Chapter 13: Family by Choice

Our walk to the Kuchiki manor was quiet for the most part, but I had the biggest grin on my face. We did make a game plan for when we got to the manor. He would go to his study and finish some paperwork, while I packed up my things and told Rukia-chan about us. Then, he would walk with me to my new home.

When we got to the manor, Byakuya gave me a chaste kiss on the lips before holding open the door for me. I walked in and made a beeline for my room, which was connected to Rukia-chan's. I took a deep breath before tapping on the sliding door separating our rooms.

"Come in!" I heard Rukia-chan say. I walked in and saw her drawing in her sketch pad again. I must say she and Byakuya are horrible artists, but seeing this did make me laugh on the inside and made me a little less nervous. The nerves must have been apparent on my face because she looked rather worried.

"Rukia-chan, I need to tell you something," I started, nervously, and she looked at me expectantly.

"You can tell me anything, Shinkiro-chan! That's what friends are for," she encouraged. I took a deep breath and looked at my hands.

"So what would you say if I told you I was dating your older brother?" I asked nervously with a shy smile. Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. I'm not sure that's a good sign.

"As in Byakuya-nii-san?!" Rukia-chan asked in disbelief. I nodded, and she just stared at me for a moment before grinning ear to ear. "It's official? Like you and Nii-san?! When did this happen?!" she asked excitedly, "And why didn't you tell me you liked him?! I thought I was your best friend." That last part she seemed pretty upset about. Well crap.

"Yes, it's official. Um, I've liked him since I started talking to him about my past, and I told myself that when I made it into the Gotei 13, I would tell him my feelings. So today, I got to go to captain's meeting, and the captains who wanted me on their squad stood up. I got to pick from who stood up," I began to explain.

"So you're in squad 6 now?" she asked excitedly. I shook my head no, and her face fell. "Did nii-san not stand up?" she looked upset now. I shook my head again and held up a finger telling her to let me finish.

"I was getting there. Byakuya, Iba-taicho, Shunsui-oji-san, Hitsugaya-taicho, Kenpachi-taicho, Kurotsuchi-taicho, and Oto-san all stood up. I was told to pick which squad I would be in. I didn't want to be in squad 6 because I wanted somewhere I could focus on work and getting stronger. If I was in squad 6, I would have been distracted honestly. I like using my shikai, so I didn't want to be in squad 11. I didn't really know Iba-taicho, so that was out. Shunsui-oji-san and Oto-san would be way too protective of me. Oh and Kurotsuchi-taicho scares the mess out of me," I explained and she looked at me expectantly, "You are looking at the new 3rd seat of squad 10!"

Rukia-chan squealed and hugged me, "Congratulations! But get back to the part about you and Nii-san! I want details!" Well that's kind of weird because it's her brother, but whatever. I'll go with it.

"Anyways, after I went through all the diplomatic crap, I sought him out before I lost my nerve. I found him in the garden where we first trained, and I realized I had feelings for him. I told him the truth about how I felt, and he didn't say anything. He just grabbed my arm and flashstepped with me to Hisana-san's grave," I continued and saw sadness enter Rukia-chan and I gave her a hug and began tearing up a little bit, "I realized who the grave belong to, and I knelt down to pay my respects. I told her about how I felt about Byakuya, and that I hoped I didn't dishonor her memory with my feelings."

Rukia-chan and I were both crying now, but I wanted her to know that everything was okay. After all, she was my best friend, and my now my boyfriend's younger sister, whom he loved more than anyone in the whole world. I wiped up her tears and smiled at her.

"I wasn't finished," I said with a smile that probably told her all my feelings at this moment, "He then pulled me up and held my hand. He stood in front of Hisana-san's grave and told her that he felt the same about me. That he would always love her and that he would never forget her, but that he felt there was room in his heart to care for me as well. Then, he pulled me close and kissed me." I finished with a small smile, gauging Rukia-chan's reaction.

She looked at me, and she had finally stopped crying. Suddenly, she had a giant grin on her face. I began to walk to my room.

"I have to pack, Rukia-chan, but you can feel free to come draw in my room," I volunteered with a smile. She looked at me confused.

"Why are you leaving?" she asked, sadly. I smiled at her with a big grin.

"I got adopted today as well," I said and then answered her unspoken question, "By Captain Jushiro Ukitake. That's right! My name is Shinkiro Ukitake, 3rd seat of the 10th division, and daughter of the captain of the 13th division!" Rukia-chan grinned.

"I think Shinkiro Kuchiki sounds better," she said with a smirk as my face turned beet red, and I swatted her teasingly. The idea made me smile though. It did have a nice ring to it. I swear she can read my mind because her smirk grew wider as she helped me pack up my clothes.

"Is nii-san walking you over to Ukitake-taicho's house?" Rukia asked nosily. I blushed and nodded. She squealed and looked at me excitedly, "I want to see y'all together! I bet you two are absolutely adorable!" I sweatdropped and blushed even more. Dadgumit chick. I'm still getting used to the idea myself.

"Well, I'm going to get him from his study after we finish packing," I volunteered the information, knowing she would invite herself if I told her. And I was not gonna be accused by Byakuya of inviting her along. She nodded, understanding the hint I gave her. We quickly finished packing and walked over to Byakuya's study.

I knocked on the door and heard a faint "Come in." I peeked my head and saw him sitting at his desk, looking at a document. He noticed it was me and stood up and walked over to me, giving me a kiss on the cheek and grabbing my hand.

"Awwwwww!" I heard Rukia-chan squealed, "Y'all are so adorable! Everyone in the Soul Society is gonna be talking about this for weeks!" Byakuya and I sighed in unison. Neither of us really wanted that. As if either of us didn't have enough people talking about us as it is. He was the head of the Kuchiki clan, and I was the girl who became a soul reaper with no formal training and ended up as 3rd seat of the 10th division in 2 months.

We walked in silence except for Rukia-chan kept teasing Byakuya and I and asking him questions. Hey, I already had my turn in the interrogation seat. It was his turn. When we reached my new home, I could feel my palms sweating. It was a large manor, not quite as large as the Kuchiki manor, but pretty dang close. Here goes nothing. I knocked on the door and was answered by Oto-san and two younger girls and four younger boys. The manor seemed to bustling with excitement.

"Welcome home, my daughter," Oto-san said and I ran and hugged him. My new life was truly beginning. I had a family, a real family. This was easily the best day of my life.