Disclaimer: Kubo Tite owns Bleach; I'm just an insignificant fanfiction writer, who borrowed his characters for a tiny story.

Chapter One

Opposites

"We are here, Kuchiki-sama." Renji Abarai announces him and Byakuya Kuchiki finally draws away his eyes from the important papers that he is reading to take a look at his surroundings. Why his little sister insists to live here is beyond him. It's not that it's in a bad neighbourhood from the Karakura town. It's actually a very nice one with warm houses and nice gardens, but it's still so middle class that makes Byakuya's skin crawl with the displeasure to visit his sister here. Sometimes he wonders why he can make all his clan trust his decisions, but he finds himself unable to make his sister be a little less independent.

He sighs as if he is already tired although his day has just begun for a couple of hours. He leaves his papers next to him and gets out of the car as Renji opens the door for him. He's wearing a crisp black suit that stands out in the crowd because it is so obviously expensive. His white shirt is so hard around his neck that for a moment he thinks of loosen a little his tie but he knows that it's out of character for him and he just makes un unpleased sound which makes Renji flinch. For a moment his personal assistant thinks that he has done something wrong, as Kuchiki-sama isn't exactly a forgiving person. It has been 5 years since he was hired and sometimes Renji still wonders why he has been hired.

Byakuya takes a look at the small house with one entry. It has a garden full of flowers and every balcony has flowers too and somehow Byakuya likes that. He knows for a fact that the house has exactly four small apartments and Rukia lives in one of them. A newly wed couple, Orihime and Ishida Uryuu, occupies one apartment. A huge guy working as music teacher by the name of Chad Yutsora lives in the apartment opposite theirs. He also is part of a band in his spare time. His sister lives on the first floor with another guy around her age, by the name of Kurosaki Ichigo. Byakuya knows for sure that Kurosaki Ichigo is in fact gay and he is a man of many jobs. He made sure to know everything there is to know about the tenants of these apartments, to make sure that at least his sister is safe here. He probably wouldn't have left Rukia live all by herself in this house knowing that one of the single guys could be interested in her. He knows he can't stop the men to be interested in his sister as she is a very beautiful woman but at least he can prevent her from being with the ones that he finds unsuited for her.

"Wait here, Renji." He mutters quietly but he is perfectly heard by his man who just slowly nods and goes back in the car.

Byakuya takes a deep breath. He knows that this visit is going to startle Rukia, as she doesn't see him much these days. But Byakuya had an unpleasant night, buried in his papers and she's the only person that can make him feel better, let him unwind a little bit. So he freed an hour within his schedule and made his way to her. He slowly climbs the stairs through the small hallway, which is very well lit by the sun; there are more flowers but also paintings. Small scenes from the countryside unfurl in front of his eyes and he actually stops to admire one. There's not much within that picture: there's a small house in the middle of a small plain surrounded by trees and he can see mountains at the horizon peaking their tall heads into the clouds. It's a melancholy there that touches Byakuya and he wonders who has painted it.

He's just about to take the final step when he stops as a new scene unfurls in front of him. There are two men in front of the apartment that's opposite Rukia's. They are clearly in their own world because they haven't noticed him yet. They whisper gently between themselves and Byakuya knows that that one of them is Rukia's gay neighbour. There's one of them who is a little bit taller than the other one with nice black hair cut loose as it falls in soft strands around his face. He wears a blue tee with some black jeans and he can admire the way he keeps the other man, cradling the other man's face.

If it were only for him, Byakuya would have bothered them already or at least made his presence known to them. But the other young man always startles him. The uncanniest thing about him is his orange hair, which has the appearance of being natural. It seems so soft and glows a little bit like a halo due to the sun that spills from the room. It stands in wild spikes and Byakuya's hand twitches with sudden need to pass his fingers through it. It swallows him up and crashes over him and has to tighten his fist so hard that nails pierce his palm. The startling young man wears a simple white tee and some cargo pants that have seen better days; those clothes however show better the man's body and Byakuya finds himself swallow hard.

He is about the interrupt them, because there's an ugly feeling settling itself in his stomach when finally the dark-haired young man finally lets go and smiles happily at the young man. The orange wonder smiles back lovingly and lets go. Only then do they see him and Byakuya fights his urge to roll his eyes when he recognizes Kurosaki Ichigo, the orange pest also knows as Rukia's neighbour and best friend.

The dark man nods in acknowledgement as he passes him on his way down the stairs as Kurosaki scowls at him.

"Yo, Byakuya."

"Kurosaki, good morning. I thought that at least your parents taught you how to address your superiors."

"When you are my superior, I will salute you as such, but you're not my boss, Byakuya, so get over yourself." Byakuya's frown deepens as he is faced with the famous Kurosaki scowl. Well, actually the young man almost looks like a dangerous cat, all fluffy but ready to scratch and Byakuya would roll his eyes again but he is too busy ignoring the orange pest and get to his sister's apartment.

"She's not home." Ichigo gently says and for a moment Byakuya almost doesn't hear him but when the words sink, he turns around and looks again at the young man. There's a strange feeling behind Kurosaki's eyes but he doesn't understand the expression so he presses on.

"Where did she go?" He asks in his usual cold voice that makes all his employees crumble in fear and do as he pleases. Of course when it comes to Kurosaki, it works the opposite so the young man scowls some more and he almost hisses.

"She told me this morning that she had to run some errands before going to work. She won't be at home until later in the afternoon."

"Are you telling me that my sister has been in your apartment this morning while you were still with your….?" He splutters disgusted not knowing how to name the young man that has just left but who is clearly involved with Kurosaki.

"Jesus Christ, you can't even say it!" Kurosaki yells. "With my what, Byakuya? With my what? My boyfriend? My lover? My partner? Li Ren has many names; he can be called many things since he is a part of my life. Jesus, it's not like you can catch gay so you can get your stick out of your ass or whatever it has been pulled down there."

"Kurosaki Ichigo, as I can see, your manners lack you completely and as such I don't consider you deem to have a response to your rude and outrageous behaviour." His eyes are icy, he can feel it because Kurosaki becomes even more vibrant with rage, rage which lights his warm chocolate eyes to a scorching heat and makes Byakuya want to grab him and just erase him from his existence once and for all. "Just tell her, please, that I have been looking for her."

"You call her and you tell her that, you bigoted asshole." Ichigo yells back and slams the doors in his face and for a moment Byakuya wants to take it down and makes the orange brat think again before being rude. But one deep inhale and his resolve crumbles. He has neither the time nor the will to take care of that orange pest. He knows better.

As he gets out of the building, he remembers how during these two years, he and Kurosaki have always been at odds. It pisses Byakuya off that a young man like Ichigo is systematically destroying any chance at making the best from his education. From what Rukia told him, Kurosaki has been a magna cum laudae student, working hard in his student years but as he graduated he didn't settle for a job. He works at a vet clinic for two days a week, as a barista at a bar each night and on top of it all, he is always a volunteer at the animal shelter when time permits it. Byakuya always had not respect for irresolute people. He strongly believes in a settled course. But then he fights a little bit against that too, so maybe he shouldn't be judging other people's libertine style of life.

Renji looks at him enquiringly but he makes no attempt at explaining while he has come back so quickly. He just orders to be driven back to his international firm of architecture, which works with some of the most famous people in the world. He is an important man with an agenda; he doesn't have the time to think of an orange brat who doesn't know what to do with himself. He has to go back to the office and take care of the rest of the business.

Kuchiki Byakuya is known in the business circles as a ruthless man but driven by an ambition that makes men crumble in shame. He is a 30-year-old male who has no weakness in spite of imperative need of his business rivals to find one. He works very hard and he's a very cultivated but withdrawn man He hasn't married yet although his clan has pressured him to do so in the recent years. Women throw themselves at his feet, men beg for his attention and yet Kuchiki Byakuya appears to most as an ascetic monk with no pleasure in his life. He finds all that very amusing as if just because he isn't whoring himself around makes a monk. He gets out, he has his usual flings and one night stands, just he never contacts a second time a person who has already been in bed with him. One has to be very cultivated and polite to catch his attention and he has slept with his fair share of both men and women. He has no shame in admitting, that, which is actually what makes him wonder why Kurosaki Ichigo would find him a bigoted asshole. Probably because he isn't interested at all in Byakuya's life and for once the ruthless man finds that intriguing. If he didn't hate the guy so much already, he would probably make the damn orange fool fall for him and then break him.

Some people think that he has suffered a tragedy and this is the reason why he has closed himself inside his own icy world; others believe that Byakuya has been trained by his grandfather particularly hard after the death of his parents to ensure the company doesn't fall on the hands of a lazy Kuchiki heir. However everyone who meets Ginrei Kuchiki-sama knows that the old man would never have killed the fiery spirit that Byakuya once possessed. His transformation is one of the wonders of the modern world and perhaps one of the reasons why for a while the communication between Rukia and him has been more than strained.

He enters the company's offices and he is greeted by one of his associates, Unohana-san. They discuss some of the deals that they have to settle with a construction company and then he is left alone to deal with unmanageable clients and contracts that may actually hurt the company.

He doesn't call Rukia but in the afternoon she calls him and after she apologizes for not being found at home, she tells him that she should be available for another encounter. Byakuya is surprised by the fact that after all Ichigo has told her that he has visited her. But she doesn't say anything else and he ends his strained conversation with his sister after establishing the new details for a new visit.

He almost never notices when it's way past his time to go home but usually it is his secretary's duty to announce him after the limit as passed and he heads home to work some more.

Not tonight though. As he settles in the car again, his eyes fall on the scenery that unfurls in front of his eyes as Renji gets to drive him to his grandfather's house, a Japanese traditional mansion at the outskirts of Karakura town. He is displeased to notice that he still thinks of orange locks and passionate eyes and he wonders briefly why. It's not that Kurosaki is his type or anything. The 24-year-old man is the opposite with his manner to flaunt his sexuality, with his open manner in which he treats his family and makes Rukia his special friend.

No matter how late he arrives, his grandpa always waits for him to have a small conversation. Ginrei-sama has been both a mother and a father for him and he has supported him when he least expected it. So Byakuya is grateful when his grandpa still bestows the same respect and love for him even years later, long since that innocent side of Byakuya's character has died.

When he enters the house, he lets Renji take his leave and then he goes to the library where his grandpa is reading the classics while slowly drinking his tea. In spite of his old age, Ginrei Kuchiki still looks as an imposing man, who has made all the other bow to his will. He has built the company that was intended for Byakuya's father and the young man sometimes wonders how things might have worked if his parents hadn't died in that car accident. His grandma died many years ago and Ginrei-sama hadn't remarried although Rukia pestered him when she was small. It was impossible to get mad at Rukia back them when she was small like that.

"Ah, the conquering hero returns. Come in, Byakuya, come in." Byakuya smiles at the ironic tone of his grandpa's voice. He knows it's not mean. He smiles again as he settles in front of him and out of nowhere a servant appears to serve him with tea. "So tell me how was your visit with Rukia?"

"I should tell Nano-san to stop telling you things about my schedule." He mutters although he is not displeased with the young girl as she is one of the few people who are extremely efficient and serious.

"Oh, please, the only reason the poor girl told me was because I had called and you weren't there. You know how she starts to hyperventilate when she thinks she's upsetting me." His grandfather chuckles as he takes a sip from his tea. "Don't be mad with her."

"I am not." Byakuya denies and takes a sip from his tea while he tries to avoid the topic. "I haven't seen her today. She wasn't at home and her pestering neighbour told me that she had some errands." It's strange the way his grandpa's presence makes him give all the details. Normally he would have said that he didn't find her at home but it's like unconsciously his grandfather makes him spill every detail of his life.

"Pestering neighbour?" Ginrei laughs all of the sudden very pleased with himself. "Oh, you mean Kurosaki Ichigo? Yes, he's indeed one interesting character."

"You know him?" He can't hide his surprise.

"Oh, yes, Rukia brought him a couple of months ago for lunch while you were away to Hong Kong. A very bright boy; funny too."

"With a complete lack of manners." He mumbles dissatisfied and all of the sudden he doesn't think he can't drink the tea anymore.

"He has been more than polite with me. And he has some really magic fingers." Byakuya registers too late when the tea crosses the bad side and he chocks on it. Ginrei smirks all knowing. He sees more things than his clan will ever see even if he's so old.

"What do you mean he has some magic fingers?"

"He plays the piano very well. It was a pleasure to listen to him. I want you to have Rukia invite him again for lunch this Sunday. I can't wait to see what he has learnt and he will be very entertaining to have here."

"Grandfather, I don't think this is a very good idea. I mean the man lacks manners and the brutal way in which he expresses his ideas is anything but brilliant or funny."

"Byakuya, I wasn't asking for your opinion." Ginrei looked for a moment like the powerful man he once was.

"Very well, grandfather."

"Oh, and tell him to bring his boyfriend too. That man knows his finances." Byakuya's hand freezes for a moment on the small cup of tea as he finally dares to look at his grandfather but the old man seems oblivious to Byakuya's feelings.

"Yes, sir."

"Very well, then. Now tell me, how was work today?"

Byakuya loses himself in a detailed story of finances and contracts and by the time he goes to bed, his mind is completely blank and he doesn't dream of orange locks. Not at all.

A/N: Since I am non-native speaker of English, I apologize for my terrible grammar, horrible topic and bad punctuation.