Hi everyone!

So I wanted to update this story before I went on vacation. I'm going to Florida for the first time and I'm very excited woohoo! We're driving from Chicago so it's going to be a verrry long ride. Anyway, hope you guys like the update since it's extra long and happy holidays! (^_^)

Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed or added this story to your faves/alerts (=


Chapter 8


All the princesses in the classroom turned their heads as soon as Rukia stepped in the room. As to be expected, the whispering and the gossiping started instantly along with the surprised and inquiring looks.

'These women will not affect me, they are nothing to me.' She told herself and put on her stoic Kuchiki mask. Her emotionless eyes scanned the room and she proceeded to walk towards a free spot.

"The princess of Rukongai…looks a tad uncomfortable doesn't she?" A blond princess with curly hair said with a devious smile to her group of friends and crossed her arms.

"That beautiful kimono is so unbefitting of a girl like her..." Another girl with long black hair said wrinkling her nose. Their friends simply nodded in agreement as their prying eyes continued to size up Rukia.

Rukia clenched her fists. They were whispering loud enough for her to hear their mindless gossip. 'I need to ignore these idiots and not give them the satisfaction of becoming angry and making a scene.'

"I doubt this prestigious school will help a girl like her, she's sooo unladylike…" The girl with the long black hair said.

"Oh wait, wasn't she a shinigami? Maybe they kicked her out for not being good at it." The blond with the curly hair said as she laughed loudly at her own joke.

'That's it, the hell with keeping quiet!' Rukia thought angrily. They could talk crap about her all they wanted but when it came to her reputation as a shinigami she was too proud to let it go. She was going to show them what an "unladylike" girl from Rukongai could do. She was about to stand up when,

"Yo" Yoruichi said in a firm tone as she stood behind Rukia with her hands on her hips, "unless you're planning on telling Kuchiki-san your brainless thoughts to her face go run your mouths somewhere else." She finished with a smirk.

The intruding girls knew Yoruichi didn't mess around. They also noticed Nemu and Momo were right behind her with serious faces. The snobby princesses huffed and rolled their eyes but walked away nonetheless.

"Are you ok Kuchiki-san?" Momo asked with caring eyes.

"Yes, thank you" Rukia said with a small smile to the three girls.

The class was about to begin so the three girls sat down by her. This made Rukia incredibly happy inside since she had never been good at making friends in general but especially not at making friends with girls. Maybe this would be the beginning of something different.


The class was finally over and Rukia was getting ready to leave when Yoruichi, Nemu, and Momo turned to her,

"Kuchiki-san!" Momo said in a lively tone.

"What are you doing for lunch? You should come with us." Yoruichi said.

"Nii-sama made Renji tag along with me to these classes so I was just going to eat with him." Rukia said.

"He can join us too, that way he can keep Ichigo company so he doesn't feel too overwhelmed with all of us girls." Yoruichi said. Rukia gave her a questioning look.

"Ichigo is the name of our bodyguard" Nemu answered her unspoken question.

"Oh…ok" Rukia said without questioning the matter any further, "I told Renji to meet me in front of the garden after class, is it ok if we wait for you guys there so I can give him a heads up?"

"Yeah that's fine. We'll go get Ichigo and meet you there in a bit." Yoruichi said. Rukia nodded and left the class from the door that lead to the gardens while the girls left through the door that lead to the hallway.


"You guys look happier than usual" Ichigo said with a small smile when he saw the three princesses.

"We made an acquaintance" Nemu said and went to hook her arm on his. Ever since yesterday she had become slightly more possessive of him. Ichigo didn't fight it anymore and simply went along with it.

"I thought you guys didn't like any of the girls in this school" He said as the group walked outside.

"She's different than the rest" Yoruichi said.

"Yeah I think you'll like her" Momo chimed in.


When Rukia got to their accorded spot she filled in Renji on their lunch plans.

'Nice! That means I'll be surrounded by a bunch of hot babes, and I'm sure their bodyguard has nothing on me. Damn this beats being at the office!' He thought with a goofy grin as he pictured himself surrounded by all the girls and their wimpy bodyguard neglected in a corner.

Renji's bubble was sadly burst into tiny particles when he noticed the orange mop of hair walking towards them with the "hot babes" in tow.

"Kuchiki-san!" Momo said waving happily.

"Crap!" Both Rukia and Renji said harmonically to each other.

"Hi Abarai-kun!" Momo said with a smile.

"H-h-hi" Renji answered through clenched teeth.

"Kuchiki-san, Abarai-kun, this is our bodyguard Kurosaki Ichigo. Kurosaki-san this is Kuchiki-san the girl we were telling you about." Momo said.

'You have got to be kidding me. What type of sick joke is this?' Rukia thought. Just when she was thinking she could finally make some friends this guy had to come and ruin it all. She didn't want to be rude to the girls so she forced a painful smile on her face,

"N-n-nice to meet you Kurosaki-san" She said with a fake happy voice.

'Just my freaking luck' Renji thought. 'But if Rukia kept her cool around this idiot then I have to too.'

"Hello" Renji forced out.

For some odd reason even though she had been terribly rude during their first meeting, Ichigo didn't really mind the petite girl in front of him. On the other hand, he couldn't stand Renji's cocky attitude, and after seeing the position that he was in he became truly delighted. A big genuine smile appeared on his face,

"Nice to properly meet you both as well" He said.

"Alright, we'll go find a spot to eat and you two can go get food for all of us." Yoruichi said and signaled for the girls to follow her.

Renji and Ichigo gave each other death glares but had no choice but to do what they were told.

"Sorry Renji, looks like I won't be able to keep your threat of not talking to Kuchiki" Ichigo told him as they walked towards the school's kitchen.

"That doesn't mean I can't still beat the crap outta you, Ichigo" Renji said with furrowed eyebrows.

"You're just so confident about yourself that I'd actually like to see you try" Ichigo taunted.

"Fine" Renji said angrily. He'd get chewed out by Rukia later but it would definitely be worth it, "After lunch you're on"


The guys came back from getting the food and the group sat down on the grass as far away from the rest of the people in the academy as possible. The garden was the best part of the school because it was so ridiculously big that they could disappear in it.

"So where'd the bodyguard come from?" Renji asked Momo since he was friends with her. Whenever there was a function for Shinigami at Soul Society her father Aizen would bring her along. Being the friendly guy that he was he talked to her to make her feel comfortable since she was usually quiet and reserved.

"It was my father's idea. He has been a little skeptical of Soul Society lately and he knew that Ichigo's work provides the best combatants anyone can find outside of Soul Society." She said.

Renji nodded and his jaw clenched. He knew very well what Aizen was referring to.

"What about you Shihoin-san?" Rukia asked curiously. Yoruichi was a taichou in the past but she had quit her position in the Gotei 13.

"I just wanted to join in on the fun, but wouldn't you with a guy as hot as Ichigo?" She said playfully and winked at Ichigo. Rukia arched her eyebrow at their interactions.

"Why'd you quit being a shinigami Yoruichi-san?" Ichigo asked trying to divert the petite girl's attention.

"Didn't like the way things were being run" She said simply.

Rukia glanced at Ichigo and for the first time noticed his handsome features. She furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed he was watching her and quickly turned away.

"Wait a second! Weren't you a shinigami the first time we met?" Ichigo said suddenly pointing at Rukia, "maybe they really don't lie when they say that the Soul Society is filled with jerks…" He said.

"That's not true!" Rukia snapped, "they're not all like that…" Rukia said full of emotion and her eyes got watery as she recalled Kaien's warmth and compassion.

"Idiot! She didn't quit because she wanted to…her brother ordered her to" Renji said looking away.

The air suddenly felt too heavy and everyone became quiet.

"So what exactly does Byakuya expect you to do now?" Yoruichi asked trying to change the sensitive subject.

"He wants me to get married after these classes" Rukia said looking away.

"I see. Well you shouldn't be so sad if you guys are getting married soon" Ichigo said looking at Renji and Rukia.

COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!

Renji almost choked on his food at the statement.

"Bakamono! Renji's my childhood friend, of course we're not getting married! Why would you think something like that?" Rukia said offended.

"Sorry! Every time I've seen you you're always with him, but then again I guess I should apologize deeply for making such an offensive assumption, you wouldn't be with a guy like him, not to mention that you're a noble and he's probably a nobody…" Ichigo rambled.

"That's not it!" Rukia said with clenched fists and a trembling voice, "I could care less if he was a noble or not but…I won't disobey nii-sama's request." She said firmly but a little agitated.

"I've had my fill of food, how about we get things going" Renji said and stood up. He was itching to land a nice blow on Ichigo after being such a blabber mouth.

"Fine with me" Ichigo said standing up as well.

The two started walking away from the group of girls.

"W-w-what are you guys doing? Kurosaki-san? Abarai-kun?" Momo asked with wide eyes.

"I think they want to put a few misunderstandings to rest…" Rukia said with a nervous laugh.

"Alright" Yoruichi said with a smirk, "they better put on a good show"


Nemu watched expectantly as the two guys unsheathed their swords. She loved watching Ichigo in combat and she couldn't deny that Renji was a hot guy himself with those sexy muscles and his tattooed skin.

"Let's see if you can put that crazy looking sword to good use!" Renji said with a wide smile and launched himself at Ichigo.

Their swords clashed loudly as the two began their duel. Ichigo hated to admit it but Renji was tougher and faster than the guys he had fought with before. The fight started off with Renji overpowering Ichigo. Every time Renji swung his sword he did it at full force. After waiting for so long to fight Ichigo he wasn't going to hold back. They went at it for a few minutes and the four girls were definitely getting an eyeful of the hot guys fighting in front of them when...

Wosh!

They gasped and their faces paled when Renji's sword went straight to Ichigo's chest and was thrown back forcefully. Renji smiled thinking this was the end when Ichigo spoke,

"Looks like Kuchiki isn't the only one who likes ruining my clothes" Ichigo said standing up and throwing the torn haori he was wearing to the side. His toned chest revealed only a minor gash.

"Huh? Haven't had enough? Alright let's go!" Renji said preparing to strike again but Ichigo beat him to it. There was something that had always been on Ichigo's side in every confrontation and that was his determination to win. The air started getting heavy making it hard for Renji to keep up…

'This kid's got a powerful reiatsu' Renji thought trying to hold his ground against Ichigo's powerful blows but as the fight progressed it turned into Ichigo overpowering Renji. Renji grunted as sweat drops formed on his forehead. His expensive glasses were sliding down his face so he decided to adjust them quickly.

Slash!Crack!

Zangetsu cut right through Renji's right shoulder and broke his expensive glasses in the process. Renji yelled in pain not only because of the blow but also because his precious glasses were now broken.

"Dammit!" He yelled. But he wouldn't give up. No, he wouldn't lose to a kid who wasn't even a shinigami.

"Hoero, Zabimaru!" He yelled and his sword expanded.

"Renji you idiot, you're taking it too far!" Rukia yelled nervously. She knew Ichigo wasn't a shinigami so he probably hadn't reached such a level of combat yet.

"Maybe we should stop them…" Momo said full of anxiety.

"We can't" Yoruichi said in a serious tone. Rukia remembered Ukitake's words when Kaien passed away and she hesitantly agreed.

Ichigo's eyes went wide as saucers when he noticed Renji's snake-like sword. He escaped the first hit but he wasn't too fast the second time around and it tore through his right side.

'I will not lose! I'm so close…' Ichigo told himself with determination even though the pain and fatigue were setting in.

"Gahhh!" He yelled trying to somehow increase his power. For some reason he turned to see Zangetsu and something inside of him told him to try and communicate with his sword. If the shinigami could do it so could he, right? His reiatsu started increasing. But there was something odd about it and everyone who was there could feel it clearly…

"Alright!" He said feeling recharged and was about to strike when he heard an ominous voice inside his head,

'Hahaha need a lil help now do ya? You moron! You can't call on your sword, not when it's as empty inside as I am!' Fear started creeping into Ichigo at the sound of the eerie voice cackling in delight. He looked around frantically thinking maybe it was someone around them but instead saw the group looking at him like he was some type of freak.

"Ichigo! Abarai! Enough playing around we're going to be late for class and you guys need to clean up!" Yoruichi yelled trying to sound like her usual self although inside she knew things would only start to get more complicated from now on.


While Rukia healed Renji's minor injuries the other girls filled Ichigo in on a bit of Rukia's past so he wouldn't blabber something insensitive again. They told him about her being adopted into the Kuchiki clan and about her losing her dear mentor recently.

After Rukia was done with Renji he walked the princesses to their class and Rukia stayed behind to heal Ichigo. Yoruichi could have healed him herself but she wanted to give the two some time to clear the air between them.

"Sorry for making you late for class" He said quietly feeling like a jerk after the things he had learned from her past.

"It was Renji's fault you got injured so it's technically my fault too, it's only fair that I help heal your wounds" She said and continued focusing her energy on him.

"Didn't know shinigami had the power to heal wounds" Ichigo noted as he stared at the blue light. Rukia's violet eyes looked up to meet his. She was about to say something but decided not to.

Ichigo noticed the sadness in her eyes. He'd feel the same if someone took Zangetsu away from him and prevented him from fighting. He decided to give her some space. He closed his eyes but could only feel the warmth of her energy flowing into him. It was slightly intoxicating...

"They were right…" Ichigo said softly a few minutes later with a small smile on his face.

"What?" Rukia asked.

"Yoruichi, Nemu and Momo said you were different from the other snobby nobles that attend this academy and they were right…"

"Thanks" Rukia said looking into his chocolate eyes. She didn't know what it was about him but she couldn't bring herself to dislike him, "You're not as annoying as I thought you were either" She finished with a smile.


Hello again!

Hope the fight scenes were good and that you guys liked the new developments ;).

Experimentnumber628: Hope this chappy cleared out some of the questions you had last time :).