Bleach 1. Part I

**A/N: ****Hey, this was just going to be a one-shot, a very long 20,000 word+ one-shot, but a recent review on one of my other stories has made me break it down into chapters. I know that not everyone likes ridiculously long chapters/stories like I do, and I respect that, so I broke it down for those who like shorter chapters/stories.**

**It's going to be 3 maybe 4 chapters long at most, and it's pretty much already completed, so I'll be updating in-between updating chapters of 'My Duty to My Sister.' It's a cute and fluffy but with sad/heart-breaking undertones, I'm afraid. But I'm NOT going to break the characters nearly as hard as I have been doing/will be doing (yes, there's more breaking) in my other Byaruki fic.**

**I don't own Bleach and I really hope there isn't another Byaruki like this, if there is, I'm really sorry! I didn't know! I always write whatever comes into my head while walking to Uni! **

**WARNINGS FOR THIS FIC: LANGUAGE, ANGST (small amount), AWKWARD LEMONS, LOVING LEMONS (write ALL the lemons!) YOUNG, BUT 'OF AGE' BYAKUYA/RUKIA.**

**Both characters in this fanfiction are over the age of sixteen, and therefore sexually legal in the US, UK and Japan, so if you're going to comment that it's underage romance/sex or whatever, I've got it covered! **

I'm the Son and Heir

Part I

The Kuchiki gardens always looked exquisite this time of year, the brightly coloured flowers bloomed gracefully while the full-blossomed trees shook their petals in the breeze. Although spring was Ginrei's favourite season, he still enjoyed the feeling of summer, the light nights and warm winds that carried the fragrances of summer. The centrepiece of the main garden stood proud and pristine, the epitome of the Kuchiki family wealth and a personal favourite of the aged man. The expensive marble fountain glistened under the afternoon sun, the water droplets falling like diamonds, and onlookers of the scene wouldn't be surprised if diamonds were indeed tumbling down the stone shelves.

The elderly man allowed himself a small smile as a low flying swallow swooped past him, returning to its nest located within the rafters of the grand house and greeting its partner and chicks with a fresh load of food. It chirped loudly before zipping back off, starting a symphony of nearby birds. He looked up however, distracted by a large flock of birds flying away from one of the smaller gardens, all avidly twittering in distress. His frown quickly turned to a sigh as he heard the yell of his grandson from one of the gardens. Although he was far from his prime, he was still able to flash step quickly to the scene of the crime, observing as a cursing Byakuya swung his bokken in all directions, clearly frustrated with something.

"Byakuya," Ginrei addressed him, causing the young man to turn to him abruptly, his face portraying a mixture of anger and embarrassment, "Any particular reason for this sudden outbreak of rage?"

"Yoruichi-sama," Byakuya seethed, his fists clenched around his wooden bokken, "Not only did she sneak into the grounds, but she also disrupted my training and challenged me to a shunpo match."

"She also took your hair band again, I see," Ginrei commented, inwardly shaking his head at the hotheaded male. He had hoped to pass over leadership to the young male within the near future, but he was still to rash, too easily wound up and not had matured enough. He had hoped that at the age of seventeen, he would already be preparing himself for the inevitable take over as the head of the clan in a few years time, but Ginrei had no such luck.

"GAH!" Byakuya screeched again, throwing his bokken down and flash stepping inside the great mansion now.

"Good," Ginrei concluded to himself with a sigh, "It's time for dinner anyway."

He flash stepped back into the grand household, zipping past the many rooms and corridors, past his grandson's room and into his own private quarters to change into an evening robe and prepare for dinner.

Byakuya meanwhile undressed within the privacy of his own room, throwing his clothes on his large bed and wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Walking to his en-suite in his underwear, he quickly examined himself in the mirror, taking note of any bruises that the 'she-devil' had given him. He smirked to himself, he hated being called cute and he hoped that he would grow to become handsome rather than cute. Although he did not hate his almost lanky body, he wished he could grow into a little more, in all fairness, however, he had grown into himself a lot over the summer, his shoulders becoming broader with age and his abdomen showing the first signs of tautness from constant training, but he was still far from the gorgeous man he was to become.

He walked into the bathroom, picking up various soaps from the side before grabbing a towel and throwing them all at the foot of the bath. Tonight however, unlike most nights, he didn't have calligraphy practise, leaving the night free for him to do as he pleased. Knowing this, he took a particularly fragrant smelling soap from the cabinet, one, which was particularly expensive and usually only used on special occasions, but on nights like these ones, it was always a special occasion to Byakuya. He turned on the hot water tap before adding a little cold water, getting a nice consistency before flipping the cap of the soap and pouring a generous amount into the water, clouding it with bubbly swirls. Pulling off his underwear and flinging it by the door in a typical male style, he stepped into the large bath, slowly sitting down as his body adjusted to the hot temperature. He turned the taps off as it filled to a sufficient amount before lying back against the tub, sighing in contentment, just what he needed after a hard day of training. He clenched his fist as Yoruichi's laughter flooded his head, reminding him that she had managed to make a fool of him once more. He swore that he would get revenge one day! And on that day, he would be truly happy! He picked up the body scrubbing material from the side of the bath before scrubbing himself with it, washing away the sweat and dust from his tired body before resting again to soak.

He stared up at the ceiling, mulling over his current situation. He knew that his hotheadedness would have to be toned down at some point, he would be turning eighteen soon, even closer to the age of adulthood at twenty-one. No doubt his grandfather would tell him to buckle down and curb his anger. It wasn't that he disliked the pressure and training, on the contrary, he was eager to train hard every day to become the next head of the clan, but his rash nature constantly let him down. Even though he tried hard to control his emotions, it was something that was alien to him, and he dreaded the day he would no longer be able to show any emotions at all. He sighed, his thoughts switching to something that had been on his mind a great deal recently, a girl with whom he had become completely and utterly infatuated.

It had started with Yoruichi winding him up as usual and challenging him to a shunpo duel, which he had happily obliged to, reminding her that he would 'kick her ass,' at a shunpo duel. She had, of course zipped off before he had time to think, prompting him to chase after her. She had led him through back streets, several division barracks, through a busy shopping district and even out to Rukongai. Byakuya had only ever visited the most affluent district of Rukongai with his grandfather in a palanquin, so when Yoruichi led him through different districts, each of them less affluent than the last, he began to have second thoughts. Yes, he wanted to win, but was winning this one occasion worth a scolding from his grandfather? He looked around briefly, which district was this? It must be the twentieth at least, he had been chasing after her for a while now and as he moved through the districts, the lack of order became apparent. Beautiful traditional houses eventually gave way more simple wooden houses and then into slums, by which point, Byakuya knew his grandfather would kill him. Seeing a side street, he seized his chance as a stroke of genius struck him: he could cut Yoruichi off when she turned, leaving him the winner so he could get out of this god-awful place.

He smirked as he diverted into the side alley, and he had it in the bag as he pelted around the corner, ready to cut her off within seconds. Byakuya had less than a second to see what was in front of him before he hit something so hard that he instantly had the wind knocked out of him, sending him flying backwards against the far alley wall. He hit it with a crack, crying out at the sudden pain that assaulted his spine and head. He took a few minutes to regain his composure, his head spinning as he pulled himself up and off the wall. He was lucky that he was already quite strong for his age, if not, he would have lost consciousness or worse. He staggered forward, holding his head in his hands before he remembered Yoruichi, prompting him to flash step up to the roof of the building, looking around avidly for her, much to his avail. He started panicking, his head throbbing from injury and his heart pounding, the roar of his blood filling his ears.

"Yoruichi-sama!" he called as loud as he could, the sound of his worried panting drowning out his weak voice, "Yoruichi-sama!"

He looked around again, looking in every direction, had she even noticed that he was no longer trailing after her? He was starting to feel sick with worry, if he couldn't see her, was he supposed to stumble his way back to the Seireitei on his own? He had been going so fast that he hadn't particularly paid attention to where he was going; he had no idea how to get back. He was panicking and even a little scared, though he would never, ever admit it to anyone, he was a Kuchiki! He would find the way back no problem; it would be a cinch for someone like him. He hopped down off the roof, landing on the floor and frowning as he caught sight of a girl lying sprawled on the floor a few metres away, her limbs jutting out at odd angles. With his head still throbbing and a very painful back, which would no doubt be peppered with bruises in the next few days, he made his way over to the girl, squatting down next to her in an attempt to get a better look. So this is what he hit into and sent him flying backwards? No wonder it had such an impact, seeing as he was flash stepping as fast as he physically could. He frowned as he got a better look; he had never had that much contact with girls, only meeting with a few daughters from other noble families that his grandfather had arranged in the hopes that he would one day marry one, but he could tell that even covered in dust and dirt, she had cute features and an almost natural beauty to her that he had never seen before. It wasn't that Byakuya wasn't into girls, but he had training to do, being interested in girls would come when he was well and truly the new head of the Kuchiki family, and when he was the new captain of squad six. Until then however, he would have no interest in chasing girls. As he got up, ready to try and find his way back, he heard her mumble something and stir, slowly pulling her limbs back into a more comfortable position.

He squatted down once more, watching in fascination almost as she continued to stir, slowing opening her large eyes to look up at him. She lay for a few seconds, trying to comprehend the situation. The last thing she could remember was looking at the small box of food she had stolen, about to peek inside when she had heard a loud noise, prompting her to look in it's direction seeing only a blur and suddenly feeling an indescribable amount of pain before everything gave way to blackness. As she opened her eyes the pain came flooding back, prompting her to clutch her ribs and groan in pain.

She looked up to see a curious yet rather disgusted looking boy peering down at her intently, his brows knitting together in a frown. She screeched loudly, enough to rival an angry howler monkey as she moved backwards at great haste, ignoring her bruised and possibly broken ribs and torso.

"Get away from me! Creep!" she screamed, "Rapist!"

"I'm not a rapist!" he yelled back, anger rising through him as he stood up quickly, "I, Kuchiki Byakuya, heir to the Kuchiki clan would never even think about doing something like that! I'm deeply offended that you would even consider calling me that, peasant!"

"Kuchiki clan?" the girl asked, mocking his upper-class voice, "What the hell is that? And don't call me a peasant, you arrogant ass!"

"An ass, am I?" he asked in a questioning tone, "Well it takes one to know one, peasant!"

With that, a mortally offended Byakuya turned sharply on his heels, keeping his head high, despite the pain, and walked back through the alley he came, leading to a crossroad of intersecting alleys. He looked left and right, unable to locate the area from which he came, something, which he was firstly, becoming increasingly worried about and secondly, ashamed about. The girl managed to prop herself up on her forearms and elbows with her arms behind her, watching him as he looked around helplessly. He knew the girl was scrutinising him, stirring a deep sense of mortification in him, he was Byakuya Kuchiki for Kami's sake! He was the fast, strong heir to the Kuchiki clan, not a timid and lost young boy in a big world.

"Lost? Posh snob?" the girl sneered, clutching at her torso once more as she managed to grin lopsidedly, the pain obviously affecting her more and more, "What did you say your name was? Bya- something…Byabo? Byakin...Bya-"

"Byakuya," the boy curtly cut off the girl, "Kuchiki, Byakuya, to you, commoner. And I'm not lost."

"Could've fooled me!" she managed a shrug before lying back down, a sear of pain shooting up her side. She grimaced, this was far from good, she had never had to rely on anyone else since she had come to the soul society, and now she was lying in the street in immense pain because some idiot fancy boy hadn't been looking where he was going and had ploughed right into her! She tried to prop herself up again, failing however as the pain was too strong for her to cope with, she needed help, and fast, lest she die from lack of blood, damage to internal organs or starvation and possibly hypothermia if she stay where she is. She also had no way of contacting her friends to help her; she was quite a few districts from where she was supposed to be, after all. She sighed, swallowing her pride, this was serious and she'd probably never see this posh mama's boy again. If he really were all rich and powerful, even for a kid, he'd be able to get her some help, even if it's some bandages or anything useful.

"I can help you find your way back," the girl bargained, earning his attention for a few seconds, "If you are willing to help me in return."

"I told you I don't need help, peasant," he shot back, "I'm of high noble blood, I can find my own way back."

The girl rolled her eyes, what was up with this guy? He crashes into her, does some serious damage and doesn't even apologize or attempt to help her in any way. She inwardly cursed, she was desperate for him to take her up on her offer, but she had feared she would have no such luck. She moved her head to the side, watching as he shuffled back and forth through various alleys, meeting dead-ends, more intersections, and some rather dodgy looking areas, all before ending up where he started. Truth was, he was terrified of what would happen, time was ticking by and the longer he was away, the longer his grandfather would take notice and find him, which would result in a particularly bad scolding, something one would always wish to avoid. Not only that, but what if people found out who he was? His clothes weren't overly flamboyant, being simply training clothes, but they certainly weren't a symbol of poverty either, being the softest and most expensive cotton one could buy, as well as being part dyed with pricey dyes, they certainly showed he wasn't from around that area.

He growled in anger as he found himself standing by the injured girl once more, he might be terrified, but like hell would admit it to anyone, especially this peasant brat, or ask for help either, even if he desperately needed it. He sighed; pondering which wrong turn he might have taken, before he heard the voices of several men heading in his direction, making both him and the girl jump, and fill them both with unease. Looking down at the girl, he growled, affronted at himself for even considering this, "Fine, what do you want in exchange for getting me back to where I need to be?"

"A doctor, or something," she asked, her voice almost pleading as she looked towards the direction of the looming voices, "Anything to get rid of the pain!"

"Fine," Byakuya concluded, he'd take her to the fourth division within the Seireitei, get someone to look over her and dump her back in Rukongai, done, simple as, "I'm going to have to pick you up."

She frowned up at him before she felt herself being lifted up in the air and placed on her own two feet, much to her pain. Keeping hold of her as best as he could, Byakuya turned his back to her, indicating that she should 'hitch a ride' almost from him.

"I don't understand," she pointed out, before watching him bend down, feeling his hands on her legs before being pulled roughly towards him and down on his back. She screamed in pain as he stood back up, keeping hold of her legs tightly and flash stepping up onto the roof of a nearby building. Her scream had attracted attention, and the men whose voices they had heard where frantically searching the area for the person who had made the scream.

"Please be careful," she asked as she gripped onto his neck tightly.

"Quit complaining," he hushed her, "Hang on tight too. Now, which way do I need to go?"

"That depends," she mused, resting her head on his shoulder, "Where do you need to go?"

"Seireitei," the boy replied, becoming increasingly frustrated with her.

"Seirei-what?" she asked, her heavy breaths tickling his ear in an irritating fashion.

"You don't know what Seireitei is?" he asked, ready to drop her and try again himself.

"No," she replied casually, holding on tighter for good luck, "But I know the direction of the more well-off districts."

"Like one and two?" he asked, picking up hope once more, since they were close to the gate of Seireitei, he could surely work out his way then.

"More like twelve and thirteen," she revealed slowly, her words speeding up as she went, "But from there you can get to one and two, easily enough."

"Ok," Byakuya grumbled, at least he could at least use her until he was close to where he needed to be as she could get him, and then he could dump her sorry ass off and flash step away. Byakuya knew he was being ridiculously cruel, but a boy of his stature shouldn't even be having anything to do with commoners, and it wasn't like he was ever going to see her again, thank Kami, so it really didn't matter what he did. The girl cried out again, this time in shock as the boy ran and jumped quickly across the roofs, being chucked about this way and that on his back.

"Which way?" he asked, shouting loudly as he tried to speak over the gush of wind.

"Left, then right," she replied, hanging on for dear life, as she felt sick to her stomach. She tried to concentrate on something, anything to distract her from the whirling sights around her. She decided to look at his hair, seeing as it was practically right in her face anyway. He really was rich; his hair seemed to be the darkest shade of midnight, obviously well cared for and regularly trimmed for it to be in such good condition. It was soft to boot and smelled of expensive soaps as she delicately pressed her nose to it.

"What's your name?" Byakuya asked, more curious and concerned for her, "Not that I care, anyway."

"Rukia," she replied, looking up now to see their surroundings, "Oh! Right! Right!"

Byakuya made a harsh turn right, nearly throwing her off him as he charged in the new direction, "Rukia, what?"

"I-I don't have a last name," she revealed, a little embarrassed, particularly emphasised by the fact that she lived in a society in which your last name is more important than your first.

"You really are a commoner, aren't you," Byakuya said, his voice matter-of fact. He sighed, his grandfather would kill him for getting his training robes dirty, the sheer amount of dirt and dust on this girl was more than enough to tarnish his pristine white clothes, "Now which way?"

"Um, take a left down that alley up ahead and then keep going straight until the houses become less shabby looking and you see richer people walking around," she told him, finding it increasingly difficult to hang onto his shoulders. She groaned, with each step he took, the pain in her chest intensified and the harder her head throbbed. She gripped on tighter, to the point that he yelled at her since she was hurting him, in order to prevent herself from slipping off. Slowly but surely, she felt a niggling sensation at the back of her head, coaxing her to let go and give into the pain and intense dizziness she was feeling.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into his ear, losing the inner war with herself and quickly slipping into unconsciousness, her hands becoming slack on his shoulders and her body giving up on herself.

"Wait!" he yelled, stopping abruptly, "Hang on! You're going to fall off!"

It wasn't until he let her slide off of his back did he realise that she had passed out, causing him to groan and mumble under his breath. He lowered her to the ground, careful to not drop her and cursing as she still fell backwards a little too hard, hitting her head on the tiles of the roof. He cursed again, something that he rarely did; now not only had he possibly broken her ribs, but also caused her to black out and possibly given her a concussion. He looked down at the almost fragile looking creature, far from the angry girl who had called him a, what was it? A posh snob wasn't it? He turned on his heels, he knew he wasn't too far now, he was even beginning to recognise the bits he had managed to catch a glimpse of when he had been chasing Yoruichi, so he knew he could find his way back. Why should he even help her? She was nothing more than a commoner, a very poor one at that, and not to mention rude and obnoxious…but then why did he feel compelled to help her?

She had helped him after all, and he had blindly crashed into her and seriously injured her, without even apologizing either. It was fair to say that even as a hotheaded teenager, Byakuya Kuchiki had an unbelievable amount of pride, and even though it hurt his pride to help someone who had been out rightly rude to him, it would have hurt his pride and honour far more to not help this girl whom he had unjustly wounded from playing a childish game. He had never been cruel, and he wasn't planning on starting either, prompting him to turn back on his heels and scoop the light girl up, bringing her close to him, causing one of those rare times where the young Kuchiki would blush. He had never been this close to a girl, hell; he had only shaken the hands of girls before, never being in an intimate embrace like this before. And although he didn't know it at that time, he was already beginning to slowly fall in love with her, something that he would realise sooner rather than later.

Carrying her in an embrace, he carried on the way she had pointed out, now determined to fill his side of the bargain and take her to the fourth division. Gaining more confidence, he began to recognise his surroundings more and more, helping him back to the richer districts. He sighed in relief; he could sense that Seireitei was gradually drawing closer and closer.

"Byakuya-bo!" he heard from his left, causing him to stop, dust gathering around his feet as he stopped so quickly.

"Yoruichi?" he asked, feeling another flood of relief wash through him.

"So here you are," she smirked as she flash stepped beside him, "You could get into a lot of trouble for wandering around these parts."

"YOU LED ME HERE!" he cried out, yelling at the top of his voice.

"You didn't have to follow me," she taunted, her voice silky smooth, "You just can't control your temper."

"Shut up! Were-cat!" he retorted, suddenly blushing as Yoruichi looked at the girl who was currently in his arms.

"I did find it funny how you managed to get yourself lost and then fawned over this girl here when she offered to help you," she continued to tease with a wide grin on her face, "You're getting all flustered over her, is she your type then? Byakuya-bo?"

"I said don't call me that!" he seethed, ready to drop the girl in anger, "And no, I'm not getting all flustered…wait, you were watching the whole time?"

"Sure was," she admitted with a wink of her eye, "You did provide me with hours of entertainment, I have to say."

If it hadn't been for the very wounded Rukia, he would have chased Yoruichi all over again, but despite his rage, he knew he had to get her to a doctor, sooner rather than later, "Listen, I…I…need a…a…favour…" He hated to ask for help, especially from her and it practically pained him to force the words out.

"Oh," she replied, pressing her fingers to her lips in mock surprise, "You need help…from me of all people?"

"YES!" he spat, trying to calm his rising anger once more, "This girl…she needs medical help as soon as possible…I need to get her to the fourth division."

"Does this girl have a name?" she asked, peering down at her once more.

"R-Rukia," he muttered, turning his blushing face away from the older woman.

"Pretty name, for a pretty girl," Yoruichi teased, causing Byakuya to turn a darker shade of red as Yoruichi ruffled his feathers a little more before her voice turned serious for the first time that afternoon, "But you're right, she does look pretty bad after you carelessly crashed into her. She's probably damaged something internally, and it doesn't help that she's too poor to take care of herself properly. Does she have any parents?"

"I…I don't know," he admitted, looking down at her now, "She never said she had any, or that I should take her back home or anything."

"She probably doesn't have any," Yoruichi admitted, her voice quiet, "I'm guessing that she probably doesn't have anyone, or if she does, they'll probably be young and inexperienced teenagers like herself."

"So, will you help me take her to the fourth division?" he asked, looking up at Yoruichi and giving her one of his both handsome and cute smiles, one that would make younger girls swoon.

"Well," Yoruichi mused, placing her hands on her hips, "You did provide me with hours of entertainment…and I do feel awfully sorry for the girl…you have hurt her pretty badly…and I'm pretty sure I never heard you apologize…"

"I didn't…" Byakuya admitted, now slightly ashamed at himself for not, "I will when she wakes up in the healing centre, if you are going to help me, that is…"

"Yes, but on one condition," she said firmly, seeing Byakuya's features cheer up a little more, "As soon as the division is done with her, whether she be kept there overnight or for a few days or whatever, you must take her back to Rukongai. I don't care where you drop her off, but she doesn't belong in the Seireitei. Although the healing squad will suppress as much reiatsu as possible, she won't be able to cope with that much spiritual pressure for long periods of time, maybe forty-eight to seventy-two hours at the most, and I will tell the healers this."

"Thank you!" he cried at her, relieved that she agreed to help him.

"But Byakuya," she warned, immediately dampening his cheerful face, "This can't happen again. You aren't allowed here on your own for starters, and you can't go round picking up all these cute girls. After you drop her off, you can never see her again, either. She doesn't belong in the Seireitei and you don't belong in Rukongai."

"I know," Byakuya laughed, faking his slight disappointment, he had at least wanted to check up on her a few days after she had been released from the medical centre, "She's only a girl."

"Good," Yoruichi smiled, though she wasn't convinced by his acting skills, "I'll take you to the fourth division."

He nodded and smiled before flash stepping after her, the bitter feeling of loss slowly seeping through his body as he struggled to keep up.

xxx

"Captain Shihoin," a soul reaper from the fourth division bowed as they entered the division barracks, "How may we help you today?"

"The master Kuchiki here was playing around and knocked this young girl over in the first district of Rukongai," Yoruichi explained, flawlessly lying, "It looks serious and we knew we'd be able to get her here more quickly than finding a doctor in Rukongai."

"Yes," the girl replied with a nod, "Of course, captain, we'll have her looked at straight away."

"Thank you," Yoruichi smiled impeccably, following the girl into the division as a slightly impressed Byakuya followed after herself.

"What is her name?" the girl asked, grabbing a clipboard from the front desk.

"Rukia," Byakuya interjected, the nurse turning towards him now.

"And the surname, master Kuchiki?" she asked as she scribbled on the form.

"Kawashi," Yoruichi continued effortlessly, "Her parents know she's here, we assured them that the fourth division were the best healers in the soul society."

The girl nodded seriously, knowing that even though the Kawashi's were nowhere near the nobility level of the Shihoin's or the Kuchiki's, they were still a large and fairly rich clan located with the second eastern district of Rukongai, a very affluent area indeed.

"Age, please?" she asked, looking up at Yoruichi expectantly.

"We're not sure," Yoruichi replied casually, her voice collected, "We didn't have time to ask her parents for her date of birth, and we don't actually know her that well at all, as she's of much lower noble birth than us."

"Ok, that shouldn't be a problem," the girl agreed. Normally, she would have insisted for a full sheet of details but seeing as it was the captain of the second division, she could afford to bend the rules, "I can ask her when she wakes up. If you'd care to follow me this way, we'll get her a private room."

"Thank you," Yoruichi thanked the kind nurse as they followed her, "Oh, she'll need a room with decompressed reiatsu. She's not from the Seireitei so she'll have trouble adjusting."

"Of course," the nurse agreed with a nod, leading them down a different corridor now.

Byakuya, who had only have a few chances to rest his aching arms since she had fallen unconscious, was very grateful for the rest as he placed her down on the large bed, sighing in relief as he did so.

"You should leave her to rest until she wakes up," the girl recommended, pulling the sheets from under Rukia and tucking her into the bed, "I'll put her on an IV drip to make sure she get's sufficient fluids while she's unconscious. When she wakes, we check her for bruising, swelling and breakages. I'll send you a hell butterfly, captain, when we have checked her over and assigned the correct course of treatment, if she needs any, that is. You can also come and check up on her when you receive the message."

"Thank you very much for your help," the captain thanked her, "We'll be over when she's feeling better." Byakuya also thanked the girl, a rare public display of gratitude from him before following Yoruichi out of the division, where he thanked her again and flash stepped back to the Kuchiki mansion, praying that he had not been found out.

Xxx

Over the course of forty-six hours, Rukia had slept better than she had slept in a long time, had been given access to a hot shower and some very nice meals. She had also been prodded a little by nurses, x-rayed several times and bandaged up nicely. She had nodded and played along with the nurse's questions, quickly realising that the boy had given fake details for her to get treatment, for which, she was grateful. She had also been informed of where she was, nodding and agreeing as she pretended to know what 'Seireitei' was.

On the morning of the third day, the boy came back, turning up by her bed as she slowly woke up, "You…" he voice croaked a little from having just woken up.

"Kuchiki, Byakuya," he informed her again, his voice quiet as he didn't want to arouse suspicion within the nurses.

"I take it you got to where you needed to go," Rukia asked, looking up so her eyes could meet his, "Did you get into trouble?"

"Yes, I did get back to my house," he scowled as she didn't apologize to forgetting his name, "And no, I wasn't caught."

"I'm glad," she smiled warmly at him, catching him off guard for the slightest of seconds. For the briefest of time, her grateful eyes and warm smile touched him, stirring something deep, deep with him.

"Keh," he shrugged it off, turning his head to one side in fake indifference, "I have no time for such sentimentality."

"And thank you," Rukia continued sincerely, "I don't know if I'd even be alive right now, if you hadn't of saved me…"

"Yeah, yeah," a nonchalant Byakuya replied, desperately trying not to show how her true gratitude didn't move him.

"Master Kuchiki?" a nurse asked as she knocked on the door before slipping inside the room, walking to stand by the young Kuchiki heir now, "We've run some x-rays and tests, and they've come up with nothing more than internal bruising and various cuts and scratches on her skin. We've bandaged her torso to give her support through the pain, as well as a range of pain medication. We'll discharge her this afternoon, and she'll be ready to take home. Will you be here to escort the lady back to her home? Or will her parents come and pick her up?"

"I'll be taking her back," Byakuya replied, looking as a relieved Rukia nestled back into the cushions, "I'll come and pick her up later."

The nurse nodded before turning to leave the room.

xxx

As promised, Byakuya had picked up a sore Rukia, taking her to the gate and dropping her off just outside of the gate.

"Thank you again, Kuchiki Byakuya," Rukia said with a smile, "You may be a posh snob, but you're not a bad person."

"At least I'm not a commoner," Byakuya retorted, his pride flaring a little before he admitted defeat and swallowed it, "And I'm…I'm…

"Yes?" Rukia replied, her face smug as she watched him struggle with the words, his face becoming redder by the second.

"I'm…s…s…so…rry…" he managed, keeping her face turned away from her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that, could you please repeat it?" she teased, trying to stop herself from laughing, as her chest would start hurting even if she even breathed too hard.

"I'm…sorry," he finally apologized, "And I'm sorry I can't take you back to your own district!"

"That's ok," she called as he started walking back towards the gate, a blush still evident on his face, "And…if you're ever around these parts again…I can always…show you around…" It was Rukia's turn to blush now.

Byakuya turned around, excitement filling his heart, though he knew not why. Yoruichi had made it clear to him, he wasn't to see her again, and normally that would have been fine, she was just a commoner after all, some grimy girl from the street…but there was something about her, something had clutched Byakuya's interest, but he couldn't even tell why, even if he wanted to. He watched as she smiled back at him, his mouth acting before his head did, a regular occurrence for him, "The only free evening I have a week is on a Sunday, sometimes on other days, my schedule can get cancelled, but it's rare…"

"I can see you on a Sunday, now and again," Rukia agree. She finding it way too funny to wind this guy up, it was one of the reasons why she wouldn't mind seeing him again, he was fun to tease, and the more she looked at him, the more his cute face and up-tight demeanour seemed to grow on her, even though he still seemed like an ass at times.

"Yes," he continued, knowing that he was fooling himself. His grandfather would literally tear him a new one if he even knew Byakuya was even thinking of starting this weird game of 'meet the commoner.' His grandfather wasn't a cruel or horrible person by any means, but running around Rukongai with a commoner would be enough to forever put a black mark Byakuya's name, even put stigma on the Kuchiki name itself. Byakuya just didn't have the power to make the rules or bend them yet.

So that's were Byakuya was, in the bath and getting ready to have dinner with his Grandfather before slipping away to meet Rukia, the fifth time he has done this since meeting her. Satisfied with his state of cleanliness, he pulled the plug out of the large bath, stepping out onto the mat before grabbing his towel and drying himself avidly, ready to greet Rukia under the watchful gaze of the full moon.

**A/N: Please review! I hope you like the start, but I won't be updating until I have the Christmas holidays as I have so much work, that I should be doing right now in fact! Oh well…my presentation is nearly done so it'll be ok! Thanks again!**


	2. Part II

**A/N: ****It's been a while, sorry...so we're about half-way through with this fic, it was never meant to be bigger than a giant one-shot, but I decided to split it for general reading ease. But yay, merry belated Christmas and New Year. I got totally smashed for New Years...yaaaay. Not sure how that's relevant but anyway...**

**WARNINGS: (erm, can't remember if there are any to be honest) LANGUAGE (i guess), FLUFFINESS (of the kawaii variety) MILD SEXUAL TENSION (i suppose). **

**I don't own bleach.**

* * *

><p>Part II<p>

Dinner had been slow, to say the least. Still, Byakuya had sat patiently whilst his grandfather had questioned him on his day's events before he was let off to enjoy his one free evening of the week. He enjoyed his grandfather's company, but he realised that he would much rather spend his time enjoying the company of Rukia. Ginrei had offhandedly remarked that Byakuya had smelled particularly feminine that evening and the young boy had boasted about his successful efforts at bokken wielding and spiritual pressure practise earlier in the day in response. He had of course used the body fragrances for Rukia, wanting, for some inexplicable reason, to impress her.

After escaping from the dinner table, he feigned tiredness and a stomachache, earning an early and undisturbed evening from his grandfather and servants. Once in his room he changed into a casual yet stylish evening summer Yukata and clambered out of his window before slipping over a low section of wall and into the outer gardens. From there he squeezed through the hole in the wooden wall and rushed out to Rukongai to finally meet Rukia.

Rukia was waiting for him in district thirteen like always and his heart sped up upon seeing her. This was the fifth time since meeting her that he'd actually been able to visit her. The first week after initially meeting her, extra calligraphy practise had snatched his one free day from him and even though he never showed up, Rukia had waited and waited for his arrival. The third week had seen Rukia tied up in squabbles with her friends and the subsequent ditching of their meet up. In typical Rukia fashion, Byakuya had waited glumly for her to arrive that week and when she stood him up, he trundled home dejectedly. He was just pleased to see that she was waiting for him this week.

"You're wearing the nice Yukata today," he gave as a greeting upon standing in front of her.

Rukia blushed with a nod as she gaped up at the beautiful boy in front of her, standing proudly in all his Kuchiki glory and wealth. His beauty still astounded her whenever she saw him and yet she always found herself shaking her head in dismay at his snobbishness. Yet she decided that most of it was boyish bravado and she liked to find the caring and modest part of Byakuya whenever she saw him.

"You don't look so bad yourself," she commented as she tore her eyes away from him, "But I prefer your hair down, not tied up."

Byakuya shrugged, it was easier to tie it up than keep it down long, as is Kuchiki tradition, "Why are you wearing the nice Yukata today, Rukia?"

"I…well…you know, it's nice to have a change," Rukia brushed off as she stood up and started walking in the direction of the other districts. She knew full well why she had chosen this Yukata. For one, she hated to look grubby in front of him and seeing as she had only two pairs of clothes: a mucky white robe and her slightly better purple Yukata, there wasn't much to choose from. Secondly, she knew that he would make an effort, and almost as if it were a game, she wanted to outdo him despite the fact that she would never be able to.

"Sure," Byakuya murmured as she steamed ahead of him. He liked her purple Yukata; it fit her well and brought out the colours of her natural features. She still looked rather petite in this Yukata but Byakuya could tell that she had some feminine curves under all of the fabric. He blushed profusely as he forced the ideas from his overactive adolescent brain. He looked up to see she had powered on ahead and had stopped in front of a large public notice board. He hastily caught up with her and looked up at the notice board to find what had grabbed her attention. He studied the large poster closely before looking down at her engrossed face, her cheeks flushed and eyes wide.

"We can go," he said, snapping her from her current fixation.

"W-What?" she asked, looking up at him.

"To the festival," he pointed to the poster, "We can go, if you like."

"But it's on a Saturday," she pointed out dismally.

"It's okay, I'll switch my training evenings around," he explained, "My grandfather won't mind too much."

"Really?" she asked, excitement flooding through her as she looked up at him expectantly.

"Yeah, you do want to go, don't you?"

"Of course!" she squealed in childish delight. She grabbed his hand before pulling him along the path; leading him towards her dwelling, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She cried loudly as she let go of his hand and turned to face him, making him stop mid-stride, "I really wanted to go but it's not as fun going alone!" A pink sheen slipped over Byakuya's young face but it was oblivious to Rukia, who, was still running on endorphins as she twirled in happiness in the middle of the street. Byakuya shook his head at her but smiled nonetheless, watching her happily. He smiled for her happiness and his own, he hadn't had this much fun for years and as the Kuchiki regime suppressed him, Rukia was a blast of fresh air in his otherwise stringent life. It was then that, with a gasp, he realised that he liked the young girl. After over a month of spending time with her his feelings had turned from fascination, to friendship, to attraction. He had never liked a girl like this before and even though the idea terrified him, he enjoyed the warm feeling that comforted him.

"Get outta the street! Stupid kids!" a man scolded loudly as he rushed past in a horse and carriage, narrowly missing the girl who was now looking up at the stars and walking in semi-straight line down the path.

"Rukia," he chastised in a harsh voice as he flash stepped beside her and tugged her from the path, "Be careful, you could hurt yourself."

"S-Sorry," she said suddenly as she looked up at his hard expression, "I wasn't really paying attention."

"No, you weren't," he pressed angrily, his hand still on her wrist.

"Since when are you so concerned about me?" she snapped, pulling back her wrist and yelling at him as the power shifted from him to her.

"You were nearly killed," he argued with a much lighter tone, slightly taken aback by her outburst.

"So," she shrugged casually before walking off once more. He rolled his eyes in frustration at her ignorance for safety. He followed her nonetheless through several districts and shortcuts until she brought him to the familiar sight of her hovel. When he had first been brought here, Rukia had explained how she and her friends had found the abandoned shack they call home and made it theirs. It was far from a home for it didn't contain the basic essentials of running water or electricity but it was at least a non-leaking roof over their heads.

"I'm back," she called through the door with Byakuya in tow.

"Where've you been, Rukia?" a boy yelled back to her.

"Oh you know, out," she giggled as she led Byakuya into the one-roomed 'house.'

"What 'ya bring poshy here for?" the same boy stood up from his cross-legged position on the floor.

"He's my friend too!" Rukia argued as she went over to challenge her friend.

Byakuya couldn't help but feel a stab of disappointment at the term 'friend,' but he hoped that in time Rukia would learn to return his feelings.

"But he's a posh snob who doesn't belong here!" the boy yelled rudely.

"He can come here if he likes! I want him here," she cried at him, her face reddening with exasperation.

"I could always kick your ass again, Renji," Byakuya challenged as he cracked his right hand knuckles into his left palm.

"Bring it, snob," Renji rose to the challenge as he easily pushed Rukia to the side and strode over to the proud Kuchiki.

Byakuya raised his fists in challenge as Renji stood opposite him, fists also raised with a determined expression. They both knew that Byakuya would wipe the floor with him, as he had done they first time they had met, but Renji vowed that he would beat the snob one day. Besides, Renji would never turn down a challenge.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Rukia interjected, coming between the rivals and pushing hard against their chests with her hands, breaking them up slightly, "Don't you dare fight!"

"I'm only going to rough him up a little," Renji assured her, "Roughen up his pretty little face, is all."

"No, Renji," she yelled at him, looking up at him with wide eyes, "Don't do anything to him."

"Saved by your girlfriend once more, snob," he laughed and shrugged before turning around and returning to his card game on the floor with the other boys they lived with.

"She's not my girlfriend," Byakuya argued angrily as Rukia led him out of the 'house' and towards the places that they usually use to hang out.

"Don't mind him," Rukia said as she shook her head, "He's a butthead sometimes."

"It's fine," Byakuya assured her as Rukia led him to the river. He hadn't done anything in particular to Renji in the few times that he'd visited, but he realised that Renji probably liked Rukia too, and Byakuya was a threat and a better suitor in Rukia's eyes. He could understand Renji's attitude towards him, but it didn't irritate him any less. Besides, Byakuya had his pride as a dashing Kuchiki to uphold. He wanted to be the better candidate for Rukia.

"Do you want to skip stones?" Rukia asked as they stood in front of the river.

"Sure," he replied, knowing she enjoyed this particular activity. He watched as she picked up a stone before hurling it at a particular angle, making it jump twice before it sunk into the blackness. Byakuya followed suit, picking one up and throwing it at a greater strength, making it jump three times before it sank. Rising to the challenge, Rukia managed a three jumper before turning to Byakuya smugly.

Byakuya raised his eyebrows in response before picking up a new stone avidly, "I accept your challenge."

"What are we betting on?" she asked as she too snatched up a stone near her feet.

"Hmm," Byakuya thought for a moment before looking out at the river.

"Whoever loses takes a dunk in the river," he suggested.

Rukia looked out at the dark swirling mass and shivered, it was far from the clean water from the pump outside her house, "Fine."

She stood back a little as she prepared herself for the throw, copying Byakuya as he too psyched himself for the feat. There was a few seconds of tension whereupon neither was willing to throw first but upon agreeing on a mutual throw, both angled and threw their stones as far as they would go. They watched with bated breaths until after a few short seconds Byakuya turned to Rukia with smug grin.

"Best two out of three?" she asked sheepishly as she grinned at him.

"No," he replied quickly with an almighty grin, "You lost. Your stone only skipped three times, whilst mine skipped four. Get in the river, Rukia."

"But it's cold!" she complained as she reluctantly edged towards the water lapping the stone bank.

"It's a good job that it's the summer then, isn't it?" he quipped as he edged Rukia to the waters edge by walking behind her.

"But, I'd rather not go in," she protested as she walked into the water, shivering at the cold for a second, "Can I have a different forfeit?"

"Maybe," he teased as she looked up at him with her small grin. "Maybe not. It depends."

"On what?" she snapped up at him, her usual confidence returning.

"This and that," he smiled at her and once again she was thrown off her confidence centre. She whipped around quickly, taking her eyes off him as her face glowed pink. Her heart sped up rapidly as she stared down at the slow paced water, and suddenly she realised that she would rather face a cold and deep river than haggle on a forfeit with Byakuya. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the blush and rapid breathing. She had never felt this way around a boy before, even around Renji or any of the other boys that she scrapped with. Byakuya was different though; he's obnoxious like Renji and often pretentious with his snobbery, but he's also kind and caring at times. He'd sheltered her from the rain on their last meeting and stayed with her under a tree until the rain had slowed enough for them to leave. She also never seen another boy as good-looking as Byakuya either and until she had met him, she had thought she was immune to boys and mildly decent looking ones. Now however, she could barely look him in the face for fear of blushing and getting her breath caught. This alien feeling scared her and although she knew that she should probably pay it much heed, she enjoyed the warm cheerful moods that this new feeling gave her.

"Okay, then," he said suddenly, snapping her from her girlish thoughts, "I'll go in the water a little with you."

"What? Why?" she asked suddenly as he moved to her side.

"Soften the blow a little," he shrugged. He kicked off his sandals and rolled up the legs of his robe as he waded into the cold water fearlessly whilst rolling up the arms of his robe to keep them from ruining in the water. He turned to her proudly, his face split with a wide grin despite the cold water biting his skin.

Rukia took a deep breath before stepping into the cold water, grateful that her Yukata is knee-length. She slowly waded into the depth that Byakuya was at before looking at him triumphantly.

"You have to go deeper that that," Byakuya warned her as he pushed his way through the water and over to her.

"You never specified how deep I had to go when we agreed before the match," she argued confidently.

"I believe I said the word 'dunk' which implies you immerse yourself in it, you're barely knee-deep in it," he pointed out with a smirk.

"Well, tough, posh boy, I'm not gonna do it," she concluded with a confident cross of her arms across her chest.

"I understand," Byakuya resigned with a heart-breaker smile, holding up his hands in surrender, "But that does mean that you incur another penalty."

"What?" she asked quickly, snapping round angrily. She had very little time to think however as Byakuya quickly reached down and splashed water at her, soaking her to the bone as the wave of water hit her.

She looked up at him, wide eyed and shaking from the cold as her Yukata clung to her body. Droplets dripped from the ends of her hair as she watched Byakuya's smirk turn into a strange expression. He partly looked worried, but there was also something strange about the way he looked at her. It only occurred to her when he blushed suddenly and turned around. She looked down at her freezing wet body and realised how her Yukata clung to her, her nipples very much pronounced and visible through her clothes. She blushed profusely before a wave of irritation snatched away her embarrassment. Not only had he absolutely soaked her, but he'd also ogled at her rather visible figure. She sighed; Lord knows what's going through that perverted teenage mind of his.

Taking a leaf out of his book however, she plunged her hands into the water and made her own large wave, aiming it directly at him and coating his back and hair. He whipped around quickly, a look of thunder on his face as she laughed at him. He too began to shake with the cold and she ceased her laughing as she wandered up to him. He looked slightly taken aback and his anger vanished as she stood only a few centimetres from him.

His breath hitched as she looked up at him and his previous shock and irritation at the soaking fled. His heart was pounding as her hand made its way up to his face and he panicked for a few seconds. Was she going to try and kiss him? Should he shut his eyes? A thousand questions ran through the young Kuchiki's confused brain, but what worried him the most was screwing up his first kiss. He sure hoped that she knew how to, for he hadn't a clue.

Her hand slipped past his cheek however and he felt a small tug on his head. He watched, confused, as she tried to run away through the water. His hair fell down past his shoulders and he realised that she had just mimicked Yoruichi's usual habits. Although partly relieved, he couldn't mistake the disappointment that slowly filled him, and although the idea terrified him, he also looked forward to finally having his first kiss. He had also realised in that moment that he wanted his first kiss to be with Rukia and he was determined to wait until such an occasion arose.

"You are so gonna get it," he muttered under his breath before flash stepping to keep up with Rukia, who hadn't gotten terribly far along the river. He chucked up more water at her, slashing her mercilessly as she squealed and laughed. With her eyes screwed shut, she turned in his direction and sloppily splashed in the water, aiming it anywhere and everywhere. It was all water, freezing bodies and the innocent laughter of children. Neither of them was even looking where they were aiming their splashes and only when Byakuya has grabbed Rukia's wrists to stop her did they take a moment to breathe.

"You're so wet!" Rukia continued to giggle as they calmed a little.

"So are you," he pointed out as he shared her chuckle.

She looked him up and down and noted how soaked he was before suddenly realising that he had been edging closer and closer to her. She looked up at him briefly before staring out at the river, knowing full well that if she bridged the gap and finally took it upon herself to take the initiative, she would end up doing something stupid and ruining Byakuya's future. He had the world at his feet and she had nothing.

"You're so silly," she suddenly said in a babying voice, breaking the tension as she slammed the metaphorical door in his face, "C'mon, we should go somewhere to dry off."

"Oh," he replied dejectedly as Rukia turned and headed towards the riverbank, "Sure." He followed her out of the river and up the bank towards Rukia's dwelling, keeping his gaze of the floor ahead, lest Rukia catch on to his disappointed mood.

"They've lit the lamps!" she excitedly announced as she ran the last short distance to her house, "We can sit and dry ourselves."

She rushed into her house to change into her dry robe. Upon leaving a few minutes later, she shook her fist at Renji and threw her wet clothes over the plastic washing line that they'd rigged up. Byakuya was already sitting in front of the roaring fire, holding his hands and arms outstretched in an effort to get dry.

"I'm sorry I got you so wet," she swallowed her pride as she sat down beside him.

"It's okay," he replied, keeping his gaze on the flames as they warmed him.

"I brought you a towel," she continued quickly, "You can dry yourself."

"Thank you." He took it from her and patted his arms and legs quickly before squeezing the excess water from his hair into it.

"Here's your ribbon," she carried on, her tone sheepish, "It's drier now."

"Thanks," he repeated as he took it from her, "It needs to dry so I'll keep it down for now."

"I…I prefer it down, anyway," she pointed out with a blush. She edged closer to him so that their bodies were touching, and even though his clothes were still soaked, her body warmth helped to stop his slight shivering.

Byakuya turned scarlet for the umpteenth time that night and distracted himself by ringing out the water on various parts of his robe, helping to dry it a little more. He realised that she had closed the gap between them and ever so slightly pressed her body into his.

After a while he looked down at her as noticed her drooping eyelids and warm smile. His hair had started to dry nicely and his clothes were even on their way to becoming water-free. He watched her watch the flames happily and with butterflies in his stomach and a heart of unsteady courage, he decided to address their situation.

"R-Rukia?" he asked tentatively after a few more minutes stalling.

"Mm, yes?" she replied sleepily, leaning her head against Byakuya's shoulder as her mind felt heavy.

"I…I need to tell you something," he tried, fear and nerves tainting his happiness at her leaning on him.

"Uh huh," she mumbled, losing the battle to stay awake.

"I…er…well," he tried awkwardly, finding it difficult to express himself as he stared down at the floor, "You know…"

"Mn," she managed.

"I…like you, there, I said it," he finally blurted, relief flooding though him as he quickly continued to babble on endlessly, "I like you. Well, I don't just like you, I _like _like you. You know, I _really_ like you. I like you as more than just a friend. I've never felt this way about a girl before and I'm happy that I feel this way, I…I just hope that you like me back. You know, _like_ like, and not just as a friend."

He looked down at her excitedly to find her asleep, his relief and happiness falling as she grunted softly. He doubted that she would have caught his whole soliloquy anyway; he had been talking so quickly that even he couldn't control his voice. As much as he was disappointed with her falling asleep, he was partly relieved that she hadn't heard his confession and no subsequent rejection was in order. He couldn't be mad at her and at least this way he had another chance to practise his confession to give her at a more appropriate time.

All too soon, he too felt the tug tiredness and began to droop against her, resting his head on top of hers. He realised that he had to get home before he fell asleep but the warmth of the fire and the comfort of Rukia's body was more than he could resist. He could feel himself drifting and it took the combined command of a voice and a rough shake to wake him.

"Wake up, Romeo," he heard as Renji shook his shoulder hard. He woke instantly and put on a tough face in front of his rival.

"What're you doing here," he replied coldly.

"I live here," Renji scoffed, "Unlike you."

"I'll put Rukia to bed and go back to my own, much nicer home, then," he replied harshly as he gently got up and scooped Rukia up into his arms with ease.

"Look, jerkwad," Renji stood in front of him and pointed a finger at his chest rudely, "Rukia is not someone you want to fuck around with. She's one of the gang and if she gets hurt, you'll be answering to us."

"Why would I hurt her?" he asked as he rolled his eyes at the brutish youth in front of him.

"She may look tough but Rukia is still a girl with sensitive feelings," Renji pointed out, "She's important to us and no posh prissy-boy is going to swoop in, capture her heart and then dump her like trash."

"I have her heart?" Byakuya asked suddenly, rivalry aside.

"I-I don't know," Renji lied nonchalantly as he turned side-ways on to them, "But still, she deserves more than that. I heard your little confession earlier, even if she didn't, so don't you go around fucking her up, got it."

"I might be a 'prissy posh boy' but I'm not a bad person," Byakuya defended, "And I have more respect for her than you give me credit for."

"Whatever, man," Renji finished as he walked back into the house.

Byakuya carried her up the path and stopped at the doorway in which Renji had entered, "Do I have your heart?" He asked her sleeping form and she grunted softly in response before inhaling deeply. He smiled, his relief and happiness renewed as he carefully dodged the sleeping boys on the floor and placed her in her futon and covers in the corner of the room – her own sleeping spot. He smiled down at her, feeling Renji's scornful gaze penetrating into him from behind, before taking his leave.

"You obviously care about her," Byakuya said to Renji as he walked down the few steps that led up the house. He knew why Renji always followed him whenever he left – chase off the other male, as it were.

"Yeah, well, she's part of the gang," Renji brushed off casually, not one to reveal any sentimental feelings.

"I know you like her," Byakuya continued, "_Like_ like her."

"So do you," Renji combated quickly as his cheeks turned to the same colour as his hair.

"Yes, I do," Byakuya replied, unchallenged.

Renji scowled, he knew Byakuya was being the bigger man by admitting his attraction towards Rukia with ease and he knew the noble boy once again outdid him. He watched Byakuya walk a few steps before flash stepping away, and although he would never admit it, he felt the first kindlings of respect for the older boy.

Once at the mansion, Byakuya ducked through the fence, jumped over the wall and squeezed back through his window effortlessly. He stripped himself of his still damp robe and draped it over a chair to dry. He decided to only wear underwear to bed and stayed awake for a while, unable to sleep as he stared at the ceiling. Did that mean that Rukia likes him back? What if she did? Would she make a move or not pursue it? He felt excited and nervous simultaneously and only when his body gave in to pure exhaustion, did his over-worked mind shut down.

xxxxxxx

As predicted, the week crawled along slowly and even extra practice couldn't stop Byakuya from wanting the weekend to arrive faster. In the evenings, he practiced calligraphy until he was too exhausted to stay awake in the hopes of keeping his mind pre-occupied. Even Yoruichi's usual teases and taunts did little to anger him this week and instead of chasing her, he kept focused and continued his practise. As a troll, this miffed her, however, she stepped up her game and doubled her effort to cause mischief. Only when she appeared behind him and used his head as a breast-rest did he snap and run after her, frustrated that his concentration had been broken.

He had managed to switch his night off from Sunday to Saturday, and he was grateful that his grandfather was up to his neck in captain's work and did not stop to process the request, let alone contemplate it. Byakuya's timing had been impeccable.

As per usual, he dressed in a casual yet expensive Yukata, tied his hair up neatly and made himself as presentable as possible, before slipping out of the manor and heading into Rukongai.

As usual, Rukia was waiting for him, her face split into a massive grin. His heart fluttered at seeing her, but that was normal and he had grown to accept it. She hurriedly took him to the fourth district, right into the heart of the festival. Byakuya was immediately awestruck by the festivities; he hadn't imagined that it was big enough to span three districts and he hadn't thought for one minute that it would be this busy or popular. The streets were packed with families dressed in their best Yukata, whilst vendors shouted their wares and red paper lanterns set the soft light around the streets.

"Where do you want to go to first?" he asked as Rukia looked around in awe.

"Ohh, ohh," she blurted out quickly as she pointed to a stall, "I want to win a toy."

"Okay," he nodded in agreement as he followed her over to the stall.

"100 yen a go," the man behind the stall told them, prompting Byakuya to hand over a coin and take a ball from the top of the pile. He eyed the stacked cans and gripped onto the ball, they looked unstable enough, no problem.

Rukia also handed over a coin in the time that Byakuya had been eyeing up his quarry and she threw the ball as hard as she could at the cans. They didn't even rattle, and the ball fell to the ground with a thud.

"Sorry little missy," the man said as he watched the young lord take aim.

Byakuya threw the ball far harder than Rukia did, and frowned when they barely rattled.

"Bad luck, little sir," the man condescended with a laugh, causing Byakuya to flush furiously with determination and embarrassment. He inhaled deeply.

How a dare a common stall vendor make fun of him! He was a Kuchiki! He hastily placed a coin on the top and grabbed another ball. He threw it up in the air twice, a mere gesture of supremacy, or showing-off in Rukia's eyes, before hurling it with reiatsu. The dented cans crashed to the floor.

"E...er…er…" the street vendor tried, scratching his head in disbelief, he had stuck the cans together with glue! How could a little brat have done such damage?

"What would you like?" Byakuya asked Rukia with a smug look on his face.

"The Chappy rabbit!" she said quickly as she pointed to the rabbit hanging high above them.

The man, still astonished, grabbed the toy and passed it to the girl without another word.

"Thank you, Byakuya," she cried, holding it to her as they walked down the street, "I love it!"

"I'm glad," he replied smugly, his pride now rebuilt, "Are you hungry? We can get something to eat."

"Festival food is really good! I know this stall that sells tasty snacks!" he said quickly as she trotted off down another street. He followed after her and smiled, as the food smells wafted over him.

He bought some sticks with various meat and vegetables on them for Rukia and as he was still full from dinner, he ate only a pancake balls in a small bag. Though the smells were quickly making him hungry again.

"Rukia?" he asked as she finished up the food, flushing pink as she looked up at him.

"Yes?"

"I…I have something to tell you," he tried, stumbling at little as her expression changed to curiosity.

"What is it?" she asked, looking up at him, confused as her heart pounded in her chest. He looked so handsome with the slight blush in his cheeks and she desperately hoped he couldn't hear just how hard her heart was pounding in her chest.

"I…er…do you think we could go somewhere less crowded? It's important," he suggested as people bustled past, interrupting his confession.

"Sure," she replied in a forced voice, not trusting her own shaking sounds. She hurriedly led him to out of the street and into the next.

xxxxxxx

Yoruichi laughed as she and her friends meandered around the stalls, smiling at the men who called to her or wolf-whistled. She hadn't been to a festival in years and it brought back warm memories of her childhood. As one friend headed over to the crepe stall, another visited the crafts stall and window-shopped the beautiful hand-made items. She slowly walked down the busy street before hearing a familiar voice. She frowned, before picking up the pace and peering around various people. She stopped, wide-eyed and confused as Byakuya stood with his back to her, talking down to someone casually. What the fuck was he doing here? Had his grandfather finally decided to let him attend such an event? She looked around and only met the gazes of strangers, Ginrei was nowhere to be found. She paled; he would be severely punished if he were caught sneaking out. She headed over to him, deciding to do the much softer punishing now, before Ginrei could get his hands on him, anyway. She stopped, however, as a girl popped up from in front of him and led him away. She frowned for a few seconds before the image clicked. She recognised the girl from her profile as she led Byakuya away, and she knew it was the same girl that Byakuya had injured over a month ago. The very same girl she had told Byakuya to stay away from.

She inhaled deeply, he was in the deep trouble now, and she was going to rip the shit into him tomorrow. Instead of chasing him, her friends joined her once more and she carried on the festivities as if nothing had happened.

xxxxxxx

Rukia led him out of the festival and to one of the small bridges that crossed a sub-stream of the main river. She had wanted to take him to the big bridge but the festival had it blocked with people. She sat next to him as they dangled their feet over the side, heart in her throat as they talked.

"You wanted to tell me something?" she prompted as she watched him gaze at the brightly coloured fish below.

"Yes," he replied, looking up at her with a small smile, "I wanted to tell you…that…" his confidence failed. He thought that having told her previously would make it easier, but this time he knew she was more than capable of hearing him.

"What is it?" she prompted gently upon seeing his unease.

"It's just that I…I l-like you," he muttered, turning his head away from her as a wild blush coloured his cheeks.

Butterflies erupted in Rukia's stomach, causing her to smile to herself, "I like you too. You're a great friend."

Byakuya's eyes widened as he felt the knife stab in his back, and disappointment flooded him, "I _like_ like you." He explained, no longer ashamed of the confession but heart-broken and disappointed at her feelings.

"Oh," she replied, secretly over the moon with him. She had been hoping that he fancied her and she hated the pain in his heart, but she had needed the confirmation that he liked her more than just a friend. She shifted closer to him so that their legs were touching, but he didn't seem to notice, "I like you too."

He turned slowly, flushed face looking down at her as she looked up at him. She moved closer to him expectantly, smiling and opening her eyes wider in an attempt to look cuter. She frowned, however, when he made no attempt to move, only looked down at her, confused. Well, wasn't he going to kiss her?

"What are you doing?" she asked him, frustrated that he had stopped the romance cold.

"I was going to ask you the same question," he replied as his heart pounded and his breathing constricted in his chest. She had wanted him to kiss her. That much he had worked out, but he was terrified of fucking up and ruining it.

"Well, aren't you going to…you know…" she started, blushing before she could get the words out.

"I…" he tried to reply, knowing full what she meant, "I've never…"

"Really?" she asked, shocked. She suddenly felt sorry for him, pity taking the frustration away as he blushed, defeated. He certainly looked embarrassed at the confession.

"I've never met a girl like this before," he revealed, ashamed at his lack of experience.

"It's okay," she replied, gently placing her hand on his arm to reassure him, "I understand. I can lead, if it helps."

"So you've done this before?" he asked, looking down at her.

"Of course," she shook her head at his silliness and laughed.

"With whom?" he inquired with a smile.

"Renji," she casually replied with a shrug. Jealously burned through Byakuya instantly and sensing his unease, Rukia continued, "Just to experiment really. I'd never kissed anyone, and he had, so I was curious."

"I see," Byakuya commented stonily, her explanation doing little to quell the jealously. He felt warm fingers on his chin as he looked down at the water, prompting him to look up at Rukia pulled him to her gaze. Pounding heart and feeling sick to his stomach with nerves, Rukia quickly closed the gap and kissed him. He sat back, shocked and unable to move as warm lips pressed against his. What should he do? Would he do it wrong?

"Just relax and stop thinking," Rukia chastised him as she pulled away quickly. He nodded before meeting her lips again, letting himself relax a little as she took his bottom lip, "And close your eyes," she whispered upon releasing said lip.

"Oh, sorry," he murmured as he closed his eyes. He found it instantaneously better, allowing instinct, rather than thought, to lead the way. She was kissing his bottom lip shyly and he took her top lip in response, experimenting. As hesitant tongues finally met, heat and passion took the place of caution and Byakuya instantly felt the emotion he had come to know as arousal. He placed his hand on hers as he continued to kiss her, excitement and arousal spiking through him as he pressed harder and the kiss became hotter. Realising that he wasn't ready to let her see just how excited he was, he slowed the kiss and pulled away, leaving Rukia breathless and just as excited.

"Wow," Byakuya breathed as he pulled away.

"Yeah," Rukia agreed, "I've never had a kiss that good before. You're much better than Renji."

Byakuya smiled smugly as Rukia stroked his ego, hoping that it would allow him to steal another kiss from her sometime.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah, you all know the drill...I'll update when and if I can. Can't really give an estimate of when that will be because I'm practically the laziest person in the world. Also, I'm graduating this year and I have a part-time job too, so I'm always kinda busy ~ Hope you enjoyed it!<strong>


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