Chapter 2 (finally)

Big sorry on my slow updating, but I'm still trying to finish my first fanfic (Sins and Virtues) so once the first one is done, I will put more effort into this story (or I might move onto focusing on Ardor, depends on which seems more popular.)

Cinthia7843 - I hope this chapter explains some of the reason behind Rukia disguising herself. There will be more later. Thanks for the review :)

smooshedpumpkins - Sorry for the slow update, but Ichigo finding out about Rukia won't be for awhile yet :( sorry sorry. Thank you for the review!

Tamakia'gss - The real reason for Rukia cross dressing will be in a later chapter and I'm glad you like the story so far. Thanks for the review!

NerdyAsianGirl08 - Ack, slow update on my part, sorry but I hope this chapter is ok :) thanks for the review :)

Hatake Tsughi - Yep, the disguise does have something to do with Byakuya! And I'm glad you're reading this story too! Thank you for the review!

Llyssa-maiden - Yep, saxophone. It actually does feel a bit weird for me to be writing about band, but I'll try my best to explain everything as the story continues. Thanky thanky for the review :)

Disclaimer: I do not in anyway own Bleach or its characters.


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Rukia

Oh yeah

As strange as it sounded, she would have to say that she wasn't half bad looking … as a boy that is.

Rukia pulled on a loose long sleeve shirt and looked back into the mirror and slightly adjusted the now short black hair locks of her hair. Yeah, I'd think I was a boy, nothing girly about this outfit.

She pulled on a loose jacket, bypassing the designer clothes hung in her closet. A layer of dust sat on her name brand jackets, her Italian made shoes, the one of a kind accessories, none had been touched, let alone worn, for ages.

Rukia shut her closet door, blocking the view of the objects that had once been considered a major part of her life. Despite her dislike of it, Rukia Kuchiki knew a lot more about high society than she would like to admit. She had attended the pricey venues, yacht parties and balls but none of them had been to her taste.

Being a Kuchiki meant that one held quite a large influence in the world of music. Her brother was the current head of the Kuchiki Music Corporation. Their family sold and manufactured musical instruments, high quality was the trait of their products. Her great, great grandfather had formed three symphonies, all of which had performed the musical soundtrack for at least one major motion picture. In the world of contemporary music, her family's company was the talent agency for starting artists worldwide. Their bands and singers were chart toppers, with their faces gracing the fronts of magazine covers and billboards. Yep, being a Kuchiki wasn't a light matter. She didn't make friends because she was Rukia, she made 'friends' because she was a Kuchiki.

'A simple girl' that's what she considered herself and the flairs of her lifestyle just didn't suit her. Her brother, Kuchiki Byakuya on the other hand, was not about to let Rukia fall out of their lifestyle. Rukia was given certain mannerisms to follow, specific clothes to wear, particular people to talk to and was sent to a private school, of her brother's choosing of course. She was groomed and raised to be the next head of their company. In the forefront of her mind, was always the worry of maintaining the Kuchiki image.

The one enjoyable factor Rukia found in her life, music. She had started on the piano at a young age, on her brother's request/demand and her love with the art had begun. Her talent in the field of music did not go unnoticed by Byakuya and soon she was entered in competitions, gaining fame gradually as a musical prodigy. Despite the long hours of practice, Rukia didn't care, she was able to be with her lovely music everyday and the enjoyment was never lacking.

Despite being able to have so many experiences relating to music, none of them were of her own choosing. Byakuya planned every part of Rukia's life. Basing her lifestyle around her music. Sending her to musician competitions, seminars, camps and schools.

Sure, all of that had been fine. Rukia had followed her brother's decisions for years, but now, months before her first year of high school, she had decided that enough was enough. Time to break the mold, as much as she could.

She hated the high profile image that went along with the life she was living. Her life had become more about being Kuchiki rather than Rukia. Everyone at her school knew her as the next head of the Kuchiki Corporation and the troubles of maintaining her calm and perfect Kuchiki facade were tiring her.

So, taking matters into her own hands, with shaking knees, she had told her brother she was going to make her own plans. She would continue to work hard to become the next head of the Kuchiki Corporation, but she wanted a normal life, she wanted to be a normal high school kid.

Her conditions:

Condition 1: She wanted to attend a different school, one in the United States, one where no one knew who she really was.

Condition 2: She wanted to be like any other high school student. No more luxurious parties, dinners, galas, none were allowed.

Condition 3: She wanted an alias and disguise. She didn't want to be judged by the Kuchiki name. Making friends would be based on her instead of people just seeking her good grace to gain the benefit that came from associating with her family.

She had met his grey eyes the whole time as she spoke to him, working constantly to keep her voice calm. After she had finished, he had gazed at her silently, his mouth pressed into a firm line as Rukia looked away, staring at the floor. When she thought she could bear it no longer, her brother let out a long sigh, "Fine." Surprisingly, her brother had agreed to her want of going to school overseas and had just two conditions of his own.

One, he got to choose her disguise. Rukia had no problem with this, she was never much for caring how she looked anyway and her brother may have been a bit of a grump, but his fashion sense was in no way lacking.

Two, yes, she could got to high school in the U.S. but he got to choose the school she went to, this was nonnegotiable.

Rukia listened to his conditions, not really caring what they were, her only concern being that he had said yes in the first place.

So, Rukia had entered the United States. Moving to Arcadia in California, with one of her brothers more trusted assistants. The move in had been uneventful, and much to Rukia's chagrin, it looked like her brother had chosen a house in one of the nicest areas of town.

Was low profile a foreign phrase to that man?

Her disguise was a bit ... shocking. Her brother had said that no one would recognize her, but she never thought he would have her dress up as a ... boy.

A new wardrobe of clothes, fitting the male profile, was delivered to the house before her, designer names gracing the labels and a wig, fitted to her head was delivered shortly after the move in had been completed.

"A boy?" she had asked her brother. "Isn't that a bit of a stretch? I don't know if I can pull it off."

"You can and will," her brother answered her over the phone. "You were the one that didn't want anyone to know who you were."

"Can I ask why a boy though?"

"Because."

"But-"

"I've registered you at your new school, you start in a week and all the information will be in a folder that should arrive in the mail shortly."

"Ok, well um fine, thanks brother. Will you be visiting soon?" If he wouldn't answer her over the phone as to why he was having her dress as a boy, maybe she could whittle the answer from him in person.

There was a pause on from the other side of the line, "If I find the time. Goodbye Rukia."

Her life as male had thus begun. Itsuwari Tamako had been created and registered for school. Rukia felt a bit giddy with nerves and excitement as she had gone to bed the night before her first day at her new school.

As she had stepped onto the large campus of her new school, Rukia felt her jaw drop slightly. Karakura was by no means your everyday, plain and simple high school.

The spread out campus and large, multi-storied buildings more closely resembled a university, not a high school.

She clenched her teeth, silently cursing her brother. This was not what she had had in mind when she said she had wanted to go to a 'normal' high school. Rukia mentally scolded herself as she milled her way through the crowded hallways of the English department building, struggling to find her first class. I should have known something was up with this school when I was given a school uniform to wear. Most schools in the United States don't have uniforms, but count on my brother to find the one school that seems just like my old school. The similarities are astounding.

"Hey, can you walk please?"

Rukia whipped around, the voice pulling herself from her thoughts, causing her to realize that she had come to a complete stop in the middle of the hallway and was causing quite a bit of trouble in the flow of traffic.

"S-sorry," she jumped, bowing her head slightly.

"Fine, just get moving shorty."

Rukia felt her eye twitch and her head had shot up, staring into the back of the head of a blond haired boy as he walked away from her. "Excuse me?"

As soon as the words left her mouth she mentally cursed herself. Shit, I'm trying to not gain notice. Starting a fight on my first day is by no means unnoticable Maybe he didn't hear me …

Of course, he had heard her. He turned, his eyebrows arched up in surprise as he took a step back towards Rukia, leaning down and look at her. "Did you say something?"

Well, as long as she had his attention ... "Wh-what did you just call me?"

"What, are you self conscious about your height there shorty?"

"I. am. not. short!"

He placed a hand atop her head, lightly chuckling, "I don't know what you're talking about. For a boy in high school, you are pretty much puny. Are you actually a high schooler?"

She swatted his hand away, "Yes, in fact I'm a freshman."

"Yeah right. Why don't you go back to grade school and play make believe high school with your little friends there." He waved a hand lazily over his shoulder as he turned his back to her, continuing his walk down the emptying halls.

"You big jerk," Rukia pulled the top book off her stack of literature she carried. Her Japanese-English Dictionary, she eyed the book in her her hand, she didn't really need it. The small dictionary arched perfectly, flying from Rukia's hand to nail the blond boy square in the back of his head.

"What the hell?" he whipped around, nothing meeting his eyes except the now vacant halls. "Where is that little squirt, what did he just do?" He rubbed the back of his head, looking down to the lone book resting near his feet. "A dictionary?"

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Band, the one class of her day that she had a feeling she could excel in.

English class, had been slightly hectic. Her class had swarmed her with questions upon finding out she was foreign and she had been asked all period to translate words from English to Japanese. In her math class, she was the only freshman present and sat in the back, keeping to herself as her teacher began to discuss the topics Rukia had already covered years ago.

All this was only made three times more awkward by the fact that she had to pretend to be a boy through it all. She had no great difficulties with her voice, her natural tone already pretty deep as it was but in her mannerisms she had to be attentive. Occasionally she would catch herself twirling her hair around her finger, or walking with just a bit too much 'hips' in her walk. Did normal boys ever notice these things?

Rukia smiled, turning her focus back to her next class. She happily tread her way to the band designated wing of the school. She followed a line of students, making their way through a set of double doors. She felt at home as she stepped into a large room. An expanse of white board ran across the front wall of the room and rows of chairs, curving in a half circle, were set up on raised levels. A grand piano graced the area behind the last row of chairs, a complete drum set nearby.

She continuously glanced down at the seating chart in her hand, as she carefully made her way down an aisle in the chairs, counting the seats as she went.

Her instrument case was set down beside her chair, as she finally took her seat and nervously looked around her. Groups of people were situated throughout the large room. Upperclassman happily chatted away and the an assortment of instruments were beginning to appear. Rukia suddenly felt out of place. Was she the only freshman in the room? There were some faces she recognized from earlier classes, but none of them screamed approachable.

Her new band, just lovely.

Rukia's eyes narrowed as a very familiar blond headed male strode into the room. Damn, of course that bastard would be in this class.

As if sensing her gaze, he looked up meeting her eyes. A smirk appeared on his face and he made his way towards her.

"What are the chances?" he mused, seemingly to himself, as he sat down in the chair directly next to hers.

Rukia ignored him, reaching down to open her instrument case. She pulled out a reed, sticking it in her mouth and pulled her saxophone from the case, lying it across her lap.

"So, you play the saxophone too?" the boy next to her asked, leaning over.

Rukia rolled her eyes, "What do you want? And what do you mean too?"

He pulled his own case up onto his lap, opening the lid. Rukia's mouth fell open and her reed fell from her mouth as she watched him pull his instrument from his case. "Too, it means also. As in, I play the saxophone like you."

Thus, Kuchiki Rukia, disguised as Itsuwari Tamako had met Kurosaki Ichigo.

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Note: Almost all the woodwind instruments require a reed to play them (the flute doesn't need a reed). There are double reeds (oboe, bassoon) and single reeds (Clarinet, saxophone). There are different "hardnesses" to the reeds also, different once depending on amount of experience. Reeds need to be wetted (substantially so) first before an instrument can be played, so musicians will let the reed soak in their mouth first.