Chapter One
Amanda felt worse than ever. Her parents kept telling her she would get better, but she knew they were lying. She'd had pneumonia for almost a month now and each day her condition would worsen. After her parents and the nurses had left the room, she pulled out her favorite novel, put her headphones on so she could listen to her favorite band, and tried to enjoy her last bit of life. Amanda had a feeling this would be her last night alive.
She felt someone carrying her. Her body was bouncing up and down continuously and her neck was beginning to ache. What is going on? Did something go wrong and they're rushing me to the emergency room? Shouldn't they be a bit less rough…? But when she thought about and focused on her body, she realized she felt better than ever. The pain was gone (well, except for her neck…). She tried to open her eyes but couldn't. She felt extremely tired for some reason. Finally, the person carrying her set her down on…grass? She managed to open her eyes slightly, enough to see a figure running away from her. She decided she must be dreaming, so she closed her eyes again and hoped she could stay like this for a while longer, so she wouldn't have to feel the pain again anytime soon.
Amanda felt something warm. She opened her eyes and saw she was outside. The sun was warming her cold skin and there were cherry blossom petals flowing all around. This must be heaven. Though she had always been skeptical, there seemed to be no other explanation. She arose from her position, her back stiff after lying on the ground. She knew she was dead. There were no places like this around the area she lived, and she didn't remember anything after falling asleep on the hospital bed. Amanda noticed she was in the same clothes she wore when she was last in the hospital. She was lucky that after the first two weeks the nurses agreed to let her wear her normal clothes rather than the flimsy gown all patients were required to wear. That would be embarrassing, walking around in that gown with her backside showing.
She started walking and eventually saw what appeared to be an immaculate mansion. Confusion settled inside her mind. Does God have a house? She started laughing softly to herself because of her thoughts. Suddenly, she saw a flash of white appear between the trees. Another person? She began jogging in that direction, but when she reached the area, no one was there. She sighed to herself and started slowly towards the house to see if she could find someone who could explain things to her. Before she could walk two steps, someone grabbed her arm and she was dragged against a body. A very hard body. There was something sharp against her neck.
"Anything you say could get you killed. Speak wisely as to why you are here."
Amanda's heart raced and for some reason, she could only think of how incredibly beautiful and sexy that voice was. Somehow, a part of her brain kicked in gear and told her to be careful as this person was obviously dangerous. No time to fantasize. She didn't even know what he looked like.
"I don't know where I am." She whispered
"You are trespassing on Kuchiki property." The smooth, low voice said.
"So you must be God then." She said while shakily laughing. Man, she acted weird when in dangerous situations…
He was silent for a moment.
"You must be a new soul. But why are you here and not in the Rukongai district?"
"The what?"
"You aren't a shinigami. Your rietsu is nothing special. You seem to be no threat."
He seemed to be talking to himself. Though he hadn't loosened his grip on her, the sword had been lowered and he seemed to trust her story. What little of a story she had, anyway. "This makes no sense, come with me."
Finally he let her go, except for her arm. He wasn't hurting her, but she knew there was no way to escape his grip. She looked at him for the first time.
The first thing that drew her attention were his amazing eyes. They were a lovely shade of gray, though they seemed very cold. His mouth seemed chiseled into a slight frown. She knew if he smiled, no one could compare with his beauty. She had never used that term for a man before. His beauty was purely masculine, though. His hair was jet black, with some sort of white tubes holding part of it. She would try to ask him about those later if she got the chance. Right now, he seemed to only be focusing on getting to his destination and she was afraid to interrupt. Amanda noticed the people they passed were all dressed the same and were looking at her as if she were some circus freak. Maybe she looked wretched considering she had been sick for a long time and had just woke up.
Finally he stopped in front of two sliding doors and knocked.
"Come in." A scruffy voice said on the other side.
The man opened the doors and dragged her inside. She looked and around the simple, but elegant room. At a desk sat a man who looked like he was at least 200 years old. His beard was pure white and extremely long, though, surprisingly, it was very neat. Likewise, his mustache and eyebrows were the same stark white and very long.
"What is this about, Kuchiki?" He eyed Amanda warily.
"I found this girl wondering around my property and she has no recollection of how she got there. I can't understand how she got there if she is a regular soul. She should've ended up in the Rukongai district but she seemed genuinely confused when I mentioned it. I don't detect a threat from her. But, I find all this suspicious." He explained.
The old man stared at her for some time. She was beginning to feel very uncomfortable and wished she could just…no, she can't go home. She wouldn't think on that right now, if she did she would probably cry uncontrollably.
"I see. Yes, that is very unusual. But I can think of no reason for her to have ended up on your lands. Why don't you keep her at your manor for the time being and keep an eye on her. Until we can sort this out, it's hard to tell what is going on." And with that said, he went back to doing whatever he was doing before. She wanted to scream that she was right there and they couldn't decide her future without consulting her as well, but the finality of his statement brooked no argument and she was afraid of what would happen if she did attempt to argue. She looked up at the man she now knew as Kuchiki to see his reaction. Though his face still seemed impassive, she thought his eyes looked eve more cold, if that was possible.
They left the office and started heading back to where they came from. She noticed that he bowed before leaving the room which she found odd. Maybe I went back in time somehow…Those thoughts left her as the reality of the situation hit her. She was going to be living with him. Her heart seemed to turn flips every time she repeated that to herself. Amanda found herself wanting to see him smile. She decided to make it her personal quest to make that happen. She felt like one of those heroines in those historical romances she used to read, always trying to melt the heart of those stubborn nobles. While she was sure it would be easy for her to fall in love with him, she was also sure it would be impossible for him to do the same with her.