Hey everyone! Thank you to those who have been giving reviews and reading and stuff. It really does help to boost one's drive to write. XD Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and thanks once again for reading! P.S. I don't own Bleach!
Talking to her parents about moving into the Kuchiki manor wasn't so bad. All they said was that she should be careful and that she should come and visit them at any chance she gets. Of course they were a bit sad, but it was just what parents truly felt whenever their child leaves. Rukia packed her bags that night. She really didn't have much to bring since the room that she was staying in at the manor was fully furnished. All she brought were her clothes and a bunch of mangas she started collecting ever since she was little. She also decided to bring her stuffed rabbit, Chappy. 'Of course I'll never leave you here, Chappy.' She thought to herself as she placed the stuffed animal on top of her bags. She was now ready to sleep, but knew that she wouldn't be able to since there were too much thoughts going on in her mind. She thought about the next day, and how she will be treated. She thought about what she will be doing, and if she was ever going to meet new friends there. She also wanted to know what Byakuya Kuchiki was like... 'Crap, Momo got some stupid thoughts into my head. Oh well, I don't think that I'll be seeing much of him anyway.' She thought, as she tried her best to sleep. But Rukia had to admit to herself, she was a bit excited about working in the manor.
At the Kuchiki Manor...
Rukia stood in front of the gate of the manor with her bags just beside her. She was instructed to wait there until someone came to let her in and tell her what she needed to do. She was getting nervous now, and this really tall gate made her feel even more nervous. She felt intimidated by it. Did she really feel that scared? Well, this was the Kuchiki manor after all. Nobles lived here. She knew deep inside that she wanted to do a great job and not disappoint anyone. Besides, it was her first day, who wouldn't be scared on their first day at work? She just stared at this tall gate with tension eating her up until she noticed two people walking towards the gate from the inside. One was an elegant looking woman with long braided hair at the front, and the other was young looking boy. As they neared the gate she found that what they were wearing was strange. It seemed that they were wearing old traditional Japanese clothing. The young looking boy wore a black hakama outfit, while the woman wore a traditional kimono. When they finally reached the gate, Rukia snapped out of her thoughts.
"Oh! Good morning!" said Rukia formally as she bowed. As she was bowing, the young boy opened the gate, and gave her a gesture to come inside. She then stood up straight and stepped past the gate. Finally, she was now inside the most renowned Kuchiki manor.
"You must be Rukia Kuchiki. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Retsu Unohana, the head supervisor of the house." said the woman. She bowed to Rukia and then called to the young boy. "Hanatarou, please pick up Rukia-san's bags and close the gates after." The young boy followed what Unohana had said and then came beside Unohana to introduce himself formally to Rukia. "I'm Yamada Hanatarou. I'm a servant here in the house, pleased to meet you Rukia-san." he said, while carrying Rukia's bags.
Unohana then turned around and started to walk towards the house, no, let's call it a mansion. Yes, Unohana started walking towards the mansion with Hanatarou following. Rukia just followed behind them. She didn't really know what else to do at the moment. The head supervisor of the house was walking right in front of her. What did she have to do to make a good impression?
"Rukia-san, please walk beside me." Unohana said, and Rukia followed. "You don't have to be nervous right now. I'm sure you'll grow to love this place." she added, and Rukia just smiled. "It's funny isn't it though? That your last name is the same as this family's?" Unohana asked, sounding amused and looking kindly at Rukia.
"Umm, yes, it's actually just a coincidence." Rukia replied.
"Well then, it's quite a coincidence isn't it?" said Unohana, still smiling and looking kind. Rukia just nodded to her in response, still feeling nervous and shy.
As they neared the mansion, Rukia couldn't help but stare at the Kuchiki manor. The place was huge! The front garden was full of different plants and flowers, and cherry blossom trees stood tall at the sides. There were even stepping stones on the grass to get to the main front of the mansion. The place was very traditional, it looked like a mansion from the Edo Period. It had shoji doors and lanterns were also hanging around the house. It truly was beautiful. There was no way that anyone could own a house like this in modern day Japan, only the Kuchiki clan had this.
"Impressed?" asked Unohana, as she watched Rukia's expression.
"Yes! The house is beautiful. I feel like I've been sent back in time." Rukia replied, sounding very excited, and feeling her nervousness flutter away. This was her first time seeing a house like this for real. It really was beautiful, and it gave her a calm feeling inside.
"Well then, we should probably step inside and bring you to your room." Unohana replied, and they all entered the house.
As they stepped into the house, Rukia was once again filled with amazement. She saw people walking around the house, wearing kimonos and hakamas. She was almost convinced that she was sent back in time if it weren't for the florescent lighting.
"Oh yes, I forgot to mention that you have to wear traditional clothing whenever you're in the house. It's a sign of respect to the clan, and it is a requirement for those who work here. It's pretty much our uniform. Come this way and I'll show you your room. Your uniform should also be in there." said Unohana, while they passed different hallways. Rukia and Hanatarou followed her, with Hanatarou still carrying Rukia's bags. It looked like he was struggling with them. Well, it was probably heavy due to the fact that Rukia brought her manga collection.
After passing a number of people and going through different hallways, they finally reached Rukia's room. Unohana moved the sliding door and they all entered. The room was very simple. It had a bed and a side-table, and a painting of cherry blossoms hung on the wall. There was also a closet and a small desk with a chair. There were two other doors in the room too. One led to the bathroom while the other was another shoji door on the other side of the room, which led to the gardens outside. She had a large window, and it showed the beautiful view of the garden. Rukia was pleased with the simplicity of it. She didn't want to have any more than this.
"Oh! Rukia-san, you're so lucky! You got the room with the personal bathroom in it!" said Hanatarou, as he placed her bags beside the bed.
"Personal bathroom?" asked Rukia, confused about Hanatarou's comment.
"All of the servants who stay in this house have their own rooms, but most servant rooms don't really have their own bathrooms. Though we do have huge baths in the mansion for servants to share. You're one of the lucky ones who got assigned to a room like this." replied Unohana, to make things clearer for Rukia. "You should probably start unpacking now, and get used to your room. Hanatarou and I will be back in an hour to give you a tour around the house and let you know what your job is. You should also probably change into your uniform. It's in the closet." added Unohana, speaking in a very soft manner to Rukia.
"Okay. Thank you very much for all your help." replied Rukia, bowing her head.
"We'll see you later then Rukia-san." said Hanatarou as he left the room with Unohana.
Rukia sat on her bed after they left and picked up one of her bags. She opened it up and started unpacking. She put all of her clothes in the closet, and took out her uniform. She didn't want to change into it yet so she placed it neatly on the bed and continued with unpacking. Her mangas didn't really have a place anywhere in the room so she decided to keep them in the closet for now. Rukia then placed all of her toiletries in the bathroom. She noticed that the bathroom was also pretty simple. It had a bathtub with a shower, a sink, a small mirror over the sink, and a small cabinet under the sink. There was also a full view mirror across from the sink if she had ever wanted to check out what she was wearing in proper view. After placing her cellphone on the table beside her bed and placing Chappy on the bed, she was now done unpacking, and after seeing everything in her room and feeling content, she finally decided to change into her uniform.
The uniform really looked good on her. It was just a regular kimono with a solid light purple color and yellow obi. She looked a bit girly, but it was fine. It fitted her perfectly. She noticed that she still had some time to spare, but she didn't want to stay in her room, so she decided to open the shoji door that led to the gardens. She stepped out and admired the scenery. A small pond was just a few feet away, and plants surrounded it. Many rocks were on the ground, and cherry blossom petals were scattered all around. It didn't look messy at all. It looked very peaceful. But she noticed that there were too much cherry blossom trees, not that she was complaining, because she loved it a lot.
Rukia just stood there, taking in the fresh air and relaxing. She closed her eyes, and breathed in the wonderful scent of nature. When she opened her eyes once again, she noticed another person walking around the gardens from far away. He looked very familiar, as if she had seen him on TV or on a magazine before...