AN: VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ! Okay, now that I have your attention. This is rated 'M' for several reasons. The first scene (not to ruin the story or anything) is a rape scene. If you want to skip it, just skip to the next line break. I am not making fun of rape victims, nor do I perceive raping someone to be morally right. I have a few friends who have been rape victims, and want to inform others of the consequences on the victims as well as the victim's close ones. On a lighter note, I want this to be encouraging, that no matter what you have been put through, I believe that it is possible to find love and happiness :3 Sorry for the long-windedness, and I apologize if some of y'all don't agree with me. Without further ado, please enjoy the Byarukiness 3

Rukia flinched as the brash, young man in front of her leaned in closely. His breath reeked of alcohol, and she regretted her decision to visit him that night. Obviously the "AA"* class he had gone to wasn't working well for him. The man let out a feral growl, and slapped her, hard, to get her attention. Her face was probably bruised, Rukia thought. That would be difficult to explain to her friends.

His rough voice slurred, with the affects of the alcohol, and Rukia tried to escape. However, regardless of being drunk, the man was strong, and shoved her into the wall. Rukia let out a yelp. "Tryin' ta git away, now, ey, Ruukki-chan?" The beloved use of her nickname, accompanied by the situation, provoked her to tear up a little. She bit her lip slightly, and whispered softly, "Hai, Renji. Please, let me go." Renji grinned when she said his name. She struggled, but he overpowered her and held her wrists above her head. He grabbed her waist, and leaned down and sloppily placed his lips over hers.

Rukia struggled, hard. This wasn't her first kiss, but she didn't want anything else to happen. Renji, on the other hand, was enjoying feeling her try and escape, knowing that she would fail in the end. He nibbled on her earlobe, kissing and sucking down her neck. Tears leaked down her face, and she breathed in, about to scream out, when she felt the tip of a sharp blade against her throat.

"R-Renji? Wh-what are you-?" Renji slammed his hand against her lips and she flinched upon impact, the back of her skull hitting the brick wall. Renji put his finger to his lips in an exaggerated motion, shhh.

"Rukiaa-chaan, we both know, know what will happen when ya scream. So don't go tryin' nothinn' on mah now," Rukia clenched her teeth; she knew what Renji was referring to. If she tried to scream, he would resort to more painful tactics to shut her up permanently. He knew her better than anyone, and he knew what her weaknesses were. She nodded slightly, and he put his knife away. She tried removing her mind from her body. She could feel the things that were being done to her, but she removed herself from them, and imagined that she was with her onee-chan. They were lying in a field, when suddenly, a pain unlike any she had ever felt wracked her whole body. Fear overwhelmed all her senses, and her body screamed at the intrusion. Her mind was jerked back to the present, and before she could make a sound, Renji covered her mouth with his and bit her tongue. She felt more uncomfortable then she had in her life.

She wasn't an idiot; she grew up in Inuzuri. She knew that Renji had just taken the one thing precious she had left to offer; her virginity. She felt strange, filthy. Renji moaned before releasing in her, and pulling out abruptly. He pulled up his pants and walked out of the alley, as if nothing had happened. She moaned softly, feeling strong pains in her hips and back, where he had rammed her against the wall. She sank to the ground, her violet eyes glancing furtively, searching for anyone or anything that posed a threat. Tears threatened to overcome her well-built walls, but she refused to let them. Seeing that no one was there, she curled up in a ball, protecting herself as best as she could.

Every move ached, and Rukia, the orphan, had nowhere to go.

As a child, being an orphan meant that one must fend for oneself. There was no room for compassion. Those who were compassionate died of hunger. Rukia learned this the hard way; since she was short and petite, many of the older children brushed her aside to snag the meager amounts of food laid before them. Rukia soon learned to be agile and be strong enough to fend for herself. By the time she found a friend, she was about 7 or 8. After years of living in the orphanage, she was not hasty in her decisions. This 'Renji' who befriended her was one to be wary of, but she could no longer afford to refuse any help given to her. Renji taught her what it was like to be strong and compassionate, without being unjust or overbearing.

Rukia knew that she had it much better than others in the orphanage; she had a friend, and that was all that mattered.

Tears streamed down her face, as she slowly closed the doors to her heart. A searing pain raced through her, not in a physical sense, but in an emotional way. It was the sound of a heart being shattered, past the point of repair. Her body longed to let out a sob, but it ached to move, so she whimpered a pitiful moan. How she longed to be strong in a moment as perilous as such, and she forced her burning muscles to pull her into a sitting position. She panted heavily, and saw a light coming from the direction Renji left. Rukia gasped and immediately tried to stifle it, trying to conceal any evidence of her presence. She knew it was futile, and she awaited her fate silently, shutting her eyes tightly.

Kuchiki Byakuya had been invited to go to a party, but declined on the premise of being late to a reunion with a friend. It was a lousy excuse, but the elders of the Kuchiki family seemed to believe it. He strolled the streets lazily, not looking for anything in particular, but taking everything in. Byakuya turned towards his favorite family-style shop, just past an unlit alleyway. A young, tattooed man exited the alley, stumbling slightly. He appeared to be raging drunk. Byakuya scoffed as the man tripped over his own feet.

Byakuya entered the restaurant and ordered his usual meal. But something was tugging at his mind and wouldn't leave him. So much so, that he paid for the bill and then requested it as a take-out order. Kuchiki Byakuya's instincts were never wrong, and he sensed that something happened with that red-haired punk. That gleam in his eyes, the malicious smirk he had pasted to his face. So Byakuya quickly passed the alleyway and looked for the ginger, but he was nowhere to be found. Byakuya rubbed his temple in annoyance; he decided to go to the alley and see if the strange man left anything behind.

Byakuya turned on the flashlight function on his phone, to have the spotlight land on a petite girl, surrounded by a puddle of blood. He nearly dropped his phone in his surprise. She sat still, curled in the fetal position, her lilac dress in tatters and blood-spattered. He hastily checked her injuries. He knew the problem immediately, and he boiled in anger at the jerk who left her there. Byakuya wordlessly whipped off his coat and gently wrapped it around the girl. She moaned, and he continued what he was doing. He scooped her up, and she looked up at him, through half-mast eyes. He was awestruck at their majestic shade of violet, full of sorrow and pain. Her brow knitted in confusion, but before she could speak, Byakuya did.

"Hush for now. I'll take care of you," he said gently, letting it be known to her that he was not a threat. She exhaled shakily, and clutched onto his opaque white button-down as if it was a lifeline. Byakuya hastily decided to take her back to his home, where he could safely watch her without any problems from his family members. He didn't understand why he felt this overwhelming urge to protect her, but he decided to not argue with his instincts.

Upon awakening, Rukia found herself in a strange place. She looked around; she sat on a bed with fluffy pillows, and in a well-furbished room. Everything she set her eyes upon was light pink; the curtains, the comforter, and even the walls were graced with this color. Suddenly, the previous night's events came flooding back to her mind, and she panicked. Where in the world was she? The last thing she remembered was Renji's back as he walked away from her. A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts, and she yanked the covers up to her chin. A man walked in, holding a tray with steaming foods on it. His hair was jet black, with clips holding pieces back, and his stormy grey eyes met hers.

He gently set the tray down near her, and pulled up a chair near her bedside. His voice was low, and it rumbled through her, "You need to try and get some food down. You look like you haven't had a good meal in a long time,". She nodded, but kept her mouth shut. He continued, "I am a doctor, from the Gotei 13, so may I take a look at your injuries? I took a brief look last night, but I didn't do anything intrusive. I just want to make sure that you don't have internal injuries. If you don't want to, I won't make you, although I would recommend that you have someone check it out." She nodded slowly. He frowned slightly.

"My name is Byakuya. Kuchiki Byakuya. Can you speak at all?" The girl hesitated, but shook her head. He pondered for a moment, then reached over to the bedside stand and pulled a pad of paper and pen from a drawer. "Can you write?" The girl nodded. He handed her the pad and paper, and requested, "Can you please tell me what you are thinking? And perhaps what you would like me to call you?"

She thought a moment before scribbling words on the paper hastily, and then she turned the paper around so he could see it clearly. She then shoveled food down her throat as he read.

'Thank you for taking me in. I currently don't have a place to stay, and I don't have the money to pay you for medical expenses. I should probably leave, since I cannot afford to be in debt. My name is Rukia; I have no last name.' At the end of the note, she had drawn a picture of a bunny holding a flower. He resisted the urge to grin.

"Rukia," Byakuya said her name, testing its feel on his lips, "Believe me, you have no need to worry about costs. If you take advantage of my kindness, then we'll see about you paying for anything. But for now, just focus on getting better, ne?" Rukia bit her lip, and wrote something else down.

'I just want you to promise me that you won't hurt me. Then, and only then, will I allow you to do a routine check-up on me.' Byakuya let a small smile make it's way to his face, and nodded. It was a start.

AN: *AA- Alcoholics Anonymous is a group for people strugglng with alcohol addictions.

I realize that this is somewhat of a dark chapter, and there will be plenty of angst, Byaruki fluff, and a cameo appearance of Ichigo and the gang! :3 Please R&R! Tell me if it's terrible and to never write again (which I hope you wouldn't do *begs with puppy dog eyes*) or tell me what I could do to make it better.

IMPORTANT: I HAVE THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS OUTLINED, BUT AFTER THAT, anything could happen! So review with plot pandas and ideas, and I'll see what I can do. :3 Thanks for reading! 3 -jewelprincess7