Hi, this is my first story and I hope somebody will like it. I just read so much stories here and like them so much, that I got the urgent need to write something too. I am sorry for grammar and stylistic mistakes you sure find there.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and its characters.
Prologue
Rukia is a thief, more precisely a pickpocket. Among the guild members she has a reputation of a skilled and talented boy with great prospects. Indeed, she disguises herself as an ordinary child. People can see her as a petite lad, always wearing old clothes, which are usually slightly lacerated on a few spots and look like someone has grown out of them before she used it. Not to mention her often dirt-stained face and boy-like messy hair, cut just on the level of her eyes.
The only thing, that could make some people suspicious about her true gender are those big shimmering wells of indigo-violet hidden under mesmerizing thick ebony lashes. Fortunately on the surface she seems to have a very strong personality and a confident voice as well, so almost everybody has always been oblivious of that matter.
Most of the days she works on Karakura square. It is a place of neverending commotion. At the dawn, vendors get ready to sell various goods, from fresh fish to leather boots, and open their stalls. The sides of the square are rimmed by big houses owned by noble people and such affluent environment spreads to all directions from the centre up to the common houses of middle-class inhabitants. No wonder, Karakura town is the main city of Japan. However, such city is not a paradise..not by a long shot.
The majority of people has to live in a poor suburb district, encircling the entire city, called Rukongai.
She always thought, that if „karma" concept worked, the worst of bad people would be born right there in their future life.
It´s already a late autumn, cold winter breeze can be already felt in the air and the ground resembles a colourful mosaic of tinted leaves.
Rukia has woken up too early, so she just stayed curled in a ball on her rough mattress, slid her eyelids down and wrapped blanket around her slender form tightly.
Later…
„All right" she muttered to herself, „It is about time to make some money". Mentally scolding herself for contemplating about her past for more than two hours, she got up, yawned while simultaneously stretching her body and swiftly left her shack.
Without thinking she violently started to knock on her neighbour´s door.
„Hey Renji, wake up!", she said and waited for a few seconds, just to see a red-haired young boy peeking through the gaps of a wooden door.
„Hi Ruku, I´m comin´ out." She heard him reply.
Renji was a good friend of hers. They met each other six years ago and practically grew up together. Now they were both twelve years old. Renji was the only person to know about the fact, that she was not Ruku, but Rukia, but kept it a secret since he knew, that being an orphaned girl and growing in streets of Rukongai was not the easiest way to live.
They made their way through the web of Karakura streets and stopped at Urahara´s. Not like they wanted to buy anything from the weirdo, but Urahara seemed to be pretty content with cooperating with the thief guild. This man was a great supplier of many useful things, but it also happened, that under his house was a huge basement with the entrance to the crossroad of a many Karakura sewers, which are often used by the said guild.
The two of them greeted politely as they stepped in to the shop.
Urahara smiled crookedly, his eyes as usual shadowed by his extraordinary striped hat, and said „Good morning troublemakers..", and ..„ehm"..„The meeting has already begun".
Ruku with Renji pivoted on their feet and hurriedly sunk in the already opened secret door in the floor. The meeting was supposed to be a kind of regular weekly ritual for all ordinary, which means lower-ranked, guild members. In fact, the identities of guild leaders have never been revealed .Only a few had the honour to meet them face to face and the others could only listen to rumours.
During the gathering Rukia was instructed to work in the northern part of the square and in adjacent streets for this week. She was not particularly happy, because her usual spot was the southern one and the place she was assigned to was swarming with students from the not so far Shinigami academy.
„Spoiled brats," crossed her mind. Her previous observations about those students led to one conclusion: „apart from a few exceptions, all of them were looking at me condescendingly whenever I randomly ran into anyone of them, it is like they don´t have any idea, that the only thing, which makes us different is just a luck to be born in a wealthy family."
„Never mind" she thought. Then she felt someone tapping on her shoulder.
„Yo, Ruku" Rukia turned around and spotted robustly built man with short black hair. This guy´s name was Shiba Ganju. It was not difficult to identify him. He wears a headband and a classic rogue outfit, well classic, except for the dissension marks, the evidence of belonging to Shiba family, decorating it. Rukia knows him for quite a while now. He always tries to put on a stern facade, but on the contrary, people who know him better would say that he is somewhat a softie. Right now he is looking down at her with a mild scowl on his forehead.
„ Oh Ganju-san, what´s the matter?" She already knew, but it wouldn´t be polite not to ask.
„Ruku, it is time for you to pay the weekly fee."
She immediately found a small pouch, tugged it free from her belt and handed it to Ganju.
„Thank you Ruku, you are reliable as always. Hope you´re doing well."
„Everything is still the same Ganju-san, so I guess I´m doing OK."
„Glad to hear, ja ne Ruku." With that Ganju disappeared to the darkness of the sewers.
Rukia wasn´t complaining about giving part of her income to him. When she was six years old, once she was hungry, she tried to steal some food on the market, but one ranked thief saw her, surprisingly let her finish her job and then sought her afterwards. He told her, that if she wanted to steal, she had to have a permission of the guild. She, seeing no other better choices in the short-run, agreed.
The guild gave her some limited protection from the town guards, small training, various informations, needed equipment, a guarantee, that she won´t be pursued by the guild, and automatically a chance to make friends among its members. Of course nothing is for free. Consequently she had to pay fees, exactly one third of her earnings, every week to Ganju-san, but it was worth it.
Ganju-san is by the way a lieutenant of her division and therefore is responsible for collecting all the fees from its members.
Rukia wished Renji a successful day and waved him good bye. She left Urahara´s and went to the agreed place.
Crowds of shoppers were filling almost every inch of the market place. Rukia was vigilantly looking for a convenient prey, concretely for lavishly rich or at least rich or dishonest people. It was against her inner codex of rightness to rob normal hardworking people. Other condition was to filtrate dangerously looking, overly – cautious or guarded part of population.
After a few hours she picked a little bit drunken loner, who seemed to be coming from some kind of snobbish party.
„Hai, this is the right time to make a move." Rukia just started walking past him, however in the process she „accidentally" stumbled and fell, clutching a piece of his robe to regain stability. She quickly stood up, apologized and vanished into the mass of customers.
The man just grumbled something under his moustache and continued his way, which he wasn´t sure was the right way.
Rukia, satisfied with her performance walked away to find some quieter place. She found a shrine nearby and sat down on its edge. Slowly she began to count the money, which fortunately wasn´t all spent on bottles of expensive sake. „Looks like I don´t have to work for the rest of the day." Unconsciously her lips formed a small smile.
Then she bought some onigiri and sat down against a tree trunk with intention of peaceful lunchtime and napping afterwards. She was very glad that she found this park.
About an hour later she heard some distant cheerful voices. Without any unease she swiftly climbed to the treetop and listened. Right now she wasn´t in the mood for any unexpected encounter.
„Heey, Ichigooo!" Keigo shouted at the orange haired boy, who was coming few meters after the whole group with rather annoyed expression on his face.
„What´s up Keigo, what did the ingenious mind of yours come up with this time?" Ichigo replied unenthusiastically.
„We are heading to the teahouse, you´re comin´ with us right?" Brown haired boy asked. Keigo secretly hoped Ichigo would come, because Chad has never been talkative and Mizuiro, who recently got some older girlfriend, often spaced out and talked mostly about his love troubles. Trying to be more persuasive, he added: „And I heard Orihime, Tatsuki and others will be there too."
„Well, sounds good, but I already have something to settle today, maybe next time."
„Ichigoo you are no fun." Keigo acted to be really disappointed, but in fact he was a little. „Anyways we should go now, it´s getting dark and we can´t let the chicks keep waiting." He almost sang that sentence. „See you tomorrow."
„Yeah, see you."
When Ichigo saw them disappear from his vision, he casually leaned against a tree trunk. He really wasn´t in a mood for chattering. After a while he laid himself on his back next to the tree, making a pillow of its roots at its base.
When Rukia heard the voices becoming more faint and distant, she decided to leave her hide-out. Suddenly, hearing a blunt thud of something landing on the ground, she rejected the previous idea. She moved a little and leaned forward to see what caused the sound. She saw a young man with bright orange hair making himself comfortable under the tree.
„Great, now I´m stuck on the tree because some carrot-top couldn´t find a better place to take a nap."
Rukia waited patiently, which wasn´t anything unusual for a professional thief, until she saw him fall asleep. Soundlessly like a cat she climbed down, which gave her the opportunity to see him more closely.
„Hm, he can´t be more than five years older then me." She noticed he was kind of tall and lean, his skin seemed so smooth, yet he looked all manly. In short, she found him handsome. „Gosh, he is frowning even when he´s asleep? Who does that?"
He was obviously one of the local students, judging from his school attire. She instinctively focused her sight on a small oval medallion, probably made of white gold, which was laid on his chest. Such jewel would surely make her week or two much better. Effortlessly she clicked the chain open, managing it not to create the classic clicking sound. She pulled it to her palm and scrutinized it promptly.
There were two tiny tips at the side of the flat oval. Rukia pushed the one tip apart and gulped at the view of a little painting inside. A picture of beautiful middle-aged woman with wavy brownish hair and warming smile was there.
„I can´t take it, I can´t.." she chanted in her mind. She slowly put it back on his chest and turned to leave. But when she was getting up, a sudden strong grip on her arm startled her. With wide eyes open she stared into amber eyes before her.
I really appreciate any reviews. Thanks. :D