AN: Haha, I shouldn't be posting new stories. I can't keep up with them. But I sorta need a break from being at uni, so I will therefore update as much as I can xD and this idea sort of came into my head and I couldn't get rid of it. I do have a rough outline though, so it's not entirely unplanned. It's entirely in Rukia's point of view, but I may choose to add others every now and again. Enjoy, and don't forget to review! Tell me how it is!
Oh, and there's another story with the same name as mine out there, but they're nothing alike. I'm not plagiarising or whatever. No association and so on.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach but I own Ichigo. Just kidding, I own neither Bleach or Ichigo unfortunately :(
Beep Beep Beep Beep.
I cracked my eyelids open, and banged my fist on my state of the art alarm clock before yawning widely and levering myself up from the soft floor. I pulled my thin, ragged blanket off me, rubbing my eyes, before sauntering off to the bathroom yawning all the while. After a quick shower and brushing my teeth, I put my glasses on (crudely mended with sellotape) and pulling on a baggy jumper and my favourite sweats, I traipsed down the stairs without further ado, my dark hair pulled into its usual messy bun.
I walked into the colossal dining room to find Nii-sama at the head of the table, hidden from view behind today's edition of the Tokyo Times as always, a jug of orange juice beside him. I sat down at the other end of the table, at which point Nii-sama looked up from behind his paper, his granite face as expressionless as ever.
"Good morning Nii-sama," I said, as was customary of me each morning, my voice sounding as meek and lifeless as ever.
"Good morning Rukia," he replied, his deep voice as monotonous as always, his gray, steely eyes fixed onto my blue ones. I listened to see what he would say next. "You shall finish your breakfast today as usual, and then you will come to see me in the study room at 10.30am sharp. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Nii-sama," I replied, intrigued. Nii-sama never called me to his study room, not unless it was a matter of extreme importance. I glanced at the clock, which currently read 10am. As I looked back towards the table, I saw that Nii-sama had disappeared behind his newspaper again, showing no sign that we'd had some form of conversation to begin with.
Just as usual, then.
I devoured my breakfast quickly, having not had dinner the previous night due to not feeling well, before washing my hands and ambling towards Nii-sama's study in my baggy jumper and sweats. That was the one thing I liked about Nii-sama- he let me do as I please, so long it didn't affect him as his work. And me wandering around in trampy clothing and sleeping on the ground opposed to a giant 4-poster was definitely not on his list of priorities. I stopped at the large, mahogany door, hesitating slightly, as I hadn't been in this part of the house since Nee-sama had disappeared 4 years ago. I knocked once, and after hearing the customary 'come in' I slowly pushed the door open, and stepped inside, and gasped a little.
The study hadn't changed at all in the last 4 years- it still held the rows upon rows of important- and ancient- looking books that I'd never read and probably wouldn't. Nii-sama was seated behind a large, mahogany desk, which was complimented by the same, dusty purple curtains that had adorned the floor length windows back when Nee-sama was around. His desk was as immaculately tidy as it had been then, the only thing son it being a pen and a small stack of papers, and a desk-light (currently off) at the opposite end of the table.
Nii-sama looked up from the document he was reading as I approached the desk, and putting it to one side, he gestured for me to sit down before speaking.
"Sit down, Rukia," he said. "I have a lot to discuss with you." I remained silent as I waited for him to speak further, knowing it would be rude of me to interrupt.
"You are aware that we have spent nearly 10 years in this house, correct?"
"Yes, Nii-sama," I replied dutifully.
"And four of those years have been spent in...trying circumstances," he continued, unwilling to say more. "Four years is a long time, is it not?"
"It is indeed," I agreed, thinking of how hard it had been to live without the same sister who'd brought me up.
"Which is why I have made an important decision. You are aware that a new branch of Kuchiki Corporation was opened last week, correct?"
"Yes Nii-sama. It is in New York, correct?"
"Manhattan," he corrected her. "It is now the biggest branch we have. Even bigger than the one we have in Tokyo. In order to promote better business and working relations between Japan and the US, I have decided that as CEO of Kuchiki Corporations, it would be my duty to oversee our overseas operation in the US,"
I didn't like the sound of where this was going. Nevertheless, I remained silent whilst Nii-sama continued.
"Our new branch is officially open- however, business has not resumed its normal cause- that is, the everyday on goings that is normal of a big business like ours. Even though our Manhattan branch is now open- it is I that shall be doing the inauguration this Monday, and overseeing the business itself. Do you have any questions, Rukia?"
I knew this was my turn to speak.
"If you're going to oversee our operations in Manhattan...does that mean you're moving there?" I asked, almost dreading the answer.
"Not I. We," he replied. "You and I shall be both moving to the US this weekend. Our flight is Saturday morning, that is to say, tomorrow morning. Does that answer your question?"
"Yes, Nii-sama," I replied, dazed. "But...what about school?"
"Your final year of highschool shall be completed at the prestigious Seireitei Academy in downtown Manhattan," he replied. "I wish for you to continue to be taught privately- and in this case, this is the best I could do. However, unlike your current school, you will also be residing in the dorms over there,"
So basically...I'm moving out, I thought with some trepidation. I'd never lived away from home, before. And to do it for the first time in a foreign country...
"That will be all." Nii-sama concluded with some finality, which I realised as my cue to leave. I left the room, trembling slightly at the prospects of attending school at the other side of the world. I wasn't worried about leaving my friends, because put quite simply, I didn't have any, unless you counted all the maids here. But leaving everyone at home behind...
I was so lost in thoughts that I didn't see my personal maid, Marianne, calling out to me.
"Miss Kuchiki, are you okay?" she asked, concern in her eyes, as I opened the suitcase that Nii-sama had left me, piling my meagre collection of belongings, especially my beloved Chappy rabbit inside it.
"I'm fine," I replied, sighing, fondly stroking Chappy's fur.
"You're not taking that old rabbit with you, are you?"
I grimaced slightly at her. "There's no way I'm leaving Chappy behind. It's the only thing I have of Nee-sama..."
"You've had it a long time, though,"
"It's my only memory of Nee-sama," I replied sadly. Since she'd gone, Nii-sama had got rid of everything that had some sort of connection to her, photos, artwork, everything. All that was left was a photo that Nii-sama had in his possession, and my beloved Chappy, which had been given to me by Nee-sama when I was 8. I hugged Chappy tightly, before placing her gently into the suitcase and zipping it shut, and sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Miss Kuchiki, how do you feel about moving to New York?" Marianne asked me.
"I don't know," I replied truthfully. "It feels a bit...daunting, I suppose, considering I've never left Japan, and all of a sudden I'm moving to the other side of the world,"
"I'm sure it'll be okay," she replied, smiling. I couldn't help but smile back. I was closer to Marianne than anyone else here; she'd been my maid, but above all my best friend and confidante ever since I was younger. "You'll find people there to make friends with, I'm sure,"
I snorted. "Yeah, right," I shot back at her. "I've never been able to make friends over here, so why start now?"
"Who knows? You might meet people you actually want to be friends with, or even better..."
"Don't start that again, please," I groaned at her. Marianne had been in a steady relationship for the past year and was getting married next spring. "No offence, but just because the whole love thing happened to you, doesn't mean it'll happen to me too,"
"But you never know," she said excitedly, keen to pursue the topic. "I mean, don't you read romance novels all the time?"
"Not all the time," I emphasised, rolling my eyes. "Besides, those are books. Since when did those become a real-life guide?"
"There's no need to be so sceptical, Miss Kuchiki," she remonstrated, as I sighed once more. I'd told her to stick to calling me Rukia and not 'Miss Kuchiki' years ago, but she insisted on continuing to do so. "You never know what the future holds..."
The future. All I could see was the present, and the daunting prospect of moving abroad at the moment.
"That aside," Marianne continued, breaking into my thoughts. "I have a present for you. Consider it a good-bye gift, if you will,"
"Oh...you didn't need to-"
"Yes I did," she said fiercely. "Since I'm just a maid...well, I know I could never afford the sort of things you approve- things your brother approves of," she corrected hastily, feeling my glare. "But me and my family, as well as some of the other maids and their families thought it might be time for you to have one of these," she said with a small smile. She handed me a small, yet rather heavy (for its size) box wrapped in shiny blue paper. "Open it," she ordered.
Curious, I ripped the wrapping off and inside was a... new mobile phone? Not just any one, either. Marianne and the others had only just and got me the iPhone 4S.
"Oh wow," I said, opening the box and taking out my shiny new phone. "This is just...wow, I really don't know what to say," I admitted truthfully. These things cost a fortune.
"I know you don't really like these things," Marianne continued. She was right about that. Nii-sama would have gotten me this a long time ago if I wanted, only I decided against it because it would be a waste of time. Plus, I didn't have any friends...so why bother?
"But I thought it might be a way of remembering us. Besides, I put all our numbers on there, so you can call us whenever you want," she said rather sadly, her eyes sparkling. In that moment, I also felt myself being overcome with emotion and hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go.
"Thankyou," I whispered.
The rest of the night and the next morning went by in a blur, and before I knew it, I was waving goodbye to everyone, and climbing on to the small, custom plane that Nii-sama had hired for the journey. Looking out to the landscape for the last time, I sighed sadly, wondering if I'd ever see it again. The next 20 hours or so seemed to drag on endlessly, followed by proper-and-prim air hostesses feeding us the finest food, and so on and forth, whilst during the night, my dreams were punctured by endless nightmares of New York. At long last, the intercom announced that we would be touching down in JFK international airport in 15 minutes, and I strapped on my seatbelt, feeling extremely tired.
"What time is it?" I asked Nii-sama, who was sat beside me, reading a newspaper.
"4.04am local time," he replied. "You'll get the day off today, and tonight you'll move into your new dorm,"
The next few hours went by in a rush, and soon, we were driving up towards Seireitei Academy, where I would be spending the next year of my life before heading off to college.
I stepped out of the jeep with my suitcase and looked around. My first impression of Seireitei Academy was the sheer size- it was completely white, so bright that it dazzled me whilst the autumn sun shone down open me. Other than that, it was huge. The entrance was wide enough to admit 20 people side by side, and it was flanked by huge expanses grass, all immaculately cut and trimmed equally. In the far distance, I could see a group of people at the far end running around what must have been a track. The building was fairly old fashioned- a bit like a white-coloured Hogwarts- but nevertheless it looked impressive and new. Me and Nii-sama walked in to the cool interior which seemed equally as impressive- shiny mahogany tables, wide, open spaces with huge windows where the sunlight streamed in, students milling around. Of course, this was an academy, so people wandered around here even on Sundays. We approached the Reception area, where a kindly woman with a strong American accent asked me if I was okay. I replied in the affirmative.
"I'm new here, I'm supposed to be starting here tomorrow...I was wondering if I could get my schedule?"
"Sure sweetheart," the woman replied. "What's your name and what grade?"
"Um, Rukia Kuchiki and 12th grade," I answered.
"A new senior, huh? Shame this is your last year," the lady commented. I looked at her name tag, which read Mrs Wilkinson. She typed on the computer for a few seconds, and after a faint whirr of the printing, she handed me a piece of paper which presumably was my schedule.
"There you go love, good luck on your first day tomorrow,"
"Thanks." I smiled and walked away, heading towards my new dorm. Looking at the piece of paper, I saw that I had been listed as residing on Floor 6, dorm 8 of Hueco Mundo Hall. Strange name, I thought to myself. Luckily Hueco Mundo Hall was close to campus, so I made my way up the floors in the shiny glass elevator, and in no time I was stood outside my new dorm. Breathing in deeply and wondering at what I would find inside, I scanned my new student card on the card reader and walked inside. The dorm was fashioned as a modern, state-of-the-art flat, and was massive. The low ceilings were dotted with spotlights, and the far end was decked with full-length windows adorned by blinds which provided a view of campus and the rest of the cityscape. The middle was adorned by a spiralling staircase, which I assumed led to the bedroom and bathroom. Downstairs, there was a huge lounge with comfy leather sofas and a large, 40-inch Samsung Smart TV and an xbox to play on. Perfect. The kitchen was at the other side of this floor, complete with stove, washing machine and dishwasher. I didn't even want to imagine how much it would cost for me to be living here. Lucky Nii-sama was paying for everything.
"I assume it is to your liking?" Nii-sama asked.
"It's great," I replied honestly.
"You will be residing with three other people," he continued, as my heart plummeted. What sort of posh snobs will I be stuck with? I wondered. "But before you leave..." I looked at him. "I have something for you."
A present for me? That's a first...
He handed me a medium-sized, slim rectangular box, which was surprisingly weighty for its size. I sat down on one of the leather sofas and ripped off the wrapper, revealing a brand-new, 15" Mac Book Pro. My eyes widened- this particular laptop was the latest on the market and cost an absolute fortune. But then again, Nii-sama only accepted the best.
"Wow," I murmured, opening the sleek cover.
"This will help you with your studies," Nii-sama said to me, standing up. "Good luck," he told me, momentarily staring into my eyes with some unfathomable emotion before turning around and leaving. I put my new laptop back in its case, which Nii-sama had already gotten me, before heading upstairs to explore.
The upstairs was quite similar to downstairs- except that it had four beds, all in different corners. The first one immediately to my left had posters of celebrity men (most of them topless) adorning the walls behind it and a bunch of posters with tour dates. The one directly in front of me was covered in strange drawings of... food? Why food? I shrugged and looked at the third one, which was in the far right hand corner, which surprisingly seemed normal, the walls covered in pictures of lilies and other various flowers. The last bed, on my right, was plain and unadorned- which I assumed immediately was mine. I hid my laptop in my suitcase with my new phone and slid it under the bed, before kicking off my shoes and taking off my glasses, and still fully clothed, falling asleep immediately, and nightmares about my first day puncturing my land of dreams.
The three girls walked into their dorm, exhausted.
"Shit, we're kinda late," the girl in the middle said, her blonde hair falling across her curvaceous body. "We're gonna be in deep crap if we don't make it on time to class tomorrow,"
"Uh...yeah!" the auburn-haired girl on the right exclaimed, deep in thought. "We should get to sleep so I can make breakfast tomorrow!"
"Oh, there's no need!" The dark-haired, petite girl on the left said, waving her arms about. "That's my job!"
"But-"
"Just let her do it," the blonde said with a roll of her eyes to the auburn-haired girl, examining her pink nails. "I'm shattered tonight, I want my beauty sleep."
None of the girls argued, so they all traipsed upstairs to their beds- but not before catching a glimpse of the black-haired figure occupying the bed on the right.
"Who's she?!" the blonde asked, confused.
"Um..." the petite girl began. "Do you remember how we couldn't get a room for three?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, we were told we had to share with an extra person, remember?"
"Oh...yeah," the blonde answered, apparently recalling something. "Some new student from abroad or something. So this is her, then?"
"I think so," the auburn haired girl replied nervously.
"Bless her, she's already asleep," the blonde answered. "The flight must've drained her, then. Night, girls," she said, putting the lights out.
The girl with black hair slept on, oblivious to her surroundings.
So, who do you think Rukia's new roomies are? And what do you think will happen next? Do leave your thoughts behind in a review :)