Title: The Cape, or Why Didn't Byakuya Kill Ukitake When He Really Should Have
Author: autumnsoliloquy
Character/Pairing: Kuchiki Byakuya, Kurosaki Ichigo x Kuchiki Rukia
Rating: K
Summary: Going against his principles for the third time is not exactly what Byakuya had in mind. SPOILERS for Bleach Manga Chapter 438. Sort of a parallel to my earlier fic 'untitled'.
Disclaimer: Kubo Tite-sama owns Bleach, an unchangeable fact that is deplorable on certain occasions. :P Unbeta-ed like always.

Going against his principles for the third time is not exactly what Kuchiki Byakuya had in mind. He had already broken his promise to his wife once, a sincere lifelong commitment to ensuring that the sister she had once abandoned on the streets of Inuzuri would enjoy the happiness Hisana denied herself her whole life, and he has no desire to repeat that mistake this time. But once again, Byakuya finds himself in another dilemma.

"Love does have barriers." Byakuya wanted to share with his adopted sister this revelation which came to him through his own painful experience. Indeed, class barriers and social differences could be transcended, but there are just some barriers, like immense guilt and self-loathing caused by one single mistake from the past, which could never be broken down no matter how hard one tried.

She and the boy are from different worlds. This is one of the very rare times when Byakuya realizes that despite being a god of death, there are mysteries of life that are just out of his control. As Fate would have it, he is powerless in preventing the possibility that Rukia is bound to get hurt sooner or later.

However, this concern is irrelevant considering that at this very moment, Byakuya knew that Rukia was going through a lot of struggle and suffering deep inside. She might not show it to anyone but this fact is as clear as the spring blue sky to him.

The reason why Byakuya detested looking at her in the past was not because she reminded him painfully of Hisana, nor because she was the infant whose very existence restrained his wife from ever giving her full heart to him. Neither was it because Rukia was merely a product of an obligation, and affection towards her was not part of fulfilling that promise to his wife. He could not bear the sight of her because he could read her like an open book so easily. Rukia had always met the expected behaviour of a Kuchiki noble, in retrospect perhaps out of an eager desire to gain his approval. But a Kuchiki should never be that translucent to anyone, not even to her own brother. At least, that was what Byakuya thought.

But what really unsettled him back then was the realization that deep inside Rukia was like his own reflection, although her physical appearance mirrored her late sister's. The resemblance between them is even more striking to Byakuya now that Rukia's hair has grown to the length Hisana's once was. Yet those deep violet eyes reflected his own desire to be cold, meticulous and free from debilitating emotions, the desire to do what is righteous and dignified without the complexities and capriciousness that come with possessing such human emotions. Byakuya could not admit it to himself back then, but this similarity between him and his sister scared him the most.

His contemplations are disrupted as the shoji door slides open and Rukia steps into the spacious dining hall, joining him with haste at the table where he waited for her. Byakuya realizes that that very desire is reflected in her eyes right now more than ever.

He has made it a point to have dinner with his adopted sister every evening. Byakuya is not a verbose man by nature, preferring to keep introspective thoughts to himself. But nowadays, he finds that he exchanges more words in the evenings with her than with anyone else during the rest of the day combined. Although Rukia has increasingly been opening up to him since he told her the truth about Hisana, respect for her Nii-sama and Kuchiki etiquette meant boundaries were set. Byakuya reckoned that the effort has to come from him, in order to bridge the gap created by forty years of silence between them.

"Pardon for my late arrival, Nii-sama," Rukia says before citing official duties in her division as the reason for her tardiness.

Byakuya notices that she is still in her shinigami uniform, meaning she had been in such a hurry that she came straight from work. He inquires after what the two third-seats have been doing such that all the paperwork fell into her pile, to which she replies that everyone in the division is equally as busy.

"Perhaps I should express to the other captains my wish to nominate you to fill the vacant fukutaichou office of the Thirteenth Division as soon as possible."

Rukia seems pleasantly surprised by his revelation, nevertheless she replies, "I appreciate your kind intentions, Nii-sama, but please do no such thing. I want to accomplish my own achievements through my own merit."

"But you already have, Rukia."

To this she says nothing, but Byakuya is glad to see that his heartfelt pride for her determination and commitment to the shinigami means enough for her to smile. Unfortunately, this pride is almost always in a constant struggle with his concern for her well-being. It seems to him that all Rukia ever did since the war in Hueco Mundo ended was busying herself with helping out with post-war efforts and the reorganization of the Gotei Thirteen.

"Have you been to the living world of late?" he asks a while later.

There is a slight falter in Rukia's actions which doesn't go unnoticed to his observant eyes.

"No, Nii-sama. I haven't had the time nor have I been given orders to do so."

"And what about Kurosaki Ichigo?" Byakuya decides it is about time he brought up the dreaded subject. "You've not seen him since the loss of his powers."

He expected Rukia to be unnerved by his pointed questions, but surprisingly she doesn't even miss a beat. Perhaps she has finally perfected the skill of Kuchiki stoicism.

"There's simply no need for me to do so, Nii-sama."

"Indeed," Byakuya replies. "But I wasn't speaking of necessity in this case."

Finally, she looked up at him with astonished acknowledgement of what he was alluding to. Before she could react, Byakuya continues. "There is no cause for concern, Rukia. I should expect that the order for you to go to Karakura Town will arrive soon enough."

"An order?"

"I suppose you've heard no news of Kurosaki Ichigo at all. The captains have received reports of Kurosaki Ichigo conspiring with characters deemed as threats to Soul Society, in order to acquire questionable powers."

"Nii-sama, if you mean Urahara-san—"

"Urahara Kisuke is hardly a threat to Soul Society at this moment. I refer to a small group of humans who have gained Hollow powers through as of yet unknown and unorthodox means, and who have evaded Soul Society for many decades."

"Hollow powers?" Rukia can no longer hide her distress over the new information she is hearing.

"Is there any reason at all you can think of, Rukia, as to why Kurosaki Ichigo has decided to align himself with humans who may be enemies of Soul Society?"

"Of course not! Ichigo would never…"

Rukia trailed off abruptly. Ever since she came back from the living world for the last time, Byakuya has never heard her speak of the boy, much less utter his name.

"Kurosaki Ichigo would never stand on the opposite side of the shinigami," she concludes with a soft voice. "He was… He's always been proud of being a shinigami."

"Nevertheless," Byakuya says moments later, "the captains have all come to a unanimous agreement that you shall be sent to the living world to helm the investigations regarding this matter. You may choose the team of shinigami you wish to aid you in this mission."

They speak little thereafter except for discussions about official matters of no consequence. Rukia retires to her room afterwards, but not before Byakuya realizes that Rukia is indeed very much like himself when it comes to matters of the heart. They both view feelings as redundant liabilities that lead to weakness, and so both of them regard emotions with such fear.

Perhaps later on Byakuya would regret ever proposing to the other captains to send his sister for this mission. Just like sometimes he regrets not having attempted to kill Ukitake in his sleep for giving Kurosaki ichigo that shinigami badge.

"I see no point in giving Kurosaki Ichigo a device he does not even know how to use."

"Ah, Kuchiki-taichou," then a violent cough interrupted Ukitake-taichou's reply. "I'm sure that Kurosaki and Kuchiki would figure that out for themselves soon enough. Or at least when extraordinary need calls for it."

Byakuya said nothing in response, although the thirteenth division captain seemed to be waiting in anticipation for a reply. When he didn't get one, Ukitake continued, "Aren't you going to ask me, Kuchiki-taichou, what makes me so sure that it would work for those two? Or have you already gotten the answer to that question?"

Byakuya could have killed him there and then and no one would have suspected him of anything. He wasn't going to allow Soul Society to keep track of Kurosaki Ichigo's activities by taking advantage of his sister's unfortunate feelings for him. But he supposed that Ukitake did not deserve to suffer the brunt of his recurring dilemma between two promises made to the people dearest to him, promises which seem determined to always be in contradiction to each other.

He had promised Hisana on her deathbed that he would protect Rukia at all costs. He could shield her from physical harm with his own body on the battlefield as he did against Ichimaru Gin's sword once, but on the grounds she now tread Byakuya has no way of sheltering her from imminent pain, for he is just as vulnerable in this battlefield as she is.

So the next day when she bids him farewell before setting off for the living world once again, he tells her, "You should acquire a gigai from Urahara Kisuke."

Byakuya reckons that rather than the mantle he once gave her before she departed for Hueco Mundo, a gentle shove in the right direction is more useful this time round.

Author's Notes

{i} In case it's not explicit enough, my theory is that the shinigami badge works like how the Deluminator in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows worked for Ron Weasley; when Hermione mentioned his name in conversation during their physical separation, he was able to hear her voice coming from it.

{ii} The tone of this fic is slightly more formal than usual, to the point of sounding strangely archaic sometimes, because I believe Byakuya speaks in very formal old Japanese in the manga, and Rukia probably adopts the same respectful tone in her conversations with Nii-sama.

{iii} Byakuya might be my favourite character in Bleach, but it is such a pain to write from his POV. Since he's so uptight and all.

{iv} Concrit would be welcomed and appreciated, like always.