A BLEACH Fanfic: A Sibling's Comfort

A calming breeze and the bright moon brought a sense of peace and quiet throughout the Soul Society; especially within the Gotei 13 district. The tree's swayed gently with the wind, causing some of their leaves to fall from branches, twirling in the air giving off their own slow dance.

The quiet and calming atmosphere was greatly welcomed, at this time. A giant opposite to the tense, almost destructive wave of emotions that ravaged the Gotei 13 district for the past couple of weeks. Rukia Kuchiki's sentencing, the massacre of Command 46 and Captain Aizen's betrayal affected everyone. Ichigo Kurosaki and friend's arrival in the Soul Society on their mission to rescue Rukia, caused the Soul Reaper's to retaliate. The whole district was full of chaos, which incidentally caused Aizen, Ginn and Tousen to activate their plans undetected.

Although the truth was found and announced to everyone, along with Rukia being successfully rescued; the damage left behind was beyond heavy. Miraculously, despite all the fighting, injuries and damage that was done, there were no fatalities. Everyone pulled together to take care of one another. Despite being in different sections, the Gotei 13 acted as one and made sure all had recovered. Despite all the treatment being given, the hardest treatments to heal were both mental & emotional. Sadly, there were some who suffered with this more than others. One of whom was Rukia Kuchiki.

Said person was sadly in the throes of another nightmare. Although no one has said it to her face, she believes everything that happened, was because of her. Because she gave Ichigo her powers to stop the hollow that attacked them; the night they met. She believed if she was stronger, she could have killed the creature herself, then she wouldn't have been arrested. Then none of this fighting and attacks would have occurred. No one would have gotten hurt. This was the nightmare the young Kuchiki was having and unless she healed from it, it wouldn't be the last. Usually, she is able to quiet herself so that no one could hear her, but this one seems worse than the others. All she could see is blood and the bodies of many, as they fought not only each other, but also Aizen…and lost. What Rukia didn't notice, trapped in her nightmare, was that not everyone within the home was asleep.

Byakuya Kuchiki was taking a walk through the family home, enjoying the calming atmosphere. Although many didn't know it, but said Captain was one of those who were strongly affected both mentally and emotionally by the events that took place. After they had announced Rukia's sentencing, many suspected and accused him of not caring for his sister's wellbeing, because of his indifferent attitude. But he did. The promise he made to his late wife Hisana; Rukia's older sister, weighed heavily on his shoulders. He also remembered the vow he made on his parent's graves, which would clash with the promise to Hisana. He was inwardly grateful that only did his sister make friends in the human world, but they cared for her, to the point of going against the Soul Society, in order to save her life. Surprisingly, he didn't care for the injuries he sustained. Especially the one caused by Ginn; that was meant for Rukia. All he cared for at the time was saving her. Which he realized, was something he should have been more open about before.

It took him so time to realize how much he probably scared her, by not opening expressing himself to her. One of the reasons why he told her the truth, which he kept from her all those years. Not that he would ever admit it, be he was a bit sad at her reaction when he took the blow from Ginn. It was as if, she never thought he would protect her, when it was his job, as her older brother. He secretly made a vow to himself that he would be more open, more caring, and truly be the big brother he was meant to be.

A hard thud brought him out of his thoughts, as he looked to determine where the sound came from. It was then he realized that he was close to his sister's room. Before he could move, another thud followed by a muffled scream pushed his body into motion, and he rushed in, thinking his sister was being harmed. But, instead of seeing an intruder harming Rukia…he saw Rukia harming, herself. The younger sibling was scratching and pulling her hair, tears streaming down her face and destroying her room. The thud's her heard was her things being me thrown violently to the floor. He had to stop her.

"Rukia" he said rushing towards her, grabbing her arm. Unfortunately, he didn't realize that her mind was too far gone to the point where she didn't hear nor see him. So, when he grabbed her, she thrashed about trying to get away.

"Get away from me, let me go…let me go" Rukia shouted, not realizing it was her brother, not her enemy. Her nightmare was still running rampant in her mind, which caused her to mistake Byakuya, for Ginn. Especially since he scared her at the bridge before she was brought to the execution sight.

"Rukia please calm down and open your eyes. It's your brother and I'm not trying to hurt you." It pained him to see her breaking down like this. He realized one way of calming her, and he was almost ashamed that he never did with her before.

He hugged her.

Slowly, as to not frighten her more than she already was, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his chest. Her body stiffened, before starting to shake and breathing becoming harsh. He spoke calming words to her, rubbing her head while slowly walking them to the patio. He knew the fresh soothing air would help to ease her. They moved slowly, and when they were there, he slowly lowered them to the ground. He held her gently in his arms, as her breathing slowly returned to normal. It was then that her senses slowly came back to her, making her aware of her surroundings…and most importantly, who was holding her.

"Nii-sama" she whispered, her voice shaky and slightly horse.

"Rukia are you alright now?" he asked in response, hand still rubbing her head. She was breathing normally now, and her shaking had stop, but that didn't mean she was better. Her next words confirmed his thoughts and increased his worry.

"I…I don't know" she said. Her voice was still soft, but loud enough for him to hear.

"Would you like to talk about it." He said, even though he had a pretty good idea what her troubles were.

There were a few minutes of silence, until she responded. The shaking and whimpered words made him start rubbing her shoulders, hoping to get her to calm again.

"Yo-you were hurt because of me…everyone was, it-i-its my fault this happened. I'm sorry…I'm sorry…so sor"

His next actions cut of her apologizes. Holding her tighter and rubbing her arm, he blamed himself for being so blind, towards his sister's suffering.

'Of course, she suffered you idiot, she was Aizen's main target.' He mentally scolded himself for not seeing it sooner. He never realized the pain she was in. Never saw the mental and emotional scars that surrounded her. 'I told myself I would do better, and I'm going to start tonight.'

Rukia on the other hand remained quiet, wondering what her brother was thinking. She never saw her brother act this way, the entire period she had lived here. She never realized how the events that recently would have affected him, especially since he was known for masking his emotions. Amazingly, the thought that ran through her, that he hated her and was planning on abandoning her due to her actions began to fade.

The tense atmosphere slowly began to lift as the silence slowly became comfortable between the two siblings. Byakuya slowly relaxed his muscles, shifting them so his sister could be more comfortable. The soft breeze helped in calming the two as their minds also became at ease. The Captain was content was content that Rukia began to relax after her painful nightmare. He himself remembered how hard it was to return to a calm mind when he suffered from nightmares as well.

Rukia looked up at the man who adopted her into his family all those years ago. She learned so much about him from others, as she too intimidated to ask personal questions, in person. But the day of his past's confession, the fear and intimidation that she felt slowly began to lift. It was still there; as he was a powerful person, but heart is slowly telling her its ok to talk to him; too get to know him better. And with that, she smiled as her mouth opened:

"Byakuya nii-san"

"Yes Rukia"

"Thank you for being my big brother"

The Captain swore his heart stopped for a moment before beating a little faster. His mind told him he didn't deserve her smile…he didn't deserve the title of older brother. But his heart told him something different. That his confession helped him to open his heart; that saving her from Gin's attack showed how far he was willing to go for her. Seeing her smile and bright eyes, made his heart lighter as a smile began to form, on his usual stoic face. As his eyes softened, he gave her a warm hug, which, surprisingly for him…she returned it, with a warm hug of her own. As both his heart and mind became calm, he softly whispered:

"I promise to always be there for you. My brave little sister Rukia."