I'm very excited when I wrote this chapter. Byakuya and Rukia were a stranger one to another. I'm thinking about how to make Rukia hate him (like that possible^^). By any chance, you will hate Byakuya in this chapter. If someone asked about Ichigo, ask more, please^^ Anyway, I like twisted love story. Please enjoy the reading...

Special thanks to: BlackBurningHeart, silverqueen, xdayanarax, Vicky73 for the reviews. Hotaru x Ruka, buchielle, Julimouto, Deviling for the add of story alert and favorite. Thank you so much. Thank you for all the readers too^^

NOTES:

Omatase shimashita : "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting"

Zabuton : Japanese cushion for sitting

Miso soup: a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a stock called "dashi" into which is mixed softened miso paste.

Gochisousama deshita: literally means 'It's been a feast', said after every meal. It's really more like, "Thank you for the meal"

Tatami originally meaning "folded and piled". Tatami mats are a traditional type of Japanese flooring made of rice straw to form the core with a covering of woven soft rush straw.

Shoji : Japanese wooden sliding door which made from wood and paper.

Yare yare: it's means like "well...well.."

Byakuya-bo is a nickname that given by Yoruichi to Byakuya. Identical with the real story line, Yoruichi was Byakuya's childhood friend although she was older than him. Bo was shortness of 'bocchan' (young master), a nickname for a young master who is still child. When it used to address someone who already grown up, it makes him looks childish.


Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. It's Kubo-san's.

I apologize for the lack of spelling and grammar. Please review or send me an email so I can improve myself. Thank you very much.


DANCE UNDER THE MOONLIGHT

3

Dark Moon


Kuchiki clan's mansion – Guest Room, March 14, Morning

Rukia awakened from her slumber by a sweet voice that calling Hisana's name. She squirmed a bit before get down from the mattress. Soon after her drowsiness subsided, she realized that it was not her room.

"Where am I? What am I doing here?" she spoke to herself in low voice.

"Hisana-sama, breakfast is served. Byakuya-sama has been waiting in the dining room."

She was practically jumping from her bed right after all the memory rushed in her mind. She was in Kuchiki mansion and she supposed to act as Hisana's substitute!

Rukia opened her door immediately. She saw a maid with a bun in her hair, bowing politely to her. The maid surprised to see Rukia with her mud stained kimono but she was too afraid to ask.

"Thank you for waking me up, umm… may I ask your name?"

"My name is Hinamori Momo, Hisana-sama." she answered politely.

"Hinamori, could you help me in preparation for breakfast?"

"Of course. I'm here to serve you, Hisana-sama."

"Thank you." Rukia smiled as she let in Hinamori to her room.

Hinamori looked a little bit shocked when Rukia thanking her.

"What a generous lady…" Hinamori's noted in her mind.


Kuchiki clan's mansion – Dining Room, March 14, Morning

Byakuya sipped his green tea calmly. He stared at the door with unreadable countenance. No one knew that he was actually irritated by something…, or someone.

"She is late. What kind of person that makes her fiancé waiting so long for a breakfast?"

"Omatase shimashita…" Byakuya almost dropped his teacup when he saw the owner of the beautiful voice he just heard.

"That petite figures…Those raven hairs…The girl last night was Hisana?"

Byakuya drowned by his thought, but his ego pushed him to regain his composure.

"My deepest apologize for my delays, Byakuya-sama." She sincerely apologized.

"It's fine. Did you sleep well last night?" he asked, trying to act nice to her.

"Although I could not sleep at the beginning, I have a nice sleep in the end." Rukia answered honestly.

"Well then, shall we begin the breakfast together?"

"It's my pleasure, Byakuya-sama." she bowed deeply.

Along the way to the dining room, she had decided to stay calm no matter how stormy her heart was. She praised herself inwardly because she had done her first act as Hisana perfectly.

She just folded her legs to sit on the zabuton when a sharp pain shot her right ankle. She cringed and hissed slightly.

"Is there something wrong, Shiba Hisana?"

"A-ah, nothing..I mean, I… I'm eager to have a breakfast with you, Byakuya-sama." she smiled to hide the pain in her ankle.

Actually, she had sprained her ankle when she ran in hallway. She already had a bruise in the same place after she fell last night. Cold sweat started to emboss her forehead while she drank the stock of her miso soup as grace as possible.

"Gochisousama deshita." she put her bowl on the table.

Byakuya lifted his eyes from his food to Rukia quickly.

"You have done your breakfast? I presume you didn't like the food."

"No!...Ah, it's not like that. It was delicious, but I'm already full. That's all."

Byakuya stared at her fiancée with his unreadable expression. It made Rukia's neck stiffen.

"She said she was eager to have breakfast with me, but she just finished her miso soup. It doesn't make any sense. What kind of person are you, Shiba Hisana?"

Byakuya was staring at Rukia persistently while she tried her best to act like she didn't notice his gaze. Like it possible! Rukia gulped hard nervously because of it.

Why he stared me like that? Don't tell me he already suspicious that I'm not Hisana-sama

Rukia folded her hands in her lap to hide the fact that she was trembling. Byakuya narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"She had cold sweat. Is she scared? No, she seems hiding something, but what is it?"

Byakuya felt something indescribably strange about his fiancée, something he could not really put his finger on.

"Byakuya-sama, if you don't mind, I'd like to return to my room." she said without looking into his eyes.

Byakuya was keeping on silent even he noticed that she didn't dare to leave without his permission. He pretended that he didn't hear her excuse.

"Byakuya-sama…" she called him with louder voice.

"Why she's so persistence? Is staying beside me is a torture for her?"

"Could you stay a little longer here, Shiba Hisana-san? At least until I finished my dishes."

She could only curse Byakuya inwardly. How could he eat so calmly when she was tortured like this?

"Hai, Byakuya-sama." She said obediently.

Rukia bite her lower lips to hold her annoyed feeling and the agony of her right ankle. She clenched so hard in order to distract her soreness. It was pointless. It took all her patience so that she did not throw her bowl to his face.

Byakuya could sense her killing intent, but he act like it was nothing. An ordinary person would have drench by cold sweat or even ran away in fear because of the intense murder aura from her. However, Byakuya was not ordinary person. He used to this kind of situation.

"It seems my assessment about my fiancée is not wrong. By any chance, my dearest fiancée is a frail looking psychopath. She intended to kill me just because I did not allow her to return to her room. What a scary woman."

Rukia tried so hard to stay calm when Byakuya chewed his last dish.

"Dammit! This man is eating slower than a snail! He needs eat faster course for real."

"Gochisousama deshita." Byakuya said.

Rukia failed to hold her sigh of relief. "Then, I will…" she eager to leave the room.

"My teapot is empty. Would you pour me some tea from yours, please?"

"What?" she almost screamed, "I mean, what a pleasure…" she smiled bitterly.

"Son of a…! My hands are itchy to suffocate this bastard. If only you're not the leader of Kuchiki clan… If only you're not the one who decided the viability of Shiba clan…"

Rukia reached the teapot in her table and then got up from her sitting position. She just needed a few steps from Byakuya's position when she tripped by her kimono and fell forward.

Byakuya was a master of at least five kinds of martial art. He could dodge easily when the teapot spilled toward him. However, if he dodged the tea, he could not catch Rukia's body. She'd fall on his table of dishes and get hurt. He won't let that happen!

Byakuya ignored the tea that poured at his kimono and the teapot that hit his right shoulder. He let her collided his body so they could land safely on his back.


Rukia had closed her eyes tightly after she realized that she was going to crush the serving table. If she broke the porcelain tableware, the sharp potsherd would pierce her flesh. It could cause her severe injury or even…kill her.

She heard a loud crash but she didn't feel any pain except sharp pain in her feet. Instead of hard tatami floor, she hit a firm but soft and warm thing. Her eyes shoot opened when he heard a heartbeat and a soft groan. Then she realized that she was landing on Byakuya's body.

"B-Byakuya-sama! A-are you alright? I…I'm sorry… It's all my fault."

"You don't have to tell me about it. Could you lift yourself from me?"

"A-alright…WHAA!"

She tried to get up, but the agony from her ankle made her collapse again above Byakuya's body.

"What are you doing? Didn't I've told you to lift yourself from me?"

"I understand, but I couldn't get up right now. The truth is…my ankle sprained."

"Impossible. How can you get sprain when you have landing on me?"

"I was sprained before I arrived here! I fell last night….and before the breakfast."

Byakuya's eyes widened for a second. He was surprised. She was not only talk casually, but also mention about what happened last night.

Rukia's face became red after she noticed how awkward their position it was. She wanted to roll beside him but too much shattered glass and the shard of wooden table that crushed by them.

"A-are you hurt, Byakuya-sama?" she returned to her polite speech.

"I'm fine. I'm just imprisoned by the fragment of the table."

"I'm so sorry." Rukia said wistfully.

"Anyway, I think I can make it, but not my kimono."

Rukia looked down to Byakuya's chest. There was a big stain of tea. Rukia had experienced working at laundry so she knew that the tea stain in kimono would more difficult to remove if it did not washed immediately.

"I-I'm sorry…I'll wash it right now."

In her panic state, she could not think clear. Not clear enough until she didn't notice that she practically stripped the man underneath her. Her hands stopped by his grip.

"I didn't mean you have to wash it now. Your leg is injured. There's no way you could do some laundry. Even if you can, I will catch cold by the time you have done it."

Her blood rushed to her head, caused her face as red as ripe tomato.

"I-I'm t-terribly sorry… I don't mean…it's not like…I…"

If embarrassment could kill, she must have died right now. She tried desperately to speak but just some random words that came out. Her hand trembled when she was resetting his kimono. In the other side, Byakuya felt something move inside him by the time he saw her like that. He found that she was so helpless, so clueless, yet so…adorable.

"Yare-yare…, your grandfather told you to get intimate with your fiancée, it doesn't mean you could go that far. Could you at least waiting until the wedding day?"

Both of Byakuya and Rukia turned their head toward the source of the voice. By leaning on the shoji, a woman with a long purple hair and tanned skin smiled mischievously to them.

"Shihouin Yoruichi…" Byakuya called her name with a hint of annoyed in his voice.

"Byakuya-bo, I think I have misjudging you. To attack your fiancée in the first private meeting like this, it's really out of your character, you know."

"I don't understand what you are saying."

"Ah, pardon me. I said it the wrong way. To get attacked by your fiancée in the first private meeting is really out of your character, Byakuya-bo." She grinned mischievously.

"You are wrong. This is not like it seems." Rukia tried to explain desperately.

"Please, don't let me bother you. I just want to say 'hi' when I'm passing by. You may continue your activities. See you later then." She winked before left.

Yoruichi walked away even before any of them reacted.

"That ware-cat… what is she doing here?" Byakuya muttered.

"Even you don't like her, you should ask her to help us first." Rukia complained to him.

"It's fine. I don't mind." Byakuya said, making Rukia's cheek blushed.

Rukia had folded her arms as her barrier against Byakuya's chest, but Byakuya still could hear her loud heartbeat.

"She got her ankle sprained all along. No wonder she gave me such intense murder intent."

"You should tell me earlier…" he broke the silence.

"Huh?"

"About your leg, you should tell me earlier about it. I would have permit you return to your room if only I knew about it."

Rukia stared at Byakuya in disbelieving gaze.

"Don't tell me that he's actually a gentleman? He caught me even though it made him splashed by the tea, right? Maybe he wasn't that bad…".

"Really? I thought…ah! I'm sorry…I should tell Byakuya-sama earlier."

Rukia cursed herself. How many times she had lost her act and tried to fix it miserably, she had lost count. If Byakuya didn't suspect her, he must be an idiot.

"How long we have to stay like this?" she diverted their topic of discussion.

Byakuya took it as rhetoric question. He thought something else.

His fiancée was beyond his expectation. She was more…alive. He had a hard time to forget her image that dancing beautifully last night. Now, she was lying on his chest, shared her warmth with him. Again, he felt something grew in his heart. Something that made his heart beat faster than before.

"Ehm…" the sound of someone cleared his throat startled both of them.

Both of them turned their head toward the voice and shocked to see Kuchiki Ginrei was standing in front of the door. The former leader of Kuchiki clan closed his eyes as if pretending that he didn't see the awkward position between his grandson and his future granddaughter in law.

To see his grandfather, Byakuya sit up quickly while supported Rukia's body.

"Ojii-sama…" he greeted him honorably.

Rukia shocked to see Byakuya stood quickly as if it was effortless for him. She stared at his expressionless face with anger growing in her chest.

"I'm just passing by. I'm glad to see you two get closer. Just…do not cross the line before the wedding day. Do you understand, Byakuya?"

"Hai, Ojii-sama." Byakuya bowed slightly to led his grandfather.

Rukia almost slapped her temple in frustration.

"Great! Now they all got the wrong image of me."

"Why did you lie to me?" she asked him after Kuchiki Ginrei left.

"When did I lie to you?" He tilted his head slightly, watching her curiously.

"You could get up easily if you want, right? Why you have to wait until ten minute to do that?" She glared at him, her eyes glittering with suppressed anger.

"I have never said I can't get up. I said I was imprisoned by the fragment of the table." He stated calmly.

Rukia bite hard her lower lips to hold her urgency to scold the aristocrat in front of her. She released his hand from her waist in disgust.

"I was wrong to think that he is a gentleman. You're stupid, Rukia!" she scolded herself.

She loathed this man more than before. She limped away from him, but after a few steps, her feet soared from the tatami floor.

"Whaa…" she yelped in surprise.

Byakuya had lifted her to his arms in bridal style.

"What are you doing? Put me down…, please…"

It was so hard for her to stay in her manner if she was near him. She almost thought that he was actually had known that she was an impostor by the way he looked at her. It was cold, emotionless and unreadable gaze, but she swore that his gaze could pierce her heart at once.

He carried her calmly, passing corridors of Kuchiki mansion. Rukia couldn't help but wondering how vast that mansion was.

"Where do you intend to take me to, Byakuya-sama?" she pushed herself to keep polite.

"You need a treatment for your leg. I'll bring you to doctor Kurosaki."

"Please don't take me to the hospital. I hate that place." she begged with worried expression in her face.

Byakuya's steps stopped right away, but it wasn't because of what he heard from Rukia.

"We're here… Kurosaki Isshin, I need you to treat someone." Byakuya talked to the door in front of him.

Different from the other door in Kuchiki mansion that used shoji, this door was a plain white painted wooden door. Right after Byakuya finished his sentence, the door swing opened quickly and a middle age man greeted them lively.

"Gooood morniiing, Byakuya-dono… Are you hurt…no! You seem perfectly fine, as usual. What happened to this young lady?"

"She…" Byakuya wanted to answer but Isshin cut him.

"Ah! I get it! You over did it, aren't you, Byakuya-dono? You spent her too much, did you?"

"WHAT?" both of them yelled at the same time, but in different tone.

"There's nothing happened between us." Rukia explained desperately with flushed cheeks.

"So, you're not? Well, please don't blame me. If someone saw you two, they will say the same thing as me." Isshin smirked at them.

Indeed, Byakuya's kimono was ruined, torn some parts and not applied properly. In other hand, Rukia looked exhausted and soaked by cold sweat.

"She got her ankle sprained." Byakuya said calmly.

"Come in. My good for nothing son really good at this. It's not like I can't fixed it for you, but I had to give him chance to apply his skill as young doctor."

"I forgot how rich this family was. I will not surprise if they had their own orthopedic surgeon." Rukia told herself inwardly.

"Oi, good-for-nothing son, we have a patient here!"

"Just a minute…" a voice of young man replied.

Rukia's eyebrows knitted. She somehow recognized the voice but not really sure about it.

"Good grief, what the hell are you doing? You can't let you patient waiting!"

"Shut up! I was washing my dish, you old-…" A tall young man with orange hair came out from the other door.

He didn't finish his words after his amber eyes met Rukia's violet orbs. Rukia was shocked too. Both of them gaped at each other.

"Ichigo?" at last, Rukia could regain her voice.

"What are you doing here, Ru-…"

SLAP!

The sound of Rukia's right palm that met with the skin of Ichigo's left cheek echoed through the entire room. All of the men inside the room were surprised by her action.

"Don't you dare speak to me! Don't ever call my name! I hate you, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

She insisted to get down from Byakuya's arms and walked away from the clinic, even if she had to use the walls to help her.

"Ichigo. What is he doing in here?"

Rukia had ran away and hide, yet she could not escape from her past. She had no place to go, no place to return, only cruel fate as her shadow.

"No matter how important you are in my heart, I can't let you ruining my mission... Kurosaki Ichigo."


I love Ichiruki, but I'm still cannot find my courage^^; Meanwhile, I'm doing my best writing Byaruki stories^^