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: These chapters are only being uploaded (only a week since the last upload) due to the encouragement of my reviewers: Julie, Lu, Virtually Forgotten, and Daydreamer1606. Thank you for the encouragement. I uploaded these chapters because it felt so natural to write, and I did not brood over it as I usually do. I hope you enjoy it.

CHAPTER 27 – Choice Requires Courage

Rien appeared for breakfast, looking like a vision once more, only so Byakuya wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing how he tormented her. She tried her best, but was unable to fall asleep last night, and her blood burned like it turned to acid beneath her mark. She decided not to worry anyone any further by talking about it. She had not been able to get Byakuya's stupid question out of her mind. Did he really not comprehend the difference between love and concern? He was more intelligent than that Rien had finally admitted, and he had been married, so surely his marriage was more than them just living with eachother. Perhaps it was his attempt to cheer her up by describing the multitude of mundane things they did in eachother's company.

She knew they spent a lot of time together, more than with anyone else. But prisoners also spend a lot of time with warden's, that doesn't mean that they want to be with them, just that it is unavoidable. Choice meant everything to Rien, and was the reason she constantly fought against him – she wanted him to choose to be with her, not just accept the hand that was dealt to him. Sometimes when he looked at her, she saw more than just concern, maybe even…she couldn't even bring herself to think it – but none of it mattered if he chose to be alone. She had almost laughed at breakfast yesterday when he admitted that he did not want to lose her…This is not what it feels like to have me, she had almost said, but his touch had paralysed her. Why did he even care if she was upset or jealous?

Concern was not enough. She understood what he meant, their fates had been sealed – she also felt that need for him, like she would not survive without him, but her need was tempered with love, and his with concern. He felt an overwhelming need to protect her. The only problem was, she did not need his protection. She was nothing like Hisana – she was not quiet, or weak, or demur, or in constant need of Byakuya's strength. Rien was strong, opinionated, passionate, and could stand on her own two feet – against him if necessary, or anyone else for that matter.

Both their behaviours yesterday were strange. She could not understand why he insisted on being so close to her, but she also did not deny him the intimacy, and self-inflicted the torture on herself. His every touch was torture as it was taken away from her, it was always taken away, forever momentary and intensely addictive. His words last night had made her hope, and hope was a dangerous and volatile commodity. She could not remain here while that dying ember of hope still had heat. She had promised to shield him from the stupidity of her feelings, and she had been doing well until she felt herself crack in the last few days. She could not trust herself with him anymore. Not after last night. She needed air. She needed perspective. She needed Yoruichi.

Rien momentarily faltered as she entered the dining room, noticing Byakuya in the new captain's haori and without his usual accessories. Rukia was also trying to control her wide eyed stare at Byakuya's new look. Rien realised no one would ever question him about the change. Who would dare question Kuchiki Byakuya!

Rien sat down, avoiding eye contact. She couldn't handle him without the usual façade. She was used to hating his façade, and now felt like perhaps the façade had protected not just him, but her as well. Rien studied her breakfast, and was mindful to finish it even though she was not hungry. She did not want a repeat of yesterday morning.

No one spoke a word at breakfast. Rukia because she was afraid of letting her secret slip, and Rien and Byakuya because there were no more lies left for them to tell eachother. Not after last night.

"I'm leaving," Rien suddenly announced, staring down at the cup of jasmine tea in her hands.

Byakuya looked up at her for the first time that morning. She did not meet his eyes as she usually did, but she could feel them burning into her, daring her to continue.

"I'll be back in a couple of days," she softly added.

"Where were you thinking of going?" Rukia asked, to cut the tension in the room.

"Are you taking the Quincy up on his offer?" Byakuya coldly assumed.

"No. I would like to visit my sister," she revealed, slightly irritated with his assumption. "I will inform the Shihouin Clan, and I will visit Jyuushiro to let him know," she added.

"Ukitake taichou," Byakuya clearly spoke, letting Rien know that he did not miss the familiar way she addressed his rival, "may not have plans for your training today, but I have made certain arrangements for afternoon training," he coldly informed her. "It is not a good time for you to leave," he added.

"Byakuya," she clearly said his name as her eyes finally met his, "you must forgive my rudeness, but my plans cannot be changed – I must go home," she more confidently stated as he stared back at her. She saw a flicker of the need they both felt to never be apart, and she wondered how strongly he would fight her to persuade her to stay.

'Your home is here, with me,' he almost blurted out, but stopped himself.

"I will drop you off," Rukia finally interrupted. She felt like another conversation was going on, but she could not speak their language, and took this as an opportunity to go to world of the living and break the earth shattering news to Ichigo before he found out some other way, probably from Renji.

"Sure," Rien agreed, already guessing Rukia's motive.

"When will you leave?" Byakuya conceded, he had promised he would trust her judgement at times.

Shock almost consumed Rien and Rukia both.

"After breakfast," Rien finally replied.

"Don't worry about Ukitake taichou, Rien, I need to ask his permission to accompany you anyway," Rukia said as she hurriedly got up and nervously shunpo'ed away.

Byakuya and Rien both stood up and walked to the door, neither glancing at eachother. Rien stopped suddenly, just short of the door, feeling that unbearable pull not to be away from him – she turned to find him right on her heels, far too close to her again. "Stay safe," Byakuya warned, as he walked around her and out of the door.

Yoruichi was beaming from ear to ear to have Rien home once more. Tessai was fussing about what special lunch to make, and even Kisuke was his jovial self.

Air.

Being with them and away from him was like breathing air once more, like she could finally feel her head above water, no longer drowning, but it was still pouring.

Yoruichi wasted no time in calling all Rien's friends and inviting them over for lunch. Rukia informed Yoruichi that she would not be able to stay, and that she just needed to talk to Ichigo for a minute. Yoruichi's knowing eyebrow arched, already guessing Rukia's intended topic.

Ichigo thankfully arrived as soon as Yoruichi informed him that Rien and Rukia were home. "Honestly, that boy will use any excuse to dodge class," Yoruichi remarked when she saw Ichigo arrive a few minutes after her call.

"I'll just copy Ishida and Inoue's notes," Ichigo admitted. The work was not as difficult as it seemed, and he was dedicated to getting reasonable grades or his father would never let him live it down. Ichigo just couldn't help but race there when he knew Rukia was around.

Rukia looked almost sick as she suddenly stopped the incessant pacing when she felt Ichigo's reiatsu leak near Urahara's shop. The sick expression she wore suddenly turned into guilt as she saw his smiling expression expectantly looking back at her.

"Ichigo, can I talk to you for a minute?" Rukia's tone was heavy and she avoided eye contact with him.

Rien watched Ichigo's smile fade as he heard Rukia's heavy words. Rien knew the feeling, and that like she would, Ichigo's mind was already preparing himself for something bad. Rien knew that no words would be able to prepare him or take away the stabbing pain he was about to endure.

"I'll unpack later. You guys can use my room, if you'd like," Rien offered. If Ichigo had to go through this, then at least he could go through it in private, away from the many eyes and ears of everyone in the Urahara shop.

Ichigo and Rukia disappeared into Rien's stuffy, unused room at the far end of the house. After a few minutes of silence, a huge blast was heard, and Ichigo's dense, dark reiatsu was felt.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Ichigo's loud voice boomed throughout the shop as he flung Rien's bedroom door open.

"I don't care!" Ichigo replied to something Rukia said.

They suddenly walked into the shop where Rien was pretending to stack the shelves with sweets. "Stay the fuck away from me, Rukia," he shouted as he exited the shop and slammed the door closed.

Rukia moved to follow him so she could fully explain how sorry she was for this sudden turn of events. Rien quickly grabbed Rukia's arm before she could follow the furious Ichigo. "That's not wise, Rukia," Rien warned.

"But he didn't even let me explain how sorry I am," Rukia began to sob.

"Nothing you can say will stop the pain he is in. He won't be able to hear you right now," Rien calmly stated while hugging the distraught Rukia.

"He hates me," Rukia cried into Rein's shoulder.

"He doesn't hate you, he's just hurt right now," Rien tried to assure her.

Rien finally convinced Rukia to return to Soul Society, after Rukia apologised for the 100th time for the hole in Rien's bedroom roof caused by Ichigo's sudden burst of reiatsu earlier.

Inoue and Ishida arrived soon after Rukia departed. They were still as nauseating as she remembered them being yesterday, and even more physically affectionate now that the cold Byakuya was not staring them down.

Rien cursed her fate during lunch. She had no roof over her bedroom anymore, she had Yoruichi and Kisuke being disgusting on one side and Ishida and Inoue making her want to throw up on the other side. Envy really was a sickening emotion.

"I'll have Tessai-kun and the others fix your roof by tomorrow," Kisuke informed her, beaming beneath his hat.

"Please stay with us, just for tonight," Inoue tried to convince Rien for the 15th time that afternoon.

"Like I said, I'll just sleep in the dining room for tonight," Rien assured her.

"No, it's your first night back, and you haven't been sleeping well. You must rest while you can," Inoue argued.

"Inoue is right," Yoruichi suddenly butted in. "Ishida informed us your marking and of you not feeling well," Yoruichi looked accusingly at Rien. Rien knew better than to fight Yoruichi on this.

"If it won't inconvenience you guys, then I guess one night won't hurt," Rien beamed at Inoue and Ishida.

At Inoue's and Ishida's place, previously just Inoue's place, it looked strange to have Ishida's black sports car parked next to all the other regular cars on the street. Rien was immediately curious about their decision to move in together here, and not at Ishida's empty mansion. Ishida was probably trying to shield Inoue from Ryuuken's intruding questions. Ishida was always very private and secretive.

Inoue boasted about the dress Ishida had designed and made for her for tomorrow's dance at the university. Inoue insisted on modelling the dress for her captive audience.

"Blue and white again," Rien whispered into Ishida's ear as she leaned against him on the couch.

"It simply seemed appropriate to go with my blue and white suit," Ishida whispered back, putting his arm around her and allowing her to more comfortably lean into him.

"I have missed you, more than I can express," Rien admitted.

"I will always be here when you need me," Ishida whispered as he kissed her forehead. Inoue walked back in.

"You should come with us, Rien-kun," Inoue offered.

"Don't be silly, it's a university dance," Rien refused, but smiled warmly at her. "And it sounds really romantic," she added while nudging Ishida, who began to turn that irresistible red colour her had first turned when Rien had asked him to explain the purpose of underwear.

Ishida cooked dinner –thankfully! The rest of the evening was sickeningly sweet but uneventful. Rien kept mentally slapping herself when she would slip into wondering what Byakuya was doing at the moment. Ishida was always very observant, and found countless ineffective ways to try and distract Rien – but there were only so many board games you could play, and soon Rien excused herself feigning tiredness.

Rien lay in the comfortable bed in Inoue's guest room, in her favourite butterfly pyjama pants and top, hoping sleep would claim her, but it never did. All she could think of was Byakuya, and wondered what his day had been like, and if he had walked to her room, as he did every night, even though she wasn't there. She picked up the pillow and tried to smother herself and those thoughts away. She silently screamed into the pillow, but it did help.

She suddenly heard a soft knock against the wall across from her room. Rien was used to silence, having an entire undisturbed wing of the Kuchiki manor to herself, and she was sure she would be able to hear a pin drop in her room if she ever bothered to test the theory. Ishida and Inoue probably thought they were being really quiet, and no one but Rien would have probably been able to hear it, but her experience living with Yoruichi and Kisuke as well as her superb hearing, left no doubt in Rien's mind about what was happening in the adjacent bedroom.

Rien couldn't take it any longer. She quietly put a jersey and sneakers on. She opened the second story window of the guest room, and making sure no one else was around, she silently jumped out of the window and gracefully landed on the pavement. Rien wasn't sure where she would go, but she knew she had to get out of there. She aimlessly walked for a while, getting a few strange looks from the sparse number of people actually awake at this hour, because she was still in her butterfly pyjamas and a jersey. She eventually decided to walk to the beach she previously used to frequent.

Stay safe.

She remembered Byakuya's words, and it almost stopped her from visiting the beach where a hollow had once attacked her. But, she stubbornly decided that she could now handle one little hollow if she needed to, and so she continued walking towards the beach.

As she rounded a corner, she bumped into some idiot who was watching his feet instead of where he was going. "Idiot," she insulted, after being knocked back by a solid wall of muscle.

"Sorry," he softly said.

Looking up, she realised it was her idiotic, sulky brother, Ichigo.

"Me too," Rien apologised, lifting her hand to caress his cheek.

"You look as awful as I feel, Ichi-Nii," Rien observed as she linked her arm around his.

"So where are we going?" Rien brightly asked, happy to no longer be walking alone.

"Nowhere," Ichigo heavily answered.

"You know what they say, Ichi – 'misery loves company', so here you are I guess," Rien laughed and began dragging Ichigo along.

Silence. Footsteps. More silence.

"Fucking sucks, right," Rien finally spoke after a long strolling silence.

"More than I can fucking feel right now," Ichigo admitted. "I'm almost numb," he revealed.

"Why are you walking the streets?" he tried to change the subject.

"Someone blew a hole in my bedroom ceiling, so I got stuck with the lovebirds, and well…you know how that goes when you're miserable," Rien stated.

"Sorry about the roof." She waved his apology away like it was unnecessary.

"What a sorry pair we are. We should really stay away from those Kuchiki siblings," she suggested as she dragged her feet in time with his.

"No argument here," he agreed. "Taking a break from Byakuya?" Ichigo asked trying to imitate Byakuya's glare but failing horribly, causing Rien to finally laugh.

"I just hate him sometimes," Rien explained as her fist pounded at her side.

"Come, tell me more…," Ichigo requested as he raised his arm for her to snugly fit under it, "that's what big brothers are for," he explained, squeezing Rien around the shoulders.

"My problems are vast and plentiful – trust me, you don't want to hear them," Rien tried to avoid the subject.

"Come on, I need the distraction, and I'm always up for trash-talking Byakuya. Just give me one good reason to go over there and pick a fight with him," Ichigo managed to smile as he said it.

"You wouldn't," Rien warned, as they turned another corner.

"It depends," Ichigo reassuringly smiled.

"Should I begin with how I told him that I was gonna respect his decision to want nothing to do with me. I have avoided kissing, or hugging, or even touching him…only to have him stalk and torture me almost every second day. Sometimes my imagination runs away with me and I even sometimes think he wants me to snap and kiss him – but I would never take another kiss from him without his permission," Rien explained. She definitely wasn't going to ever steal a kiss or force Byakuya into kissing her. If he ever wanted to kiss her, it would have to be his choice.

"Byakuya is such a sadistic bastard, he probably enjoys teasing you," Ichigo suggested.

"I know it's my own fault for letting Byakuya into my inner world – now we both feel this need for eachother, like we never want to be apart. As a result, I know he has developed concern for my safety, but concern is not enough. Need is also not enough. I choose to love him, because I truly know him, and I want him to choose to love me back. I'm probably being too analytical about it," Rien conceded.

"Don't let him take away your dreams, you deserved to be loved," Ichigo confidently stated, moving his arm from her shoulder to her waist and squeezing her closer.

"Sometimes when he gets close to me I feel like he would happily kiss me, if I could bury it away and have it mean nothing more. But I don't want the empty shell of his body, I want everything all at once... Is it stupid that I want to be the only one in his heart?" her liquid blue eyes looked vulnerably up to Ichigo's soft, comforting amber.

"It's not stupid, but I'm not sure if he can get over himself for long enough to see what he could have with you," Ichigo truthfully replied.

"I just wish this constant rain would end and that I would stop feeling like I'm drowning," Rien admitted.

"I know what ya mean. Come, crash in my room," Ichigo offered, grabbing her hand in his and walking up the path to his house. "It's the least I could do after earlier," he added, silently turning the key in the front door. They both stealthily walked up the stairs and managed to get into his bedroom without waking anyone else.

"You can have the bed, I'll take the floor," he offered.

"Don't be silly, if the cupboard was good enough for Rukia," Rien began, but as she opened the cupboard and saw the small space she realised how much shorter Rukia really was.

"I knew you'd never fit," Ichigo stated in his 'I-told-you-so' tone. "Just take the bed."

"I may be almost a foot taller than her, but I'm still petite enough for us both to be able to fit on the bed," Rien suggested, looking over at Ichigo's single bed. It was so much smaller than her own double bed, and she probably shouldn't tell him that she had a tendency to roll all over the bed.

"I'm really fine with the floor," he tried to assure her, but Rein would not relent. They both eventually got onto the bed, Rien making herself as small as possible, unnecessarily so, and only taking up a ¼ of the bed, facing and almost merging with the wall next to the bed. Their shoes were discarded at the door, but they still lay on top of the covers. She silently stared at the wall for a while and then through the windows just above them.

"Do you hate Hisana?"Ichigo asked out of nowhere.

"Hate is a strong word, I don't know if I'd say hate. But, what kind of a person fucking abandons her baby sister in such a fucking dangerous part of town. And then she has the audacity to selfishly marry someone she can't truly give herself to, and stomps all over his heart, and then guilts him into making right something she did wrong. I would die to protect the people I love!" Rien passionately exclaimed pounding her small fist into the wall, and then rubbing her hand.

"I guess maybe I do hate her," Rien softly admitted.

"Me too," Ichigo chuckled. "I was just checking we were on the same page," he explained. "I don't know if I can ever forgive her for abandoning Rukia as a baby. Any number of bad things could have happened to Rukia," he explained.

"I'm glad she had Renji to protect her, even then," he finally admitted the thought he had been contemplating.

"Yeah. Can we change sides? I've gotten used to sleeping on the left," Rien requested, getting up from the bed and removing her jersey.

"You mean when you used to date Ishida," Ichigo teased as he took his jacket and belt off, but he stayed in his dark blue jeans and vest. They both got under the covers. Ichigo lay flat, with his right arm above his head, and stared at the ceiling. Rien's back was to him, and she also stared forward into his empty desk and chair a few feet away.

"Rien, I already told my old man that there's this dance tomorrow, and I was going to ask Rukia…,"

"Sure, I'd love to," Rien didn't need Ichigo to finish the question. She would do whatever she could to be there for him. She could feel how much he loved Rukia in the way he sighed her name. This was not going to be easy for him.

Silence.

"Do you think he's thinking about me?" Rien finally asked, knowing Ichigo was still awake.

"How could he not," Ichigo compassionately assured her. "Byakuya would be insane if he didn't already love you."

More silence.

"I would die before I let anyone hurt you, or Yuzu, or Karin. I would do whatever it took to keep you guys safe," he said as he turned and snaked his arm around her. "Sleep, Rien, I'm here," Ichigo said as he pulled her closer to him and buried his face in the strawberry scent of her hair, forcing Rien to use more of the bed than she allowed herself.

"I'll protect you," he tiredly said as he kissed the back of her head and exhaled into her hair, "even from him," he softly whispered into her hair, almost inaudible by now.

And finally, Rien felt protected and safe, like she used to feel, in Ishida's arms. She exhaled all the tension she had been holding in, and allowed herself to be swept away by exhaustion, assured that she would be protected in her brother's arms. "Sleep tight, Ichi-Nii," she whispered to the already sleeping Ichigo as she too finally drifted off.

The warm sun shone through Ichigo's window and warmed them both. Although Rien's eyes were closed, she had that unexplainable feeling like she was being watched. She slowly opened her bleary eyes, and she began to focus on the beaming, hairy, almost crying face that was mere inches from hers.

Shock took over.

"Um…," she turned and buried her head in…No…NO, this can't…this can't be…Ichigo's shoulder.

"Rein-chan, you have finally taken pity on my son…and made my son into a man," Kurosaki Isshin cried inches away from them, hugging himself, trying to hold in all his excitement. Ichigo's father promptly received Ichigo's fist in his face.

"Nothing can ruin this day for me," Isshin declared, undeterred by the punch or Ichigo pulling the covers over his and Rien's heads. Isshin had always tried to push Rien and Ichigo together, until he heard the rumour she was dating Ishida. Isshin had then cried for a week after, asking Rien to take Ichigo back into the imaginary relationship he thought they had.

"I get the picture. Do you want privacy for round two?" Isshin continued to excitedly jump around the room, like he had downed a case of red bull.

"Ichi-Nii," Rien whispered against Ichigo's shoulder under the covers. Ichigo's eyes shot open, and he finally realised how inappropriate it might look to his father to see Rien asleep in his arms.

Ichigo jumped out of bed, as though he had been electrocuted, and kicked his hyperactive father into the passage.

"Why the hell are you in my room, you nosy old fart?" Ichigo insulted.

"Ishida-kun and Hime-kun were worried and looking for Rien-chan, and they wanted your help, so I came up to wake you," Isshin explained and rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, no!" Rien yelped and sprang out of bed. "Pass me my jersey and shoes," she commanded Ichigo.

"Were they tossed aside during the throws of passion, Rien-chan?" Isshin slyly asked. Rien turned copper, didn't answer, and busied herself with tying her laces.

"I don't know what perverted things you think happened here, while we were both fully clothed," Ichigo pointed out, "but we just fell asleep," Ichigo explained, looking more like a strawberry than ever due to Isshin's suggestions.

"My son, you don't have to explain things to me. Lunch is ready, and after last night, you both must need it," Isshin smiled. Ichigo threw his shoe at his father who expertly dodged and went downstairs, where everyone had already heard everything the loud-mouthed Isshin was beaming about.

Ishida and Inoue were seated at the Kurosaki dining table, arms folded. Inoue looked amused, but Ishida looked pissed off.

"Sorry, I went for a walk and ran into Ichigo. I didn't mean to worry you both," Rien apologised to them. Ishida's expression softened once Inoue elbowed him in the ribs.

"You should have seen how cute my future daughter-in –law looked, sleeping in my son's arms. Son, you have your father's good taste…." Isshin was cut off by Ichigo hitting him with a hot frying pan.

"It wasn't like that," Ichigo tried to assure them while inventing a deeper shade of red.

"Of course it wasn't, Kurosaki" Ishida stated, annoyed.

Author's Note

There is a big instalment of my thoughts at the end of the next chapter. Poor Ichigo, but he is such a good guy, and I wanted to give him 'screen' time. For all those Hisana lovers out there – I'm still not sorry... but to each their own, I guess (This is me censoring the rest of my comments on this subject). R&R

~Willow~