And I've finally started a multichapter Bleach fic! This fic is going to be pretty AU.(Takes place in France)

Vocab to know:

(F)Tonton-Uncle

(F)Tata-Aunt

(J)Mei-Niece

(J)Nii-sama-Big brother

(J)Nee-san-Big sister

Hope you all like it!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Just my OCs.


Rukia sat on the edge of her cream-white sofa, twisting the wedding ring on her finger. She glanced at the small silver clock that was on the coffee table. It read 3:45. She sighed and turned back to the ring. She leaned back, resting her head. She closed her eyes, as if she was going to sleep. She was far from sleepy. She was worn out.

Her eyes snapped open when the door to the house opened. She jumped up and glared at the man who stopped dead in his tracks. His dark brown hair was slightly tousled and she noticed that the collar of his shirt was slightly askew. She rested her hands on her hips and impatiently tapped her foot, expecting an explanation.

"Gerard, do you know what time it is?" she asked softly.

Gerard's eyes grew slightly, but he covered it up by yawning. "Was out for a bit, Rukia. Had some things to do," he said inching closer to her. His hand reached out to cup her cheek. Her hand closed around his wrist.

"I don't think I asked you what you were doing," she said coolly. She took a whiff of him. Her suspicions were confirmed. "So now 'things to do' means screwing around with a native French woman?"

His eyes narrowed at her. He knew better than to hide from her. When she said something, she didn't say it for the hell of it. They weren't things that were out of the blue either. When she made an accusation, she was aiming right for your face. "How long have you known?"

She began pacing around the room. "I've known for about five months," she said idly. "What I want to know is how long this has been going on and what made you think that I wouldn't notice."

His mouth formed a thin line. His eyes followed her as she walked around the living room. "I could never slip anything past you," he muttered.

"Answer my question, Gerard," she snapped. "How long has it been?"

She was in front of him now. He could see the fire in her sapphire eyes. Her hands were on her hips. She was clearly pissed. "Nearly a year. Seven months?"

She grabbed the front of his shirt. He was seriously getting worried. He'd never seen her so angry before. "Then why not divorce me?" she hissed. "I would've gladly left you. Our life together has been nonexistent. You're barely home. I felt like I was back to my college days when I was supporting myself. What I want to know is how you were able to continuously cheat on me. How were you able to cheat on me knowing that you had three children who asked every single day when their father was coming home? Answer that question and I'll leave you alone."

A mixture of confusion and anger was present on the French native. He turned his back on her, making his way toward the stairs. "I don't have to answer to you. Just make like a good wife and go to bed."

He felt a dull thud on the back of his head. He turned around and glanced at the pillow that just hit him. Rukia was still standing in the living room, furious. "What the hell did you just say?" she demanded.

He didn't flinch when she suddenly appeared before him. He continued to stare her down. Her anger was getting the better of her. Her anger was now roaring in her ears. She pushed him out of the way and stomped up the stairs.

She ran up the stairs and into the room she shared with Gerard. She reached under the bed and pulled out three small black suitcases. One was already packed. She'd planned this out long before. She had known that he was cheating on her. She wanted to wait for him to confess, but he never did. She was heartbroken when her children kept asking where their father was.

She raced down the hall. There were two rooms there. She chose the one on the right. Her two daughters' rooms. She tiptoed into their room. She knelt down over a mass of black hair and a mass of brown hair. She reached over and gently shook the sleeping girls.

"Hisana. Gigi," she whispered. "Wake up."

It took a couple shakes, but they sat up and rubbed their sleepy eyes. The black haired girl, Hisana, peered at her mother. "Mama?"

Rukia took Hisana's hands and looked both of her daughters in the eye. They both had her own indigo blue eyes. "I don't have time to explain right now, but I need you girls to pack clothes into this black suitcase," she said handing them the suitcase. "I'm going to go wake André up," she called over her shoulder. "I'll be back in about ten minutes. Hisana, can you help Gigi pack?"

The small raven haired girl nodded, pulling her brunette sister out of bed. Rukia watched them head to the closet and scoop armfuls of clothes out. "How much should we take?" asked Hisana.

"Don't take too much," replied Rukia from the other room. She was gently shaking André awake just as she had with Hisana and Gigi. "We're going to have to carry that around."

"Where we going, Mama?" asked a bleary-eyed André.

She ran her fingers through his soft brown hair. She got up and began packing clothes into the suitcase. "We're going on a little trip," she said absent-mindedly.

Hisana and Gigi came into their brother's room with the now packed suitcase. "Is Papa coming with us?" they asked.

Rukia bit her lip, hesitating between giving an answer. "No, he's not coming with us. That trip…it's to your Tonton's house. You know Papa doesn't really get along with Tonton Byakuya."

They nodded, rubbing their eyes. Rukia threw a few more shirts and pants into the suitcase and grabbed André and Gigi's hand. Hisana held on to Gigi's hand. They exited the room and walked right into Gerard.

"You're taking the kids with you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He glanced down at the kids with a maniac glint in his eyes.

"Damn right, I am," she spat.

André glanced at his sisters. "Mama said the bad word!" he said in a hushed whisper.

Gerard knelt so that he was eye level with André. He was smiling softly. "That's right, 'Dré. Mama said the bad word. Doesn't that make Mama a bad person?"

"Mama is a good person," whispered Hisana before Rukia could even think of something to say.

Gerard's dark eyes swiveled to his oldest daughter. He looked like he was slapped across the face by the seven-year old. He narrowed his eyes at her, just as he had with Rukia earlier. Little brat would take sides with her mother. She looks just like her.

"Hisana," he muttered. "Don't take the wrong side."

Rukia pushed him aside, taking her children with her. "Don't tell them what to do, Gerard. You don't even deserve to call yourself their father. How dare you speak that way to them?"

"Rukia Delacrouix!" he shouted after her.

She was already at the foot of the stairs. She looked up at her husband. Her eyes held nothing but anger and disappointment. "My name is Rukia Kuchiki," she said proudly. She marched over to the door and slammed it behind her.

She firmed up on her grip on her children's hands. They made their way to the train station. Questions were swirling in the children's minds. They saw the look on their mother's face and decided it was best not to ask just yet, or rather, Hisana saw the look on their mother's face and warned her siblings.

They stood on by the post, waiting for the train. Rukia felt a tug on her pants. She looked down at Gigi. "What's wrong, Gigi?"

"We're going on a trip?" she asked. When Rukia nodded, she shyly smiled. "Can we visit Tata Momo and Tonton Renji?"

Hisana and André's eyes lit up. "And Tata Rangiku?" they chorused.

Rukia bit her lip, debating whether they should. Byakuya lived in Versailles. She lived in Meaux. Surely they would pass through Paris which was where Momo, Renji and Rangiku lived. The only problem was she hadn't been to Paris alone before. Usually, Gerard was with her when she went with the kids. She took one look at their faces and knew she couldn't say no. "Alright. We'll visit them," she said slowly.

She smiled when she saw the look on their faces. It was as if they had been told that Christmas was coming early. The train squealed to a stop in front of them. After talking to the conductor, they found four seats that were next to each other. Rukia looked out of the window, frowning slightly. Her brother-in-law's words popped into her mind. What he had said before she got married.

I don't like the sound of this Delacrouix man. Rukia, do not make a hasty mistake.

She slid slightly in her seat. She had made a mistake. She made the mistake of trusting him. How could she be so foolish?

"Mama? Are you okay?" asked Hisana.

Rukia stared straight ahead. Her face only held one emotion. Sadness. "Yeah," she said after a while. "Just fine."

She couldn't sleep at all. Hisana, Gigi and André were dozing off, their heads lolling back. She stared out the window, watching her old life roll past her.

She had met Gerard when she was still in college. She still remembered the day as if it was yesterday. She remembered flying out to France. She had lived in Japan all her life. It was time for her to stretch her wings and fly.


Rukia was holding a map as she was walking. She occasionally glanced up from it, peering at the different signs before muttering to herself.

"Damn..." she whispered. "I can't read or speak French. Why did I ever decide to study abroad?"

She wandered aimlessly for a couple more minutes. She crumpled the map and shoved it in her bag, thoroughly defeated. She spotted a bench and sank into it. She threw her head back, staring at the clear, blue skies. Why can't the way to the dormitory be this clear?

"Excuse me, Mademoiselle?"

A deep, masculine voice brought her out of her thoughts. She looked up into dark indigo eyes that were very much like her own. He had dark brown hair that fell just before his eyes. He was wearing a wide smile, but she was brought back to his eyes. That and how he spoke fluent English, albeit having a thick French accent.

She gave him a tentative smile, which made him smile. "Are you lost?" he asked, extending his hand.

She glanced at it for a minute before taking it, standing up. "Yeah," she said softly. "I've been wandering around here forever."

He laughed, pulling her along. "I take it you're not from around here?"

She was looking at all the big, colourful billboards that surrounded her. She unconsciously nodded. "I'm from Japan."

He whistled. "Wow. A foreigner?" he teased.

She blushed lightly. "Not for long. I'm planning on living here after I finish college."

He looked thoughtful. He slid his hands in his pockets. "Well, in that case, you're going to need a translator," he said. He was smirking at her deep blush. "My name is Gerard Delacrouix."

"Rukia Kuchiki," she replied. A particularly colourful sign caught her eye. She beamed at the sign. She tugged on Gerard's sleeve. "Is that Chappy the Rabbit?


Thinking back on it, she felt like an idiot. How could she have fallen for him? She clenched her fists. It was his charm. It annoyed her. How he essentially played her. The sad thing was, before all of this ever happened, she actually did love Gerard. She never thought she could love anyone as much as she loved Gerard.

She felt something wet creep down her cheeks. She quickly reached up and brushed the stray tear away before Hisana, Gigi or André saw that she was crying. She thought that he loved her too. This had more of an effect on her that she thought. She realised that she couldn't just overlook the happy memories and the many years that they spent together.


Rukia had been working in the kitchen for about two hours now. She always did the housework when Gerard was at work. It was her way of keeping herself occupied. She picked up a blue plate when she felt a pair of arms close around her waist and lips pressing kisses on her neck.

"G-Gerard!" she gasped.

He tore himself away from her neck to smirk at her. "Hmm?"

His eyes were twinkling at her as he returned to her neck. She struggled to keep her thoughts straight. The plate slipped out of her hands with a clatter. The sponge that she was holding fell with a soft thud. "Gerard," she whispered. "You…have…work," she mumbled. She craned her neck, allowing him more access to her neck. God that feels good.

He peered up at her. "I came on my lunch break, Rukia," he murmured. His hold on her waist was tighter now. "You have thirty to forty-five minutes, don't you?"

His eyes held a mischievous glint. She knew exactly what he was getting at. She smiled before nodding. Suddenly, she was in his arms. He was carrying her bridal-style. She looped her arms around his neck as he carried her off to the bedroom.


There was no denying it; Gerard was charming. He charmed his way into my life and that was my mistake. I should've listened to Nii-sama.

She glanced out the window. The first rays of sunlight were bouncing off the land. The sun was peeking out from the horizon. She watched rise slowly, wishing that she could rise from her problems just as easily.

She felt something stir next to her. One of the rays had been shining in Hisana's eyes. Hisana rubbed her eyes before looking around. Her sapphire eyes were full of sleep, but she sat up like her mother. Her jet black hair was slightly tousled from her sleep, making Rukia smile lightly. If only you could see your mei, Nee-san. She looks just like you.

"What's wrong, baby?"

"Are we there yet?" she whispered.

Rukia reached over and smoothed Hisana's hair. "Not quite. Go back to sleep."

She nodded off to sleep, shifting so that she was able to sleep a little more comfortably.

Rukia turned back to the window. She heaved a sigh. She was living the life of a divorcée. Forced to leave her home to start life afresh. She hoped that visiting some of her friends from high school would give her the spirit that she was lacking now. Yes, visit Momo, Renji and Rangiku as well as some other old faces first. Then I'll face Nii-sama.


And there's the first chapter of my Bleach fic! Read and review! Constructive criticism is always welcome.