"I'm fine, Ichigo, really." Rukia said tiredly as she walked up the steps to her apartment.
"Rukia, you don't look okay! What happened after visiting your parents' grave? Why were you in a daze when I found you alone at the bus stop?" Ichigo asked frantically.
"I'm tired. Just go home, okay?" Rukia pleaded.
"I'm not leaving until I watch you eat something and head to bed." Ichigo said firmly. "For god's sake, Rukia, you haven't slept in god knows how long and look at you, you look like you're going to collapse!"
Rukia stopped walking suddenly as she placed her palm on the wall beside her for support. Ichigo was right. She hadn't slept in two days and the news of her parents' murderer; namely Kuchiki Ginrei, Byakuya's grandfather, did not bode well for her.
"Rukia, you okay? Let me help you." Ichigo said worriedly as he wrapped an arm around Rukia's shoulder and slowly assisted her up the remaining steps to her apartment.
"T-Thanks Ichigo," Rukia said softly when they stood in front of her front door. "Thank you for everything."
Ichigo looked at her, "Hey, anyone would have helped a weak girl up the stairs. Why the sudden politeness, Rukia?"
"No, I meant for everything. Accepting me into your home. For taking care of me and protecting me. Thank you, Ichigo. I'm sorry I can't return those feelings you have for me but I really do love you. You're my best friend and my brother. I hope you'll find someone. I'm just not worth it..."
"You're always worth it, Rukia." Ichigo said softly.
Rukia bit her lip to stop herself from crying, "I'm serious, Ichigo. Go find a normal girl and fall in love and be happy."
Ichigo stayed silent and then finally nodded, "I'll try."
Rukia smiled tiredly, "I want you to be happy and I'm sorry for hurting you and all the lies and... I'm sorry, really. I promise when the time comes, I'll tell you everything."
Ichigo stared at Rukia, confused, "What?"
Rukia then stood on her toes and hugged Ichigo, "J-Just go home now. You've taken the day off for me and I'm glad to spend today with you, Ichigo."
Rukia pulled away, leaving Ichigo flabbergasted.
"Rukia." A familiar deep voice came from the bottom of the stairs.
Both Rukia and Ichigo turned to see Kuchiki Byakuya standing at the bottom of the stairs, his face impassive as he stared at them.
"Go home, Ichigo." Rukia said as she nudged Ichigo to leave.
Ichigo obeyed and walked down the stairs and Rukia did not fail to notice the hardened look in Byakuya's eyes when Ichigo walked past him.
Rukia cleared her throat and quickly turned to unlock her door when she heard Byakuya walking up.
"How have you been?" Byakuya asked softly behind her as she pushed her door open.
Rukia finally turned around and stared at Byakuya. He looked as handsome as ever in his black suit while she looked pale and exhausted in front of him.
"W-When did you return?" Rukia forced herself to speak.
"I landed half an hour ago. I decided to come check on you since you have not returned my calls since yesterday. Is everything alright?" Byakuya asked, concerned.
Rukia nodded, "Y-Yeah, sorry, I just... I forgot to bring my phone with me."
Byakuya continued, "Renji stopped by and said you haven't been here the whole night. I thought something had happened to you."
"Sorry," Rukia mumbled. "I was... I had been busy."
Byakuya stared at her in silence for a moment and then said, "Can we talk inside?"
Rukia then realised the both of them had been standing at her door talking and she quickly walked into her apartment with Byakuya behind her. He closed the door behind them as Rukia walked to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of tea.
"Rukia, were you with Kurosaki the whole night?" Byakuya asked behind her.
Rukia stilled for a moment and then slowly turned to face Byakuya, "N-No... I mean yes. Wait, I mean Ichigo and I didn't, you know... We only talked, that's all."
Byakuya stared at her and then to Rukia's surprise, he pulled her into his embrace.
"I missed you." Byakuya said softly. "And when I saw you hugging your ex-boyfriend earlier, I just thought that..."
"Ichigo and I are just friends." Rukia replied and then slowly pulled herself away from Byakuya as her parents' faces flashed in her mind.
She stared at the man in front of her. Byakuya looks the same. Everything about him seemed the same but all Rukia could see was the scene of her parents' sprawled in the kitchen, dead. She felt a stab in her heart instantly.
"I'm r-really tired so maybe you should go." Rukia said softly as she walked out of the kitchen.
"Are you unwell?" Byakuya asked immediately. "Should I get Unohana-
"No, I'm just tired. I just need to sleep and I'll be fine." Rukia replied, looking away.
Byakuya continued staring at her with his worried eyes but then eventually nodded.
Rukia was truly exhausted and she found herself saying, "Do you mind locking up before you leave? I really need to lie down..."
Due to her exhaustion, she couldn't even hear Byakuya's reply as she dragged her feet to the bedroom and sank into bed. She thought she was about to pass out from exhaustion when she felt a pair of strong arms pulling her into a warm embrace. Rukia didn't need to open her eyes as she inhaled the familiar cherry blossom scent.
"Go to sleep, Rukia." She heard him whisper and then Rukia relaxed and let sleep consume her.
When Rukia opened her eyes, the room was dark and she fumbled around for her clock on the nightstand. It was four in the morning. She was knocked out for almost 12 hours. Rukia set the clock back down and turned to the other side to find the bed empty. She thought Byakuya had joined her in bed... Wait, was she so tired that she was starting to hallucinate?
Rukia got out of bed and stumbled out of her bedroom and was momentarily blinded by the lights from the living room. She took a moment to adjust and found Byakuya sitting on the couch, typing away on his laptop.
"Why are you here?" Rukia's voice, still thick from sleep cut through the silence.
Byakuya turned around and set his laptop down immediately, "You are awake. Are you feeling better? I was worried about you so I never left."
"Oh." Rukia frowned. "Um, yes I'm better. Why are you awake already?"
"I wanted to send a few emails out before joining you back in bed." Byakuya replied as he walked towards Rukia. "Why were you so exhausted? How long have you not slept?"
"Two days." Rukia admitted.
Byakuya raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"
"I don't know... Maybe it's just insomnia or something." Rukia lied.
"Are you hungry?" Byakuya asked. "You missed dinner and seeing that you were so tired, I didn't wake you."
Rukia's stomach growled in response and Byakuya smiled, "Why don't you wash up and we head out for dinner?"
Rukia was hungry so she nodded and headed to the bathroom. While she was in the shower, Rukia thought about Byakuya and his grandfather and what she should do. She couldn't deny her love and she knows that Byakuya had nothing to do with her parents' deaths at all. But why of all the Yakuza leaders that had to kill her parents, it had to be Byakuya's grandfather?!
"Rukia, are you alright? You have been inside for quite a while. Is everything okay?" Byakuya's voice drifted from the other side of the door.
"Y-Yes, I'll be done soon!" Rukia called out and quickly changed into her clothes.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, Byakuya was sitting on her bed, waiting for her. He stood up, held her cold hand and led her out of the apartment. It seemed like Byakuya had already asked his chauffeur to wait for them downstairs and when they got into his black Mercedes, Rukia asked, "It's too early. Will there be places open?"
"Not to worry," Byakuya replied. "I own a restaurant downtown and it will be open whenever I want them to be."
Rukia said nothing as she thought about what Ichigo had said. Byakuya is rich and only dines in expensive restaurants or hotels. Rukia recalled the incident when they were in Hong Kong and when she had brought Byakuya to the street stalls, he was so repulsed, he had refused to eat and left her alone.
"What are you thinking about?" Byakuya asked softly beside her. "You seem to be very thoughtful recently."
"Nothing much." Rukia lied and shook her head. "I was just... thinking that I don't even know much about you."
Byakuya raised an eyebrow, "Well, what do you want to know?"
"Anything." Rukia replied. "Anything you haven't told me."
Byakuya stared at her, a little amused but then replied, "Well, you know about Sakuya..."
Rukia nodded and Byakuya continued, "I am the only child to my parents who passed away very early. I inherited the organization after my grandfather passed away when I was sixteen."
Rukia flinched at the mention of his grandfather and Byakuya asked, "What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing." Rukia mumbled. "Your g-grandfather... what was he like?"
Byakuya pondered for a moment before replying, "He was very strict to me as I was the only heir to the entire organization. I was never close to him and instead, Unohana-san took better care of me than my grandfather ever did. My grandfather is a man of no compassion even to his own grandson."
Rukia absorbed his words and then asked softly, "So, I guess you never respected him at all?"
Byakuya turned to Rukia with a chuckle, "Respect? I don't love my grandfather but I do respect him. A lot, in fact. He was the one who single handedly built the Kuchiki organization to what it is today."
Rukia stared at Byakuya in disbelief. Did Byakuya just say that he respected his grandfather? The same grandfather who murdered her parents and even wanted to murder a mere child like her? The grandfather who would spare no one, not even a kid like herself? How could Byakuya respect someone like that? Kuchiki Ginrei stole her childhood and destroyed whatever happiness she could have had with her parents. Her parents who were so sweet and kind to everyone. Her parents whom everyone in town loved and respected. And her father who was merely doing his job... How could Byakuya respect a man like this?
"Stop the car." Rukia ordered furiously.
Byakuya stared at her, "Rukia, what-
"I said, stop the car!" Rukis shouted as the chauffeur pulled the car to a sudden halt.
Rukia leapt out of the car as she began walking quickly down the empty street.
"Rukia!" Byakuya called out behind her and then she felt him grasp onto her arm and whirled her around to face him.
"Let me go, right now." Rukia's eyes flashed angrily.
"What is going on?" Byakuya asked.
Rukia pulled her hand away from Byakuya as she stared into his eyes, "Don't follow me, Byakuya. Just leave me alone."
"No," Byakuya's hand reached out to hold onto her wrist. "Explain yourself to me."
"We can't be together, Byakuya." Rukia's voice trembled as she spoke. "It'll never work out!"
"What are you talking about?" Byakuya asked. "Rukia, if I said something wrong, tell me so I can fix it!"
"Everything is wrong! And you can't fix that at all! We're too different. We come from different worlds, Byakuya. Let's face the reality. This love between us will never last!" Rukia cried out.
"What is so different about us?" Byakuya questioned with a pained look in his eyes. "What could be so different that you think we cannot work out?"
"You're a Yakuza leader... I am a nobody..." Rukia began, her tears falling.
"I thought we were over that. I love you, Rukia. I do not care if you are a waitress or another member of the Yakuza. How many times do I have to tell you this?" Byakuya replied.
"I hate it when you bring me to fancy places. I hate it when you do that! I'm a girl who likes street food, Byakuya. I am not some rich girl who likes to dine in expensive places with you! Don't you see? We're too different! I like who I am and you're trying to change me into someone I don't recognise!"
"I'm not trying to change you, Rukia and I never will! If you hate those places so much, we won't go there! We can eat whatever you want." Byakuya said as he pulled Rukia against his chest.
He wrapped his arms around her tightly and continued, "Rukia, I love you and I never want to change who you are. Why can't you see that? If you like street food, we can have street food everyday. We don't have to step into another restaurant for the rest of our lives, alright?"
Rukia cried into Byakuya's chest at his words. Damn Kuchiki Byakuya. Why did he have to say all the right things? Why did he have to be so sweet just when she was pushing him away? Why couldn't he make it easier for her to push him away?
"It's not that simple," Rukia choked out as she tried to push him away but failed.
"Tell me what else you want. I will give you whatever you want, Rukia." Byakuya replied seriously. "If you want, I will buy and own all the street stalls in Tokyo for you."
Rukia pushed him away and then realised he was being entirely serious. Unable to control herself, Rukia let out a small laugh much to Byakuya's astonishment.
"I am serious, Rukia." Byakuya said. "I will buy them all if that is what you want. We can eat there everyday."
Rukia stared at Byakuya and then replied softly, "You can't just go around buying whatever you want."
"Of course I can. I will call Renji right now and get him to acquire all the food stalls in Tokyo. If that is not enough, I will own every single one in Japan." Byakuya replied as he fished out his phone from his pocket.
Rukia reached out and stopped him, "You really are crazy, Kuchiki Byakuya..."
Byakuya stared at Rukia as he watched the conflicted emotions in her eyes and then her arms wrapped around him as she whispered, "Why are you making it so hard for me to let you go?"
"Then don't let me go, Rukia." Byakuya murmured as he held her to him tightly.
Rukia allowed herself to bask in Byakuya's warmth in the cool Spring morning as the two of them stood at the empty street.
Soi Fon Taichou was wrong. Kuchiki Byakuya is worth it. It was then Rukia decided that for Byakuya she would gladly quit her job and let go of her parents death. What happened with her parents, it wasn't Byakuya's fault at all.
"So... are we alright?" Byakuya asked, several moments later, breaking the silence between them.
"Yes." Rukia replied as they broke apart.
She felt Byakuya slip his hand into hers and he said, "Let's go eat."
Byakuya steered her into the direction of his car and Rukia's heart fell. Right, she forgot they were going to his restaurant to eat. She said nothing and followed him but when Byakuya walked straight past his car, Rukia looked at him in confusion.
His chauffeur who had emerged from the vehicle seemed a little confused as well, "Kuchiki-sama, Rukia-sama, this way please."
"Head back to the mansion. Rukia and I will walk." Byakuya ordered.
"Walk?" His chauffeur's eyes widened. "B-But Kuchiki-sama, the car will be faster and look at the puddles on the road. They will stain your shoes. Please get back into the car, sir."
"I will be fine. Let's go, Rukia." Byakuya said as he led Rukia down the street.
"B-Byakuya, I thought we were going to your restaurant... and Sato is right, the puddles will stain your shoes. They're expensive, right?" Rukia stopped Byakuya as she stared at him.
"We are going to the street stalls, Rukia, and you are right, maybe I should try living in your world for a change." Byakuya said.
Rukia smiled up at him and then said, "But the street stalls don't open until seven. It's only five now."
Byakuya binked and then turned to Rukia, "That has never occurred to me. Well, I have sent Sato back and he is gone... So, what do you think we should do?"
Rukia laughed. It was a rare right to see Byakuya helpless.
"Let's just walk. There should be a convenience store somewhere and we can sit and wait there for the street stalls to open." Rukia suggested.
"Alright." Byakuya agreed and they walked down the street together.
It was strange seeing the almighty Kuchiki Byakuya walking down a street, sloshing through puddles that had formed from the rain from the previous night. He seemed oblivious to the fact as he continued on, his hand still wrapped around Rukia's.
"If you like my shoes that much, you can have them." Byakuya said suddenly. "I would have bought a pair for you but I doubt they come in your size."
"What?" Rukia looked up to see Byakuya staring at her with a small smile on his face.
"You have been staring at my shoes, Rukia. What is so fascinating about them?" Byakuya asked.
"They're wet." Rukia pointed out.
"So?" Byakuya raised an eyebrow.
"I've never seen you in wet shoes before. You always look so... pristine." Rukia replied.
"Does my shoes look bad now?" Byakuya asked.
"No." Rukia replied immediately.
"Then that is fine." Byakuya grinned.
They came to a stop when they found a 24 hours convenience store and stepped inside.
"Have you been in one of these before?" Rukia asked.
"No." Byakuya admitted. "What do they sell? Food?"
"Oh, not just food." Rukia pulled him along the aisles. "See? They sell everything! From toiletries to medicine, oh look, they even have hair dye and towels. Mops too..."
Byakuya's eyes wandered around and as Rukia pointed out to him all the different things the store sells, a small smile formed on his face as he listen to her ramble, amazed that even something as mundane as a convenient store could get her so excited.
"So, I'm thinking we can eat something here first then head to the street stalls later. Shall we have some instant ramen?" Rukia asked, walking towards the cup noodles.
Byakuya replied, "Instant ramen? I haven't had them before but I guess I could give it a try..."
"What? Rukia gaped at him, resisting the urge to laugh. "You haven't had instant ramen before? Are you even an Asian?"
"My grandfather never allowed me to eat anything instant. The food I eat are always prepared by chefs." Byakuya said.
Rukia shook her head and laugh, "Well, you've been missing out so much! I'm going to show you the wonders of instant food."
Rukia sat at the wooden bench as she watched the kids on the playground in front of her. She had called Soi Fon Taichou and had been instructed to wait for her here as she wasn't allowed to appear at the station in the day.
Byakuya had left for a meeting after spending the whole morning with her eating everything instant and then exploring the street stalls until Rukia declared that she really couldn't eat another bite. Byakuya had wanted to send her home but Rukia insisted that she wanted to take a walk before heading home and after convincing Byakuya she could very well make her own way home later, they parted ways.
Rukia could see that the morning experience at the street stalls was so strange and foreign for Byakuya and he did look slightly uncomfortable at first. She felt a little bad immediately and when she suggested maybe they should leave, Byakuya insisted that he was fine and he merely just needed some time getting used to everything. Rukia felt a rush of love for the man immediately as she watched him struggle with himself just for her. It further proved that quitting her job and letting go of her parents' death was a right choice. She could always find some other job out there too.
"Rukia, what's the emergency?"
Rukia looked up to see Soi Fon Taichou plopping down onto the bench next to her, wearing normal clothes instead of her police uniform.
Rukia handed an envelope to Soi Fon and said, "Taichou, I've decided after a lot of thinking. My badge is inside."
Soi Fon stared at Rukia with widened eyes, "Rukia, are you sure? Maybe you should think a little more about this."
"I'm sure," Rukia nodded. "I want to be with him."
Soi Fon's face fell and she shook her head, "I can't believe this... You're throwing away the job you love so much for him? Is he worth it?"
Rukia licked her lips and slowly replied, "I think so..."
"What if he finds out the truth next time?" Soi Fon asked. "You have to think about these stuff, Rukia. You can't just... throw everything away for the love you have for him! You're not being realistic at all!"
Rukia smiled at a very worried looking Soi Fon, "Well, I'll just have to pray he'll never find out the truth about me."
"God, Rukia!" Soi Fon said in exasperation. "What if you slip up one day? What if he starts getting suspicious and starts looking into your background?"
"Haven't you created a fake background for me as Hitoshi Rukia? I'll just live as Hitoshi Rukia forever then." Rukia said. "I even have an identity card and a passport as Hitoshi Rukia now. I don't have to go back to being Kurosaki Rukia."
Soi Fon fiddled with the envelope in her hands, a troubled look on her face, "Rukia, if you quit now, it's hard for us to protect you from now on. Don't get me wrong, I along with Ichigo and the rest will continue to protect you the best we can but you know how the some departments in the police force try not to interfere with the women of the Yakuzas. Without the force's support, it's difficult for me to look out for you."
Rukia smiled gratefully, "I'll be fine, Taichou, Don't worry. I wouldn't want any of you to defy the force's orders for me. I've thought a lot about it and came to this decision. I know the consequences."
"Rukia, why don't you talk to your friends about this before you turn in your badge?" Soi Fon asked. "At least listen to what they have to say."
Shaking her head, Rukia replied, "None of them knows the real truth that I was sent on a mission to spy on Byakuya. They still believe in the lie I've told them that I've fallen in love with Byakuya when we were in Hong Kong. They've never accepted him so what good would it be telling them the whole truth now? They will still not accept him and telling them the truth will only make them in a much more dangerous predicament. There's no point."
Soi Fon sighed, "Rukia, there's no turning back once you've handed in your badge."
"I know," whispered Rukia. "I'm sorry that I've failed you, Soi Fon Taichou..."
"I should be the one apologising to you, Rukia. Had I known that this would be the outcome, I would have never offered the position to you in the first place." Soi Fon replied regretfully.
Rukia stood up, bowed and then said tearfully, "Thank you for mentoring me all these while."
And before Soi Fon could say another word, Rukia turned and walked away.
"Taichou, is this the one?" Abarai Renji asked.
Byakuya looked up to see Renji holding up a sparkly, silver necklace. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't what he was looking for and he shook his head.
Byakuya's attention went back to the glass cases in front of him, searching for a particular rabbit necklace. It had been ten minutes since he had stepped into the jewellery store with Renji and when a surprised Renji asked what could Byakuya have wanted from the store, Byakuya told him that he wanted to get Rukia a gift.
This jewellery store was the finest in Tokyo and Byakuya was sure that if he couldn't find what he was looking for here, he wouldn't be able to find it elsewhere.
"Kuchiki-sama, is this the one you're looking for?" A sophisticated sales lady asked as she held out the necklace for Byakuya to see.
Byakuya looked up and then after staring at it for a moment, he finally nodded, "Yes."
The sales lady heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, this was the last piece. Our manager had us store it in the back as it was limited edition and he said that this last one will only be for our VIP customers."
Byakuya gave a nod, "Wrap it up for me."
The lady nodded with a smile and then directed her assistant to wrap the necklace up. She led Byakuya to another glass case where the most beautiful and expensive diamond rings could be found in Japan.
"How about something special for your girlfriend, Kuchiki-sama?" The lady beamed. "The rings we have here are one of a kind, specially made by a well known jeweller from Paris."
Byakuya was about to turn away when one of the rings caught his eye. It was a blue diamond nestled in the middle of a ring of smaller colourless diamonds.
The lady noticed Byakuya's interest and took out the ring for him, "You have excellent taste, Kuchiki-sama. The Wittelsbach diamond is one of the most expensive diamonds in the world. Your partner will love this."
"Taichou, are you crazy?" Renji asked, standing next to Byakuya. "You do know what it means to give a ring to a woman, right?"
Byakuya picked up the ring and he could already imagine it on Rukia's finger. It will fit her perfectly.
"Wrap this up for me too." He said to the lady.
"Taichou! Are you serious?" Renji gaped at him, shocked. "Are you pro-
"Yes, Renji." Byakuya replied seriously. "And keep your voice down. We are in public, after all."
Renji clamped his mouth shut immediately and Byakuya could hear the soothing classical music from the store speakers again. From the moment his eyes landed on that ring, Byakuya knew that he had made the right choice. He wanted to marry Rukia. He didn't want to spend another day without her. After being through so much with her and almost losing her in several situations, he had come to realise how deep his feelings ran for her. Tonight, he decided, will be the night he propose to her.
Rukia sat at the bus stop, waiting for her bus as she thought about what just happened with Soi Fon Taichou. She was definitely sad that she was leaving the police force but she had decided that if she wanted to be with Byakuya, there was no way she could continue to be a police woman. The spying of course, had to stop too. She had pushed her parents' murder away from her mind as she had reminded herself that Kuchiki Ginrei was dead and there was no way Byakuya was anything like his grandfather.
Byakuya had done nothing but protected her and loved her all these months so how could she compare him to the ruthless Kuchiki Ginrei?
"Ow!"
A loud gasp of pain pulled Rukia out of her thoughts and she saw a woman on the floor, clutching to her bleeding arm.
Rukia leapt up from the seat immediately and rushed to her side, "Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I fell and I think I cut my arm a little." The woman replied softly as she winced.
"Come, let's get you seated first." Rukia said and helped the woman up.
"Thanks." The woman finally looked up and smiled.
Rukia was slightly taken aback at the woman's beauty as she helped her to the seat at the bus stop. Rukia didn't fail to notice that the beautiful woman walked with a limp and Rukia felt sorry for her immediately.
"Thanks for your help." The woman said again as Rukia took out a band aid from her wallet.
"It's okay," replied Rukia as she took a tissue and gently cleaned the dirt from the small wound on her arm. "Thankfully the wound isn't big. It should heal in a few days."
When Rukia had patched up the woman's arm, the woman who noticed the ring on her finger asked, "Are you married? Your husband must love you a lot to give you a ring like that."
Rukia looked down at the ring on her finger and realised that she hadn't taken this ring off for a long time. Ever since she fell in love with Byakuya, she kind of liked the idea of being his fake fiancee so she never took it off.
Rukia smiled, "I'm not married. It's from my boyfriend."
The woman smiled wistfully and Rukia could see the sadness in her eyes.
"Is everything okay?" Rukia asked, concerned.
Blinking her tears away, the woman let out a sad laugh, "I was just thinking about this man I love... I'm about to see him tonight and I wonder how he'll react. Will he hate me that I left him years ago? Does he still love me? Maybe I shouldn't look for him. He must have moved on without me. He must hate me now..."
Rukia felt sorry for the woman's unrequited love as she said, "If you truly love him, then go talk to him. Who knows, he may be still waiting for you."
"Do you really think so?" The woman said hopefully.
Rukia nodded, "If you don't try, you'll never know."
The rumble of a bus made Rukia look up to see her bus had arrived. Standing up, she waved for the bus and said, "Good luck, I hope the man you love is still waiting for you."
Rukia arrived at Byakuya's mansion that night and she was glad to see Byakuya in a good mood when he opened the door for her.
"Are you hungry?" He asked with a rare smile on his face.
"Yeah," Rukia smiled and Byakuya bent down to kiss her on the lips. "Why did you call me suddenly to have dinner?"
Byakuya took her hand and led her to the dining room. He gestured for her to take a seat and she did.
"I thought we could have a talk." Byakuya replied, sitting down across from her.
Rukia raised her eyebrows, "Why? Did something happen? Is everything okay?"
Byakuya stared at her, amused, "Everything is fine, Rukia. I just thought that it would be nice to have dinner with you."
"Oh," Rukia sighed with relief. "Okay."
Byakuya's chef entered the room and laid out the dishes on the table.
"I hope tonight's dinner will be to your liking, Rukia-sama," The chef said. "Byakuya-sama has requested us to cook all your favourite dishes."
Rukia stared at the spread before her and she struggled to reply, "I w-will, t-thanks..."
The chef left the room and Rukia stared at Byakuya, "What's with all these egg dishes? And roasted duck?"
Byakuya smiled, "I remember you were quite fond of the roasted duck you and Renji had in Hong Kong. I'm sure you'll find this one much better than the one you had."
Rukia laughed, "What's the occassion, Byakuya? It's not my birthday!"
Byakuya stared at Rukia and she noticed he had turned serious.
"Rukia," he said. "Are you happy with me?"
"What?" Rukia blinked. "Of course I am."
Byakuya relaxed and then took Rukia's hand from across the table, "I want us to start with a clean slate, Rukia. Let's forget about that deal where you pretend to be my fiancee."
Rukia stared at him, confused, "Clean slate?"
Byakuya nodded, "Let's start afresh."
Clean slate... Forget everything about the past. Everything including her parents and Kuchiki Ginrei... Of her being a policewoman spying on Byakuya...
Rukia squeezed Byakuya's hand, "Really? Do you really mean it?"
"Yes. Everything from the past, Rukia, let's erase them. I don't want you to be my pretend fiancee anymore." Byakuya replied. "Rukia, I-
"Byakuya-sama," Someone rapped on the door loudly. "You have a visitor."
Irritation flashed through Byakuya's eyes as he stood up.
"I am busy. Tell them to make an appointment with Renji." Byakuya called out.
"Byakuya-sama, I have tried but she is very insistent." Byakuya's butler replied.
Curious, Rukia stood up as well, wondering who had the guts to insist on seeing Byakuya.
When Byakuya walked to the door and opened them, Rukia's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the woman from this afternoon standing in front of Byakuya, her face drenched in tears.
"Byakuya!" The woman cried and dove straight into Byakuya's arms.
Byakuya froze and then slowly murmured, "Sakuya..."
It was at that moment when Rukia felt as though a train had just ran her over. Her mind was whirring with images. The photos of Sakuya from years ago... No wonder something about this woman struck Rukia as familiar earlier this afternoon. She had changed her hair but if you look closely, she is indeed Sakuya.
And what the woman said from this afternoon... "I was just thinking about this man I love... I'm about to see him tonight and I wonder how he'll react. Will he hate me that I left him years ago?"
The colour from Rukia's face drained as she watched Sakuya cry in the arms of Byakuya. After Sakuya's tears had subsided, Byakuya stared at the woman in front of him and asked, "Where have you been?"
His voice was even but Rukia could sense that Byakuya was just as shocked as she was.
Sakuya was about to open her mouth to talk when she noticed Rukia standing a few feet behind Byakuya.
Confused, she looked from Rukia to Byakuya and then asked, "Byakuya, who is she?"
Byakuya turned, and then as though suddenly remembering that Rukia was still in the room, he quickly said, "Rukia, why don't you head home first? I'll call you later, alright?"
"B-But..." Rukia was about to protest but stopped when she realised that Byakuya's attention was now back to Sakuya.
"Where have you been?" Byakuya asked, as he led Sakuya to sit down. "I have been looking for you everywhere for years. What happened, Sakuya?"
Rukia had to force her legs to walk out of the room as she heard Sakuya say, "I didn't want to leave you, Byakuya..."
Rukia was curious as to what Sakuya's explanation could be but as soon as she stepped out of the room, Byakuya's butler closed the doors and then said, "Rukia-sama, Sato is outside and he will send you home."
Rukia turned back to look at the closed doors and a feeling of dread overcame her. Sakuya is back... What does this mean? She clearly still love Byakuya and the moment Sakuya has entered the room, Byakuya seemed to have forgotten all about her... Where does this leave her then?
"Rukia-sama, please head this way." Byakuya's butler said.
With a heavy heart, Rukia tore her gaze away from the doors of the dining room and dragged herself out of Byakuya's mansion.
A/N: I'm back from the dead! Sorry for the long wait, guys! But hey, at least it was less than a year, right? Hahahaha. :x
Do let me know your thoughts on this chapter! Was anyone surprised that Sakuya came back? I would really love to hear your thoughts!