Her Missing Piece
Summary: So she finally knew what it felt like to be broken hearted so she opted to help her friends find the right guys for them. And she vowed not to do the same mistake again or is she following the same pattern all over again.
A/N: My first Bleach AU fic…
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach because if I did…it would be a shoujo manga…
Chapter 1 Unpleasant Surprise
"I hate graduations," Rukia said as she watched from the bleachers of their school auditorium. Her father Kuchiki Byakuya was the guest speaker on the commencement exercise for the graduating class. Her purpose of being in the said activity though was not because it was her graduation, rather; she was there because her father was the guest speaker, although she had other reasons too, like seeing Kaien-dono for the last time. Normally undergraduate students such as herself are not allowed to participate in the said event but since her dad was invited and it was a chance to say goodbye to her crush, she took the opportunity when it presented itself.
"So if you hate it too much why are we here exactly?" her friend Hinamori Momo asked. So Rukia wasn't just grabbing the opportunity she was actually taking advantage of it. "You're not here to see your dad deliver his speech, are you? You just wanted to see Shiba-senpai graduate," the girl with brown hair added.
"Well, I see my father everyday and Kaien-dono well, he's graduating and I want to see him for the last time," Rukia admitted. She had always had a crush on the guy but she never really said anything to him and well, it was his graduation and try as she might she still didn't have the courage to say what she felt for him and little did she know that after the ceremony she would have the biggest shock of her life.
The graduates were presented their diplomas and gave their last bow before the crowd applauded. Shiba Kaien being the class president was sitting up front. He looked back and scanned the bleachers. He spotted Rukia and her friend and he waved his diploma at them. The graduates have started exiting the school auditorium. The two girls hurriedly went down the bleachers and waited for him. They met at the entrance hall.
"Rukia, I figured you'd show up. You too Hinamori-chan," Kaien greeted them.
"I wouldn't miss seeing your graduation," Rukia said hiding her sadness with a smile.
"I will miss seeing you guys around the campus too. In fact I'll miss this place really badly. I can't believe three years of high school is finally over for me. I do hope you continue with your writing in the school paper and your other activities," he said as he patted her head like he always did when they worked in the school paper. "Just don't work too hard and limit your activities. I won't be around to catch you when you faint from over fatigue," he cautioned.
"Well, I really can't promise you that," Rukia replied. "So do you have any plans for today?" She asked. She was hoping she could tell him now. It just suddenly hit her. He was really going away. Hinamori just gave her a puzzled look.
"I'm just waiting for my family and Miyako and we're going to have dinner," Kaien said as he tried scanning the grounds.
"Hang on, are you talking about our Miyako," Hinamori asked in behalf of the stunned Rukia. Miyako was their classmate and their good friend at that. She and Rukia both attended the school glee club, they also do student teacher work for their English subject. She and Rukia sort of had some friendly competition going on but it was all good until today.
"Yes, Miyako your classmate, I was surprised that she didn't sit with you guys, demo she probably sat with my parents. We've been seeing each other for a month now, didn't she tell you?" Kaien asked as he tried looking for his parents or any signs of his younger twin sister Kuukaku, his younger brother Ganju or his girlfriend Miyako.
Neither Rukia nor Momo replied. The latter mustered to put on a smile.
Rukia however saw the said group of people that Kaien was referring to coming their way. She had somehow snapped out of her little trance and thought it best to go before the said people reach them. She was not in the right state of mind. Her friend whom she had openly spoken about her feelings for Kaien had betrayed her. The two of them are dating. How she didn't know about all these was beyond her.
"Ano.. Kaien-dono, sumimasen. I think Momo and I have to go now. My dad is waiting by our car. He has a business meeting to attend to after this and he still needs to drop off Momo and me to the mall. But congratulations again and send our regards to Kuukaku-chan as well," she said as she smiled at him, as she tried to register his happy smiling face for the last time. Kaien wasn't dying the next day or something but he was going to college and another thing was the fact the he now had a girlfriend. It was time for her to learn to cope and eventually accept the fact that Kaien is with someone else and she would have to deal with it whether she liked it or not.
She and Momo were about to walk away when Kaien pulled her by the hand and hugged her. "I'm going to miss you. And like I said don't work too hard. I know you're having fun with all your activities but you are not super girl," he told her as he kissed her forehead.
Rukia couldn't stop her tears from falling. She just smiled at him again. "I'm going to miss you too and don't forget to visit sometime," she said as she pulled away from him.
Kaien wiped away the tears on her face. "Hey, I will visit and besides Miyako will tell you what I've been up to alright," he added.
Rukia forced herself not to burst into a major sobbing fit. Her heart felt like it was literally being crushed inside her chest. Kaien gave Rukia a worried look. Hinamori knew better though.
"I think we really need to go now Shiba-senpai. Tell Kuukaku-senpai congratulations too. We really don't want to keep Kuchiki-sama waiting," Momo said as she pulled her friend away. And both girls ran towards the parking lot.
"Thanks Momo," Rukia muttered.
"Hey we didn't know. I guess we can ask Isane if Miyako told her anything. I'm actually upset. She knew that you liked Kaien. Why the hell did she do this to you," Hinamori blurted with indignation. "Lets go to the powder room we can't let your dad see you like this," she said as she pulled Rukia in the washroom.
"She probably has her reasons. I'm not going to lie to you. I'm upset. Miyako never told me that she and Kaien were seeing each other. But I guess I don't have any right to be upset because I'm not his girlfriend and—"she was cut off by Momo who handed her some facial tissue.
"But you are her friend and the fact that she knew that you were head over heels for the guy did warrant you the right to know. She could have at least told you that, 'Hey Rukia the guy that you like so much digs me and I kinda like him too so I just wanna tell you that,' that wasn't so hard was it?" Momo retorted. She was fuming. She was always the sweet one but when provoked she was one nasty enemy.
"Relax. I'll be fine. I'm not exactly big with dating and having a boyfriend," Rukia tried to pacify her friend. She was almost crying and laughing at the same time. She knew that Momo was genuinely worried and upset in her behalf.
"See, that's the point. You never really like guys. For you boys are good as friends. You treat them like they're your brothers except you don't have any, and when you finally met the guy that you like you have a good friend of yours steal him away. How convenient is that?" Momo said.
Rukia just finished wiping her tears. She splashed cold water on her face then dried it up with her handkerchief. She combed her raven hair and checked her reflection seeing to it that she didn't look like she just cried. "Okay, I'm all set. I'll just tell my dad that you had an upset stomach and I had to accompany you to the bathroom," Rukia said in a matter-of-factly manner.
"Whatever you say let's go," Momo said as she was being pulled by Rukia outside to the parking lot.
Waiting by the car was Jidanbo-san the Kuchiki family driver.
"Where is my dad?" Rukia asked.
"He made me go back home to get the other car. He drove by himself and told me to drive you where ever you want to go," the gentle giant of a driver replied.
"We took that long huh?" Rukia muttered to herself as Jidanbo opened the door and let them in the car.
"Since you're upset we have to call Isane and Nemu and maybe we can have a slumber party. I can't let you gloat by yourself. Who knows what you'll do. Like Ran-chan always say do not let a girl friend suffer by herself," Momo said excitedly.
Rukia wanted to get her piece and quiet but then again her friend was right, it was no use crying over something that wasn't hers to begin with.
"Okay, I'll call mom and tell her that we'll be using the pool house for the slumber party," Rukia said then she got her cell phone and called home.
"How cool is that. I know we've been having slumber parties since we were freshmen but I still can't get enough of your pool house," Momo said excitedly. She started phoning their other girlfriends.
"Okay thanks mom. See you in a bit," Rukia said before she closed her phone. "This feels weird though. We always had Miyako when we have sleepovers," she sighed.
"Don't feel sorry. She's the reason why you feel hurt right now," Momo reprimanded. "They said they'll be at the house at seven so we have 4 hours to go shopping."
The girls got out of the car they had 4 hours for shopping before the driver picks them up.
"So where do we start?" Rukia asked. She was not big with shopping. The only places she went to were the bookshop, the toy section for any new Chappy toy or item and the sport shop. As for clothes and shoes shopping all were taken cared of by her mother. Rukia was after all a spitting image of her mother, Hisana. If the two were seen together they would be mistaken for sisters.
"I think we should go and buy loads of junk food and ice cream to drown the sadness away," Momo said excitedly and for some reason the girl was infectious enough that even Rukia felt excited.
The girls were on the way to riding an escalator to the 2nd floor to buy their groceries when they passed by the bookshop which of course caught Rukia's attention.
"Can we just go inside for a few minutes I'm going to check if they have the book that I was looking for last time," Rukia said as she dragged her friend inside.
"What exactly are we looking for?" Momo asked as she scanned the titles of the book on the rack.
"Just something I had been looking for a week now," Rukia said as she scanned another rack then she found it and was about to grab it when the guy that she didn't know was standing next to her took it.
"Hey, I was going to get that book," she hissed. The only consolation she could get was finally getting the copy of a novel she had been looking for, for weeks. And who was this cocky bastard who thought he could get away from getting her book.
"Well, I got to it first," The guy with spiky loud orange hair said then smirked.
"Hey dumb ass. I was about to get the book, when you snatched it from the rack. Clearly I was here first," Rukia blurted. 'This arrogant prick, who the hell does he think he is?' she thought to herself.
"Well, I'm sorry but I got here first and clearly since I have the book in my hand it only means I got it first. So no hard feelings okay. I mean a middle schooler like you shouldn't be reading broad stuff like this," the guy said with a tinge of mockery.
"What the hell," Rukia said as her foot made contact to the guy's shin. "Hey you arrogant fool. For your information I'm going to be a senior in high school next school year and who the hell are you to impose what I should or shouldn't read." The raven haired girl hissed then walked off.
Rukia grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her out of the bookshop.
"What an idiot. Who the hell does he think he is?" Rukia fumed. "Let's go to the grocery I don't want to see that bastard ever again. "
Momo just got dragged to the grocery shop and the deli on the second floor. She did notice the sudden change on her friend. Somehow that encounter got Rukia's mind off Kaien-dono and for that she was pleased that they bumped into that carrot top boy. She just followed her friend who was muttering rather colorful profanities about the boy they encountered.
To be continued…
A/N: Okay this is my first venture into AU fics. Well after exchanging PMs with kouu-hissori I sort of got the idea for this multi-chap and I haven't been this excited with writing fics since I wrote my other Fic Forgive Me. Of course I had to make some necessary adjustment if not a major overhaul of where the idea came from. So here is the first installment. I'm going to try and write as many chapters as I can…. So hopefully you guys would read it… and I'll try my very best to update as soon as I can. Your Reviews are always welcome.
Other info: Byakuya and Hisana are Rukia's parents in this fic. I will be introducing other Bleach characters where they seem fit… enjoy reading. Jidanbo is the gate keeper of Hakutōmon aka the west gate of Seireitei. I made Kuukaku Kaien's younger twin sisters instead of just his younger sister.
word guide:
Sumimasen - excuse me or a simple form of apology.
demo - but
ano - a form of filler for sentences
Senpai – used to call upper classmen
Additional info: This is an Ichiruki fic… even if it doesn't seem like it at first. and load of other pairings would be included.