Disclaimers: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite. Hana Yori Dango belongs to Yoko Kamio.

Note: AU. This entire idea came up from some crack conversation I've had with a friend. What if Kuchiki Byakuya and Domyouji Kaede force Rukia and Tsukasa together in an attempt to stop their heirs from mingling with people lower than their rank (aka Ichigo and Tsukushi). And so here it is. This is mostly Bleach.

Chapter 1: That Odd Girl

Ichigo is on his way home when he decides to pass by the twin's school to check on how junior high is treating them. He is still a couple of blocks away when he notices a group of older boys cornering both his sisters. Even from that far a distance, he can tell that Yuzu is crying and Karin is injured. Karin will not stay on the ground unless she can no longer stand. He can only assume she's sprained an ankle or worse, a broken leg.

He starts to run but someone else arrives first -- a little girl shoving and wriggling her way until she's in front of the twins. She's barely taller than Yuzu and her light dress only makes her even smaller. She seems to be in a heated argument but when Ichigo reaches them, all the talk ceases and the guy points at Ichigo and yells, "That's him!"

He finds out that the boys are ones he's beaten some time ago and are taking out their anger on his weak link, particularly his sisters. All these, the little girl rants at him the moment she registers, from the bullies no less, that it is his fault. She's in the middle of drilling what a troublesome idiot he is and he lets all the words fly out his other ear. He is too busy glaring at the morons who will soon be bloody. He does notice that she's carefully placed herself between him and the boys, as if they will not hurt her or attack him. At the same time, he can't attack any of them with her in the way like that.

She's telling him to walk away and stay out of trouble, pointing at his sisters behind them who are silent spectators with the occasional sniffle from Yuzu. He pays no mind because the twins are safe with him there to block the path. She uses her little hands to push him away again and when he finally looks down at her, he yells back, "What are you doing!? This is my fight!"

Someone from the group sneers, "Oh, so she's the girlfriend. Should've known."

And next thing Ichigo sees is a torn up trash can that slams the lithe form in front of him and she skids to the lamp post in a hard thump. Her head hits the post and she slides down to her knees, bleeding in several places where the serrated edges of the metal came in contact. There is blood on the post.

Ichigo's initial shock quickly morphs to anger. His fists clench, a snarl escapes his lips and he's ready to go in head first.

He catches a glimpse of her standing up from the corner of his eye. She wobbles and he's torn between helping the frail creature and head butting the closest moron. To his surprise, she wobbles to where he is and stops him from initiating battle, one arm stubbornly wrapped around his. He hears them laugh and cheer for victory that he can't fight this time; that they will beat him up in front of his girl and his sisters. His heart pumps harder with the building adrenaline and he can almost hear the rush of blood.

He doesn't see red. His vision tunnels and darkens instead.

"Idiot, they're too many," she says and it breaks the bloodlust that thrums in his head. Contrary to her words, she uses his arm to keep her body steady as she throws her duffel bag at the nearest guy's face with surprising force and accuracy. The guy falls over with a yell and the others try to catch him. As if one petite girl against ten adolescents has a higher survival rate than Ichigo against all of them. She can be stupid, too, apparently.

In that short respite, she shoves a bamboo sword in Ichigo's hand and grins. "A weapon evens out the fight a little. Tell me your name."

He's dumbfounded, to say the least. So he answers her, "Kurosaki Ichigo. Who're you, brat?"

"It's not brat, moron. Rukia."

Then she lets go and sits down in a corner. He watches her for a bit as she tears up part of her skirt then crawl towards Karin, who is trying to ease Yuzu's tears. Rukia bandages the gashes on Karin's knuckles and Ichigo stares some more.

"Fool. Turn around and fight." She points at the boys who now have weapons picked up from the street.

"Your bokken's not going to survive this, just saying," he says.

"It's sturdier than you think."

And she is right. The bamboo crackles on impact when he whacks the closest guy with it and something inside glints. For a split second, Ichigo thinks there's a real sword underneath and worries he might kill somebody. The casing holds strong even when he hits harder on the second wave and he sees that metallic glint again.

The boys give him no time for further contemplation, however. They come all at once and Ichigo bends his knees and smirks, ready to bat them like flies. Everything is a blur after that.

Rukia isn't there when Ichigo's done beating the boys to an inch of their lives. Karin only says that her uncle showed up then left with the unconscious Rukia. Her injury must've been worse than Ichigo originally thought and he worries.

He doesn't see her again for a week and he's taken to bringing the bokken with him to school, just in case he comes across her again on his way home.

The following Monday, the homeroom teacher introduces Karakura High's late freshman enrollee - Shiba Rukia.

Ichigo gawks.

And she smiles sickeningly sweet at everybody and curtseys. She denies the bokken when he tries to return it to her in class. Later that day, she waits for him by the gate and tells him matter-of-fact that he broke it, so he can keep it. Then she leaves him there and walks home on her own.

Ichigo knows, right then and there, that she is weird and that life in Karakura High will never be the same again. Such an odd little girl, Ichigo thinks.

to be continued