Chapter 7


Ukitake knew something was wrong the moment he saw Rukia and Riruka stepping into his office. Riruka, as usual, was frowning while Rukia looked pale and scared, Ukitake blinked surprised.

"Girls" he said calmly "classes already started, you'll be late."

Rukia shook her head.

"Ukitake-sama" she said desperately "please, tell me you didn't call them, you promised."

Ukitake frowned confused.

"What do you mean? I don't understand" he admitted sincerely.

"Kuchiki Byakuya is here" Riruka said in an all business manner "along with his father, if they see Rukia they'll take her away.

Ukitake's eyes widened, he noticed surprised how Riruka seemed to be aware of Rukia's situation. The fact that Rukia had found a friend so quickly was an interesting development, he was glad.

"I had no idea, Rukia" he said apologetic "now, don't worry. I'll make Byakuya leave."

"There's no time!" Rukia said "you know how daddy is, he won't believe you! He'll check the classrooms, I cannot go to class like this!"

Ukitake crossed his arms and pondered his options.

"Now" Riruka said impatiently after a few seconds "there's no need to panic, Ukitake-sama, we've come to ask for permission to create mayhem on your school."

Ukitake gaped.

"I shouldn't let you but…"

There was a knock on the door and Rukia's eyes widened. Time seemed to slow down as Riruka pulled her towards the storage cabinet on Ukitake's office and much to Riruka's surprise the white haired man helped them get inside and closed the door, both girls covered their mouths and listened intently. Luckily they weren't so big so there was enough room for both of them.

"Yes?" they heard Ukitake asking "who is it?"

Rukia tensed as she heard the door office opening violently and some people stepped inside. Her eyes widened, she was surprised at how easily she could tell her father was in the room, the confident steps were a complete giveaway, her hands were itching to open the door and see his face but it was not worth the risk.

"Byakuya!" Ukitake said and Riruka smirked at how honestly surprised he sounded "what brings you here? Oh and Soujun, it's been a while."

"Ukitake" Soujun greeted and Rukia closed her eyes tightly, she loved her grandpa's voice "it's a pleasure to see you, how have you been?"

"Oh, I can't complain" Ukitake said "although, you surprised me today. I didn't expect to see you, did something happen?"

There was a silence that lasted for a few seconds and Rukia could picture perfectly her father's annoyed face.

"Byakuya?" Ukitake asked finally "is something the matter?"

"Is Rukia studying in this school?" Byakuya questioned finally and Rukia rolled her eyes.

He would never change! Always straight to the point. Riruka nudged her slightly and Rukia looked at her questioningly, it wasn't until Riruka looked at her worriedly that she noticed how her eyes watered, she blinked the tears away. It was ridiculous, she knew she missed her family but to cry after hearing her father's voice? She couldn't believe herself.

"What?" Ukitake asked and Riruka smirked at how bewildered he sounded "Rukia?"

Byakuya scoffed.

"Yes, Rukia" he said "my daughter, is she here?"

"Byakuya" Soujun interrupted "would it kill you to be a little bit polite?"

Ukitake chuckled.

"Don't worry, Soujun" he said smoothly "Byakuya, Rukia is not here. How could she be? You sent her to a convent, remember? I suggested you to enroll her here, at my school, and you informed me that you sent her away."

"That's what I told him" Soujun said and Rukia could picture him smiling with relief.

"But, I don't understand" Ukitake continued "why are you asking me this? Did something happen to her? Weren't the nuns taking care of her?"

Rukia fought the urge to scoff, the nuns never took care of her.

"You'll see, Ukitake" Soujun said "she escaped from the convent just a few days ago, we're looking for her. This is a secret of course."

Ukitake gasped and Riruka covered her mouth tightly, it was funny to hear the principal lying to the highest scions of society. She was really enjoying the whole thing.

"That's horrible!" Ukitake said "why didn't you inform me? How can I help you?"

Byakuya sighed heavily and Rukia wanted to bet that he was pinching the bridge of his nose, it was one of his mannerisms.

"You don't need to do anything" Byakuya said coldly "we, for obvious reasons, don't want to make the information public and besides we have been tracking her so we're aware that she's in Karakura."

There was another long silence and Rukia's heart was beating faster, she wanted to peek outside and to see her father's expression.

"She's close" Ukitake said and Riruka hid her face on Rukia's shoulder to prevent her own laugh "but what makes you think she might be in my school?"

"Well" Soujun said "she has with her a debit card, she used it yesterday on a store and the employee informed us that she was wearing this school's uniform."

"It was impossible to hide our surprise" Byakuya said "after all, had you seen my daughter you would've informed me immediately, am I wrong?"

Rukia frowned, there he was with the threatening tone.

"Of course you're not wrong" Ukitake assured him "I don't understand what's happening, really. It's obvious that you're doubting me, but why?"

"You always liked children" Byakuya said as a matter of fact "and something tells me that perhaps Rukia convinced you to hide her."

Rukia and Riruka exchanged a panicked look.

"Oh, Byakuya" Ukitake said before laughing "I know how important Rukia is to you, so of course I would've informed you if she had come."

"Exactly" Soujun said "I'm sorry, Ukitake. You know how stubborn he is."

There was more silence and after a few seconds someone started to pace around the room. Rukia gulped, she was sure it was her father, the steps were moving closer to where she and Riruka were, she had no doubt. Riruka also noticed it because she grabbed Rukia's hand, they didn't want to imagine what were to happen if Kuchiki Byakuya were to open the cabinet.

Rukia's heart was beating frantically and judging by Riruka's sweaty hand she was also anxious as hell.

"Everyone keeps saying that" Byakuya said "everyone seems to know how important she is to me, everyone but her. She refuses to tell me where she is or with whom, I honestly cannot believe how stubborn she is."

"Well, she's your daughter" Ukitake reasoned "and she waited for you, didn't she? She might be scared, are you planning to send her back to the convent once you find her?"

The steps stopped right in front of the cabinet and Rukia closed her eyes tightly and started to pray. The nuns used to tell her how her prayers weren't the best but it was worth a try, she didn't want to face her father, not yet.

"What if I am?" Byakuya asked and Rukia heard his voice loud and clear, he was facing the cabinet, she didn't have any doubts.

Her heart broke all over again at the prospect of being sent back to that horrible place and she felt extremely angry. He didn't want her back at home, they lied when they talked over the phone! They just wanted to lock her again.

"Byakuya" Ukitake said seriously "Rukia is a young lady, if she escaped you cannot expect…"

"You wouldn't mind if I were to check the classrooms, right?" Byakuya asked interrupting him and Riruka heard him stepping away from the cabinet.

She sighed inwardly, that was a close call.

"Of course not" Ukitake said without hesitation "but please, listen to me. If Rukia escaped she needs you, she needs her father. What would Hisana-san say if she were to see that you have sent Rukia away? I remember how much you looked forward every day to go back home to your daughter, don't you want her to enjoy a normal life?"

There was another silence of a few seconds, although it felt like hours for Rukia. She wanted to hear her father's answer, she wanted to understand why he didn't want to be close to her.

"I'll be checking the classrooms then" Byakuya said "come with us, Ukitake."

Rukia heard him leaving the office.

"My apologies" Soujun said to Ukitake "ever since yesterday he's been in a really foul mood, he's worried sick about her."

"I can imagine" Ukitake said sadly "is he really going to send her back there when he finds her?"

"Of course not" Soujun said quickly "we're all dying to be at home with her but she doesn't want to forgive us."

"Well, go on" Ukitake said "I'll be with you in a minute."

Both girls heard Soujun leaving the office and waited for a few seconds until Ukitake opened the cabinet. Rukia and Riruka stepped outside and took deep breaths, Rukia rubbed her eyes furiously to get rid of the tears that were coming out.

"I'll go with them" Ukitake said "whatever you do, do it quickly."

Riruka's eyes widened.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

Ukitake nodded.

"I'll make sure to convince them that Rukia is not here" he said "so you're free to do whatever you had planned."

"Yes, Sir" Riruka said.

Ukitake smiled at her and then looked at Rukia.

"Don't worry" he told her while patting her head "he'll come to his senses eventually."

Rukia shrugged sadly.

"You shouldn't keep him waiting, Ukitake-sama" she said "you know how he is."

Ukitake nodded.

"Good luck, girls."


Ichigo kept looking at Rukia's desk worriedly.

For a second he thought that perhaps she fell asleep in the bathroom, it was a possibility but she was with Riruka, so he doubted it, where was the midget? Why wasn't she coming to classes? Sighing he tried to focus on whatever the teacher was saying but there was no use, how was he supposed to focus when the only thing inside his head was Rukia?

"Dude" Renji whispered next to him "calm down."

"I am calm" Ichigo whispered back.

Renji chuckled.

"Dude, you've been looking at her desk the whole time" he said smirking "calm down, even Ashido noticed already."

Ichigo scowled at that, and looked at the other side of the class. Kano Ashido was looking at him curiously.

"Problem?" Ichigo mouthed at him angrily, and Ashido looked at the teacher again.

"I hate that asshole" Renji said casually.

"Tell me about it" Ichigo said and then looked at Rukia's desk again "I'll stop worrying, I don't want that bastard to get the idea that I care about the midget."

Renji nodded.

"That's a wise idea" he said "do you think Ashido is still in contact with him?"

Ichigo scoffed.

"Probably" he said "the last time I saw him we ended up fighting, so I stopped answering his calls. I wouldn't put it past him to track me through someone else."

Renji shook his head exasperated.

Ichigo was going to tell him not to worry when the classroom door opened and the principal stepped inside. Every single student stood up and Ukitake smiled at them.

"Now, children" Ukitake said "please sit down, some friends of mine just want to check something, okay?"

Everyone sat down and Ichigo frowned confused.

"What's happening?" Renji asked and then Kuchiki Byakuya and Kuchiki Soujun stepped into the classroom.

Gasps and murmurs were heard and Ichigo's eyes widened.

"See?" Ukitake said calmly "this is the last classroom, have you found anything?"

"Yes, Byakuya" Soujun said "any bright young mind catches your attention? If someone does please let me know, then we can contact their parents so they can join our program."

Ichigo gaped and exchanged a surprised look with Renji.

"Dude" Renji told him worriedly "your boss wants to replace you! Did you know?"

Ichigo shook his head desperately. Was he losing his job? No one had informed him anything, the worst part was the fact that his job inside the Kuchiki enterprise was a secret so he just couldn't stand up and ask his bosses what was happening.

"Sir" Ikkaku said raising his hand "what program?"

"Well" Ukitake said "the Kuchiki enterprise…"

"No need to explain, Ukitake" Byakuya interrupted and then looked at Ichigo coldly "I believe I already found what I'm looking for, there's no need to see more classrooms."

Ichigo gulped. Does that mean that he still had his job? He didn't know, but the fact that Byakuya had come all the way to the school meant that he was planning to do something for the students? No, it couldn't be. The only reason why Byakuya let him work with him was because he was a close friend of his father, what were the Kuchikis doing on the school?

Soujun wanted to laugh hysterically at Ichigo's expression, he was probably wondering if he was fired. In order to hide the fact that they were looking for a girl they lied saying how they were creating a program for young minds, of course Ichigo didn't know anything and judging by his pale face he probably thought that they were looking for his replacement.

Soujun was thinking that Ichigo's expression made whole trip to school worth it.


Riruka was panting.

"Hear me out" she said to Rukia once they reached their destination "once I pull this you have to run, as fast as you can, towards the parking lot."

Rukia nodded.

"Yeah" she said "I understand."

Riruka smirked at her.

"Your father won't want to come around here anymore" she assured her.

"Oh" Rukia said smirking back "trust me, I know."

"Well, I'll see you on the Gym" Riruka said and counted to three and pulled down the fire alarm.

The alarm sounded extremely hard and Rukia didn't hesitate, she started to run as fast as her legs allowed her. A lot of things were motivating her but the main one was anger, she was angry at how her father was looking for her just to lock her up again so she wanted payback and she knew, better than anyone, one of her father's biggest weaknesses.

She was feeling pure adrenaline and before she could reach the exit door the sprinklers activated and it looked as if it was raining inside the school, she laughed out loud and imagined her father's expression at being soaking wet in the middle of lots of teenagers. She was completely drenched by the time she managed to exit the building and looking around the parking lot she identified her father's car in a matter of seconds.

"A Rolls Royce" she muttered bitterly "really, daddy? Not very humble of you."

She approached the car while making sure that no one would see her and once she was next to it she opened the door.

"I knew it!" she said excitedly.

The door was unlocked, Byakuya never locked his cars because he was always in places with tight security most of the time, like his house and the Kuchiki enterprise. Rukia was glad that some things never changed. It was impossible not to touch the seats so she prayed that they wouldn't get too wet and taking a deep breath she took the handbrake and released it.

She stepped out of the car carefully and closed the door, she thought about leaving it like that but she knew it wasn't enough, so trying to gather some strength she stood up behind the car and pushed it. Her eyes widened when she realized that it moved without much effort and she gasped when it started to move towards the soccer field.

"Goodbye, daddy" Rukia said smirking and ran towards the gym.

It was a good thing that she knew how badly Kuchiki Byakuya loved his cars.


Byakuya closed his eyes, completely enraged, when the sprinkles activated. Every single boy started to scream and cheer as the water fell onto them, and Soujun looked shocked at the ceiling. Was there really a fire? Why did the sprinkles activate?

"Now, boys" Ukitake said sternly "behave! We have guests, make a line and go towards the soccer field in order!"

"Ukitake-sama!" Ishida called from his spot next to the window "I don't think it's safe to leave towards there! There's a car going, uncontrolled, to that direction!"

Ichigo gulped.

"Car?" he asked fearfully "what car?"

Ishida looked at the window again.

"It's a black Rolls Royce" he said and every single boy of the class whistled.

"I've been dreaming about having one of those!" Ikkaku yelled and then laughed "what kind of idiot lets a car like that in the middle of a school?!"

Ichigo's eyes widened as he approached the window and to everyone's surprise Byakuya did the same.

"Shit!" Ichigo said as he saw the car speeding up towards the trees next to the soccer field.

"Stop it!" Byakuya ordered him and Ichigo nodded and left the room running.

The sprinkles never stopped working so Byakuya, who was now enraged beyond reason, looked at his soaked Armani suit.

This wasn't his day.


"Well, at least is not the Audi" Ichigo thought as he ran through the hallways towards the exit.

It took him a while as he avoided all of the students who were leaving their classrooms making lines and cheering. Ichigo smirked, he didn't know why having their clothes and stuff wet made them so happy, but it was contagious and Byakuya's face when the sprinkles got activated was priceless too.

He was hoping he could reach the Rolls Royce on time, perhaps if he were to save Byakuya's second favorite car he wouldn't fire him.


When Rukia reached the gym she saw Riruka with a whole bunch of other students from different classrooms.

"Finally" Riruka said loud enough for anyone to hear "what took you so long in the bathroom?"

Rukia smiled.

"The sprinkles too me by surprise" she said equally loud "what happened?"

"Beats me" Riruka said putting an arm around her shoulders.

"I did it" Rukia whispered and Riruka smirked proudly at her.

"This way! This way!" A teacher was calling all of the students towards the gym "there's no fire but we need everyone here for safety reasons!"

Rukia blinked and looked around her. Everyone was drenched and smiling, perhaps the sprinkles saved everyone from boring classes, she noticed then how crowded the school really was and the fact that she was wet while surrounded by a bunch of boys made her blush slightly. She started to look for Ichigo around the crowd but the orange haired boy was nowhere to be seen.

"GUYS!" Kaien said stepping into the Gym and everyone turned to look at him. Rukia's eyes widened, so Kaien was at the same school as her, no wonder he knew about her before being introduced "my cousin is trying to save the Rolls Royce! Come and see!"

Rukia's eyes widened as every single boy inside the gym started to follow Kaien, ignoring the teacher's orders.

"That idiot is doing what?!" she asked and Riruka stopped her before she could move.

"Don't go" she said seriously "if Ichigo is trying to save the car your father will be close."

Rukia nodded, she could always hear the details later.

"Well" someone said approaching Rukia and Riruka "boys will be boys, right?"

Rukia looked curiously behind her at the person and her eyes widened, she was facing the prettiest girl she had ever seen. She was a tall, busty girl with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. Rukia gulped feeling a little intimidated.

"Rangiku-san" Riruka greeted smiling "I see that you have no problems with being drenched."

Rangiku chuckled.

"I won a wet T-shirts competition last summer," she explained excitedly "so this is like practice for me."

Riruka nodded and then looked at Rukia.

"This is Rukia" she introduced her "she's the new girl and a close friend of mine."

Rangiku's eyes widened as she saw Rukia from head to toe.

"Nice to meet you!" the busty girl said finally while throwing herself at Rukia and hugging her tightly "it's nice to see another girl around!"

"Thank you" Rukia said while blushing under Rangiku's embrace, she had been surrounded by girls for years but she couldn't remember anyone having such big… attributes.

"Rangiku-san" another girl approached them "you'll suffocate her!"

Rangiku let go off Rukia so she could greet the other girl. This one looked younger and had brown hair and brown eyes and a kind smile. Rukia smiled gratefully at her.

"Nice to meet you" she said "my name is Hinamori Momo."

"I'm Rukia" she said smiling "so, are there more girls in the school?"

Riruka shook her head.

"We're the only ones" she said smirking proudly "we didn't have lunch with Rangiku-san and Momo yesterday because our schedules aren't always the same, we already sent a complaint to the Pincipal's office."

"Hopefully he'll answer positively" Rangiku said "I could use more female company at lunch time."

Riruka chuckled.

"You could always transfer to the other school, you know" she said casually "the girly one."

Rangiku scoffed.

"And leave behind the male attention? Never" she said and Rukia noticed how some boys were admiring Rangiku from a safe distance "besides, who else would take care of sweet Hinamori if I'm not around?"

Riruka rolled her eyes.

"The same boy for whom she is in here" she said smirking "Hitsugaya Toushiro."

Rukia noticed how Momo blushed slightly and looked aside.

"He's just my childhood friend" she excused herself "besides, this school is the best around Karakura, my parents insisted that this would be the best for me."

"So, what's your story Rukia-chan?" Rangiku asked curiously "what brought you here in the middle of the semester?"

"Well…" Rukia said "I'm new in town and Ichigo is a friend of mine so I thought that studying near him would be convenient."

"Oh" Rangiku said smiling "it's a good thing that Kurosaki finally has someone pretty by his side, do you like him? If you do I congratulate you on your choices, he's one of the few boys who's actually worth something around here."

Rukia tilted her head confused.

"Are the other boys really bad or something?" she asked "I haven't met anyone else yet."

Hinamori shrugged.

"Is not that they are horrible, but since they don't see girls very often they don't really know how to interact with us" she explained "I'm the only girl between the freshmen and Rangiku-san is the only one between the juniors, you are lucky to have Riruka with you."

Riruka nodded.

"I must say that Rukia's appearance improved my sophomore year considerably."

Rukia smiled at that.

Some cheering was heard and Rukia frowned.

"Perhaps Ichigo managed to save the car from crashing" she said bitterly "why would he do that?"

Riruka crossed her arms.

"Well, it takes a rich boy to actually recognize a car's value" she reasoned "perhaps he couldn't stand the sight of a Rolls Royce getting ruined."

Rukia's eyes widened.

"Wait, what?" Rukia asked shocked "Ichigo is rich?"

"You didn't know?" Riruka asked surprised "you've been to his house several times! How come he never told you?"

Rukia blinked, Ichigo's house was normal, wasn't it? His room had an average space and there were no signs of him actually having a luxurious life.

Rangiku chuckled at Rukia's confused expression.

"Oh, don't worry Rukia" she said "it's not as if it is public knowledge, you'll see rumor says that Ichigo hides that because it brings him undesired attention. Besides, his father is really humble about the whole thing, Ichigo even got a job on his own so he could earn his own money and be independent as soon as he graduates."

Hinamori blinked.

"How do you know all of this?" she asked curiously.

"Kaien told me" she said smiling widely.

Riruka rolled her eyes.

"Well" the pink haired girl said finally "it's not as if Ichigo can hide that part of his life extremely well."

"Why?" Rukia asked.

"Because his father is the owner of the biggest hospital around town, the Kurosaki Hospital" she explained "I read in the newspaper that they'll open new operative branches in Tokyo really soon."

Rukia remembered then Ichigo's motorcycle, how come she never asked? It wasn't as if an average school boy would be able to afford that.

"Why did you say that being rich brings undesired attention towards Ichigo?" Rukia asked Rangiku.

"He has more than one fangirl in the girly school" Rangiku explained "but there's one in particular that didn't stop looking for him once she found out he was the Kurosaki heir."

Riruka huffed.

"It was Senna" she said and Rukia's eyes widened "she even stalked his little sisters and Ichigo is really protective of them, he was pissed."

Hinamori nodded.

"I heard about it" she said "apparently Ichigo's father even talked to Senna's parents about how he would never approve of Ichigo having a relationship with such a disrespectful girl, it was really messy."

"I bet" Rukia said while remembering the pictures that Ichigo showed her about Yuzu and Karin. How could anyone stalk little girls? She decided that she never wanted to meet that Senna girl.

"Look" Rangiku said "Kyoraku-sensei is calling the students back to the classrooms, we should go."

Rukia nodded as she followed them towards the building.


"Yes!" Ichigo said loudly as he stopped the car "I saved the car!"

Everyone cheered around him and he smirked proudly, he noticed how most of the school was watching but he still couldn't see Rukia anywhere. He frowned at that as he stepped out of Byakuya's car. The Kuchiki heir approached him and without making any comments he got inside the Rolls Royce and started the engine.

"Are you coming?" Byakuya asked his father.

Soujun scoffed and got inside the car too.

"Wait" Ichigo asked low enough so the crowd wouldn't listen to him "am I fired? What were you doing here?"

Byakuya merely looked at him.

"Come to the mansion after your classes" he ordered "you're not fired and no, I won't explain why I was here today."

Without saying anything else he accelerated and left the school grounds.

"Well" Ichigo said annoyed "you're welcome."

"Don't even try dude" Renji said next to him "this wasn't his day."

Ichigo nodded as he observed the crowd going back to their classrooms. He smiled as he saw Rukia walking next to Riruka, he couldn't wait to tell her about his heroic moment.


Ashido was the first one to step back into the classroom, he took advantage of the commotion to get back even before they were ordered to. He walked towards Ichigo's desk and took out his cellphone from his backpack, he smiled after noticing how it didn't have a password and without hesitation he started to browse through the picture's gallery.

His eyes widened after seeing a picture of Rukia, the new girl, sleeping comfortably while hugging an ugly plushie.

Without wasting time he took out his own cellphone and took a picture, and when he was satisfied he put Ichigo's cellphone back on his backpack. He could hear his classmates approaching so he took a seat on his usual desk and decided to send Rukia's picture with a message.

To: Pantera.

"I found this on Kurosaki's phone, apparently he has a new pretty toy. What do you think?"

He received an answer almost immediately.

From: Pantera.

"I think that I like the new toy, I might have to test it first… it looks a little bit delicate. You'll hear from me soon."

Ashido smirked and congratulated himself on a job well done.


Well, there's something about this chapter that makes me happy. Although you're the true judges, so let me know what you think, okay?

Guys, I'm so excited. I finally approved my thesis! (Here in my country is the last project of college so I can graduate) NOW I JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR MY GRADUATION! So, yeah… I'll update my other stories because I'm happy and free!

Now, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter:

Jobananasan: Oh yes, I already planned the bathing suit scene HAHAHA! We'll be seeing more Yoruichi in the near future! Thank you for your review, I know I always tell you I love them but I mean it! Let me know if you liked this chapter! Kisses and take care!

Bleach power: Rukia will cause more trouble for the Kuchikis before they can find her, I promise! Thank you so much for your review, hopefully you liked this chapter! Thanks again, kisses!

Nejes: Oh, I know! I love them as friends! Thank you so much for your review, kisses!

RukiYuki: Oh, don't worry! It'll take more time before he finds Rukia, thank you so much for your review! Take care, kisses!

Pd. I apologize for my grammar mistakes!