Kuchiki Dining Room

Rukia’s smile grew at the mention of her Division and the memory of her recent evening working alongside her wonderful captain. “Yes, Nii-sama. Captain Ukitake is recovering well from his cold and we’ve found ways to make our new third seat more comfortable with weight of his promotion.”

“Is he unprepared for the the position?” her brother asked.

Rukia shook her head. “I don’t think so. It’s more the matter of taking the position of two people that everyone remembers that bothers him more than the work or responsibility.”

Byakuya nodded as he took another sip of his tea. “I see. I do recall that the third seated position was held by two people before and that they held quite a presence in your division. They will be missed.”

Rukia agreed. “They will, and so will everyone we’ve lost.” The two fell silent as they held a collective moment of quiet for the dead. Rukia sat up again. “But Togashi can do it, and I think one part of the plan will help everyone, not just him.”

“And what plan is that?” her brother asked.

“He’s a good baker, not as good as the captain, of course, but he’s better than most of us there.”

“And it is common for your division to gather around working on your paperwork together with a plate of snacks. I remember,” her brother murmured.

Rukia nodded again, grinning. “Yes, at least that’s what our co-third seats started, and Captain Ukitake never stopped them. Nor Kaien-dono before that. Gatherings works well for us.”

Another moment of silence passed. “How will this help Officer Togashi?”

She shrugged. “At the moment, I don’t know if he wants to work on his paperwork in the same room or not. So far, that hasn’t happened, but he noticed that we were missing the sweets. So he thought he could start making some at a certain time of the day for a while to help with that.” She looked to her brother. “Captain Ukitake wants to set up a time for a small baking lesson each week with his help. I think it's a good idea. It will make more people happy and maybe keep our captain from disappearing into his own kitchen and cooking too much after he’s been sick.”

Rukia’s momentary sorrow was completely wiped away with those words from her brother. She sat up ramrod straight, eyes stern, as she proudly accepted his recognition. Inside, she wanted to jump and holler at the sky. Her voice echoed throughout the room.

“Yes, Nii-sama! We will!”

In contrast, her brother remained quiet, nodding to her before he poured himself more tea. He tried to hide it but there were dark circles under his eyes and a weariness to his movements. Again, Rukia wondered what was troubling him. When he offered some to her, she stumbled over herself to retrieve her cup, after so intently examining him.

As he performed the exact movements for her despite all her observations, Rukia found her tongue loosened. “I know that the investigations aren’t going well for your division, Nii-sama, but I know that that will change with your dedication. In that way, you and Renji will find time to relax as well.”

The details of the matter went over her head as Rukia shook her head, equally parts relieved and exasperated. She loved her brother and Renji deeply but they were very different people. It wasn’t unusual for them to get into a disagreement. Renji certainly complained about her brother often enough, often behind her back, but this was the first time that her brother had spoken to her about their arguments. It seemed serious.

“Couldn’t you explain it to him?” she asked. “You have in the past.”

They also worked together despite it, if she understood Renji’s talk about work. She, and others, and had always admired Renji for his work ethic when he’d become her brother’s lieutenant. It seemed to be something that would be doomed to failure from the beginning, but despite their and, secretly, her worries, they worked well together despite all the times they would clash.

Why was this time different?

Oh.

Rukia swallowed, connecting the dots. There was only one reason that she could think of that would make Renji that mad. As she grew colder on the inside from the memories, she gripped her teacup closer to herself, pushing the whispers back where they belonged. She tried to keep her face calm but knew she had failed when he apologized to her. Again.

“I am sorry,” her brother whispered. “I did not want to involve you in this. I believed I had discovered a potential way to solve this without reminding you, but then he took further action.”

“Further action?” she asked. “He didn’t resign, did he?”

Please reassure her that this wasn’t that stupid!

“No,” her brother assured her, “but the actions made the situation plain to me. It made me realize how gravely I misstepped in this matter.” He paused. “If it cannot be resolved, he will be let go. I will not let him squander his life over it. I'll accept the consequences."

"Wait! No!" Rukia stood up, quickly leaning over to catch her teacup before it could topple. “It’s not that serious, Nii-sama!” she blurted as the tea scalded her. She flicked her fingers. “I’ll talk to him. This can be fixed.”

Her heart pounded as her brother rose from his place, taking her hand in his. A moment later, it cooled as his expert healing capabilities worked on her. Rukia fell silent, blinking away her tears. From this close, she could see in his pale face how much this misunderstanding had cost her brother already. She fretted over what stupid things Renji had initiated to get over his own pain from it. She wanted to shout at both of them. She knew that her brother valued Renji and she knew that Renji acting out like this meant that her brother’s words mattered to him.

Her sorrow slowly turned into back into impudent anger. She may not know what had caused this whole mess but if she ever found out, she’d make them all suffer. They had all gone through too much to deal with this now.

Rukia was still standing at her seat, her eyes bright once more. “Excuse my rudeness, Nii-sama, but I must say it.” When he inclined his head to allow it, she stepped past the table and bowed to him. “I know you regret that day, and you’ve paid me back many times since then. You’ve repaid both of us with all your kindness, so please, don’t dwell on this situation further.” She lifted her head, eyes determined. “You would not have brought that day up without great reason. I know this and I forgive you. And so will Renji. I promise you that.”

His expression remained still. “You should have learned from me not to make promises you should not keep. You do not know if Ab- if Renji will listen to you on this, and it is not worth the loss of his relationship with you if this breaks it.”

“This won’t affect our relationship,” Rukia declared. “I know Renji so I know this promise isn’t in vain. Trust me, Nii-sama.”

He offered her a rare smile for a brief moment. “I leave it in your hands, Rukia.” The smile fell away soon after. “We should eat. The food will get cold. It is no longer hot.”

Emboldened by the turn of the night, Rukia asked another question she had long harbored about her brother.

“Nii-sama, why do you only eat your food when it’s warm? You drink tea when it’s hot, but without fail, you wait to pick up your food until the steam has cooled from the bowl.”