Thank you so much for sticking to this story and bearing with me, I'm nervous about the reactions to his chapter, enjoy!
Chapter 23
Ginrei met Riruka's eyes the moment she stepped into the office, he was pretty sure that the pink, now blonde, haired girl was extremely nervous, especially after seeing the disappointed face of Byakuya and Soujun's fake smile.
"Have you enjoyed the convention so far?!" Soujun asked kindly, the girl that was in front of him was not the one he was expecting.
Riruka nodded and then cleared her throat.
"Oh yeah," she answered smiling "it's amazing! Thank you so much for creating this!"
Soujun nodded.
"Please," he said kindly while extending his hand and pointing to the chair in front of the desk "take a seat."
Riruka gulped, the ticket was right in the middle of the desk in front of her, she took a seat as she looked nervously at the men in front of her, Ginrei, Soujun and Byakuya Kuchiki; several things were going through Riruka's mind but the main one was the fact that Rukia's father was intimidating as hell.
"How much money is right in front of me right now?" she wondered and then gulped "probably enough to destroy my life if they wanted to."
Rukia was carrying a black card with her so Riruka assumed that all of her family did the same, they probably could destroy lives and business with the snap of fingers. Riruka silently prayed for them to give them the ticket without much trouble, after all she won, what else was there to do?
"What's your name?" Soujun asked smiling as Riruka took a seat.
"Kinomoto Sakura," Riruka answered as she fought to keep the smile on her face "nice to meet you!"
"We were really surprised," Byakuya spoke for the first time, he was not smiling and his cold voice sent shivers down Riruka's spine "we expected lots of girls to be able to win the ticket so we decided to narrow the possibilities by placing one tricky question."
Riruka's heart started to beat faster, she knew it! The answer that only Rukia knew!
"Really?" Riruka asked weakly, she cursed at how afraid she sounded.
"Yes," Soujun nodded, he was still smiling "the one regarding Chappy's home? That information cannot be found on guides or the internet."
Riruka looked nervously between Byakuya and Soujun.
"Well," she shrugged finally standing up "I'm really lucky and I've been crazy about Chappy since I was nothing but a baby," she extended her hand "may I have my ticket, please?"
Soujun smirked as he saw the trembling hand of the young girl, this couldn't be a coincidence, she wasn't nervous for nothing, they were not going to let her go, they couldn't let her go.
"How did you know that Chappy has two homes?" Soujun asked, his smile faded a little.
"As I said," Riruka answered trying to keep her voice from trembling "I'm a big fan."
"How big? Do you think that you can answer another question?" Byakuya asked.
"Uh?" Riruka asked frowning.
"What does Chappy keep inside the summer house and what does he keep inside the winter house?" Byakuya asked feeling ridiculous at knowing this kind of information, Rukia was the only one to blame.
"I already won!" Riruka complained.
"No, you didn't" Byakuya pointed out "if I have to guess I would say that the girl who came with you told you the answer to that question," he reasoned as Robert moved to block the door "and you came to claim the ticket because the girl who is with you does not wish to face us."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Riruka lied "give me the ticket!"
Soujun chuckled.
"Let me tell you a story," Soujun said as he stood up "when my granddaughter was six she asked me why Chappy had two houses, at first I thought that the question was irrelevant but she was so curious that I ended up pulling some strings so the creators of the franchise could give me some answers."
Riruka gaped.
"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" she thought frantically "that was the trap!"
"The Chappy owners and creators sent my granddaughter a letter signed by Chappy himself explaining the reason behind the two houses," Soujun continued as he walked until he was next to Riruka and placed a hand on her shoulder "they also asked her to keep the information as a secret since they decided to share it only with the biggest Chappy fan ever."
"Would you look at the hour?" Riruka asked while tapping her wristwatch once "can I have my ticket?"
"But the ticket belongs to the biggest chappy fan ever," Soujun said "so, if you could call your friend..."
Riruka glared at Soujun, she was not going to endanger Rukia, that was the limit, she asked for the ticket nicely but since they were not cooperating so she didn't have a choice, she was extremely fed up with the ridiculous exchange.
"Whatever for?" Riruka asked mustering some courage "so you can behave like a weirdo like you are doing right now, old man?"
Soujun took a step back shocked at the sudden change of the girl's behavior and at her words.
"I'm not a weirdo! And I'm not old!" Soujun exclaimed as Ginrei chuckled.
"Sure, grandpa," Riruka smirked and then looked at Byakuya "I'm guessing that the question was a trap, just like doing everything inside your prestigious building, uh?"
"You're not leaving this room until Rukia comes for you," Byakuya said standing up "thank her later for placing you in this situation."
"Sorry, daddy" Riruka scoffed "but you're not separating us!"
Riruka's wristwatch started to make a scandalous sound and all of the men inside the room covered their ears. Riruka jumped on the desk then, grabbed the ticket and took out of her backpack a pink, rubber glitter gun, she pointed at Byakuya without hesitation.
"Kuchiki Rukia sends her regards, daddy!" Riruka yelled and once she shot Byakuya was covered in pink neon glitter.
Riruka turned around ready to leave the room until she realized that a bodyguard was blocking the door.
"You should move or you'll get hurt, Robert!" Riruka yelled.
"How do you know my name?!" Robert asked aghast but Riruka never answered because in that moment the door fell on Robert's back and he moved out of the way before it could do any serious damage.
Riruka was about to start running when someone grabbed her by the hair, it was Soujun.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to hurt you!" Soujun apologized "but you're the only lead we have!"
"Let me go!" Riruka pulled once and in a matter of seconds the wig fell and Riruka's pink hair fell in waves down her back.
Ginrei, Soujun and Byakuya, who looked unrecognizable under the pink glitter, stared at her with widened eyes.
"The pink haired girl" Soujun and Byakuya muttered at the same time.
"Shit!" Riruka cursed as she ran outside the office.
"Catch her!" Byakuya ordered while clenching his fists "she must not leave the building!"
"What took you so long to take down the door?!" Riruka asked breathlessly as Rukia joined her to run down the stairs.
"I'm sorry!" Rukia apologized as she grabbed her best friend's hand to run alongside her "I didn't want to hurt Robert!"
They both ran as if their lives depended on it and, for Rukia, it was a matter of life and death.
"Should we take the elevator?!" Riruka asked as they went down the stairs as fast as they could.
"No!" Rukia answered as they took the stairs to the fourth floor "they will stop it if they find out we use it!"
She looked around frantically and she noticed the empty hallway, if memory served right that hallway lead to the stairs on the back of the building, which was perfect, they needed to reach the parking lot where Yoruichi had placed an emergency vehicle for them to run away. Rukia pulled Riruka as they stepped into the hallway and slowed their steps.
They would hide the whole way to the parking lot, hopefully no one would reach them.
"Block every single exit," Robert ordered through the radio as he followed the same path that the girls did before "no matter what happens none of them must leave, the convention won't be a problem for now since it's still ongoing, move quickly!"
"Yes, Sir!" several men answered to the orders through the radio.
Robert also shared the physical appearance of the pink haired girl with the team so they could stop her, they hadn't had a glimpse of Rukia yet but it didn't matter, she wouldn't leave without her friend so that gave them an advantage, he was about to go down the back staircase that lead to the parking lot when he noticed movement from the corner of his eye, he looked to his left and there was nothing but an empty hallway with a couple of closed doors, Rukia had to be behind one of those.
"My lady," Robert called calmly as he took a respectful pose "please, show yourself, I have strict orders to take you to your father."
Robert received nothing but silence as an answer.
"My lady," he tried once more "every single member of the staff has missed you terribly, your laugh was the most wonderful sound around the mansion as you were growing up," he said as he walked down the hallway with steady steps "we've been wondering when we would hear it again."
"Robert," Rukia answered finally after a couple of seconds "stop lying to me."
Robert looked hesitantly at the door on his right.
"I would never lie to you, my lady," he answered sincerely, it hurt him to hear Rukia doubting him "I've been protecting the Kuchiki family for years, and lying to any of you goes against my contract."
The door was opened and Robert came face to face with Rukia, she was wearing a blonde wig but her violet eyes were unmistakable, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, she was well! She had grown a little and she still looked a lot like Hisana, Robert felt a pang of melancholy when he noticed that.
Rukia smiled slightly at him, she was extremely happy to see him. Since Robert was her father's right hand man, Rukia and Byakuya's safety was Robert's priority and main work through the years, Rukia had grown fond of him, especially after hearing the respectful way he would speak of her father and mother, even years after her passing, Rukia knew that Robert's loyalty towards the Kuchikis was real and unwavering.
"It's been a while, Robert," she greeted sadly "how have you been? How are Iburo and Kevin?"
Robert frowned.
"Everyone has been worried about you, my lady" he said while extending his hand "come with me, I'll take you to your father and-"
"I'm sorry," Rukia mumbled interrupting him "but I cannot go, daddy will lock me again and I don't want to suffer anymore."
"Suffer?" Robert thought anxiously, he didn't want to address it, but the usual cheerful and lively Kuchiki Rukia looked extremely morose, she looked healthy but Robert didn't miss her defensive pose or the way she kept avoiding his eyes, what happened? She would never behave like this around him, or anyone from the staff for that matter.
"My lady," Robert said calmly while kneeling in front of her, like he used to do when she was a child "if someone hurt you, you must tell everyone, especially your father, we'll take action immediately."
Rukia shook her head.
"I begged in every single letter, Robert" she explained while crossing her arms "daddy ignored me."
Robert sighed, he knew and understood why Byakuya didn't visit her for a whole year, however he had severe orders to keep the whole thing a secret, so he couldn't explain further.
"My lady," he tried once more "your father did not ignore you, he would never do that, you must return to his side right now, Byakuya-sama will explain everything."
Rukia clenched her fists as she looked at Robert.
"Why don't you explain?!" she questioned angrily "perhaps if you do I will entertain the idea of facing daddy!"
Robert shook his head.
"I have orders, my lady," he explained "Byakuya-sama will…"
Rukia scoffed.
"Robert, explain! Explain to me!" she ordered upset "I am a Kuchiki, aren't I?! You're supposed to answer to me too!"
Robert felt conflicted at that order, but he wouldn't comply, what she wanted to hear was complicated and a personal family matter, he was not in place to share the reasons behind her years in the convent, he couldn't do it.
"I can't, my lady" Robert apologized "I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too, Robert" Rukia said finally while patting his shoulder "tell the others that I miss them terribly, okay?"
Robert's eyes widened.
"My lady, don't!" he tried to stop her but there was nothing but decisiveness behind her eyes.
"Now!" Rukia yelled and before Robert could grab her the whole room was filled with smoke, the pink haired girl threw a smoke bomb blocking his vision. He was about to follow them, he was trained for these types of situations after all, but after he got up he stepped on something sticky, his foot was glued to the floor and the last thing he heard was the sound of a door locking.
He didn't waste any more time.
"They are heading towards the parking lot!" Robert informed through the radio "catch them there!"
"Understood!" the team answered.
Robert laughed then, he felt sad about missing his chance at catching Rukia but he also felt proud about how easily she outsmarted him.
"A Kuchiki to the bone," he muttered smirking "Hisana-sama, you would be proud if you could see her."
"Lock the parking lot!" Soujun ordered as he ran downstairs following Byakuya "place every single car against the exits, I want every member of the team in there, do not leave a single opening!"
The security team members nodded as they ran faster in order to reach the parking lot before the girls. Byakuya was glad that Rukia decided on that route, that way the convention could still go on without any scandal, since the parking lot was a section of the building that was not open to the public that would save them from any nosy outsider.
Byakuya was determined to not let Rukia go, he couldn't afford that.
"Here it is!" Riruka cheered as they stepped into the parking lot, as Yoruichi promised there was a black Vespa parked in the center with the keys on. Both girls got on the Vespa, Rukia took a seat behind Riruka who was ready to accelerate when the lights around the parking lot turned on.
Rukia and Riruka covered their eyes and, after a few seconds, once their eyes adjusted to the light around them they observed their surroundings. Rukia's heart started to beat frantically when she realized that they had nowhere to go.
"We're surrounded," Riruka muttered "we're done for!"
Rukia scoffed as she looked around, the whole security team was on both sides and behind them, the several cars owned by the Kuchikis were parked strategically blocking the exits and she didn't need to turn around to notice how even the stairs were blocked, they were trapped.
"Run away," she told Riruka while clenching her fists "they only want me, you don't have to through this"
"I'm not leaving you!" Riruka screeched as she tried to look for an opening between the fancy cars and the security team.
Rukia was about to offer another solution when the guards in front of them moved to let the Kuchiki men face both girls.
Rukia gasped when she saw Byakuya, Soujun and Ginrei together in front of her. She blinked back angry/happy tears and tried to control her erratic breathing, how long has it been since she last saw them like this? Rukia wanted to throw herself at them and hug them, but she also wanted to throw the biggest tantrum so they would learn to never let her alone again, but since none of that was possible she simply kept quiet and looked aside.
"Rukia," Byakuya called as he placed himself in front of both girls, Soujun was next to him but Ginrei chose to keep a reasonable distance "you can take off the disguise, I'd rather see my daughter's face when talking to her."
Rukia pursed her lips annoyed but threw aside the wig and then looked straight at her father's eyes.
"Hello, daddy" she greeted coldly while clenching her fists "fancy meeting you here."
"Child!" Soujun breathed as he tried to take a step further but Riruka pointed the glitter gun at him.
"Don't come any closer, grandpa!" Rukia warned "I mean it!"
Soujun looked hurt and Rukia felt horribly because of that but she couldn't risk her freedom and her best friend.
"Child," Soujun said again "stop this, stop being ridiculous we are not going to hurt you..." he paused "or your friend."
Rukia frowned.
"I know you won't hurt us," she reasoned "but that doesn't mean that you won't send me back to the convent once you get me!"
"Rukia," Byakuya said as he masked his emotions, he didn't want to let her know how happy and confused having her so close was making him feel, he was finally in front of his daughter "we're not sending you back, we went to the convent to pick you up when we found out you escaped. Do you have any idea of how worried we've been?!"
"That's rich coming from the man who ignored all of my letters and didn't even visit me a whole year!" Rukia retorted, she couldn't explain the happiness and the pain she was feeling at being so close to her father again "how do you expect me to believe you?!"
"I'll explain once you stop your ridiculousness," Byakuya assured her "get off the Vespa and we'll go to the mansion."
"No!" Rukia yelled as she took a glitter gun out of her backpack and pointed it at Byakuya "you'll send me back! I'm not going back!"
Byakuya's eyes widened as he noticed how bad Rukia's hand was trembling, she was scared and determined to avoid him at all costs. The security team took a defensive pose, they knew they couldn't attack her but they couldn't allow a physical fight between father and daughter, no one of the Kuchiki clan was going to get hurt under their watch. Kevin and Iburo, who were behind Byakuya, exchanged a glance, they had seen Rukia grew up so they couldn't understand why she was avoiding his father so fervently.
"Rukia..." Byakuya said calmly "listen to me, I'm not sending you back, we want to talk to you and we're going to the mansion."
Rukia hesitated for a second and Soujun noticed.
"We've missed you like crazy, child" Soujun admitted taking the opportunity "father retired so he could spend more time with you, we bought you lots of things for your room and we gave the maids the menu of your favorite desserts..." he sighed "Rukia, we love you, we're not sending you back."
Riruka looked behind her and noticed Rukia hesitating, she had to admit that they sounded convincing and they looked desperate to have her back.
"If I go with you..." Rukia mumbled "can I keep living the life I'm living right now?"
Riruka looked at Kuchiki Byakuya then.
"What do you mean?" Rukia's father asked.
"I have amazing friends and I'm..." Rukia gulped nervously, she noticed how Ginrei nodded discreetly at her giving her courage "I'm living a normal girl life! Can I keep doing all of this even if I go with you? Will you let me go to school and hang out?"
Byakuya nodded once.
"Yes," he promised "that's the whole reason why we're doing this, we want you to be with us so we can live like a family again."
Rukia smiled, her family wanted her back! At the mansion! She knew she still deserved some explanations but that could wait, she wanted to hug her father and grandparents so she was about to accept the deal until Byakuya mentioned something else.
"Just tell us the name of the man who hid you from us and then this can be over" Byakuya ordered.
Riruka and Rukia's eyes widened.
"What are you going to do to him?" Rukia asked as Ichigo's face flashed on her mind, his messy orange locks, his cocky grin and his soft eyes, were they going to hurt him?
Byakuya frowned.
"We will demand an explanation and then he'll face the consequences of hiding you from us," he explained "you shouldn't worry about-"
"But he's my friend!" Rukia yelled "and you cannot threaten a teenage boy, I asked him to help me! I forced him to hide me!"
Riruka gulped as the security team whispered something between them, she wanted to tell Rukia to shut up, because she knew where this was going, and she knew that Rukia's family was not going to like it.
"Rukia," Ginrei spoke for the first time calmly as the security team kept quiet "no one is going to hurt him just-"
"Then?! Can you promise you won't do anything to him if I go with you?!" Rukia asked.
Soujun frowned upset, why was she so worried about an insignificant boy of all things?
"Stop worrying over him!" Soujun ordered and the guards next to him tensed "Rukia, that boy hid you from your family, from us, we will demand an explanation because we deserve it, but that's it! Only a scoundrel would accept a girl out of nowhere in his house!"
Rukia blushed angrily as she glared at her father and grandfather.
"He is not a scoundrel!" she yelled defensively, her moments with Ichigo flashed through her mind fast and she felt very protective towards him "he's my best friend! He's kind, considerate, and respectful! And I care about him a whole lot! His family welcomed me with open arms and he is the best thing that happened to me since I escaped!" she stared pointedly at her father "if you touch him I will never forgive you!"
Riruka gaped after Rukia's rant and looked at Byakuya and Soujun's expressions.
"Now you've done it, loser" Riruka thought.
"What?!" Soujun barked and then his eyes widened with fear and worry "don't tell me that..." he gulped "Rukia, are you in love?!"
"Uh?!" Rukia gasped confused as she blushed "love?!"
Riruka rubbed her temples, she knew that Rukia hadn't even pondered on her own feelings, she had been locked in a convent of all places, Rukia probably hadn't even considered the possibility of being in love, why couldn't she keep quiet in front of her family? This was going to complicate everything.
Byakuya pinched the bridge of his nose, his annoyance was more than evident.
"This cannot be happening," he muttered upset and then looked at Rukia "stop messing around, Rukia!" he ordered "you barely know him! He's a stranger! What if he is kind and gentle just so he can use you?!"
"He would never use me!" Rukia exclaimed while blushing.
"Foolish child!" Soujun fumed "he has fooled you!"
"You don't know him!" Rukia insisted.
"Neither do you!" Byakuya growled "come with us! We'll talk and..."
"Promise me you won't touch him!" Rukia demanded "swear to me you won't ask anything from him and I'll go with you!"
Byakuya didn't want to hear about this, he wasn't going to negotiate the scoundrel's fate with Rukia, that boy was going to pay one way or another.
"Does this boy know who you are?" Byakuya asked coldly "does he know our last name?!"
Rukia frowned.
"No! But..."
"But what?! It's not important?! Why don't you go and tell him who you are and who your father is?" Soujun challenged "do you think he will behave the same after that? Do you think anyone around you will behave the same after finding out that you are the Kuchiki heiress?!"
"I would!" Riruka frowned.
Ginrei chuckled.
"Clearly there's an exception here..." Soujun muttered "but we're talking about the others, how many people in this wonderful life you've been living know who you are?"
Rukia frowned, Riruka, Momo and Matsumoto knew and they treated her like a normal friend, Ukitake had been helping her as well, hell Yoruichi decided to be on her side because of who she was, it wasn't as if she was lying to everyone.
"But..." a tiny voice said at the back of Rukia's head "what would Ichigo think?"
Riruka frowned.
"It does not matter-" she tried to say.
"If it doesn't matter," Byakuya interrupted her "why haven't you told him?"
Rukia kept quiet as she shook her head slightly, she couldn't tell him, he would panic, right? He would notice how dangerous it was to be near her, her father had enough power to ruin Ichigo's life if he were to discover him, what would Ichigo do? Would he kick her out of his home? Would he yell at her? Would he get upset?
"I'm..." Rukia muttered confused and then frowned sadly at her father "this is not fair, why are you doing this?"
"Why am I trying to make my own daughter open her eyes and come back to her rightful home?" Byakuya questioned.
Rukia bit her lower lip.
"If the Kuchiki mansion is my rightful home why didn't you take me there after I begged in every single letter?!" she asked.
Byakuya raised an eyebrow.
"I'll explain once we're back," he said "get off the Vespa," he ordered "I will not repeat myself."
"I don't want to leave him! He's my friend" Rukia insisted "he accepted me and-!"
"He accepted the nameless girl he stumbled with!" Soujun exclaimed "he did not accept Kuchiki Rukia! He doesn't know he's been hiding Kuchiki Rukia!"
"He won't care!" Rukia pressed on
"Then," Byakuya said "test him."
Riruka gaped as Ginrei looked at Byakuya, he also wanted to know about who had been hiding Rukia, so he decided not to intervene.
"How?" Rukia asked carefully.
"Call him," Byakuya suggested "call him and reveal your last name to him, if he does not care or does not react negatively, I won't take any measures against him."
"Really?!" Rukia asked.
Byakuya nodded once.
"I'm still taking you to the mansion no matter the outcome," he explained "but if he does accept you then he can still be part of your life."
Riruka tilted her head, that was quite the interesting offer.
Rukia gulped as she took out her cellphone, her hand was shaking slightly as she took into consideration all of the options.
"You don't have to do it," Riruka said while looking at Rukia "they cannot pressure you!" she looked at Byakuya then "we've kept her identity a secret pretty well, she's happy! Isn't that what matters?! Isn't hiding her last name a great security measure? The boy who's helping her is a good person! He's been respectful towards her!"
"Then," Byakuya said while staring at her, he didn't know her name yet but he felt a little bit of respect towards her, not anyone had enough courage to stood up to him "don't you think that he has the right know who he has been helping this whole time?"
Riruka's eyes widened.
"What do you think, Rukia?" Byakuya asked "isn't the right thing to inform him? If he is a good person, as you claim, aren't you taking advantage of his kindness by hiding who you are?"
Rukia nodded.
"I thought so too," Byakuya nodded while putting his hands on his pockets "go on, call him."
"On speaker," Soujun added "let's see if he's as good as you believe."
Riruka gulped as Rukia dialed the number, the silence was heavy around them, every single men in the parking lot was paying attention as the phone beeped and once the call connected Rukia stared right at her family.
"Hey," Rukia greeted casually the other person at the side of the line, there was a pause of a few seconds and then "the convention's over."
Riruka's eyes widened as she recognized the cue. Two seconds later the smoke detectors went off and the sprinklers activated, Rukia and Riruka jumped off the Vespa and holding hands ran head on towards where Byakuya was.
The whole room was in uproar within seconds, Soujun and Ginrei were thrown behind the heads of their security teams for protection while the rest of the men didn't know how to proceed, how to apprehend both girls without hurting them?
Byakuya was a different story, he was caught by surprise but didn't hesitate, he was ready to grab Rukia before she could go past him but once they were face to face something, that looked like a grenade, was thrown to the center of the parking lot and once it exploded the whole place was filled with smoke that blinded Byakuya and the last thing he heard from Rukia was:
"I'm sorry, daddy."
He turned around and tried to run to follow her but he couldn't see anything and, after a couple of minutes, once the smoke was gone he realized that he had lost her.
"Rukia!" he screamed enraged, and heartbroken, but he knew it was useless, she was gone.
Rukia heard her father's scream and felt tempted to turn around but she couldn't afford it, even if they were not planning on sending her back to the convent she didn't want them to hurt Ichigo, so holding Riruka's hand even tighter she ran until her legs hurt towards Yoruichi. The dark-skinned woman was parked just a couple of blocks from the Kuchiki enterprise and once she spotted them she opened the backdoor of a black van and both girls jumped inside immediately.
Urahara accelerated at full speed.
"Are you both all right?" Yoruichi asked urgently.
Riruka nodded as she tried to control her beating heart.
"Kiddo?" Yoruichi asked looking at Rukia.
Rukia nodded.
"I'm fine," she breathed out "it's okay."
Yoruichi didn't believe her, she knew that she had faced her family, otherwise she wouldn't have called with the signal, but they had time so, for now, Yoruichi was glad that she was back safe and sound.
When night came, Ichigo was worried sick, Rukia hadn't called the whole day so he was fearing the worst, what if her father had caught her? What if she was on her way to convent? He stood up from his bed and started to pace around his room, he should've gone with her, he should've called her hours prior to check on her. Taking a deep breath he decided to go and look for her when a tap on his window stopped him, he turned around and found Rukia stepping carefully into his room, the moon light allowed him to appreciate her glinting eyes and her smirk.
"Did you miss me?" she asked him.
"Rukia!" Ichigo smiled as she saw her stepping into his room as if it belonged to her "midget, I was worried sick," he admitted as he took her by her shoulders "how did it go?"
Rukia smiled at him, seeing him after the current events made her feel a lot better.
"How are you?" Ichigo asked her worriedly.
"Carrot top, I'm…"
Rukia gulped, she could say it, right? "Carrot top, I am a Kuchiki, my father's name is Byakuya, have you heard of him? I saw him today, he wants me to go back to the mansion, but… you don't care, do you? This doesn't change anything, right?" it should be that easy, she could do it. Rukia mustered some courage as she looked at Ichigo's eyes and she got to the conclusion…
"I'm home, Ichigo" Rukia said finally.
She couldn't do it, not yet.
"Yes," Ichigo said while smirking "welcome back."
Rukia closed her eyes as he leaned down and kissed her, she melted into the kiss and held him tight, she didn't want to lose him so she would wait for a little bit longer.
Little did she know that she didn't have much time left.
Okay, this chapter took a while, this chapter was planned when I first came with the story and I was anxious about writing it, did you like it? You must also know that this is the chapter that changes everything, what do I mean by that? Well, the Kuchikis are not happy right now and Rukia cannot hide her identity much longer. Let me know if you liked it and thanks for the ones who stick to my stories.
Now, to thank the ones who reviewed the last chapter:
Jobananasan: I missed your reviews so much! I swear that I wait for those every time I publish a new chapter! Let me know what you think about this chapter, thanks for always reading, did I make the Kuchikis' conversation interesting enough? Let me know, kisses! Take care!
StoryTeller a fanfic lover: Thank you so much for the review! I hope you liked this chapter! Let me know what you think, kisses!
Timothy Kaminski: Your review was lovely, thanks a lot, I love that you like the story since the first chapter, it means a lot to me! Let me know what you think about this chapter, I'll be waiting for your review! Take care!
Emman214: Thank you for the review! The chapters to come will be longer, I'm so glad you still love the story, really, it means a lot to me. I'll be waiting for your review for this chapter, kisses and take care!
diah77: I loved your review A LOT! I'm sorry the chapter felt so short but the next ones will be longer, I promise, and yes Byakuya will discover something interesting regarding Ginrei as well! Stay tuned! Thank you for liking my stories, I'll keep working on those! Let me know if you liked this chapter, kisses!
Natsumivat: Millones de gracias por seguir acá leyendo, de verdad significa mucho para mí, espero que la reunión de los Kuchiki haya cumplido tus expectativas, cuídate mucho y hazme saber si este capítulo te gusto, besos.
RukiYuki: Thank you for the review! Let me know if you liked this chapter, kisses!
Flare Maggot: Thank you so much for the review, I always plan to update more frequently but life gets in the way, thank you for the support, it means a lot. Let me know if you liked this chapter, take care!
Guest: Thank you for the review, I'm feeling a little bit better thank God! Did you like this chapter? Let me know! Kisses!
Stickman6969: Thank you so much for the review, hopefully the next chapters will be more exciting, did you like this one? Let me know, kisses!
Guest: Thanks a lot for your support! I'll try to upload the next chapter faster, okay?! What do you think about this chapter? Let me know, take care!
Bleach power: Oh, things will be lively for Byakuya, I swear! Thank you so much for reviewing every chapter, it means a lot, let me know if you liked this chapter, okay? Take care and kisses!
Pd. I apologize for my grammar mistakes.
