A/N: This first chapter is a Prologue to the Story of Soulmates, if you ask me, it was necessary to write it since without it I would have to explain or write to many "adds" or "extras" later, like to explain why some things happen. Don't worry; the story will really begin with the next chapter. Hope you like it anyway.
Disclaimer: I don't own BLEACH or any of its characters they are all property of Kubo T-sama am only a pathetic user of his characters profiles xD
Rukia opened the car door and walked from there a few steps to enter school; she looked the makeshift bracelet in her hand and remembered the words of another girl of her class. "It's easy, you make a bracelet or buy it from a person you'll never see again and place it in your wrist while you think about finding your soulmate, after that you must never take it off, time and luck will do its magic… so when you meet him it will fall off of you, one way or another". She wondered about the reality in her words, but never cared, she was 9 and barely knew about boyfriends, girlfriends and specially love.
Since was about to pass the school entrance when a boy passed in front of her, he called her attention because of the light orange color of his hair and the lady with him, who seemed to be his mother, she turned to get in but the makeshift bracelet was trapped between 2 nails, the moment she pulled it was broken in half. The bell was ringing to get in so she had no time to pick it up, leaving it there and running inside, she later looked for it but never found it. "Oh well…" she thought "it's not like I lost my soulmate along with the bracelet" with time the bracelet and the soulmate were forgotten.
8 years (kindda like xD) later;
Rukia woke up with the ringing of a phone, her hand snaked through the covers until reaching her phone and clicking off the alarm, a few minutes later she was up and taking a bath. Her thoughts went from time to the day, Tuesday and the week was already beginning but she already wished it was ending. Another day at school and she wasn't on the mood to stand it, so pretty much against her will she changed into her school uniform, went downstairs, took a glass of orange juice and left. For a split second she thought about saying goodbye to her older brother but there was no point in doing it, it's not like he cared or anything.
She was 9 when she moved to Japan and even there she kept moving in 8 years she had already visited 5 schools. All of that was because of her family, more precisely her brother, she was adopted at the age of 7 by the Kuchiki family, the older of them; Byakuya took care of her since then, provided everything she needed except of a "home", she knew she wasn't exactly wanted there, so it was pointless fighting it, since she always knew where she belonged she tried making herself invisible by doing everything perfect, as long as she never made any mistakes nobody looked at her, nobody bugged her: she was invisible.
At her school things went as usual, boring classes, classmates that couldn't get over themselves, teacher who couldn't have any respect for themselves in front of the students, she hated it, but she had no other choice but to keep going and try being perfect there, nobody would notice her anyway, nobody cared. Even thought she was on the top of the class she was used to ignore teachers and instead of taking notes she painted or draw in class, at first she sucked at it so she dedicated to drawing bunnies and cute little things but with time she became good at drawing what she liked; anime, so she draw on class, at lunch, before going to bed, on weekends, it was her way to disconnect from the world and be at peace. She was drawing that day when her teacher saw her.
"I see you like anime… ne?"
"Yes" she instinctively placed a smile on her face; she used doing that for teachers or curious classmates.
"I know a friend who has a club or something dedicated to it, they usually lend videos, books and stuff of that, maybe you're interested on it?"
"Maybe"
"I'll give you his e-mail address" he wrote something on a paper and handed it to Rukia, she placed it inside her bag and forgot about it for the rest of the day. Later that day back at her brother's house, she emptied her bag looking for her glasses when she found the piece of paper, she remembered what an old friend told her once. Nobody is an island and even if you wish to be one you'll never be, you should surround yourself with people who might be able to help you on your way to becoming a mangaka.
The thought make her shiver, she didn't believe in people, she learnt to never believe or trust them after being let down so many times, but her friend was right, if she was gonna be a mangaka someday she needed friends to help her or at least the "right friends" to do it. But something in the back of her mind still stopped her; even thought she might like to say otherwise, she craved for some friends to be by her side, living all her life alone wasn't a joke and it wasn't like now she was used to it, she still wanted a friend, even if she didn't deserved one, even if she couldn't have one, she at least should try, right?
She took sat down on her bed and placed her laptop over her legs, opening the browser she searched for her account on an email webpage, writing the e-mail address she wrote the mail.
Renji;
You don't know me, I knew about you through a teacher of mine, he told me you go to a club of anime or something, I was wondering if you could give me more information about it? For anything this is my e-mail you can write me here.
Greetings.
Eriol
The use of a nickname was not something so brilliant but she preferred to keep herself "safe" in case of emergency. So she sent the mail and after drawing a bit she went to sleep. It would pass away a couple of weeks for the guy to answer the mail, she was surprised.
Eriol;
I don't know many teachers but if you like anime then we have a forum so you can post whatever issue or topic you want to discus about it, we also meet usually on Sundays at the House of the Eagle at 10 or 11 am usually, if you like we can talk a bit more by msn, am online almost all day.
Renji
And that's basically how she meet "the mob" like they liked calling themselves. Even thought her brother forbid it after knowing about it, she kept talking to them by msn, it wasn't like she was killing anyone, she was just doing what she wanted to do for the first time in her life.
"Zaraki told me House of the Eagle kicked you out xD"
"Yeah, they found some of the guys procreating on the bathrooms so they kicked us out… xD, shitty I know but there's nothing we can do"
"So, where are you going to meet now?"
"Don't know, probably at the Pro-Ceres plaza, we used to meet there and do some stuff… why you ask will you go back to go?"
"Don't know… maybe"
Another year went by this way, until next year when she got the news her brother would be leaving town and she would be left as the head of the house, and so she did. The Sunday after her brother's departure she went to "Hobby Planet" where the mob was gathering now. Rukia had her heart on her hand when she went upstairs the place, more when she saw Renji near the door, but soon when Zaraki, Tatsuki (Renji's girlfriend) and the other arrived she felt more at ease, others came also, many of them she didn't knew some others she did.
"Hey Rukia, recognize this guy?" Zaraki said pointing at a giant.
"You're Chad, ne?" She smiled shyly
"Yeah… nice to meet you at last Rukia-chan" He smiled softly. Rukia took sit by a window and saw how the others talked she tried following some of the jokes Zaraki made but she felt all small and shy, it was quite sometime since the last time she saw Zaraki or Renji and the first she ever saw Chad in person, there were no screens between them and she felt defend less, taking her arms around herself she tried covering her arms more with her shirt and her bracelets when Zaraki took her hand by surprise.
"I just want to see something" he said while he pulled from her hand, but with the quick movement he made the sleeve slipped up reveling thin red lines under the clothing and the bracelets. It only lasted a second but she felt it like hours, she quickly took her hand back and looked at Zaraki then too Chad who seemed to have watched the whole scene. Did they notice? There's no way they did… I took my hand too fast for them to have seen anything, hope they haven't. .. Later that day she spoke to Chad about it, her relation with him grew deeper with that, he was her confident, when it happened.
It was Sunday and Rukia left her house to go to the meeting Zaraki would bring milk for her that day, and she would meet Phiro-chan for the first time, another friends she had come to like pretty much, when she got there she found a guy standing by Zaraki's side with a lost expression on his face, he was frowning, his lips making a small pouting expression, his deep eyes looking into something no one else could look, but the peculiar thing about him was the orange colored hair he had. She recognized him immediately.
"ah…. Hi… Phiro-chan?" He looked at her but didn't recognize her, instead he half smiled and looked another way. She wondered about it and later Zaraki told her.
"He lost his memories… he can't remember anything from a couple of months ago, he couldn't even remember he had a girlfriend"
"Why?"
"Don't know… it just happened"
The day passed but Rukia couldn't help to look at Phiro's expression, so helpless she wanted to protect him, to take care of him, she wanted to take away the pain from him but didn't knew how… didn't thought she could. Time passed, Renji was absorbed by his studies and Tatsuki, Chad talked with Rukia every day, Rukia entered college and Phiro's girlfriend Orihime broke up with him.
Another month went away like the blink of an eye.
