hi everyone! happy new year :D

as a way of celebrating the new year, i decided to put up a little short story for you guys to sit and enjoy.
y'want more info on it, read the summary on the story when it's up.

disclaimer! Tite Kubo owns everything; Kita, Kiba and random people i just thought of belong to me. enjoy! 8D

"Hurry up, you're gonna be late!"

The girl swore under her breath when her sandal fell onto the floor of her room as she tried to tie the bands around her ankle.
"Don't remind me!" She hollered back, tying the bands and rushing out into the hall and down the hall to the backdoor.

He held her bento box out calmly while he sipped his tea before she snatched the box from his hand. "See you later; don't get into any trouble, alright?" He requested, amber eyes on her hurried blue gaze.
She nodded vigorously, opening the backdoor.

"Hai; see ya, Kiba-nii!" She called over her shoulder as she rushed out the door and ran down the street towards her destination, praying to whatever god that resided over their lives that she wouldn't get there late.

"Kiryuugaki?" The sensei called out in a monotone voice.

"Here!" A burly boy barked.

"Akatsuki? Where in hell is that girl?"
The man looked up in annoyance at the rows of occupied seats infront of him that rose up to the back of the far wall, brown eyes narrowed slightly.

"Here! Sorry, I'm late!" She panted, skidding into the classroom and coming to a halt infront of the sensei's desk, her long black hair pulled into a tight ponytail and slight beads of sweat trickling down her face.
The man checked her name off on his list.
"Try not to be tardy next time, Miss Akatsuki. It won't get you far… Doraida?" He called out, dismissing her to face off against the hushed chatter of the rest of the room's occupants.

She lowered her gaze humbly, trudging her way up the stairs to find an empty seat.

There was blessedly an unoccupied seat next to a girl with long strawberry-blonde hair and periwinkle eyes; the girl looked at her and smiled in a friendly way as she made a beeline to the seat and sat down next to her, placing her bento box between her feet.

"Thanks," she thanked the girl with a humble smile on her face.
The girl nodded. "You're welcome. I'm Rangiku, by the way. Rangiku Matsumoto." She introduced herself lightly.
She smiled again and nodded back. "Kita Akatsuki." She replied.
"Are you living here at the dorms?" Rangiku asked curiously.
She shook her head. "Nah, I live with my big brother." She answered.
She blinked.
"No parents?" She wondered.
Her eyes lowered.

"Actually, it's…"

"Would you two shut your damn pie holes up there? Some of us want to learn here!" A girl with a pig-nose and annoyed green eyes glared up at the two girls.
Rangiku scoffed.
"Don't be jealous just because we're not flat-chested like you, Yuka." She declared.
The girl named Yuka snorted. "Shut up, Rukongai trash. You're only saying that because you're so damn sl…"

"Both of you, be quiet."

A voice cut across her next insult, bringing the three girls' attention to the person who'd silenced them.

A boy with jet black hair pulled into a ponytail, pale skin, and dark gray eyes glared at the three girls, his brow furrowed, before he turned his gaze back to the front of the room.
Both Rangiku and the girl Yuka quieted and turned their attention to the lecture that was about to begin; Kita stared at the head of the black-haired boy for a moment before following their lead.

Birds chirped in the trees nearby.

"So you're from the Rukon district, huh?" She wondered as they walked to lunch.
She nodded.
"Yeah. What about you? You said you lived with your older brother." She returned, looking at her.
Kita smiled slightly. "My brother and I, we live in the nobility district." She explained.
Rangiku widened her eyes briefly.
"What? No way, I didn't know you were a noble!" She exclaimed, perking a few ears of passerby students.
She laughed weakly.
"Yeah, well, we're not exactly high-class. If anything, we're middle-class nobility. Our family had a famous title at one point, but I don't think it's so highly revered now a days." She explained.
She rolled her eyes. "You're still a noble, y'know that…"

"OW!"

A boy crashed into her as they were walking towards a large tree with shade, sending the black-haired girl to the ground, her book and bento box flying from her hands.
"Ow…" The girl muttered, getting to her feet.

"Watch where you're going, will you?" A familiar voice snapped at her, perking her ears and making her turn to stare at the familiar gray gaze of the boy she'd had class with, earlier.

Now that she got a better look at him, she couldn't help but notice that he wascute…

She blushed brightly and scoffed.
"Me? Like you're one to talk!" She snapped back, scowling to hide her blush as her blue eyes narrowed.

The boy scoffed back, getting to his feet; he offered a hand to help her up.
She took his offered hand and got to her feet, bending to pick up her book.
"Here." He lifted her bento box to her sight, handing it to her.
She took it from his hands, eyeing him briefly.
"Thanks. And sorry for running into you." She apologized, bowing her head reflexively and straightening to look at him.
He nodded.
"You're welcome. And try watching where you step, next time. Coulda gotten hurt." He shrugged the last bit, gray eyes darting away before meeting her gaze.
Kita smirked slightly.
"I'll remember that. So what's your name?" She wondered, folding her arms over her chest.
He smirked back, a cocky light shining in his eyes. "Byakuya Kuchiki, the next head of the Kuchiki clan." He answered confidently.
"What's yours, clumsy one?" He taunted.
She rolled her eyes calmly. "Kita Akatsuki; my name isn't as fancy as yours, but it's something." She shot back.
"'Kita', huh? You don't look that cold." He teased, playing on the translation of her name which was 'North'.
She smirked. "Well you don't look like a shining beacon of light, either, Kuchiki." She remarked.
He blushed slightly and scoffed.
"I think I remember you, now; you're the Akatsuki girl that lives near my father's estate." He mused, now thinking back to whom exactly lived near him.

She raised a brow.

"That huge place is yours? Holy crap. I didn't think they had an arrogant kid like you living there…" She muttered.
"What was that?" He turned on her, a vein popping on his temple.
She raised a hand in defense. "I said nothing," she replied simply.
Byakuya scoffed.
"Well anyway, you're the new kid around here, so y'wanna eat lunch with me so I can show you around this place?" He wondered, looking at her curiously.
Kita nodded and smiled.
"Alright. Hey, where's Rangiku?" She wondered, now noticing her new friend had abandoned her.
"I think I saw her head off to the library… Anyway, c'mon." He shrugged, turning and leading the way to the tree.

She followed quickly, glad to be making another friend on her first day.

She picked at his hair tie. "You realize these things are moreso for girls, right?" She wondered.
He scoffed.
"I'm tryin' to grow my hair out! Geez, don't be so sexist…" He muttered, stomping ahead of her down the raised pathway.
She trotted after him. "Sor-ry. Geez, and I thought I took things personal…" She mused.
He rolled his eyes.
"So who lives with you? I remember hearing my father mention something about your parents dying a few years ago…" He asked quietly, perking her ears.
She looked away briefly. "Just my brother. He's ten years older than me, so he takes care of me now that our parents are dead." She explained calmly.
Byakuya nodded. "I'm sorry." He apologized, offering his condolences.
Kita smiled slightly. "It's OK. I try not to think about it too much."

The bell chimed loudly, dismissing classes for the day.

"Since we're neighbors, y'want to walk me home?" She asked, looking at his gray eyes.
He smiled at her.
"It'd be my honor to escort a young damsel to her home." He teased, giving a little bow.
Kita laughed and poked his chest absently. "Shut up, Kuchiki." She shot back, walking ahead of him to the nearest exit.

Byakuya rubbed the spot where she'd poked him and ran after her lead.

Birds chirped lightly in the trees overhead as the two teenagers walked home.

"Is your brother a Soul Reaper?" He wondered aimlessly, perking her ears.
She shook her head. "No, he's not."

In retrospect, she was only half-lying.
Her brother had been a part of the 10th division as a 5th seat, but after their parents were killed by a hollow, he immediately went rogue and quit the Gotei 13 to stay home and be the "man of the house" as well as her caretaker and keeper.

He'd managed to evade judgment by the Central 46 – whoever they were – for some reason he'd yet revealed to her.

He glanced at her and nodded, perking up at seeing the smaller house almost a mile away from his own home.
"We're here." He announced calmly, directing her gaze to the large estate that loomed tall compared to her humble home.
Kita smiled at him. "Thanks for walking me." She thanked him lightly.
Byakuya nodded and smirked bemusedly.
"No problem. It's not like I could let ya go home by yourself; gods know if anything happened to a defenseless girl like yourself…" He began to declare.
She sighed and kicked his shin with her foot gently.
"I get it, I get it! Anyway, I'll see ya tomorrow, right?" She asked lightly as he rubbed his shin.

"Yeah." He smiled at her.

She waved lightly before rushing to her house as he watched her make it to the front door safely.

What an interesting girl, he thought to himself, turning to retreat to his own home.

A few years passed.

Time seemed to move slowly in the peaceful period that was a blessing to the Soul Society's occupants.
The familiar swinging of a wooden bokuto sword sounded in the spring air as she calmly snuck towards the high wooden fence that closed off the large courtyard of the Kuchiki estate.

Kita had gotten a bit taller in the past years that passed by, her long dark black hair still held in a high ponytail, her body developing at the still-slow pace it kept; never once did the stubborn light fade from her clear blue eyes.
She poked her head over the wooden fence to see a familiar tall boy with black hair that was pulled back into a likewise-high ponytail swinging his wooden sword up and down repeatedly; she smirked to herself as she noticed that his muscles on his arms had started developing into small hardy ones that would most likely grow stronger as he got older.
She hopped the fence lightly, leaping over the green hedge and landing gracefully on the grass.

"You won't get far by swinging a bokuto around when an actual zanpakuto does better justice!" She declared loudly, making the young man jump slightly and drop the wooden sword before picking it up.

He whirled his angered gray gaze onto the young woman with clear blue eyes that was laughing at him.
"Don't do that! Damn it, Kita." He snapped annoyedly at her.
She giggled and smiled innocently at him.
"It was too hard to pass up, Byakuya. Besides, it gave me the time to notice you're getting stronger." She added calmly.
He blushed slightly in modesty and scoffed, wiping sweat from his brow absently before folding his arms over his chest.
"You're turning into a stalker, y'know that? And your hair looks stupid like that." He pointed out, seeing a vein pop on her cheek.

"Shut up, at least me being a girl gives me an advantage with hair ties, ya transvestite noble." She snapped hotly.
"What'd you call me?" Byakuya began to exclaim, an equal vein popping on his right temple.

A calm set of footsteps interrupted their would-be boisterous argument, bringing both teenagers' attentions to the intruder.
An elderly man with long white hair and moustache stood before them, his arms folded across his chest; a pale sea green scarf adorned his shoulders as his wise violet eyes ogled the two teenagers.

"Grandfather! What a surprise; did you decide to rest here today, instead of at the barracks?" Byakuya asked lightly, walking up to the elderly captain.
He nodded.
"I was going to compliment you on your ambitious training when I heard the yelling match you had going on." His violet gaze turned to the girl standing behind his grandson. "What is your name, young lady?" He asked calmly.

"K-Kita Akatsuki, sir! I apologize for disturbing any tranquility of yours." She blushed slightly and bowed humbly, straightening before the two Kuchiki.
"Ah, so you're the boisterous Akatsuki girl I've heard my grandson speak of. It is a pleasure to finally meet you." He nodded to her.
Byakuya blushed slightly as she laughed gently at his expense.
"A-anyway, Grandfather, what is it you were going to tell me?" He asked quickly, directing the attention back to him.
He blinked slightly. "Oh, yes. What do you say, Byakuya, about taking a break from practice for a while? I've brought someone here to see you." He requested.

Both teenagers blinked simultaneously. "Me?" He wondered confusedly.

A pair of boobs poked at his face from the side as a woman appeared before them; his eyes narrowed annoyedly as he recognized the woman automatically.
"It's you, cat monster!" Byakuya exclaimed, swinging the wooden bokutoat the woman who bounced back effortlessly.

Kita blinked. "'Cat monster'?" She repeated, a sweatdrop forming on her brow.

The woman laughed.
"'Cat monster'? That's what I get for coming to visit? And out of my way to make a special trip!" She declared lightly.
"Oh, please! Since when did I ever say I wanted you to come visit me? As the next head of the Kuchiki clan, I don't wish to be involved in your games! They're not fun!" He exclaimed.
"Oh, is that so?" She wondered.

Kita blinked in surprise to see the woman disappear and reappear behind her friend, swiftly and easily pulling his hair tie off, letting his hair fall down to below his shoulders.
She's fast…! She thought in awe, instantly feeling a sort of admiration for the strange woman with amber eyes.
Byakuya swung the bokuto at where she had stood, scowling at her as she stood atop the low fence, laughing merrily and waving the red hair tie in the air like a flag.
"It may be games to you, but I'd be worried if a mere girl was able to steal a hair tie off the leader's head!" She laughed.
His eyes narrowed again as a vein popped angrily on his cheek, an angered grimace on his face.
"Stay right where you are, Miss Yoruichi Shihoin; you haven't even seen my shun-po yet!" He declared.
"Oh yeah? Looks like you lost." The woman named Yoruichi grinned widely, disappearing from where she stood.
Byakuya scoffed.
"I do see. It appears you're trying to make me very angry… Fine! I guess you'll have to find out yourself, the fact of the matter is that my shun-po is far superior to yours!" He exclaimed, gripping the bokuto in hand and disappearing after the woman's retreat.

Kita sweatdropped again.

Byakuya's grandfather exhaled exasperatedly. "Oh, that boy. There's no telling how far Byakuya would go just to control his temper! Nothing I can do about it, now, guess I'll have some tea."
He looked at the girl.
"Would you care to join me, Miss Akatsuki? You'll be wasting your breath if you intend to follow Byakuya's chase." He wondered calmly.

Kita nodded. "Yes, thank you. I'd be honored to." She smiled lightly, following the elderly captain as he led the way inside.

"So that's who that woman is. She looks strong." She mused quietly.

The elderly captain gave a faint smile.
"You speak as if you admire her, already." He declared.
Kita chuckled.
"Hai, I mean, I admire that she's strong as well as kind." She smiled sheepishly, lowering her gaze to sip her tea again.
He nodded. "I must apologize for you witnessing my grandson's temper in action." He apologized.
She smiled again. "I've seen his temper before, but only during training, so it's alright." She reassured him.

He raised a brow briefly. "Have you sparred against him, before?" He wondered.

She shook her head. "Not yet. It'd be interesting, though, considering I've seen him in training; I'd probably be able to take him on." She mused with a light smile.
He sipped his tea. "I see…" He mused quietly.

Kita blinked to see her friend slam open the sliding door coming from the courtyard, closing it behind him as he trudged into the dining room.
His grandfather perked up.
"Oh, you're back. Did Miss Shihoin return to the 2nd squad barracks?" He asked calmly as he plopped down tiredly on her left.
He nodded.
"Yes, Grandfather." He replied; she noticed his hair was messy, slight smudges of dirt on his face and at least a leaf or two stuck in his hair.

Other than that, he looked like hell.

"You look horrible." She muttered.
He scowled slightly at her.
"Don't patronize me, Kita. You're not the one who had to chase down that cat monster." He grumbled, putting his elbows on the tabletop and supporting his face by his palms.
She sweatdropped and rolled her eyes.
"Well quit griping. I'd expect the next head of the Kuchiki clan to not complain so much." She remarked calmly, sipping her tea again.

He scoffed and looked away.
"Get off my back." He muttered.

She smirked gently and sighed, glancing at his messy hair again. "Byakuya, where's the hair tie?" She asked patiently.
He held up the red hair tie he'd managed to snatch back, the ends of the ribbon slowly losing strands.

Kita took the hair tie from his hand and scooted closer to him, making him perk up alertly.

"W-what're you doing?" He demanded hesitantly, feeling a slight heat spread across his cheeks at being so close to a girl's breasts.
She chuckled.
"Just stay still." She coaxed him, reaching inside her robes and pulling out a small blue comb, gently running it through his slightly tangled black hair.
Both Kuchiki men watched/ glanced at her with some sort of intrigument as the girl managed to get the leaves out of his hair and run the comb through the black strands.
She removed the hair tie from its holding place in her mouth to gather his hair in her hands and tie his hair back to the high ponytail he had it in earlier.

"OK, done." She announced lightly, perking his ears.

Byakuya smiled appreciatively at her.
"Thanks, Kita." He replied.
Kita shrugged and stowed her comb back inside her robes. "No problem, just don't complain so much, alright?" She smiled lightly back.
He smirked.
"Can't make any promises on that, but I'll try." He declared.
She smirked back.

wow that was a long first chapter.. haha that's the longest 1st chapter i've ever uploaded on here! xD

and yes, you can tell i used episode 208 for reference on a young Byakuya; the Yoruichi part was a bonus ^^

anyway, review please! thanks guys.