Yes, I am writing my other stories, don't worry. But then I saw this pic and I... had to write this. It's all Punkykoolkat's fault, her drawings are so wonderful and such a source of inspiration to me, and when I saw her last work, I couldn't resist! If you haven't seen it, look for her on deviantart, she has some omg-amazing byaruki pics there! This fic was based on the one "Her Blood". The link is on my livejournal too.

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The news dropped like a bomb over Seireitei – the captain of the sixth squad had been dismissed from his station, indefinitely.

All kinds of gossip had spread in the halls of the thirteen squads, for no one knew for sure what had happened. Stories were told about a recent mission in which he had been injured, and the most popular theory was that he got handicapped in combat – why else would his resignation be accepted? No one had seen him since then, which endorsed the rumors, and there were news of visits of the forth division's captain to the Kuchiki estate.

Even the higher soldiers were unaware of the true reasons or what kind of conversation had occurred between Unohana-taichou and Yamamoto-sou-taichou regarding the sixth captain; the captains and their lieutenants knew quite well that the destiny of those who dared to quit the service of the Court of Pure Souls was the Worm's Nest, and even being a noble, Kuchiki Byakuya must have at least a good excuse.

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To say that Rukia was worried would be an understatement.

Her brother had not addressed her since the day of the accident, but there was nothing new in that. The young shinigami found, however, many indications of his poor health condition.

First, Unohana-taichou had visited him twice. The Forth captain had politely refused to share what had happened to the Kuchiki head, but Rukia could see the concern in her eyes and she knew his late mission had gone wrong in some way. And then he had forbidden Unohana's visits – or any others for that matter.

Second, it was his presence on the meals. Or rather, his absence. It was the only time of the day when they used to meet, and even if they didn't use to talk much, it was reassuring to see him there. Now his place was always empty, and she had asked some servants to take his food to his bedroom, in hopes she wouldn't offend him with her worry. She was not sure if they were successful, though.

It did not seem so – she had met him very briefly two nights ago – he was much thinner and paler than he used to be, and that couldn't be a good sign.

But what really, really scared her were the sounds.

Their bedrooms were close to each other, and as heirs of the clan, they had a wing of the castle only for themselves. Rukia had always found those empty corridors scary when the silence and the darkness covered the mansion at night, but it had gotten even worse since he came back from his mission and those strange noises started.

She couldn't quite define what she heard. She wasn't close enough to identify it, and even if she wanted, she had not dared to go check what was wrong yet. If anything, they were like grunts, and she could easily infer they meant some kind of suffering.

It was the fourth night since he came back, and she was getting increasingly unnerved by the situation. If it was bad enough that he was dismissed from his duties – and Kuchiki Byakuya was not one to run away from his duties – it had to be pretty serious. And worse, if he stopped seeing Unohana-taichou and was still refusing to eat properly, his life was probably in danger.

She knew her brother was too proud and probably didn't want to be seen sick or show any kind of weakness, but Rukia couldn't stand it any longer. Looking at his empty place on the dinner table, she sighed deeply and decided to gather up all her courage and insist with him, until he opened the door and let her check and do something about his health.

With that decision in her heart, Rukia knocked on her brother's bedroom.

No response.

She knocked again.

"Nii-sama?"

Still no response.

"Nii-sama, please," she begged in worry.

After a few seconds, she added "I know you are there."

She could feel his reiatsu flowing behind the door, and she knew he could feel hers as well.

"I am sorry to intrude, but… I am worried…"

"May I… see you?" she asked again, touching his door.

She still could hear no sound, but she continued.

"I heard about the news and… I can't help but wonder… why…"

Her only answer was more silence. Rukia rested her hands and her head on the door, dejectedly.

"You have not received Unohana-taichou," she pointed out after a few moments, almost to herself, thinking.

She was getting desperate with the silence.

"I've been… hearing sounds…" she said, but immediately regretted touching that subject.

"Nii-sama, please. Please, open the door," she knocked again, "Please, let me see you. You haven't eaten well…"

Rukia looked at the door, considering intruding without his permission, but that would be too bold.

"Please, if you're not well-fed, you won't--"

But her words were cut mid-way as the door was opened right in front of her eyes.

Before she could raise her eyes to meet his, he turned around and entered the room again, moving towards his desk.

The room was dark inside, but Rukia understood the gesture as allowance to enter, and so she did. There was only a faint candlelight inside, and as she closed the door, she searched for his figure in the darkness.

He was not on his formal clothing, and his kenseikan laid discarded over the table. He was still standing and not facing her, when she heard him reply:

"As you can see, I am perfectly well. Do not worry."

She inspected his lithe figure and doubted his words. He was indeed, a little better than last time she saw him, but still very thin and pale, more than usual.

"Did you… resign?"

He stood in silence for a moment, then answered:

"I decided it would be for the best. I still have my duties as head of the clan to attend."

"Of course," she answered, still confused by his lack of a good explanation.

"Well, I believe your worries have been sated. You may leave."

Rukia knew a dismissal when she saw one. But she was not satisfied with what she saw.

"Nii-sama… I'm still worried about your health," she didn't know how to start the subject about the accident, since he clearly didn't want to talk about it.

"Unohana-taichou seemed worried, but you--"

"I will not discuss this subject, Rukia."

"Hai. I'm sorry," she apologized bowing.

She knew his silence was yet another order for her to leave. But her worries had not eased in the least, and she hoped she could at least convince him to eat properly to recover from whatever he had.

"Nii-sama has not eaten well," she pointed out, giving a step in his direction. "I am still worried," she added with another step, looking at his figure. She wanted to see his face and how healthy he really was.

"Do not come closer," he said loudly, with a certain urgency.

Rukia was surprised by the strange command and froze in place, eyes wide, not daring to move.

"You have seen me, I am well. Now leave," he ordered again.

Rukia was still staring at him, and she noticed he was trembling. She saw his fists clenching.

"Leave!" He commanded harshly. His whole body was shaking then.

Rukia moved to him, instead, in desperation. "What's wrong with--"

But before she could finish her words, she was roughly slammed against the wall.

She closed her eyes in pain, and as she opened them, she was surprised to see her brother very close to her face, eyes shut in a grimace, his both hands on each side of her head, trapping her, and most importantly: two fangs coming out of his mouth.

"You… need… to learn… to obey… an order…"

"…Rukia." The last word came out without the struggle of the previous ones, and she saw his eyes opening calmly, a red tinge in them.

And the rest was too fast for her to see.

So, I'm not really sure where this is going, though I do have some ideas... I'm not even sure if I'll continue it, do you want me to? If yes, please leave me a scrap saying so. With so many vampire stories out there (twilight, trueblood) I am afraid of it being boring, so idk. I honestly just wanted to write it for her drawing, since it was the story that came to my mind when I saw it. But who knows? Plz review and let me know what you think/want!

Wynn

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