Bleach 1. Prologue: Out for a Run

**Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach.**

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Kuchiki Rukia is a sophisticated young lady; she always makes sure her clothes are in order and wrinkle free. She doesn't dress to impress, but for her own comfort which ironically, still impresses quite a few. Some call her prudent, serene, and kind. But she is also coy and likes to keep to herself, but she is not to be mistaken for a pushover. Oh no, when need be, she is one feisty girl. Her petite frame serves as the perfect camouflage for unsuspecting people. Kuchiki Rukia, all in all, is content with her life, or so she thought.

It was the last week of her last summer vacation. She would be graduating in around ten months from high school and decided that afterwards, she would take up summer courses at her future university to earn her degree faster.

Ever since she was a child, her and her only relative, her brother, weren't close. At least not how a regular family should be. Their parents had died in a tragic car wreck when she was only three. She doesn't remember much about them, but it changed her brother. Ever since the wreck, Byakuya started to work harder and harder. Rukia knew he worked hard, so she could have the life her parents wanted her to have. But in the process it seemed that his work severed their relationship. He would always be at work, bettering the two. Afterwards, he would come home and simply work on paperwork and filing, hardly finding the time to talk or acknowledge his younger sister's presence.

So Rukia had made up her mind. If they couldn't have a regular brother-sister relationship then she would forge a professional one with him as two working adults. Then he would finally be able to acknowledge her once more.

"Nii-sama," yelled a girl with raven hair. She stuck her small head out the door of her room once again and yelled a second time, "I'm going for a walk."

"Yes Nii-sama, I won't be long," she responded to his distant orders.

"Yes Nii-sama, I know… No don't worry, I'll be fine," she answered her worried brother once again placidly. Even though they didn't talk much, he always worried about his little sister. Karakura was after all a big city, anything could happen. Its inhabitants were up to the millions. However, they enjoyed the city atmosphere, and her brother had decided on moving to the city after their parents died.

It was a Saturday evening around five or so. Rukia had just gotten done with her daily duties and was ready to let loose. She swiftly closed the door to her room and started scrimmaging through her drawers and closet, trying to find an outfit for a nice run around the park. It wasn't hard for the petite girl to find just what she needed. Her room was always in order, so finding clothes half the time was simple. She decided on wearing light jogging pants with a cute light-blue, short-sleeved shirt. Picking up her sneakers, she left her room for the front door.

"I'm going Nii-sama, I'll be back in a while," she yelled from the front door. Closing the said door, she was on her way to the park. She would usually go there around four times a week to take a little jog. She also regularly went to the park earlier in the day, but today she had lost track of time cleaning the house and happened to be going at a later hour.

Rukia wore a pleased face walking down to the park while taking note of all the wonders the city had to offer. The park was exactly fifteen blocks away from her house. But in those fifteen blocks, she would see so much: from antique stores, a library, small shops, and a magnificent view of the city from a hilltop. She would even sneak out sometimes in the middle of the night and enjoy the view on top of a desolate tree on the hilltop, always finding some kind of solace in high places. Stopping at the hilltop, she let her mind and eyes wander.

"_Hehehe." A three year-old girl giggled, climbing the high countertop looking for a forbidden treasure. "Ah-ha," she squealed grinning ear to ear, finding what she wanted._

"_Mmm," she hummed, savoring the cookie she was chomping on._

_Looking down afterwards, the small girl became nervous. It really was high up. Almost twice her size, climbing up was always easier than climbing down too. She fidgeted as her small foot had trouble reaching the drawer to climb down. Her limbs betraying her, she fell from the top and hit the floor with a big 'Plop' sound._

"_Oww," sniffled the frowning girl, holding her head in-between her arms. Her startled mother came to the kitchen and found her little troublemaker rolled into a tight ball, holding her head._

"_Rukia-chan, what happened," she asked, causing Rukia to look up at her mother while a stray tear came down her cheek._

"_I fell getting a cookie, I hit my head Okaa-san," she sniffled to her mother, rubbing her small head. Her mother smiled at her innocent antics._

"_There, there," she said, picking her up and setting her down on countertop. "How's my little monkey doing," she chimed at Rukia, giving her another cookie. Rukia beamed at her mother's comforting actions. "Don't be afraid, Rukia-chan; I'll always be here to pick you up."_

"_Hai," chirped Rukia, holding her cookie while her eyes shined._

Taking her gaze from the outlook, she resumed walking down to the park. Rukia would never forget that promise. It was her most cherished memory of her mother.

Rukia reached the park and gave a small smile while stretching for her run. She really did enjoy the outdoors. It was also a wonderful September day. The trees where coated with orange that reflected the weakening sunlight in just the right way. The crisp air also kept her cool while she ran around the various winding trails. Today was a great day she thought, and nothing could possibly ruin it. She would let her feet run to her heart's desire.

Rukia weaved her way through the couples who were holding hands while they walked down the trails. She would always take a short notice to them, "they look happy," she thought, running pass them. Rukia herself doesn't long for such intimacy, but it still makes her feel pleased with there being some care left in the world.

"Ah, here we go," she whispered in-between drawn out breaths, looking down at the bench. She had just gotten done with her last lap, and keeping to her custom she sat on her "self-proclaimed" bench to take a short rest and gaze.

The park was vast she thought, gazing across the sceneries. How such a thing even existed in such a city bewildered her. Rukia could see the fields where children ran and families had picnics, the winding trails that danced with the tall trees, and the huge pond in the middle where people would often feed the geese.

"Onii-chan!" Rukia turned her head when she heard a worried yell, coming from the grassy field. "Where are you?"

"Hmph, hope you can find him," she sighed to herself.

She turned her gaze back from the little chestnut haired girl and allowed her eyes to continue wandering the park. Her eyes stopping upon a concealed person near the beginning of the tree line, just a small rise away from the field.

Squinting her eyes, she could see that he was exchanging various packages and what seemed to look like money. He also had fiery orange hair and was extremely tall, by her standards of course. _"Probably just another prick bastard."_ she assumed. Only thugs dyed their hair, right? And look at him, no good can come from being so secretive and exchanging suspicious items in a park.

"Onii-chan." She saw him turn his attention to the direction of the calling girl. For a second she caught a glimpse of his eyes. They where void and cold she thought, and he wore them with a scowl. Turning his gaze back, he spotted her staring at him.

The young man deepened his scowl and directed it towards Rukia before he turned back to the other shady character behind the tree. "Yup, prick bastard," she whispered in an irritated sigh.

"Onii-chan," yelled the young girl. Rukia got up and walked over to see if she could be of some help. She didn't believe in good or bad karma, but being nice never hurt.

"Hey there, are you looking for your Onii-chan?" Rukia asked the little girl.

"What is it to you?" The small raven-haired girl beside the other flatly said and crossed her arms across her chest, causing Rukia's sweat to drop.

"Karin-chan, that wasn't nice," chided the other girl. Looking back up at Rukia, she apologized in a nervous chuckle. "Yea, we can't find our brother anywhere. I'm Yuzu by the way, nice to meet you."

"Ah… what does he look like, maybe I saw him while jogging," Rukia said, putting her hand up to her chin trying to remember if she saw a guy with chestnut or black hair.

"Um, he-"

"Yuzu, Karin, what are you doing?" A bitter voice cut through Yuzu's. To Rukia's surprise, it was the same carrot top that scowled at her earlier, not that he wasn't now.

"Ah, Onii-chan there you are," cooed Yuzu. "We couldn't find you anywhere."

"Sorry, I got lost," he lied, and Rukia rolled her eyes.

"We were looking for you when she came up and offered to help us," Yuzu told her brother.

"Kuchiki Rukia," Rukia said, slightly bowing her head in greeting.

"Yuzu, Karin, let's go." Rukia's vein in her forehead started to throb, and her face became heated as her greeting went through deaf ears. The orange head and Karin chose not to acknowledge her flustered state and started to walk away.

"Onii-chan… Onii-chan!" Yuzu's pleas also went unnoticed. "Ahh! Sorry, bye Rukia-chan." Yuzu said in a hurry to catch up with her brother and sister.

The three soon disappeared from view as Rukia walked in the other direction towards her house. Scrunching her face in hatred, "_Yuzu_,_ Karin_,_ let's go_," she said mockingly. "Che, what a bastard."

To put it in laymen terms, Rukia was pissed, _"so much for today being nice,"_ she thought while walking back to her house.

Rukia ended up walking home in a bitter mood, and her deepened scowl managed to scare off anyone who dared look at her. It's not that he got to her, no, nothing gets to her. She is after all a Kuchiki, she reminded herself. _"Prick bastard, I'll show him!"_

_&-&_

"Rukia how was your day today?" Byakuya asked with an indifferent voice at the dinner table.

"It was very good, Nii-sama," she lied, remembering the brash carrot-top that managed to ruin her great day.

"That's good to hear," he said in the same tone. There they continued to eat in the accustomed silence filled with melancholy.

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**Thank you for reading. I hope you guys enjoy it. I would really like criticism regarding the story. But all kinds of reviews are welcomed. Thanks again.**


	2. Chapter 1: First Day of School

**Beep, Beep, Beep **

The sound of an alarm clock could be heard resonating throughout the room, followed by the shuffling of white sheets as a small clumsy hand slowly made its way to the unrelenting device.

"Is it time already?" a yawning Rukia wiped her drowsy eyes to see clearly,

"7:30, one hour before school starts," she murmured groggily, making her way to the edge of the bed.

Suppressing another tired yawn, the tiny girl slowly made her way to the shower to start the new day. She stood under the showerhead, letting the icy water hit her naked skin, and shuddering as her drowsiness was lifted by the prickling water.

&-&

Rukia quickly made her way back into her room to change into the school uniform that had been pressed and laid out the night before. Now all that needed to be done was to pack her bentou for her lunch. After quickly grabbing a piece of buttered toast for a quick breakfast, she made her way to the front door.

It was a gloomy, dull day. The clouds were blocking the sun's beams, and the wetness in the air magnified the city smell. However, an overcast, gloomy morning wouldn't stop school from starting in the next forty minutes, so Rukia was on her way to the start of a new school year.

Rukia walked with composure while she made her way through the lively morning streets. They were filled with suited businessmen and women walking to work while their cups of coffee threatened to spill at any misstep, and the early morning shop venders would be out selling their merchandise from their small stores, that walled the city streets.

Rukia also noticed the usual group of classmates walking to her school. She knew it was them because they all had the same khaki skirts and pants and the standard white button-up shirt with her school's emblem on it. She always chose not to walk with them even if they were on route. If one of them stopped to say good morning, she would simply reply and scurry off before any further chatter could ensue. It isn't that she hated them, but she simply found such chatter uninteresting, and most people couldn't find it in their right mind to shut up.

&-&

"There it is," she breathed out, looking at five stories that made Arukara High.

Arukara High was a private school. Only students with extraordinary grades or lucky enough to have the money got in. Byakuya had insisted that she go there instead of an inner city school. At first, she was reluctant, but Byakuya had told her it was one of the most prestige schools there in Karakura and that it would look good on her record.

Rukia stole one more glance at the school before making her way inside with a slight slouch. While walking towards her small locker, she heard a familiar voice call her name throughout the crowds of students.

"Morning, Rukia." Rukia turned to see it was one of the only people she had befriended at Arukara. He was tall, handsome, and had a head of neatly parted light brown hair.

"Oh hey Hitoshi, morning," she nodded towards him while continuing her trek towards the small lockers.

She had known Hayata Hitoshi for two years now since her first year in high school. At first, she wanted nothing to do with the guy. He was one of those modeled students that joined all clubs possible and got high marks on every test. He was also very friendly with everyone and was one-of the most adored males at the school. She really doesn't remember exactly how they became such good friends, but they did.

"Ready to finally admit you love me?" he teased, taking his shoes off in front of their undersized lockers.

"You wish," Rukia deadpanned, getting up from her small locker. Hitoshi just gave her a playful pout.

Rukia knew he didn't really mean what he said; he just liked to tease her on the subject since she had rejected him years ago. Rukia hasn't had any interest in anyone for the last several years. Her only interests were books and school. He'd be lucky to hang out with her once a month outside school.

Hitoshi was walking alongside Rukia to the senior homerooms, trying to make small talk, "So Rukia how were your last weeks of summer?"

"Same as always," promptly said the petite girl, as she turned down the hallway. She didn't bother telling him about the brash carrot top that ruined her weekend a week prior.

Rukia looked down at her schedule then turned to Hitoshi, "What's your homeroom this year?"

"Kagine-sensei's, you?" answered Hitoshi.

Rukia looked up and saw they were in front of Kagine's homeroom. "Same, I guess this is it," Rukia said, brushing pass Hitoshi.

When Rukia walked into the room, she spotted a couple of students crowded around the chalkboard eyeing a sheet of paper. Carefully making her way over to read it, she saw it was a seating chart.

"_Mmh, boy girl pattern,_" she thought, not that it bothered her or anything.

She found her name quite quickly on the sheet, and as she was turning to find her seat in the crowed classroom, a name caught her eye.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," she said softly to herself, reading the name of her neighbor. It had caught her interest, liking the sounding and unusual spelling of it,_ "wonder what he's like, hopefully nice,"_ she thought to herself. Rukia walked back to her seat and noticed that Hitoshi was already settled, sitting a couple seats down from her.

&-&

Rukia sat in her chair engrossed in her chappy themed organizer. She always did have an unusual obsession with bunny themed items. There inside chappy, she wrote her goals and plans, and she vowed never to lie to the small bunny themed notebook that she praised. She was currently going over her proposed senior goals that consisted of paying attention in class, doing her homework every night, and earning her high marks on test. Rukia had also planned to be first in her senior class like the previous two years of her higher-secondary school career and had even gone to the extent of writing her graduation speech in it over the summer. The ringing tardy bell stole Rukia's attention away from chappy to the intercom and then to the shutting door.

"Welcome to your last year of class, I'm Kagine-sensei," a man announced to the class, turning to write his name on the chalkboard.

He was a tall man with a rough voice and black buzzed cut hair and a trimmed mustache. He was also very well built from what Rukia could see.

"Now then, if every odd row would look to your left" he pointed towards the first row and so on.

Rukia looked around and sure enough she was in the fifth row of seats. She looked to her left but noticed it was still empty. It was that Kurosaki's desk.

"_Hmph, hope he's okay, _"she thought.

"Take a nice long look at that person. For the next ten months, you and that individual will be like salt and pepper. You two will work on four major assignments, set up activities for the holiday festivals, and be responsible on cleaning your assigned parts of the classroom on your respective days of the week," he grinned at the gawking students, as he finished explaining. It was probably a new set-up proposed by the teachers at Arukara, to teach corporation and conformity among strangers like in the real world.

Great just what she needed, someone who she needed to depend on, and he wasn't even there. He was also the only missing student from their homeroom, but she had yet to realize that.

"Alright no-" The sensei's loud voice was interrupted by the sliding door, reveling a tall orange haired young man, wearing an expressionless face with the exception of his scowl.

"And who are you?" Kagine scolded and narrowed his brows at the young man.

"This is my homeroom," he responded arrogantly, looking into the man's eyes.

It took Rukia a second to register what was happening. Then she remembered! That bastard pissed her off the other day at the park! The way he totally ignored her and was utterly rude when she was being polite. How dare he show his face at her school! Look at him, being all smug to the sensei.

"_I feel sorry for whoever gets stuck with this pain in the ass," _she thought.

"Why are you late?" Kagine loudly demanded with a questioning voice.

Rukia grinned in happiness as the sensei began to drill him. "_Revenge is sweet_," she thought to herself.

"Smoke break, then got lost," the carrot top bluntly said.

The room filled with gasps of surprise as they heard the young man's choice of words. It almost seemed like he was challenging the towering man.

Kagine wasn't an inch away from the boy when he said, "Smart one, huh?" making sure his breath hit the young man's face.

He stood his ground, staring right back at the older man with a deepened scowl, "You can say that."

"_Forget revenge, he's digging his grave," _Rukia mused with a bigger smile playing at her lips.

"What's your name, boy?" Kagine asked.

Then reality hit Rukia like a ton of bricks as she looked to her left and then all around the room. No other empty seats were available.

"_No, no, this can't be happening."_

How could this happen to her, what did she do to deserve such horrible fate! But there is still hope left, yes there is. He hasn't given his name yet, and he's a moron after all. He could have just gone into the wrong room or even the wrong school. Moreover, Kurosaki Ichigo was such a sweet name, not to be given to a devil like that guy.

"Kurosaki."

"_No, no, please don't say it…."_

"Ichigo."

"_Why me!"_ Rukia thought as the color left her face.

Kurosaki looked around the class, and saw everyone's eyes wide and jaws agape. Sure enough, he had caused a scene. He hadn't meant too, it just happened. Giving a small sigh, he turned back to the sensei who was red with rage.

"Congratulation Kurosaki," Kagine's voice was full of spite, as he continued, "you've just volunteered yourself and…" He paused to eye the sheet of paper on his clipboard, "Kuchiki for cleaning duties by yourselves for the next week." He pointed an accusing finger at Kurosaki's chest.

If it bothered Kurosaki, no one could see it, but Rukia at the other hand went stiff and began to grimace.

"Kagine sensei!" Rukia's frantic protest was drowned out by the many laughing students.

"Great, just fucking great," she muttered, clearly irritated by the situation at hand.

"Whatever old man, where do I sit," Kurosaki said, choosing to ignore formalities.

"Kurosaki," Kagine bellowed, "take your seat next to Kuchiki. Now!" he roughly yelled red faced, pointing towards the flustered girl.

"Eh, a boy," Kurosaki mumbled but loud enough to be heard throughout the class.

Kurosaki casually started to make his way back to the empty desk, but stopped when he saw a rushing body going towards him.

"Why you bastard, I'll have you know I'm no boy!" Rukia shouted while rushing up to Kurosaki and getting in his face. She was red with rage and was screaming bloody murder.

The students were all gasping at the sudden outburst, never before has anyone known Rukia to be so confrontational, much less at school. Hitoshi was even stunned

"A small one too, shouldn't you be in a lower-secondary school?" the carrot top paraded with a snobbish chuckle, putting his atrocious hand on top of her hair and ruffling it. "Ne?"

This is it. This is where it all ends. Rukia could feel it as her fist made its way to Kurosaki's jaw. Life as she knew it was coming to an abrupt end. All her planning and hard work was going down the drain; incidentally, she had lied to her chappy. Right now, she's going to kill this guy. Kill the guy that ruined her nice day a couple days back, got her cleaning duty for a full week, called her a small boy, and even had the nerve to ruffle her hair! Because of him, she will end up being expelled and sentenced to life in prison and rot there.

At least it would have happened, but Rukia's fist hit nothing but air. "Kurosaki-san, how about we leave Rukia alone?" Hitoshi whispered into Kurosaki's ear while holding him away from Rukia.

"Trust me, you don't want mess with her. Her looks are deceiving," he finished with a smile as he loosened his grip on Kurosaki.

Everyone regained their composure when Kurosaki shrugged of Hitoshi's comment and walked back to his seat, doing his best not to touch the still motionless Rukia. After a few more seconds of cooling herself off, Rukia too made her way to her seat, but not before throwing Kurosaki a nasty glare and pursing her lips together at Hitoshi, giving him a look that said _'Why the hell did you do that for!'._

Rukia's robotic expression soon came forward, once the sensei's lecture started. She would sit there in her seat attentively, making sure to jot down every single phrase coming from the man's mouth and examples written on the blackboard. Kurosaki's usual scowl never left his face, as he too listened to the man, but Rukia noticed he didn't bother taking notes. The tension between the two stayed high throughout the morning, neither daring to acknowledge their presence.

&-&

"Yo, Ichigo." A girl with messy black hair took the now vacated seat in front of Kurosaki's. "Always need to cause a scene?" she questioned with a sarcastic grin. Kurosaki only rolled his eyes at his friend and began to eat the food inside his bentou.

"You know how things are Tatsuki." She gave him a sideways grin then turned her attention to the girl eating beside his desk. Tatsuki leaned forward towards him, propping her elbow on his desk.

"You should apologize," Kurosaki snorted in response, trying his best not to spew out the contents of his eaten lunch.

Rukia was carefully listing in on the conversation Kurosaki and Tatsuki were having, perking her ears so she could hear them better.

"Oy Kuchiki," Kurosaki said not sounding very happy.

"What do you want Kurosaki," Rukia acidly replied back, keeping her head towards the front of the class. There was an elongated pause between the two until Tatsuki gave him a painful punch in the arm.

After glaring at Tatsuki for a second, he turned his attention back at Rukia with agitation drawn all over his face, "Don't bother to stay after class today, I'll cover it." Rukia turned and perked a skeptical eyebrow at the carrot top. After noticing he wasn't fooling around, she drew in a deep breath and sighed before turning back to her lunch.

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**(A/N) Hope you guys liked it.**

**I'd like to say if anyone felt offended by the mention of inner city schools. I know they aren't bad in Japan like here in the U.S. It's just part of the fictional story. Also, lower-secondary school refers to middle school and upper refers to high school which spans three years. **

**Please review to let me know what you like and what I need work on. Thank you.**


	3. Chapter 2: At the Café

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**(A/N) Thank you all for the reviews that you have given, I really appreciate them. I would like to clarify some questions that some of you have asked or might ask.**

**We will learn more about Hitoshi in chapter four, and we will get to know Tatsuki more as Rukia's relationship grows with Ichigo and with Tatsuki herself. Secondly, I would like to clarify that _Healing Our Dreams_ is third person limited. So naturally, the only way we will learn about Ichigo's past is as Rukia learns about it. **

**Here's chapter 2. Hope you guys enjoy it.**

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The sun was setting around Karakura, as Rukia was getting up from the bench she always sat at in the park. She had actually managed to enjoy herself at the park this time, unlike last time when she met the carrot top. It had been a week since the incident with Kurosaki had occurred at school, and things haven't gotten any better for her since then. As Rukia walked away from the park, she noticed it was getting a bit nipper as the sky started to change from light blue to evening red.

Rukia was on her way to one of her favorite places in Karakura. The place was only a short walk from the park. It was a small family owned café. The café wasn't a popular attraction for most people, but it always had that welcoming feeling Rukia enjoyed. She had always gone there after her jogs or whenever she had time to. She could just relax there while slowly drinking a nice coffee blend. Rukia would also go to the café, so she could talk to the oh-so-over joyous owner of the place, though she would never admit that to him. He had always been very loving to her, and would even offer her free coffee if she'd promise never to leave for the popular franchise across the street, but Rukia took that as a plus.

Rukia hadn't been there in a while and was missing the older man who ran the place and the coffee itself. Last week she was unable to go to the park, much less go to the café. It was all due to Kurosaki that she had a miserable week, leaving her at school longer than intended. Rukia would have gone the Saturday before school, but she was feeling too bitter to do anything else after her jog that day. Thanks to Kurosaki of course.

Rukia carefully opened the door trying her best not to be spotted, but the door chimes had a mind of their own, and the smallest one let out a ring. And on cue, a man quickly jumped over counter and ran towards Rukia.

"Rukia-chan!" the older man sang cheerfully.

He looks to be in his early forties. He has black messy hair and a five o'clock shadow, but both his hair and beard suited him very well. He had on a bright red button-up with stylish black pants and both fitted him well.

"Oji-san," Rukia coyly said, trying to hide her mortified blush. He would constantly greet her as if it was the last time she would be coming to the small café. It always caused her to feel great embarrassment with the other customers, but luckily, today it was only her.

The older man was frantically pulling at his hair looking at Rukia with much dread, "Where have you been, Rukia-chan!"

Rukia slowly lifted a finger to answer the man, "Um-"

"Oh no, don't tell me Rukia-chan. You've left poor little 'Masaki's Café' for that bigger one across the street!" cried out the man, pointing an accusing finger at her.

As the grown man moped around on the floor, Rukia stood there with her sweat dropping, rolling her head at the melodramatic man.

"Of course not, I've been busy at school," she said it quite loudly, making sure to reach the man.

He instantly got up, "Oh Rukia-chan, why didn't you say it in the first place. You silly girl," he beamed at her.

Rukia slapped her forehead, "The usual please," she mumbled, shaking her head.

"Ah," she said to no one in particular after taking a seat at a small rounded table, in the corner.

The café was dimly lit with soft classical music playing in the background. It was like a home away from home for Rukia. She'd even bring her schoolwork to the café on numerous occasions. Rukia had gone across the street once over the summer, but found it too loud and bright for her likings, good thing the owner never found out. He would have cried clinging onto Rukia's legs for a week.

Rukia gave a long sigh as she sat there waiting on her cup of coffee. School really had been terrible last week. After her fist day, she thought she wouldn't have to stay after school, boy was she wrong! The very next day Kurosaki had told her he wasn't going to stay that day, and that she needed to stay to clean by herself. When she asked why, he told her it was none of her business, and that she should happily return the favor without _nagging_ at him. And she thought he let her leave the previous day as an act of apology.

For the remainder of the week they had both stayed to clean the classroom. Neither talked, looked, or even helped the other. They would stay after school for at least an hour because if the sensei came in the next day and didn't like the room, their grades would surely be docked, and Rukia wouldn't have that.

To make things even worse, another sensei had also announced before class was over on Friday, that they would be doing their first group assignment this coming up Monday, as in tomorrow. Rukia wasn't looking forward to it at all. She could already see herself going crazy and killing the carrot top.

"Why the long face Rukia-chan?" the older man said, taking her out of her trance. He sat her caramel macchiato down in front of her.

Rukia tried her best to look as sincere as possible, "Oh, it's nothing Oji-san."

"Hm…" he said, putting his hand up to his chin. He stood there, looking at Rukia for a good half minute before grinning at her. "You're having guy trouble, aren't you Rukia-chan?" he teased with a playful grin.

"Why of course not, Oji-san," she turned and told him in a sweet, fake voice. Rukia turned away from him and took a small sip from her drink. Sitting the cup down, she mustered the sweetest smile she could give. Rukia was trying her best not to be caught, but the man didn't give. He was smarter than he looked.

"Rukia-chan…" he nudged playfully, crossing his arms at her.

"It's school," she told him shortly after with a sigh.

It didn't bother her much that he wanted to know. He had always been such a great listener whenever Rukia needed to vent, and he would even give her advice. Rukia also saw the man as a fatherly figure; she had known him since her last year at lower-secondary school. Once she even admitted to him that she talked to him more than to her own brother.

He sat down in front of her and smiled, "What about school?"

"It's this guy," she started out. She immediately wanted to slap herself when he started to grin from ear to ear.

"Ooh… I knew it! Rukia-chan, you're finally growing up, bout time you left those books," he eagerly exclaimed, clasping his hands.

"No, no it's not like that." Rukia couldn't hide her blush. However, he just kept smiling and teasing.

"He's a moron, brash, a jerk, and I hate him," she said it in an exasperated voice, bringing the man out of his bantering. Just the thought of him and her being together sent shivers down her spine. It was such a repulsive thought to her.

The man quieted down and started to listen to the flustered girl as she explained her ordeal. Rukia told him everything from the time in the park, her upcoming assignments with him, and how she had been too busy to go to the park and the café last week due to the boy. Rukia held a bitter voice as she explained. It seemed all her troubles revolved around the young man.

The way she described him felt vaguely familiar to the older man. He propped an elbow up to the table and rested his chin on it and asked, "Rukia-chan, what does he look like?"

"Orange," she dryly said, and the man's eyes widened. Rukia saw the surprised look on his face and shook her head.

"I mean orange hair, tall, and always has a stupid scowl, like he has a stick up his ass," she chuckled the last part, not noticing the older man's sly grin.

"Is that so," he slowly said. Surely, he was scheming something up. "Well Rukia-chan, I have the perfect solution to your problems." Rukia raised an eyebrow at the man.

"And what's that?" she sounded intrigued and leaned over in anticipation.

"Well," he looked ready to pop, "I think it's about time you and my son go out."

"What," she sounded taken aback, "I've told you already. I don't have time for such trivial things, as dating," she frowned at the man and crossed her arm across her chest.

He would always ask Rukia to meet, go out, or even get married with his son, at least once a month. It had become a common thing for the man to say, almost like a trade mark, one Rukia always found humorous.

"What's he like anyways?" she asked with a tinge of curiosity. He had never described his son before. For all she knew, his son might be ugly, greasy, and weird.

The devious man smiled once again, "He's sweet, handsome, tall, though he can be an idiot at times," he began to tell her, jovially. "He's also in the same grade as you, I believe. You're in your last year of high school and seventeen now, right Rukia?" he asked.

"_Hmm, doesn't sound half-bad at all,"_ she admitted to herself. If he were anything like his father then he would surely be deemed good looking, and who isn't an idiot at times?

"Rukia, Rukia…" the smirking old man was trying to bring Rukia back to reality.

"Oh…" she gave sheepish nod, "Yea, I'm seventeen now, and this is my last year of school," said the flushed girl.

"Perfect, he just turned eighteen over the summer, and he's also in his last year," he threw Rukia a wide smile.

&-&

Rukia looked down at her empty caramel macchiato. Time had flown by, and she hadn't even realized it. When she turned to the window she gasped in surprise, realizing it was already pitch black outside. Her brother would surely be upset at her.

"What time is it?" she asked rather hurriedly, getting up from her chair.

The man looked at his watch then back up at Rukia, "It's almost eight."

Rukia quickly reached for her pocket to pay the man, but he kindly refused the money as he has done so for the last three years. Rukia thanked the man then turned to rush home.

"Rukia-chan?" the older man called out, stopping Rukia from opening the door.

Rukia turned to look at him, "Hai?"

"I'll give you a ride since it's late. You know how the city gets at night, especially with pretty young ladies like yourself," he said while getting up from the table and heading behind the counter. "I'll just turn off the heaters. I won't take long."

"No, it's okay," she solemnly said, not wanting to be a hassle.

"Nonsense, now sit down and wait. I won't take but a minute," he ordered her in a friendly manner.

Rukia threw the older man a soft nod and took a seat by the door to wait. It was nice of him to offer her a ride without even knowing where she lived. She had really come to appreciate him even though he could be a total clown half of the times.

"Okay, let's go," he said, coming out from behind the counter and heading towards the door. Rukia followed him outside and waited for him to lock up.

He drove an average family car, and she liked the feel of it while heading down the road. Rukia hadn't been in many cars before. She always walked or used public transportation, and her brother rarely found the time to take her out to places.

The drive was calming as the passing streetlights put Rukia into a soothing trance. Though it didn't last because the older man quickly made it to her house in less than seven minutes, versus the twenty it might have taken her if she would have walked.

"Thank you again, Oji-san," she thanked him while getting out of the car.

"Don't worry about it, and Rukia… don't worry about that idiot, just get to know him a little better," he leisurely said, waving a hand at her. He never lost that sly grin since the mentioning of the orange haired boy, but Rukia didn't think twice about it.

Rukia watched as the car slowly started to drive off and waved mindlessly. Standing there for a while, Rukia wondered why the man would say such a thing. After a while of pondering, she put the thought behind her. She hurried to the front door, hoping her brother wouldn't have noticed her long outing.

She softly closed the door behind her then slyly looked to her left and right. She began to grin since everything seemed okay. No movement was coming from her brother's study or upstairs, and the lights are all off. Rukia carefully walked away from the door and headed towards the stairs. She was worried for nothing at all. Then she heard what seemed to be shuffling newspaper.

"Rukia…" a somber voice revealed itself.

"Nii-sama!" Rukia gasped as she heard him. She turned to his voice, and found him sitting down in a couch within the room next to her with the lights turned off.

"It's late Rukia," he said in an intimidating tone, and Rukia cringed when she heard him the second time.

"I am very sorry, Nii-sama. I won't do it again," Rukia gravely apologized, staring at the dark sitting figure. She was hoping that he wouldn't persist because she wasn't in the mood for a calloused lecture and wanted to get ready for bed.

He just sat there for the longest time staring at his younger sister, managing to keep her in anticipation, "Very well then," he finally said. Rukia gave him a nod and headed upstairs.

Rukia quickly brushed her teeth, got her uniform ready and changed into her chappy pajamas. She laid there in bed staring at her ceiling and quickly got lost with thoughts of the old man's proposal. Today had been the first time that she hadn't flat out opposed on meeting the guy. She wondered what tomorrow would bring her, if things would get worse or better with the carrot top. She hoped for the latter as she finally drifted off to sleep.

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**Thank you for reading. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me. I would love to answer them. Please review to let me know how you like the story.**

**And again, thank you to everyone that has reviewed, alerted, and put this story on their favorites. And my other stories too.**


	4. Chapter 3: First assignment

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**(A/N) It has been a very long time since I've updated this story, so I greatly advise all readers to read the previous chapters. They aren't that long. Hope you all enjoy.**

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It was Monday afternoon and school had started out like usual. As class went by, Rukia realized that Kurosaki wouldn't even acknowledge her and apologies for last week. She wasn't begging for his attention, but she only found it fitting that he at least apologizes. Rukia could admit though, that she held on to grudges more than needed. She was also worrying for her excellent grades and for her sanity.

"Ochi-sensei," Rukia greeted the sensei entering the classroom, "Could I have a word with you," she asked.

Ochi-sensei was tall and slender and had shoulder length, dark brown hair, and her rectangular glasses gave her a refined look. She was Rukia's modern language sensei. From what Rukia could tell last week, she was very spirited and always spoke her mind.

Back during lunch, Rukia started to scheme on a way to get rid of Kurosaki which was harder than usual because Hitoshi had wanted to eat with her that day. But it was thanks to Hitoshi's simplistic suggestion of simply asking a sensei to be moved that got an idea. The plan seemed perfect to her. Rukia was well liked among the teachers since she always took school so seriously, so it wouldn't hurt to ask one. Ochi-sensei seemed like the best candidate to ask too. She had been the kindest of Rukia's sensei.

Ochi-sensei looked down at Rukia and nodded her head, "Kuchiki, come this way."

Rukia followed her to the small desk, in front of the classroom. She waited until the sensei had put all her belongings down.

"Ochi-sensei," Rukia started out once she had the sensei's attention, "I would like to work by myself or with someone other than Kurosaki for the assignment you have proposed for today. I would also like to be moved," she boldly finished, meeting the sensei's gaze.

"And why is that," Ochi-sensei raised an eyebrow at Rukia, leaning on the desk.

"Kurosaki and I do not see eye to eye," was Rukia's simple explanation, not losing her composure.

Rukia knew she probably sounded childish to the sensei right now, but she didn't care. Once she gets rid of the hassle sitting next to her, she'll be content once again.

"Eh… It hasn't even been a week," she said quite robustly.

"…"

The petite girl stayed speechless as the sensei continued, "And I can't possibly find you a new partner in such a short notice. As you can see, everyone is already paired up," Ochi-sensei finished, pointing around the room.

The sensei put her hand up to her chin and slightly tilted her head, "Besides, there's no way you can do today's assignment without a partner."

Rukia stood there for a while longer, looking at the sensei before responding, "Hai," in a low voice and then turned to find her seat.

"Kuchiki," Ochi-sensei called out, "Give it time, you'll see," she gave Rukia a lively smile.

Rukia walked back to her desk where she could see Kurosaki glaring at her from his seat. It surprised her, _"Did he hear me?"_

Rukia sat down without looking twice at him. If he did hear her then Rukia wouldn't let it bother her. It was his fault for being so abrasive.

"Alright everyone, quiet down," Ochi-sensei called out to the talking students. "It's time to discuss your first group assignment."

Rukia gulped as the sensei finished that first sentence. It was do or die, and she'd be damned if she didn't do. She won't let someone like Kurosaki ruin her chances at a good university. Besides, never before had she dreaded assignments or school. Why should he get the luxury of causing her such dread?

Rukia turned to the orange head beside her. He had a narrowed eyebrow lifted at the sensei. He seemed interested over what the sensei was about to say. That was a first, curiosity coming from him. The only emotions Rukia had seen from him in the last week were arrogance and heartlessness.

"It's quite simple really," the sensei's voice tore Rukia out of her thoughts, "All you have to do is write a brief one-thousand word essay on your partner." To Rukia it seemed like the sensei's grin was focused towards her expressionless face.

"Alright, get to it. It's due tomorrow in class," Ochi-sensei yelled to the room.

Immediately following, chairs and desks were being dragged closer to one another, proceeded by the indistinct chatter of many students.

Rukia simply sat there, trying to convince herself that it wasn't that bad. So what if she will have to work with the idiot next to her for the next fifty-five minutes and learn things about him she really doesn't care to know. Rukia tried to remind herself, trying to stay positive, she would be putting the old man's advice to heart.

Everyone around happened to like their first group assignment or at least weren't showing any signs of vexation. The chattering students all held smiles, as they asked and answered questions of birthdates, hobbies, and the classic "what do you want to be". Surely if they could do it, Rukia could do it too. She was their future valedictorian after all.

"…it's not that bad," Rukia muttered to herself, trying to gain as much self-confidence as she could, knowing she'll need all she can get. She will just have to drill Kurosaki and teach him who the boss is.

"Eh… what's not bad?" inquired a rough voice beside her. She casually turned to the owner of the voice.

"Working with you," was her mindless answer to the neglected inquirer.

Rukia turned her attention back towards her desk before fully registering who it was. Slowly, Rukia spun her head again and saw it was actually Kurosaki, who now had several veins throbbing on his forehead. She had been too engrossed in her own self-pity and failed to notice when he had moved his chair next to her small desk.

Her face deepened into a mild shade of pink. _"Smooth Rukia, smooth."_

Kurosaki quickly propped himself against her desk, leaning dangerously close to Rukia's comfort zone. "What the hell is that supposed to mean," hissed out the teen in a spiteful tone.

Rukia's slight embarrassment quickly turned into anger, "What _do_ _you_ think," she spat back defensively, challenging the disputant punk.

Rukia and Kurosaki both glared at each other for what seemed minutes. Rukia wasn't about to lose this argument against him. She would fight to the end, even if she were the one who started it. Besides, she needs to let him know who is in charge in the small partnership of theirs.

In the end, Rukia had her arms crossed and her head held high while Ichigo let out a drawn out sigh, "_Bitch_," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that," Rukia smirked victoriously at him. She realized she had just won her first argument against the carrot top and that it was probably the first of many more to come.

An uncomfortable silence soon loomed down on Rukia and Kurosaki after her smart-alecky remark. It wasn't until Ichigo let his notebook harshly fall on her desk that Rukia looked back up at his ever-persisting scowling face.

Rukia followed Ichigo's curiosity when he whipped his head around to look at the clock. Class was already halfway over, and neither of them had made a move to start on their assignment.

"Look it's obvious you don't like me, and I don't like you. So, what do you say we get this over with today? Although… I'm sure I have you all figured out," Kurosaki told her with confidence laced in his voice.

Rukia raised an eyebrow at his latest remark, "And what do you mean by that, Kurosaki," she asked, intrigued by his immature certainty. He had only known her for a week, and they had only talked three times. Only one of those occasions being civil, so how could he possibly know her when Hitoshi, one of Rukia's only friends barely did?

Kurosaki grinned and leaned forward a little bit on Rukia's desk. "Let's see, eh," His condescending eyes bored right into her awaiting amethyst eyes. "Although you're a midget, you prefer to be called _petite _or _vertically challenged_. Your pens, folders, and notebook give away your strange obsession with rabbits," he started out in mock, but he quickly lost his presumptuous grin as he continued with sodden eyes, "You probably wake up every morning and stare at the mirror, telling yourself you're happy when in actuality, you hate the way your life is. You put school and work before anything else, ruining your chances at a social life. I bet you can't even remember the last time you actually enjoyed yourself and went out with friends, that is if you even have friends other than Hayata over there. Need I go on?" he bluntly finished, looking down at Rukia.

Rukia was awestruck but refused to show it. She was trying her best not to grimace more than she had been. She didn't want him to know that he had read her like an open book. "You're delusional, Kurosaki. Who doesn't like _chappy_?" was her shrewd retort.

Rukia kept her eyes on his and snorted, "And what about you?" she said, narrowing her brows at him. "You think I don't know you."

"Be my guest," Ichigo challenged her with the same grin he had lost before.

"Alright Kurosaki, you're arrogant, heartless, and a bastard. Clearly, you _also_…" When Rukia noticed Kurosaki looked taken aback from her last utterance, she paused for a second. His scowl had lessened and his grin had vanished once more, and now he was wearing a compliant expression. Rukia tore her attention from his now disheartening face and continued while looking down, hiding her eyes with her bangs. "…_Also_ hate the way your life is, and you don't have any friends since half the times you're probably too cold to let anyone in and the other half you're too arrogant for anybody to stand you," she finished with a whispered huff.

Rukia looked back up expecting a smart retort or at least something to prove her wrong. Though she didn't receive either, he simply sat there with the same air of woefulness.

"So?" Rukia broke the silence around them.

"That's about it," he told her calmly.

Rukia sighed and shook her head, "That's too bad, I can't write 'Kurosaki is an arrogant, heartless bastard' a hundred sixty-seven times," she softly said, suppressing a placid smile wanting to pry from her lips. She didn't know why she couldn't help but feel bad for him. Perhaps it was that for a mere second she could relate with him, with that familiar feeling of true loneliness.

"So, what's your story?" Kurosaki asked in a nonchalant note, bringing his pen down to his notebook.

Rukia looked up at him warily. He still had his scowl although it did continuously plague his face, even while talking to his younger sisters and the girl with the black messy hair from their class. Rukia also couldn't find any more anger or mischievousness coming from him. It seemed he really did want to know about her; although, he may only want to get everything finished, as he said in the beginning.

Rukia shrugged her shoulders, "Let's see," she uttered in a whisper.

Just as Rukia was about to let go of some personal disdain held towards Kurosaki and spill a bit of her life story to him, the bell ceremoniously rang, much to her disdain. With it, marking the end of another day of school as it has done so for the last week.

Rukia's attention was focused towards the fleeting students rushing out their homeroom. After a couple seconds later, she turned back to Kurosaki who seemed to be getting ready on leaving her stranded.

She crossed her arms, and blew her bangs out of her face, "And where are you going off to?" Rukia inquired with a pointed look.

Ichigo looked down from where he was standing with his school tote over his shoulder, "Going home," he simply told her with no hesitation in his voice.

"No you're not," Rukia protested and got up from her chair. With her hands now firmly on her desk, she leaned forward and narrowed her small brows at him. "You heard what Ochi-sensei said. This is due tomorrow and we haven't even started." Her glaring eyes were full of warning, set to blow if he dared question her.

As if taking her silent threat to heart, he chose to stop and dropped his bag back onto her desk, "What do you suppose we do then?" he asked with annoyance, indulging her and reclaiming his seat adjacent from her.

"How about the student library," was Rukia's tactful reply after a moment of pondering. She didn't want to go anywhere near his house, and she certainly didn't want him at her place, so it seemed like the most logical thing to do.

The room fell silent while Rukia waited for his reply. She moved her gaze onward and saw the few students who were now working diligently on cleaning up the classroom. She was thankful that it would not be their turn to clean again for the next week or so, unless her short-tempered partner managed to ruin it. A small grunt from said person took her away from her stupor. Rukia cocked her head towards him with a raised brow. He only gave what seemed like an accepting mumble to her. Afterwards, Rukia placed all of her things in her school tote and was heading out of the classroom.

The halls weren't packed anymore, but she could easily tell that crowds of students just walked them. The many pieces of rumpled paper and forgotten books and notebooks Rukia avoided made it known. Hearing the crinkling of paper, Rukia turned her head to the side. To her surprise, Kurosaki was right there next to her on tow.

"What are we now, a couple?" she taunted the carrot top.

He deepened his scowl a few shades at her. "Pfft… I don't know where the library is," he told her coolly, putting his free hand in his pocket. Rukia crinkled her nose thinking of a good retort but nothing daunting came to mind.

"You are new here, aren't you?" she inquired shortly after, turning to look at him.

"You could say that," he answered her, keeping his eyes forward while walking along side the petite girl.

"Oh," Rukia muttered in a low voice, turning her gaze forward once again.

The rest of the trip was silent, as Rukia led the way and Kurosaki followed. The library was quite a ways from their homeroom's location. It was exactly on the other side of the school and on the top floor, where as they were on the ground level. They had gone up three flights of stairs then continued walking the many halls before finally reaching their destination.

"Here it is," she said with a sigh, stopping in front of the wooden double doors.

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**(A/N) I found this chapter on a memory stick while I was moving out of my apartment, since school for the semester is over. I was glad I found it because my old computer was wiped clean due to a virus, deleting many chapters of this story that were already drafted. **

**Please read and review to let me know if you guys like the story so far. I really haven't decided between rewriting the deleted drafts and finishing this story up to just writing IchiRuki one-shots. So let me know what you would prefer. Criticism is also highly praised. I really want to become a better writer, so let me know where I make mistakes or need help. **

**Thank you again for reading. I really hope everyone enjoys it. **


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Bleach, Drama, Romance