Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

Chapter 1:

Horrible Holiday Blues

It was a chilly, cold and dark December night and Rukia found herself grateful that she had on her favorite purple chappy jacket; the only present her adoptive father, Jūshirō, gave to her - as she scrolled through the cold street tonight. The jacket holds a very special place in her heart as it's the only thing she was gifted to wholeheartedly by anyone. Jūshirō was able to purchase it using his savings he earned from their floral shop. When Jūshirō gave it to Rukia, Rukia had been so caught off-guard by the kind gesture, so much that her jaw literally dropped directly in front of Jūshirō. She of course remembered to tell Jūshirō "Thank you" politely in a low voice as that's how she was raised.

Jūshirō had seemed quite surprised by her display of timidity. After all, Rukia's not known as an expressive type of person. She was more on the contrary: self-controlled, bordering stoic, and quite anti-social. Oftentimes Rukia prefers to keep to herself. This demeanor of hers usually prompted most people to tread around her carefully, like a snake lurking in the grass waiting to catch its prey. However Jūshirō was not emotionally showy himself. Most of the time, the two had a quiet breakfast, disrupted by the generic questions of "How was school today?" or "How's your classes going?" Some people would probably be put off by that brusque interaction, but she was used to it. It was just the way they communicated. She welcomed it, being someone who was not too keen on divulging personal information about herself. It had been that way all of her life living with Jūshirō.

However in Karakura Town she was seen as a bit of an outsider. Majority of the Karakura locals were naturally friendly and always had the knack of connecting with almost everyone, so her seemingly dark and withdrawn nature was at odds with the majority of people, as if she really was looking for companionship though. In fact, she actually preferred being left alone. Making new connections with other people was not her favorite activity.

On top of that, she felt like her height and unique hairstyle was already an outcast here. She was only a messily 147 centimeters tall (4'8) and her hair was shorter than most of the women here, only sitting at shoulder length but it was gorgeous black raven hair with a bang across her nose. Compared to the majority of the females in Karakura town where they were much taller than 147 centimeters and their hair was longer, she really felt like an outsider, however it didn't bother her at all.

Unfortunately, this preference got in her way of group activities in college. Ever since she was in high school, group activities had been the hardest part. It was during these times that she found herself missing her former best friend. If he were with her, she would not worry about the awkwardness of seeking willing class partners. Most of the time, she ended up in groups so small, it seemed like the group she joined was just forced to accept her. She did not mind though. She did every task that was assigned to her in every group activities. It was not that she could not work with others. In fact, she always took it upon herself to ask the leader of the group about the task that would be assigned to her. Her classmates would be polite, but they also would mostly not really initiate the contact.

Generally, she was just seen as cool and quiet, maybe a bit weird. She couldn't blame anyone for thinking that though. After all, she was known for always wearing a long-sleeved hoodie or cardigan, even during the hottest days of school. She used to be asked about it throughout her high school years (she got a special permission to keep her hoodie on always, in addition to their specified school uniform). When anyone asked, she would just lift her sleeves, and their faces would be overcome with shock. They would then continue asking how she got those, but she would not answer these questions directly, just vaguely, just enough to satisfy their curiosity.

When she entered college and wearing civilian clothes became the norm, she was relieved. At least, her penchant for hoodies and cardigans would not be as noticeable. She only got asked once by her seatmate Hanatarō about it, but she simply answered that she was used to it. Her hoodie was like her safety blanket from the outside world, her hiding place from people's judgmental eyes. It kept her life quiet and peaceful...

She just did not expect that this quiet and peace would be broken when she finally reached her and her dad's small house.

"Jūshirō, are you home?" Usually, Jūshirō would be home from the floral shop by now, as the clock on the wall ticked to 8PM but she did not hear any noise as she stood by the door.

"Jūshirō? Jūshirō!" She tested the door knob, and, luckily, it was open. She hurriedly stepped inside and headed to the kitchen. Her dad was not there. "Where could he be at this time?"

She then proceeded to her dad's room, and she found him, passed out on the floor. Her heart was beating loudly and she was already panicking, though her outside demeanor showed nothing much more than her slight panting.

"Jūshirō." She cradled her dad's head and slightly slapped him to wake him up. She checked her dad's head; there did not seem to be a concussion, thank god. Her dad was still not answering and his skin felt clammy.

With her hands trembling, she gently put her dad's head back down on the floor and rushed outside, telling the nearest neighbor that she saw that she needed help to bring her dad to the hospital. The neighbors rushed to help her. They even helped her flag down a cab and went with her to the hospital.

"Your father Jūshirō' needs coronary artery bypass surgery as soon as humanly possible. The arteries in his heart are clogged badly and waiting will endanger his life further. Currently, your father is breathing but we need to schedule he operation as soon as possible. You were lucky to have rushed to the hospital so quickly. If you had been any later, he would have not made it," his dad's doctor told her.

The doctor stood up to resume his rounds to the other patients. She thanked him profusely and he just nodded. Once the doctor was gone from the room, she looked at her dad sleeping soundly, the sound of the heart monitor the only thing that could be heard. A respirator was attached to her dad to further help him in his breathing.

She couldn't help but sigh. She knew that this disease was not really out of the blue. After all, her dad had a lot of vices during his younger years, indulging in alcohol and cigarette smoking; those were pretty common among the circle of her dad's other friends. Her dad had quit smoking some years ago, though he still drank occasionally. She did her best to remind her dad about the dangers of his habit, albeit awkwardly, though her dad could control himself anyway.

One thing that she realized was that her dad probably had felt the symptoms for quite some time now. Was that the reason why her dad gifted her with a hoodie out of the blue? The gesture had struck her as weird six months ago.

She was now left with a big problem. After all, a bypass operation was really expensive. Even the hospital stay would end up costing a lot on its own. Luckily, the prescribed medicines would be covered by her dad's health insurance. But the operation was another story. The insurance would only cover the doctor's fee for the operation. The operation itself would need to be paid separately, as well as the hospital stay. All in all, everything might reach up to more than ¥715,000. Where would she get that amount of money?

She could sell their little house, but one couldn't find a buyer immediately. She needed the money right away. She considered her options while walking the white halls of the hospital, dazed and lost in her thoughts.

"Ouch!"

Rukia was jolted from her reverie and she looked up to see a very tall man, long wavy brown hair man in a ponytail dressed in a pink dress shirt and a black tie draped with pink flower designs all over the tie. "I'm really sorry!" She apologized profusely. It was dumb of her to not pay attention while walking. Her hood fell as she bowed repeatedly.

The older man did not seem mad, thank god. When Rukia looked at the man properly to ask if he was alright, the eyes of the attractive man she bumped into widened a bit. Maybe he was mad.

"Um… err… Are you alright, sir? It was my fault for not looking where I was going," Rukia said cautiously. She studied the man's face as he was still not responding to her question.

"Sir?" Rukia repeated. That snapped the handsome man in pink out of his blank stare and he finally looked at her properly.

"Yes, I'm alright." The man smiled at Rukia, her pearly teeth glinting. Rukia was struck with how handsome this creature was. He definitely reminded her of the most attractive and popular guy in their college: her seatmate, Coyote Starrk.

"I'm truly sorry. I clearly wasn't paying attention at all to where I was going," Rukia once again apologizes.

"It's no big deal so don't worry about it.," The man assumed an inquiring look, "Are you by chance, Rukia Ukitake, the step-daughter of Jūshirō Ukitake?"

Rukia was surprised though the only expression she had on the outside was her violet clear eyes being widened. "Yes... I am. How did you know about my Father and I?"

"I am an old friend of your Father. May I see him please?" The tall ponytail man asked Rukia.

"Yeah, sure. This way." With that, Rukia guided the man to her dad's hospital room. How did my dad become friends with such a handsome and elegant man like him? The question echoed in Rukia's mind as she walked together with the man.

"He's stable for now, but a bypass operation is needed urgently." Rukia informed the man as they settled around her dad's bed, conversing softly. She looked at the man across from her, who just nodded.

She couldn't stop herself with her brewing curiosity. "How did you find out about my dad's condition?" Rukia thought that the man might be annoyed with her incessant questions, so she hurriedly explained, "I'm sorry. It's just that I've never met you before. I know everyone of my dad's friends and you don't seem to be the type to be in their circle."

The man looked lost, so Rukia continued., "I mean, most of my dad's friends are into nature and outdoors… you know, those types… But you're elegant, rich.," the man looked amused., "if you know what I mean," Rukia finished lamely.

The man laughed softly. "Don't worry, I get what you mean. Actually, your aunt Retsu called me." Aunt Retsu was Jūshirō's best friend since childhood and his business partner in their little Floral shop. The two operated the shop together.

"I've been friends with them for a long time now, but my line of work prevents me from seeing them often. In fact, I only have a few minutes to spare here. I just escaped from a meeting with my employee's and I need to return to them soon." The man continued her explanation.

"Is that so? That's unfortunate. My dad would have appreciated your presence if he were awake. He has always been more energetic than usual in the presence of his friends. Perhaps you could visit him again?" Rukia asked their visitor.

"I will definitely try to." The man got something from his shirt pocket. "Anyway, this is the real reason why I'm here." The man handed Rukia a calling card.

Rukia read the card. It had the name "Shunsui Kyōraku, manager" in embossed cursive letters. Under it was a mobile number. It also had a kanji symbol, 死神. 'Death God's Escort Services,' it said. Rukia's eyes widened. He was an escort manager? He did not look like it.

With the elegance he was radiating, he looked more like a man who made his money honorably in other ways.

"Retsu told me that Jūshirō may not be able to pay the hospital fees, especially for the operation. I had some savings, but I'm afraid they're not going to be enough to cover all the expenses. My savings were depleted when my older brother's daughter was sick."

Rukia looked up at the older man, her voice slightly quivering. "Thanks a lot. Any help is really appreciated right now."

"Don't thank me yet," the man said in a stern voice.

Rukia looked up, slightly startled by the change in the man's tone. "Huh?"

"I'm afraid that the only way for you to get enough money to pay for the surgery is for you to actually become an escort yourself."