PROLOGUE

Kuchiki Rukia walked the front lawn of the Kuchiki manor. It was a nice, sunny day. The tgrass swayed gracefully with the somewhat cool breeze and the sun gave her an exception for it wasn't too hot, too.

Not that she ever gets hot. She does wield a sword of the ice element.

Today was the 40th anniversary of her coming here. That's why everyone in the manor was so busy decorating the place. Maids cleaning up and hanging decorations everywhere, but of course, Kuchiki Byakuya was nowhere to be found. Although he promised to come home before the celebration starts, she wondered why he wasn't there. He was the one who planned it.

Her brother, no, her sister's husband, always did. For forty long years, he celebrated Rukia's coming in the manor, as if it was the reason he hasn't burned the place to the ground.

The first time she got there, there was also a celebration. Invited where the famous, the leaders of all the prestigious clans in Rokugnai, and also, of course, the Gotei 13. There were a lot of people, yes, but the one she wanted most to be there wasn't. Abarai Renji.

Renji, her childhood friend, never came to the celebration. Well, for one, he wasn't invited. Only the ones who have a standing in all of Soul Society were allowed to go in.

Rukia could still remember the day she had said to her Renji that she was being adopted. Of all people, she knew Renji would tell her to decline the adoption. But what shocked her is that he didn't. He just said he was glad for her, and quite jealous, for that matter. And that was it. She couldn't tell if it was all sarcasm, but she didn't bother to know. She walked out on him, and in the next forty years, they became almost strangers to each other.

Rukia hated him. She hated his guts. She thought that if he agreed to the adoption for her own good, no. Renji knew completely that the only one that brought her happiness was being with him. Stupid Renji. Always thinking about her. She never asked for it, but he always did. Renji valued her too much. Too much for his own good. Just like Ichigo.

That idiot.

She smiled a small smile when she suddenly remembered that idiot friend of hers. Ichigo risked his life a lot of times before. And she was sure he'd do it a zillion times more. Not that she's complaining, she doesn't have the right to, for she knew that she'd do the same for him.

Ichigo was hotheaded, and yes, sometimes, he fails to think rationally. They always fight, bicker and exchange mean words. He's cranky and impatient and violent to bullies. But he was kind, to friends and enemies. He shows sympathy to everyone, he understands their pasts and he teaches them to learn from their mistakes. And he has a special ability, the ability to make people believe in him, to not doubt on placing their bets on him. That was what she liked about him the most.

But she still hated the fact that Ichigo always feel that he needs to protect everybody. Including her. Rukia thinks that his "debt" to her was nothing but a stupid reason to save her from death, to protect her. It's like she wasn't forced to save him. He was strong, and she knew it from the very first time she laid eyes on him. And she believed that he was the only one who can defeat that Hollow.

But she doesn't regret anything she did. From saving him to befriending him, none was to be felt sorry about. She just wants to know, why does everyone do the same?

Everyone wants to protect her. Renji, Byakuya, Orihime, Ishida, Chad, Hanatarou, Kiyone, Captain Ukitake and even those she doesn't now very well. What is with them? Unlike her case with Ichigo, she hasn't done anything remarkable for these people, and yet…

Don't they know that she's stronger than what she looks like? She mastered controlling her soul slayer ahead of almost everyone else in her batch from Shinigami Academy. And she's not even a seated officer! But everyone just… just likes to show their backs to her.

Had they ever thought about what she'd feel if they die? If they lose their life because of her weakness?

The very thought was… depressing.

A sudden sound of running footsteps broke her thoughts. She turned around when she heard her name being called. It was Renji.

"RUKIA!" He bellowed.

"Renji," Rukia rubbed her temples, agitated. "Not so loud,"

When he was in front of her, he scratched the back of his neck and muttered a soft 'sorry'.

"What do you want, baboon?" Rukia smirked at Renji's ears as they mercilessly become red.

He huffed and crossed his arms across his chest a few seconds later. "For your information, Rukia," His voice dripped with sarcastic anger, he said, "That you can invite everyone you want to the event," When Rukia almost jumped from anticipation, he held up a hand, "And yes, even from people from the Living world-"

"REALLY?"

It was almost three months since he saw her friends from the Living world, it would be so great if they would come for a completely different reason from their last one.

"Yeah, yeah" Renji waved dismissively, "Go get them. Wait-" He grabbed her wrist with a firm grip. He said in a deadly serious tone, "I can come, right?"

Rukia looked at him as if he just told her he was gay, "Of course," Renji let go of her wrist and said, "Thank goodness, I was thinking you weren't going to invite me like last year's celebration, no, in every year's celebration." Rukia looked offended, but so did Renji. So he really wanted to go, she thought. Why didn't she think of inviting him? She was the cause for the celebration, surely they'd let him in if she asked. But why hadn't she? She didn't found the answer as Renji grinned cheekily. "And if I come, surely, there'll be lots and lots of food! Ah! I haven't tasted noble food since-"

Smack!

Rukia smacked him in the head. She bowed her head, hiding her flustered face; she said quietly, "You only think about food, don't you?"

"Pretty much, but…" He looked down at her, using his index finger to tilt her head up, "But I squeeze some of my thinking time for you. You're my best friend, Rukia, don't ever think that I'd come to this party just for food. Of course, I'm coming because of you." Rukia's lips were a half-way to a smile when Renji interrupted again.

"But then again, that FOOD! And I'll meet that Kurosaki bastard! Ha! If he sees my improvement, he'll-"

"Renji," Rukia warned. He was about to splutter some apologies, but she said, "Thank you."

She bowed her excuse and walked out the Kuchiki manor, barely hearing Renji's soft reply of "No problem."


Tenth division captain, Hitsugaya Toshiro was just about to take his morning nap when a hell butterfly fluttered from his window. Matsumoto, who was sitting down on the couch drinking sake caught the black butterfly and received the message.

Hitsugaya stood up from the sofa and rubbed his sleepy eyes. "What does it say?"

Matsumoto took a moment before responding, no, squealing the answer, "OOOOOOOH! A party!"

"A what?"

"A party, sir! We got invited to a party happening tonight! And guess what, guess what!"

Hitsugaya brushed a hand through his silver hair, "What?"

"It's in the Kuchiki manor!"

The Kuchiki manor, he thought. "What's such a big deal?" He said, sitting on the couch again and raising his legs to rest them on the coffee table.

"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL, sir?" Matsumoto looked offende- no, she looked scandalized.

"What?" Her captain asked, still dazed by his almost morning nap.

Matsumoto shook her head as if disappointed and said, "Sir, being invited there is an honor! The Kuvhiki clan, they're nobles, and they're celebrating the fortieth year of their heiress, Kuchiki Rukia-san, EVERYONE, and I mean everyone, sir, will be there!" She finished with her hands clasped together, looking up in the air dreamily.

"So what? I've been there for, like, a couple of times, but nothing really is special-"

"Don't even dare!" Matsumoto bellowed.

This happened yesterday.

Yesterday, he had yelled at his lieutenant for being over-enthusiastic about everything for the millionth time. She gave up in convincing that coming to the Kuchiki manor was a privilege after a few more scolding from her captain. But in turn, he too, agreed on coming to the stupid party. He was invited there a couple of times before, for the same reason, too.

All captains' attendance is a must. Or Kuchiki Byakuya will kick your sorry ass.

Not that he's afraid of him, well; he just had to take his mind off work. He was always doing stupid paperwork, writing in parchment, and of course, yelling at his subordinates.

He's young, yeah, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get to scream at people. It's like this principle: I don't care how old you are, if you're not respecting me, I'm not respecting you!

But to be honest, he's just gets angry at people who go easy on him, like he's just a kid. Yes, he's a kid, but he's a Captain, for God's sake! Even if he's just about 133 centimeters tall, he's still a goddamned captain!

His face crumpled into a scowl as he emerged from his room in the tenth division's barracks. It was five in the afternoon and still, everyone's worked up because of that Kuchiki girl's party.

His subordinates were running around, screaming, "I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR!" and "WHAT WILL CAPTAIN BYAKUYA SAY?"

He snapped his eyes shut and rubbed his fingers on his temples. It's gonna be damn long day.

But his eyes suddenly opened when he sensed a familiar presence behind him. "Hinamori," he turned around and saw Hinamori Momo wearing a pink yukata with white sakura petals, three feet away from him. "Hey, Shiro-chan," She smiled at him.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be-?"

"Nope," She shook her head and took a step toward him. "Well, I was allowed to be out of the division 4 barracks because of Rukia-san's insistence that I come. I couldn't miss the party, now, can I?"

Hitsugaya groaned loudly and slumped his shoulders, his eyes intense, still on Hinamori. "Not you, too!"

"What? A party's great! Lots and lots of people! Come to think of it, aren't you supposed to be dressed up already? The party's starting at five-thirty."

"Don't you think I know that? Sheesh. I'm just gonna go looking like this." He pointed at his captain's uniform.

Hinamori, on the other hand, looked at his get up as if it were a disgusting rag.

"WHAT? You can't do that! What will-"

"What will Byakuya say, yeah, I got it." He sighed and waved her off. I hate it when she does that.

"Go on ahead without me and take Matsumoto with you, I'll just go on and prepare and to finish this already, so I can finally have my long nap,"

With that, he left an amused Hinamori in a flash step.


It was fifteen minutes to five-thirty and almost everyone was already there.

Rukia got back from the Living world all excited and jumpy because it was the first celebration with everyone there. She'd invited Ichigo, of course, along with Orihime, Ishida, Chad and even the people from the Urahara shop. She also included the Ganju to her friends list. She wanted to take everyone else with her, but that was stupid. If she brought her other friends from the Living world, she'd just expose them to more trouble. At least, the people she invited were strong. They can handle themselves.

All of them agreed enthusiastically, well, except for Ishida, who was a quincy and was hesitant to go to a place with a lot of his most hated kind; shinigamis. Ichigo called him a coward and he agreed on coming, to prove that he is most definitely not a coward.

She ran across the beautifully decorated lawn, smiling to herself, not once stopping to look at the view. She caught glimpses of the guests who waved at her; she smiled at them but continued to disappear in a blur to the manor.

Inside her room were three maids. They bowed respectfully at the sight of her and got ready to fix her up. She sat down on a stool by the mirror and muttered a soft acknowledgement of the maids, signaling them to start. And they did.


Hitsugaya arrived about ten minutes after five-thirty, wearing a white hakama and sandals that make him a teensy bit taller. He had combed his hair, but his efforts of taming his hair became useless when he decided to just flash step to the damned party. Hinamori would be disappointed if he were to be late.

He adjusted his soul slayer o his back and sighed.

Now, he just had a trouble on finding a good thing to wear, since he doesn't usually need to. He was a boy, but he took so long to dress! He felt like Matsumoto and it was a bad feeling. It's as if some insolent ice cube had just decided to rest on his stomach.

He sighed , clearly frustrated and made his way to his lieutenant, who was on the other side from he was, about fifty feet away. He stopped dead in his tracks; he'll have to walk toward her, in the middle of the wide yard. Prying eyes would criticize him and his sense of fashion. He looked at what he's wearing, it wasn't too bad. Ugh. This. Was. Going. To. Be. A. Freaking. Long. Night.

As he strode, he caught the sight of the place. The few trees were decorated with purple unlit lanterns, and the lawn was occupied with blankets and the blankets were occupied with different people. He saw some of his subordinates down west, drinking from every sake bottle they could lay their hands on. He was surprised that Matsumoto wasn't in that crowd. She was sitting on a blanket, eating something. She was wearing a red kimono, exposing her rather HUGE breasts.

With every few steps, some people would talk to him, commenting on how he looked that night. Ukitake even said he was cute. CUTE!

The place grew darke yet, the purple lanterns remained unlit, only the faint moonlight serving as a source of light.

When he finally made it to his lieutenant, she greeted him, "Hello, captain!"

"Where's Hinamori?"

Matsumoto raised a delicate brow, "She's with Renji, they were supposed to fetch the Ryoka that were invited to the celebration," She smiled patting the space beside her, "Come, captain, sit down and relax."

He obeyed and took something that suspiciously looked like a watermelon from a tray that a maid was carrying. He tilted his head upwards, chewing loudly.

Matsumoto kept babbling about something, but not a word entered his mind. After eating at least five more of the watermelon pastries, he asked, "Why aren't you drinking sake with everyone else?"

Matsumoto hummed to herself, helping herself with the pastries. "Hmmm, well, I want to stay sober to see her come down."

"Her?" He repeated rather stupidly.

"Kuchiki Rukia, sir."

"Oh."

"This is the first time she was allowed to invite her own friends, and I'm waiting to see her face,"

"Why?" He hasn't got anything else better to say. So, the hell with it.

"Well," She gulped down a pastry whole, "Remember when we were invited here last year? I was barely sober when I saw her come down, but I was sure she looked pained. I hope to see the opposite of her pained expression."

Huh. I never knew she was so interested with Kuchiki.

"Oh." What a dumb response.

And just when he thought she dropped the subject, she started talking again. "Renji told me all about her."

The air grew heavy. As if it burdened the weight of the world. The crowd was still unsurprisingly very noisy, but Matsumoto's sad voice drowned them down.

"She grew up all alone, left by her sister. They died simultaneously, that's why they were still together when they got here. But her sister felt that it was far better to leave her alone as a defenseless baby, as she feared that she wouldn't be able to raise her.

"Rukia grew up alone, and as nobody explained to her why she became hungry one day, she pretended that she wasn't. She slept on alleyways, wearing a tattered kimono that was the only thing she had of her sister. She met Renji and his friends, after helping them steal water," She laughed, a sound Hitsugaya was accustomed with, but her laugh had a certain hint in it.

He barely knew Kuchiki, but by the sound of it, she suffered worse than him.

Yeah, he was feared by their neighbors, but he had his grandmother. He had someone to explain why he was hungry, and his granny was there to tuck him into bed. But Kuchiki, she had neither.

Matsumoto was going to say something else, but he never found out what.

His name was being called from his right. He and Matsumoto turned their heads, spotting Renji with Hinamori, behind them, the Ryoka, that months before, left a trail of blood in Soul Society, the sole reason being: to save Kuchiki Rukia.

Renji , Hinamori, Orihime and Urahara greeted both Hitsugaya and Matsumoto with enthusiasm, the other people, looking awfully bored, only acknowledge the tenth division officers with curt nods.

Not that he complained.

A sound came from behind them. It was Kuchiki Byakuya, announcing his sister's arrival. People stood up applauded.

As if on cue, the lanterns lit up and floated away from the tree.

The moon was soon forgotten at the sight.

All of the lanterns soared to the center of the lawn, forming a circle. It twirled and twirled, accelerating with every cycle. The crowd stopped their applause, admiring the magnificent dance of the lanterns as they turn into a purple blur. Hinamori, Orihime and a little girl with Urahara let put soft Ooohs and Aaaahs with the crowd, earning a snicker from Matsumoto and a smirk full of pride of his captain from Renji. But even Hitsugaya noticed that Renji, was amazed, too, though he also knew that Renji would shave his red hair off before admitting it.

The last celebrations here, there were great entrances of the Kuchiki heiress, but this had to be the most surprising for Hitsugaya.

The lanterns twirled upwards, and then swiveled downwards, dissolving on the earth, leaving traces of sparks around the place. Almost like fireflies, only violet ones.

The purple fireflies came together, forming a huge sphere in the middle of the lawn. Little by little, it grew bigger. Some near the sphere backed up.

And after a few moments of the sphere just floating there, two feet from the ground, it sprouted wings. Almost like of those of a butterfly. Even with the praises of the crowd, he heard Yachiru say, "Look, Ken-chan! It's a ball with wings! So beautiful!"

But then the air grew devastatingly cold, their breaths clouded. Several people gasped, some stood with a fighting stance. Histugaya readied himself, soul slayer in hand. Even Matsumoto and Hinamori unsheathed their swords. The air seems to freeze, but the Ryoka just stood there, infazed, well, except for Orihime, for she was amazed.

"Rukia-san is so cool!"

After hearing Orihime's words, Hitsugaya and the other people within the crowd noticed that the temperature suddenly changed from freezing to a comforting coolness. And from the sphere, a figure stepped down, the purple fireflies, now gathering to the wings, performed the illusion of the figure having purple wings.

The winged figure wore a white furisode with baby blue crystals drawn in it. To Hitsugaya, it almost looked like shards of ice. The figure's hair was tied into a loose bun on her head, a baby blue flower on top of it. Bangs were covering his/her eyes. He/she brushed it out of the way, revealing purple eyes.

It was Kuchiki Rukia.

She looked extremely flustered, her cheeks tainted pink. Her small hands folding on her lap, she bowed. "Welcome, I am Kuchiki Rukia, sister of Kuchiki Byakuya, I am glad to see you all here." She looked all around as the wings started to fade from her back. And when she spotted the Ryoka, she beamed at them.

"Let the celebration continue," Byakuya called from behind them.


*HEY! Thanks to those who reviewed, and I'm sorry but I can't mention you today. Maybe next chapter, kay?

Well, this is an entirely different story from the the first one I published. But I wish you'd like it. 3 I can't promise that I can update and update all the time, but I will try my best, so, no worries. =)))

I really tried to get Hitsugaya this time. I wish I did, everyone notices that he's a bit OOC. But now, well, for me, he's not. Some characters might be, though.

Read and Review, please!

MEPHARE