Bleach (c) Tite Kubo


Once More To See You Again


In Water, In Rain


It's too damn hot for this time of June.

In addition to the sweltering heat that Ichigo is certain will melt them all to grease stains before too long, there's the sharp steady trill of their dad's stupid bird whistle steadily chipping away at his fraying nerves. To keep them all walking in lock step or something like that, and for when he needs to signal them its time to get back to the main shrine for whatever activities he has planned.

Ichigo doesn't bother questioning it these days. Dad's a crackpot, always has been, always will be.

The girls are walking about ten meters ahead while Ichigo hangs back a couple behind his father, taking deliberately slower strides to keep even with his limping twin brother.

Kaien's heavily favouring his left leg and the effort to climb the hill is taking its toil on him, but he's pushing through it with that frustratingly omnipresent cheerful grin of his.

Yuzu makes the mistake of bemoaning the heat, the walk or a combination of the two in their father's earshot against Karin's warning (Ichigo's too far away to hear the exact words but Isshin isn't).

In his usual insane fashion, their ridiculous father decides to do something impractically stupid again because of course he does, which earns Karin's ire, chasing them up the hill while hand-standing. Their younger sister sends him tumbling head over heels back down the hill with a winning kick.

Ichigo quickly jerks Kaien out of the way and the elder set of twins watch Isshin tumble head over toe back down the road. Ichigo remains thoroughly unamused while Kaien winces in pity.

"You'd think he'd learn." His younger brother mutters then grimaces, his hand moving to brush a pain in his right thigh.

"He's always been like that." Ichigo drawls. "Who knows, maybe he'll finally get the message one of these days?"

"And in what world do you imagine that happening?" Kaien challenges with a crooked smirk.

Ichigo only shrugs a shoulder. He gaze drifting upwards to the practically clear sky and brushing off the beads of perspiration on his brow with the back of his hand.

Funny how despite being the same date, its a hell of a lot different from six years ago. There's not a drop of rain in sight... at least for now. Weather forecasts claimed a storm was rolling in this afternoon and evening, but given how blistering hot the morning is that's kind of hard to belief.

In the corner of his eye, he witnesses Kaien visibly deflate when Ichigo refuses to partake in their usual line of banter. His twin drops his focus to his leg, obviously struggling with it. He sucks in a breath through pain gritted teeth and groans.

"Do you need a hand? That's the seventh time in the last ten minutes." Ichigo observes.

"I didn't know you were keeping track. I'm flattered." His younger brother's grin transforms into another grimace as he massages out the knot in his leg, he flashes an apologetic smile. "Its fine, its fine. It's what I get for not warming up properly. Sorry for being a drag."

"You still came home with the silver. I think most people would've given up and pulled out of the race after busting a muscle this bad but you stuck it out for the last lap. No one's complaining about that." Ichigo reminds him.

That was a week ago.

Like today, Isshin had pulled Ichigo, Yuzu and Karin out of school to watch Kaien participate in the regional swim championships representing Karakura High. They all howled and clapped when the finals started (Kaien, being the fish he is, easily qualified). Even Ichigo, usually reserved and restrained when it came to such things, cheered his brother on in his own way.

But about halfway through the penultimate lap, Kaien's seemingly effortless glide through the water with a picture perfect freestroke technique took a massive nosedive. Ichigo remembers launching half out of his seat when he saw that, gravely telling his dad that Kaien had hurt himself. When the race finished, Ichigo practically flew from his place in the stands, taking steps two or three at a time before bolting to the side of the pool to help fish Kaien out. His younger brother clinging to ledge, face pressed against his arms and breathing hard through in a mix of physical exertion and quiet agony.

Dad was barely two steps behind when they'd got him out of the pool onto a bench, with Yuzu and Karin hot on his heels, and diagnosed him with a severe pull in his right calf (as if the grunts and gasps of pain at Isshin's ministrations didn't already give it away. Kaien doesn't express pain freely, but his eyes were red from more than just chlorine that day).

The Kagamino High swimmer who edged Kaien out by two seconds for the gold (even in agony, Ichigo's twin was prodigiously fast) decided to show his humility in victory... by waltzing over with an insufferable swagger to brag about it and mock Kaien's pain. Ichigo would've knocked his teeth out if his little brother hadn't kept a vice grip on his hand, both a silent plea for support and restraint. He didn't want to let the insult slide but his brother needed him more.

Technically, Kaien should've been walking with a crutch but insisted he wouldn't need it (the twin boys are as stubborn as each other sometimes).

"The swim team is. You should hear Saito whinging and moaning about how unfair it was and how the other school should've given us the gold by default." Kaien retorts, snickering to himself. "Should've heard Mr Shirogane dressing him down. Sent him scurrying with his tail between his legs, but the coach wasn't too happy either."

"Yeah. Didn't help that the Kagamino kid was a massive dick about it. But ain't Saito the same guy who'd complain about the weight if you gave him a briefcase full of cash?"

"Oh yeah. Chronic complainer, through and through. He'd whine even if I brought home the gold out of pure jealousy," Kaien agrees with a strained smile. "Be glad he's in the other homeroom class. We'd never hear the end of his droning."

"You sure you don't need a rest?" Ichigo offers, concerned when Kaien stumbles, leaning against the fence lining the road to steady himself. "I can help you to the top if you really need it."

"Nah, I appreciate it but I'll be fine when we're back on flat ground. Just have to take it nice and easy." Kaien dismisses with a shake of the head, drawing in a final breath and pushing himself off the fence with one last burst of energy and a disguising smile. "Besides it's hot enough without having to carry extra baggage."

Ichigo makes a noncommittal sound in his throat, subtly moving until he and his twin are walking shoulder to shoulder.

"You okay?" Kaien asks him in a small voice.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ichigo answers tersely.

Kaien glances at his profile out of the corner of his eye, giving an imperceptible sigh. "Right. Dumb question."

"Hey. Who is that?" Karin asks out of the blue, catching the twin brothers' attention.

"Who is that person? Is she here visiting a grave too?" Yuzu adds curiously.

Ichigo and Kaien's jaws drop when they notice a certain Shinigami-turn-house guest at the peak of the hill, waving at them with that rehearsed phony innocence which charmed the rest of their class.

His twin forgotten, Ichigo dashes forward in a mad panic (most of which hid his outrage, humiliation and anger at her appearance), making some hasty excuses for his sisters and dragging Rukia away by the hand.


Rukia couldn't believe her stupidity or how insensitive she'd sounded just now. It wasn't until Ichigo had already run off that she'd realised the gravity of her mistake.

Bad enough that the damned fool had ditched her to go attend a sports tournament or something like that. By some stroke of luck, a hollow hadn't shown up that afternoon. But it didn't rankle her enough to merit cruelly tearing at a deep bitterly sensitive wound in his spirit.

For all Ichigo's unusual maturity compared to his peers and for how well he'd taken to the Shinigami craft, Rukia often forgot that she was speaking to a teenager and not a fellow soldier. She fell into the trap of believing he had the emotional maturity to logically sort through the options like any other of her peers. She curses herself as a fool for it.

"You really think a Hollow killed mum...?" Kaien's tone cut through her thoughts like butter.

Rukia spins to find the dark-haired twin leaning heavily against one of the great trees lining the dirt and stone path heavily favouring his left leg. His breathing comes out in light pants from the strain of chasing them on that hobbled leg. The Shinigami mentally curses herself again, she'd been so lost in her own head she failed to keep a weather eye on her surrounds. If she'd been focused, she would've noticed him sooner.

And avoided him.

"You were following us." Rukia accuses coldly.

She should've known better. Of course he would have.

Kaien's gaze shifts from her to down the dirt path where Ichigo had fled.

"You know if you'd actually spoken to me or even bothered to acknowledge my existence in the first place, I would've warned you not to poke that bear." Kaien rebukes, a frown sketched on his face when his gaze returns to her.

Despite the physical appearance, there's that inescapable feeling of Rukia's first days back in the Thirteenth.

That's dangerous. Extraordinarily dangerous. The damage Rukia's mere presence has already caused is catastrophic enough, perhaps to the point of being irreparable, but she knows this Kaien's interest in the spiritual world increases dramatically by the day. Especially after that incident with Kon. In spite or perhaps because of Rukia's attempts to keep that knowledge closely guarded and reduce her influence to an absolute minimum, Kaien remains veracious in his appetite and desire to understand (like the other in many ways).

Sadly there's only so much time Rukia can purchase and a dwindling supply of excuses she can give to deny answering his questions entirely.

"Are you angry with me for asking?" Rukia responds with schooled detachment. "With his - with both of your natural abilities, its only a logical assumption."

Kaien stares at her for a moment, searching her expression for something before he relents and glances away with a scoff.

"Does it even matter to you whether I'm angry or not?" Kaien retorts, scowling. "Seeing as you'll go right back to ignoring me anyhow. Hell, this is the most you've ever said to me directly since you started living at our place."

The words are cutting. Rukia's training as a Shinigami and adopted Kuchiki allows her to hide just how much they hurt. Moments like this, its difficult to separate the human school student from the memory of the Shinigami Lieutenant. Rukia resolves to find the swiftest escape from this conversation as quickly as possible.

"Perhaps." Rukia answers neutrally, her expression showing nothing of her inner turmoil.

"Can I just ask; what did I do to you?" Kaien demands as Rukia passes him, she hadn't intended to but she does stop mid-stride. "What have I done that's so utterly and completely offended you you won't even look at me?"

"I'm not offended by anything. Nor am I ignoring you." Rukia denies. This answer rather obviously earns scorn.

"Oh really? because you've been doin' a fantastic impression otherwise." Kaien quips sarcastically.

Rukia swallows a lump in her throat and responds in most authorities tone she could muster. "It's for your own protection."

Kaien scoffs challengingly, rolling his eyes. "Oh cut the crap, would you? Especially since it's a waste of both our time. The damage is done."

He is right, though not for the reasons he thinks.

Rukia quietly sighs to herself.

"Listen, if you're worried that I'd do something stupid then don't sweat it. I know perfectly well there's nothing I can do to help even if I wanted to." From the sound of him, it's an agonizing confession that wounds his pride to even give it voice. He spits the words out like poison, frustrated at himself more than her. "I'm stuck on the outside, standing on the side-lines waiting on baited breath for Ichigo to come home with another collection of scars. But between that spirit world stuff and living rent-free in our wardrobe with us smuggling you food, I think you can safely punt whatever reservations you had to the curb."

Rukia remains silent.

"I'm not about to blindly charge the nearest Hollow I see like some lunatic looking for martyrdom the second either of you take your eyes off me, but would it really kill you to treat me like I'm an actual person, not the damn house plant?"

Yes. It would.

It would kill them all. But unfortunately, that's precisely the situation Rukia is stuck in. And a desire to protect the twins from merciless retribution for a crime they had no idea was being committed is what holds Rukia's tongue. Mercy has no place in the rigid legal bureaucracy of the Seireitei, nor is ignorance of that crime an excuse.

They were all dead men walking one way or another.

And that grim reality is one Rukia has been circling around since she'd arrived at the Kurosaki clinic.

"The matter is complicated. You wouldn't understand." Rukia says neutrally.

"And I won't understand unless you explain it to me. You can't keep leaving me with a blanket statement of 'Oh, its for your protection' or 'its complicated' and expect me not to question it. I don't know if its the same for Shinigami but nothing draws a human's attention more than evasive action. You're practically screaming you're hiding something and being deliberately vague only leaves me wanting to know more." Kaien tells her, brows knitting together in a frown.

"So I'll ask again: Why do you keep turning away from me like I'm something stuck on your shoes? Sure I've teased you a bunch of times, and if any of that did offend you I'll apologize for it, but I hardly think its worth pretending like I don't exist whenever Ichigo's not around to play mediator."

Rukia wars with herself over how to answer before deciding to hell with it all and throwing caution to the wind.

May as well be damned for the whole as a part.

"Its no fault of yours. It's mine." Rukia confesses at last, feeling weighted dread in her stomach shift. The truth, or a carefully curtailed version of the truth, is better than nothing. Rukia frowns, gathering her thoughts and figuring out exactly the right way to word them that would cause as little damage as possible.

"The truth of it is..." She begins, finding her voice. "The truth is you remind me of someone that I used to know. My mentor, actually. To an uncomfortable degree if I'm being perfectly frank with you."

The answer seems to shock Kaien. Rukia suspects he didn't expect any real kind of answer, but he followed through with a suspicious eyebrow. "I'm guessing it was a bad falling out... that you're taking out on me for what-"

"He died. Killed in action."

Kaien's anger evaporates instantly, his face falls and his eyes closed. "Oh my god..." he sighs into his hand. When he looks at Rukia again, those blue eyes are filled with empathy and contrition. "I'm so sorry. I should've known better."

"It seems to be the day for trampling over old scars." Rukia offers morosely. "I selfishly picked at a very deep wound for Ichigo, its only fair to get even, isn't it?"

"Eye for an eye is fine but there's lines you do not cross, no matter how pissed you are. I should've been more considerate..." Kaien slumps, his back leaning against the tree he'd been using as support and scrubs a hand through his hair, frustrated now for an entirely different reason.

"Its fine. How could you have possibly known?" Rukia reassures with a shrug, crossing her arms over her chest.

"If..." Kaien hesitatingly.

Rukia raises an eyebrow at him.

"If its too difficult to answer feel free to shut me down but I get the sense there's more to it than that, isn't there?" Kaien probes carefully, calmer now and mild. "Don't think I don't remember the way you acted out when you saw me in homeroom that first time. You took one look at my face and scarpered. Based on that, I'm guessing I have more than a passing resemblance to the guy, right? Ichigo you could probably ignore because his colours throw everyone off, but me..."

Kaien shakes his head, "And that jab I made the other day, about Hollows possessing people... I caught the expression you had when I brought it up. I've seen it loads of times, on a whole bunch of people who get treated at the clinic; that haunted expression's the kind someone wears when they're talking from first hand experience."

Rukia wears a forlorn smile, "You're quite the observant man, aren't you?"

"I'm only guessing with all the information I have at hand. I suppose it's safe to say two plus two equals four, right?"

Rukia closes her eyes and nods once. Unwelcome memories surge to the forefront of her thoughts but she pushes the back with the discipline drilled into her. When she opens her eyes again, she glances towards the younger Kurosaki brother who studies her with compassion, fighting through his own pain to stand up right.

"Yes. He fell victim to a Hollow that tried to use him to attack his comrades. He... in the end, he chose to destroy himself rather than attack those closest to him. Losing him was... it was a difficult day for us all. Truth be told, that wound is still very raw." Rukia admits heavily.

"And you feel like you failed to save him, so you're trying to keep me away to make up for it?" Kaien surmises.

"In a manner of speaking."

Kaien studies her then shakes his head with a gentle laugh. "No wonder you and Ichigo get along so well; birds of a feather flock together."

"For certain definitions of 'getting along'." Rukia challenges.

Kaien dismisses it with a wave of his hand, "Oh please, grouchy and bickering is his default state." He crosses his arms and sighs. "But you do know that I'm not him, right? I'm not your mentor. I'm your friend or I'd like to be. And I promise I'm not about to do something recklessly stupid, I'm well aware of the powerlessness of my situation. In the spirit of friendship and that... unfortunate bit of information being out in the open, do you want to go back to square one and start again? No harm, no foul. Water under the bridge and all that?"

"Why?"

"Because you honestly seem like an interesting person and I'd like to be your friend." Kaien explains then adds with an easygoing smile. "I know you're only here on a job and you'll probably be leaving or reassigned soon. But when I die and pass over to the next world I think it'd be nice to have at least one familiar face waiting on the other side, wouldn't you?" He winks. "Who knows, maybe you can put in a good word for me. Don't let my reputation at school fool you, I'm quite the troublemaker myself."

Rukia blinks, wondering why she's as taken aback by his casual declaration as she is. She doesn't have the heart to contradict him on his notion, nor does she remark on the colossal irony of the statement coming from him. Souls who pass over don't remember their lives when they reincarnate into the next world, just as he currently doesn't remember his own prior life as her Lieutenant.

"I'd, um... Yes, I'd like that." Rukia accepts with a soft smile of her own.

"Okay, well I'll get started; I'm Kaien Kurosaki, you're the crazy bunny-obsessed spirit lady whose been living in our wardrobe for the last month. Nice to meet you." He grins, offering out a hand for her to shake.

Rukia rolls her eyes, "We don't have to start at the beginning beginning, you fool."

Kaien pouts, hand dropping to his side. "Buzzkill."

"And what do you mean by 'crazy spirit lady'?!" Rukia barks, hands on her hips.

"Well, you're crazy. You're a spirit who's obsessed with bunny rabbits and you're a lady. I thought it was pretty self-explanatory." Kaien shrugs then flashes another cheeky grin, "Oh boy, I'm almost disappointed we're not in one of the west. You'd love their Easter holidays. Especially the holiday mascot."

"Holiday mascot?" Rukia echoes, head titled in confusion.

"Yeah, its called the Easter - Ah, damn it!" Kaien hisses, clutching his right leg and breathing hard through a cramp of some kind.

"Stand still. I'll heal that leg for you." Rukia states abruptly, stalking over and her hands gloved in green healing kaido.

"H-hey. No! Uh, I mean not all the way." Kaien protests hastily, putting a hand up to stop her. "I appreciate it if you wanna take the edge off, but the whole school knows I've banged up my leg. I heal freakishly fast and all, but if I suddenly start walking fine like nothing happened they'll think I flaked on the championships. Dealing with the aftermath of Kon's escapade was enough jeering for me, thanks very kindly."

"Ah. Right. Just enough to make walking a little easier for you, then. That's simple enough." Rukia says, kneeling with her hands hovering over his right thigh.

"If its okay to ask... what was he like? Your mentor, I mean?" Kaien ventures carefully.

Rukia focuses on her work for a few minutes before answering. "He was... he was a good man. An admirable man. Friendly, loyal and energetic in his own way. And had something of a mean pranking streak."

Kaien gets a curious expression on his face at the description, "... you realize you just described a dog, right?"

Rukia bursts out with a surprisingly carefree laugh. "Stop it. Don't distract me. I need to focus on this or I'll damage your leg further."

Kaien smirks, "Hey, I didn't even know you could laugh. Colour me amazed."

Rukia still wears a smile and continues, "His name was Shiba."

"Oh, that's even better!" Kaien announces guffawing so much he's struggling to breath. Rukia glances up at him with a cocked eyebrow and he explains, whipping away his tears. "Shiba Inu is the name of a dog breed in the living world."

Rukia stops healing, burying her face in her hands while she giggles uncontrollably. "That is terrible! The Shiba clan are a respected noble family!"

"Don't look at me, they should've picked a better name!" Kaien protests, sucking in air and failing magnificently to stifle the rest of his cackling.

"He did that too." Rukia says finishing her work and climbing to her feet. "He liked using humour to defuse tension."

"Hmm. Laughter is one of the best ice-breakers in my opinion, right up there with good homecooked meal." Kaien shrugs, testing his right leg with a bit of weight. He's still limping Rukia observes but he's maintaining balance without support. "Sounds like we would've gotten along. Shame I never met him."

But this fleeting good mood is brought down once more.

"But in the spirit of this proper friendship, can I confess something to you?" Kaien asks in a sudden somber tone.

"What is it?"

Kaien looks back down the path as if he'd see his brother, "I heard what you said to Ichigo earlier. That you think a Hollow might've killed our mother in place of him... I, uh, I know this is gonna make me sound like a horrible son but part of me kind of does hope that's true." Rukia scowls at him but Kaien doesn't look at her, shifting guilty and avoiding her gaze, "Ichigo's blamed himself all this time. Dad's never been able to convince him different, I've never been able to convince him... He believes from the bottom of his heart that he killed her and he punishes himself viciously for it. All that anger, he aims at himself for being too weak to do anything to save her."

Rukia's gaze softens with understanding, "But if there's something external he can focus on, someone or something to direct his anger towards, then you think he might be able to achieve some form of catharsis. Is that what you're hoping?"

"I'm his brother. Before all this Shinigami stuff happened I always had his back, but there's things even I can't defend him against. And the demons in his heart aren't the kind that can be exorcised with a Zanpakutou or a konsou..."

"I suppose not." Rukia laments in agreement.

Kaien shrugs helplessly. "It won't bring mum back but it might help him move on, if only a little. If a Hollow really had killed her, I ain't expecting Ichigo to spend the rest of his days hunting it down or anything like that, but externalizing it is a hell of a lot better than letting it fester inside his heart like poison, right?"

Rukia hums softly in agreement.

A sharp steady trill cuts through the silence and Kaien grumbles indecipherably to himself. "That's the old man calling. Him and his silly whistles." He explains, pushing himself off the tree and limping back down the path. "Thanks for patching up my leg. Oh, and... I'd appreciate it if you kept what I've said to yourself. Try not to let it colour how you speak to him, Ichigo doesn't take too kindly to pity or sympathy."

"I've worked that out myself, funnily enough." Rukia answers. "Don't worry. I'll keep your confidence."

"I appreciate it. Elder brothers are such pains in the ass sometimes, aren't they? And mine especially needs so much taking care of." Kaien jokes helplessly then waves farewell over his shoulder. "I'll see you later, or at home. Either or."


Kon's in Ichigo's body. Which means a Hollow's around here somewhere. On wobbly legs, Kaien rushes into the pouring rain. His injury is slowing him down more than he'd like and he knows damn well that he can't do anything, but he has to confirm for himself that Ichigo is okay. So he made up some excuse to their dad (they're getting perilously good at that lately) and dashed off into the rainstorm with next to no clue where to start. Kon pointed him in a general direction and off Kaien went.

The Mod Soul might've shown himself to be a lecherous pervert but he is strong and Kaien trusts him enough to keep watch of their family, so he puts thoughts of their safety aside from now.

Its not long before he finds desecrated tombstones, shattered pavers and craters on the path, a trail of destruction that leads him to the top of a nearby stairwell and clearing beyond. The wet explosion at the peak of these stairs followed by a shower of mud and debris, pretty clearly hints where Ichigo's fighting right now. Kaien takes them as fast as he can, shielding his face from the muck raining down on him, and at the top he sees a truly horrific sight.

Pools of blood splashed across the grass field (Kaien prays that it all doesn't belong to his brother), Ichigo with three holes in his chest from the Hollow's claws and some twisted monster thing wearing the face of his mother. His heart lurches at the sight and he wants to be sick. A visage of a pure and joyful and radiant woman distorted by inhumanity, scorn and hatred, sneering at Ichigo who can barely stand without his Zanpakutou as a crutch. It doesn't wear a mask, but the see-through hole in its chest makes it pretty clear this creature is a Hollow.

Another cruel bastard playing depraved mind games with its victims. Kaien's fingers curl into trembling fists with outrage, anger and disgust burning in his blood.

"Yes, even though you know what I am on the inside, you can't cut me because of the face I wear. You couldn't possibly hurt something that looks like your mother, isn't that right, brat?!" The Hollow taunts, distorted masculine tones emanating from their mother's lips. It's wrong and violating on so many levels.

"And you!" The Hollow turns the visage's mocking eyes upon Kaien.

"Kaien..." Ichigo snarls, surging forward a step but the effort causes more blood to splash from his numerous gaping wounds.

"Kaien, run away!" Rukia's order is drowned out by the rain.

The Holllow continues sneering at him. Involuntarily it seems, the form of their mother starts to bubble and melt, shifting like invisible hands are sculpting the grotesque golem before their very eyes. Kaien watches it unfold in horrified fascination as the face of his mother warps and shifts into someone else entirely. Another woman as it turned out. Silky dark hair pinned back in a half bun, supple features with dark eyes he knows on some half-forgotten instinct should be gentle and compassionate but now overflow with mockery and oozing hatred.

Kaien has never seen this woman before in his life. Not ever. But it pulls at something in him. For a split second something deep, deep within his spirit twits into knots with outrage at the abomination wearing the unfamiliar woman's face.

"You smell delectable but I don't have time to devour you. As for you, rat, even if you could cut me while wearing your mother's face you can't follow me in that state!" The Hollow bounds into the air, its derisive laughter echoing in the rain as much as the cracks of thunder above.

"Wait!" Ichigo sputters.

"Ichigo, that's enough! The fight's over!" Rukia runs in front of him, physically holding him back as much as upright.

"He's not dead yet - GET BACK HERE, YOU OVERGROWN MOSSBALL!" Ichigo hurls into the darkness in a rage, but the very action drains what little energy he had left. He collapses on Rukia, down for the count.

It snaps Kaien to action.

"Ichigo!" Kaien shouts in a panic, sprinting from his place at the steps, skidding on the wet grass before falling to his knees at his brother's side, taking in the full breath of his injuries.

"Is he-? He's not-?" Kaien doesn't dare voice the last word.

"He's alive." Rukia tells him quietly, Kaien lets out a relieved breath he hadn't realised he wa holding. "A Shinigami's life force is tied to their amount of reiatsu. To not die from these wounds... this idiot's strength is quite frightening." Rukia says with a puzzling soft smile on her face, a hand glowing with green pressed to his chest. "He'll survive."

Kaien glances from her to his brother, then up at the sky where the Hollow had fled. He wanted to interrogate Rukia; demand to know why it wore his mother's face? Or why it shifted to that other woman's when the Hollow saw him... but now wasn't the time or place.

Seeing his brother like this, it hurts more than Kaien can say. It throws into sharp relief just how useless he is in the face of these monsters. All he can do is sit by his brother's side in the rain and hold his hand.


Author's note:

Rukia knows she's screwed so she decides to throw caution to the wind.

"But you do know that I'm not him, right?" - yeah, Kaien... about that...

Regards,

Aurora313