It was strange, he thought, that a simple touch could actually hurt, and for reasons he didn't understand. There was too much confusion about everything at this moment. He didn't trust Byakuya. But he had to trust Rukia. He'd promised, in his own way, that he would. He wanted to be as far from his Captain as possible, but he also didn't want Rukia out of his sight. He didn't know what to do.

He gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes tightly for a moment as he fought to make some sense out of the situation, gain some idea as to what he should do. "I don't want to leave you alone," he finally said. This mess was his fault, wasn't it? How could she expect him to just run away and leave her to deal with it? "What if..." he ducked his head, not finishing that thought. She already had to know what he was thinking, and it'd no doubt piss her off, because he simply couldn't understand her relationship with her brother from where he stood. "I don't know."