Hi everyone! Thanks once again for all the reviews and for reading! Sorry, but this chapter is going to be a bit short. I know that some request for me to make them longer, but I can't, because my lazy button turns on after around 1500 words. But anyway, I will try to make my chapters longer. They also seem short to me anyway. Merry Christmas too! Or Happy Holidays! Whichever one is best. Thanks for the support, and I'll try to have my next chapter in some time soon. Probably this week. XD So please be patient! Thank you!
'Of course he looks familiar!' Rukia thought. 'This is Byakuya Kuchiki! The Head of the clan!' Her thoughts screamed, as she continued to look at the man walking from afar. He had black hair that reached to his shoulders and was wearing a midnight blue hakama. He also wore a haori over it, and on his head was a kenseikan, symbolizing that he was the leader and the utmost respect belonged to him.
She continued to stare at him, wondering whether or not she should stay put or introduce herself. 'I probably shouldn't talk to him. I'm only a servant here after all, but just standing here doesn't feel right.' She told herself. She lowered her head for a second to sort her thoughts, and then looked up once again. What she saw when she looked up was something she didn't expect.
She saw his eyes. His cold eyes stared at her as he stood far away. She could tell that he was looking at her because their eyes met, yet she couldn't do anything else but stare back. It felt like an eternity, just gazing into each other's eyes. Neither turned their heads or lost focus. Rukia didn't know what to do at that moment. She just gazed at him, with no thoughts bothering her at all. It felt like it was going to last forever until...
"Rukia-san..." Hanatarou called from inside her room. Feeling alarmed, Rukia immediately turned her head and went inside, closing the shoji doors that led to the gardens behind her. She didn't even look back. After closing the doors, she saw Unohana and Hanatarou both inside her room. Her heart was racing, and she didn't even know why. She had to calm down before talking to them. She took deep breaths and calmed herself down before speaking.
"Ah, you're back. I've finished unpacking." Rukia said, feeling herself calm down. 'What was that about anyway?' She asked herself. Why was her heart racing? Why did he stare at her like that? Why didn't she look away? Did she feel that intimidated? 'That was probably it. I was intimidated... His eyes were so cold, but yet, they weren't...' She thought, feeling confused.
"It's good that you've finished, and the uniform looks really good on you. It fits you perfectly." Said Unohana. "Now we can begin with giving you a tour around the manor." She added. Rukia now decided to drop her thoughts about that man and focus instead on her job. They all stepped outside her room and started to walk.
"Oh, just to let you know Rukia-san, everyone in the house has a rank. Us servants just wear plain colored kimonos and hakamas. Guards around the house wear an armband with their traditional clothing, and nobles wear haoris over their clothes." said Hanatarou, while walking beside Rukia.
"That's a good point you've mentioned Hanatarou. Also, don't forget that the highest ranked person in the house wears a kenseikan. And that would be Byakuya-sama. Everyone is lower than him, unless he says so otherwise." added Unohana, making sure that Rukia knew her place.
'Servants wear nothing special, guards wear armbands, nobles wear haoris, and head of the house wears a kenseikan. Got it.' Rukia noted to herself, making sure that she doesn't miss any important information.
It felt like the tour was going to last forever, because apparently there were two houses. The main front that they entered a while ago was the main front for servants. Nobles and guests never go through that door. The already huge house that Rukia was staying in was only the house for servants and guards. It had the shared bathrooms that Unohana mentioned earlier, and it also had a kitchen with a huge dining room. They really treated their servants well. There were many individual rooms, and there was even a small library, just in case they wanted to relax in a quiet place. Servants were allowed to walk around the gardens during their free time, but they weren't allowed to go to the nobles' gardens. Also, the servants and guards' house had a small common room just in case they wanted to hang around and chit chat. It was like a family room pretty much. From the looks of it, Rukia knew that she would get lost if they left her alone. There were many hallways and turns, and this was just the servant's house.
"Don't worry Rukia-san, it won't take long for you to get a hang around this place." Hanatarou reassured, remembering how overwhelmed he felt on his first day. He knew that Rukia must have been feeling the same way.
After touring around the servant and guard's quarters, Unohana led them to a big door. She opened it up and let them through. It led outside, on the other side of the house that is. A bridge was in front of them, and the bridge connected them to the other house across.
"This is where the nobles stay, and I'm warning you Rukia-san, this house is much bigger than the one we stay in." Unohana said, as they all gazed across the bridge.
To Rukia, crossing over the bridge felt like entering a different world. The setting just seemed so dramatic. Petals from cherry blossom trees were falling on them, and the sun made it look like the house was glowing. When they finally reached the other end, another door stood in front of them, and Unohana once again opened it. As soon as she opened it, she immediately bowed down, and Hanatarou followed. Feeling like she had to do the same thing, Rukia bowed too.
"Permission to enter!" requested Unohana, still bowing down. Rukia didn't really understand what was going on at the moment.
"Permission granted." replied a man. He was wearing an armband, indicating that he must be the guard watching over this entrance.
Unohana, Hanatarou and Rukia all entered, and the guard closed the door behind them.
"You must always bow down and ask for permission to enter Rukia-san, otherwise, it'd be rude if you didn't. This is the nobles' house after all." Unohana said, and Rukia just nodded. It made more sense now. 'Does everything have to be this formal though?' she asked herself, thinking that she'd have to bow each time she passes through this door, but hoping that she wouldn't have to. Yes, she hoped with all her heart that she wouldn't have to come to this part of the manor. ''And it would be awkward if I see him again...' Rukia thought. She was convinced that he'd remember what she looked like. After all, they gazed into each other's eyes for a while...
When Rukia came from her thoughts, she noticed that Unohana and Hanatarou were already steps away, so she walked quickly to catch up with them. The second part of the tour now began, and it did take longer than the tour from the first house. The nobles' house was much bigger indeed. They all had bigger rooms there since everyone had their own personal baths, and the kitchen was twice as big as the one in the servant's quarters. They had three dining rooms, which Rukia thought to be quite pointless since each dining room was already big enough on its own, and the library was much bigger too, with a wide range of selections. Rukia just really wanted to grab a book and sit down to read instead of taking this long tour. Besides that, there was a party hall, an office with a long table for business meetings or discussions, and finally, the hallway where Byakuya-sama dwells. He owned his own hallway in the house. This hallway occupied his room, his personal bath, his personal office, and his personal mini-library. They really treated him like a king. 'Everything seems so... personal...' she thought.
After what felt like hours, the tour was finally over, and they all went back to the servant's quarters.
"Well then, since the tour is over, all that's left is to tell you what your job is Rukia-san." Unohana said while smiling. Rukia forgot to ask about that. She really did wonder what her job was. Was she going to cook? Or do the house's laundry? Does she have to do the dusting and sweeping or anything of the sort? There wasn't much options, since her job was just being a maid. Surely it was just some type of chore that she had to do.
"Rukia-san, your job is to become Byakuya-sama's personal maid."
'Huh?' Did she hear that right? 'Personal maid? For Byakuya-sama?' At the moment, Rukia didn't care what type of facial expression she was showing, she was just shocked. 'Personal... maid...' she repeated in her head. Byakuya-sama owned his own hallway, had his own large bath, owned his own office, and had his own library, and now, he had his own personal maid! What she thought earlier was right, everything did seem personal...