Author's Note: Hiya everyone! This is my first fic ever. I hope you like it. This is kinda angsty and characters are a bit OOC, please bear with me. I apologize for future typos and wrong grammar. Thank you for reading. Please don't forget to review. Thanks.. Toodles.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything. I wish I did though.

Sweet Pretenses

By: leidi-chan

Chapter 1

Rukia Kuchiki-Kurosaki. Kurosaki-dono. Mrs. Kurosaki. I should be happy. This is what I've wanted; to be Mrs. Rukia Kurosaki. But how come all I feel is emptiness? Did Ichigo really fill that hole of longingness in my heart or am I just trapped in my own fantasy that somehow I'm still hoping that he'd stop making that hole bigger? I thought being his wife would change everything but I guess the only thing that has change is our families' income.

Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki were both from very influential families. The Kuchiki family and Kurosaki family held almost all of Japan's economy and it was only a matter of time before both companies would merge, and that time was when both Ichigo and Rukia were at the right age to be wed.

Ever since Rukia was a small girl she had been friends with Ichigo. They were very close since both were homeschooled and both always see one another in balls. During high school they were still together but in a private school owned by the Kurosaki family. It was when they turned college that they grew apart, Rukia went to France to pursue her dreams as a designer and Ichigo went to the States to study a business course. It was then Rukia discovered her feelings for Ichigo, the more she thought about stopping that feeling the more she grew to love him. She tried rekindling their friendship, she asked her older brother about him and when she had enough information she emailed the young man and sure enough the friendship that she thought was gone came back. They started writing to one another and when the time came for them to go back to their homeland they made a promise to one another to meet up and spend a day together in a carnival that they both used to go to when they were kids.

But Rukia was surprised to find Isshin Kurosaki, his wife and son with her father, Ginrei and her older brother, Byakuya, in the vast living room of their estate. It was when they had announced the merging of both families. Ever since then, Ichigo and her had grown further apart than she could ever imagine.

"Rukia-sama?" The gentle voice of the butler had pulled the raven-haired beauty out of her trance.

"Mao, do come in" The butler opened the door and rolled in his mistress' breakfast. Rukia made a face which made the butler smile.

"You need your energy my lady." The butler said taking off the cover of his mistress' meal.

"We both know he won't even care if I ate or not" She said bitterly. Standing up from the bed and heading to her vanity.

"The master cares deeply for you, please eat your breakfast" The butler pleaded.

Rukia smiled, looking at Mao's expression. He really was concern about her health but still she found it useless to be gaining energy when she never did use it anyway. She sighed in defeat and walked towards the meal prepared by their butler.

"Did he say anything about coming home tonight?" Rukia said, poking the prepared eggs with her fork. She didn't have to mention who 'he' was.

"I believe so my lady." Mao answered; he smiled inwardly when he saw his mistress' face lighten up a bit. She pitied her mistress; everyone in the huge mansion pitied her. Of course, they only kept it to themselves.

"Very well then, please tell Yui to prepare a bath for me and a dress" Rukia said with a smile as she downed her breakfast.

--

"How is she?"

"Very cheerful today mi lord. I'm afraid she is thrilled with her husband's return" Mao answered.

"Very well. Keep me informed" With that Mao flip off his cell phone. He sighed and looked at Yui, Rukia's personal assistant.

"Is that…"

"Yes." Mao didn't have to let Yui finish her statement.

"So he knows…"

"For a very long time now."

"But I thought your loyalty was with Master Kurosaki" Mao smiled and walked over to Yui.

"There is where you are wrong. My loyalty lies with Master Isshin Kurosaki." Mao said, Yui just smiled at him. She never thought Mao felt so strongly about their Master Ichigo but she knew how their master's father cared deeply about their Lady Rukia. Yui knew that Ichigo's actions towards their mistress played a big part in Mao's loyalties.

"It troubles me that Master Ichigo is coming home" Mao said as he arranged the daffodils in the vase.

"How so?" Yui asked, eyeing the older man.

"I believe that Lady Rukia is still hoping that she could fix their marriage."

"But why not? She still can hope right?" Yui replied.

"Yui, how can she fix her marriage when her husband never acknowledged it?" Mao said with a sigh, leaving the kitchen.

--

"That's beautiful mi lady" Yui exclaimed as Rukia stepped out from the bathroom.

"Thank you Yui" Rukia chirped excitedly. She sat down at her vanity while Yui grabbed her brush and started combing her mistress' long raven colored hair. Yui frowned inwardly, it was a shame at what her mistress had been debased to. She knew how beautiful her mistress was before being married to their master. She was vibrant, full of life and always smiling, but now she was skin and bones, her beautiful amethyst eyes not as lustrous as before and she was always confined into their bed. Yui cringed inwardly as her eyes caught sight of the purple bruise in her mistress' shoulder.

"Mi Lady, your bruise. It hasn't healed yet?" She asked concerned.

Rukia immediately placed a hand over the bruise to cover it up.

"I wish you do not mention this to Mao or my husband" She simply replied.

"But mistress I thought…--"

"This one is different, the last one was in my stomach" She said cutting her off.

"But…they attacked you again?" Yui asked concerned.

"Yes" Was Rukia's simple reply and Yui knew that the conversation had ended. The young maid wince, they did it again. Yui could never be sure on how their Lady Rukia could hide stuff like this to her husband…well that is if he really cared. It had been about a year ago when it started, Rukia was out to visit her family and when she came back to the Kurosaki estate she was covered in bruises and blood.

Mao and Yui were the ones who found her in front of the house unconscious. The guards said friends of their mistress were the only ones who entered with a car, but Mao and Yui believed otherwise. She had many cuts on her arms and face, her body covered by many bruises and the words 'I'm a whore' branded on their mistress' stomach. Mao and Yui would never forget that day, their mistress had refused being admitted to the hospital and preferred to rest in the comforts of their bed. She had rested for two weeks, and in those two weeks not even the shadow of her dear husband graced their mansion.

Rukia turned back to her vanity. Yui gave an inward sigh and started brushing her mistress' hair once more. Rukia's raven colored hair could still put a silk cloth to shame and Yui was a bit happy for her about that at least there was still something that hasn't changed.

--

Rukia had waited patiently for her dear husband to arrive. It had been two weeks since he left for a business trip to the United States and Rukia was more than excited to see him again.

"Mao, is the Pecking Duck ready?" She asked the butler as she graced the kitchen dressed in a blue cocktail.

Mao smiled at seeing how excited and happy his mistress was, but he knew they were all just fooling themselves because once the master arrives he wouldn't even dare to look at the prepared meal saying something like 'I already ate', or 'I'm tired, I wish to retire to my quarters'. Mao winced inwardly the way their master always says 'my', and the look of pain in Lady Rukia's face and her state the following days.

They had heard the screech of the car signaling their master's arrival.

"You there, bring the pecking duck and the wine in the dining table" Mao ordered one of the house servants.

Mao and Rukia went to the front door to welcome the mansion's master.

"Master Kurosaki…" Mao said, grabbing the coat and the briefcase their orange-haired man dropped in his hands.

"Kurosaki-sama" Rukia chirped up, stopping Ichigo in his tracks. "We've prepared dinner, let's go eat" She said hopefully.

"I need to go somewhere" Was his only answer and walked straight to the vast staircase and up their room. Mao looked at his mistress and saw the pain etched on her amethyst eyes. She breathed in what she hoped was courage and followed her husband.

"I know that you're tired and leaving again can really take a toll on your body Ichigo" Rukia said from the doorway of their room as Ichigo grabbed a new set of suit and continued to change.

"I've arrived in Japan yesterday and I have rested well" He replied without looking at her.

"Oh…" was her only reply. "Then I am guessing you have eaten as well"

"No I haven't" Ichigo replied. Rukia smiled and a sudden wave of hope filled her.

"That's great; the chef prepared your favorite, pecking duck…"

"I'm having dinner outside, you could eat with Mao and Yui" Ichigo said, fixing his collar and taking his leave. Rukia followed him until the staircase where she finally realized that they had a visitor.

Ichigo walked down the stairs and to the woman sitting in the white sofa of their living room. Rukia stopped in her tracks and watched the scene before her unfold. How the beautiful woman dressed in a burgundy gown nuzzled her husband's neck lovingly and how Ichigo kissed her on the lips passionately. They looked like the perfect couple, greatly balancing one another. Rukia's heart broke and mourned with unmatched envy. And as she continued to watch them, she can't help but stop the lone tear that had slid down her beautiful face, it was in that instant that her husband met her eyes. It was as if he was mocking her, a smile slowly creeping in his beautiful face. She clenched to the pain she was feeling in her heart. His brown eyes told her everything that she didn't want to hear but already knew.

"You are nothing but a tool to my success"

Rukia turned around and took her leave, walking as fast as her legs could carry her to their…her room.

The Kuchiki and Kurosaki business empires had prosper like it had never prospered before; Rukia hoped that she could say the same for her marriage. It hurt to know that when you love someone so much that you are willing to give everything up but that person only sees you as a tool for his way to power and money.

Yui had seen everything and followed her mistress as soon as their master and his companion took their leave.

"I'm so stupid Yui" Rukia sobbed, removing her jewelry violently and throwing them randomly in the room

"Please don't say that Lady Rukia" Yui pleaded as she tried to calm her mistress down.

Rukia broke down on Yui arms and they both fell to the carpeted floor of the room.

"Who am I kidding? It was just a marriage of convenience!" She said between her sobs. "I wish I would just die!" She screamed.

"Please don't say that." Yui said, gently rubbing her mistress' back.

Rukia knew it from the beginning. It was just a marriage for convenience. She knew Ichigo loved someone else, and she knew she can never be enough to replace her. Orihime Inoue. The only person Ichigo had ever loved, of course he had asked his parents that he wanted to marry Orihime but his parents had adamantly refused saying that marrying a middle-class woman like Orihime would not benefit their business, and if he did not marry Rukia he would be disowned by his father.

To Ichigo, Rukia was just a replacement who held no place in his heart. He never acknowledged their marriage or Rukia, only the power and money their company provides.

The choices Rukia made, the uncertainties she thought she and Ichigo could overcome. In one moment of fear and doubt Rukia had finally found her resolve.

"Leave me Yui"

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