Thanks to TheAnimeHannah for Beta reading the first nine chapters!
Disclaimer: All rights reserved for Kubo.
"Will that be all?" the shopkeeper asked looking at the ebony haired girl in front of him.
"Yes, that's all," she replied standing in a shop a few streets away from her apartment.
"You must be new here? I haven't seen you in our neighborhood before," the man asked whilst giving her a once over.
Rukia Kuchiki glanced at the man who was wearing a green coat with white-striped borders and sporting a hat that covered his dirty blonde hair. He looked young, but the hat covered his gray eyes that seemed to be amused by everything.
"Yes, I am new here. I just moved recently," she answered watching him curiously.
"Well then, welcome to Karakura Town; Kisuke Urahara at your service," he said removing his hat before bowing slightly.
She resisted rolling her eyes at his display and instead said, "Thanks, I am Rukia Kuchiki." She stuck her hand out and he shook it while asking, "Kuchiki? Are you sure? And you say you haven't been here before?"
"Yes, I am pretty sure I know my own name," she said the corner of her mouth lifting up. "I used to visit Karakura every year when I was young, now that I have moved here I am technically new."
"Alright," he said grinning, "I won't take more of your time. If you ever need something, just let me know."
Rukia nodded, grabbing her stuff and heading for the door which rang when she made her way out.
As the girl turned the corner and disappeared out of sight the shopkeeper picked up the receiver of the telephone on the counter and dialed a number very familiar to him. He waited for the other end to answer.
"Hello?"
"It's me."
"Yeah, I figured…..what's up?"
"You are not gonna believe what I am about to tell you…."
-x-
Rukia walked down the street to her apartment with her hands in the pockets of her navy blue hoodie, the stuff she bought sitting in her pockets. She pulled her hood over her head for some warmth.
Karakura was a small town, and people had the time to enjoy what they were doing here unlike in Tokyo where she had come from as nobody even looked at a person twice because of their fast lives. She preferred it that way though; she hoped there were no more curious characters like the shopkeeper she had just met.
She reached the building which was going to be her home from now on and stepped into the elevator; the elevator dinged when it reached the second floor. She unlocked the door to her apartment and switched on the lights taking in her surroundings. Half a dozen boxes lined the walls of the living room. One was open and its contents were lying on the couch. She groaned inwardly. She disliked messy houses, and boy would she be glad when her house was completely organized. She removed her hoodie and threw it on the couch, heading for the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. While the water boiled, she sat cross legged on the kitchen counter and reached for her memo pad a few feet away from her.
Firstly, she checked off the grocery items she had purchased and saw that the list of stuff to do today had been accomplished. Finishing things on her list and ticking them off gave her a satisfaction - that was the reason she made lists.
She flipped to a new page and wrote down 'finish unpacking' and 'prepare for college'.
She got up and poured herself some coffee and walked to the living room in hopes of getting something done today. She started by unpacking a carton with the books and stationary that were needed for college. Then, she removed the catalogue that read 'SEIREITEI UNIVERSITY' on its glossy page displaying a medieval palace turned university with cherry blossom trees in bloom. The reason she had come to Karakura was for this university which was almost bigger than the town itself; its population consisted of mostly students and others who had lived here their whole lives. Rukia had wanted to pursue a career in Art Sciences since forever and, after convincing her dad, here she was in one of the world's most renounced universities. There were so many future careers to choose from at the place, and they were not even interconnected as they ranged from medicine to martial arts. See, no connection!
That was one of her reasons for coming here. Well, the other was that she wanted an independent life away from all the Kuchiki protocols she had known all her life. No bodyguards, no nobility crap and no possessive dads. She loved her dad dearly but his over protectiveness at times irritated her to no end.
Standing up, she stretched her arms over her head and heard the kinks pop. She looked at the time, half past eight, plenty of time to take a run to stretch her stiffened limbs. Grabbing her hoodie, she walked out into the pleasant night of the city she had known all her life.
Rukia walked down the street when a shop's display caught her eye. She was on her way there when she heard someone say behind her, "I am not ignoring your calls Senna….. Look Senna, you and I are done, I already told you that….No you don't, you barely know me."
The man talking into his phone hung up and turned towards her adjusting his beanie. Even with the sunglasses he had on and the beanie that covered his hair completely, she could tell that this guy was hot.
What kind of an idiot wears such a getup at night? She thought. Maybe he's blind.
He walked up to a girl wearing a plaid skirt and tank top behind her who had seemingly been waiting for him.
"Ok sweetie, let's go," he told her. "Ok," she replied happily before giving him a peck on his cheek.
Rukia wondered what it was about him that she felt familiarly drawn to.
Shrugging she turned her attention back to the display at the shop's window and was shocked that she hadn't noticed.
"Oh my god!" she squealed like an idiot. When it came to Chappy the Rabbit she forgot all dignity she had and acted like an idiot (which she would always regret later). "This is the latest plushie!" she continued squealing about to run into the shop and buy it at any cost. However, she stopped when she heard someone saying something behind her, something that she was quite sensitive about.
"Haha! Look at that short kid squealing about a white-god-knows-what-it-is plushie!"
Rukia whirled around to see that it was the girl who was with the hot boy from before, who was nowhere in sight.
Raising her head high she marched over to the green-haired girl and glared at her. "Listen you bitch! Who the heck are you calling a kid? And its name is Chappy the Rabbit, not whatever F'd up thing you just said!"
The girl looked at her for a minute before she burst into more hysterical giggles.
What a creep,thought Rukia.
The people walking around were starting to stare at the commotion going on but she couldn't care less that they were watching or that this was highly inappropriate behavior for a Kuchiki.
She lifted her hand ready to retaliate at the girl when she suddenly found her wrist being caught from behind her.
"What the heck do you think you are doing?" the guy who had caught her arm said.
That does it!
Turning around, she tried pulling her wrist from his iron grip but to no avail. She looked up and glared at the sunglasses freak and was about to give him a piece of her mind but frowned when he suddenly gasped and dropped her hand like it was on fire. Without another word, he grabbed the other girls arm and yanked her away and out of sight.
Coward, she thought and let a smile break upon her face, the kind when the opponent leaves the battlefield and you are the obvious victor. Smirking to herself, she went in the shop and a minute later was out with her prize in the bag.
She started walking to her apartment when suddenly she crashed into somebody and the result was her falling on her butt. "OH MY GOD! I am so sorry," the person apologized. He helped her up continuing to apologize over and over again. She looked up to see that it was a middle aged man with black hair, whitish skin and a few scattered hairs for a beard. There was something about him she couldn't place; he seemed familiar.
"It's all right, really," she said. "I am not hurt".
Suddenly the man gasped, "Rukia dear is that you?" The man was starting to look very familiar.
"Mr. Kurosaki?" she asked cautiously in case she was wrong.
"Oh, it is you!" he said bringing her into a bone crushing hug.
"What are you doing here?" asked Rukia when he finally released her.
He laughed and said, "Well, I do live here."
"Of course, how stupid of me," she said smiling sheepishly.
"Oh Rukia, we have so much to talk about but I am in a hurry right now. How about you come over to my house for dinner tomorrow?" he asked hopefully.
Mr. Kurosaki had always been like a second father to her, so she said what a polite person who happened to be in a good mood would say.
"I would love to," she replied cheerfully.
"That's great," he said grinning at her. "I better get going, and it was great meeting you. See ya tomorrow," he said with a wave and walked away leaving a smiling Rukia behind.
A/N: My first story out! Please review!