A/N:
Frigg Nevia07 - "I smelled ByaRuki xD, I became curious about the next chapter, I waited for the next chapter" Yes I gotta show ByaRuki some love here. (:
FafaCute -"Im curious about rukia's mom Oh..so it's time for byakuya to get close to rukia.. I thought the one who hired a sleuth was Ichigo..Cant wait to read the next chapter..eventho I doubt theres a hot scene in it \_(ツ)_/ lol Keep up the good work" - Let's just say Rukia's mother is very important to the story. You'll see who hired the sleuth. Don't worry the hot scenes will return. (:
mbravesgirl7 -"This has been very good fic so far! Keep up the awesome work!" New reviewer and I recognized you! I read your fics a long time ago! Thanks for being a reader to my story!
Ana SunMoon -"Very interesting the point of view that you included on legalizing prostitution, well done using it for the plot. The client from the first part was Ichigo? Or Byakuya? I'm intrigued and curious. Can I find a patron just like Ichigo?" You'll see who was the client in this chapter. You want a crazy mob boss as your patron haha?
Ichirukitrash4ever -"So the two other harems are Renji and Uryuu? Never expected Uryuu to be included if I am correct This was a long chapter! The topic about this chapter was interesting. And Rukia was so smart with her answer I dunno, but I am pissed off with Renji hahaha, maybe my bias IR self is talking but he was a jerk for ignoring Rukia just like what he did ij canon. Hoping he get the less attention from Rukia xD He does not deserve her lol" - Yes that's correct. Ichigo, Byakuya, Renji and Uryu. Let's just say Renji is a bit of a simp in this story hahaha.
jobananasan - "Okay, the person who hired a PI is obviously Ichigo. *chuckles* I guessed right that he was gonna do that. I'm assuming the chapter title refers to him also. Can't wait to see him back again.
...you don't want to know who her mother is...only a few people knew of her existence..."-What. The. Fuck? O_O O_O O_O Who the heck would need their existence be known to the barest minimum? Was she someone's mistress? Please don't tell me she was one of Isshin's mistresses...Oh my god please tell me Rukia's not at all blood related to Ichigo...Fuck...Anyways, I'm guessing her mom was a prostitute? Or maybe a mistress to some very very very high powerful important person. Is Rukia supposed to be living a privileged life because of who her birth father is? I hope we get to find out who her real parents are. Hopefully Ichigo will get curious enough and dig for some answers...But something tells me that secret is better left a secret...
Was her mother the person in the painting? Was the painter her actual father?
Oh my god the Fates really be trolling her! Poor girl...She's just minding her own business, trying to get through life without causing any stirs. *sigh* Anyways, now that Byakuya knows where to find her what kind of shit is he gonna pull to get closer to her? I can already see a possible scenario. He's going to become a regular speaker, maybe even teach a class or two. He's going to show some kind of favoritism for her. The student body is going to spread some kind of malicious rumor about her, maybe even accusing her of prostitution since she seemed so "aware and informed" on the subject matter. I'm so not looking forward to this. All I can say is Byakuya better fucking protect her from any maliciousness that'll undoubtedly occur. And you know what, I'm kinda annoyed with him. Out of ALL the people in that PACKED auditorium he just HAD to pick the one person who was obviously trying to go unnoticed. *smh* Not gonna lie though it's kinda funny the same thing happened with Ichigo.
Ugh, Renji...He's so frickin' ugly. *chuckles* Don't like RenRuki either. I see them more as buddies. And right now I'm judging him severely for seemingly snobbing Rukia. But I will cut him some slack. He'd better have a good reason for acting like he doesn't know her. I can already see his fangirls hating on her. Ugh.
Wait...Is the other guy who's gonna fall for her Uryuu? Can't be Byakuya because we already knew that. The only other one you mentioned is Uryuu. Oh shit...If it's him then her school life is about to be so fucked. Byakuya, Renji, Uryuu, whose girlfriend is some kind of university darling...Oh god...Uryuu, please don't do anything to hurt Orihime. She seems nice enough. I'm really rooting for IshiHime. And also hoping for some RenTats in the end. *crossing my fingers* In any case I can't WAIT until Ichigo shows up on campus to claim her! LOL! That. Will. Be. Glorious! Oh, and I hope to god her being an escort for one week remains a secret or I will get violent.
I really love what Rukia said about sex workers. It's messed up that they're the ones who are punished but not the ones who are actually running the businesses and engaging in human trafficking. And it makes me sick to my stomach that some of those are minors. It's so heartbreaking.
Anyways, loving the story so far. Very interesting chapter. Rukia's past is truly a mystery. Curiouser and curiouser. Looking forward to the next! :)" - Everyone is guessing it's Ichigo but for some odd reason haha. You'll see who it is in this chapter. Ichigo will return later on sometime. Well I'm trying to drop subtile and vague clues and mentions to Rukia's mother as she somewhat plays a role in the story actually. No Rukia and Ichigo aren't blood related. Calm down haha. A few more chapter where the truth about the painting is shown. Yes i had to put Renji in the story. And Uryu plays a part too.
Chapter 13: Class Rules
The next day, Rukia was relieved to find things back to normal. She was invisible again and no one gave a shit when she walked to her class in her hoodie. Yesterday, she was forced to suffer the attention of people, especially Byakuya's fangirls who asked her how she felt when the famous lawyer smiled at her.
Frankly, Rukia was still bewildered that she saw the lawyer again, more so, right where she studied. Did he remember her? But then again, she looked and dressed so differently in her jeans and hoodie compared to that time when she was in the escort service where she had no choice but to be very feminine. So yes, he probably did not remember her. That calmed her mind because that meant that she could still go on in her life like that one week of being a prostitute never happened.
On the other hand, she did not know that Byakuya was that famous. She knew he must have been some hotshot lawyer, because one could not be a client of Death Gods if he did not have connections and money. But the knowledge that he was also supposedly the leading bachelor of the country was new to her.
Whatever. It was not as if they would meet again anyway. Yesterday was just a mere coincidence.
When she reached her classroom, she went straight to her seat. Orihime was already there and when she saw Rukia, she instantly perked up.
"Hey, Rukia! How have you been?" Orihime greeted her.
"Huh? Same as always," she answered in her usual monotone.
Orihime pouted. "That's it? Didn't you feel anything when Atty. Kuchiki talked to you?"
Well, she did feel something: surprise. The man was her client when she prostituted for one week and she had not expected to see him again, but she could not exactly tell Orihime that so she settled on just saying, "Uhmm… Should I feel anything?"
"What?! How could you be so nonchalant? If I were you, I would not be able to sleep for the whole night because Atty. Kuchiki talked to me! He's really so hot…" Orihime sighed dreamily.
Rukia just shook her head at her hyperactive classmate. "Hey relax, your boyfriend might get jealous," she teased Orihime as she gestured in the direction of Uryu who was talking to Renji.
Orihime's pout appeared again. "Hmp! So what? Everyone is fangirling on Atty. Kuchiki anyway." She looked back at Rukia. "Except you. You're really weird," Orihime teasingly added.
Rukia just smirked at her seatmate. "Whatever."
Their banter was interrupted when someone called the attention of the whole room. It was a delivery boy carrying a bouquet of cherry blossoms.
"Uhmm… Excuse me? Is there someone by the name of Rukia Ukitake here?" the delivery boy inquired.
Rukia confusedly raised her hand as everyone stared back at her. "Uhmm… I'm Rukia Ukitake." Okay, what was happening here?
"Great, please sign the form here." The delivery boy responded by the door of the classroom.
Rukia hesitated for a bit and it was Orihime who nudged her. "Hey, the delivery boy told you to sign the form."
She looked back at Orihime and nodded. "Yeah, wait here."
She walked towards the door as she felt everyone's eyes following her just like yesterday. Why did these things happen to her? She felt like grimacing. She was really growing tired of all the attention she kept on getting.
After she signed the form and returned it to the delivery boy, he handed her the bouquet of cherry blossoms..
"Flowers for you, Ma'am. Please have a good day," he said before he went away.
Rukia stood there dumbfounded while carrying the bouquet. O-kay. Wait. The delivery boy must have been mistaken. There was no way someone would send her flowers. No one ever did. Meanwhile, Orihime suddenly appeared at her side.
"OMG. Rukia, these cherry blossoms are lovely! It also looks expensive. Who is it from?" She excitedly asked.
Rukia raised her confused eyes at the girl. "Orihime, I think the delivery boy was mistaken. Come to think of it, maybe this was for you." She promptly dropped the bouquet at her lovely classmate and hurriedly returned to her seat.
"Wait, Rukia!" Orihime followed her. "Let's take a look at the card so we will see."
Rukia sighed at her seat while Orihime excitedly perched on the arm of the chair. "Fine."
"Yey!" Orihime opened the card and read its contents out loud.
"Rukia, it was nice to meet you. Byakuya."
Hearing the message made Rukia's eyes widen. Byakuya? Why did he send her flowers? Did he remember her after all? This couldn't be… She wanted to leave her prostituting past behind! She was still reeling in shock when Orihime shrieked.
"Eeecckkk! OMG! Atty. Byakuya Kuchiki sent you these cherry blossoms? I can't breathe!" Her classmate was fanning herself animatedly. Her shriek attracted the attention of the whole class – even Renji and Uryu looked into their direction.
"Wait, Atty. Kuchiki? The number one bachelor of the country? The hot guy yesterday? Let me see!" A classmate spoke out.
"Rukia, I think you got the attention of Mr. Hottie Lawyer! You're so lucky, I'm envious!" Orihime eagerly told her.
"No, no… I don't think so… I mean, why would he?" Rukia protested but it was lost in the commotion when all the other girls gathered around her to admire her bouquet and read the card attached to it.
"How did she react? Confused?" He chuckled briefly as he listened to the person on the other line. "Yes, I could imagine her doing that. Great job. Thanks."
Byakuya cut off the line as he settled back in his spacious office on top of a skyscraper in Karakura's downtown business district. Everything was going according to his plan and that mob boss wouldn't be a hindrance now.
Ever since that night he saw Shirayuki, or Rukia as he found out, he was not able to get her out of his mind. It was weird because the only girl he felt like this for was his late wife, Hisana. It had been too long since he became interested in another girl. And so, he had returned to the escort service. But that motherfucker, the mob boss Ichigo Kurosaki, had prevented him from seeing Rukia again because he monopolized the escort's time.
He knew that he wouldn't have the chance to talk to the girl if he depended only on the escort service so he hired a private investigator to find out more about the girl who caught his fancy. What he found out made him more interested. He also was interested in trying to figure out who her mother was as he remembered what the sleuth said to him.
"Just trust me, you'll be surprised who her mother is.. only a few people knew of her existence.. that's all I can mention to you."
What does that mean? Byakuya thought long and hard in his head.. "Only a few knew of her existence? Was she an escort just like Rukia? No that can't be. His voice spoke like he was terrified. She must have been an insane person if her mother is trying to be erased from history. Oh well, I'll have my team try to research into her mother.
Rukia was a smart girl, as she proved when he was able to converse with her in the entertainment room of the escort service. A valedictorian during high school and a scholar in college, it was such a shame to see that girl be treated like a common whore at the hands of that shitty mob boss. Luckily, from what he found from his investigations, Rukia's contract was for a week only. That was when he saw his chance.
He immediately called the school and told them that he would like to conduct a forum about the Penal Code in the country. He had no problem with that because the school officials were just too eager to please him. After all, it wasn't everyday that they got to have the country's top lawyer on their campus.
He knew that Rukia would be forced to attend his forum because he had a copy of her schedule. When he was waiting in his car before the forum started, his heart beat so fast when he saw her walking in the direction of the auditorium with her classmates. She looked so different in her normal clothes, hoodie and pants. He almost did not recognize her. But he realized that he liked her better this way, without any make-up and accessories. Her mysterious demeanor was all the more pronounced. He felt driven to discover more about her.
He had the opportunity to decipher an aspect of her when he called her out. He was feeling a bit amused seeing how she desperately tried to hide in her dark corner of the auditorium. By the time that she went to the microphone, it had been evident to him that she was the kind of person who hated attention. Now, he understood why he probably felt connected to her the first time they talked. Like Rukia, Byakuya also disliked attention, although he had learned how to command it in the courtroom.
He was impressed with her answers to his questions – the brilliance of her mind was evident. She seemed to be really invested in their topic of prostitution and he found it amazing that she did not appear rattled even though the topic seemed to be mocking her. In his mind, Rukia's experience as a prostitute did not matter to him anymore. Byakuya would do anything to win this smart lady for himself and he already completed the first step on that when he sent her the bouquet of flowers.
He smiled as he gazed around his spacious office. He would need to visit Rukia's home so that he could formally court her soon.
Rukia went to the floral shop, a few blocks away from their own home, exhausted that night. She was carrying her bouquet of flowers like it was heavy luggage, causing other people to stare at her and she walked down the street.
What was that lawyer thinking? Was he making fun of her? Did he want to get her service because he was not able to when they were at Death Gods? Needless to say, Rukia was fuming. She was not a whore anymore and she wouldn't let these rich men treat her as such.
When she reached the shop, Aunt Retsu was already preparing his things to go home. Her daughter, Yachiru, was there too, who only frowned at her. Rukia did not understand why, but ever since they were kids, Yachiru and her dad did not like her. In any case, Rukia never responded to the girl's taunts because Aunt Retsu was so nice to her.
When Aunt Retsu saw her, she gave her a huge smile. "Hey Rukia, I will leave the shop to you. We only have an hour before closing anyway. You'll be alright?"
She nodded. "Yep, don't worry. I got it, Aunt."
"What's that?" Her Aunt gestured to the bouquet she was holding. "Hey… is someone courting you?" She teased Rukia.
Rukia shook her head nervously. "Hehe… no. This belongs to my classmate Orihime. She only asked me to take it home with me because she already had a lot of things to carry home," she made up as her cover story on the spot.
"Of course, Mommy. It's impossible for anyone to court Rukia. That idea is so silly," Yachiru interjected.
Aunt Retsu sighed. "Is that so? And here I was thinking that you're finally noticing boys," she teased Rukia.
Rukia chuckled lightly. "Yachiru is right, Aunt. Boys are a nuisance anyway."
"Alright," her Aunt conceded. "I leave the shop to you. Take care on your way home."
Rukia said her goodbyes and she immediately set on to clean and put the shop in order for tomorrow. It was unlikely for a customer to come into the shop anyway, seeing as there were just 30 minutes to closing time.
She was mopping the floor when she heard the door chime, signaling that a customer entered the shop. Knowing that 10 minutes was not enough to finish any flower arrangement, she set on to tell the customer to just return tomorrow as she turned in the direction of the door.
"Good evening, but we are already closing–" Rukia's words died out because of shock.
There, leaning on the counter of the shop, was Ichigo, with his familiar predatory smirk.
"Hello, Rukia… fate has brought us together again," he uttered in a sensual way.
Rukia's heart stopped beating. Right then and there, she was plunged again into the memories of their last night, the sighs and the moans they shared, the scent of their entangled bodies, his strong arms encircling her waist.
She was definitely fucked, literally and figuratively, once again.