Disclaimer: The only kind of bleach I own keeps my underwear nice and white.
Summary: At a masquerade ball held for the company she works for, Rukia meets her prince charming, who she soon discovers is her boss from hell. When she begins to learn more about him, she quickly falls for the orange haired jerk. (IchiRuki).
I hit another 30 reviews for the last chapter!! Yay!! And now, just two days later, Chapter 10!!! Hope you all enjoy! So, what's going to happen to Rukia? Is she really going to quit??
Hierarchy
Ch.9 Out of Character
After Rukia walked out of his office, she grabbed her things, signed out, and went home.
"I'm sick and tired of being so stressed out when I shouldn't have to be. I've worked there plenty long now, and nothing is getting better. Besides…"
"I don't see how I really kissed you at the masquerade ball, it must have been someone else!"
Rukia squeezed her eyes closed, remembering her words perfectly. Why was she such an idiot? She unlocked the door to her apartment and chucked her bag to the floor.
"There's no way I can go back now." She muttered, sinking into her couch. It was only 11:45.
"I didn't even last half a day." She whispered laughing a little bit. Rukia pulled her legs onto the couch and rested her head on the end. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Where would she go now?
"Anywhere but there." Rukia answered herself. Surely there were other corporations that wouldn't be so difficult, or have such a horrible boss, right? Then again, who would want a woman who didn't even last a full day when promoted? Not many, probably not any at all…
Rukia groaned and pulled a pillow over her face in frustration. Every time she thought of her last words to Ichigo, she flinched, gritting her teeth.
"I can't believe I was so thoughtless." She whispered underneath the pillow. It was strange really. The whole time she had been with Ichigo while at the other corporation, she hadn't thought about the ball at all, which seemed a little weird considering how much she was with him.
"I even rode in his car with him and I didn't think of it!" She said a little louder. The other half of the time at work was spent thinking about how much of a pain he was, which distracted her from other thoughts, except for when she had screamed at him, and blurted out the one thing she never wanted him to hear.
Rukia finally screamed into her pillow. She knew it was a childish thing to do, but she was still angry and upset, not only at Ichigo, but at herself. Why was he only that way to her? Or was Rukia seriously missing something that everyone else knew about.
"No one else is mean like him, so that shouldn't give him any excuse." She said pouting, finally pulling the pillow off. Rukia was grateful she didn't cry, because she would have felt ten more times pitiable than she already did.
Deciding she wasn't hungry enough to eat food, Rukia grabbed the remote to her television and flipped through the channels. Of course it was 11 in the morning, the time period where they played boring shows for old people living in retirement homes to watch. Chappy wasn't even on to somewhat brighten her mood.
Rukia finally settled with some strange reality show, and blinked when her phone rang.
"Hello? Hey Hisana. You're coming into town tomorrow? Alright I'll call you and we can figure out sometime to meet up. Sorry, today was rough. I don't think I'm going back to Seireitei. I know, I can't really talk about it now, but I'll call you later and explain everything to you. Hisana are you ok? Alright, well I'll call you later, bye."
Rukia hung up the phone and set it next to her. It was good to hear her sister's voice, even if it did sound raspy and weak. Was she still not getting any better?
She grew tiresome from watching the stupid show, and dozed off into asleep. Rukia surprisingly had good dreams about when she was little, when she used to play with Hisana.
"Let's play the guessing game with mommy!" Rukia exclaimed grabbing her sister's arm.
"But mommy always wins! How about Bya-nii, he sometimes guesses wrong." Hisana replied, skipping with Rukia down the sidewalk.
"Ok!" Rukia said. They quickly made their way to their small home where Byakuya was at, studying of course.
He was in his room, eyes glued to his book. "Bya-nii!" Hisana and Rukia shouted in unison. He looked up from his book with a blank expression.
"What?" He half asked, looking back down at his book thoughtfully. Hisana and Rukia both giggled and moved closer to him.
"We want to play a game!" Hisana cried poking her brother. Byakuya rolled his eyes slightly and lifted his head again.
"I'm busy studying." He replied. Hisana pouted.
"Please Bya-nii? Just one?" She asked, Rukia joining in. They both grabbed and pulled at his shirt. Byakuya smacked their hands away.
"Fine, just one." He said aggravated. Rukia and Hisana squealed.
"Ok, we want to play the guessing game!" Rukia beamed. Byakuya sighed and turned to his two seven-year old sisters.
"You guys are getting too old for that." Byakuya stated looking at the two. Rukia and Hisana giggled.
"Nu-uh! C'mon! We wanna play!" Hisana exclaimed. Byakuya sighed again, more deeply than before, and looked at the two of them.
"The one of the left is Hisana, and the one on the right is Rukia." He told them seconds later. Hisana and Rukia frowned.
"Aw you're no fun! How did you know?" Hisana asked placing her hands on her hips. Byakuya smirked.
"You have two pieces of hair always hanging from your face while Rukia has one, plus you're a little skinnier than Rukia." This time, Rukia placed her hands on her hips.
"I'm not fat!" She cried. Hisana giggled.
"Yes you are! You're fat!" Hisana exclaimed poking at Rukia's side. Byakuya shook his head.
"No! You're just too skinny!" Rukia replied and poked Hisana back. They quickly got into a poking war when Byakuya grabbed their arms.
"Stop you guys are fine. Now I need to keep studying, I'm taking a college admission test tomorrow." Byakuya stated, glancing back at his book.
"College? Didn't daddy go to college?" Rukia asked. Byakuya shook his head.
"Yes he did." Byakuya replied, getting ready to push them out of his room.
"But aren't you too young for that? Wasn't daddy a grown-up? You're thirteen!" Hisana exclaimed.
"Don't worry about it, now seriously, I need to get back to work." Byakuya stated as he pulled his sisters out the door. They smiled sheepishly.
"We'll be back later!" Rukia shouted as Byakuya shut his door. She turned to Hisana who was smiling too.
"Ok, let's go ask Oreo!" Hisana whispered. Rukia grinned.
"Oreo's a dog so she won't ever be able to tell us apart!" Rukia replied, and the two made their way down the stairs.
Rukia woke up to a knock on her door. "W-What time is it?" She asked with a slurred voice. She looked at her clock and almost gasped.
"Five thirty in the afternoon? How is that possible?" She exclaimed, hearing the door knock again. Rukia stood from her couch and went to retrieve the door. How could she have slept so long?
Rukia was still half dazed when she reached the door, and was surprised to find who stood at the doorway.
Renji and Hinamori.
"What are you guys doing here?" Rukia asked rubbing her head. They both looked a little upset about something, and Rukia let them in.
"Is it true?" Hinamori asked.
"Is what true?" Rukia replied.
"About you quitting?" Renji snapped back sharply. Even Hinamori looked at him a little fearfully.
"Who told you that?" Rukia asked. She hadn't said a word to anyone except Ichigo, and he of all people wasn't one to go and say such things like his secretary quitting.
"People heard you and Kurosaki-san yelling at each other, and then they saw you walk out of his office furious. Others said they saw you walk out of the building too. The rumors are just so awful Rukia, so we figured we would come check on you."
"What sort of rumo —"
"Answer the freaking question." Renji cut in, glaring at Rukia. She sighed and looked down at the ground.
"Look, it's not official yet, but I am leaving, for good." The room was silent after that, and Hinamori soon broke the ice.
"What happened Rukia-san?" She asked sympathetically. Rukia and Hinamori sat down on the couch, while Renji sat on her rocking chair. She glanced at Renji, who looked back at her. Rukia tore her eyes away, not wanting to say everything with him there. Seeing that she had no choice, Rukia sighed, and began explaining.
"Today started off fine, I mean Kurosaki-san and I went to see Ichimaru-san to do whatever Kurosaki-san needed, and then we got back and things went down hill. I tried to get some papers copied for him, but none of the copy machines were working. I had to go across the street to copy them, and then I was late." Rukia paused, preparing herself for saying the worst part.
"I remember him yelling at you." Renji stated. Rukia nodded.
"Renji had been there when I was looking for a copy machine. Anyways, Kurosaki-san was mad that I hadn't gotten his papers in on time, and I started to get angry. He began showing me some new paperwork I would be doing, and it was just going to be impossible with everything else I would need to get done. So, I snapped at him and we got into a big argument. Towards the end, I accidentally brought up the ball."
Rukia's words grew quiet at the end and Hinamori's eyes widened.
"What do you mean you brought up the ball?" Hinamori asked, looking shocked.
"I told him how I you know, kissed him."
"WHAT?" Renji shouted, grabbing the arms of his chair tightly. Hinamori and Rukia looked up at him.
"Oh it's a long story, I'll tell you later." Hinamori said waving her hand at him. Rukia shook her head fast.
"No! Don't tell him! This is a secret I told you!" Rukia exclaimed. Hinamori shrugged her shoulders.
"A little late now don't you think?" She asked. Rukia closed her eyes. "If you tell anyone Renji, I'll kill you." Rukia said in a teasingly manner.
Renji was in too much shock to get her serious joke.
"Is Kurosaki-san mean to you?" Rukia asked Hinamori. She shrugged her shoulders.
"He's not mean really, but he's not nice either. I don't know, he's like that to everyone." Hinamori replied.
"I know I was his secretary, but the things he said were just so rude…" Rukia stated.
"So you're going to quit then?" Hinamori asked, snapping Rukia out of her sudden gaze. She pressed her hands together, looking down.
"I'm sorry, but I just can't take it anymore. I've tried for the past three months now, and it's only gotten worse." Rukia said. Hinamori didn't look satisfied.
"I don't want you to go." Hinamori began. "How about just one more try? If it doesn't work out then you can leave."
Rukia shook her head. "How can I even talk to him now when I've admitted what happened?"
Hinamori's smile dropped. "I don't know what to say about that one."
"Have you told Aizen-san yet?" Renji asked, finally speaking. Rukia looked at him. The irritation was read easily on his face, and she wondered if he was jealous, like during the whole elevator occurrence.
"No, I'm going to his office tomorrow, where I can hopefully avoid seeing Kurosaki-san." Rukia told the two.
"So, tell me about the rumors." Rukia asked. Hinamori rolled her eyes slouching her shoulders.
"Do you really want to know?" Hinamori asked.
Rukia shook her head. "I'm sure it has to do with Kurosaki-san and how we broke up or something." Rukia humored. Hinamori laughed, nodding her head.
"What do you mean broke up?" Renji asked suddenly. Rukia and Hinamori chuckled more.
"Well, I guess we'll let you go now, but we should celebrate your going away. I really want to keep in touch Rukia-san." Hinamori said standing up from the couch.
Rukia smiled at her warmly, and stood along with Renji and Hinamori. "I'm glad you both came by." She told them, walking them to her door.
"You better explain everything to me Hinamori-san." Renji muttered as they walked out the door. Rukia laughed again and closed the door. She was glad she at least met some good people at Seireitei Inc. and she hoped to stay friends with them, though Renji wouldn't be too much of a problem.
There was soon another knock at her door, and Rukia turned around to answer it.
"Are you still gonna go to the dinner party with me on Saturday?" Renji asked. Rukia had almost completely forgot.
"I'm sorry Renji, but I can't." Rukia replied simply. Renji nodded, seeming to understand why she wouldn't attend, and left her apartment.
Rukia didn't go to bed until much later since she had slept for nearly six hours that morning. "Honestly, how did I sleep that long?" Rukia thought as she crawled into bed.
She really didn't want to go back, but if she wanted to be professional, she needed to take responsibility for her leave. Rukia would have given a two weeks notice, but seeing as she couldn't handle a single day, two weeks was out of the question.
The next morning, Rukia made her way to Seireitei Inc. around 9 o'clock. "Why not sleep a little later?" Rukia thought. Though she would probably be sleeping in until she found a new job, which she hoped wouldn't last too long.
The moment Rukia walked into the building, people were already looking at her and whispering. She rolled her eyes and walked down the halls. After remembering his office was on the twentieth floor, Rukia decided to take the stairs. To her surprise, the walk up didn't take too long, and only more people stared at her when she finally reached the twentieth floor.
Rukia kept her head forward, and approached the lady at the desk right in front of Aizen's office. "I would like to speak with Aizen-san." Rukia asked politely. The lady looked at her strangely and nodded.
"Just a sec." She replied, and got on the phone. "Yes, Aizen-san, Kuchiki Rukia wants to speak to you, uh-huh, right, ok." The woman hung up the phone.
"You can go inside now." The woman said, pointing towards the door. Rukia smiled, pulling her purse closer to her. She pushed the door open.
Aizen was reading some sort of paper, and looked up when Rukia walked in. "Oh Kuchiki-san, please come in." He said, smiling his warm smile. Rukia smiled back awkwardly, and walked into his office, not being able to stop herself from looking at displays of art in his room.
"Have a seat." He offered, pointing to the chair in front of his desk. Rukia took the seat, wondering why he hadn't offered it last time. He placed his hands underneath his chin, resting on his elbows.
"How are you Kuchiki-san?" He asked. Rukia kept her purse in her lap, holding onto it tightly.
"Alright I suppose." She replied. Rukia needed to stay professional, yet honest at the same time. It was her first time to actually quit a job, and she wanted to get it down right.
"I heard from Ichigo-san that you felt you needed to quit, is this true?" He asked. Rukia paused for a moment, and nodded.
"Yes." She replied.
"I know I'm not supposed to, but can I ask why?"
Rukia paused again. What could she say to him without sounding pathetic? She wasn't going to be rude and not say anything at all. The words flowed out her mouth nevertheless
"I'm just not feeling comfortable with the new secretary job." She replied, trying to keep eye contact with him. Aizen stared at her for a minute, his smiling never faltering.
"I'm sorry to hear that Kuchiki-san. I really hate to lose such a great employee. I know Kurosaki-san can be a tough boss sometimes, but he's good about making sure people get their work done." Aizen said smiling. Rukia froze in her seat.
Why was he bringing him into this?
"Sorry, well, if you're sure this is what you want, then you are free to go." Aizen said to her, standing to shake her hand.
"Thank you for the opportunity I had to work here." Rukia replied, shaking his hand firmly. She turned around and slowly walked towards the office door, which felt like eternity.
Before Rukia's hand touched the handle, she paused and took a deep breathe. This was the end of Seireitei Inc., a small part of her life. She would remember the experiences she had there, whether she liked them or not.
Her hand finally touched the door knob, and she paused when she heard Aizen's voice.
"Before you go Kuchiki-san, can I tell you something?" His voice asked from behind. Rukia turned around, hand still on the door knob.
"Yes?" She asked politely. He was still standing, and she could barely see the grin on his face considering how long his office was.
"I don't know if I ever said it before, but Kurosaki-san was the one to recommend you to be his secretary."
Rukia's eyes widened.
"What?" She asked in shock. Aizen nodded.
"Yes, just a few hours after his previous secretary quit, I came up to him asking if he knew anyone who would be good and quick to work for him. Your name was the only one he said." Aizen told her, hands on both of his sides.
Rukia looked down at the ground in utter confusion. "I have to go now." Rukia told him, turning around again.
"You're more than welcome to come back Kuchiki-san, you're a hard worker after all."
Rukia nodded from behind, and left his office.
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A/N: What? Ichigo was the one to recommend her? Did any of you see this coming??? ( I know a few did!) Tell me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and it was fun writing about Rukia and Hisana little, especially with a thirteen year old Byakuya genius!! So what's Rukia going to do now since she knows what Aizen just told her?
Well anyways, please review and tell me your thoughts!!
LOVE YOU ALL!!
PS- updates are going to eventually start slowing down since we're getting deeper into the story. I'm thinking next Friday, but maybe sooner.