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Byakuya closes the door to Rukia's bedroom behind the doctor and guides him through to the main part of the manor on autopilot.
"She's out of the woods now, Lord Kuchiki. I have given her some medication to make her sleep and help manage the pain that should take effect in the next few minutes" the older man informs him "We just need to keep an eye on her. Don't hesitate to call if she takes a bad turn."
"Thank you" Byakuya says, bowing low at the waist. Once he is sure he is alone, he lets out the breath he has been holding and pinches the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache brewing behind his eyes. Now that the worst of Rukia's wounds have been dealt with, it's time to deal with the other one hundred and fifty things that need his attention.
"So she's gonna be okay then?"
The sound of Kurosaki's voice makes him jerk. He wonders idly how long the boy has been standing there, waiting for news about Rukia’s condition.
"She is stable at the very least" he replies "There's nothing to be done but wait now."
That answer seems to satisfy him, and he nods.
"Can I go in and see her?" he asks, but he knows it's not really a question, it's a courtesy. They both know there's precious little Byakuya could do to stop him if he wanted to see Rukia. Nevertheless, they continue with the pretense and Byakuya opens the door. He wants to ask about the seemingly animated stuffed lion teddy bear riding on the teenager’s shoulder, but thinks better of it when Ichigo picks it up off his shoulder and throws it to the ground.
“You stay here!” Kurosaki says “The last thing Rukia needs is you annoying her!”
“But how will nee-san get better without my love to heal her?” the creature sobs in a reedy voice.
“She’ll live somehow!” the teenager says irritably, kicking it against the wall before following Byakuya inside.
“Nee-san?” Byakuya asks.
“Don’t ask” Kurosaki replies frustratedly “He’s as delusional as he is annoying.”
Byakuya shrugs. There’s so much he doesn’t know about his sister’s life in the World of the Living, he supposes.
"Wow, is this just Rukia’s room?” Kurosaki asks, taking in the grand room belonging to the Kuchiki clan's youngest member.
“The whole north wing of the manor belongs to her” Byakuya informs him, and his mouth drops open.
Kurosaki kneels next to where Rukia is laid out on her futon, staunched white bandages peeking out from underneath her well-worn lavender-hued sleeping yukata. The boy motions for Byakuya to sit on Rukia's other side on the cushion vacated by the doctor. Rukia stirs a little, eyes fluttering open to peer at her substitute through hazy purple irises.
"Hey there" he says, smiling sheepishly "How're you feeling?"
"Never better" she wheezes. It must hurt to breathe, let alone talk with her wounds. Byakuya hopes the medication takes effect quickly. "Just a scratch."
"Just what I expected from you, Shinegami Kuchiki" Ichigo replies facetiously.
"I'm sorry I can't help you continue the fight" Rukia says mournfully "I... I really am weak, aren't I?"
"Don't be ridiculous" Ichigo scoffs "You were already hurt badly and they took advantage of it. You gave 'em hell in spite of that. That's strong to me."
Ichigo tucks a strand of hair that had been plastered to her forehead with sweat behind her ear for her.
"Thirsty? Want a drink?" he asks. She nods, and suddenly, a feeling of dejavu washes over Byakuya like nausea. Watching Kurosaki gently lift her off her pillows and support her head on his forearm while he feeds her little sips of water from the wooden ladle is like watching a painful memory play out as an out of body experience. Kurosaki wipes her mouth with a clean cloth next to the pain of water and lays her back down, fluffing her pillow around her head.
Byakuya finds he notices the differences between his departed wife and her sister more than their similarities, but the way she lies there now, fixing Kurosaki with her bravest smile through her pain, she's never looked more like Hisana. That wretched look haunts his worst nightmares, reminding him of the helplessness, the shame he had felt watching her slip away while he had not been able to do a single thing about it.
"-Right, Byakuya?" Kurosaki has obviously been saying something to him and he has been too lost in his memories to hear him.
“Hmm?” Byakuya says, rather rudely in response, and Kurosaki just shakes his head.
“Doesn’t matter anyway” he replies. Rukia swivels her head towards her brother with great effort, an amused look in her eyes. She stretches her hand out to him shakily and drops it into his lap expectantly. Kurosaki is holding her other hand in his as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, her tiny hand fitting into his larger one like it belongs there. Byakuya tentatively clasps her hand between his, stroking her knuckles soothingly in another sickeningly familiar gesture. She seems soothed by their affections, and shuts her eyes.
“You should sleep” Ichigo says to her gruffly “I’ll come back when we’ve dealt with these Bounts.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” she asks him, eyes snapping open again, wide with concern.
"You can leave the rest to me" Ichigo reassures her with a dazzling smile "I'm your substitute, right? I'll just be going in your place. I'll try not to embarass you."
"That's a tall order" she chuckles, and he rolls his eyes indulgently, then flicks her on the forehead. She wrenches her hand out of his grasp to swat at his leg weakly for his trouble. Byakuya almost feels as if he is intruding on something as their antics play out in front of him.
“Be careful” she murmurs, hand lingering on his knee as her eyes start to drift shut, the medication finally kicking in.
"I will" he promises, and that's all she needs to hear to give into sleep, Kurosaki's hand covering hers on his knee.
“Looks like you two are getting along better” Kurosaki says, nodding towards the siblings' clasped hands. “That’s good.”
“Indeed” Byakuya replies.
“You’re all she talks about when she's in the World of the Living, y’know” Kurosaki informs him “It’s 'nii-sama this' and 'nii-sama that'. I thought she’d developed some sort of older brother-complex while she was here in the Soul Society or something.”
“Older brother-complex?” Byakuya questions.
“Doesn’t matter" he chuckles “But still - glad you’ve made up.”
After a beat of silence, Kurosaki rises to his feet at stretches.
“You gonna come help me take down these bastarding Bounts, Byakuya?” he asks.
“No” Byakuya deadpans, bringing an irritated look to Kurosaki’s face. He sighs a little, before the grin returns to his face.
“I guess it can’t be helped then” he says “I’ll leave you to look after Rukia then. See you soon.”
He gives the tiniest of half-bows and heads for the door, the ribbon on the hilt of his ridiculously unwieldy zanpakuto trailing the ground behind him.
“You’re all she talks about here, you know” Byakuya informs the substitute as he is seeing himself out. “It’s ‘Ichigo this’ and ‘Ichigo that’ all the time. Mayhaps she has developed some sort of ‘complex’ over you.”
This makes Kurosaki flush bright red to the tips of his ears.
“N-no! Nothing to worry about there! A-anyway, better get going!” he says, his sentence coming out a stuttering, jumbled mess. Byakuya winces as he slams the sliding door with an almighty bang, but smirks when he hears him running full-tilt down the hallways of the manor and out the door like a madman. The smirk lingers as he continues to rub small circles into Rukia's hand with his thumb, wondering if love had made him that much of a simpleton when he was young. No doubt, he was sure.