Hello everyone!

I am rather conscious that I’m very, very late for this overdue chapter of Normality. It just didn’t want to be written, I guess (that, and I wrote several other things in between). 3902 words for this one and a very important chapter too.

For those who left comments lately: that is why I didn’t reply, because I was busy writing the next chapter XD Also, for those who wish I’d correct the first chapters, I’d love to too. But I really can’t. It takes me ages to update anything already, because I write several things at the same time. I do not have time to rewrite the oldest parts. I wish I could. I only correct errors from the current chapter.

Disclaimer: as usual, do not own Bleach, still French, etc.

Her alarm clock rang, indicating the end of the vacations. She sighed, still half asleep and profiting of the last moment in her bed before truly waking up, dozing off slightly. So many things happened since she last went to her school; she wondered briefly how the day would be. Though I suppose I can count on everyone to make it brighter, she mused while getting dressed.

“You should hurry,” noticed her brother as she took her breakfast, “or you’ll miss the entrance ceremony.”

“Ah, you’re right, Nii-sama,” she exclaimed, suddenly noticing how late she was. What took me so long?

Shuuhei was already waiting at the door with her school bag when she rushed outside.

Ichigo looked at his watch, quite surprised. This morning, she was late. As in, really late. Should I go and see what’s happening? He didn’t have the time to ponder though, as a running Rukia appeared in the street.

“We’re late!” she exclaimed.

“I kind of noticed! It’s ok, it’s just the entrance ceremony anyway… I think Ishida’s going to speak, so we have some time.”

He felt her relax as she began to walk at a slower pace. “I wonder what his speech is going to be. I can’t imagine him actually speaking as an honour student.”

“It doesn’t matter if we miss it anyway, we can still ask him at lunch,” he grinned. “Although I’m sure he’s going to lecture us for being late.”

“Probably,” she chuckled. “That’d be just like him.”

Everyone had gathered at the gym and they were undoubtedly late. They could hear Ishida explaining the school activities and how they had to behave and study well so the school could be prideful to have them as students.

“I guess it’s not the right time to enter…” he mumbled.

“Especially not right after that…”

“He doesn’t make it easy for us!”

“It’s time to use the headache trick then! Let’s go see Hanatarou,” she smirked.

He grinned, amused. “Yeah.” He still remembered the first time she used that trick, because they had to give back some books at the library and… were late. “It seems that history only repeats itself,” he added. “The first time it was already because we were late.”

“That’s only because you forgot that we had to bring the books back!”

“Because you never did?”

“Of course not. It was your duty, since I was still a new student back then!” She had that certainty in her attitude that made him want to both strangle and hug her tightly.

“You know sometimes… you’re driving me crazy,” he groaned.

“Only sometimes?” she asked, looking disappointed.

“You’re so going to pay me that.”

“You wish!”

“We’ll see that in the kendo club, right? Or did Byakuya forbid you to join it?”

“Nah, it’s ok, I can join if I want. And we’ll definitely settle this during our next club time.”

“Can I ask for whatever I want if I win?” he asked, grinning more than ever.

“Ok but if I win, you’ll have to do whatever I want.”

“Deal.”

It was glaring, Orihime thought, as the two seats next to hers were still empty. And Ishida was pissed off –after all, they were in his class and they dared miss his speech. But she kind of expected that and it wasn’t so painful anymore.

Is this how it feels, to give up a first love?

She didn’t know, but she hoped so. Being in love was too painful.

“Ah, Hanatarou-sensei must be at the ceremony too,” Rukia said thoughtfully, as the infirmary revealed itself to be empty.

“So all we have to do is wait for him, right?”

“I guess so.”

Momo really felt happy. She finally had her schedule and today she’d have a lesson with Aizen-sensei. I can’t wait! She had some free time to kill, so she had decided to go to the library, to open a book and try to see what her lessons would look like.

It was only when she bumped into someone that she realised that she wasn’t careful enough. Their books fell, making noise. Luckily, the library was still empty, so they didn’t draw attention to them too much.

“Ah, sorry!” they both exclaimed.

As they picked up the books, she noticed that they were similar. “You too you learn psychology?” she asked on impulse.

“Yes, I’m a freshman. I’m going to follow Aizen-sensei’s lessons,” he replied visibly uneasy.

“Is that so? I’m a freshman too,” she replied, beaming, “and I have a lesson with Aizen-sensei today too.”

“Really? How lucky! My name is Kira Uzuru, pleased to meet you!” he added, bowing.

She felt a light blush on her cheeks, a bit embarrassed by the blonde’s politeness. “My name is Hinamori Momo, pleased to meet you too!”

“What the hell happened this morning, Ichigo?” Tatsuki asked.

They were eating all together on the roof, taking advantage of the sunny day. Everyone was more or less discussing randomly, until Tatsuki spoke; then, everyone’s attention was drawn to Kurosaki and Kuchiki.

“Ah,” replied Kuchiki, looking embarrassed, “that’s because of me, I’m afraid. I had a bad headache, so Ichigo accompanied me to the infirmary. Then we had to wait because Hanatarou-sensei wasn’t there.”

“I hope you didn’t get naughty during that time, Ichigo,” grinned Kojima.

“What?” exclaimed both Kurosaki and Kuchiki, looking awfully mortified. “Of course not!”

“Ahah,” laughed Asano, pointing towards Kurosaki, “that would imply that this guy has hormones! Could you see that happening?”

“I don’t think we should talk about that,” mumbled Sado. However, it didn’t look like the others heard him, as they continued their chat.

“Of course I do,” replied Kojima, dead serious.

Asano’s face fell, while Kojima’s words seemed to last in an overwhelming silence.

“What the hell,” groaned Kurosaki, “why speaking about Rukia and I is the last trend?”

“Why? Obviously because you were never interested in girls in the first place! And, Mizuiro, I don’t believe that such a lady like Kuchiki-san would comply with that gorilla’s actions!” exclaimed Asano.

That made Kuchiki chuckle, while Kojima stayed thoughtful. “Well,” he finally said, “That’s why it’s hard to tell. Because of Kuchiki-san.”

Did they really do it? She tried to find the reply on their denying faces; it was hard to tell, that was true and maybe it was why the guys were so interested in this.

“Who cares,” declared Tatsuki, brushing everyone off. Her friend eyed her briefly, before continuing. “So, what activities are you guys planning to do? I’ll still do karate, I think I can reach the top this year!”

“Well,” said Ishida, hitching up his glasses, “I’m still the captain of the kyudou club. I also aim for the nationals, though it’s harder because it’s mostly a team work. And of course, the sewing club to kill time.”

“I knew you were doing archery, but kyudou?” Orihime felt herself asking without thinking. “Isn’t that really hard?”

“It demands great concentration. I like it a lot,” he simply replied. “You should come and watch one of those days.”

“I will,” she promised.

“The fourth of us will be in the kendo club, as usual,” said Renji, grinning a lot. “I’ll guess we’ll have a try at the national before the end of the summer.”

“Yeah,” sighed Rukia, “it’s such a shame that the third years students have to drop all activities to concentrate on their studies. I hope we’ll do good nonetheless; last year we managed to go up once we joined them.”

“I’m sure Ukitake-sensei is looking forwards our performance,” nodded Hitsugaya.

“You still have training on Sundays?” asked Tatsuki.

“Yes, and he doesn’t go easy on us,” groaned Kurosaki. “Even though I should be used to it, my muscles ache the day after.”

“That’s not true,” grinned Kuchiki. “I can tell that you’re feeling better, compared to when you began the training sessions.”

“Well, maybe,” he grunted.

“This… is our last year,” smiled Kojima, helping his friend to get out of this situation. “What will you do afterwards?”

“I have too many choices for my own good,” Orihime beamed. “But I think I will be a teacher. For kindergartner.”

Everyone looked at her, surprised. “That’s a good idea, Orihime,” approved Tatsuki. “But I thought you wanted to be an astronaut?” she added, grinning widely.

“Well, I can’t do everything I want to do, so I have to chose, right? Beside, I think it’s the best.”

“I think I will continue my karateka carrier for a while and then set up a dojo,” dreamt her friend.

“I’ll definitely be a kendo teacher,” said Abarai. “We could share a dojo if the costs are too high at first,” he grinned.

“Deal,” laughed her best friend.

“I’ll be a surgeon, so I’ll definitely take care of those that you slice in bits, Abarai,” smirked Ishida.

“What? I’m not like this!”

“Or so you say, but my head definitely remembers that time when you knocked me down,” remarked Kurosaki. Abarai snorted, but replied nothing.

“I decided to be a scientist,” said Chad. “Working on various illnesses to cure them.”

That was the longest thing he said in a while and took them by surprise. Followed a concerto of ‘what?’ ‘really?’ ‘how come you never told us?’ that didn’t seem to unsettle the giant one bit.

“How come you all have plans for your future but I don’t? At least Mizuiro, we’re partners to the end, right?” whined Asano.

“Well, I’ve been asked to be a host,” beamed Kojima, earning shocked faces as a reaction, “but that’s not what I’m aiming for. I will be a psychologist.”

“Nice choice, and it fits you,” nodded Kurosaki. “I must say, I didn’t think about what I wanted to do yet…”

“You’re not going to be a doctor like your dad?” asked Tatsuki.

“Hell no, no way!”

“I knew you wouldn’t abandon me, Ichigo!” cried Asano, jumping on him, only for his face to meet a casual foot.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do either,” groaned Hitsugaya. “My parents want me to be a businessman, or anything that could earn a Nobel.” His eyes twitched, as if he was remembering a bad memory.

“Wow, your parents sure expect a lot from you,” commented Kuchiki, a bit surprised. “My brother told me to do what I wanted to; but I’ll definitely follow his steps and become a successful businesswoman.” A long silence greeted her declaration, as they all stared at her in disbelief. “What?”

“That’s erm… surprising… Why did you choose that career?” Orihime asked.

“Oh, that. Because I am his heir, I can’t stay there doing nothing. If anything happens, what will happen to everything he owns? I can’t let it die, or be sold just because I can’t take care of that.”

“I see,” mused Tatsuki. “I guess it’s another world for me. Is the Kuchiki estate that important?”

“Yes it is; we own and control many enterprises in the country and even outside. That’s why I have to be able to manage them too.”

The bell rang, marking the end of their chat. As they went to their class, Orihime thought sadly that it was effectively the last year and that they would be all apart in the near future. How odd is that thought… it’s as if we’re already taking different paths, although we are walking in the same direction. Would they still be friends, in a year or ten? She hoped so.

Momo picked up her stuff with a huge beam plastered on her face. The lesson was, undoubtedly, the best she ever had. Aizen had knew instinctively how to captivate his students and a lot gathered around him to ask questions at the end of the class. She found out that Kira and her shared many classes, much to her relief; he was a very nice boy, although a bit shy and being friendly with him was actually easy. She listened the replies Aizen was giving to the student; he seemed pleased that they were interested enough and gave many heart-warming smiles while discussing. Finally, the crowd spread out and he noticed them, still standing.

“Oh, I remember you,” he said, talking to her. “You were at the Kuchiki party right?”

“Yes, I was helping my cousin,” she nodded, feeling uneasy as she was singled out.

“I see that you came, as promised. That’s good. Did you like my lesson?”

“Yes,” she agreed happily, “it was truly interesting, even better than I expected it!”

“That’s great then. I hope to see you next time.”

“I sure will.”

Kira and her finally left. They had finished their classes for the day, but she still felt as if she was walking on a cloud.

“WOah, you knew Aizen-sensei? How come?” asked her Kira.

“It’s as I said, really… I had the chance to talk with him a bit while helping at the Kuchiki mansion, during their Venetian carnival party.”

“You mean, the Kuchiki mansion during the Venetian carnival? Woah!”

“You heard of them?” She was a bit surprised. Sure it was a big event, but was it that known?

“Everyone from the high classes wants to be invited. It’s the party of the year in town, without a doubt. My family heard of it, but we’re not powerful enough to put even a toe in that mansion.”

“Woah, really, the Kuchiki aren’t like this. Rukia is really nice. Well, I admit that her brother can be scary at times, but he’s really kind in the end. He lets me assist in Ukitake-sensei’s kendo private lessons for Rukia after all.”

“Oh, you’re doing kendo? I do too, maybe we should join the club… I heard they weren’t bad at all here.”

“That could be a good idea,” she agreed. “Let’s go and look out for them then.”

Ichigo stretched his muscles, a satisfied grin on his face. Finally Rukia joined him and they began to walk home, Shuuhei following them at distance.

“I can’t believe you won. How come? I usually always win!” she groaned.

“That’s because I had something interesting to win. So I did my best!”

“So, it was because of the prize… should I understand that usually you’re not that interested in kendo?”

He chuckled. “I like kendo. But I have troubles beating women, especially you. The prize was worth it though –I still have to think about what to ask.”

She rolled her eyes up. “I can’t believe it’s the first day and they already gave us homework,” she sighed, changing the topic.

“Let’s do it together, it’ll be more fun,” he proposed.

“Is that what you want as your prize?” she smirked.

“No way,” he grinned. “You won’t get away so easily.”

“Oh damn. At least, I tried.”

The return had been peaceful, Rukia mused while they were having a hot cocoa. They were in her room and, beside them, their notebooks were already awaiting.

“We better be careful,” groaned Ichigo. “It looks like they already want us to drown under work; it’s going to be tough to manage school and kendo.” And us. He didn’t say it out of loud, but she swore she could hear it.

“No wonder the third years always abandon their club activities right after the summer vacations,” she sighed. He nodded, apparently lost in his thoughts. “What are you thinking about?” she asked, curious.

“Oh, I was thinking that you never told me that you wanted to be a successful businesswoman.”

She blinked. “Well, we never had the occasion to talk about it, that’s why. And you, what do you want to do? You really have no idea?”

“Oh. Not really. I’m still thinking.”

However, she noticed, he was staring at her with eyes that burned her soul. She felt unusually self-conscious under his gaze and shoot her arm out to reach a notebook –anything else would be good.

“Rukia,” he breathed out. She stopped and turned around, only to see his serious face. “Do you know what Zangetsu told me, last time we saw him? While you were talking with his wife?”

“Uh? No, what?”

“He told me that we were similar; that I’d have to be around you my whole life if I wanted to truly protect you.”

And then, she understood. “As if,” she replied, annoyed. “Ichigo, you have to do what you want; I have a bodyguard to take care of my security. Sodeno and Zangetsu are different; because they live in a temple, they can’t have one. So Zangetsu is devoted to her. But we are different. Maybe the attacks will never stop but… you have to do what you truly want. That’s what I wish for.”

Suddenly, his arms found their way to her waist, hugging her tightly. “Ru–”

He was interrupted by a knock on her door. Hurriedly she tore away from Ichigo and replied. “Yes?”

The door opened on Shuuhei. “Rukia, your brother is calling you. He’s in the living room with a guest.”

Surprised, she tilted her head. “A guest?”

“Come on, they’re waiting,” he simply said.

Ichigo followed her and caught a glimpse of said guest while going to the kitchen. She was very thin, with a serious face and black hair. He knew he saw her once, he was certain of that, but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Who is she again?

“Oh, maybe you don’t remember,” said Rangiku when he asked her that, “but she was there at the Venetian carnival. So you certainly saw her there. Her name is Soi Fong and she’s the detective in charge of the kidnapping attempts. She has been affected on the case recently.”

“Is that why she came over?” he asked.

“Nope,” replied Shuuhei. “I think Kuchiki-sama figured out something. He was definitely lost in his thoughts and came back home rather early today.”

Ichigo nodded, wishing he could see what was happening.

The greetings had been done and she and that detective were facing her brother, waiting for more explanations. She was quite lost, but Byakuya must have had a reason to call them over.

“Up until now,” he began, “we always thought that the perpetrators tried to reach me through Rukia. Mainly because there was no real other reason.”

She nodded, while Soi Fong stayed focused. “But?” she asked.

“But that’s because I haven’t been careful. There might be a reason why she’s the one targeted and not me. It lies in one word: inheritance.”

“But,” she noticed, “I thought my family had nothing left?”

“There is one thing that have passed throughout the generations and that is quite unique. So many collectors would want it. But not many people are aware that it even exists.”

“What? What is it?”

“The katana that have been made for your ancestor. When Hisana and you came over, she told me about it; it was put in a vault in a bank, with several other fakes in other vaults and other banks. I never saw it myself and I do not know which the right one is. When we married, the katana became yours. Only you can open that vault now.”

“But, why would they want a katana?” inquired the detective, rising up an eyebrow.

“Because it is unique. It’s all white, very beautiful and light, although it has a very sharpened blade. Here, look,” he added giving her a picture. Rukia glanced at it, and saw the katana; it was just as her brother described it.

“I see. Do you know if there is anyone who knows about it?”

“I am not sure. I think Ichimaru Gin heard of it, because he mentioned it in front of me once.”

The name sent chills in her spine. That man! Is it why he likes to torture me?

“No one else?”

“There are rumours about it, of course. Some people may be better informed than what I think; after all, Rukia’s name has been Kuchiki for a long time now.”

The woman got up. “Thank you for this precious information. I am going to check out what I can learn from Ichimaru and see who could be interested in possessing such blade. I am sure I can find something worth it. And hopefully, arrest the criminals.”

“Thank you,” Rukia said.

“I hope this will be of some help,” nodded her brother.

Rukia was glad that she didn’t have to get up right now, because she thought that there was no way that her cotton-like legs would not fail her.

“I am sorry,” he continued once the door was shut behind Soi Fong. “I should have guessed earlier, but so few people actually know about it that I thought it was safe. I put this matter on the back of my head, and totally forgot about it. It was only recently that I was reminded of it.”

“It’s not your fault, Nii-sama!” she protested. “I am really glad that you remembered it; maybe we’ll see the end of this, finally.”

“I hope so too. You can leave now.”

She nodded, got up and bowed. “Thank you, Nii-sama.”

They were again in her room and Rukia just told him what her brother said.

“So,” he said, “you think that it’s because of that katana that people want to kidnap you? But how would they get it?”

“Well, I guess they would force me to retrieve it. They have no other choice, as they don’t know where it is.”

“I hope it’s the right path to investigate,” he sighed. “Looks like it’s a bit complicated.”

“Yeah.”

She looked tired, he thought, so he opened his arms. “Come here,” he invited her.

“Why?”

He frowned. “That’s my prize. Come on.”

She finally ended up resting in his arms and soon he heard a sigh of contentment. “Thank you, Ichigo.”

“You’re welcome,” he murmured.

“How cute,” chuckled Rangiku, right beside him. All the screens showed a part of the house; there was no one else, as Kuchiki was in his room and had his camera shut down.

“You’re not supposed to come here just to spy on them you know,” he retorted, slightly amused.

“Well, the dinner is ready and we’ll have to interrupt them anyway. But I guess we can leave them alone for another five minutes, can’t we?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s see what you prepared for dinner!”

“Humph, is filling your stomach the most important thing to you?”

“Of course! With an empty stomach, everything falls apart!”

She chuckled. “Right, that’s true; you’re a man and men function thanks to their stomach! I nearly forgot that!”

He grinned playfully and followed her to the kitchen.

“Ichigo, we need to talk,” said Isshin, entering his room without being invited, as always.

“You could knock before, old man,” he grunted, annoyed.

“Why? Are you afraid that I could catch you while ma–”

A book flew through his room right in his face. “Stop saying absurdities, would you!” Ichigo shouted angrily. “And what the hell did you come for?”

“Ah, that’s because it’s your last school year. You’ll turn eighteen in a few months, so I figured I’d had to tell you nonetheless. But you must absolutely not tell you sisters.”

“Tell them what?”

“That your mother and I eloped,” replied flatly the crazy man with a big grin plastered on his face.

“What?”

A/N: hope you liked it! Next will be a one shot AU. Stay tune XD