Hey guys! Back with a new chapter! Pls enjoy.

Thoughts

Chapter 24: Monday, Visit to the Kuchiki Manor

"Kurara! You finally made it!" Rangiku cried out as me and Ichigo barely made it to class. After news of my disband from the Espada, the whole school went wild with questions for me. I'm practically having more fans than the princes.

"I…had just…about enough of this!" I gasped after running away from those people. "I don't think…I can take this…much longer!"

"Welcome to my life when I was first called a prince." Ichigo commented, going to his seat.

"Oh yeah, have you finished all those worksheets I gave you?" Rukia asked. I shook my head. I mean, there was still a hefty pile of papers to be done on my desk, all from when I stopped coming to school to become an idol. "Then how about you come over to my place to study with me? It's big and quiet enough for us to study." Rukia suggested. I nodded and she gave me the directions.

Tuesday:

"I think I got it right." I said to myself as I looked from the paper to the building. "Man this is huge!" It was practically like a palace. Who knew the Kuchiki's were so rich?! I went up to the gate and rang the doorbell. Suddenly, a person opened the door, wearing a scary devil mask. "Kyaaah!" I screamed.

"Oh my. I'm so sorry. I thought you were one of those pesky salesmen." The person took off the mask, revealing a gentle looking lady. What?!

"What's going on out there? Oh Kurara, you're here." Rukia then came up to the door and welcomed me in. "I see you've already met our helper, Baya-san."

"Very nice to meet you." I bowed in greeting and the old lady did the same.

"Come on in" Rukia took my hand and dragged me into the manor. It looked like a palace from olden days. "There's someone that you have to meet." Soon I found myself being dragged to large bamboo sliding doors. "Grandfather, my friend is here."

"Enter." Rukia then slid the door open, revealing an old man with long white hair and a short mustache, wrinkles forming on his face, wearing a black kimono white a white sleeveless coat and a light green scarf. He was kneeling down by his low table and I could see many documents on it. "Ah, so you are Haruno Kurara. It's nice to finally meet you." He said gently.

"Ah yes. It's nice to meet you too." I bowed while kneeling on the floor with Rukia. "Uhm, thank you so much for having me here."

"It's quite alright. Besides, I have always heard about you from Rukia and Byakuya so I am glad to have finally met you." He smiled in response. Kuchiki sensei spoke about me?

"Anyways, we'll be leaving to do our homework grandfather." Rukia said.

"Yes of course. If you like, Rukia can take you around the manor first before doing your project." He suggested.

"Yes. Have a nice day grandfather." Rukia answered before leaving the room and sliding the door shut. "Whew. Glad that's over." She said when we were at a distance away from the room.

"I've never seen you so polite." I said.

"Well, I have to pay my respects to him. Anyways, let's go to my room." Rukia soon dragged me along the hallway to another room. "Welcome!" when she opened the sliding door, it revealed a room with pink wallpapers, a pink futon bed, white dressing table and wardrobe and Chappy bunnies everywhere. When Ichigo said she was in love with them, he ain't kidding! "Come, I need to show you my pride and joy." She then walked over to the corner of the room and stopped in her tracks.

"Ruk…"

"KYYYAAAHHH!" she suddenly screamed. "CHAPPY NO!" I looked at what she was staring at and saw a large cage with a pink pillow and the door was open.

"Let me guess. Your bunny, Chappy escaped." I said.

"We have to find her! Come on, operation find cute bunny to go!" She's acting like a child! Soon I found myself going around the manor, trying to find the lost bunny. How does she expect me to go around an area I don't even know of?! Then I saw one of the doors open and peaked inside. There I saw a little white bundle of fluff in the middle of the room. I slowly opened the door and jumped onto the fluff.

"Gotcha! Finally now all I have to do is find my way back." I said to myself as I held the little white rabbit.

"Whose there?" I suddenly heard a soft voice and I looked towards the bed with purple curtains around it. A hand reached out for the end of the curtain and pulled it away, showing a delicate lady. She looked just like Rukia but had paler skin.

"Ah! I'm so sorry for intruding! I was just finding this rabbit and found myself here. I'm so sorry!" I bowed in apology.

"You. Could you be, Haruno Kurara?" she asked in a soft voice. She knows too!

"Kurara, Chappy! Where are you?" I heard Rukia from outside.

"Rukia! Rukia I'm in here, and so is Chappy." I called out.

"Oh I'm so glad I found you guys." Rukia said, entering the room.

"Rukia!" the lady gleamed with joy.

"Nee-chan! How are you feeling?" Rukia soon rushed over to the lady. That's Rukia's sister! Which means, she's also Kuchiki sensei's sister. "Oh Kurara I forgot to introduce you to her. This is my big sister, Kuchiki Hisana."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I greeted.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I'm so happy to finally meet you. Rukia always talks about you when she comes back home. Even Byakuya sometimes talks about you." Hisana answered. I would really like to know what they talk about.

"Anyways Nee-chan, are you feeling any better? Don't you get bored in here?" Rukia asked.

"Much better. And I have my books to entertain me so it's alright." That's when I noticed a familiar pile of books beside her. Those were the ones I saw Kuchiki sensei read during Valentines. So they were for her. "Anyways, what are you doing here Haruno?"

"Oh, Rukia and I are finishing our homework. So Rukia suggested we do it here." I asnwered.

"I see. Well good luck in it. You better hurry then, the day's almost over." Hisana said.

"We will. And we'll come back to play with you, ok?" Rukia said before leaving the room. Hisana gave a gentle nod and Rukia closed the door. "I wanted to let you meet her later but I guess that's one way of finding my sister."

"Hey Rukia, I'm sorry if this sounds rude but is your sister sick? She looked really pale." I asked.

"Yeah, she had this sickness ever since she was three. It made her so weak that she couldn't stand up without anyone helping her. That's why she usually stays at home, rarely comes out. But I always make it a point to play with her once in a while." Rukia answered, stroking Chappy's fur.

"Oh yeah and another thing. How come Kuchiki sensei doesn't live here? Isn't this a good environment to live in?" I asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself. I heard that it because of Principal Yamamoto who made him move in with Ichigo and Hitsugaya." Rukia said. Somehow I feel that there's something more to this.

Few hours later:

"Kurara-chan. How was it like being an idol?" Hisana asked. After finishing all those papers, me and Rukia came over to Hisana's room for a little girl talk.

"Well it was tiring but still fun. It was nice seeing all those stars and taking those photo shoots." I answered, remembering when I was with the Espada.

"When I saw your face on one of the magazines, I got quite a shock that Rukia knew such an important person." Hisana giggled. I had to admit, it's nice to have an older sister to talk to.

"I'm gonna get us some drinks. Be right back." Rukia said before leaving the room.

"I have to thank you Kurara-chan." Hisana said, breaking the silence.

"What for?" I asked a bit stunned.

"After Rukia and Byakuya got to know you, they seem happier. Rukia couldn't stop talking about how much fun she had with you. And Byakuya, it amazed me that he actually talked about a girl. At first he thought you would just be another roommate, but after a while he started talking more about you. And his tone sounded more cheerful than usual." Hisana explained. I did she's exaggerating. But it's nice to hear that.

"I got the drinks." Rukia came in and we continued our girl chit chat.

In the Hallway:

"Man, this place is such a maze. You can get lost even when you're trying to find the toilet." It took me about 6 minutes to find the toilet and now I was trying to replace my steps to find Hisana's room. Then I heard a familiar voice.

"I've come back grandfather." Kuchiki sensei?

"Yes, it's nice to have you back Byakuya." His grandfather replied. "So have you decided on…"

"Grandfather, we have discussed this before. I'm not going to think about it until after my service to Gotei Academy is finished." Finished? Wait what are they talking about?

"I understand, but you are right now you are the only one suitable for the role as Head of the Kuchiki household. It's about time you find a wife." W…W…Wife?! That's what this is all about?! Wait, why am I getting so worked up about this?

"I understand. But just give me time to finish my job. Then I can discuss on this." Kuchiki sensei replied. Suddenly, I heard the door slide open and quickly ran to Hisana's room.

"Kurara, what took you so long? Why are you panting?" Rukia asked once I got into the room.

"It's nothing." I replied. I could see Hisana looking at me with wide eyes, then breaking into a soft smile.

"Rukia, could you be a dear and get us some snacks. There should be some crackers in the kitchen." Hisana said. Rukia nodded and left the room. "Kurara-chan, I'm sure you heard my brother and grandfather talk about it right?" she asked and my heart almost skipped a beat.

"W…W…Wait! It was just an accident! I…I didn't mean to intrude!" I stuttered. Hisana then gave a soft giggle.

"Kurara-chan, do you know why my brother left this place?" I shook my head. "Our grandfather knew that he didn't have much time left and he wanted Byakuya to fill the role as the head. And to do that, he has to have a wife. Byakuya wasn't ready then so he left to concentrate on his teachings. He only comes sometimes and even those times." Hisana explained. So that's why. He's trying to avoid their grandfather by staying with the others. Doesn't really sound like him though, running away from problems.

Few minutes later:

"Thanks for inviting me Rukia." I said.

"It's fine. Feel free to come again. I'm sure my sister will be happy to talk with you again." Rukia replied. I waved goodbye and started walking down the hill. Then I spotted a figure sitting on a bench. Kuchiki sensei?!

"Took quite some for you to come out." He said before standing back up. "You heard didn't you?" I flinched.

"I didn't mean to! Wait, how did you even know?!" I exclaimed.

"I knew from the start. Your footsteps are not exactly quiet." I blushed at his words. "You shouldn't let that bother you. It's just a family problem."

"But still, is it even fair. I'm sure your grandfather is deciding on one for you. Isn't it better to find someone you really love, instead of someone else deciding for you." I could see Kuchiki sensei averting his eyes away from me. "You said this was a family thing. Don't you see me as your sister?" then I saw the shock in his eyes.

Byakuya's POV:

I was shocked when she called herself my sister.

"So, you can tell me anything." She gave such a sweet smile. It somehow just melted my heart. I have never seen a girl as sweet as her. Without knowing, I went towards her and grabbed her head with one hand, pulling her to my chest.

Kurara's POV:

Wah! I did not see that coming!

"It's nothing for you to be worried about." He said in a soft voice. It somehow made my heart skip a beat. I could feel my whole face turning red. He slowly let go of my head and turned his back to me. "Let's get going. It's getting late." Then he held out his hand. I blinked in confusion. "It's dark. It would be bad if someone took you away, so hold on." I could feel my face blushing again. But slowly, I took his hand. I could feel his warmth flowing through me. Somehow, it felt good.

Hope you guys liked that, though it wasn't that good. More love scenes coming your way. Pls continue to support this fanfic, thx!