The Mask

*Hi! This is my first ichiruki story. I really want to thank one of the beta-readers here, Bagaudas, for helping me write and publish this story. This won't be done without his huge help. Enjoy reading!*

xoxoxoxoxoxo

I am always waiting for my husband

waiting for him to come back...

but once again he left me without saying goodbye

did I do something wrong?

for him to leave me...

for him to find another

again I was taken for granted

I was dumped again

I'm so lonely

I'm all alone

I have once again became a wallflower

a lonely flower that no one will bother to take a look at

I have been toyed & deceived yet again

only to find out that our marriage is just a big fake

I need to runaway

I need to be free

I need to runaway from this pain

from this humiliation

from this loneliness

I want retribution...I want revenge

till I found a strange mask, something from a masquerade!

I wore it & then I turned into a perfect lady I dreamed of

then I saw him, an orange-haired man who's about to kill himself

by jumping off the cliff

I stopped him...

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Rukia stopped to a halt as something caught her eye in the cold, freezing snowy weather that plagued her city of Karakura, a happy town which she and her hus-... ex-boyfriend Kaien had moved to. The dark-haired man was charming, handsome and a supposedly good man, that was until Rukia had found out that the said man was just a false, deceitful bastard. She had met him on the subway, three years ago when she was just sixteen and as naïve as one could be. She bumped into Kaien when she was trying to get a coffee, one of her favourite drinks at the age despite her youth, when she said sorry, he barely seemed to care until she said her name.

Rukia Kuchiki.

Her brother was the owner of Kuchiki corporation, a long string of shops which was all over the world. Seireitei, Karakura, Tokyo or wherever; you name it and Kuchiki had a building somewhere in it, even if it was the smallest corner in the city. Kaien seemed to perk up at the name and gave her an award-winning smile, extending his hand and even paying for her coffee before asking her out. Rukia was speechless! A handsome, older boy asking her out? Rukia barely had any friends never mind a boyfriend! Rukia accepted happily and they dated for years and eventually got 'married' just a few months ago.

Rukia had often tried to give herself to Kaien, who said he wished to 'Wait till they were married' which only seemed to annoy Rukia even more...she had needs for Christ sake! Eventually when they did marry, nothing even happened. He was either, 'Too tired' or 'Too busy' for the deed and was out twenty-hours a day, seven days a week.

Rukia had found out that the marriage was just a phony, a claim to get at her money and use her. A shared bank account was what he was after and all her money was thrown into it, which he took before fleeing without a word, with that women of his Miyako, who Rukia knew for God's sake! A woman she actually admired! Did Kaien trick her as well? Or was she in cahoots with him all along? It could explain why Kaien never fucking touched her, after all... why have a burger if you can have a premium steak?!

Any ways, back to the thing she saw in the snow. Rukia was, at the moment, dressed to impress. She wore a long, strapless black dress that hugged her figure and when down to her shins, with a small slice up the left side to show some of her smooth, succulent skin around her thigh-area. On her arms were black silk gloves going up to her elbows and on her feet were beautiful high-heels which made her running all the more difficult. She had a layer of mascara on her eyes and red-rosy lipstick to make herself, in the words of her best friend Rangiku Matsumoto 'Fab-u-lous' which, in all honesty, she felt was a correct assessment.

She was Rukia Kuchiki after all! She was voted the most beautiful girl in her elementary, middle and high school! She had the potential to go to college which she gave up for that rat bastard who stole all her money...she'd have to rely on Byakuya again, which she hated. Byakuya wasn't even her brother; he was married to her sister Hisana who was the only person who seemed to have doubts about Kaien. Rukia wished she had listened...

Damn it! She was rambling again! In the snow, Rukia had found a small, leather mask like something from a masquerade in the olden days, or at least that's what she thought. Rukia had inherited some of Rangiku's ditziness while hanging around with her...

It was small, it could cover her eyes and nose, with a design that curled around the edges like a crown for the eyes, even being golden to back it all up. Why was it there? Who could gave discarded such a beautiful mask?

In the spur of the moment, Rukia picked it up and put it on, disregarding any lesson from her elders that told her 'Not to pick up mysterious things from the floor' as it was too mesmerizing, it shined in the moonlight believe it or not...

She put it on and looked for a reflection, the small leather string tightened around the back of her flawless raven-coloured hair. She found a closed shop, with a window that she could now see her reflection off. Rukia smiled honestly, she could barely recognize herself in the mir- reflection. S-She wasn't herself...she could hide from reality..she could hide from the life t-that just...well sucked! She was nineteen, she couldn't think of any other way of putting it!

Rukia walked, deciding to keep the beautiful mask on her face. She was on a desolate street, with a bridge not to far ahead. Her brother's house, or rather mansion was only a few miles from here, two or three maybe. A nice walk would do her some good, let her clear her head. If any man touched her, she could kick their ass. As if Rukia Kuchiki wouldn't have any self-defense classes, not only being a Kuchiki, but she was also beautiful! What man could resist?...Oh wait...

Scowling, Rukia continued down the snowy road as she shrugged off the freezing weather. She walked on and on, pattering in the snow as she tried to think of what to do next? Going back to school was a big yes-yes (Opposite of 'Big no-no.' Read a thesaurus fools!) Rukia would regain ever penny Kaien stole from her and get her revenge, somehow. What exactly did he do now? Rob banks? Kill people?

Steal from innocent women no doubt.

As Rukia pondered thoughts, she heard a mindless, slurred singing coming from the bridge in front of her. She trotted up to the area of the noise and gasped at what she saw, an orange-haired man standing on the edge of the bridge, which was above a large highway with many cars whizzing passed. If the huge fall did not kill him, the cars definitely would. The man looked broken, his hair dishevelled and his tuxedo ragged, the bow-tie undone with the first two buttons opened, how cliché...

Despite the man's apparent drunken brokenness, he was singing the strangest song which made Rukia confirm three things for sure. 1) He was drunk. 2) He was an idiot and finally 3) He wasn't that bad a singer.

"And so he spoke, and so he spoke, that lord of Castamere~"

"What are you doing you fool?!" Rukia demanded as she jogged up, pulling her dress up so she could move faster. The orange-haired fool turned around, an empty beer bottle in his hand that was suddenly dropped onto the highway, hitting the top of a car with an angry beep of the horn responding.

"I'm singing 'Rains of Castamere' fool" He mocked "A song of fire and ice, ring any bells?!" He spat. Rukia looked at him in disbelief as he turned towards the highway "Whatevs man, I'm done with you" He said, He lifted his right foot and was prepared to step off, but the idiot ended up slipping on the icy slope of the bridges protective barrier and, unfortunately for Rukia, fell on the side that didn't have a doomed ending. He fell as whacked his head off the ground before quickly standing, a fair amount of blood staining his rather cute spiky hairstyle "I'm okay!"

"Are you an idiot?!" Rukia snapped "You could have died!"

"Wow, you deserve an Oscar"

Rukia glared "One thing, Oscars are for acting, which I am very good at if I may so so myself! Another thing, quit with the sarcasm, why did you want to kill yourself?!"

He folded his arms "I see how that is any of your business, Ah fuck!" He cursed, slapping a hand on his forehead before dragging it down "I mean, it's none of your business!" He snapped.

Rukia frowned "I was only trying to help you"

He seemed to calm down a bit after that "I don't think I really deserve it to be honest" He said with much less aggression. Rukia witnessed him choke up a sob before he pressed his back against the bridges protective barrier and slid down, leaning against the stone and wiping a few tears from his eyes. Rukia felt a pang of pity for the idiot and squatted beside him, making sure her legs were closed before asking;

"Hey, it's fine" Rukia said, patting his shoulder"What's the matter?"

"It's nothing"

Rukia smirked "You can tell Aunty Rukia" She joked, trying to make him smile, she in fact needed to smile as well. "Come on, if you tell me you're problem I'll tell you mine" She said, she needed to talk to someone.

He nodded "Rukia is your name?"

"Rukia Kuchiki"

He nodded "Ichigo Kurosaki"

She shook his hand and gave him a small, smile. "So you fool, what seems to be the problem?" She asked.

Ichigo sighed "I was stood up at the alter"

Then why the hell was he singing a song from a fantasy book?

"Oh..." Rukia said "I have a similar problem...I was married, but then I realized that I wasn't" She said, Ichigo rose an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes "It was false, everything was. The minister, the witnesses, the vows...everything was a lie to get my money"

"You're rich?"

"You could say that" Rukia replied "He left me and ran off with some woman, Miyako" She said.

"My gal ran off with some pretty-boy that goes by the name of Ulquiorra" He spat "Real pretty boy, long black hair with green eyes and a melancholic voice that seems to sink into your very soul"

Rukia smirked "Are you sure you don't want to run away with him?"

"I'm drunk, fuck off"

Rukia giggled and Ichigo gave a choked chuckle. Ichigo tried to stand and failed, where Rukia helped him up. He ran a hand through his...surprisingly attractive hair and Rukia realized...he looked so much like Kaien it was unbelievable! Rukia took a step back and Ichigo rose an eyebrow "What's the prob?"

She hated things like that. 'Prob' and 'Whatevs' It was so stupid and idiotic in her opinion. "N-Nothing" She said"You're vocabulary just pesters me"

Ichigo scowled "I do apologize my fair lady, let me escort you to the lobby where we may share tea and crumpets" Ichigo spoke, putting on a mock British accent while holding up an invisible tea and plate. "Pfft! Vocabulary and pester, such big words!"

Rukia decided to ignore that "So..Ichigo" She said, trying not to mock the name "What are you going to do now that I have saved you from death?" She asked. Ichigo shrugged, before looking back and forth.

"Wanna get some food? I'm fucking starving"

"...Sure"

xoxoxoxoxoxo

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