Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Don't really know what to say so...enjoy!

Kuchiki Rukia skipped down the streets, humming to herself. She ignored the curious stares she got from passer-bys and continued on her merry way, ignorant of everything except herself and the song she was humming. But even if this was so, she had the right to be shocked when someone came crashing down on top of her, seemingly, from the sky.

"Ow!" she yelled out, instantly turning to glare at whoever had flattened her. Her words died in her throat as she caught sight of the familiar face.

"Kaien…" she murmured. The scowl on the face deepened instantly.

"Don't call me that" he snapped as he stood up, revealing his spiky orange hair and amber eyes. She blinked then, surprised at his odd hair colour. When he followed her gaze, his scowl deepened even more, if that was possible.

"Haven't anyone told you it's rude to stare?" he said, glaring down at her. Rukia's left eye began to twitch at that comment. Standing up, she brushed the dirt off her skirt and drew herself to her full height (which wasn't much compared to the guy who towered over her).

"You have no right to talk to me about manners when YOU were the one who crashed into me and has YET to apologize" said Rukia in a loud, clear voice that was just beneath shouting or yelling. Kuchikis did not yell or shout. They got their point across loud and clear but they did not shout. That had been drilled into Rukia ever since she was a kid. Looking at the man, she was surprised to see the scowl lighten into what resembled a smirk.

"You never change, do you?" murmured the man, more to himself than her. But she heard him all the same and was confused by his words.

"Do I know you?" she asked, curious. His eyes widened a fraction in surprise before he quickly regained his composure and the scowl returned.

"You don't" he said curtly, already turning to walk off. Huffing, Rukia mumbled under her breath,

"You could at least apologize before walking off". The man stopped and turned around to face her.

"I heard that" he said, walking quickly towards her. When he stopped in front of her, he bent down so he was eye level with her and said,

"Sorry for flattening you, midget. Didn't see you there" smirking, he watched as her face turned red with anger and steam practically blew out of her ears at being called a midget. Glaring up at him, she aimed a swift kick to his shins. Now, it was her turn to smirk as the man winced in pain and bent down to check the damage.

"I see THAT didn't change as well" he muttered to himself.

"What do you mean?" asked Rukia as she glared down at the man. No, she was still not over him calling her a midget. And she would kick him again if he repeated the word.

"I don't mean anything" he said, looking at her and then beyond her.

"Crap" he swore under his breath.

"What?" she asked, turning around to see what had caused him to swear.

"Just run and don't ask any questions" he said. Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed her hand and pulled her after him, dodging and weaving around shoppers and passer-bys, occasionally throwing an apology over his back when they accidentally bumped into someone.

"Where are you…" she was cut off as the man turned abruptly into an alley and led her down it, stopping at a door that had been cut into the concrete. A neon green sign hung above the door, with the words, 'Urahara'. Knocking on the door thrice, the man paused before knocking on it twice again.

"Ara, Kurosaki-kun~ I was wondering when you would call" said a pleasant voice as the door opened. The instant it did, 'Kurosaki' dashed inside, ignoring the blond-haired man's cry of surprise and slammed the door shut, locking it as well.

"And you brought an unexpected visitor with you as well" the man's voice turned serious when he saw Rukia. Grabbing Kurosaki's arm, he dragged him away but not before calling out to Rukia.

"Please, make yourself at home~ Tessai will be over soon!" Rukia could only nod, dumbfounded as she seated herself on a sofa. It wasn't in the best condition, stuffing pooling out of tears in the cloth but it had been the only furniture that she deemed as safe, seeing as the first chair she had set on turned out to be a snapper(Don't ask). While she waited, Rukia looked around the room, noting the shabby condition it was in. Paint was peeling off its walls in bits and pieces, leaving white spots on the wall here and there. The furniture in the room was either missing a leg or hid some dangerous traps (she found that out the hard way). The only thing that was in good condition was the door. Outside, people were banging and shouting but the door still held fast under the ferocious pounding of fists. Considering the state the rest of the furniture in the room was in, it was pretty impressive, admitted Rukia.

"Kuchiki-sama?" said a deep voice, obviously a man. Rukia stifled the urge to scream and turned around as elegantly as she could, considering what she was seating on. She saw a large, muscular, dark skinned man wearing square shaped glasses standing before her. His face was serious as he looked at her.

"Hai?" she said, already standing up. Looking over at the door, he motioned for her to follow him which she did as silently as she could. He stopped before a door which had a sign hanging on it.

"Urahara Shop" she murmured softly as the man opened the door and led her in.

"It's safe to speak now" said the man once she was inside.

"Would you mind telling me your name first?" she asked, hating the fact that the man knew her name while she knew next to nothing about him.

"Tsukabishi Tessai" he answered simply.

"Why am I here?" asked Rukia.

"You would have to ask yourself that" giving her a knowing smile, he left the room.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" muttered Rukia, feeling a bit offended.

"Do you always get offended this easily?" asked a familiar voice behind her. Resisting the urge to jump or scream (once again), Rukia turned around to see Kurosaki standing before her, scowl still in place.

"If you keep that up, it'll become permanent" she retorted, gesturing to his scowl when he looked at her, confused. He glared at her for a moment before sitting in front of her, cross legged.

"So…let's start with what you want to know. Urahara said I should at least give you that much" he said with a sigh. Raising an eyebrow at his reluctance to reveal anything to her, she decided to ask as many questions as she could, partly to annoy him, partly to answer the burning questions she had.

"Who are you?" she asked. Rukia did not miss the surprise that crossed his eyes at that moment.

"Kurosaki…Ichigo" he said.

"Ichigo…" she murmured, wondering why she felt so belated to be able to say his name. Absorbed in her own thoughts, she missed the expression that crossed Ichigo's face when she said his name.

"Any other questions?" his gruff voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Where did you come from? I know you fell from the sky and all but if you say the sky, I'll seriously hit you. Speaking of which…why did you fall from the sky?" said Rukia, in one breath. Ichigo smirked at her, as though knowing she would say that.

"Japan" he said simply. Rukia raised an eyebrow. He had ignored her second question.

"Couldn't you be more specific? And you didn't answer my question" said Rukia. He only smirked at her and refused to say anymore.

"Fine, be that way!" exasperatedly, Rukia rummaged around her brain.

"Who were we running from?" At her question, he paled slightly.

"Just some guys I got in trouble with" he said vaguely.

"Uh-huh. And I was born yesterday!" deadpanned Rukia. Ichigo rolled his eyes at her.

"You don't want to know"

"What makes you think I wouldn't want to?" she challenged. At her words, a pained look crossed his face and Rukia almost regretted what she had said.

"Look, I just don't want to get you involved. It's dangerous and a midget like you wouldn't last" Rolling her eyes at his lame distraction tactic, she aimed a kick at his shins all the same as they both stood.

"Fine, I won't ask YOU anymore. But that doesn't mean I won't ask around" she said.

"Don't!" his panicked expression as he caught her arm caught her off guard.

"Why…?" she managed out.

"I just…I don't want you to get hurt all right?" he said. Rukia could almost feel her resolve crumbling under his intense gaze. Note the word 'almost'.

"Why would I get hurt?" she asked.

"Just…you're better off not knowing" he said, letting go of her arm.

"I think I would be better off knowing. You should at least tell me what I'm up against" she said. A wry smile crossed his face at her words.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" he said. He was about to leave when Rukia called out to him.

"Will I see you again?" she asked. She didn't know what prompted her to ask but the moment she had saw his retreating back, the urge became too strong and the words were out of her mouth before she even realized what she had said.

"It would be better if you didn't"

"Then, at least let me tell you my name" she said, feeling that it was only polite to tell him her name after he had told him hers.

"Kuchiki Rukia. I know" his smile was wistful as he glanced at her. Her eyes widened in surprise and shock at what she heard and saw. His eyes were sorrowful as he glanced at her, filled with just a little bit of…was that…longing? Without a second word, the door closed and Rukia was left alone in the room.

"What…was that?' she murmured to herself as she walked as fast as she could, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ichigo. On the way home, her mind had been filled with nothing but Ichigo. Why had there been longing in his eyes when he glanced at her? Why was he so…sad? She was familiar with that expression. She had often seen it on her brother's face when he was looking at Hisana-nee-san's photograph.

When she entered through the door, she was immediately greeted by the sight of a stoic Byakuya sitting on the couch in the living room, apparently waiting for her. The furniture in the room was sparse. It had only a couch, some love seats scattered here and there and a television. The clock hung just above the television. Gulping, she tiptoed forward, hoping against hope he wouldn't notice her.

"Rukia" No such luck. Byakuya always did have some uncanny way of knowing when she was home.

"Hai, nii-sama?" she said, resigning herself to her fate.

"Where have you been?" he asked. Glancing at the clock, Rukia winced when she saw it was well past midnight.

"I was working on my art project" she lied. Byakuya turned to face her then and she knew he didn't believe her.

"I was out with friends. They found this new place that they insisted I 'check out'" said Rukia. She wasn't lying. She had been out, except it was with a stranger. And she had found a new place. So technically, she wasn't lying. Byakuya seemed to think so as well, as he sent her to her room with no more than a 'Good night' and a stern warning not to stay out too late. Creeping upstairs to her own room, she darted inside. Clicking on the light, she was greeted by Chappy. The beloved rabbit was everywhere. It was on her bed, her study table, the mini-table that held her Chappy alarm clock and on top of the television as well. Her blankets and pillowcase were Chappy themed as well. When she had first showed Kaien…

"No, Rukia, you will not cry. Kuchikis do not cry" she muttered to herself as she headed for the bathroom, grabbing her nightgown.

"Kuchikis do not cry" Rukia kept on muttering to herself, even as she stepped into the shower and felt the warm water on her body. Even as she went to bed, she kept repeating the same words, despite the fact that tears had already began welling up in her eyes. She ignored them, blinking them away as she continued her chant.

******************************************

"What's so good about that guy anyway" Ichigo said as he sat across Rukia watching her sleeping profile. Her tears had long dried but the tear tracks were clearly visible. Walking forward, he brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes.

"I guess…I could say the same for myself. Sorry, Rukia" when Rukia awoke, there was no trace of Ichigo. Looking around groggily, she decided that it must've been her imagination and proceeded to return to her dreams.

"Rukia"

"This isn't…your fault"

"I'm sorry"

"I won't…ask you to…forgive me…but…don't blame…yourself, please"

"Sorry, Rukia" Gasping, Rukia sat up, eyes wild as she glanced around the room. The last part of her dreams…it hadn't been part of that memory. So who…? Why was she being apologized to? Sighing, Rukia turned to look at her alarm clock. 7:55. the numbers glowed at her, as though mocking her. Groaning, she got up reluctantly. She was beginning to regret promising Inoue that she would go with her to 'check out' the new café that was just down the street. According to the busty, orange haired girl, Rukia was sure to love it. Sighing, she slipped on a simple pair of faded blue jeans, matching it with a plain white top. Heading downstairs and into the kitchen, she found a note taped onto the refrigerator door. Heading over, she plucked it off and read the message.

"Won't be home for dinner, don't stay out too late. Byakuya"

Re-taping it on the fridge, she looked at the meal that had already been prepared for her by one of the maids. It was quite simple, just toast with butter and jam as she had requested. Biting into it, she busied herself with pouring some milk which she downed in one gulp. After making sure she did not have a milk mustache or bread crumbs on her person, she left the house, pausing only to select a simple pair of white sandals and to slip on a watch. It was simple, with a light blue strap and a snow-flake shaped display.

When she reached, it was already 9.05. And Inoue was not in sight. Frowning, Rukia rechecked her watch. They had promised to meet at 8.30 and Rukia was late by 35 minutes. Yes, she had been late on purpose despite the fact that Kuchikis were punctual. But she had her reasons. Inoue was often late, always by 20 to 30 minutes. Yet, there was no sign of Inoue. Reaching into her pocket, Rukia took out her cell phone and dialed Inoue's number.

"Hello?" a cheery voice greeted her.

"Inoue, where are you?" asked Rukia.

"Ah! Rukia! I'm so sorry…I totally forgot…I'm such a klutz" Rukia waited patiently as Inoue berated herself for apparently forgetting Rukia.

"I was going to come, honest! But, um something came up and…" stammered Inoue. Sighing, Rukia spoke into the phone.

"It's fine. I'll just walk around. I need to get some exercise anyways" she said. Having said their goodbyes, she hung up.

"Now then, what should I do?" Rukia muttered to herself as she looked down the street, looking for any shops that interested her. Walking forward, she spotted a shop with the same familiar neon green sign that read 'Urahara' that she had been dragged to yesterday.

"I might as well…" she mumbled, already making her way over absentmindedly.

"All I'm saying is that you should think more about what YOU want, Kurosaki-kun" hearing the familiar name and voice, Rukia found herself speeding up. Looking in the front of the shop, she saw Ichigo strolling through the aisles, picking up items at random intervals and examining them. The shop itself resembled a sweet shop, stacked with lots of sweets and a few snacks here and there. Knocking on the door to announce her presence, she was surprised by the two's reaction. Ichigo immediately turned, fist raised while Urahara had whipped out a garbage bag.

"Is that how you greet customers?" asked Rukia as she stepped in, fighting the urge to burst out laughing.

"Of course not Kuchiki-san!" said Urahara pleasantly.

"Mind if I look around?" she asked. Urahara nodded and grinned widely.

"Take your time. Now, if you'll excuse me…" he said, a sly grin on his face as he left, oblivious to the protests that came from Ichigo.

"You can't leave me with HER!" he called out, but it was too late.

"And why can't he leave you with me?" Rukia decided to give Ichigo a chance to explain himself before the urge to kick him became too strong.

"It's just…I can't…You won't…Oh, never mind!" he said, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"I won't what?" she questioned, folding her arms over her chest.

"You wouldn't understand" he said simply, not looking at her.

"Try me" she said defiantly. Sighing, Ichigo raked a hand through his hair, a look of frustration crossing his face.

"I'm going to kill that guy" he muttered. Stepping forward, Rukia looked him in the eye.

"What did you say?" she had saw his lips move, but had not heard anything.

"Nothing, just..." he hesitated for a moment, looking to the back of the store before heaving a sigh.

"Have you eaten?" she nodded, wondering what he was getting at.

"Are you free?" she contemplated this for a moment. She had already completed her art project (yes, she lied) and Inoue had cancelled on her so she had plenty of free time on her hands. Nodding slowly, she waited for his next question.

"Then…can you show me around? I'll treat you to lunch" he said quickly, looking everywhere but her.

"You do know that it's only polite to look at someone when you're talking to them?" said Rukia haughtily, enjoying the annoyed look that crossed his face as he turned to glare at her.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" he said, grabbing her and leaving the shop before she could reply.

"Good luck, Kurosaki-kun!" called out the blond-haired shop owner who suddenly reappeared at the entrance of his shop. Rukia watched as Ichigo's fists clenched and unclenched before he stooped down and picked up a pebble off the ground. Turning around, he aimed it at the shop owner. Rukia watched as the pebble hit its target and the man fell backward onto the ground.

"That hurt, Kurosaki-kun!"

"Good, cause it was supposed to!" Ichigo called back.

*********************************************************

Rukia walked down the streets, licking an ice-cream happily as Ichigo walked at her side, the ever-permanent scowl on his face.

"You're scaring the kids" said Rukia.

"What do you expect me to do about it? Dress up like a clown?" said Ichigo, obviously not caring about the odd stares they were getting from the shoppers. They did make an odd couple, one radiating annoyance while the other radiated childish innocence.

"You know, if you had done that, maybe I wouldn't have recognized you" said a resigned voice behind them.

Well...that's the first chapter. Constructive criticism is welcome!