EDIT: 24-Jan-2011

Story originally finished on: 14-Apr-2008

So I finally found the courage to read through the hideousness that is this fic, and I cringed at all the glaring spelling and grammar errors in it. Thus I decided to…edit it. If you have read it before, I assure you that the story doesn't change...at all. Perhaps the writing will, I'm not sure at this point yet. I have only worked on this prologue and the first chapter. I am quite busy with school at the moment so the edited version might take a while. For now I will take all the chapters down and post them again one at a time, depending on when I finish editing them. I'd like to thank all the support I have received for this fic, despite its extreme OOC-ness and overall repulsiveness.

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine. Book from which the whole story was based on is owned by Tara FT Sering.

All the Right Moves

Prologue

The Bet

IT was Kuchiki Rukia's first day as a high school sophomore and as an opening day treat, Karakura High School allowed its students to come in civilian clothes rather than the school uniform. Rukia was in front of the mirror, looking at one of the few remaining articles of clothing left inside her closet, as most of them were already scattered on her bed and across her bedroom floor. She had spent nearly two hours trying to get the perfect outfit together. Her adopted younger sister, 8-year-old Nel, thought her nee-chan was a bit deluded for thinking that her pink mini skirt and baby tee that read "As If!" could get Rukia's lifelong crush, KHS soccer star Hitsugaya Tōshirō, to notice her.

Rukia adored Tōshirō. For the last two years, in her wallet sat a snapshot of him—well, the backside of his soccer jersey that read "Hitsugaya", and below it, large and red, the number 16. Rukia was 16 years old now, and was hoping that somehow, some way things will happen. It was stupid logic, really, if it can even be considered one. But after two years of just stealing glances when he passed by the hallway, of daydreaming in class about the day the two of them would finally engage in a conversation, of collecting clippings from the school paper about the soccer team…Rukia was determined to finally make things happen.

Tōshirō was perfect—or close to it, if there was one. He was bright, athletic, well-built, good-looking. And the best thing about him was that he didn't even know he was all that. He walked around the school looking at people from under his eyes, and when he smiled, his lips always curled up shyly on one side. He was chummy with all the guys, and no one, not even the cockiest upperclassmen on the soccer team had anything bad to say against him. He was a hit with the teachers, always being on top of all his classes, and more than half of the high school female population would do anything to catch his eye. He sounded too good to be true when Rukia had first heard of him two years ago, but she has never heard of a single bad account of him, so he was true all right.

There was just one catch: rumor had it, he didn't really go for looks. A girl must really work hard to earn his attention and be the kind of engaging person he'd want to spend hours with. Unfortunately, Rukia didn't personally know him, plus he was a junior, which meant the prospect of them interacting beyond lifted-eyebrows-in-acknowledgement was about as dim as a sealed room without windows at midnight.

But her two dearest friends in the world (who coincidentally happened to be her neighbors and classmates), Matsumoto Rangiku and Hinamori Momo, lived by the rule "if there's a will, there's a way." Although plotting to get Tōshirō's attention wasn't really her style, Rukia felt compelled to take action now, this year, or regret it for the rest of her life.

The big mission was to get Tōshirō to ask Rukia to their annual school ball. The fact that he didn't have a girlfriend and that he wasn't showing any form of romantic interest in anyone in particular at the moment made Rukia dizzy with the possibilities. Tōshirō could like her right? Have you seen all those boy-meets-girl movies? And when a guy asked a girl to the ball without prodding from anyone else and especially without the help of his parents, it meant the guy liked the girl, right? While it seemed like shooting for the stars, Rukia was given no choice but to take aim as she had been innocently and unwillingly thrust into an escapable predicament—a bet—thanks to Momo's cousin, Shiba Kaien.

Kaien was a senior and could drive, and so every Monday, he had been ordered by his freakishly scary older sister, Kūkaku, to drive Rukia, Rangiku and Momo to school. Momo was living with the Shiba's, and based on very brilliant deductive reasoning, that made them Rukia's neighbors, too.

The bet, sealed on the ride to school on their first Monday morning was this:

"If Tōshirō asks you to the school ball, I will buy you any dress you want. That's about two months worth of allowance. If he doesn't, you have to be my slave and do anything I ask."

True, Kaien liked to boss Rukia, Rangiku and Momo around, but he was also big-brotherly and protective, so it was really hard to stay upset with him. But Rukia could almost see it now—she would eventually (certainly, without the shadow of a doubt) lose the bet, and spend the rest of her sophomore year writing Kaien's book reports or delivering mushy cards to his flavor of the month. The guy was predatory on females, who were almost always willing anyway.

Kaien was grinning mischievously at Rukia through the car's rear view mirror, and Rukia made a face at him.

"No way," she said. "Sound like a trap to me."

"Come on," he persuaded. "Won't that give you enough drive to really work hard on getting him to ask you out? You'll not only get Tōshirō, but you'll also get your dream dress for free."

At this point, Rukia's two dearest friends decided to show their support. Rangiku and Momo piped in, "Deal!"

Since it was obviously not their names, faces, reputations, or hearts on the line, they were more than willing to enter into a deal, and this time they were doing it on Rukia's behalf. Worse, they got the raven-haired woman excited as well. What was she to lose anyway?

"Okay," Rukia finally said as the car made a turn and the school, with students and vehicles swarming near the entrance, came into view. Rukia's belly flipflopped—she was excited and she just couldn't wait to see who her classmates and teachers were. She couldn't wait to join the school activities, make new friends, learn new things.

Most of all, she couldn't wait to see Tōshirō.

She scanned the area of the noisy students pressing and chatting their way into the school entrance. No sign of him yet, but there would be soon.

"Girls," Kaien called out. "Don't be late at dismissal." Then he drifted off to a group of senior boys and girls hanging out by a van, taking their time about going into the school. There were high fives and hoots as Kaien joined them.

Meanwhile, Rukia couldn't suppress her grin, and neither could Rangiku and Momo. They were all so psyched about the year that they wasted no time entering the school and walked each other to their respective classrooms.

After they dropped off Momo to her room, Rangiku told Rukia that she would walk the petite girl to hers. The hallway was busy with sophomores happy to see each other after the long vacation. As they walked, they saw Tōshirō walking by himself, looking lost and looking up at the signs on the doors. He obviously wandered off into the sophomore corridor by mistake, and now realizing this, he quickened his pace and walked past Rukia and Rangiku, who whispered to the former, "Okay, let the games begin!"

Yup, no change whatsoever in the plot. Just trying to correct those mistakes I can find. I know I still missed some, and I'll probably go back and edit this thing again in the future. Forgive me for now? :D First chapter (edited) is also up!