place! Why should my personal business be the bedtime stories for every Taichou in Seireitei?" Rien fumed. All of them, Jyuushiro, Shunsui, Hitsugaya, and worst of all Byakuya…they all had received reports on her. Rien threw the covers off and pushed past Byakuya, then put her boots on.

"And where do you think you're going?" Byakuya coldly inquired, steel reinforcing each word.

"Exactly where you think I am," she resolutely informed him.

"It is too dangerous in your condition," he argued.

"You have a fever," Ishida added, knowing it would make no difference once she had decided to do something.

"Inoue, if you have time, would you come on patrol with Rukia and me?" Rien turned in her direction, hoping for the best. She was rewarded with a polite nod. "See, healing on tap if I need it. Happy now?" she sarcastically asked.

"Don't worry, Byakuya-san, I will accompany them as well – for protection," Ishida added. Byakuya's mind was not comforted by the thought in the least.

"Sorry, Ishida, girls only," Rien informed him, and she watched his face drop. These random feelings Ishida suddenly brought out in her had to be smothered before they roared to full life and confused them all even more, and as a result, Rien decided to avoid the dashing Quincy. She decided the only reason her heart raced when he came closer to her was because she missed how he made her feel…desired. Desire alone was not enough, and she would never dream of hurting Ishida or Inoue on a whim of attraction.

Author's note

Thanks for reading. I also wanna thank my solitary reviewer from the last two chapters I uploaded – thank you for taking the time the time to write that thorough review and share your thoughts about the story. I hope you liked the little bit of Ishida I sneaked into this chapter for you. R&R

I have recently come across very detailed author's notes where they talk about why they did stuff. I like to let the story speak for itself, but am I doing these wrong?

~Willow~