Fruit Salad and Gum
Chapter 1
There was a traffic of maids doing an orchestrated drill of dressing the Kamikawa grand residence for a business party and everyone was expected to work to their best not to shame the Kamikawa name to the honored guests. The guest lists included magnates and other prominent families in the business world. It's not like the residence needed much redesigning but preparations were still done so guests would still be much impressed.
The mansion was built in the early 1800s and sat on a three hectares of land atop a hill, the main house alone span a quarter of a million square feet. It had its own private drive, an olympic size pool, a Hampton court inspired maze rose garden, and a little track and barn for the horses. Parallel to the main house was the Kamikawa glass pavilion. Many who have seen it, thought of it as an architectural design of the century. In the 1900, a young ambitious Kamikawa took possession of the property as a sign of the family's business prowess. Today, the Kamikawa is a regarded as a pillar of business stronghold and they now belong to the uppermost strata of society. They held the hotel and construction business. The current head of the family had one daughter, Kuchiki Rukia.
"Miss! Miss! We have not the luxury of time for playing games." huffed the old maid, trying to catch her breath from the sprint.
"I am not wearing that itchy dress!" she shouted as she continued to cut the corner to the other wing.
"Miss wait for me!" she tried to close in the distance but in her age, she was in no match for the mischievous girl. Rukia's father, Mr. Kamikawa, heard the pleas of the loyal maid from a inside his study, he positioned himself behind a blind corner and decided to ambush her in their own game of rocket.
"There's my little princess!" he said as he stole the ground from her five year old daughter.
"Papa!" Rukia giggled. He lifted her so that she was sitting on his arm.
"I notice that your still in your pajamas. Why haven't you changed? Do you not like the gown?" he asked.
"It's annoying papa. Can I just go with my sundress?"
"But I think you'll look better in that."
"You think so?" she said.
"I do so."
Rukia stopped to think and then a second later she gave a nod of approval and motioned for her father to put her down.
"I'll race you to the bathroom!" she shouted over her shoulder.
"I don't know how you do it, sir, but it seems that it's only you who can make her do things." the maid old said to Mr. Kamikawa.
"Well, I better get going now. The guests will notice my leave." he kindly excused himself but before he disappeared to a flight of stairs, he heard the maid shout once more.
"Young lady! It's no time for a dip in the indoor fountain!"
True in fact, he made it just so the guests were wondering where had the esteemed host had gone.
"Ah mister Kamikawa! You've finally come. I have been entertaining the guests in your absence." A man with long white hair and grey suit approached him.
"You don't have to be so formal."
"I see that you're beautiful wife is as beautiful as she can be but I am not seeing the kind of beauty I am looking for."
"If I don't know better, I would think that you're asking for your niece's hand in marriage."
"We don't live in the olden days where they believe in keeping bloodlines pure. Moreover, it was the royals who practice those, though you're owning quite a fortune that could level to the royal family."
"Nonesense! I am but poor among this flock. See here comes Lord Ginrei Kuchiki."
They both looked towards the old man to welcome him into the conversation.
"Ah Lord Ginrei we've been talking about you, I heard about your grandson. He's quite a talent, that boy." Ukitake greeted.
"He is. He is." Ginrei said before he took a sip of his champagne. "I can say that he has become a true gentleman and had shed off much his immature ways. And you, Ukitake, are you feeling well?"
"Never better." he replied. "See my cousin here has been a wonderful host. It was quite a journey going here so I decided to leave early and stay here in Inuzuri for a day. How about you? How do you find the party so far?"
"I have been meeting a lot of colleagues and familiar faces." he said, sounding a bit bored. He turned to Kamikawa to say,"I am glad to have come, Kamikawa. Your servants have done a good job. It topped my expectation."
"Thank you, Lord Kuchiki. They are indeed the best."
"Where is your daughter? I brought my grandson with me, perhaps they could meet and befriend one another?" Ginrei suggested.
"She is quite playful and an unconventional girl and it took her quite sometime to get dressed." he explained.
"How old is she?" the old man asked.
"Ah, she just turned 5 last January."
"A groom that is 13 years her senior would still make do." he suddenly said.
"Alas! The groom she'll be taking would be someone who she could relate to like me boy!" The three gentlemen turned their heads towards the beaming smile of Kurosaki Isshin." the man had black hair and rough short beard and spoke with a thick accent. He flashed a beaming smile and had a playful aura.
"Now gentlemen, Isn't it to early to think of marriage? My lovely niece is too young. It saddens me every time I think of that day. I just might not let her go." Ukitake said, expressing is silent hysterics.
"I find it uncomely to find men talking about marrying off their sons and daughters." came from a man with white short hair.
Isshin knew it was his bestfriend, Ryuuken Ishida. He skipped to his side and casually placed his arm over his old friend's shoulder.
"Is it not that in this kinds of gathering, we talk to our kids' future inlaws?" he said. "But I don't really mind who my son gets for his wife so as long as she is as stong-willed as my Misaki. You know. I want someone that could break my son if ever he needs a beating." he said and broke in laughter.
From the distance, Kamikawa saw his wife and daughter cross the lower ground of the ballroom to join the company of men.
"My love, we have finally come."
"Everyone. You have met my wife, Hisana."
She curtsied and the faces of the guests were never unpleased. She was the epitome of grace. It was even possible that etiquette was molded from her.
"And this is my daughter..." he took the little hand of Rukia and placed her affront him, his hands rested on both of her shoulders. "Rukia." The girl smiled slightly.
Everyone's eyes were on her. She felt like shrinking. But the gazes were not meant to be demeaning. Lord Kuchiki looked even more pleased to have seen such a delightful girl.
"Byakuya." called Ginrei.
"Grandfather, how may I be of help?" a young Byakuya appeared to the old man's side.
"If it pleases Mr. Kamikawa, will you play a piece on the piano?" he said as he gave quick glances to the young boy.
"Certainly. My wife and daughter would be delighted to hear him play."
Byakuya took his place behind the piano and started to play je chante pour passer le temps.
The young Rukia was enchanted. Though he would have preferred a lighter sounding piece for Byakuya to play, Ginrei glanced at girl heiress and was pleased that she was absorbed into the music, for a while. Byakuya almost got distracted when he heard the girl ask her father for ice cream.
She wants some ice cream. Normally, her maid would have come around at her bidding. She resorted to slowly slip away but her parents stood to hinder her escape, forcing her to stand 'til the boy finished. Sure he played well, played better than her. She was never good with instruments to begin with anyway. So he plays? Who cares? All she craves is ice cream.
Mr. Kamikawa sensed the boredom in her so he slowly bent down on one knee after making sure no one was paying him mind. He leaned his ear to her little girl.
"I would like some ice cream." she whispered. "But I cannot find the dessert table. Can you lift me up?"
Mr. Kamikawa smiled and swiftly played with her as she giggled sweetly.
"I found it." she pointed before motioning for her father to put her down. She jumped off and hastily sliced through the crowd of dancing couples.
Ginrei Kuchiki watched the whole scene.
Making her way around, she saw a boy about half her age being bullied by a boy who had a sky blue hair. That was such a striking blue hair. She was so going to help the poor boy but a hand grabbed the hem of her dress.
"What are you wearing? A tent?" mocked a boy with rose red hair.
"It's none of your business, thick brows." she tugged at her dress off his grasp. "And it's a gown." She turned away, determined to rescue the boy who was being terrorized.
"Wait Rukia! You would not want to get in the middle of that. That boy is dangerous."
"Let go, Renji!" she said, ignoring Renji's whims.
"Get it back!" The younger boy said, almost pleading for his scoop of ice cream.
"You just have to reach it." The boy with blue hair said, stretching his arm up, even Rukia would not reach.
She couldn't reach the ice cream, even if she tiptoed but the boy's collar, she could easily grab.
" .Back." she boldly said in a tone that sounded so demeaning, the blue haired boy was taken aback.
"I was just-"
"I said, give it back" she repeated. Now the older boy couldn't meet her in the eye and he had no choice but oblige.
"Here you go, imp." he said to the shorter boy and at the same time making sure Rukia heard 'imp'.
The boy took the bowl and nodded a thank you before scrambling away from the scene. The tension has not yet subsided. It was only transferred to a certain raven haired girl.
If not for her dress, he would have mistaken her for another boy.
"What's your name, imp?"
"It's not imp." she looked at him in the eye and he felt like holes were being bored in his head. She had the most stunning violets. Was having purple eyes even possible?
"My name is Kamikawa-"
"Grimmjow!" called a boy who appears to have only arrived. He appeared to be of the same age as this grimmjow but he was shorter, probably inches shorter than her even. He casually joined the scene, ignoring the obvious stand off. He had an unusual orange spiky hair and his face had an incredible smile.
"Oh. Hello. You made a new friend." he said. "My name is Kurosaki Ichigo." he said as he extended his hand. Rukia was too slow to react so he helped her and took her hand and shook it.
Rukia eyeballed the two of them and started grinning then giggled, chuckled until it became a full blown laughter.
"What's so funny?" Grimmjow's eyes narrowed to slits.
"Those are such lively colors." she said.
Ichigo immediately shied away, feeling inferior. Grimmjow would not take any of that.
So what if she's a girl. Nobody dares mess with him and this despicable girl...thing...MONSTER has done it twice. His kid hand balled, ready to hit her. Rukia was too occupied subduing her laugh that she was not able to see how enraged the boy in front of her was. She would have been hurt without seeing it coming if not for another hand which stopped Grimmjow's attack.
Rukia looked up to the face of the young man who a moment ago was playing the piano.
Grimmjow shook away the hold on his fist.
"Tsk. You got lucky today but your luck will soon run dry, imp." Grimmjow said, passing on his threat effectively that Rukia almost faltered but immediately fixed her face to look unaffected by the threat. "Come now, Ichigo." he said before disappearing into the ballroom hall.
She stood still until the last bit of blue can be seen then turned to her savior.
When she met his gaze, she bowed her head and mouthed a thank you. He bent over and gently took her hand to plant a kiss on her dainty fingers.
"If he bothers you again, you can always call me. I am Kuchiki Byakuya."
"Kamikawa Rukia."
Well, I kinda just thought of a surname for Rukia's family. So Kamikawa was just something that I got from the manga of Switch girl. I stumbled upon it because my sister was watching it. Kamikawa is the male protagonist. Do check it out, it's funny. (I am in no way associated with Switch girl or in any merch)
We all know that Rukia had ice powers in the bleach universe that is. coincidently, in Hokkaido, there is a place called Kamikawa ice pavillon. Cool right? I just thought wow. I found it by googling Kamikawa. Amazing at how you can get from one idea to another. That's actually how I get my story ideas...googling.
ANYWAY! Do continue visiting my stories, review if you can~ and if you have some suggestions, not only in this story but also in my other works, you may also PM me. I'd love to hear from you. Especially Listen to one Story. That one is quite tough.
I originally plan on posting this up on V day but yeah. Right now, someone is making me smile. hearts hearts.