Series spoilers. I owneth not the Bleach. SS spoilers.

Exception

He'd never admit it, but for Kuchiki Byakuya the task of locating Rukia was taxing.

For a Captain who could fire off an effortless succession of demon magic spells, sever limbs and masks by the soft lilt of his voice, and send hapless souls into disarray with his seamless flash step, the inability to pinpoint the location of one single soul was more unsettling than it was pathetic. She had been drained in so many ways, so that even while she was recovering in the room beside him at the 4th division barracks, Byakuya had a difficult time discerning Rukia's spiritual pressure from the birds in the sky.

After being held within Captain Unohana's soft palm for one week after Aizen's betrayal, Rukia required little persuasion to return to the Kuchiki Manor. Unohana assured Rukia that she would not be alone, and the 4th division captain even offered to send Rukia home with two of her seated officers. Ukitake had made a similar bid for Rukia's peace of mind by offering her the 13th squad barracks, but Rukia had declined each of their offers and had returned to the Kuchiki Estate quietly and dutifully.

Byakuya received the news with typical stoicism, which may have slipped only when Unohana informed him that Rukia was under orders from the 4th Division Captain to remain under the roof of the Kuchiki Estate.

The last thing Rukia needed was house-arrest.

Byakuya set his jaw.

The servant bit his lip.

Two weeks under the gentle scrutiny of Unohana had not taken the edge off of his reiatsu.

Good.

Captain Kuchiki Byakuya of the 6th Division had returned to his place as terror-inspiring head of the Kuchiki clan and household, and had made it quite clear that though he'd been defeated by a lowly human, he was still master of his domain. After careful inspection of the premises, Kuchiki Byakuya resolved that he need not reprimand the master servant on any minute detail (the gardens were still perfectly trim, the hallways still slick in the absence of dust, and the koi still jubilantly sloshing their way around the pond). The small things were all in order. It would be the subject of the clan's absent mistress which would later send the eldest servant away trembling, decided Kuchiki Byakuya.

Naturally, none of the lesser servants would realize why the whereabouts of one tiny and demure girl was suddenly a sensitive issue for the rigid nobleman, but Byakuya had no intention to inform anyone (least of all the help) of the paradigm shifts he'd undergone during his recuperation at the 4th Division. With his priorities drastically altered (damn that meddling kid) and a fitting punishment for his servant in mind, Byakuya took a light step off of his private balcony and vanished into the heart of Seiretei.

As the revered death god flitted through the alleyways of the silent spirit city, the thought that perhaps Rukia was in Rukongai with the ostentatious Shiba siblings crossed his mind. Should that be the case, Byakuya would leave well enough alone. Other than having to deal with social pariahs, Byakuya wanted to avoid contaminating any happiness that Rukia might be feeling.

Still, he had to check.

He traced the edges of the Rukongai slums until he came near the Shiba household. He felt the bold spiritual flares of two strong beings, but could not discriminate Rukia's presence. Byakuya left with the first sharp pangs of annoyance and worry, as he primarily noted the strong desire to find Kurosaki Ichigo and throttle the boy until his little brains rattled out.

Another step, and Byakuya was skimming over the tiled rooftops of outer-Soul Society.

Kuchiki Byakuya was grateful, and forever in-debted to the brazen brat from the real world. Byakuya owed Kurosaki Ichigo his life after the boy had given him another chance at fulfilling his promise to Hisana. What Byakuya did not appreciate was the frivolous emotion that tagged along with his renewed sense of duty; worry, annoyance, hurt, each ludicrous feeling was there. Of course, Byakuya took the time to smother each one, but the very act of smothering implied acknowledgement.

How crass.

Byakuya's movement flowed to a firm stop.

Over his shoulder, Sougyoku Hill loomed.

Was she-

No, she was alone.

Why-

Irrelevant.

What if-

Irrelevant.

Without turning around, Byakuya disappeared from the rooftop with Sougyoku Hill in his aim.

She was clutching the skin and bones of her body as she stood against the wind, her gaze lowered on the pile of smoldering ash and scorched dirt. Byakuya was not masking his presence, but Rukia seemed unable to detect him even as he stood behind her. He mulled the decision to let her stay, but the mechanics of such a choice were ridiculous. Rukia must have eluded the servants long enough to climb the entire length of the stairs, and judging by the way her kimono trembled, the effort alone had weakened her to the point of breaking. Byakuya carefully fumed. He would not allow her to agitate his all ready disquieted demeanor.

"You should not be here."

Rukia tensed at the sound of his voice, terrified with Byakuya's sudden appearance. He recognized her tendancy to freeze when he addressed her and the tingling sensation of guilt joined the orchestra of uninvited emotions playing behind his quiet exterior.

"I had to come. . ."

"It is late. You have disobeyed a Captain's orders by leaving the premises."

"I had to see it, because I-" Rukia was trying to laugh, but it came out as a gasp for air. "I had a dream that-"

"It's time to leave."

Byakuya identified Rukia's sudden tenseness as an effort to control her shaking.

"My deepest apologies, Nii-sama. I-I can't use shunpo."

It was then that Kuchiki Byakuya, who had stomached years of defamation from the lips of his kinsmen, who had outlived his wife, who had nearly taken his sister by the throat and crushed her between his fingers, who had been shattered and left raw before the naive eyes of a human boy, had had enough. Byakuya still resolved to press each nagging emotion down with his thumb so as to flatten its potency, but he would no longer ingratiate Rukia with such destructive behaviors. He would not pinch worry between his fingers and choke it, and he would no longer deny her the family she had longed for all these years.

Byakuya stepped lightly to her shoulder before holding his palm open to her.

"Take my hand," he ordered.

Rukia gaped at him in wide-eyed terror, and Kuchiki Byakuya considered a less threatening approach. He aimed his flash step to a few feet before her, so that he was blocking her view of the ruined execution site.

With painstaking care, he kneeled before her. Rukia looked back at him with eyes of glassed disbelief.

"Rukia," his tone was soft, but retained its sternness. He held his hand out to her again.

"I will not let go."

Perhaps Kuchiki Byakuya had worried that his adopted sister might hesitate to touch him for fear of being crushed by his touch, but Rukia, who never ceased to surprise the prestigous noble with her strength, heeded his words with only a moment of contemplation before she drove into him and burrowed into his embrace.

As Kuchiki Byakuya wrapped a protective arm around his sister, he thought civilly of Kurosaki Ichigo and the ability imparted by the obnoxious brat to experience the full spectrum between worry and relief.