[[[ Disclaimer: Kubo Tite owns Bleach. I don’t. If I did, I’d probably ruin it. Heehee ;) ]]]

(((Psst… this chapter is a prologue type of thing… virtually no dialogue. ::sweatdrop:: Please give it a chance! Happy reading!)))

Exhausted, Rukia Kuchiki fell back onto the bottom bunk with a loud sigh. Her new comforter was a rich plum color with simple, white flower designs. It had retained the scent of laundry detergent from its first wash; pleasant as it was, it didn’t live up to the level of comfort suggested by its name. It wasn’t a blanket with any special attachment or fond memories of home. At best, it felt foreign and stiff beneath her as she lay there, unmotivated to continue unpacking.

Staring up at the coiled springs of the bed lofted above her, she idly wondered if her new roommate would ever show up. Freshman move-in was from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and it was now 11:32 AM. ‘Is she outside in that mess? Maybe she pulled out at the last minute. Does that leave me the room to myself?’ Her eyes shifted toward the door. ‘…They’d probably just pair me up with someone else anyway.’

Her breathing slowed as she lay perfectly still, content to enjoy the solace of her new dorm room. Outside, thousands of people were moving about in a cloud of chaos. The other kids (or rather, young adults - fresh out of high school) had the help of their families to carry their bulging suitcases, stereos, mini-refrigerators, and the rest of their world possessions inside. There’s just something about the family dynamic that makes transitions like these as smooth as possible. Even as students rock on their heels in anticipation of the freedom that comes with being a college student, they aren’t fully prepared to watch their family pull away for the first time. As they stand there, waving at the retreating vans full of sobbing parents, they inevitably crumble and give into the first pangs of homesickness.

‘…Lucky.’

Rukia had moved all of her belongings slowly, but surely, up the eight floors into her dorm room by herself. Fortunately, there were two working elevators in the building. She had eyed the third elevator earlier while waiting for one of the operational elevators to return. ‘OUT OF ORDER’ was scrawled on a piece of copier paper with a permanent marker and duct taped to the door. At this point, she had idly wondered just what kind of place she was going to be living in. After all, if they were incapable of keeping things in working order for the first impression, how much would they care after school started?

She hadn’t moved herself in by some act of rebellion or bold act of independence. Rather, it was out of simple necessity. Rukia had been orphaned as an infant… but that wasn’t the reason why she found herself alone now. She had been adopted as a child by a prominent, wealthy family. From that point on, she lived in the Kuchiki estate with a young man she learned to call brother: Byakuya Kuchiki. The expansive estate felt much too large for a “family” that consisted of two people. Of course, that’s not to say that they were left to fend for themselves.

…Naturally, there had been servants.

However, the addition of servants didn’t make the house any livelier. They went about their duties in the utmost professional fashion, almost mechanically executing the tasks of the estate. Byakuya kept himself locked away in his quarters maintaining the family business: The Kuchiki Investment Firm. They held securities for nearly every company within a sixty mile radius and were expanding more and more each year.

Yes, the business was coming along quite nicely for the Kuchiki family. Unfortunately, what they had in success… they lacked in happiness. The only time that Rukia ever saw her older brother was at breakfast and dinner. The meals they shared were cold and impersonal. On rare occasion, he would ask how she was doing in school, only to excuse himself from the table before registering her reply.

She had tried to find favor from him as a child, bringing him messy crayon-drawn pictures and fistfuls of dandelions. The age difference made dealing with her childish pleas for attention very trying. He would stiffly acknowledge her gifts before beckoning one of the servants to take her to another part of the estate, so he could concentrate on more important matters. That’s how it always went. Rukia was constantly being dismissed.

Usually, she was sent off to private tutors where she was taught the proper way of representing herself as a lady. Once refined and molded into a young woman worthy of the Kuchiki name, she sought her brother’s acceptance more than ever. Sadly, she never met his standards.

Nothing she did seemed to hold his attention. Her marks at the academy were flawless, earning straight A’s quarter after quarter. A curt nod of acknowledgment was the closest thing she ever came to receiving praise. He didn’t even show up to her award banquets. Instead, he would send Hitoshi, his chief of staff, in his place. …It just wasn’t the same.

A month before she graduated from high school, Byakuya informed her that she would be attending Kenseikan University in the fall, the same college that he had attended years ago. He had made some rather generous grants to the school in the past and they were more than willing to accept a Kuchiki. Following that, she would accept a position with his firm and that would be the end of the matter. Rukia had nodded obediently and hastily whispered an empty, “Thank you, brother…” before quickly fleeing the room.

Her heart wrenched violently with confliction as she took off down the dimly lit corridor. Taking one sharp turn and then another, she locked herself in her room and took deep, ragged breaths. Leaning back against the door, she slid down with a hand pressed atop her heaving chest. It felt like the walls were closing in as she drew her legs in and, for the first time in many years, allowed the tears to fall freely. She was losing the strength to keep up the charade, knowing her efforts were futile from the start. He would never acknowledge her, no matter what she did. She had to resign herself to this fate.

…But that wasn’t what hurt the most.

What she really wanted to do was paint. From the moment she had picked up the brush during a cultural elective course at the academy, she had fallen in love with the silent form of self expression. The only thing stifling her passion was the course itself. The students were always instructed exactly what to portray and the proper technique for doing so. While this had been wonderful practice, she wanted to try her hand at painting other things.

It was almost like a gift descended from heaven when she stumbled upon the small studio in the east wing of the Kuchiki estate. Having lived there for over a decade of her eighteen years, she still hadn’t explored all of the rooms and crevices in the manor. She had been kept on such a tight schedule, that free time was a scarce luxury.

It was a rainy day, months prior to that, when she came across the studio by accident. Hitoshi had suggested that she utilize Byakuya’s library for a school report while he was away on business. Having no other means of finishing her research, she had wandered the minimalist hallways until she found a door at the far end of the east wing. It opened to reveal a dusty room full of canvases and sheets draped over obscure shapes. Initially flustered by her mistake, she quickly ducked out of the room for fear of being scolded. A second ticked by and then another. It was then that the room’s contents finally registered in her mind, eliciting an unexpected joyful shriek.

While she was positive that Byakuya, himself, had never been interested in anything that far removed from his duties as the C.E.O of the company, she still felt certain that he would be very displeased to find her there. The man was very private and held high distain for anything that wasn’t planned and structured. So, rather than face a potential confrontation, she waited until he went on business trips to use the studio. Being deceitful wasn’t in her character and certainly didn’t spare her the cost of guilt, but the allure of the room proved to be too much.

Every other weekend, she found herself lost in painting everything that she couldn’t find the courage to voice aloud. Then, right before Byakuya was expected to return, she would put everything back exactly as she found it and carry her finished pieces back to her room to dry. Sure, it was an exhausting chore to keep up with, but it was worth it to keep such a powerful outlet.

It was during one of these “sessions” that Rukia noticed that the side of the easel had been marked by some kind of inscription. Naturally, she was curious enough to give it a second glance. Upon closer inspection, the markings spelled out the name, ‘Hisana’.

Who was Hisana? As far as she knew, no one in the Kuchiki lineage she had studied held such an elegant name and she was positive that none of the servants were permitted in the studio. At least, that would explain why so much dust had been left to gather there. The whole matter was troublesome. Clearly, asking Byakuya wasn’t an option, so the only viable choice was Hitoshi. It took an hour to gather her nerve and corner him, but once she did, she went straight for the heart of the matter. To say he was taken aback by the inquiry was putting it mildly. Straightening his collar, he had quickly muttered that Byakuya’s personal affairs were not his to discuss and busied himself with another task.

Byakuya returned hours after that, bringing with him the announcement of her collegiate plans. It was a curse confining her to a fate he had chosen. Yet, it was also a blessing that satiated her curiosity before it got her into any trouble.

A month passed before mustered the courage and found the right words to tell Byakuya how she felt. The night after she graduated, she walked into his office with practiced confidence and stated that she had no intentions of going to the college he had so generously paid for. The brief glimpse of hatred that flashed in his eyes was instantaneously burned into her memory forever. He was a very intimidating man and she wasn’t ashamed to admit it. After a pause that seemed like ages, he straightened to his full height, pivoted on his heel, and briskly left the room without another word. Bewildered, Rukia had stood frozen in her spot. Minutes passed before she finally came to the conclusion that more information was necessary for their next encounter. There were details that needed to be ironed out first.

She knew that, without Byakuya’s approval, she would need to think of a less expensive alternative. The next day, she drove two hours in the rain to visit Seireitei University and meet with Dean Ukitake. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and long, almost white hair. The color threw her off. He didn’t seem nearly old enough to have hair lightened so dramatically with age, but she refrained from commenting on it. He seemed friendly enough, smiling broadly and shaking her hand as she entered.

He explained that, even though the deadlines to apply for the school had passed, there were always a few students admitted during the summer. After reviewing her impressive academic records, he rummaged through the files on his desk and produced an application for enrollment. Pausing briefly to cough a few times, he turned back to face her with a weak smile. He assured her that the paperwork was merely a formality and that she would be informed of the decision within a week. She didn’t hesitate to fill out the forms and left feeling strangely relieved.

When she arrived home, she strode back into Byakuya’s office, fully prepared to deliver the speech she had rehearsed in the car. This time, she positioned herself in front of the door in a bold, albeit shaky, gesture that said she would not accept his departure. Taking in a deep breath, she announced her intentions to study the Fine Arts at Seireitei University. If he forbade it, she would simply take out student loans in her own name. Her decision had already been made.

His expression didn’t change as he studied her. Moments passed by without a word, as she stood there under his scrutiny. Finally, he reached into his jacket and produced his checkbook.

She had been shocked, to say the least, when he asked how much she needed. Completely caught up in the moment, she flung herself at him in a hastily thought out hug. His eyes widened and he stiffened in her embrace, awkwardly patting her back. It was a big step for both of them.

Within a week, Rukia received her acceptance letter and housing assignment. The summer had gone by in a blur after that and, before she knew it, ‘Move-In Weekend’ had arrived. As expected, Byakuya had a business trip to attend to. Hitoshi offered to accompany her, but she politely declined. This was an opportunity for a fresh start. There was no way she wanted to be treated differently because of her family status.

After packing up her small red car, she gave Hitoshi a quick one-armed hug and hit the road. Her radio was blasting and her window was rolled down as she waved goodbye to childhood…

The noise of a key twisting in a lock snapped Rukia out of her stupor. The handle turned and, without warning, the door burst open. “Hi! You must be Rukia!”

[A/N: For those of you that are re-reading, this is the revised Chapter 1 from summer of 2009 - a.k.a. the DA version. =) Everyone else, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and will continue to enjoy the chapters to come. Please review and let me know! Happy reading! =) ]