"Hey, _," Rukia chirped, catching up to you in the hallway, "do you want to come over for a sleepover after school?"
You shift your bag and tuck a strand of hair behind your ears as your eyes light up. "I'd love to Rukia! Let me just call my driver and ask him to bring me some things to wear"
"That's okay!" Rukia smiled, "we're about the same size"
You snort and study your petite friend, "anything on you will be two inches shorter on me," you point out, looking at your shapely legs.
"Exactly!" Rukia's violet eyes glimmer in delight and you raise an eyebrow "tell your driver he doesn't have to pick you up!" she grinned, "meet at the big tree after school?"
"Okay," you laugh at your best friend's excitement. "I'll see you then"
"Bye _!" Rukia darts off to her next class leaving you standing in the hall, amusedly watching her go. With a sigh, you head to your locker. You get lost in your thoughts. Rukia came into your life when you were both in middle school. Middle of sixth grade to be exact. You both came from noble families and connected through a shared loneliness.
Rukia's parents and older sister died in a freak fire when she was a toddler leaving her with her grandfather and older brother Byakuya, who, from what you had picked up on, was not the warm and fuzzy older brother type. You still had your parents, but they were so busy with their jobs and their social lives that you grew up in the loving care of your maid, seeing your parents only rarely. Sometimes you felt more like a new accessory than a daughter.
Growing up had been lonely, most people were either intimidated by your status in society or wanted to befriend you for all the wrong reasons. Your best friend from childhood, one Yoruichi Shihoin, moved away in third grade, leaving you with a gaping hole of loneliness. When Rukia approached you in the hallway in sixth grade, introducing herself and tentatively asking what your schedule was, you felt that hole closing bit by bit. She brought you out of your shell and you blossomed. Now, both juniors in high school and you've been best friends ever since. You smile and the bell rings. Glancing at the clock, panic fills you.
"I'm gonna be late!" you tell no one in particular, grabbing your books and slamming your locker shut as you run to your next class.
… … …
The rest of the day passes by in a blur. You're excited for tonight. Spending the night with Rukia was always fun. You would watch movies, from sappy romantic dramas to blood-filled horror movies and a mix of everything in between depending what mood you guys are in. You throw popcorn at the TV and when the two of you are at your manor and your parents are gone, you use the manor for a massive pillow fight. One night you even roasted marshmallows in Rukia's backyard, until the housekeeper panicked because the two of you weren't in the Kuchiki Manor. Not to mention it was the weekend and sometimes you would go back and forth between houses.
As the final bell of the day rings, you can barely contain your excitement. You bounce to your feet and tear out the door, colliding with a handsome young man. Your face flushes in embarrassment when you realize who it is. Sosuke Aizen, the senior and the heartthrob of every girl in the school. Even though you find him highly attractive, for some reason you don't trust him and you can't figure out why. "Sorry, Aizen-senpai," you bow slightly in apology, "I wasn't watching where I was going"
"Oh, that's okay _-san," he smiles warmly and even though your heart flutters, there's that tiny sliver of suspicion in the back of your mind. "You're not hurt are you?"
"No," you hug your bag to your side, "I'm fine, thanks for asking though," you smile before remembering why you were in such a hurry in the first place. "Oh, I'm in a bit of a hurry," you say hastily, "again, sorry for my clumsiness, I'll look next time," you let out a laugh and dart around him. "Have a good weekend Aizen-senpai"
"Same to you _-san"
You hurry out the doors to see Rukia had beat you to the tree you were meeting under. "Sorry, sorry," you apologize playfully, "I ran into someone…literally"
Rukia giggles, "oh _, you need to be more careful! Who did you run into?"
You flush slightly, "of all people I could collide with, none other than Sosuke Aizen," you laugh and Rukia's violet eyes widen.
"Only you _," she giggles, "only you…oh," she stands on her tiptoes, gaining a few millimeters in nothing but ridiculousness, "there's my driver," she takes your hand and tugs you to the sleek black car, "what do you wanna do when we get to my house?" she asks excitedly as the two of you slide into the backseat of the car.
"How about we get something to eat?" you suggest as the car starts moving. "I'm starving!"
"I think the cook made rice dumplings!" Rukia said with a smile, "I love rice dumplings," you shake your head, remembering a dumpling eating contest the two of you participated in at a fair once. You got sick after about thirteen, but tiny little Rukia won the contest by eating forty-five dumplings. "Oh and my brother's home so we have to be quieter than normal," you nod, thinking about the older Kuchiki. He was eight or nine years your senior, quiet, handsome and composed. At twenty-five, he was already CEO of Kuchiki Enterprises. A part of you thought he was a pompous ass, but the other part of you could get lost in his gorgeous eyes. You nod as Rukia says something and the car pulls into the circular driveway of the Kuchiki Manor.
Neither you nor Rukia encountered Byakuya as you guys bounded up the stairs to her large room. "Are we going to sleep in here or the den?" you ask, tossing your backpack in the corner and tugging loose the tie of your school uniform, unbuttoning the top few buttons of your shirt and pulling it loose from the skirt. Rukia tosses you a pair of pajamas. You blush. "Rukia?" you ask, holding up the shorts, "are you sure these are even legal length?" you tease. Rukia grins mischievously at the short fuzzy Soffes. You study them, they're definitely shorts. Rolling your eyes you toss them on the bed with the grey tank top. You're more well-endowed than Rukia and the lacy, silky sleeping tank will undoubtedly draw attention to that.
"We'll sleep in the den," your friend sing-songs, pulling out a pair of Chappy pajamas. "Come on," she grins, "let's eat!"
… … …
You shriek with laughter, "Rukia!" you wail, "my uniform is all wet!" you shake your sopping hair out of your face as your petite friend crows with laughter. You grab a bucket and slowly advance on her from behind. Dumping it on her head, drenching her to the skin, she shrieks.
"_! That was mean!" she laughed.
"Turnabout's fair play dear," you tease, dodging the spray from her hose and directing the nozzle of yours at her. With an 'oof', you feel the stream hit you in the chest and face, knocking you backwards, "eeeyahh!" you wail as you lose control of your hose and it attacks you, "the hose! It's drowning me!" Rukia's cackling and suddenly you feel the water shut off. You're dripping wet, lying on your back, panting and laughing.
Suddenly you hear Rukia gasp and you look at her. She's staring somewhere off to your left. You sit up, following her gaze and flush a bright red as you see the person standing by the faucet.
"Nii-sama," Rukia bows, "I hope we weren't being too loud," you struggle to your feet, the hose falling with a quiet thump to your feet.
"Sorry Byakuya-sama," you bow as well, "I didn't realize we were being so noisy," you feel his intense gaze on you and suddenly you feel self-conscious and slightly immature. Tucking a strand of thick, wet hair behind your ear, you look at him through thick eyelashes and realize you are wearing a white dress shirt that was currently soaked through with water. You cross your arms across your chest and fight back the blush. His grey-violet eyes linger on you for a brief minute, sending searing hot prickles along your now-cold skin.
"Just keep it down," he says in a monotone before turning around and disappearing into the house.
You and Rukia exchange a glance and begin giggling quietly. Soon the giggles turn into full-blown laughter and the two of you are rolling on the ground, clutching your stomachs, the intense gaze a distant memory as you grin at your best friend.
"Come on," she says, catching her breath, "let's get changed," you let out a laugh as you follow her into the manor. The cook is laughing as you guys pass her by.
