Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or anything associated with it. Title of owner goes to 久保 帯人. :3 Nor do I own anything related to the Hana Yori Dango drama or manga.

AN: Ah, okay so I kinda lied. This is not going to be a long chapter but in fact it's one of the shortest yet. xD It's just I really needed to get this one out as soon as possible and yet again, the chapter ended up longer than I thought it would be so I had to cut it up. But as promised, Byakuya and Kaien are in this one.

BrazeRancor, lol Hanatarou does seem like he would like S&M bwahahah. skytracer, thanks for pointing that out! I'll change it soon. I originally did put parted but stupid Microsoft Word changed it to separated and I went ahead and changed it. : Miichiya Mikan, Karin and Yuzu are more around the 13-14 age range but I'm leaning more toward the 14. And yes, Takaimono has three grade levels so since Ichigo goes in at 15, he'll turn 16 during his first year and eventually in his last year he'll turn 18. happyfacez, haha that's interesting you say that about Chad because I picture him like that in the Bleach series if he was more talkative. I'm very glad you like his character though. I shall try to give him more scenes in the future, lol. Thanks for reviewing, guys and/or gals! You really make me want to update sooner!

Note: Japanese words:

-Hai: "yes"... it might be pointless for me to add that in but you never know.

-Shachou: equivalent to a "company president"

-Kakkoi: "cool/handsome/etc."

Yosh! よろしくお願いします！

Chapter 7

Ichigo hated being late for class more than ever. He hated being late for anything in general and with school involved, this was ten times as nerve wracking. He left Hanatarou's mansion at the fastest speed possible that his legs could handle. When he looked at the time at Hanatarou's, it was 12:50 meaning that he had only ten minutes left to get to class. He figured by sprinting to Takaimono, he'd be able to make it in less than five minutes.

As he was going to cross the intersection three blocks away from school, a black car with tinted windows screeched its tires to stop abruptly before him. Luckily Ichigo had seen it coming and almost yelled at the driver for almost hitting him. He only stopped from doing so when the windows in the backseat came down. Behind the window was Rukia.

"This is horrible." Ichigo muttered to himself when he saw her.

She turned her head toward him and with a look of fake surprise said, "Oh! It's you… what a coincidence."

Did Ichigo detect a bit of nervousness from the way she said that? He shook his head of the prospect and barked out, "If you stop the car here, you're blocking the crosswalk for pedestrians."

Rukia ignored his comment and opened her door to get out of the car. Ichigo took a step back, suspecting that she would try to attack him.

"I've heard that you skipped class today." She said and casually strolled to a stop in front of him.

"Where did you hear that from? And it's none of your business what I do." He said quite vehemently.

"Huh?" She titled her head to the side.

"Don't you skip your classes all the time?" He shot back, not bothering to repeat his previous question.

"Actually, I'm going to class right now." She answered haughtily while raising her chin up.

Ichigo turned to find another way around the car. "Well then I'm going back too."

"Hey! Hey! Wait!" Rukia called out after him. He turned to look at her with annoyance. "When you kissed me that one time, I hope you didn't fall in love with me."

Ichigo screwed his face in disgust. What the hell was she trying to imply? "Have you lost it completely? I really don't get you."

Rukia let out a frustrated grunt at his comment. She stomped her left foot on the pavement like an angry child and pointed to her car. "Get in. I'm giving you a ride to school." Without warning, she quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, forcefully leading him to the car.

"What the hell are you doing? Let me go!" Ichigo was shocked at how strong her grip was but managed to tug himself free from her grasp. He looked her over once and spat out, "You're unbelievable, you know?" Taking the chance, he ran off in the other direction hoping she'd give up and go home. But that was not the case when he heard the clicking of her heeled boots on the pavement.

She was actually running after and catching up to him! He wondered how a midget-like girl could run so quickly, in heeled boots nonetheless!

"STOP, YOU! STOP!" She cried out as she ran after him, bracing her fists to knock him on the head when she was close enough.

"NEVER!" He yelled back. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

As they ran down the sidewalk looking like two complete idiots, they failed to notice a bright red sports car zoom past them at unimaginable speeds in the opposite direction. The driver of said sports car saw them running and recklessly took the next stop to make a u-turn. It increased its speed yet again to pass by Ichigo and Rukia once more before making another turn at the nearest corner where they would soon reach.

"Damn it, why does he run so fast?" Rukia said to herself, still keeping a close distance from Ichigo. He turned left at the corner and she picked up her speed.

She turned to meet an interesting fate. "Don't be so rash, shortie!" Rukia heard this before a rough hand came in contact with the top of her head, pushing her down to the ground. Almost in a daze from the quickness of the action, she wearily looked up at the culprit as she knelt on the concrete.

Ichigo, on the other hand stopped in his tracks when he heard Rukia's footsteps stop and a loud "oof" come from her lips. He turned around to see her on her knees, in front of a man with dark hair whose back was facing him. "Who?" Ichigo mouthed quietly.

The tall man turned around to face Ichigo. He wore a long black coat over what looked to be typical business attire: dark slacks, leather shoes, and white dress shirt with a gray tie. His spikey hair was dark and ended at the nape of his neck. Ichigo couldn't see his eyes as they were shielded by a pair of aviator sunglasses.

As he strolled casually over to Ichigo, Ichigo couldn't help but nervously put up his fists, not wanting to have the same fate as Rukia on the ground.

"W-what do you want?" Ichigo managed to stutter to him.

"That hurt, Kaien-dono!" Rukia yelled out once she got her bearings straight.

"K-Kaien?" Ichigo repeated his name.

"Hai." The man named Kaien answered instantly, a pearly white smile forming on his face the same time. He took off his gleaming sunglasses with a quick swipe of his right hand. His dark eyes were luminous with a friendly glimmer. "Nice to meet you."

Ichigo could only bow his head slightly back at him as he stared in awe.

Kaien's fabulously snazzy red European sports car entered Takaimono's gates. The sound of its purring engine caught the attention of a large number of students who gathered outside to see who arrived in such a beautiful car. Many squealed with delight (mostly girls) when they recognized Kaien's face. And yet many were shocked to find Ichigo in the passenger seat.

"Why is Ichigo with Kaien-sama?" One student asked out loud.

"I don't know, but I don't care. It's Kaien-sama!" Another student (female) squeaked with hearts in her eyes.

Ichigo was quite embarrassed but extremely grateful to Kaien as he got out of the car. Just minutes before, Kaien offered him a ride to school to get away from Rukia in which Ichigo quickly accepted.

Kaien also got out of his car and came around to Ichigo to hand him a business card. "You can contact me anytime at my office."

"Arigatou." Ichigo thanked him as he took the card. He read it over briefly to see where Kaien's office was situated. His eyes widened when he read the last line. "Los Angeles?" He asked in disbelief.

Kaien nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "If you were to call, I could fly back to Japan immediately on my private jet."

Ichigo was still in a state of shock but bowed gratefully as Kaien went back inside his car. Kaien revved up the engine which made many students yell out with admiration. "I'll be staying in Japan for a while so we should definitely have a meal. It'll be on me." He said through his open window at Ichigo.

Ichigo, although extremely thankful, was still baffled by Kaien's kindness. Before Kaien shifted the car gears, Ichigo asked him, "By the way, if it's okay to ask, why are you being so nice to me?"

Kaien gave another one of his toothy smiles (more sounds of girls squealing followed) and tilted his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose to clearly look at Ichigo. "You and I, we both have similar drives."

This answer made Ichigo even more confused. "Huh?" He said, his mouth open in wonder.

Kaien laughed heartily and repositioned his sunglasses at the same time. "You're almost as naïve as Rukia. To cut to the chase, I think she really likes you, Ichigo."

"Wait… what?" Ichigo could stand there looking like a blubbering idiot at Kaien's comments.

Kaien shook his head as he chuckled lightly at Ichigo's reactions. "I'll save it for later. You'll be late for class and I must be going soon. See you soon, Ichigo!" Ichigo quickly thanked him again and with another rev of the engine, Kaien drove off at full speed. Many students almost ran after his car but most opted for waving goodbye at him.

"He's so extremely kakkoi!" A girl exclaimed to her group of friends.

"Yeah, he looks so cool!" One of her friends added.

As people went inside for class, Ichigo stood there for a moment contemplating again at his sheer luck while watching Kaien's car go out the gates. He was too deep in thought to notice Ikkaku come next to him suddenly and bump him out the way.

"Kaien-sama's freakin' badass!" Ikkaku commented to Shuuhei and Yumichika standing next to him, ignoring Ichigo's yell of pain as he fell on the ground.

Ichigo groaned and almost forgot the amount of bad luck he had at this school.

Three black vehicles, one limo and two coupes, arrived in the underground parking lot of a large glass windowed building. In the limo sat Kuchiki Byakuya and his personal assistant, Ise Nanao. Before the door to the limo opened on the outside for them to exit, Byakuya said a few words seemingly important. Nanao hurriedly scribbled on her ledger before heading out after her boss.

A group of businessmen stood outside waiting for Byakuya. Once he was out, they all said their greetings and bowed relatively low to show their respect. Byakuya merely gave a curt nod of his head and walked past them to the nearest elevator with Nanao and four guards following behind him. The group of businessmen shuffled after them and waited to get on the next elevator.

On the top floor, the 60th, Byakuya and his entourage exited the elevator. He walked in front, expertly knowing his way around the winding corridors of the floor. One of Byakuya's employees who worked in the building came across them and bowed quickly. "Kuchiki-shachou, I have news." He said.

Byakuya walked passed him, not caring what he had to say.

"What is it?" Nanao asked instead and prodded the employee to join them walking and following Byakuya.

"Shiba Kaien returned to Japan today." The employee answered.

Byakuya heard his words and stopped abruptly. Everyone behind him stopped in their tracks also. Byakuya turned around toward the messenger and gave him a quick look over with his eyes. "Nanao." He called and closed his eyes slowly as if in thought.

"Hai, Kuchiki-shachou." She answered.

"Fire this man and give him whatever his last weeks pay is." He commanded simply and opened his eyes. He walked away to leave Nanao to do his bidding.

"Wait! Please sir, no! I need to support my family!" The employee begged and tried to run in front of Byakuya. He was instantly pushed back roughly by a guard. Nanao ordered him to be removed from the premises and the man was forced out kicking and yelling.

All was quiet in the corridor once again as Byakuya made his path and entered a room through a large set of double doors. The room was full of businessmen and businesswomen around a large rectangular table. They all stood up in unison when Byakuya entered and bowed simultaneously when he passed. He took his seat at the head of the table with two of his guards on standing by either side of him. Once he set his briefcase atop the table and took his seat, all others followed suit and sat down.

He cleared his throat as he rested his elbows atop the gleaming wood and clasped his hands together.

"Now," He started, "We will begin the first meeting of the new month for Kuchiki Enterprises. I expect full reports from all sub companies as well as stock market reports. Given the time we have, they should be precise and concise. Iba-san, you may start." Byakuya sat back in his chair with hands still clasped together and listened with his full attention.

At the Kuchiki mansion, Kaien settled himself down on a comfortable sofa chair with the daily newspaper in his hands. He scanned the front page and with no surprise to him, found a picture of Byakuya under a bold headline that read Kuchiki Enterprise's Stocks Raise 170 Points, Company Methods Cause Controversy.

As he was reading the article, he heard the door to the room open and knew Rukia was entering. "Your brother hasn't changed at all. He still does whatever he pleases." Kaien told her when she was inside.

Rukia stopped midway when she saw him lounging on her chair. She crossed her arms and looked at him with an expression of annoyance. "What are you doing here? Don't intrude here as you please, Kaien-dono."

"Oh, my apologies." He replied with a short nod but continued reading his newspaper.

Rukia knew it was no use to force him out. He would probably succeed in forcing her out of her own home. She sighed and threw her purse on the couch then sat lazily down next to it. "So you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?" She asked with questioning eyes.

"My wife and I had a few things to settle here." Kaien answered simply without looking up. He turned a page of his newspaper, obviously fully engrossed in an article.

At the mention of his wife, Rukia rolled her eyes then scoffed at his answer. "What trouble have you fools gotten yourself into now?" She said quite bitterly.

Kaien finally looked up from his paper, taken aback at her comment. "You shouldn't call us fools, Rukia. We're only trying to get by with life." Rukia diverted her eyes elsewhere and Kaien knew she didn't have anything to retort. He went back to reading his paper.

After a moment of silence, she spoke up. "Why would you stick with a person you don't like?" She asked this boldly and really didn't care if the question made him uncomfortable.

He didn't seem fazed by her question when he answered, with all the honesty he had within him. "I'm happy now. I've gotten very used to it."

"It didn't seem like you were happy at first. It's clear you didn't want to get married." She quickly added.

Kaien placed his paper on the side table and looked at her seriously. "Did that seem apparent?" Rukia didn't answer quickly enough and before she could say something he continued with a sly smile on face. "You miss me don't you? You want me to leave my wife and come back home to Japan."

She scrunched up her face, repulsed by his comment. "Ugh, don't say such disgusting things." Kaien could only laugh out loud from her reaction.

"How long are you staying?" She asked instantly to change the subject.

"About a week."

"Oh…" Rukia twiddled her thumbs together, trying to hide the disappointment on her features.

Kaien caught it nonetheless and went over to sit next to her. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder for comfort. "Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

She pushed his hand off her shoulder and scooted away from him. "Pfft, it doesn't matter if you come back or not." She turned her head to the side away from him and crossed her arms in a defiant stance.

Kaien laughed again. The things Rukia did were just too predictable to him. He decided to test something on her that he was dying to do all day. "Soooo… do you like that boy?"

She didn't answer him nor look at him so he continued by adding for clarity, "The boy that you were chasing earlier today. Ichigo."

At the mention of Ichigo's name she snapped back at Kaien. "Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? Nothing's going to happen any way."

Kaien nodded, taking in consideration the answer to his question. A grin slowly formed its way to his face when he thought of something. He poked Rukia to get her attention.

"What now?" She asked him, her patience wearing away.

"If you don't act gentle toward him, he'll leave you for sure." Kaien said. He nodded as if this was the sure way to win a man's heart.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rukia answered coolly. She slumped on the couch and pouted slightly. "And it's none of your business."

"If you have any questions about relationships, you can always ask me." Kaien added cheerfully and gave her a little pat on the head.

Usually after a pat on the head like that, Rukia would punch Kaien for treating her like a child. But this time was an exception when she fully took in what he said. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Kaien's yell of surprise when he picked up a magazine from the coffee table in front of them.

"Hey! Lookie here, it's Ishida! Ooh, I wonder when he began his overseas study." He opened the magazine and flipped through its pages to find the article on Ishida. Rukia kept her question to herself, deciding to ask him another time.

AN: Heh, is she harboring secret feelings or not? Meh, we can figure it out, right? I forgot to add if you want me to provide an age list of the characters (because obviously Rukia is not 150+ years in this), just say so and I will do so in the next chapter. I will provide a few one word hints for the next chapter: begging, airport, date. :D Please review as always with love, constructive criticism, and comments! Thanks!

ありがとうございます！