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darisu-chan · 8 years

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The Price of Love, 2

Introduction

The salon was the most elegant place Ichigo had ever set foot into. It was grand, fancily decorated, and full of people. It seemed that the Shibas were a very well-known noble family, for Ichigo could see at least five hundred people there, and it was still early. Every single guest was dressed either in a tuxedo or in gowns, obviously made by designers. Ichigo would have felt out of place if Kaien hadn’t provided his family with the appropriate attires for the occasion. He was currently wearing a black tux with a blue tie, which was asphyxiating him. Beside him were Yuzu and Karin, each wearing a dress, Yuzu’s was a peach color, while Karin’s was navy blue. Yuzu seemed quite fascinated with her dress, which was embroidered with pearls. Meanwhile, Karin was feeling very uncomfortable, for she wasn’t used to wearing dresses at all. Isshin was wearing a tux as well, and was currently talking to a couple. Apparently, others had recognized him and wanted to know what had become of him, and what he was doing there at the moment. Ichigo could also see his cousin Kūkaku from where he was standing. She was wearing a red dress, and was currently scolding Ganju for daring wear his green bandana to the event. He hadn’t seen Kaien the whole night.

“Ichigo, Yuzu, Karin, come.” Isshin called his children, and they all walked towards where he was. “I want to introduce you to two old friends of mine, Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi.” He said pointing towards a blond man and a dark skinned woman, who was wearing a golden gown with a deep neckline.

“We’re not so old, Isshin.” The woman said playfully. “I’m Yoruichi, nice to meet you.” She said cordially, and shook each of their hands. “So you must be Ichigo.” She said once she reached Ichigo’s hands. “You’re very handsome, aren’t you?” She said, and purposely let Ichigo had a nice view of her breasts. The poor boy turned bright red and the woman laughed.

“Yoruichi-san, stop embarrassing the poor boy!” The blond man complained. “I want to embarrass him myself!” He then added and both laughed. “I’m only joking! I’m Urahara Kisuke, and it sure is nice to finally meet Isshin-san’s spawn!”

“Yeah, Isshin, you kept them hidden for far too long! We were dying to see if they looked like you or like your lovely wife. It sure is good you take after your mother, kids.” Yoruichi said, while Isshin went red.

“Yoruichi!” He complained.

“Believe me, Yoruichi-san, we’re happy that we look like our mother instead of our father.” Karin added, which made the other two adults laugh and Isshin blabber.

“I like this one, she’s spunky!” The woman exclaimed.

The siblings chatted a bit with their father and his two friends, listening to stories of Isshin’s youth. As it turned out, Yoruichi was a member of one of the fifth noble clans, but, like Isshin himself, she had renounced her family to follow her dreams of being a journalist. Urahara, on the other hand, was not a noble, but what he lacked in breeding, he made up in brains. He was basically a genius, and had gained a scholarship in the schools Yoruichi and Isshin used to go to. That’s how the three had met. Ichigo also thought it was heavily implied the two adults were together, but not married. He wondered how that could be in the world Yoruichi moved around. Later he would find out that the only reason why those two had even been invited was that Yoruichi was such an important journalist, it did the other nobles no good to ignore her.

“Hey, have you met Kaien-san’s fiancée?” Urahara suddenly asked.

“No, I haven’t had the pleasure yet.” Isshin said.

“Oh, you’re in for a surprise, Isshin! You’ll never guess who she is!” Yoruichi said with intrigue.

“Who is she?”

Yoruichi smirked. “Byakuya-bo’s very own daughter and heiress to the clan!”

“No way.” Isshin whispered.

“It seems that the Shibas long ago promised an alliance between the two clans, and only now were they able to fulfill that promise. Before only boys had been born to both families, but now the Kuchikis finally have a girl.”

Isshin absorbed this information, and then turned grim. “Surely Byakuya-kun is not pleased.”

“He’s not.” Urahara simply said.

“But he can’t do anything about it. He can’t rebel against the clan, anymore.” Yoruichi answered simply, and they changed the topic to something else.

An hour later, Ichigo was calmly sipping his champagne, the first alcoholic beverage he had ever drank, when he got distracted by a great commotion. All guests suddenly turned to the staircase, from which a man and a girl descended. The man was wearing an elegant tuxedo, and the girl was wearing a pink gown, with diamonds embroidered on it. The crowd cooed when they appeared into view, which made Ichigo curious.

“Who’s that?” He asked his father.

“That’s Kuchiki Byakuya, Head of the Kuchiki Clan, and the girl is his daughter, Kuchiki Rukia.” Isshin answered.

“What?” Ichigo exclaimed, remembering the conversation they had had with Isshin’s friends. “Is that Kaien’s fiancée?”

“Yes.”

“But she’s not older than me! How can that be?!” He exclaimed, but Isshin silenced him with a pat on his shoulder.

“That’s the way clans work.”

Then Isshin explained to Ichigo how Byakuya had fallen in love with a commoner, in much the same way as Isshin had fallen in love with Masaki. “Byakuya refused to leave his clan for love, but he also refused to leave the woman he loved. He wanted to have everything, so he bent the rules to be able to marry her. In exchange, the elders made him promise he’d never disobey again. Thus, now he’s unable to save his only daughter from the fate he himself evaded.” Isshin explained matter-of-factly. “That, son, is the price of love. And those of us who have broken rules for love, now have to pay for it.” Ichigo now had a better knowledge of how awful clans truly were. To think they’d engage an adult, as young as he were, to a girl was unforgivable to Ichigo.

Kaien finally appeared at the bottom of the stairs, and gently took the girl’s hand in his, and escorted her around the room. Ichigo felt that the bride and groom were parading in front of hundreds pairs of eyes, who eyed them hungrily for entertainment. That made him feel sick. Finally, Kaien stopped in front of his uncle and cousins, with his fiancée next to him.

“Rukia, I want you to meet my uncle, my father’s brother, and his children. Uncle, this is Rukia, my fiancée.” He introduced them. The girl bowed to them.

“I am pleased to meet Kaien-dono’s family.” She said.

Kaien chuckled, and scratched his head embarrassed. “I’ve already told you to simply call me Kaien.” He laughed.

“I can’t possibly do that.” She answered.

Isshin decided to interrupt them. “Rukia-chan, it is nice to finally meet you, I’m Kurosaki Isshin and these are my daughters, Yuzu and Karin, and my son, Ichigo.” They all greeted each other.

Now that she finally was close to him, Ichigo studied the girl. She looked to be about his age, like he had inferred earlier, or even younger, for she was very small. She looked like a doll, though, she was beautiful and delicate. She had black hair, which was in an up do, and pale skin, which seemed smooth at first glance. Her most striking feature was her eyes, which were a strange mix between blue and purple, giving a mysterious aura to the girl. But as beautiful as she was, to Ichigo she looked almost dead, for there was no light in her eyes, and her smiles didn’t seem honest. Ichigo pitied her.

“You know, Rukia-chan, I think you and my son are the same age.” Isshin commented casually.

“Oh really? I’m fifteen, how old are you?” For the first time in the night, Rukia addressed him.

“I’m fifteen too.” He answered simply.

“Well, you two could be friends!” Kaien replied cheerfully, and Rukia forced a smile.

“Yes, we could be.”

Before anyone else could say something, Rukia’s father appeared. “Rukia, some of our relatives wish to speak with Kaien and you. Please go with them.” The man said stoically. From the corner of his eye, Ichigo noticed how both Kaien and Rukia tensed.

“Yes, father.” She answered her father, and then turned to look at the Kurosakis. “It was nice meeting you all. I hope we can see each other again someday.”

“And you will, Rukia-chan. Now go, your family is waiting for you.” Isshin said. Both Kaien and the girl bowed and bid their goodbyes. However, Rukia’s father remained.

“Well, Byakuya-kun, I never thought I’d see you again.” Isshin addressed the other man.

“Shiba Isshin.” Byakuya nodded.

“It’s actually Kurosaki now. How have you been?”

“I have been very well. And yourself?”

“Good, good. These are my children. I don’t think you ever met them.” Isshin introduced them to Byakuya, who simply looked at them with no emotion in his eyes.

“No, I do not believe I did.” He nodded to them. “Forgive me, I have matters to attend to. But thank you for coming to my daughter’s engagement party.”

“Thank you for having us here.”

Byakuya nodded one more time and left.

“That was a noble through and through.” Isshin commented and the kids had to agree with him. That was the life Isshin had renounced to, and for the first time that night, he was happy that was the case.

After the party things went back to normal for the Kurosakis. Isshin kept working at his clinic, Karin played soccer with her friends after school, Yuzu started learning new recipes, and Ichigo went back to his high school life. On the outside, one might have thought that the appearance of Shiba Kaien and the rest of the clan meant nothing in the long run. The clan affairs would never have any effect on the Kurosaki family, and vice versa. But how wrong they all were!

One day after school, Ichigo arrived home only to find a black limousine parked outside his house. He wasn’t as surprised as he should have been a few weeks ago, before he knew about his father’s true lineage. However, he was curious nonetheless. Could Kaien have come for a visit? But that didn’t match what he knew about the older man. The last time his cousin had been here, he had drove in his own car. Could that be another crazy relative they didn’t know anything about? Well, he wouldn’t know until he found out, so he opened the door, peeking curiously to see if he could find anything amiss.

“Tadaima.” He announced, as he took off his shoes and put his slippers on.

“In here!” Isshin yelled from the living room, so the boy directed his view towards it.

In the living room were sitting his father, his sisters and his cousin Kaien, which didn’t surprise him in the least. What was surprising, though, was the fact that Kuchiki Byakuya himself and his daughter were sitting there too! His eyes widening as he approached them, wondering what they could possibly want.

“Ichigo, you remember Kuchiki Byakuya and Rukia-chan, right?” His father asked him the moment he joined them all in the living room.

“Yeah, I remember.” Ichigo muttered and awkwardly greeted the guests. “How are you?”

“We are good, thank you.” Byakuya answered, as stoically as ever. Rukia nodded her head from where she was seated, and gave him a small smile. “I presume you have good health.” The noble politely said.

“Yeah… erm… thanks.” The boy answered and scratched the back of his neck. What the hell was going on?

“Yo, Ichigo! We have some news for you!” Kaien said gleefully, breaking the silence that had taken over the room. “Starting tomorrow, Rukia here will be your classmate!” He announced excitedly.

“Wha─?!” Ichigo exclaimed, completely caught of ward.

“That’s right, son! Rukia-chan wants to have a complete high school experience, and we’re gonna give it to her!” As his father finished speaking, Ichigo knew this was a terrible idea.

As it were, Kaien had suggested to his future father-in-law that Rukia might be missing out on her youth. It appeared that Rukia didn’t have many friends in school, and she had been stuck attending the same academy all her life, which left her with a narrow view of the world. And since the elders wanted Rukia and Kaien to get married by the time she would turn eighteen, Kaien felt it was his duty to make it possible that Rukia would have as many experiences as possible, before tying the knot.

“I was just telling Kuchiki-san what a nice place Karakura is, and how peaceful it is! Then he told me the Kuchiki Clan actually owns a summer house here, and I thought it’d be a great idea if Rukia could occasionally come here with me to visit my family. The conversation eventually escalated to the importance of having diverse experiences and meeting new people. So Kuchiki-san and I thought it'd be a good idea if Rukia could go to school here, since I told him she wouldn’t be alone, for Ichigo and Rukia are actually the same age! What an incredible coincidence!” He said cheerfully as his cousin listened attentively.

“Of course Rukia will have to keep her grades up, as top of the school. It is what it is expected of a Kuchiki.” Byakuya added.

“Right, and now doubt she’ll be able to! She’s very smart!” At Kaien’s compliment, the girl turned bright red.

“You do me honor, Kaien-dono.” She muttered and her fiancé patted her head gently.

“It’s the truth, Rukia.”

“So, they came here to tell us and see if we could show Rukia-chan around. Of course I said yes! We’re gonna be family and families help each other! Besides, Ichigo too needs to socialize more, and maybe Rukia-chan can teach him some manners!” Isshin commented as cheerfully as Kaien, the similarities between uncle and nephew being very striking.

Ichigo, meanwhile, rolled his eyes at what his father had said. Couldn’t he go a day without embarrassing him?

“So Ichigo, I’m gonna give you the important task of showing my fiancée around school and making sure she feels comfortable, alright?” Kaien asked him, turning serious for a moment, surprising the boy, who had never seen his cousin act in such a way.

“Sure.” He answered simply, and Kaien grinned.

“Great! Since that’s settled, I think we can talk about logistics now!”

The rest of the afternoon went by with Ichigo and Isshin answering Byakuya’s long questions about Karakura High School, and general life at the town. It was established that Rukia would arrive to school via limousine from her house, and that after school, she could walk towards the Kurosaki’s place along Ichigo, and stay for dinner until she was settled. Then, the limousine would pick her up and take her home. When she felt it was time, Rukia could walk by herself to the summer house, which was actually rather close to the school.

As he heard all of this, Ichigo started thinking that it was a bad idea. People at school would start asking questions, as the Kuchiki name had a fame of its own. Besides, it was obvious that if Ichigo, resident bad boy and loner, started hanging out with a girl, they would all think they were dating, and somehow he felt that saying she was his cousin’s fiancée would make things worse.

Ichigo’s quiet days were over.

Next day, Ichigo arrived to school at the same time as always. Around him, people were muttering and he guessed that Rukia had already arrived. Great. Now he would need to start with his duty. Just great. He wondered in what classroom had Rukia ended up in, he forgot to ask. Now he would need to search for her in all first year classrooms. That would certainly ruin his reputation. He groaned at that. Well, whatever, his problems could wait until he reached his classroom.

Ichigo reached his class, and went inside. He found his childhood friend Tatsuki and his classmate Inoue already there.

“Yo!” He greeted them.

“Morning, Ichigo.” Arisawa Tatsuki greeted him too. She was rather tall for a girl, and had black short hair. She had known Ichigo since early childhood for they took judo classes together.

“G…good morning!” Inoue Orihime, Tatsuki’s best friend greeted Ichigo and blushed. It was no secret that the beauty had a crush on the bad boy, although Ichigo was oblivious to it.

“You look happy as always, Inoue.” He commented and then turn to Kojima Mizuiro, his other friend. “Oi, Mizuiro, what’s third period?”

“Morning, Ichigo.” The black haired boy greeted him. “It’s social studies.”

“Alright, maybe Ochi-san won’t notice if I leave.” Ichigo put his stuff on his desk, and was about to ask them if they knew about the new girl, when a voice to his side interrupted him.

“Are you Kurosaki-kun?” He turned and found Kuchiki Rukia, already wearing the school’s uniform, sitting on the desk next to his. “Nice to meet you!” She said rather sweetly.

“Oh, this is Kuchiki-san. She transferred in today!” Mizuiro said. “It’s a weird time, but her family was in a situation where they had to move suddenly.

“You..why?!” Ichigo exclaimed. Wasn’t he supposed to look for her? And why was she acting as if they had never met?

“What’s wrong?” Mizuiro asked, as he noticed his friend’s strange behavior.

“Kurosaki-kun, I don’t have the textbooks yet… may I look at yours?” She asked Ichigo, and raised the palm of her hand as if to take the books, but in reality she was showing him something she had wrote on her palm. Say something and I’ll kill you was written in black ink. Ichigo felt a shiver run down his spine. She no doubt had enough money to hire someone to kill him, but was she actually serious? Should he follow her lead?

“Ah… well…” He hesitated, and Rukia had had enough. She hit him on his stomach, and had the nerve to act surprise.

“I’m sorry, Kurosaki-kun, are you okay? I should take you to the infirmary!” She exclaimed, and started leading him outside the classroom, to the surprise of the rest of the class.

“Did she just hit him?” Mizuiru asked, and the girls nodded.

Once he had recovered, Ichigo led Rukia to the roof to talk.

“Where are we going? Why are you leading me to such an empty place?” She asked, now foregoing using the rather sweet tone of voice she had been using in front of their classmates. Ichigo realized she had a deep voice for a girl her size.

“Don’t get any weird ideas!” Ichigo exclaimed. “I just want to know what’s going on! So, explain!” He demanded rather rudely.

“Explain? Explain what?” Rukia asked, raising an eyebrow rather cutely.

“Yeah, explain! Why are you in my class? Why didn’t you wait for me at the entrance of school? And why are you acting like you don’t know me?” He kept spitting questions one after another.

“First, your father was kind enough to talk to the principal and get me into your class so I wouldn’t be alone. I didn’t wait for you because I arrived too early and I didn’t want to just wait and see when you’d get here. And finally, I acted like I didn’t know you for a simple reason: I don’t want it to get out I’m engaged to your cousin, okay?” She answered calmly.

“Fine, I understand that. But how are we going to conceal the fact that we do know each other? You’re gonna walk home with me every day, remember?” He said, and Rukia started thinking.

“Hmmm… maybe I can follow you at a safe distance?” She mulled and Ichigo snapped.

“No way! You’re gonna look like a stalker, following me!”

Rukia sighed dejectedly. “This is a mess! My happy high school days are going to be ruined!”

“Hey, don’t be so overdramatic! And why do you care? This wasn’t even your idea to begin with. Your father and Kaien are making you come here.”

“Fool.” Rukia insulted him.

“What?!”

“Do you really think Kaien-dono came up with this plan all by himself? I was the one who originally wanted to go to a public school this year. I was tired of all the snobs in my other school, but I knew that my father would never allow me to go to public school in Tokyo, so I told Kaien-dono about my situation, and he decided to help me out. It just so happened that he rekindled his relationship with your father around the same time, and that my family owns a house in this town. You and I being the same age was an added bonus. He convinced my father with all that nonsense of wanting me to experience other things. Kurosaki-san also helped by saying he’d look out for me.”

“So you really wanted to come here, huh?” Ichigo asked after listening to her story.

“Yes! But my dream high school experience will be in danger if word goes out I’m already engaged. That’s not normal at all! I just want a carefree life until it’s time to take care of my responsibilities.” She said dejectedly.

“Fine. I’ll help. But only because if people find out we’re linked to each other, weird rumors will start and I don’t want them to ruin my reputation!” Ichigo said rather rudely, pretending he didn’t care a tiny bit for the girl and her situation.

“I’m glad to hear that. Guess we’re on the same boat, right Kurosaki-kun?” Rukia raised her hand as if to shake hands with him.

“Yes, but stop with that ‘Kurosaki-kun’ thing, it’s annoying!” The boy said, crossing his arms.

This admission surprised Rukia. “Then how should I call you?” She asked.

“I don’t care for things like that, just call me Ichigo.”

Rukia smiled. “Then the same goes for you, call me Rukia.”

They shook hands and that’s how their partnership started, which would have unexpected results.

As it turned out, the two didn’t need to come up with excuses to be together, for their homeroom teacher assigned Ichigo as Rukia’s guide for the rest of the week or until Rukia was comfortable enough on her own. “Ichigo, you lucky bastard!” Asano Keigo, one of Ichigo’s friends and a pervert, exclaimed once the teacher have given them the news. Ichigo realized it didn’t matter if people ever found out the nature of their real relationship, weird rumors were going to spread anyway, and he had a feeling Keigo was going to be the one to spread them.

Another thing Ichigo soon found out was that he and Rukia could never agree on things and were prone to bickering. He first discovered this during Rukia’s first day of classes, when it was time to go home. Even though he had told her that following him from behind was a bad idea, she had gone for it anyway. As he walked in the front, Rukia was a few steps behind, sometimes even hiding behind trash cans, poles or trees. In short, she was acting like a creepy stalker, and Ichigo could hear other students murmuring as they watched the two intently. After walking for three blocks this way, Ichigo had had enough.

“Stop following me like that!” He turned and yelled at Rukia, who was currently hiding behind a pole.

“What are you talking about? I’m not following you.” She said as innocently as she could muster while she gritted her teeth in anger.

“Yes, you are! I told you it wouldn’t work! Now walk next to me like a normal human, you idiot!” He shouted and insulted the girl, which was a boiling point for her.

“Don’t call me idiot, you fool!” Rukia yelled and kicked him on the shin.

“Bitch!” He said in pain, as he bent over to massage his abused body part.

“Fine! I’ll walk next to you!” She said, as she crossed her arms, and started walking, leaving the poor boy behind.

“Hey! You don’t even know where we’re going! Wait up!”

That was just the first of many more fights which had ensued over stupid things. So far, they had argued about sitting arrangements during dinner, the correct answers in their math homework, which type of manga was better: shounen or horror, which TV program should they watch after dinner, and many more. Another thing that pissed Ichigo off was the fact that Rukia was nice to everyone but him. She was friendly and even cute when talking to Karin, Yuzu and his dad, although the four tended to gang up on him to embarrass him. She was overly polite during class, and always greeted their classmates with a smile on her face, which had made her rather popular in but a few days of her arrival. Ichigo tended to say it was only because they hadn’t seen her in a bad mood. That always gained him a kick either to the shin, his face or his stomach.

His family, though, adored Rukia as if she had always been part of the family. Their adoration went as far as Isshin lovingly calling her his “third daughter”, and the twins calling her “Rukia onee-chan.” During the girl’s first Saturday in Karakura, the family had organized a picnic in the local park, so Rukia wouldn’t be left alone at her house ─her father had remained in Tokyo, and had left her with many servants to take care of her─, and then they had invited her over to a slumber party at their house. Ichigo had to admit that they he had had fun, even if Rukia had kicked his ass in all videogames they had played, and that she had stolen his pillow claiming it was more comfortable than the one she had been given. Ichigo knew she did it only to piss him off.

Ichigo’s friends also adored Rukia. Since she didn’t know anyone the first week, she had tagged along with Ichigo during recess. The boy always ate in the roof with Mizuiru, Keigo, and his best friend Sado Yasutora, best known as Chad. They were quiet a group, Ichigo was the hooligan, Keigo the pervert, Mizuiru the ladies’ man, and Chad the gentle giant, for he was taller than any other guy in their class, and had a rather kind soul. Rukia’s presence just added in the weirdness of the group, for now they had their own “princess”, as Keigo had called her.

“Oh, Kuchiki-san, you’re a sight for sore eyes!” Keigo exclaimed once during recess, when he arrived to the roof, and found Rukia already there, calmingly sipping her juice box.

“Shut it!” Ichigo, who had arrived just after Keigo, said as he punched him.

“Oh, Ichigo, you don’t have to get jealous! If you want Kuchiki-san, you could’ve just said so!” The brown haired boy said naively, making Ichigo blush.

“Who says I’m jealous?!” He exclaimed, and angrily sat down, unknowingly next to Rukia. Mizuiru laughed in the background and even Chad cracked a smile.

And so their sunny days of high school life progressed peacefully.

A month went by in relative normalcy. Rukia was starting to adapt better to the class, and she was also beginning to hang out with the girls, although she still made it a point to sit with Ichigo and the rest during recess, thing which Keigo really appreciated, as he felt having Rukia in their small group gave them status. Ichigo felt that was ridiculous, but didn’t bother share his thoughts about the subject. His relationship with Rukia was also getting better, although at a slow pace. They stopped fighting for every little thing, but they were known to bicker at least once every day. It was obvious that their personalities were meant to clash, seeing as they were equally stubborn and had quick tempers. In all this time, Byakuya had visited his daughter only twice, and Kaien had yet to appear back in town again, although he did call Isshin regularly.

Things changed in Rukia’s and Ichigo’s relationship one afternoon when they were doing homework in Ichigo’s room.

“See? That’s how you solve the problem!” Rukia said excitedly, as she showed Ichigo her notebook, where she had written a formula to solve a math problem.

“You could have just told me from the beginning, y’know?” Ichigo complained, as he copied it.

“I wanted to know how much you knew before explaining.” She answered. “I should’ve known you were lost. You’re really bad at math.”

“Shut up! I’m just good in other subjects.” He answered, feeling annoyed that Rukia had made fun of his difficulties in math.

“Like classic literature! You sure know about Shakespeare.” Rukia said, unaware that that was a touchy subject with Ichigo.

“What? How do you know? Have you been spying on me?!” Ichigo said, quite annoyed.

“Relax, Ichigo. It’s actually good that you have expertise in such a subject. All good nobles and intellectuals have read Shakespeare. I myself rather enjoy it. I own all of his collection, if you want to read it sometime.” Rukia said, obviously trying to cheer Ichigo up, who was frowning at her.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better.” He still complained, while Rukia giggled.

Then, Ichigo’s eyes fell on his digital watch, which marked the date June 16th. His gaze softened, but his frown deepened. “I see, so it’s soon.” He murmured, more to himself than to his companion.

“Ichigo? Why the long face?” Rukia questioned, noticing the change in Ichigo’s mood.

“Nothing.” He lied. “Hey, Rukia?”He called to her but his eyes never met hers.

“Yeah?”

“Tomorrow I won’t be coming to school, and I guess dinner tomorrow will also be postponed. I hope it’s not an inconvenience to you.” He said.

“No, of course not.”

“Good.” Ichigo said, and then changed the subject. “So how do I solve the next problem?”

Once Rukia had left home for the evening, the Kurosaki family gathered in the kitchen, with Isshin standing up in front of them.

“And now I will open the meeting to decide tomorrow’s duties! To be honest, since the chairman is dad, then dad has final say in everything!” He shouted rather energetically.

“Eh! What’s with that?! That’s not a meeting!” Karin complained, already dreading Isshin’s usual shenanigans.

“Hey! Raise your hand before you speak, staff director!” The father scolded his daughter, who blushed.

“Staff director?” She mumbled as her eyes shone. That job wasn’t so bad after all, when compared to other years.

“As usual, Yuzu is the lunch staff.” Isshin continued giving orders.

“Okay!” Yuzu said, and gave her dad a thumbs up.

“Karin is the luggage carrier!” The oldest Kurosaki continued.

“What?!” Karin complained.

“Oh, daddy cut his hair for tomorrow. What do you guys think?” Isshin was sidetracked, as he admired his hair on the fridge.

“It looks the same!” Karin said, and another discussion ensued.

Ichigo watched them silently, glad that his family looked so excited even if the circumstances were difficult. The following day would mark the anniversary of his mother’s death, and the family always spent the day at the tomb. No matter if they had school or job that day, they would skip it. It was a family event that they all took very seriously. The next morning, they walked the hill that led to the local cemetery where their mother was buried.

“This is such a tough hill.” Yuzu complained, tired already.

“Really? It’s nothing to me.” Karin commented, as she walked ahead of her twin.

“Do your best, Yuzu! Don’t give up, Yuzu! Daddy’s with you!” Isshin yelled behind them, trying to encourage his youngest daughter. “Look! Hey! Look at daddy! He’s climbing the hill while standing on his hands!” He continued shouting, as he did what he said and started climbing using his hands instead of his feet. Behind him, Ichigo rolled his eyes.

“Ignore him, Yuzu. Encourage people like that and it will never end.” Karin said, and Yuzu agreed.

“How naïve.” Isshin murmured. “Even if you don’t look, I still won’t stop!” He exclaimed as he started running towards them.

“Run!” Karin warned her twin, but it was too late.

“Take that! Special daddy sliding technique!” He said, as he slid next to Yuzu, and with one hand, raised her dress. “Polka-dot panties!”

“Kyah!” Yuzu screamed.

“Scram to the ends of the Earth!” Karin shouted as she hit Isshin, resulting on the man falling from the hill.

“Huge plunge! Due to daddy’s huge plunge, today’s NASDAQ is in chaos!” The father yelled from the bottom of the hill.

“Start from the bottom, man!” Karin yelled back.

Ichigo ignored their antics. “Although it’s June, it’s so hot today.” He muttered to himself. “Even though it’s the same June 17th, it’s a hell of a lot different…”

His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by his sisters. “Huh? There’s someone there.” Karin said.

“You’re right.” Yuzu agreed. “Is she visiting a grave too?”

“You think?”

Ichigo turned to look at the spot where Yuzu and Karin were looking, and there he saw a girl wearing a hat and a sundress.

“Ah, she’s turning this way.”

The girl turned, and took her hat, revealing that the girl was in fact Rukia. She waved at them using her hat.

“RUKIA?!” Ichigo screamed, taken aback by her sudden appearance.

“Rukia-nee, what are you doing here?” Yuzu questioned, as they approached the other girl.

Before Rukia could answer, Isshin ran all the way to the top of the hill. “I invited her, of course!” He exclaimed.

“Seriously?” Ichigo enquired.

“Well, Rukia-chan is family and this is a family event, so of course she had a right to be here, right Rukia-chan?” Isshin explained while the girl nodded.

“I’m honored that I was invited to take part in such an event. Thank you for taking me into account.” Rukia said and then she bowed down.

“I’m glad Rukia-nee is here!” Yuzu cheered.

“Maybe with Rukia-nee here, dad will behave.” Karin nodded approvingly.

“Anyway, let’s go to mom’s grave!” Isshin cheered, and starting leading the family towards the tomb.

Ichigo and Rukia followed quietly behind them, each deep in thought, until Rukia decided to break the silence.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was your mother’s death anniversary?” The girl asked.

“I didn’t want to talk about it.” Ichigo explained.

“Oh.”

“So how much did dad tell you about it?” He asked.

“Not much. Just that it was your mother’s anniversary, that you weren’t going to school today, and that I was welcome to join you.” She explained. “Since I’ve grown rather close to your family, I thought it’d be good if I came by and help you if needed, and to pay my respects to your mother.”

Ichigo nodded in understanding. “That was nice of you.” And then he grew quiet as they approached the grave.

Kurosaki Masaki’s grave was just like any other in the cemetery. It was simple, it was made of white marble and had the inscription of Masaki’s name engraved on it. The twins started paying their respects to their mother as they prayed, but as usual, Isshin started with his crazy antics.

“Hey, it’s time for this year’s annual ‘ba-dum!” He said pretending to do a drumroll. “Kurosaki family’s tombstone domino rally! A game that is a full two hours’ worth of tomb-trashing action, where the winner can make the loser his dog for a whole week!” Isshin announced excitedly. “First match up is daddy vs Ichigo!”

Karin rolled her eyes, Ichigo stood in the middle alone, and Yuzu tried to stop her father. Rukia was very amused, and giggled behind her hand.

“Onii-chan, stop him!”

“Alright, let’s go!” Isshin ignored them.

“Dad! If you do it, you won’t get dinner!”

“What?” Isshin said, as the three left the site.

“Your family is rather energetic.” Rukia told Ichigo.

“Yeah, well, dad’s an idiot 24/7.” He grumbled.

“It’s nice… I mean, it’s nice that the atmosphere is not gloomy or depressed. Your father really tries to make you smile even when you’re in pain.”

“Yeah, I guess he does.” Ichigo scratched his cheek.

“May I?” Rukia gestured to the tomb, and the boy nodded.

“Go on.”

The girl lit up the incense, as if she had done it countless of times before, and started praying, paying her respects to the woman buried there. She was silent for some minutes, and then she stood up and smiled at the boy.

“What did you tell her?” He asked curiously.

“Not much. Just that her only son is an idiot, but I’m going to straighten him up.” The girl mocked him.

“Ha, ha. Very funny, Rukia.”

She gently smiled at him. “I told her that she’s lucky to have such a happy family, who still loves her very much.”

Ichigo blushed at her words. “Yeah, well, we better find dad before he embarrasses us further.”

And so they walked in silence through the graveyard, trying to find Ichigo’s family, but to no avail. Eventually, it got cloudy, and soon it started raining.

“Shit, we better find cover.” Ichigo said and led Rukia to a pavilion that was nearby. There, they took refuge as it kept raining.

Their hair and clothes were a little wet, but not enough to cling onto their bodies, and for that they were grateful. It would be annoying if they were stuck in the pavilion with wet clothes and even wetter hair. They sat down, and watched the downpour.

“I sure hope your family found cover too.” Rukia muttered as she observed the rain. “This is so unexpected! It was sunny in the morning!” She kept complaining, while Ichigo remained silent.

“It was raining that day too.” He simply said.

“Pardon?” Rukia turned to look at him, with a raised eyebrow.

“It was raining when my mother died.” Ichigo said, and it felt like he was confessing a well-kept secret.

“Oh…”

“I guess that’s why the accident happened.” He surprised himself by saying this. Why was he telling Rukia about it? However, he kept going. “It was after judo practice, we were walking home and it was raining heavily. A girl yelled that her dog had run away, and I thought that I had seen it on the other side of the river bank. I liked to play hero when I was nine, so I ran towards the other side, without listening to my mother’s warnings or looking at the road. Next thing I knew, I was on the river bank, and there was something on top of me. I looked closer and realized it was my mother. It seems that just when I decided to cross the street, a car was coming. My mother pushed me away, but got hit instead. It was fatal.”

“Oh, Ichigo, I’m so, so sorry.” The girl said, as she put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, trying to comfort him.

“If only I had listened to her… well… I’m surprised my family doesn’t hate me for it. It was my fault, after all.”

“They would never hate you. You know that, right?” Rukia said, and made Ichigo look at her in the eyes.

He gulped. “Yeah, I guess… What about you?” He asked.

Rukia blinked. “What about me?”

“Who did you lose?” He surprised her by asking this.

The girl shifted in her seat. “How did you know I lost someone?”

“You seemed like you have been at a graveyard before. You also knew what to do. Not everyone has that knowledge.”

“Tch. Who would have known you were this perceptive?” Rukia shook her head amused, but was actually disguising her own grief. “It was my mother too.”

It was Ichigo’s turn to be surprised. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. It wasn’t anyone’s fault, really. She was always a frail thing. Having me didn’t help her health, but how could she have known?” Rukia said bitterly. “She passed away when I was four, so I don’t really remember much about her, except that she was always sick and coughing. Once a year, my father and I visit her grave too. But it’s nothing like this. My father doesn’t say anything, and neither do I. We just watch her grave and pray, leave some flowers, and then we leave.”

“It must have been hard, losing your mother so young, like Yuzu and Karin.”

“It was. I wish I had had an older brother like you to help me. Since I look so much like my mother, I don’t think my father has ever been able to look at me in the eye like he did before my mother died. He hasn’t smiled since either.” She sighed dejectedly. “What are the odds of both of us having lost our mothers?”

“Probably not many.”

“Yeah, probably.” And then they laughed, laughed to hide their grief, to keep the tears from falling down. They also felt comfortable in the shared pain, as if their souls had finally found someone who understood.

Then, the rain stopped and the stormy clouds vanished, making way to a few rays of light, which illuminated the scene.

“There you are!” Isshin shouted from a few feet away of the pavilion. “We were looking for you!”

Ichigo stood up, and held his hand to Rukia. “Well, let’s go.”

Rukia smiled, nodded, and took his hand.

“I’m so bored!” Rukia complained from his bed, while Ichigo sat on his chair doing homework.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. “Then do something.”

“Like what?”

“Oh, I don’t know, like homework?” The boy said ironically.

She huffed. “I finished it already.”

“What? Seriously?” He asked incredulously.

She rolled her eyes too. “I’m not as slow as you.”

“Hey!”

A few weeks had passed since Masaki’s death anniversary, and after the little heart-to-heart they had, the two had grown closer, finally admitting they were friends. Spending time together was now as normal as breathing, and the two couldn’t remember a time where they hadn’t been together all day. Of course, that wasn’t exactly true. Rukia had started hanging out more with the girls (Tatsuki and Orihime) than with Ichigo’s group, although she still ate lunch with them every Thursday and Friday. But the afternoons were theirs to be together, mostly doing homework or playing videogames when they had free time. Ichigo’s room had become Rukia’s second home, and she often lay on his bed as if it were hers, ignoring Ichigo’s complains. No one knew how close they actually were, but there had been speculation going around, and people often asked them if they were dating, to which they always vehemently denied. But other than that, they lived a rather carefree and normal high school life.

Before another argument could erupt, Isshin opened the door enthusiastically.

“Ichigo! Rukia-chan!” He shouted.

“What do you want, goat chin?” Ichigo grumbled.

“I’m gonna ignore your attitude just because I’m happy. Rukia-chan, Kaien has invited all of us to dinner tomorrow, so please bring spare clothes tomorrow so that you can change here, and then we’ll go together to eat, alright?” Isshin said cheerfully.

Rukia’s smile fell, thing only Ichigo noticed. “Oh…yeah, thanks for telling me Kurosaki-san.”

Next day, Rukia was distracted during school and even on the way back. Ichigo thought this was odd, but decided not to ask her about it, feeling he’d be intruding on her private feelings. One thing he had learned about Rukia was that if something bothered her, he’d tell you on her own time, not before. So he let her be. At his house, Rukia went to the twins’ room to get ready, leaving him alone in his own room.

“Kids, Kaien is here!” Isshin announced at around 6:45, and they all went downstairs.

Ichigo was surprised to see that Rukia hadn’t changed into her usual colorful sundresses, but instead was wearing a tight purple skirt, and an elegant white silk blouse. Her hair was also styled in an up do, and she was wearing lip gloss, things which she never did. The only time Ichigo had seen her so dressed up was during her engagement party. He raised an eyebrow.

“How are you, guys?” Kaien greeted them at the door. He looked casual with only a pair of jeans and a blue dress shirt.

“Hi.” Rukia greeted him rather timidly.

“Yo, Rukia, how’s high school life going? Ichigo treating you well? He’s been showing you around?” Kaien asked her, he was smiling, but it seemed a little strained.

“Yes, he has.” The girl said, and Ichigo noticed her smile too was forced.

“Good, good. Shall we go?”

During dinner, Ichigo started realizing there was something funny in the way Kaien and Rukia acted around each other. He had never been in the same room as them for a prolonged period of time, but now that he was, he started noticing little things about them. He got that probably neither was too thrilled to have become engaged at such a young age, but there was something more to it than discomfort. They were friendly towards each other, and sometimes Kaien was even flirty, yet there was a wall between them. Rukia sometimes blushed when she was near him, or when Kaien patted her head, but her eyes looked dead, as they had during her engagement party. Now, Ichigo had seen Rukia make many expressions. He had seen her happy, angry, sad, hungry, surprised, bashful and more. He knew how she looked like when they were arguing, when she was doing her homework, speaking to friends, or when she was laughing. He had seen the faraway look in her eyes when she talked about her family or her former school. But this Rukia was a stranger to Ichigo. He knew that Rukia was no fragile doll, but the expression she had now reminded him of his first impression of her: a delicate, beautiful, and sad girl. He hated that.

Ichigo started wondering if Kaien had ever abused her. His cousin didn’t look like the type to do so, but Ichigo was still suspicious of him. He decided that once they were alone, he would ask Rukia about it. He wanted to know if he could help her in any way possible. That opportunity didn’t present itself until the next day, on the afternoon, when they were supposed to be doing homework, but both were far too distracted to work on their assignments.

“Rukia?” Ichigo suddenly called her. She was sitting on his bed, while he sat on the floor.

“Yeah?” She said, not moving from her spot.

“What was up with you and Kaien yesterday?”

That caught her attention. She sat up and looked towards Ichigo, who also had turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”

“You were acting weird. To begin with, you dressed up even though you never do.” He accused her pointedly.

Rukia rolled her eyes. “I thought we might go to a fancy restaurant. My father always told me to dress elegantly, so I did.” She explained and shrugged.

“You barely smiled yesterday.”

“I was tired.”

“You couldn’t look at Kaien in the eyes.”

She bit her lip. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“You always look at me in the eye, why is Kaien different?”

“Why do you care?” She snapped.

“Because I’m your friend, and yesterday you looked like you’d rather die than be there, and that freaked me out, okay?!” Ichigo exploded. He turned red from his uncontrolled anger, and breathed heavily.

Rukia started laughing.

“What is so funny?!” Ichigo yelled, feeling outraged.

“I just never thought you’d care so much, Ichigo. It’s almost cute.” She had the audacity to wink at him at the end of his speech.

“Whatever. Last time I ask if you’re okay.” He crossed his arms and pouted.

Rukia sighed in defeat. “You’re right. I didn’t want to go to dinner with Kaien-dono yesterday.”

“Why? Do you hate Kaien?” Ichigo asked. “Did he do something to you?”

“No, I don’t hate him, and no, he has never done anything to me.” She chuckled.

“Oh.” Ichigo absorbed this information. “Do you love him then?”

The girl turned bright red. “Of course not! What gave you that idea?”

“I don’t know. I heard girls sometimes avoid the guys they like out of embarrassment.” Ichigo shrugged.

“Well, I don’t!”

“Okay. Fine. You don’t love him, but you don’t hate him either. So what’s wrong?”

“Nothing! Kaien-dono is a great guy. I don’t love him, but I admire him. But that’s the thing, since I don’t love him, I don’t want to marry him. I don’t want to marry anybody, actually. And every time someone asks me about the wedding, or I’m near Kaien-dono, I feel sick to my stomach, because I’ll have to marry him one day, and I’ll lose all my freedom.” She wrapped her arms around her body, trying to protect herself. “They didn’t even let me choose.”

Rukia’s speech reminded Ichigo of what his father had gone through. He decided then that he hated noble clans for what they did to people like Rukia or his father. They deprived them of the possibility of choosing how to live their lives. Ichigo didn’t want to be a part of the clan if it meant renouncing to his individuality.

“Hey. Maybe it’ll get better. At least Kaien will look after you.” Ichigo said, trying to comfort her.

Rukia smiled. “Yeah, I guess.” They briefly hugged, and then separated after an awkward pause.

Ichigo coughed. “So… since you don’t love Kaien, do you have a crush on someone?” The boy asked.

“What?! No!” The girl said, still blushing. “Do you have a crush on someone?”

“No!” Ichigo shouted as loud as Rukia had.

“Then don’t ask, Ichigo.” Rukia said and threw a pillow at him.

“Hey!”

Summer break was finally here, which meant that Ichigo was free from school. But that also meant he had to be with Rukia more often now, and basically become a slave to her every whim. The young Kuchiki heiress stayed at the Kurosaki’s all day, and only returned home after dinner every night. Occasionally, they would go out with friends, to summer festivals and the like, joining the group of boys with the group of girls. Keigo was ecstatic with this situation, claiming that either Kuchiki-san or Inoue-san would fall in love with him by the end of summer. It was good that Tatsuki often kept him in line. Another memeber had recently joined this strange group: Ishida Uryū, the guy with the highest grades of the class, just a point behind Rukia. They met him because he and Ichigo had been paired up for a project, which eventually led to the two of them becoming rivals, and ironically Ishida had also declared himself Rukia’s rival due to their grades. However, they soon found out they were cousins from Ichigo’s mother’s side, and their fathers suggested they should hang out together. This led to them being in the same group of friends, although Ishida accepted begrudgingly. So Ichigo had spent the first two weeks of summer going to festivals with his friends, cleaning the house, trying to complete his summer homework, and, of course, getting annoyed by Rukia, who insisted on finding new things to do every single day. Fun. Not.

On Monday of the third week of summer was one of those days in which Rukia would arrive way too early to bother Ichigo. She had spent about an hour already trying to get him out of the house, but to no avail. That Monday Ichigo was being especially stubborn, partly because he didn’t want to go outside, and partly because he wanted to mess with Rukia. It was working.

“I-chi-go.” The girl whined to make her friend pay her attention, but the boy refused to do so.

“I already told you no is no, Rukia.” Ichigo said without turning from his desk, where he attempted to work on his homework.

Said girl pouted. “And I already told you I can help you with your homework.”

“I don’t want your help.” He said, and then the girl peaked from over his shoulder to look at his homework.

“Are you sure?” She asked. “Because problem number three is wrong.” She added, and smirked diabolically at the boy.

Ichigo had had enough. “Gah! That’s it! Get outta my room!” He yelled and tried to drag Rukia out of his bedroom. The girl, though much shorter than him, put up a good fight as she struggled against him.

“Let go!” She shouted, as she kicked him on his legs.

“No, you stop that!”

“No, you stop!”

Their fight was interrupted by the sound of Rukia’s cellphone ringing. Ichigo let her go, so that she could answer the call. When Ichigo saw Rukia’s expression at seeing the caller’s ID, he knew only one person had that effect on her: her father.

“Otou-sama.” She said as stoically as she could muster, her Kuchiki mask, as Ichigo often called it, slipping in. “Yes.” She paused. “Yes. It is fine by me.” She listened intently to whatever was said to her. “Yes. I will see you there. Goodbye.” Rukia remained observing her cell phone, without saying anything.

“So, what did he want?” Ichigo asked, trying to appear nonchalant but was internally curious about the conversation.

Rukia sighed loudly. “He wants us to have dinner with him on Friday.”

Ichigo sighed in relief. So it wasn’t something bad, he wasn’t trying to get Rukia to come back to Tokyo or anything. All was good.

Wait… What?

“What?!”

Summer was turning out to be quite eventful.

Friday evening arrived sooner than Ichigo would have liked, and he found himself in his father’s room, wearing a very uncomfortable suit from Isshin’s younger days. His father watched him attentively, going around circles, and inspecting every tiny detail in the boy’s attire.

“Hmm.” Isshin murmured as he looked at Ichigo’s arms. “Hmm.” He added, as he inspected him from behind.

“What?” Ichigo said, already annoyed and it wasn’t seven yet.

“You clean up rather nicely, son. Too bad your hair is an annoying shade of orange. But there’s nothing we can possibly do about that.” The man said matter-of-factly. Then he put his arms up when he saw the murderous glint on the boy’s eyes. “I’m kidding! I’m kidding! Jeez, Ichigo, you should learn to have a sense of humor.”

“Well?” He raised his eyebrow.

“Oh, right! Well, you look decent enough for Kuchiki Byakuya’s standards, so I don’t think he will complain about your clothes. It’s your general attitude and manners which should worry you.”

“I just know this is going to be a disaster.” Ichigo declared. “I don’t even know why he wants to have dinner with me. One would think he’d want to spend time alone with his only daughter.” He grumbled, as he tried to comb his wild hair to no avail.

Isshin chuckled. “It might not appear as such, but Byakuya-kun has terrible social skills.”

“No shit.”

“And from what I have observed, he’s very awkward when trying to communicate with Rukia-chan, so he probably thought having a friend dare would help Rukia-chan open up to him.”

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think my presence will help?”

“Maybe. It can’t possibly make it worse.”

“Let’s hope so.”

Just then, someone rang the bell, and Yuzu called them. “Onii-chan, Kuchiki-san and Rukia-nee are here!”

Ichigo walked downstairs, and on the doorway stood Rukia, wearing a simple but elegant purple dress, which fit every curve on her body perfectly. She was wearing black pumps, makeup, and her hair was braided. Her appearance stunned Ichigo for a moment. Although he knew she was good looking, a fact that Keigo often reminded him about, it was different seeing her so dressed up. Then their eyes met and the boy felt something pulling him towards her, like a magnetic attraction.

“Good afternoon.” And the moment was ruined by Kuchiki Byakuya, standing next to his daughter in an expensive-looking suit, and a tie matching the girl’s dress.

“Good afternoon.” Ichigo greeted as politely as he could, his eyes straying towards Rukia, who waved a little at him.

“Oh, Byakuya-kun, good afternoon!” Isshin exclaimed, and went to shake the other man’s hand rather energetically. Ichigo could feel Byakuya getting annoyed from where he was standing.

“Shiba Isshin.” He greeted without any perceivable emotion, but he boy had a feeling he was actually very annoyed. He couldn’t blame him, though. His father had that effect on people.

“My, Rukia-chan, you look beautiful tonight!” The oldest Kurosaki said turning to the girl, who blushed at the compliment.

“Thank you, Kurosaki-san.”

“The car is waiting outside.” Byakuya interrupted them. “I will bring your son back at ten o’ clock sharp.”

Isshin laughed. “Ah, don’t worry about that. Sons are different than daughters. It doesn’t matter if he comes back on time, or comes back at all. Let him walk back if he wants!”

Ichigo whispered a harsh “Hey!” His father was truly an idiot.

“Very well.” Byakuya simply said, and motioned for Ichigo and Rukia to follow him.

“Goodnight Kurosaki-san, Karin, Yuzu.” Rukia said goodbye.

“Goodnight, Rukia-chan!”

“See you guys later.” Ichigo said, and waved goodbye, before closing the door behind him.

The ride to the restaurant was excruciatingly uncomfortable. The only sound that could be heard was coming from the car’s speakers, jazzy songs which tried to make up for the lack of conversation. Byakuya was looking out of the window, Rukia was playing with her hands in act Ichigo recognized as nervousness, and he passed the time by observing both Kuchikis, or by looking through the window. He soon realized they were driving to the farthest side of town, were most of the fancy restaurants and malls were. Byakuya seemed to be going all out tonight. As expected of a noble. Soon they arrived to the fanciest restaurant Ichigo had ever seen. It was constructed with what Ichigo could only describe as European architecture, and had many limos parked outside.

The doors soon opened, and the driver helped Rukia out of the car, while Ichigo and Byakuya exited. They walked together to the entrance, Ichigo and Rukia behind Byakuya. Once inside, other guests parted ways to let the great Head of the Kuchiki Clan pass. It seems he was very famous, for everyone recognized him.

The maître d’ rushed to meet them. “Kuchiki-sama, it is a pleasure to have you here!” He exclaimed and bowed.

“It is good to be back.” Byakuya said.

“This way, please.” The maître d’ guided them personally to their table, which was situated in the farthest part of the restaurant, probably to give them some privacy.

“Would you want wine, Kuchiki-sama?” The maître d’ asked.

“No, my guests are both underage. I will have matcha tea please.”

“Of course, of course.” The man said, as he wrote Byakuya’s order. “For you, ojou-sama?” He then turned to Rukia.

“Just a lemonade, please.” She said shyly.

The man smiled. “And for you, young man?” He turned to Ichigo.

“Soda, please.” He said simply.

“Very well. I will bring you your drinks soon, and here is the menu.” He said, gave them their menus, and left them.

The three took their time looking at the menu. Truth be told, Ichigo could barely understand most of it, since it was in English, and some dishes were written in what he guessed was French. He felt terribly awkward, and wished he could ask Rukia without looking inadequate in front of her father. The prices had also astounded the boy, who had probably never spent at much in his entire life. He realized this is part of the life he would have had, had his father remained Head.

“I heard that the Fettuccine Alfredo is very good in this place.” Rukia commented casually, but winked at Ichigo. He smiled gratefully at her.

“Yes, indeed, Rukia. Excellent choice. I will have the Chef’s Honey-glazed Salmon. What about you, Kurosaki-kun?”

Ichigo was surprised he had been included in the conversation. “Ah, the fettuccine sounds good to me too.”

Byakuya nodded. “Very well.”

The maître d’ returned with their drinks, and they ordered their food. Once the man was gone, the three were left in silence again.

“So how are you doing in school, Rukia?” Byakuya asked.

“Very well, father.”

“And your grades?”

“Still high.”

Ichigo felt that he should say something to help his friend out. “Actually, Rukia’s grades are the highest in the whole school.” He commented, and he watched as Byakuya nodded approvingly.

“I am glad that you have remembered to study amidst the fun.”

“Yes, father.”

“Have you treated the Kurosakis nicely?”

“Yes.”

“She’s very kind. She often helps my sisters with their homework, and helps with the dishes after dinner.” Ichigo added. Rukia kept smiling sweetly at him for his help.

“Helping others is a good way to repay favors. I am glad you keep your manners even when I am far away.”

The conversation then flowed towards other matters. Rukia asked him about his business in the family company, and Byakuya went on to describe his new dealings and the difficulties which had arose, and how he had solved them. Ichigo discovered that Byakuya actually had a lot of responsibilities, not only with the clan but at work. He wondered if Kaien faced something similar in his daily life, and if that was the reason why he couldn’t visit them very often.

The food arrived and they ate in peaceful silence, in comparison to how the evening had first started. Ichigo thought that his father had been right, maybe Byakuya needed someone to help him communicate with his daughter. Maybe with all the things he had to, plus his grief over losing his wife, had impaired him to know how to socialize with his own daughter. Perhaps with Ichigo’s help, he could manage to start a good relationship with Rukia.

After they had ordered dessert, Byakuya renewed their conversation.

“Kurosaki-kun.” Byakuya called him, which surprised Ichigo.

“Yes?”

“How is your school life going?”

“Um, it’s going good. Thank you for asking.”

“Are your grades good?” He asked.

“They’re not as high as Rukia’s, but they are above average.” He said, and faked a smile. The boy had a feeling he was about to be judged.

“I assume it is difficult to study when you get into as many fights as you do.” Byakuya stated, and Ichigo now knew his true purpose.

“Father.” Rukia said harshly.

“No, it is fine, Rukia.” Ichigo said. “Actually it’s tough to even arrive home, when people pick fights with me over the color of my hair. They don’t realize I was born with it. I’m not a member of any gang or anything.” The boy explained himself as best as he could.

“So it is natural.” The older man said out loud, as if taking note of that.

“Yes, it is. I inherited it from my mother’s side.”

“But Ichigo hasn’t gotten into a lot of fights since I moved here. Mostly guys yell at him on the streets, but Ichigo ignores them and keeps walking.” Rukia defended him, and for that Ichigo was grateful.

“I see. I am glad to know you behave when in my daughter’s company.”

That sounded as a warning to Ichigo. “I’d never put Rukia in harm’s way. Never.”

Byakuya nodded. “So what are you planning to study after high school? I assume you are going to university.”

“Excuse me? I… I haven’t thought about it yet.” Ichigo frowned.

“Well, you should start thinking about it soon. I presume your father does not make a lot of money, so that lowers your possibilities. If you want to study in an important university, you would need to get a scholarship, but with your grades it seems unlikely you can. Unless, of course, you take the Shiba name. The clan would most likely pay for your education, and you would have nothing to worry about in that aspect.”

Ah. So there it was. Ichigo understood perfectly. Kuchiki Byakuya didn’t actually care for his future or for his education, he cared about his status. Currently, Ichigo was a nobody. A normal boy, living a normal life. But if he took the Shiba name, which was always his destiny, he wouldn’t be just anyone, he’d be the grandson and nephew of the previous heads, the first cousin of the current head. He would be a noble with a high status, no matter who his mother had been. And then he’d be fit to be called Kuchiki Rukia’s, heiress of the Kuchiki Clan, friend. He’d be fit to be called her cousin-in-law. His company wouldn’t be a stain in Rukia’s reputation.

“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of taking that name.” Ichigo spoke harshly. He didn’t want to play Byakuya’s game any longer.

“You should at least think about it. The connections that come with the Shiba name are great, as well as the opportunities that you would have. Do not reject a part of yourself, Kurosaki Ichigo.” Byakuya cautioned. It felt more like a warning.

“Father, I do not think this is an appropriate conversation for dinner.” Rukia hissed.

“You are right Rukia.”

Needless to say, they ate their dessert in silence after that, and the journey to Ichigo’s house was equally as silent. Ichigo was internally fuming, but tried to appear relaxed for Rukia’s sake. He had been insulted in several different ways, and made uncomfortable under Byakuya’s scrutiny. He hadn’t been deemed unfit to be Rukia’s friend. His only consolation was that, no matter what, he and Rukia would still be related the moment she married Kaien. Ichigo would always be Kaien’s cousin, and their families had renewed their ties. Ichigo would attend their wedding and family matters. Byakuya would never escape Ichigo, and he rejoiced in that fact.

When he arrived home, at ten o’ clock as had been promised, he evaded Isshin’s questions claiming he was tired, and went up to his room. There, he punched the wall, finally able to let out all of his anger. How dare Kuchiki Byakuya treat Rukia and him like that! Who did he think he was? Just because he was a noble didn’t mean that he got to disrespect everyone. As he breathed heavily in his fuming, he received a text. Opening it up, he realized it came from Rukia.

I’m sorry. It said simply but conveyed much more. Ichigo smiled. He could take on Byakuya any day if it was for Rukia. She was his best friend after all.

#ichiruki fanfic #the price of love

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