Well I've had this floating round in my head for a while and it's changed a few times with the most surprising change being a bit of a Disney twist.

Obviously as a disclaimer I do not own any recognisable plots or people but I have twisted them enough I think for it to be considered an original story. Please if someone disagrees can they let me know rather than reporting me? I've had a story deleted on here before even after saying this before so very very paranoid here.

Anyway I hope people like this okay, I'll be posting chapter 2 in the morning when i've finished it and will hope to keep this one on regular updates since i've been thinking and planning it 'properly'. Oh don't take that to mean it'll be edited properly and be mistake free.

Phoe
xxxx

Prologue

Once upon a time, in a Kingdom far far away lived a king and queen

Once upon a time in a city nearby lived a king and queen

Recently, in a city nearby lived a rich and powerful family. They owned one of the world's largest corporations which had branches in technology, fashion, banking, medical and charitable endeavours making them also one of the most loved. The couple had met in university, her studying fashion merchandising and him business management and they had fallen in love almost instantly.

Their first business venture took off unexpectedly making them delay started their family, something that they had both dreamed of for years. After a decade of successful ventures and unbelievable profits they decided to settle, the Queen of the company falling pregnant almost too easily. And she bloomed. A new maternity line took off and everyone held their breath for the baby to be born, to find out if it was to be a little prince or princess for Shiba Incorporated.

Of course not all was as it seemed and not everyone loved Isshin and Masaki, no matter how lovely and kind they both were. Cruel and jealous competitors tried to undermine the company, trying to shake their shareholders and sully the name in the market but nothing shifted the public's view. Masaki appeared on magazines and newspapers, her bump growing with every passing month and the public watched it grow with anticipation. There were national bets being placed to discover which sex the baby would be and the doctors and nurses caring for the expectant mother were badgered to let the details slip. Nothing was forthcoming however, the mother having that secret smile all mothers have when they know they are carrying a precious surprise.

Eight and a half months of pregnancy was enough to drive even the most saintly mother to distraction and her growing passenger was more and more mobile every day. She affectionately referred to it as Fidget since he/she clearly couldn't lie still. The mother also found it hard to lie still and paced the floors at night, getting out as much as she could every day.

It was late afternoon, three weeks before the baby was due when tragedy struck. Masaki didn't do anything out of the ordinary, the local shopping mall guards even knew her by name so the glowing mother-to-be was greeted as she wandered around, glad to be out. She had adopted a dignified waddle to get herself around; a gait that unfortunately meant her handbag kept slipping off her shoulder to her elbow. With practiced ease she would slide it back up, gazing in the windows at the shoes she couldn't wear at the moment and the dresses that wouldn't close when her bag started slipping, her hand automatically out to life it as she headed onto the escalator. That time however, it wasn't her rolling walk that slipped her bag; it was a hooded person with their hand on the strap, pulling it down and away as they ran down the stairs. Masaki gripped the straps, as anyone would without thinking but eight months of baby weight had changed her centre of gravity and when the bag was yanked one last time out of her hands, she could do nothing to stop her fall down the unforgiving metal stairs to the end. Head tucked and arms cradling her precious bundle, she came to a stop at the bottom.

Isshin said she protected her son until the very end, handing on until they had her in surgery and had him out. The doctor said she got a look at her little boy before she slipped away, internal and head injuries too severe to save her life.

The boy wasn't given long to live himself, he had internal injuries himself and was put in a special incubator to try and help him but miracles do happen and the little boy made it through, going home with his father a week or so after his birth.

Isshin loved his son with a fiery passion, something that surprised some people but he always saw it that Masaki gave her life to protect him, so Isshin could do no less. He remained nameless for a while, Isshin not able to replace his beloved Masaki's Fidget nickname but he was a good baby, rarely crying or really fussing. Isshin knew that so the night he was woken by his little boy's screaming made him jump up, running down the hall to the nursery in time to see a shadow leaving the room, crib empty. He roused his security, getting the police and the fire department involved to hunt down his son's kidnapper but nothing came up, the baby lifted without a trace and no path or vehicle trace proved worthwhile. Isshin had lost his whole family through no fault of his own and it changed him, making him quieter and more solemn. The only time he showed any emotion was on his son's birthday, which was also the day his wife died, July 15th when he would light up the lake with huge barges of fire which he would watch from his balcony until they went out, signifying the light in his life leaving for another year. Huge crowds gathered every year in the park round the lake to see the spectacle; after a decade half of them weren't even aware of why the fires were lit.

Chapter 1

Ichigo looked down on the world. It wasn't a pompous attitude or any sort of delusions of grandeur; rather it was the high, floor to ceiling windows that formed two of the walls in his living room, twelve stories above the streets below. It wasn't the tallest building in the city but it was close, none of the huge skyscrapers of the big cities had made it there yet. Karakura was a modest city, boasting a park near Ichigo's building, five other skyscrapers and a whole muddle of other buildings tall and small. There seemed to be many streets running between these buildings and an airport was near enough that sometimes Ichigo watched planes taking off and setting down.

Ichigo's building was one of the older, grander ones on the street and in the area; the carved stone buttresses and columns were aged compared to the ones across the way. There were a few stores nearby as well, one that clearly sold fruits and vegetables displayed outside. There was a bookstore on the corner and a few others he wasn't sure about.

The reason he wasn't sure: he'd never left his apartment. Ever.

It was a very nice apartment, four bedrooms, three with en-suites and one main bathroom; massive kitchen that had been upgraded twice in his knowledge and had shiny metal appliances and glossy worktops. His living room was decked out in greys recently, a low backed sofa in black and a glossy black table in the middle of grey carpets and silver furnishings.

He had everything he needed in that apartment. One of the rooms had a gym installed, replacing his playroom as he grew out of it. Another had a library stocked full of interesting books on history and science and the third spare bedroom had a piano, guitar and violin in it, tutors coming at different times of the week to give him lessons on the various instruments.

He wasn't even sure why some people left their homes.

He occasionally got lonely but he wasn't totally alone in the world. His loving father visited him three times a week, sometimes with friends Ichigo wasn't allowed to talk to but it was contact and listening to the busy men talking was nice as he worked on them. At least one of the visits from his father in the week was just for them, some father and son bonding time to keep them close. Ichigo did enjoy his time with his father, but the man was very good at avoiding certain topics when questioned those topics had changed as he got older.

Why don't you stay here Daddy?

Why can't I go to my friend's house?

Why does anyone go outside?

Why can't I go outside?

The reasons his father gave for the last question when he did answer it did not change. Outside was scary, it was dangerous and for someone like Ichigo it would be too much. Ichigo had to stay safe, stay out of harm; stay inside.

He did have a couple of friends his age, one he liked and one he didn't. Shinji Hirako was a funny blond he saw regularly and they played chess and cards together. Shinji knew how to play the violin and piano as well so sometimes they'd go into the music room and play for a while but Ichigo's father didn't like that much since Shinji had no music taste, playing the most random tunes that Ichigo had never heard of. They didn't appear in any of the sheet music he used.

The other friend was a girl called Orihime but she made Ichigo feel uncomfortable. She only wanted to have tea and chat and she sat too closely for Ichigo's comfort. She also had an overly shapely body that according to some of the fiction he had was attractive to males but he didn't see why. As he got older he realised why his father brought her round, it was so that Ichigo could have a girlfriend but he had no want to indulge in the little intimacy he knew about. The idea of kissing the girl made him squeamish. He could barely bring himself to hold her hand when they parted.

His days were repetitive but he didn't know any better, enjoying the little things he got to do for himself among his daily tasks. Every day started with a run on the treadmill followed by a little stretching to keep his body lean. Then it was breakfast, high fibre muesli with fresh fruit. The only variation he got was on the different fruits depending on the season. Two hours of studying before he had to get back into the gym for an hour and a half of machine training with a personal trainer there to motivate him. The trainer stayed for a lunch of lean protein and salad again with seasonal variations before Ichigo's tutors arrived. Different days meant different tutors including his music teacher, language teacher, math and science or history and politics. Before his fish and grain dinner he had to complete forty five minutes of cardio so that he could have his evenings to himself. He had a small CD collection he could listen to, all classical or he could indulge in a book from his small fiction collection.

There was only really one day a year that was different and that was his birthday. It wasn't much of a difference as he still had to complete all his normal daily tasks but at night he performed his only bit of teenage rebellion, climbing to the roof in the dark to watch the sky burn. It wasn't difficult to get there as his gym room had a handy metal ladder that went up there from the window and though it was a bit tricky to get over the lip to the roof top, his body was strong and lean so he could pull himself over. His apartment was on the top living floor so the view wasn't much improved but the smell and the panoramic feel of the outside made the night that much more special. When the dark approached the first glows appeared, spreading until one side of the park was lit brightly with embers floating in the darkness. He would stay up there until the night grew black again, the smell of the fires hanging around much longer than the flames. He wondered what it all meant, the stories from his books of people burning their dead in the past or the witches of old being burned at the stake as a punishment made him fear them but every year he watched them, wishing to see the actual fires rather than just the glowing sky but knowing he couldn't.

He had to stay in, people were dangerous and not to be trusted. He had to keep it a secret, keep it safe.

iiiiiii

Eighteen was an important birthday, even Ichigo knew that. Eighteen meant he was nearly a man and as such it gave Ichigo a little courage to ask something of his father. He would never ask for a gift, he had never received one but permission was different. As he'd got older he'd got permission to stay up later and to choose his musical instruments, the cello being removed from his music room and life forever. He also knew his father loved him and had always done everything for him. He was very aware how lucky he was with his life and how it would have been different if his father didn't protect him.

A week before his eighteenth birthday his father had his scheduled Saturday visit, bringing another of his older friends along for Ichigo to help and Ichigo felt it was a good time to ask. He waited until it was just the two of them in the kitchen to approach the older man but last minute nerves took his voice before he could.

"Ichigo, what is the matter? You keep looking at me like you are going to say something then don't. Spit it out boy." His father turned with a half-smile as he lifted the glasses out of the cabinet onto the tray to join the wine bottle he'd uncorked a while ago to allow it to breath.

"Father, I was just going to ask; you know how it's my birthday next week?"

The older man held one of the glasses up to the light, wiping a smudge off the crystal before putting it down. "Yes Ichigo, I am fully aware of what date it is. Do you want one of your friends around for your birthday? I am sure Ms Inoue would love to be invited for a birthday tea."

"No Father, that wasn't what I was going to ask. I was wondering if we could do something?" Ichigo dropped his face quickly so his father wouldn't see his red face.

"But Ichigo, it's a Friday. You know I don't come round on a Friday."

"Yes Father but,"

"I'm sure it can wait until the Saturday." His father lifted the silver tray and went to leave the kitchen but Ichigo panicked, reaching out and touching his father's upper arm. The older man turned with his eyebrows drawn down. There was no physical contact between them except for the absolute necessary.

"It can't wait; I want to see the burning sky." Ichigo's voice got quieter as he spoke, his hands behind his back and gripped tightly in each other and his gaze fixed on the floor.

His father put the tray back down before he approached Ichigo, standing with his arms folded over his chest. Ichigo's head crept up, his eyes wide as he took in the disapproval on his father face, an emotion he wasn't used to seeing. "The 'burning sky'? I take it you mean the fires in the park? You want to go to a dangerous, crowd filled park to watch some out of control flame show? Have you lost your mind boy? What if something happened? What if someone took you, have you any idea what they would do to you if they knew what you could do? You'd be dead in a week if you were caught." Ichigo's shoulders slumped, knowing that not only was the answer no, and his father now thought he was an idiot. "How could you even consider it? Do you not have everything you could ever want here? Do I not provide you with everything a boy could even dream about?"

"Yes Father, I am sorry Father." Ichigo whispered his apology, keeping his eyes downcast so his father wouldn't see the gleam in them of building tears.

"To think you'd rather be out there, in pain and suffering rather in this safe and warm place. Do I ask too much of you? Do you feel like you are owed some sort of due?"

"No Father."

"Good, now take five minutes, wash your face boy and make yourself presentable before you come in with my guests but don't take too long. I don't want to stay here with someone who doesn't want me here."

Ichigo held it together until his father left with the laden tray, the hot tears over running onto his red cheeks with the shame he felt at his father's words. He took the other door out of the kitchen so that he could go to his room and quickly wash up, the cold water doing very little to calm his face. He held a wash cloth at his skin for a moment or two before glancing in the mirror. His brown eyes were a bit red and his nose was pink at the end but other than that he looked presentable. His orange hair spiked over his head as usual, the front a little damp from his wash but even that couldn't hold down the wild hair.

A couple of deep breaths were all it took to bolster his nerve to face his father once more, heading into the room and bowing low to the three gentlemen. The older man that was here to see him was accompanied by his son and the family likeness was obvious, something that was lacking between Ichigo and his father.

"You have grown boy; Sousuke your boy is growing into a man quickly."

Ichigo's father smiled pleasantly at the older man, taking a sip out of his glass before answering. "Growing taller perhaps, not quite a man yet. Ichigo?" His father looked expectantly and Ichigo moved over to the older man, kneeling at his feet and pulling off his shirt. He folded the black button up carefully before putting it on the side table at his father's elbow. He took the old man's hands and looked him in the eye, the yellowing of the whites of his eyes showing the main cause of the man's weariness. Ichigo felt his father stand at his side but did not glance up, didn't want to show any more weakness and didn't even flinch as the knife was drawn. His father was still angry with him, he could tell with the way the blade impacted with his skin, his initial hiss turning into a cry quickly. The slice was deep, the blood running down his skin warming it as it flowed. Ichigo watched the old man in his hands look away which meant his eyes had changed and the reflection in the man's glasses showed him his hair was alight as well. He didn't like that his abilities came with such negatives of his eyes changing to black and his hair glowing since it scared people but he couldn't control it, the only thing that seemed to be able to bring it out was pain and blood but seeing the health come back to the people in his hands was reward enough. Even taking his own father's pain and creases away was a gift; a gift to be kept safe.