Blue Diamond

by urdreamgal

BYARUKI Mermaid story. Rukia and her human bestie Ichigo, a human prince, live in both worlds against the knowlege of all and against Seireitei law. What will happen when Byakuya, her older sister Hisana's boyfriend and the prince of the seven sea's finds out their secret? *Someone requested a Jerza mermaid story, I don't have anything in mind for that, but I wrote this ages ago.*

It was a normal boring day like any other where I decided to sunbath on the rocks not too far beneath the surface near the shore of the world of men.

I myself chose to rebel against the rules of our merfolk and regularly made surface appearances, one of my best friends since I was but a child was a human boy by the name of Ichigo.

I shared many of our forbidden secrets with him over the years, for instance, how to temporarily become a merfolk, by drinking the blood of a merfolk. Any one of our friends on either world who have seen us together believes that we are either both humans, or both merfolk, either way, we were accepted and loved, proving our laws flawed.

It was difficult at times when our friends became curious as to where we lived. Thankfully I was allowed to visit with Ichigo at any time under the guise of a friend of his from the village orphanage. I didn't know this until Ichigo's mother passed away but he was actually the born prince of their civilization.

Lately I have been lonelier and more bored than I usually am though. Ichigo being the prince of Karakura kingdom has been betrothed to the princess of Hueco Mundo kingdom, Orihime. We don't see each other much anymore but whenever we do, we talk like we always have. He stays with me just a bit longer every night.

That isn't the only reason I am lonely. My sister is currently courting the prince of the kingdom of Seireitei, our worlds one great kingdom. She is head over heels in love with the prince and he seems quiet taken with her as well. She has tried to organise a get together between me, her, the prince and the princes guard, Renji.

Renji and I have been friends for a long time as well but lately we have been drifting apart. He spent more time training in the imperial guard and I try to find something to do to keep my mind out of depressing places. I know Hisana has been trying to arrange a marriage between me and Renji for months now. I somehow just knew it was because she was insecure about her relationship with the prince.

She had nothing to worry about. I'm not interested in being tied down by any man, on land or beneath. I was starting to get sunburn on my fins and decided to retire home for the day. The sun was close to setting anyways and once the tide came in the kingdom guards began patrolling more vigorously.

I swam past all the unsuspecting guards as I always did. They were so clueless that they missed anything that wasn't directing staring them in the face! It was so easy sneaking around with Ichigo whenever we had time to ourselves. I smiled secretly to myself. Ichigo was the only friend who really saw me for me. And he liked what he saw.

I wasn't like other mermaids, all pretty and brightly coloured. The most attractive merfolk women were all pale colours like shades of pink, orange, yellow, green, and purple. Some more exotic women were red finned or had other vibrant colours, sometimes pigmented with other colours after puberty hit.

I was a dark blue scaled woman, although my scales reflected lighter than they actually were. Even the patches of scales covering my breasts were in that same blue. The tail fin and the two fins at my waist were lacy and light baby blue in pigment, almost transparent. I didn't consider myself all that attractive, apart from my rare but also somewhat unattractive pigmenting I was rather small in size like my older sister and I didn't have elegant over fins like she did around her tail and bodice. I was also rather flat chested for a woman which was nothing in my favour.

Hisana was beautiful, her fins were colourful vails of light bright orange with vibrant tints of erotic red, compared to her, I looked like a common little sardine.

In passing of the pillars of the kingdom's crystal walls I saw my reflection. Plain. Ordinary. I sighed sadly. I would have to accept a proposal sooner or later. My only attractive features were my youth and my eyes. Like Hisana, my eyes were dark blue but had more violet in them than hers did. I shivered at the thought of marrying out of necessity instead of love as I swam into our home, a modest sea sponge.

"Oh Rukia! Where have you been? I have been looking for you! Tonight, my beloved will be dining with us so I want you to be on your best behaviour! Sit properly at the table and let him start the meal off. I know you don't want to hear this, but Sir Abarai has been asking about you and I decided to invite him as well, my dear prince agreed, and we decided that it was a splendid idea. Its only right that you find yourself love as well." She said in a sincere voice but I could tell she wanted her competition to be taken away.

"Hisana, please. He is like a brother to me, I can't marry Renji. You know that, he grew up with both of us. I, well. Honestly there is already someone I like. Ichigo and I also go way back you know?" I suggested to her with a smile. She smiled back but it never reached her eyes.

"That boy has no prospects. No money, and that hair! Rukia, no. You can do better than that boy. Think about Sir Abarai, he is heading somewhere in life! Try to marry into wealth like I am." She said and I coughed in shock.

"You are marrying the prince?!" I asked her in shock and she paused in her arraigning of the sea flowers at the table.

"He hasn't proposed yet, but he will, soon I am sure." She said confidently and a delicate smile fit her pretty face.

"Hisana, I don't care about wealth and looks all that much. I don't want to accept this arrangement, I'm sorry. If its alright with you may I invite a guest over for dinner?" I asked gently and she looked at me in pity.

"Of course, my sweet baby sister." She said and swam over to me with elegance I could never have and kissed me softly on my nose, then on my forehead.

"I'll be going then, I won't be long, I hope to be back before our guests arrive!" I shouted over my shoulder and quickly swam back to the shore as swiftly as my tail would allow.

I gasped in exertion as the harsh air of the world of men caught in my lungs. I quickly crawled onto the sand and waited for my fins and tail to be changed into the legs of humans. Once they were formed, I stumbled to the secret cove where Ichigo hid a few of the pretty dresses and women's accessories he had bought for me or stolen from his younger sisters. Once I was appropriately dressed, I ran into the nearest village towards the kingdom.

As I expected, Ichigo was sitting in his bedroom reading a book over his studying desk. I grinned and threw a pebble up though his window. He looked up with a start but quickly grinned widely and jumped down from his balcony to the ground below with the help of the thick vines growing up the castle walls.

"Rukia! I've missed you! I was planning on sneaking out tonight to come and see you, what are you doing here?" He asked me curiously and brushed my arm affectionately the way humans openly showed affection to their kind. Among merfolk you only ever touched family in such ways, or lovers. I smiled cheekily up at him.

"Well I'm in some pretty serious trouble…I guess I needed a prince to come and save me." I teased and punched his shoulder lightly. He laughed happily and pulled me by my hand towards the nearest exit of the castle grounds.

"So, what happened Rukia, what do you need saving from?" He asked me caringly.

"Well my sister is trying to force a marriage on me to Renji of all people." I told him and he sputtered in horror.

"That idiot!? That's horrible! What are we going to do?" He asked me urgently and I smiled sheepishly at him.

"Well I was hoping that you could come with me to dinner. Hisana invited Renji and our prince over for dinner and I don't want to feel overpowered and pressured. I understand if you don't have time to come, but I would feel more confident if you were there with me." I told him honestly and felt a flush burn my cheeks.

"Of course! The hell if I'm going to let someone force you into a marriage like that! You deserve better! You know, if they get too much for you, you are always welcome at my place. My family absolutely adores you and if you just want to lay low and undetected…my room is big enough for the two of us." He told me urgently and held my hands between his as I stepped out of my human shoes. He looked away shyly so that I could disrobe. Once I was done, I ran into the water and let my spell disappear. I swam out a safe distance and waited for Ichigo to swim up to me.

"Thank you, Ichigo. But right now, I just want to get though dinner. I will keep your offer in mind however if start to feel as though I am in danger at home…" I trailed off and lightly cut my wrist to draw only a drop of my blood. He smiled at me affectionately and brought my wrist to his mouth. He sucked my wrist gently and kissed it making me flush. Then he dived under the water and swam ahead. It always hurt coming in or out of the water, either because your lunges were filled or emptied of water or air.

"Hey, slow poke! I'll race you there!" Ichigo called out and waved at me, his hair fanned out like a halo of gold and his pseudofins were brilliant shades of gold, from more of a yellow to more of an orange colour. He also had more elaborate fins as most mermen did and because of all the swimming he had done with me over the years, his human body's muscles resemble ours more than landmen, although to the knowledgeable he could be spotted as a human from the build of his neck and shoulders. Thankfully, no one suspected a thing.

We laughed and raced to keep up with one another eventually we truly raced, Ichigo despite being human had quickly adapted to out ways and could beat most of our merfolk friends in speed and strength. I laughed as I swam into a clearing of seaflowers. Like the world of man, our world also had trees and plants similar to theirs, only some would argue that they were more beautiful, though they quickly died and shrived up once brought to the surface.

I looked around myself in confusion, I was sure he had swum here somewhere. I wasn't looking where I was going and swam into something harshly. I cried out on fright and a bit of pain. The merman looked at me angrily before shock over came his features. I myself was horrified! I had clumsily swum into one of the most beautiful mermen of our oceans!

His eyes were grey, almost silver and his body was strong and well built, he could have been a merfolk noble for all I knew. What shocked me the most was his scales. They were the most beautiful pale pink one could ever see! Almost like the cherry blossom petals from the world of men! His fins too were elaborate and beautiful in that same colour. I gasped in embarrassment and horror.

"I am so sorry! I was playing a game with my friend and I wasn't looking where I was going! Please forgive me! Bye!" I said and bowed before swimming off as quickly as possible. He didn't follow me but he called after me to hear my name. I was too embarrassed to stick around, I quickly fled back home to see an irate Ichigo waiting for me at the front door.

"Where the hell were you!? You know I was beginning to worry myself sick!" He told me and I startled. He looked me over and reached his arms out to try and reach me.

"Hey are you alright? Did you get hurt or something?" He asked me in concern. I managed to get my bearings and shook my head and breathed in and out more regularly. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and drew me into the house by his side. He swam into my bedroom with me where we both relaxed on the softer sponges used for beds and comfort.

"I'm okay, I just swam into a stranger while I was chasing you. He didn't seem angry at least but he was kind of big and intimidating, I swear he was taller than you!" I explained hastily and Ichigo laughed.

"You're so clumsy sometimes. One of the things I love about you." He told me affectionately. I smiled at him sweetly and tapped his tail gently with my own. It wasn't uncommon for him to say such things, even I told him how much I adored his characteristics but we knew that unless one of us chose to live in the others world, we couldn't let our affection for each other grow into anything.

We heard Renji arrive and I cringed in trepidation for our evening meal. I got up and swam to my door with Ichigo at my tail. He placed a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

"Hey, I'm right here if you need me." He told me and gave me a reassuring squeeze.

"I know. You know, it really means a lot to me that you are here with me, I know you must be busy, what with your own arranged marriage impending and all." I told him gently. He rarely ever spoke about it. He never spoke badly of princess Orihime, but the look in his eyes told me that he didn't love her.

"I'm a lost cause. There isn't anything in my world that can save me from an unhappy marriage, but if I can make sure that you are happy…that will be enough for me." He told me and gently brushed my hair behind my ear. We made it to the dining table and Renji greeted me joyously until he saw Ichigo behind me. He didn't bother hiding his scowl.

Renji and Ichigo were good friends but over the last two years they started butting heads more often, and I knew I was at fault, or rather, it was because of their mutual interest in me. I sighed sadly and greeted Renji kindly.

"I thought the prince was supposed to me joining us this evening?" I asked my sister who sat across from me. Renji sat next to her and Ichigo sat next to me. The head of the table was reserved for the prince.

"He should be here soon. He should have sent a messenger to notify my if he wasn't coming. He is almost twenty minutes late already, and my prince is usually as punctual as can be. Oh, I hope he is alright!" She exclaimed and held her cheeks. Just then there was a polite knock at the door.

"That's him!" Hisana exclaimed and swam over to the door to receive our guest of honour.

"Wow, she's easily excited, isn't she?" Murmured Ichigo beside me. I bit my lip to hold back a laugh. Renji glared at Ichigo from across the table.

"So, what are you doing lately Ichigo? Thinking of joining the royal guard?" He asked testily. He knew the story that Ichigo lived with a candy shop owner in the kingdom, but he like everyone else, didn't know the truth.

"This and that." Ichigo said vaguely. He and Renji started arguing with each other over the table and I tuned them out and tried to listen to the conversation at the front door.

'I apologise for my tardiness, I was trying to find someone I bumped into on the way here, please forgive my poor manners.' A voiced said smoothly, he had a very attractive voice. I shivered at the sound of it. His voice was wonderful! Hisana would be lucky if the whole of him was as attractive as his voice was!

I sighed and looked down at my plate as my sister and her guest made their way to the table. He swam beside me to the head of the table and my sister took her place across from me before happily announcing our guest, but he cut her off somewhat impolitely. I looked up sharply with a polite greeting on my tongue. And gasped. I unconsciously moved closer to Ichigo.

"I, am the twenty-eighth prince of the Oceans. My given name is Kuchiki Byakuya. You may address me as prince, captain or lord." He announced. A shiver ran down my spine.

"Ichigo! This is the guy I swam into! It was the prince! I'm so, so dead!" I whispered below my breath and Ichigo looked at me in panic before eyeing our guest suspiciously.

The prince hadn't taken his eyes off my sister and she seemed all the happier because of this. I smiled softly at her. I wasn't sure if she genuinely loved him or rather, all of what he could offer her, but at least she seemed happy. I moved my eyes over to him and observed him silently. I didn't get a good look at him before but now that I could see him close up, I could admit that he was truly handsome.

"Oh, my prince Byakuya, I forgot that you have yet to be introduced to my younger sister, Rukia and her friend Ichigo Kurosaki." She said, politely introducing us. I quickly moved my eyes towards Ichigo but he quickly gestured with his hand under the table to look at the prince. I thinned my lips and shyly looked at the prince who was looking at me with his mouth agape. I bit my lip and looked at my sister.

"I'm so sorry about earlier. I honestly didn't know who you were and I really wasn't looking where I was going." I said softly and Renji looked apprehensive for a moment.

"Captain? I've known Rukia since we were kids, she can be a bit of an airhead at times, please forgive her transgression!" He begged and bowed. I gulped and looked at my sister for a moment who was in absolute shock. I was about to lower my hand to the floor to bow and beg forgiveness as well, but the prince caught my hand and held it. I froze in panic.

"No, forgive me. I too was lost in my thoughts. If I weren't, then that encounter never would have occurred. It is truly a pleasure to meet you, Rukia." He said softly and brought my hand to his lips. I was flustered and Hisana was shocked and both Renji and Ichigo looked on in shock.

"It is an honour to meet you, captain Kuchiki." I said and bowed and Ichigo beside me bowed as well. Dinner was incredibly uncomfortable. Everyone's eyes were on me for some reason. Hisana, for suspicion and worry. Renji's for longing and worry. Ichigo's for worry and longing and lastly the prince, who looked at me more than my prettier sister. I gulped and gently rubbed my coiled tail fin between my fingers.

"So, Rukia, do you enjoy gardens?" The prince asked me and I looked up startled. I looked around me before sitting straighter. I was all too conscious of the eyes boring into me. I kept my eyes downcast and nodded.

"Yes, I like all manners of plant life, especially flowering plants, however few they may be around here." I said softly and played with my hands in my lap.

"You should come to the palace some time. I have a vast arraignment of plants growing there." He said conversationally and my sister cleared her throat.

"That is a wonderful idea my prince, perhaps Sir Abarai and my sweet little sister can have their wedding in the palace gardens, if you would permit them that kindness?" She asked sweetly and my head shot up in alarm.

"I have not agreed to any marriage, sister." I said calmly and Ichigo beside my put his arm over my back to squeeze my other arm.

"Yeah, Rukia deserves to marry for love just like everyone else." Ichigo said supportively and rubbed my arm comfortingly. Renji hissed from across the table and my sister closed her eyes in embarrassment of our outbursts. I on the other hand grinned at Ichigo and shoved him playfully in the side.

"Its easier for mermaidens to marry when they are younger, you know, better fertility and what not. What could someone else offer Rukia that I can't? Who else could she love more than me? You? What could you offer her Ichigo?" Renji asked Ichigo angrily. I gulped and held Ichigo's hand under the table. I caught prince Byakuya looking in that direction and knew he saw the movement.

Ichigo smirked at Renji and popped an olive into his mouth. Then he looked at me meaningfully.

"A lot. I would give her everything she could ever want in any world if she really wanted to be with me." He said and I looked at him in surprise before smiling sadly. He couldn't mean that.

"Hisana, it is unreasonable to marry your sister off if she feels that she is not yet ready to be a wife and bear children." The prince said and I squeaked and held my hand over my mouth in embarrassment.

"May I please be excused? It was truly an honour to meet you, captain Kuchiki, and again I am sorry for swimming into you." I said and bowed.

"Yes, you may be excused, I myself had a lovely meal, thank you Hisana, but I must be off. I have affairs to attend to." He said and started talking to my sister. Renji dished up more food after I bid him a goodnight. Ichigo and I swam to the surface, we were really cutting it close. Slowly his scales had begun turning into skin. I gripped his hand and swam even faster to the surface, pulling him after me as his tail began turning into feet.

"Ichigo! Hold on, we're almost there!" I shouted and he grunted with the effort it took us to break to the surface. Our lungs were on fire but slowly Ichigo stopped coughing and regained his breath.

"Man, a drop doesn't do it for me anymore. I'm sorry Rukia." He said regretfully. I understood. The more merfolk blood a human had, the longer they could maintain merfolk form. A tiny drop of my blood would give him only a few hours before the transformation wore off.

"Ichigo, thank you for being there for me tonight. I felt really uncomfortable with all the pressure. I think I would have lost it if I was forced to endure that alone." I told him gratefully and hugged him around his neck. He held me tightly against him with his arms around my waist. I was aware that he was nude but I have seen him naked since we were kids, I wasn't as embarrassed anymore. He let go of me and crawled more onto the sand.

"Hey Rukia…? I know its an odd request but could you sing for me before I head home? I know I'm going to be in trouble for missing dinner and my courting hour with the princess, but your song will keep me strong during the lectures. I will probably sleep better as well. I always do after seeing you." He told me sincerely.

"I can do that." I said and leaned over him, placing one of my hands on either side on his head that lay on the sand getting swept by shallow water washing ashore. I sang a beautiful lullaby I had once heard my mother sing before she died, it was in the language of our ancients. My voice wasn't as soft as Hisana's but all merfolk could sing. When I was done, I sat up and splashed my tail. A shiver ran down my spine. If I was cold in my state, Ichigo must have been freezing!

"Put your clothes on, you idiot! You are going to catch a cold and make me worry!" I told him and hit his shoulder. He flinched and sat up.

"I don't feel the cold that much, besides, getting sick is a small price to pay to be allowed to see your beautiful face." He said affectionately. I cringed.

"Only you think that I am beautiful Ichigo." I told him and looked down sadly.

"Bullshit! I have seen hundreds of mermaids during our time together and I can honestly say that you are the most beautiful of all." He told me sternly and rare tears pricked my eyes before falling down my cheeks. I crunched my tail closer to my body and leaned my head against it for comfort.

"Thank you Ichigo. But among our kind, I hardly even look feminine, and I don't have any attractive qualities to me apart from my eyes and my youth." I told him and shivered.

"If they can't appreciate you then come and live with me!" Ichigo said loudly and forced my hand to his chest where he kept it.

"Rukia, I will give you everything you could ever dream of! You are kind and caring, hell you are my best friend! You would make a wonderful queen to the people and I know you would be a perfect mother and wife. You are the most amazing person I have ever met in my entire life, just seeing you for a second could turn a horrible stormy day into a day of clear skies and sunshine. Even if you decide not to be with me, you will always have a place by my side. You don't even have to marry if you don't want to." He told me and lifted my face to the sky with his hands.

Then his cold lips touched mine. First gently then with a little more force. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the intimacy. He pulled away and I sighed softly. Humans showed their love so unrestrained and passionately.

"Thank you Ichigo, but I won't make your life anymore difficult than it already is, what kind of friend would that make me? We will see where life takes us." I told him and he pressed his forehead to mine.

"If that is what you want. My offer exists forever. I just need you to know that…I love you. No. I am in love with you." He told me and looked into my eyes hopefully. I knew that my own widened in shock. We had agreed not to push one another into deciding yet…

"I love you too Ichigo, but I am not human even when I try to be for your sake. I couldn't live on the surface." I said softly and he made a scoffing noise.

"Fine by me, then we can live in the ocean. I just need a little of your blood a day and we should be fine. I can try out for a guard position at the palace and work my way up the ranks. Honestly, I'm not sure which world is mine anymore, but I know for sure that my world can only exist if you are in it." He told me lovingly and I smiled up at him.

"It's a lot to take in right now, I'm still a bit shocked after todays events. Please will you get dry and dressed? I worry for your health as you worry for mine." I told him. I didn't tell him however that my blood wouldn't keep him in a permanent state of merman. It wore off if it was taken too regularly as well, but his confession touched me.

I watched Ichigo get dressed a while away from me. I slowly made my way back into the ocean and we waved at each other to say farewell. I dived back under the water and clutched my chest as it stung from filling with water. Once the pain subsided, I decided to swim home leisurely.

A strong hand grasped my arm and pulled me to a stop. I had barely left the shore. It couldn't possibly be Ichigo, someone had followed us. Oh god I was in trouble! Revealing ourselves to humans was against the law, punishable by death! And telling our secrets to them and giving them our blood was the taboo of all laws to be broken.

I turned around and gasped. Prince Byakuya! What was he doing here!? Of all the people to find out about my transgressions! I looked into his cold eyes fearfully and bit my trembling lip in fear. Perhaps he didn't see anything?

"Captain Kuchiki, what are you doing here?" I asked him respectfully. His grip on my arm tightened, it would definitely leave a bruise. He glared at me and pulled me up towards him.

"The question should be, what are you doing here? And with a human!?" He shouted at me and I cringed in fear.

"You are hurting me your highness." I whimpered and his face turned to shock. He loosened his grip on me enough for me to free myself before I used my ice magic on him. He cried out in surprise and pain. I quickly fled back to the shore. I crawled up the sand trying to take my human form but a larger body tacked me to the sand and held me down.

"How dare you!" He demanded and I looked at him in fear. I tried to unsuccessfully free myself from under him, but he held a tight grip on me.

"Please let me go!" I begged and tears flooded my eyes. My body took on human form and I quickly covered my chest and looked away from him, crying in silence. For a while there was silence. I calmed myself enough to look up at him. He was looking at me strangely, as if I was the most incredible thing he had ever seen. I glanced between our bodies and saw that we had both transformed our tails into legs.

"Get off me pervert! I don't care who you are! Ichigo, help me!" I cried out and struggled more. I knew one way to free myself but I didn't want to have to use it.

"Be still and be silent! You are coming back with me to the kingdom of Seireitei where you will be punished according to your actions!" He growled out after getting over his shock.

"No!" I screamed, and kicked him harshly between the legs. As expected, he let go of me instantly to cover his aching manhood.

I ran to the cove and dressed warmly in a winter dress and boots. I had gloves but I couldn't find them, not that it mattered, I could never go home again. I ran out of the clearing and was about to make a mad dash for the palace when I noticed the prince was no longer there. I looked at the sand that we had mussed up. Perhaps he went back to the ocean.

I didn't take longer to ponder his actions. I looked at the ocean longingly before running into the forestry. I sat down on a fallen tree in the woods to catch my breath. When the truth of everything that just happened finally hit me, I bit my lip and ran my fingers through my hair, burying my face into my legs. I cried my heart out because I already missed my home! My sister who was already hurt and angry with me would be distraught! And worse, I have to rely on Ichigo now for protection and safety!

When I had calmed down some, I decided to spend the night in Ichigo's treehouse outside the palace grounds. It was used when we were younger and still had candles, oil lamps and bedding stored away. I climbed up the rope ladder and cautiously made my way inside the tree house.

"Rukia! Come back here now! I heard a voice from below me and gasped in horror as the prince stood there looking up at me with furious grey eyes. He was wearing a set of Ichigo's spare clothing that we hid in the cove.

"Go to hell! If you are angry with me for breaking the law then consider me dead! I swear I won't return to the ocean, please just leave me alone! I'm warning you, you don't know anything about the surface world or the people here, I grew up among them so if you try to harm me they will defend me because I am Ichigo's best friend and because he is the prince! And the king considers me his own daughter!" I yelled down at his shocked face. Then on a whim I decided to tease him.

"Besides, I doubt you could reach me from all the way down there, and realistically, who would willing meet an unfair early demise because a person asked them to? Idiot!" I yelled tauntingly and made myself at home inside the treehouse. I heard rusting from outside but I refused to look. He would leave sooner or later. I looked in a wooden draw of belonging of ours from when we were kids.

A photo album of our human friends and us, even with the king and queen before she died. Ichigo looked so happy sitting on his mother's lap, grinning like an idiot. I decided to light an oil lamp because it was becoming awfully dark outside.

"Rukia. Come down from there! I promise I won't give you a death sentence, but your punishment will still be severe." He said attempting to be what he considered reasonable. I crawled to the entrance of the tree house and looked down at him. He looked up at me as if I were an angel.

"No. I won't let you hurt me for the crime of being happy. Ichigo has never and will never harm our world and not even his family know of our secret. I have a place by his side if I stay here, why would I go back to a world filled with horrors and brutality by my own people? Go home your highness. Oh, and for the record, if you did harm me, I am sure that Ichigo will destroy the Seireitei, he too wields powerful magic and I know for a fact that he will protect me with everything he is. Why would I go with you when I am loved and wanted here? You have nothing to offer me, leave me alone." I told him coldly and crawled back into my comfortable bed before turning out the lamp.

I lay there in peace and warmth before a sneeze caught my attention. I tried to go back to sleep but my conscience got the better of me. I took out Ichigo's old blanket and tossed it down over the prince's head.

"That is the first sign that you are becoming sick. If you are going to be an idiot and stay down there then at least cover yourself to keep warm." I told him. And tucked myself back into my own makeshift bed. I felt the tree whine for a bit and felt the ladder sway until I saw his head stick up at the door of the treehouse. I narrowed my eyes at him and pulled my legs to my chest. I pointed to another futon.

"If you climbed up here for warm bedding, you may use Ichigo's futon. If you climbed up here to forcibly get me down, you should know that your lack of knowledge of this forest will greatly deter your progress, I doubt you can catch me and if I reach the palace in time, you might very well lose your own life for trying to harm me." I told him and he stared at me in contemplation before shakenly climbing into the treehouse.

"Why are you so impossible? You are nothing like Hisana." He asked me curiously and I threw him my most breath-taking smile.

"Because I want to live my life in a way that makes me and the people I love happy. If you weren't nosy and followed me today, I am sure that nothing would have changed." I told him honestly and decided to light the lamp again because it made the room warmer.

"You could always turn a blind eye to what you saw today and let me go free." I told him and he glared at me. I smiled brightly in defiance.

"It's the least you could do after assaulting me." I added cheekily and his cheeks coloured.

"You assaulted me! And in a most private place!" He exclaimed unhappily.

"Because you hurt me and you were scaring me. I knew I couldn't return home so I resigned myself to living at Ichigo's side. His betrothed will be most unhappy once he calls off the wedding, but he doesn't love her anyway, and no one should have to marry someone they don't love." I told him and looked away from him.

Curiously I pulled my dresses collar down enough to see where he had grabbed me. No wonder it was in pain! It held an ugly bruise.

"And if you think that I am lying, look at what you did to me. I was protecting myself." I told him and he looked with wide eyes at my bruised arm. I covered myself and pulled out the futon for him.

"I am sorry. I didn't realise I held onto you that tightly." He told me and lay on his back with his face towards mine.

"Will you let me heal it?" He asked me kindly and tears formed in my eyes shocking him.

"Just so you can kill me afterwards? I will take this pain if I get to keep my life." I told him harshly and looked away to hide my tears.

"And if you even think about harming me while I sleep, know that I will freeze you in your tracks." I warned him and he gasped.

"You know you have a beautiful voice." He told me and I snorted in amusement.

"Hisana has a nicer voice than my own. You should hear here sing." I told him and he hummed in agreement.

"I have, and her songs are lovely, however I heard you sing to that human. Your song was softer than hers and more powerful and alluring." He told me and I wiped my eyes.

"I don't believe you. But thank you I suppose. It won't do me any good now though will it? The only man I can sing my songs for is Ichigo." I said sadly and sighed. A hand touched my face startling me. My eyes widened and stared into his own silvery orbs.

"I also heard what you two were talking about. I have never seen a mermaid as beautiful as you are. After our encounter I searched for you for a long while, making myself late for the dinner at your home." He told me and I gasped before narrowing my eyes.

"You are trying to trick me with flattery, keep it to yourself! If you are truly sorry for hurting me then prove it by letting me rest undisturbed tonight. Do not touch me or try to take me back home. Let me rest and we can go our separate ways tomorrow. If you want to see me that badly then you can visit me as I visit Ichigo." I told him and looked away.

"Are you in love with the human?" He asked me somewhat aggressively. I turned back to him and looked him in the eye.

"I suppose in a way I am, but even if I am, he will never fully be able to accept me as I am. We are too different. You know, I met him when we were five years old? He fell off of his fathers ship and almost drowned. You may have been heartless and cruel enough to let someone die, but I didn't understand why I couldn't help him so I saved him and brought him to shore." I told him and his eyes widened.

"I some times come here to sunbath on the warm rocks near the shore, and he always found me and asked to play. I didn't see what was wrong with that. One day he brought me home with him and dressed me in one of his sisters' dresses." I said and laughed happily at the memory.

"His dad found us and he gave Ichigo such a hiding that he would remember till the end of his days, but he sat me on his lap and asked me about myself. My story was that I was an orphan from the village that Ichigo found. Not entirely untrue, I was orphaned and Ichigo did find me." I told him defensively.

"Will you agree to never see the human again if I let you go free?" He asked me contemplatively.

"Of course not. He is the only person I trust, the only friend who knows all of my secrets, the person who loved me for everything that I am and wouldn't ever try to change me. We grew up with each other, in both worlds and we have grown into the people we are because of each other. How could I ever leave my best friend? No world would be worth living in without him. You yourself must never have had a close friend yourself, to have even asked me such a question." I accused him and I felt his glare at my back.

"Court me." He asked me and I sat up startled.

"Excuse me?" I asked him and he looked up at me seriously and expectantly.

"Court me. If you agree to avoid him for however long we court, and give me a chance to win your heart, then I will let you go free." He told me and I bit my lip and let myself sag on my elbow I leaned on.

"It is tempting to accept such an offer if it meant that my life would return back to normal, however I do not trust you and neither will I let you hurt my sister." I told him and looked him in the eye.

"I do not love your sister, though I am attracted to her. She does not love me, but like all the other mermaidens who I have courted, she wants what I can offer her." He told me and I looked at him sadly.

"I can't. Even if you were being honest and Hisana was somehow spared the pain of rejection, I will never be able to live in only one world, it would crush my spirit to be chained to the ocean without my best friend. Did you not hear me when I told you how much I need him?" I asked him and he glared at me before touching my cheek gently.

"Give me a chance to become the friend he is to you." He said gently. I pulled away from him.

"You have already caused me bodily harm and you do not seem all that regretful about it. Also, are you not trying to trick me with false words into returning to the ocean with you?" I asked him and turned towards him, lifting one of my bare legs over the blanket to cool myself a bit. He looked at my leg for a moment before crawling over me and pushing me onto my back. I watched him cautiously. I did warn him.

"I give you my word as the twenty eighth prince of the Seireitei that if you return home with me, I will forgive your crimes, and I will never harm you again. All I ask is for a chance to court you and that you stay by my side. You may only see your human friend if I am with you." He told me gently.

"These conditions are mostly in your own favour. You have no reason to refuse them." He told me and I turned away from him in frustration of being cornered. I swallowed and ran thoughts through my mind of how he could somehow be trapping me.

"One more condition. We leave tomorrow morning, and only after I have told Ichigo that I am in trouble. You have yet to earn my trust, if your offer is sincere you have nothing to worry about, if you intend to harm me or kill me once we are back home, he will know and he will lay siege to Seireitei." I told him fiercely and he looked at me harshly for a moment before sighing.

"Deal. But then we shall seal our agreement with a kiss." He told me seriously and I flushed.

"Kiss?" I asked shyly and he looked at me seriously.

"You kissed that human, why wont you kiss me?" He asked me and I rose my hand to slap him and his eyes widened. I hesitantly dropped my hand and glared at him.

"I have never kissed a person before in my life! Ichigo kissed me because he confessed his love for me!" I said angrily and hissed at him.

"My apologies, I did not mean to offend you. However, that is how I wish to seal our deal, unless you choose not to accept our agreement? I thinned my lips and nodded.

He leaned closer to me and I leaned back. Further and further until my head touched the pillow and I gasped. His lips brushed over my own and he cautiously flicked his tongue into my mouth. I gasped and quickly shut my mouth in embarrassment. He smiled into my mouth and nuzzled his nose against mine.

"I like the taste of you. You will be a perfect life mate for me." He told me and I gasped.

"That wasn't apart of the deal!" I protested loudly and he smiled at me.

"I intend to court you until you accept me as your mate. I will slay any competition and I will protect you and provide for you. I am sure that we will come to love each other." He said so easily. I flushed and looked away.

"Goodnight." I told him and turned away from him.

"Pleasant dreams, my little mate." He said teasingly and somewhat sardonically. I groaned in irritation beside him.

True enough, the next morning after a lot of trouble getting him down from the treehouse, we walked towards the palace and I threw a pebble into Ichigo's room again. His smiling face popped out but quickly became serious once he saw the prince.

"Rukia, what's this guy doing here? Our secret…are you in trouble?" He asked and put his hand to his black sword that I knew he carried on his belt. The prince narrowed his eyes at Ichigo.

"I was, but we have come to an agreement, you see yesterday the prince followed us to the shore and saw everything. He wanted to have me punished but he promises that after our agreement he will not harm me. I only wanted to tell you the situation in case his words are lies. I need you to give me a vial. Clean and empty." I told him and he nodded. I expertly climbed the vines up to Ichigo's bedroom. I saw the prince move to the vines as well.

"Oh no, I'm not spending hours trying to get you down once you are up. This will only take a moment." I told him and he narrowed his eyes at me. Whether in anger at my condescending words or mistrust of my actions was unclear.

"Here you go." He said and I took one of his daggers from his desk and stabbed myself in the arm. Both of them looked horrified. I quickly positioned the vial under my wound to collect my blood. It only filled three quarters of the way before my blood stopped flowing. I licked my wound and tried to heal it with my weak healing magic.

"Here, let me heal it." Ichigo offered and after a moment I yelped back in shock before hitting him over the head.

"Are you trying to cook me?! I will heal it on the way back to the ocean. Do you have anything to eat here?" I asked nonchalantly and Ichigo gestured to the table.

"But why are you giving me your blood Rukia?" He asked me curiously.

"Merfolk blood doesn't go funny so it should be good if you want to spring a surprise visit. Like I said, I'm being cautious, until he earns my trust, I won't trust him." I told Ichigo who nodded.

"You can always stay here with me. You know we could be king and queen together." He said gently but judging by the hissing below, I assumed that the prince heard him.

"Ichigo, you know…I love you, but we are from different worlds. I can't live here. I will yearn for the ocean. Separation will slowly kill me, you don't want to watch me fade to nothing, do you?" I asked him sadly and he cringed.

"No. You are right. I just…that doesn't mean that we can't spend some time together you know, like told times? I miss you in my room. It seems colder without you." He told me and I smiled.

"Sure Ichigo, but not for a while. Part of the deal was that the prince is to accompany me to the shore if I ever choose to come here. Sure, I could sneak away easily but I don't want anymore trouble." I told him and I heard the prince hiss again from below us.

"We need to go home! We have been gone too long already!" The prince yelled up at us. I rolled my eyes I was about to climb down from the balcony when Ichigo sprung a kiss on me again. I squeaked and almost lost my grip on the vines.

"Ichigo! Are you tying to kill me with your love?!" I yelled half-jokingly as he cringed but smiled happily at me.

"Course not, but I don't know when I will see you again. I will give you some time for things to settle before I visit you though." He told me considerately. I smiled up at him and waved goodbye. I walked to the palace gardens and took a seat beneath my favourite cherry blossom tree. I noticed the prince looking at it in wonder. I handed him two of the three apples I had snagged.

"It's called a sakura tree, isn't it beautiful? I haven't seen many flowering plants in our world but this tree is my favourite in this world." I told him and caught a petal falling from the tree and pressed it against my lips blissfully.

"And the fruit we are eating are called apples, they too are favourites of mine. Nothing is really sweat in our world, and it is impossible to enjoy juicy, succulent foods in a world of water." I told him before throwing away the pips into a bin. He looked at me curiously and full of wonder.

"When we return home, I would like to show you my sword." He told me and I looked at him suspiciously.

"Only if I get to carry my own for my own safety." I told him and he cringed.

"I gave my word I wouldn't harm you." He told me. I nodded but I refused to back down until he conceded.

I led him to the cove and started taking off my clothes again. I stopped and flushed.

"Don't look at me when I am naked! Only my future mate may see me that way!" I told him and he flush before looking away I started waking towards the ocean when an arm stopped me. I felt the healing on my sore arm and I sighed in contentment.

"I am very sorry for harming you, Rukia." He told me and I nodded.

"Also." He said and trailed his hand from under my arm to my hip.

"I am looking at you naked now, that means I am your future mate." He told me and I flushed before pulling away from him and running towards the ocean. I could have sworn I heard him laugh behind me, but he didn't look like the type to laugh.

I clutched my chest in pain as the water re-entered my lungs. Once the pain had subsided, I saw a figure ahead of me in much the same position. For a moment I let myself watch him. He wasn't unattractive on land, far from it, but in his natural element, he looked incredibly beautiful. I was grateful that he hadn't noticed me staring at him and I quickly swam ahead putting some distance between us. Every time he almost caught me, I would speed up. If he thought he would speed up and block me, I slowed down and changed directions. I grinned at him in playful humour.

"I thought you would be a faster swimmer, being the prince of all merfolk and all." I teased him and he appeared in front of me in incredible speed. I gasped and looked up at him in slight fear.

"But I enjoy chasing you." He said and gently caressed the fin at my waist. I gasped and swam away. He followed me with his eyes. And eventually gave chase again. This time I decided to truly test his speed. I swam as fast as I could to my home and through my window. I held my breath and watched the window waiting for him to follow me.

I opened my mouth and exhaled somewhat sadly. He didn't follow me. Or if he did, he lost track of me. A hand caressed my back from behind me and I squeaked in surprise.

"Don't look so sad. I told you I enjoyed chasing you." He told me and I flushed.

"Rukia!? Rukia are you home?" Called my sister and I froze in shock. I contemplated collecting my sword and fleeing but decided against it. This is my sister! She practically raised me!

"Yes, I'm home. I just saw Ichigo home and decided to stay the night." I shouted from my room, aware of the prince's eyes on me.

"It was very rude of you to leave the table like that last night! And you aren't a little child anymore, you can't just sleep at a man's house! It will ruin your reputation!" She shouted on her way to my room. I rolled my eyes and the prince watched me in amusement before I shoved him harshly into my bathroom.

My sister swam into my room and hugged me and kissed my head.

"The palace is in an uproar! Last night the prince didn't return home! I hope something bad didn't happen to him…say Rukia, what do you think of him? He is attractive, isn't he?" She asked me and I paled knowing he was in the room only a few tails away from us.

"I suppose…he isn't ugly." I said refusing to compliment him. I could almost feel his glare.

"She sighed. He seemed quiet taken with you, I hope you do not intend to steal him from me." She joked and I coughed in surprise.

"Abarai came calling for you earlier this morning. You should marry him, Rukia, it would put my mind at ease to know that you are cared for." She said and I sighed in exasperation.

"Renji wants a trophy wife, and I can't be that. We both know I'm not as attractive as you are, and I am really sorry, but I can't even think about mating with Renji. I can't love him that way, I would rather mate Ichigo." I said thoughtlessly and something in my bathroom shattered. I gasped.

"Probably those baby seahorses causing trouble again!" I laughed nervously.

"Rukia, you can't marry Ichigo, he has nothing to offer you. Renji is accumulating wealth and power and I am sure your children would be strong and healthy. You don't love him that way now, but by the time your first child comes around, I am sure you would have grown closer to him." She told me affectionately.

"Hisana, you don't know Ichigo, trust me he would give me the world…" I trailed off and sighed.

"Actually sister, I only came home to collect my sword, I was going to train in the outlands where we used to play." I told her and she sighed exasperatedly.

"I give up! I can't make a lady out of you! Do what you wish. Hopefully my own husband will be kind enough to let you stay with us." She said and I cringed.

"I will see you later Hisana, and don't worry, I think the prince is too irritating to simply disappear into thin air." I said before thinking that my choice of words was a bit inconspicuous.

When Hisana swam back to her own room I swan to my bathroom to look at what shattered and gasped in horror. It was my favourite bunny shaped glass! The rabbit to me was the cutest land animal to ever exist. And obviously I couldn't have human things in my room. Maybe it was for the best. I glared at the infuriated prince as I picked up the shards of glass. I cut myself by accident and was about to bring my finger to my mouth when a hand wrapped around my own and brought my finger to the prince's mouth. I stared at him as the heat rose to my face.

"Its okay now…" I mumbled and pulled my finger back as I turned the glass back to sand and threw it outside of the window.

"Well, I was serious about training with my sword, I'm leaving now. I told him and decided to swim off until he pulled my wrist towards the palace.

"Train with me at the palace training grounds." He offered and after contemplation I agreed. We swam leisurely towards the palace. I was starting to feel more and more intimidated.

"You need to talk to my sister…about your relationship. Unless you want to continue courting her? I wouldn't hold it against you. She is more your type and I prefer more expressive people." I told him and looked away when I felt his eyes linger on me.

"I will thank Hisana for her time then. It is improper to court more than one mermaiden at a time and I will take my time with you until you give into me. I will try to be more expressive, at least in your private company." He told me and I could feel my face flush. We swam into a large open space. The ground was almost unnaturally levelled.

"I hate to be rude, but would you be so kind as to await me? I must fetch my sword. It is incredibly irresponsible of me to not have brought it with me." He asked in a flat tone that meant it was what he expected of me. I narrowed my eyes.

"I told you I intended to train, if you aren't back by the time I am done, I will return home. If I am still here when you return, it is not because I was waiting for you." I told him cheekily and he narrowed his eyes at me, at the same time his lips lifted if only a little. I flushed and looked away.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" I awakened my sword and it became pure white. I knew he wasn't far away enough yet to not hear me, I knew he saw me. I wasn't showing off for him, after all it was incredibly unladylike to wield a blade. I ignored his presence until I felt him leave. I relaxed slightly and practiced my impaling.

"Hey, Rukia!" Renji called in the distance as I flopped my pose.

"What are you doing here you idiot? You are disturbing my training." I said without looking at him and tried to defluster myself.

"Well I'm off duty for a while and when I saw your sloppy training, I figured I would help you out." He teased me and I tried to cut him but he blocked my sword with his own.

"Roar, Zabimaru!" He called and his sword took on a strange jarred chainsaw like appearance. We fought in friendly companionship for a while before Renji decided to address the problem hanging in the air between us.

"Rukia, listen. About the arranged marriage, you need to know that I have been holding my feeling for you at bay for years now. I do really love you. You can take as much time as you need to think about the idea of us together as you need, but you are the only mermaiden for me." He told me and I looked at him in shock.

"Renji, please. We are best friends! I don't want to lose that. I am happy as we are now. I'm not ready for mating or courtship. I can't be with you in that way." I told him gently and he pushed himself away from me and put his sword to sleep.

I felt something touch my tail at the back-place conjoining to my waist. I was paralysed! My sword fell from my hand and my head lolled backwards. It was rarely ever used, but this was a form of mating for unwilling partners. One would paralyse the other by pressing the nerve scales at the middle of the spine between the waist and tail. It would only be for a few moments but I would be completely paralysed.

"Renji? What are you doing?" I asked him hesitantly. I knew he wouldn't force himself on me but he wanted to do something to me that he knew I most likely wouldn't allow.

"I won't go too far, I swear. I just want to show you what you are refusing. You say you are not ready for intimacy but that's only because you don't know what it feels like." He told me and swam up to me so that our bodies brushed erotically. I felt his hand travel from my hip to my waist and higher still to touch my covered, unaroused breast. We stared each other down.

He wrapped his tail around my own, bright red frills of his tail surrounded me. He ground himself against me erotically. I tried to keep my breathing under control but he was affecting me. He gently massaged my breast and kissed my neck gently yet sensually.

"Renji, that's enough. I know you don't think I know what I am talking about, but I am serious! I can't be with you in that way! There are many more mermaids in the ocean, more beautiful than I am! I am not available in that way, please stop." I said gently but urgently. I could feel my tail again as it twitched awake. The moment I could feel my arms again I would push away from him.

That moment didn't come however because out of nowhere I was pulled backwards out of Renji's grip and against someone else's chest. I froze in panic. I couldn't see who it was because I couldn't move my neck yet. I tried desperately to move my body but I couldn't.

"Captain Kuchiki! What are you doing here? I'm sorry sir but we are kind of busy at the moment would you please let me have her back?" Renji asked and held out an arm towards me. I couldn't move my upper body yet but I flailed my tail aggressively trying to get myself free.

"I swear I will kill the both of you for this! Let go of me basterd!" I commanded.

"Rukia shut up! That's the prince you are talking to, he will kill you!" Renji yelled at me angrily.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura!" The prince said and I froze and whimpered. He wouldn't really kill me, would he? I regained some feeling in my neck and arms and tried to bring them to my chest protectively. I couldn't swim properly yet but if I could just have enough time…

"I won't let you kill her! Roar, Zabimaru! Bankai!" I heard Renji shout and his sword took the form of a type of serpent.

"Oh no, no, no! Please let me go!" I cried and struggled more against the arm that held me. Finally, I got myself free and flexed my body out of the paralyzes. I swam for my sword and tried to keep some distance between the three of us.

"You know I wouldn't harm you. I was protecting you from the one who was harming you, or were you in that state of free will?" The prince asked me coldly.

"Of course, I wasn't but that is none of your concern! Renji wouldn't have harmed me!" I shouted back.

"Perhaps not, but he must know his place!" The prince hissed viciously and attacked Renji. Renji didn't stand a chance! Uncountable pink slivers cut him at every possible angle. I gasped in horror.

"Please stop! You are killing him!" I cried out but the prince completely ignored me.

"I said stop, damnit! Dance, Sode no Shirayuki! Bankai!" I yelled and he looked at me in shock before he froze. My scales became the purest of white and more elaborate fins elegantly flowed from my tail. My hair grew longer and coloured white, a beautiful ice crown adorned my head as if I were a princess. In one move I froze his many blades and sent them back at him. He dodged them all effortlessly but he never took his eyes off of me. I swam to where Renji lay motionless. I hesitantly reached a hand forward to feel for his pulse.

He was alive! But he was cut up so badly that no mermaid would ever look at him again. I bit my lip in anguish. This was because of me. I tried to pick him up gently and swam towards the medical wing of the castle where all were allowed.

"Please heal him! We were training and he got beat up pretty badly!" I begged the head healer, captain Unohana. She nodded and took him to the emergency room. I felt a hand touch my own and it quickly retreated with a hiss of pain from its owner. I hurriedly swam towards the shore. I abandoned my bankai and put my sword to sleep. I found a nice sun rock to bath on and hide on. I looked around myself in fear, trying to make sure he wasn't near me.

Once I knew I was alone I calmed down and rested more peacefully on the lovely warm stone. I closed my eyes and tilted my head towards the warmth. My heart beat slowed down and I breathed out in the after affects of the adrenalin I had suffered before. When I felt myself become a bit too hot, I turned over onto my stomach and shivered as cold back embraced the sun's rays and my belly warmed comfortably. I sighed contentedly.

I felt something touch my shoulder blades gently and I startled. I lifted my head to see who it was and froze. He found me! I hit his hand away and tried to put some distance between us, however I was unsuccessful.

"Don't be startled, I have been here from the beginning. I simply chose to let you recover from the shock before I approached you. I warned you that I would eliminate my competition. I want you. I am more attracted to you than you could imagine. I will not let you leave me." He told me sternly. I looked down sadly.

"Please stay away from me. If you want to try and become friends, that's alright I suppose but you and my sister would be better suited for each other." I told him and swam towards the rocks closer to the shore that were more heated. I lay on my belly and moaned and stretched in delight. I hugged the rock and splayed myself on it.

"The sounds you make stir my loins, please do not vocalise your enjoyment." He told me and I froze.

"I didn't ask you to stay. I will act however I want to. Go find my sister if you want company, or do something princes do, I know you must have obligations. If you won't leave then find a rock and join me, you never know you might like it." I told him tiredly and stretched out in relaxation.

It must have been hours later after baking in the sun. I stretched and flexed my muscles trying to wake myself up. I saw him laying on a sun rock a bit away from me with his eyes closed. I swam up and stuck my head out of the waters surface to see what the humans were doing today. I watched their ships return with interest. Ichigo's family took me on their ships a few times but I didn't much appreciate the experience.

I let my body float to the surface and I closed my eyes in relaxation. All of the merfolk who stayed only at the depths of the ocean could never understand the enjoyment of a warm breeze. I moaned in pleasure as my scales tingled. Eventually I got too hot and I decided to retreat back beneath the surface. He was watching me again.

"Tell me, where did you learn to fight? Mermaidens are not schooled to as mermen are, and Bankai is only reserved for those of high rank who train adamantly." He asked me and I shrugged.

"Wouldn't it be a pity not to use such a magnificent sword to its fullest potential? That, and I grew up with only males as friends, apart from my sister of course. They played roughly and if I wanted to play with a group of mermen, I had to fight. I enjoyed it, it made me feel more alive. It also made me more human." I told him and he glared at me.

"You are not human." He stated the obvious. I smiled at him sarcastically.

"Oh? I'm not? Want to go to the shore and test your theory? When I am there, I am human in their eyes. I run with them and play with them, eat what they eat and dance their beautiful dances. In our world, as you say, mermaids do not fight unless they wish to abandon any chance of marriage and amiability. Women in the world of men are also taught to fight. They are more equal to men in skills and potential. I bet, if I wanted to, I could become a human general in Ichigo's army. And not because he will give me what I want, I assure you he would fight me on it every single day. But I would earn it and stand tall among the best of them." I told him proudly.

"My bankai is very unstable though. I become frozen myself, and if I don't put it to sleep slowly, I can shatter myself." I told him sadly and sat on a warm rock before getting up and swimming more into the cold ocean.

"It getting late, the sun will set soon, stay here if you wish to but I will be heading home to pretend I haven't been with you for the better part of the day." I said and swam slowly home. He swam up to my side.

"I find your lack of respect appalling. As your prince you should treat me with more respect. I was going to punish you because it is my duty, not because I want to. You can't hold it against me." He told me and I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.

"I know. Would you prefer I keep my eyes downcast, your highness? I could never be with someone like you who will never see me as an equal." I told him cruelly and returned to my room.

"That is unfair, I am trying." He told me and I looked through my window to him.

"Then give up. I am not what you are looking for." I him sadly and made myself comfortable on my bed.

"Will you not eat before resting?" He asked me curiously.

"I prefer human foods. I eat here only if I need to. Unless your foods taste better than what we eat, I don't much like our foods…goodnight." I told him sadly.

The week went by quickly and I managed to escape the prince a few times to his irritation. He has yet to end things with my sister so I can only assume he was taking my advice. He was ethereal. Beautiful. His rare pink scales and lacey fins were magnificent. And his grey eyes seemed to change shades at times. Sometimes they were dark and other times they looked silver. I couldn't be with someone that beautiful.

I was bedridden today though. My lower body was in horrible pain. My entire tail and even my fins were in extreme pain. I groaned and whimpered in agony. Hisana was looking after me while I was in such a state. She said it was growing pains. I was already an adult though and puberty had already hit me years before.

"I told the prince I couldn't meet him today because you were unwell, so I can look after you much better today." She told me happily.

"I will get you something to eat." She told me and caressed my face before letting me slump back onto my bed in agony. I whimpered as a hand ran down my arm soothingly.

"Hisana, it hurts. I'm already fully grown, it can't be growing pains. I think I am dying." I said sadly and pressed my face into my sponge as I moaned in agony.

"Don't worry, you will feel better after eating, you don't eat nearly enough!" I heard her call from the kitchen and my eyes shot open. Who was touching me if Hisana was in the kitchen?! I jerked myself away from the hand and bit my lip in a supressed cry of pain. I shivered and cast my pained eyes towards the intruder.

"I heard you were unwell, I know it is improper to visit you like this, but I didn't know how else I could see you." He whispered into my ear and I turned my face away from him harshly and groaned in pain.

"I have missed you, Rukia. I will be right back." He told me and swam out my window. I growled out in frustration. I don't want him to come back! I stilled myself and listened to my sister talking at the front door.

'Sir prince! What a surprise! I'm sorry but as I told you yesterday my younger sister is unwell, I need to be with her as she recovers from her ailment.' I heard her say softly and politely.

'I remember, I thought I would take her to the healers at the palace to diagnose her ailment and treat her. May I come in? I will take her there myself.' I groaned in displeasure and curled into my bed, trying to pressure the pain away. I opened my eyes and swallowed.

"Rukia, sweetheart, Sir prince is going to take you to the palace with him to the medical wing. Please be gracious and let him carry you." She said gently and stroked my head. I clenched my fingers desperately into the sponge and pressed my face down into it.

"I don't want to leave, I'm too sore to swim and I don't want…" I trailed off and groaned in misery. I felt large yet gentle hands lift me carefully and he was very careful as to where he touched me. Bubbles came from my eyes which was the equivalent of human tears and my sister soothed me by stroking my back.

"Hisana, stay here. I will come to you with news of her recovery. You may visit her once she has stabilised." He told her and her hand froze possessively on my arm.

"I thought I would be allowed to stay beside her, Sir prince? She needs comforting, can you not see the pain she is in? Please let me come with you." She begged and bowed her head.

"I am sorry but it is in her own best interest that she rests in the care of my healers, you might be in their way." He said somewhat coldly. I lifted my head and glared at him. Before a violent shiver tore through my body and I cried out in pain. More bubbles fled my eyes and my frame shook as I cried silently.

"Rukia! Please, hurry and take her!" My sister begged urgently and the prince swam away with me.

"Ah, a severe case of premetamorphosis. Its incredibly rare but sometimes if the body matures slowly it could forcibly mature later in life. See here, look at her fins. They seem more transparent near the base of her tail because they are new and freshly grown. Something must have halted her development when she was younger, causing her to mature at a slower pace." Said captain Unohana.

"Captain, my friend, Renji, is he alright?" I asked between gasps of pain and I felt the prince's hand behind my back tighten into a fist.

"He has fully recovered and has already left the medical ward, don't worry so much, try to rest and recover. This process may take a few more day or even a week to finish. You will need to relax as much as possible." She told me and stroked my head affectionately.

"Captain Kuchiki, this is a remedy used to alleviating pain, her mate or a relative must rub it gently but thoroughly into her scales of the entirety of her tail. It will make the pain subside if only enough to become more bearable. It must be applied regularly until her transformation is completed. She may stay in our care if you think it would be best?" She said respectfully. And I shivered.

"Thank you, captain Unohana but I will leave with her now. I will call on you if her condition worsens." He said and bowed to her before picking me up gently. I opened my eyes gently when I was laid down on something soft that smelt nice and sweet.

"Where am I?" I whimpered deliriously and he took the clam with ointment from my hands and opened it.

"My chambers. You will be recovering here under my supervision." He told me and I hit his hand away when he tried to touch me with the ointment.

"No, take me to my sister! You are distressing me more!" I whined as he began rubbing the bottom of my tail soothingly. He hummed to try and sooth me and surprisingly it worked. I closed my eyes and let him maneuverer my body into different positions so that he could rub the ointment on me, my eyes widened a fraction and darted towards his own as he rubbed the soft scales used for sexual arousal and reproduction at the front of my body. My cheeks reddened and I looked away from his curious eyes. I gasped out and arched my back when I strange tingling feeling began stirring in my lower abdomen.

"Enough." I said and halted his wrist. He stared at me for a moment before leaning backwards away from me and closed the he clam with the ointment. He has aroused me enough for the scales on my chest to start fading and for my nipples to start becoming erect. I held my arms over my chest protectively from his sight.

"You truly are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen in my life. Rest now, and try to recover a bit. I will return in a moment, do not try to leave this room." He told me sternly and I ignored him opting to get comfortable instead. I couldn't move if I tried. At least the pain was lessened into an ache. After a while the doors opened again and I felt a body press against my own and a long powerful tail lay over my own.

"What are you doing?" I asked him without opening my eyes.

"I am resting with you. This is my bed, we have slept near each other in the past, this isn't any different." He said and I sighed.

"Liar. You are pressing yourself against me intimately." I accused and he hummed.

"I was told by your sister that you were in need of comfort, am I not comforting you by holding you in such a way?" He asked me innocently and I scoffed silently. One of his arms was lain under my head and the other lay over my waist possessively.

"I don't belong to anyone…yet. Holding me in such an intimate way leads me to believe you are stealing my free will to choose my own mate. I am not yours, your highness." I said softly but coldly. He laughed lightly behind me and stroked my stomach making it shiver.

"I would like for you to call me Byakuya. It has been a long time since someone has spoken my name. It makes me feel lonely." He confessed.

"I am not your mate, I won't call you by name, Sir prince." I said tiredly and his hand trailed my hip lazily.

"Part of our deal was that you would allow me to court you. As of yet you have made yourself out to be a liar. We will court and you will call me by my name, Rukia." He said challengingly. I shiver against him.

"Did the other mermaids you court also call you by name?" I asked him in return after a moment.

"Of course not, that is incredibly disrespectful. I am telling you my wishes, and as my subject you should respect me and honour them. I do much for the seven oceans and ask for little in return. Say my name, Rukia." He whispered in my ear and I pressed myself harder against him making him groan.

"I am tired, please let me rest undisturbed…Byakuya." I said softly and leaned away from him so that I could curl into his floral sponge bed. He leaned into me and kissed the back of my neck before I fell asleep.

Days passed and he continued to care for me. He even helped feed me my meals, and were they delicious! I hadn't tasted such foods in our world before. He seemed happy at my sudden interest in our foods as well. It has been almost a week and finally I could move around in minimal pain. I explored his room in his absence, looking at the arrangements and strange glowing things in his room. He had helped me bath and cast my dead scales away only yesterday. It was incredibly private but he had insisted on helping me.

I swam to a mirror like crystal in his room and observed my new appearance. I was still the same blue me, only my fins had grown a lot and now I looked more elegant and feminine. In addition, a new long lacy fin had grown from the back of my tail. It wasn't big really, only from the back of my waist to the bottom of my hips. I swam around his room until I grew board and lay flat on my back on his bed. I felt warm and tingly and honestly the room had a strange sweet smell to it since about two days ago. I also felt…sensitive. I could say what changed in me, only that something felt different inside of me.

I heard the door open and I sat up. I wasn't trying to seduce him but I couldn't help but let my new fins float around me elegantly for a while.

"Byakuya, does my sister know that I am here?" I asked him curiously. And he debated an answer with himself.

"She knows that I have you recovering in my castle." He told me hesitantly. I glared at him and he knew why.

"Thank you…for looking after me so well, I really appreciate it. But I am well enough now to return home to my sister." I told him and swam towards the doors he stood in front of. He barred my way and swam up to me.

"You need to stay here a while longer. You are not ready to leave the safety of my room yet." He told me and I looked at him dumbfounded.

"I feel perfectly fine now, better than fine actually, and since you have been less than honest to my sister I think it would be better that I leave you and let her care for me." I told him bluntly and I reached for the door, only for his hand to touch my stomach and pull me away from it gently.

"You really don't know?" He asked me as I contemplated the strange electric feelings in my body beneath his hand.

"Know what? I am not going to let you keep me prisoner in your bed chamber, I am not your mate so you have no right to hold me here against my will." I told him angrily and that sweet scent caught my nose again. He closed his eyes in what seemed to be bliss.

"What is that? I only recently noticed a strange scent in your room." I asked him and he opened dark grey eyes and looked down at me lustfully.

"I believe, this is your first heat. Do you not feel…aroused?" He asked me cautiously. My eyes widened dramatically.

"I don't know what you are talking about, and even if I was in heat, I would feel safer at home with my sister. You say you want to protect me, but what is going to protect me from you?" I asked him and sudden electric thrill rolled down my spine.

"I intend to kill each and every male that comes within a mile of you. You would kindly be saving their lives by staying here for a few days until your heat has subsided." He told me huskily.

"I will control myself unless you decide you want to mate…" He told me and my eyes widened. Honestly that strange sensitivity was sort of arousing but I could easily ignore the urges.

"I want to go home. Now. I won't let you blackmail me like this!" I shouted unhappily and spied the window of his room. I could fit. As he barred the doors shut, I swam through the small opening. Was it even a window? It was so small! I grunted with effort to free myself and only just barely made it out before a strong, muscled arm leached out to grab me.

"Missed me!" I sang joyously and ignored him calling me back as I swam around defiantly. I noticed people looking at the new me occasionally and I decided that I liked it. I swam to the shore where the rocks would be warmed by the sun, only to be disappointed as rain pelted the water above me. I sighed sadly and swam into the underwater entrance to the cove Ichigo and I used to hide our things.

I shivered in the cold water. The sun couldn't penetrate the water here so naturally it was ice cold. But this cove had other hidden wonders inside of it. The entire cove was embedded with crystals of different colours.

I panted as I lifted my body out of the water and onto the dry rocks. After a while my tail turned into legs and I walked over to the old sheets we used to dry ourselves with. No one was here so I didn't bother dressing myself. There were two giant clams filled with blankets and cushions that Ichigo had snuck from his room when we were growing up, they were still surprisingly well kept. I lit a lamp and placed it on top of an empty barrel.

I suddenly felt so tired. I knew I had to return home to let Hisana know I was alright, but I figured Byakuya would let her know. I climbed into one of the clams and curled myself into a ball and threw one of the lighter blankets over myself. I felt my eye lids slowly shut as I breathed in the increasingly warm air. If I tried really hard, I could smell the masculine scent Ichigo possessed among the bedding. I let a fire start to burn in my belly as I drifted off to sleep. I woke up to the stroking of my head. I buried my face into a warm cushion.

"Ichigo…?" I asked hesitantly and I was responded by a loud growl. My eyes burst open and I met the furious eyes of Byakuya.

"You were waiting for the human?" He yelled at me angrily. I stared at him cautiously for a moment before tucking my face back into the warm blankets.

"No. I thought you were him because he used to love playing with my hair." I told him honestly and he hissed. I ignored him. I could feel him grow increasingly angry as I continued to ignore him. Then I remembered how I left him yesterday and I grinned up at him, startling him.

"How in the world did you find me? I was sure I lost you back there." I told him happily, much to his irritation.

"You didn't return home. I decided to look for you the only other place I knew you liked. I caught your scent and I followed it here." He told me unhappily.

"Now that you have awoken, we should leave." He told me and got up from beside me and walked into the water, resuming his form. I watched him for a moment before I too got up and quickly walked towards the female clothes. I knew he was watching me but I could only cover my breasts. I slipped a dress over my head and pulled it over me properly before picking up a pair of shorts and slipping them on underneath. I returned to the clam and made myself comfortable.

"Rukia, you cannot stay here." He said angrily and his tail slapped the water in frustration.

"I am going to stay here, no matter what you say. At least until my heat had subsided." I told him and I opened my eyes to see his silver eyes darken to grey in lust.

"I feel like I desperately need to mate. I want to stay here until the urge subsides. You should leave. You make it more difficult." I told him and cuddled up among the blankets comfortably.

"Rukia, if you need to mate, you know I am willing. I only request that you stay by my side if I become your partner." He told me and I turned my back to him dismissing him.

"For all I know you are a terrible lover. I much more prefer the passion of human love making to that of our kind. It seems more possessive and primal. More intimate. That is what I want. I said and fisted my fingers into the covers and squeezed my thighs together. I heard him sloppily get out of the water.

"You do not know of what you speak." He said darkly and I scoffed.

"I know a lot. I have read many human novels of romance and desire and I know what I crave in a lover. I believe it is you who doesn't know how to please a human lover." I said into the covers and pressed my face into them comfortingly.

"Then let me attempt to please you as you desire to be pleased. If I satisfy you, you will agree to be my life partner, deal?" He asked me and kissed my shoulder passionately trying to get a response out of me. I squeezed my legs tighter together and the pressure increased my arousal.

"Did you know that the first time a human female is claimed by a male that it hurts her? That she bleeds? I can only give my virginity away once. Even if you want me, I won't let you take it unless you make me scream in pleasure." I told him and he ran a hand under my dress to tug off my shorts. I let him pull them off and I shivered in anticipation.

"I am aware of that much. I will give you enough pleasure for you to never look to any other for it again. I will mark you as mine from the inside." He told me huskily and let him pull my dress over my head. He stared at my breasts in desire.

"Do you only want my body? Do you love me at all?" I asked him sadly and he looked into my eyes in shock.

"Of course, I love you! I crave your company more than anything. I want to keep you at my side for the duration of our lives for a reason, Rukia." He told me passionately. I was glad that he didn't ask me because I didn't know how I felt about him just yet. I shivered and let him part my legs. The way merfolk made love involved grinding against each other. We lacked the genitalia for penetration as humans were designed to breed.

He pressed his hardened sex against my throbbing sex and ground himself against me as he kissed me on the mouth. This time when he licked me trying to open my mouth, I let him. I let him guide me through the initial phases of our coupling. His hands eagerly sought my breasts and ran over them in need. Rubbing and squeezing gently before he decided to start touching my nipples more. I arched involuntarily and panted a little in exertion.

He moved down my body to breath on my breast. I shivered in arousal and lifted my chest expectantly. I cried out when his tongue swept across my nipple. He leaned up and eagerly took me in.

"You look so beautiful." He told me and I flushed more and looked away in embarrassment until he brought my face to his own and kissed me. His hand experimentally touched between my folds and I cried out as he rubbed the sensitive pearl of nerves.

"I will make you scream for me…I will make you…mine." He whispered huskily in my ear. My body shivered and I lifted my hands into his silky long black hair. He groaned and thrust against me before continuing sucking my sensitive breasts. I couldn't believe he was this good. I couldn't believe that sex felt this good! In a way, Renji was right. I didn't know what I was rejecting. I cried out again as he ran his teeth over my nipple. He trailed kisses until my navel and rubbed flesh below it sensually making me throb with need.

"I agree. Human love making is far more…intimate…I too enjoy this…immensely." He said meaningfully and I shivered. He had only breathed on my arousal but already my legs shook with impending release. I looked down at him as he swiped his tongue between my folds. I gasped and bucked upwards startling him.

"Sorry! I couldn't help it!" I told him embarrassedly and hid my face. He pried my hands away and kissed my cheeks. Then he kissed my mouth and I could taste the same sweet fragrance I smelt in his room.

"You have been driving me crazy with need the last week. I don't want you to hold back your need. Don't be embarrassed." He told me and squeezed my breasts making me gasp into the kiss and arch my body off of the covers. He groaned and ground himself against me again.

He returned to my arousal and licked me. I felt another wetness apart from his tongue and I knew I was the one creating it. He moaned in pleasure between my human legs as he thrust his tongue inside of me and occasionally flicked the pearl that made me cry out in pleasure.

"Byakuya!" I screamed as an intense wave of pleasure forced its way out of my body. I felt him smile into my folds as he gave me one last teasing lick that turned my legs into jelly.

"I made you scream my name, that means…you acknowledge that you belong to me." He said arrogantly. I was still shaking like a leaf from my release. I tried to glare at him but I could barely move. I knew what was coming next. He was going to claim me. He spread my trembling legs apart and snuggly fit himself against me until he slowly and gently started penetrating me. Without warning he thrust into me and I cried out in pain. Tears fell from my eyes and I whimpered.

"I'm sorry, your warmth made my body move by itself. I didn't mean to hurt you, tell me when you are ready." He said gently and kissed my neck, sucking it passionately. He rubbed his hands over my breasts again, and flicked my nipples every so often making me jump. I cautiously brought my hand to his face and lifted it up to mine. I gently covered his lips with my own before laying back down and looking away shyly.

"You are the first male…that I kissed willingly." I told him and his eyes widened.

"Rukia. I need to move." He told me urgently and I nodded. I wrapped my human legs around him and pulled him further into me. I bit my lip in pain. I was grateful when he began thrusting into me slowly because I was too tired and too sore to help him along. He started becoming bolder and thrusting into me harder.

I clung to him desperately and cried out as he touched a sensitive area inside of me. He moaned in pleasure and kissed and sucked my skin, he groaned in delight when I cried out in pleasure into his mouth. He bit me possessively whenever I cried out his name or part of it. I never knew he could be so passionate! He moaned my name and sent shivers down my spine.

"Rukia." He said lustfully as he sped up his thrusts and pulled my legs further apart and higher up so he could penetrate me more deeply. We both cried out in release as he emptied himself inside of me, filling me with his mark. He kissed me passionately and I returned his kiss affectionately, gently massaging his sculp with my fingers in his soft hair.

"We are mates now, Rukia. Promise to stay by my side throughout this life?" He asked me passionately and took my face into his hands.

"I don't want to wake up one morning in the future where you aren't beside me, I don't want to eat alone or spend my days training by myself. Stay by my side and never leave me for another." He told me huskily and ran kissed down my face to my neck.

"I promise…I will love you and stay at your side for however long I may live…please try not to break my heart." I told him sadly and turned my face to the side to let my tears fall from my face.

"I will never love another more than I love you, not even our children. If I lost you, I would never love again, because you would have taken my heart with you." He told me lovingly and nuzzled his face against mine affectionately as our kind did with our mates.

"Let's go home now Rukia. I promise that this will not be the last time we make love in such a manor, but I do believe that these surface visits are what halted your growth. It would be wise not to make them regularly." He told me sympathetically and I gasped. That made so much sense! He knew?! He probably didn't say anything because he didn't want to get me in trouble.

"Alright…but I am so sore and tired, do we have to swim now?" I asked him and he looked longingly at the water before laying down beside me and comforting me.

"We can leave in the morning." He said and tucked me against himself. We fell asleep together wrapped against each other tightly and possessively.

The next morning, I woke up first. I still ached between my legs. He had truly made me his. I laughed at him and denied him all along and then this happened. I knew I would eventually need a mate but prince Byakuya? What would my sister say? I knew she didn't truly love him but she did love a part of him. I sighed sadly and pressed myself against him. I didn't know what possessed me but I reached up and bit his throat gently and sucked passionately. I let go when he began stirring.

His silver eyes opened and looked into my own. I could see the happiness in his eyes even if he didn't smile. He explored my body with his hands again and I snuggled up to him.

"Isn't it strange but incredibly comfortable on dry land? The warmth and texture of everything is wonderful. Even your hair looks shinier and feels smoother." I told him and he hummed. We lay in a comfortable silence together before he finally broke it.

"Let's go home now Rukia. We need to prepare for the crowning ceremony. I am mated now, that means I can now claim the title of king, and you are my queen." He told me gladly but I froze.

"What about Hisana? You mean a coronation? Where anyone and everyone can watch? I can't do that! I'm not nearly as pretty as my sister, I would be too embarrassed standing beside you." I told him fretfully and quickly got up. He must have sensed my intention to flee because he shot up and picked me up, jumping into the cold water with me. I shrieked at the cold temperature and even he seemed unhappy about the cold as he grimaced.

I flailed in the water unhappily before he dived under and gently tugged me with him. I didn't resist but I did swim away from him towards my home. He blocked my path and rubbed himself against me soothingly, intimately. I calmed somewhat having his beautiful pink fins surrounding me. I felt my chest scales fade into skin exposing my nipples and my genital scale area became thinner and engorged. He pressed himself into me and I smelt the sweet scent of my heat along with his musky essence.

He held my hips tightly against his own and wrapped my tail securely with his own. He kissed me heatedly and we moaned loudly at the friction between our arousals. I could feel his sex ejaculating his genes into my own. My sex enflamed at the feeling of being fertilised. I had no doubt that I would be impregnated after how securely he had bound us together as he released his sperm into my scales that let them enter me. Even after we were finished mating, he held onto me tightly and caressed my body lovingly.

"Bare my children, Rukia. Become my queen! You are my mate. I expect nothing less from you." He told me sternly but I knew he was afraid I would swim away, or rather run away from him, to places he wouldn't be able to find me. He squeezed my tail with his own and ejaculated against me again, further ensuring a fertilisation. I shivered in pleasure as he kissed me and ground himself against me making me orgasm and spasm against him repeatedly. I moaned as he massaged my back and forced me to lean backwards so he could access my breasts.

Naturally, after mating my breasts were very sensitive because all of the hormones my heat was creating. I held his head to my chest and cried out as he suckled from my breasts. There wouldn't be milk until the last few months of pregnancy but they could still excrete the fluid that helps create milk. He groaned into my chest pleasantly.

When we separated, he carried me to a sun rock to settle down and recover.

"I am not ready to mother a child. You should have asked be before trying to breed me." I told him unhappily and I couldn't help the angry bubbles that escaped my eyes. He hummed and tried to sooth me.

"When the time comes you will be ready. I know we will be wonderful parents and you will be a strong and admired queen. I only wish you could learn to see yourself the way I see you." He told me gently. Our arousals had disappeared and while I didn't yet carry the scent of childbearing, I did carry the scent of being mated. His scent as well as the musky odour of our coupling had rubbed into my scales, and would permanently be attached to my sex to allow males to know I was spoken for.

"You still haven't told me how you intend to tell my sister. Unless you intend to mate both of us?" I asked him unhappily and he hugged me, wrapping his tail around me.

"No, I only need you. There can only be one queen. I will tell her after you are settled back in our room. If you wish to see her, I will arrange a dinner where the three of us will be able to communicate with each other." He told me and I was going to protest but he looked at me calmly, showing me that he had thought it through and I was expected to go along with his decision. I would have to listen to him a lot more now.

"Take me home?" I asked him softly and raised my arms towards him. He pulled me into his arms and swam towards the kingdom. I closed my eyes and began to nod off, being intoxicated by his scent but a voice calling out to us made me stiffen.

"Rukia!? Sir prince! How is my sister?" Hisana called and hastily swam up to us. Byakuya tightened his hold on me and I took a deep breath, but kept my eyes closed. I would leave the explanation to him. I was 'asleep' for all intensive purposes.

"Hisana. Rukia has been well for a few days now, however she has just had her first heat. I felt that I needed to keep her safe, with me." He said softly and caringly.

"I see, but you should have brought her home." She said rather upset. She didn't understand the meaning between his words just yet.

"Hisana, you are surely one of the most caring and beautiful mermaidens I have ever come across in my oceans. I am sorry to have to tell you this, but since the moment I first saw her, I have been drawn to your younger sister, Rukia. Since our very first encounter where I tried desperately to find her only to fail but be surprised at meeting her again, by chance." Byakuya said gently and I could smell the bubbles my sister shed. I shivered in regret.

"Please do not hold our decision against Rukia, until last night she had adamantly refused my advances and even tried to push my feelings for her onto yourself. I however can't confuse my feelings. I know I should have told you sooner about my change of heart but many sudden changes in my life made it difficult. Rukia and I have become life mates, as of last night. Please know that I love her deeply and will always care for and protect her and our children." He told her and she gasped.

"I don't understand! You know me better than my sister! I have so many more attractive aspects to offer you, why would you choose a mermaid with so little feminine characteristics?" She sobbed out and I cringed further.

"If this is how you speak to Rukia at home all the time, it is no wonder she herself believed she was not beautiful until she was made to feel as such. There are many different types of beauty in this world and Rukia contains vast amounts of them all. You lack the heart that she is overflowing with. You will undoubtably make a merman a very lucky man one day, but the one for me is Rukia. We have already bound ourselves together." He told her and I felt her swim away in angst.

"You could have been gentler with her. She really is soft hearted, at least to me." I told him and he smiled at me.

"What's done is done." He said and swam into the palace carrying me, ignoring the guards and important people who chased him, calling for his attention or where he has been. He placed me gently on his soft sponge bed. He kissed me lovingly and spared me a small smile.

"I have to take care of some business, I will return for dinner." He told me and left me sitting on his bed. I looked up at the ceiling in contemplation. I couldn't just wait around here for hours on end. Alone and lonely. I decided to sneak away again, but this time I really did intend on seeing my sister.

"Hisana! Where are you, I need to talk to you!?" I called out but I didn't receive a response. I saw her laying on her bed when I swam into her room.

"Hisana?" I whispered. I wasn't sure if I should try to wake her up or leave her and wait for her to awake on her own. I turned to leave but I just barely heard her speak, though I still didn't hear what it was that she said.

"Hey, I'm sorry I didn't catch that. Are you okay? Can we talk?" I asked softly and swam up to her bed.

"I asked, how could you? You can't possibly love the prince so why did you take him from me? If you love me at all you will not see him again!" She screamed into her bed. I flinched and looked down sadly.

"I truly do care for him though Hisana. I love you so much! I swear I rejected him time and again, but he was so persistent! He made me make a deal with him you see. He caught me contacting a human and giving the human my blood and he wanted to kill me! I thought I would never see you again but he told me that if I agreed to court him that he would forget about my transgressions and I could come home." I told her and she sat up startled. I swam to her chest and hugged her around the waist like I did as a child.

"Wait. Is he forcing you? Rukia?" She asked me urgently. I lifted my head and shook it.

"No. He has been very lenient with me. When he took me to the medical wing, they said I would need to be cared for regularly and I asked him to bring me home but he wouldn't. He didn't treat me badly though! He took care of me himself, he fed me and rubbed soothing ointment on my scales. Look at me now!" I gestured to myself happily.

"Wait, you contacted a human? Foolish girl! You sound more like you have Stockholm syndrome! He wouldn't bring you home and instead held you captive and now you think you love him? I thought you loved Ichigo!?" She yelled at me angrily not giving my new fins more than a small glance.

"Hisana, what you say it true, however it was part of our agreement that I court him. I had been avoiding him so he chose to keep him with him to learn more about me. He was…hardly ever indecent towards me." I said trying to be reasonable.

"No, I am convinced that you do not love him, that merman has blinded you! Go see Ichigo and tell me you love the prince more than him!" Hisana yelled at me.

All in a flash an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me out of her window. I gasped, startled. I looked up to see stormy grey eyes watching my sister and occasionally glancing at me.

"Keep your lies and delusions to yourself! Rukia gave herself to me willingly and gladly! We are mates now and I hope that you will remember your place!" He growled out at her. My sister gasped in shock at his horrible words and lurched forward to pull me towards her. I gasped as I was forced into my sister's strong hold.

"You don't know anything about my sister! You can not truly love her! I heard about your 'deal'! Did you blackmail her into mating you as well?!" She shouted angrily.

"No! He didn't it's not like that- "I began but she put a hand over my mouth, silencing me.

"Unhand my mate this instant! I can't believe you are this jealous of her own happiness! She now knows that she is beautiful and loved and you are trying to steal that away from her! She has been thoroughly mated and will bear my child in only a few months, give her back to me now! I will not ask again!" Byakuya yelled and merfolk nearby stopped to witness the spectacle. I gasped in embarrassment and tried to pry myself from my sister. When I did, I swam into the house to collect my sword and quickly exit another opening.

I dashed around like a mad out of water fish. Eventually I got lost and shakily swam around the barracks of the soldiers. A hand touched my shoulder and I looked at it. it wasn't Byakuya's, that was for sure. I hesitantly looked up into Renji's concerned face.

"Hey are you alright? What's wrong? And what in the seven oceans are you doing around here?" He asked me in concern. My lip trembled and he quickly try to sooth me.

"Oh shit! Please don't cry! Uh, here, come with me!" He said and pulled me along after him. He closed the door behind us and led me to his living space.

"Make yourself comfy, this in my new apartment." He told me and gestured to it. It was impressive and really big, but Byakuya's bedroom alone was probably twice the size of Renji's entire house.

"Y-you have a lovely home Renji. I'm sorry for intruding." I said sadly and looked down.

"Wow! Look at you, you look amazing! When did your fins grow out?" He asked me in shock and awe. I smiled at his funny face and laughed happily at the familiarity it brought.

"I have been having terrible body pains, just over a week ago I was taken to the medical wing and they said that I was only now developing the fins I was meant to have because my growth was somewhat halted. Like puberty wasn't completed for me." I told him and he nodded dumbly.

"So, are you okay now? What upset you so badly? And hey, uh, thank you for saving me that day…and I'm sorry about what I did to you, but I swear I wouldn't have gone any further!" He told me and bowed to me.

"It's alright, all is forgiven. I'm glad they were able to heal your fins, I was really worried about you. Byakuya really doesn't know how to hold back sometimes." I said sadly. Renji looked at me oddly for a while before I noticed my slip up and flushed brightly looking down at my hands.

"Byakuya? Since when are you and the prince so close?" He asked me and blinked owlishly. I shrugged.

"Since yesterday. We…became mates." I told him and burst into tears again. Renji gaped at me in disbelief before hurrying to my side to comfort me.

"Hey, calm down, its okay! I'm sure it won't be so bad…" He said hastily trying to convince himself more than me.

"That's not the problem! Byakuya and Hisana were fighting over me in public! I'm so embarrassed and confused! My sister wants me to leave him for her sake, but I can't!" I told him and cried harder, flooding the roof of Renji's stone house with bubbles from my eyes.

"There, there. I won't pretend to be happy about it but I think he could be a good mate to you. He will need to loosen up though. Oh god! No wonder he tried to kill me! Were you with him back then?" Renji asked me in panic. I shook my head quickly.

"No! No, this happened only yesterday. Well, he locked me in his room because I went into heat…and he wouldn't let me out so I fled…he found me and bonded with me." I told him, more to his confusion.

"Hey Rukia, do you even love him? Or did you just mate with him because you were in heat?" He asked innocently but I slapped him and fled his house. I heard him calling after me but I decided to visit some old friends of mine. I couldn't go home just yet, I needed to be with people who cared for me who weren't directly involved in our affairs.

I knocked on the candy shop door twice loudly, echoing the beating of my frantic heart.

"Hello? We're closed- Oh! Rukia, what a surprise! Come in, come in!" My older friend who wore a strange striped hat from the world of men offered. I nodded and hurriedly swam inside.

"Hi, Kisuke, I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while, how are you keeping? Is Yoruichi around?" I asked curiously and he nodded.

"Yoruichi is playing with the kids in the basement. Sit down, I will get out some refreshments." He said happily and I sat down trying to make myself comfortable.

"I'm doing well on my side, business is always booming at candy shops, you know how kids love candy!" He laughed happily. I smiled at the memory of Ichigo and I buying some candy here and eating to our hearts content. Kisuke and Yoruichi were mates, but they couldn't have children so they adopted.

"Thank you Kisuke. I really do miss your candy. Adult life doesn't suit me or Ichigo all that well. We have a lot of trouble in love and family problems…speaking of which, I feel horrible imposing on you but could I maybe stay here for a few days? I could help out with the shop to compensate?" I asked hesitantly and he looked at me in shock for a moment.

"Sure, kiddo, we really missed you. No need to help out, your company is good enough. Say, what exactly made you want to get away?" He asked me curiously and I took a sip of the flavoured liquid adsorbed into a sponge.

"Well…you see, my sister has been courting with the prince for months now, and I only met him just over two weeks ago for the first time. He says he fell in love with me at first sight…I tried to dissuade him from perusing me but a week ago I got really sick. He insisted on caring for me until I recovered, and once I had recovered, I hit my first heat…we became mates yesterday. He and my sister are not getting along by any means. And they are tearing me apart. I didn't know anywhere else to go that could be safe. Byakuya knows about my hiding place by the cove and by the sun rocks, and I can't stay with Hisana or at the palace, he wants me to stay cooped up in his room all day! I am also worried that I might be…pregnant…" I said sadly and with worry at the same time. Kisuke nodded his head in understanding.

"I understand. Stay with us as long as you need to. It is quite fortunate that you came to us as well because as you know, Yoruichi was once the head of the Shihoin clan. If anyone does show up looking for you, I'm pretty sure they will leave once she makes her presence known. I'm no pansy myself." He said and winked at me. I bowed in gratitude.

"Thank you so much Kisuke! Is it alright if I lay down? I've had quiet the day." I said sadly. He nodded and led me to the guest room in the attic.

"You should be fine here, and if you would like to know if you are pregnant, we could test you if you would like?" He offered and I nodded.

"Yes, please Kisuke. I need to know how careful I have to be…just in case." I said and lay my sword beside the sponge bed. He nodded and smiled.

"You rest. I will prepare the remedy for you. The kids will come up and call you when dinner is ready, and no excuses, you have to eat! I will give you some candy free of charge if you clean your pallet." He said kindly and I smiled happily. I thanked him and bid him good night. Hours later their daughter, Ururu who looked an awful lot like me, came in and gently woke me.

"Rukia? Oh, you're awake. It's time for dinner. Dad asked me to call you and he just wanted to remind you that you could stay with us for however long you choose to." She said kindly and I smiled up at her. I made my way to the dinner table and quickly took my seat. The door behind me opened but I didn't pay it any mind until I saw a pink fin beside me. I stared at it. I know who it belonged to. I looked at Kisuke accusingly.

"Now, now, nothing has changed. You don't have to leave if you don't want to, and you don't have to talk to him if you don't want to. I couldn't kick him out once Yoruichi begged me to let him say hi. You know, he has been really worried about you." He told me and I flushed and looked at my hands.

"It's alright, I understand. Thank you Kisuke." I said and bowed. We ate mostly in silence. The children teased each other over the table making everyone except Byakuya laugh. As promised, Kisuke gave me my candy and a blue solution. He coughed discretely.

"Red for no, purple for yes. You need to prick your finger and stick it into the solution." He told me and I nodded. I pressed my finger against my tooth and pieced it enough to draw a drop of blood. I stuck my finger into the solution and waited. The colour changed for a while before settling on purple. I looked down sadly. I couldn't express my sadness here because I know how badly they wanted children but couldn't have them. I sighed.

"Thank you Kisuke." I said sadly and smiled at him before popping a candy into my mouth. He hugged me and whispered congratulations into my ear. I nodded in acceptance and began swimming to the attic when I noticed Byakuya following me. I felt like being alone and at the same time I felt so lonely and sad and I needed comfort. I swam onto the bed and left enough room for him beside me.

"Rukia can we talk?" He asked me softly. I nodded but didn't say anything as he slowly closed the door and swam over to the bed. He lay beside me and tried to pull me into his arms. I let him and we lay there for a while in silence while he wrapped his tail around my own.

"I am truly sorry about what happened at your home today, I swear on my honour that I am not usually like that. I was when I was younger, but I thought I had grown out of it." He told me. I looked up at him and met his gaze.

"Byakuya. I'm pregnant. Really, honestly pregnant." I told him and he looked at me with wide eyes before he placed his hand over my cheek and stroked it soothingly. He kissed my forehead and held me tightly against him.

"I'm scared." I whimpered and sobbed into his chest. Tiny bubbles floated up the water past us. He soothed me and stroked me to comfort me.

"I promise you this child is loved, and was created by love. We may have known each other only for a short while, but I love everything about you that I know. You are incredible! I swear, we will be the best parents a child could hope for." He said surely. I wasn't as sure, he didn't need to fear giving birth.

"I can't use my bankai until the baby is born. I can't even fight. Am I supposed to just sit in your room all day?" I asked him sadly and he soothed me.

"No, not at all. If you are unwell, yes, but otherwise I will have you accompany me wherever I go. The seven oceans are vast, and we can't stay in only one area for long." He told me and I nodded. Didn't that mean that I wouldn't see Ichigo again? I felt more sadness envelope me.

"Rukia. I…I have something to tell you about Hisana." He said sadly and I looked up and him. After you fled, I tried to follow you so I wasn't made aware of what happened until I swam into Abarai. He pointed me in this direction and also told me that…Rukia…Hisana took her own life. I'm so sorry." He told me and I jerked away from him in horror.

"You're lying! That can't be true! She would never abandon me!" I whisper harshly and hit his chest hard and flailed to try and get free.

"Rukia! Please! I wouldn't lie to you, and I swear if I could have saved her, I would have! Please calm down, think of the baby!" He told me desperately and I covered my face with my hands and cried harshly.

"I've lost everyone I love!" I cried in anguish.

"If I leave with you, I leave all my loved ones behind, my sister…my parents…I'm all alone now!" I sobbed into my hands and curled into a ball.

"We will come back here I swear! At least once of perhaps twice a year! He tried to reason with me. I sobbed into my hands in anguish.

"My sister…how could she abandon me like this?! Now when I need her the most!" I sobbed and flicked my tail free to cover my face. He gently moved my tail fins aside and kissed my head.

"I will never leave you, I swear it. We will be together until time stops. We are already making our own family, see?" He said and placed his hand on my abdomen.

"It won't replace your lost loved ones but in time the hurt will fade. Trust me I know. I lost my parents early in life the same as you. Yoruichi and my grandfather took to raising me, and then I lost my grandfather as well and Yoruichi as well as my other mentors left me to carry on their own lives when I had barely come of age. I understand you, Rukia. Just wait until you hold our baby for the first time, we have family now, together. Everything will be alright, I promise!" He spoke his heart and pulled me to his chest. I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried freely.

He had never talked about himself, in all the time I have known him he only ever asked about my own feelings and past. I had been so mean to him as well.

"Byakuya, if you dragged me home after you found out about me and Ichigo, our secret, would you have really killed me?" I asked him suddenly. He showed me a rare smile that I hadn't seen before.

"I was…jealous of him. I was taken by you from the moment we first met. I wouldn't have killed you, I would have tried to force you to marry me though. After dragging me ashore and assaulting me you had earned even more of my attention. I wanted to know more about you. That night was humbling to me. I didn't consider myself selfish or arrogant but I suppose I am. Being with you, one who shamelessly speaks her mind, I had a different outlook on life." He told me honestly and smiled down at me. I scoffed.

"You mean you would have tried and failed miserably to force me to marry you. I would have hurt you badly. Under extreme circumstances I could have frozen off your hair or something." I told him jokingly. I refused to think about Hisana right now. He laughed lightly and played with my hair.

"Indeed, I wouldn't put it past you." He agreed and nodded vigorously. I slumped to the sponge in exhaustion. I didn't even try to pretend to be happy. I let my bubble tears rise silently and I closed my eyes sadly.

"Can I…sing for you?" He offered me. I looked up at him and nodded. He sang the most beautiful love song with all of his heart, and only for me to hear. I smiled as I fell asleep.

When I woke up next, I was back in his room. He must have carried me home while I slept. He was still asleep and our tails were intertwined, keeping me close to him. I had a feeling that he would wake up if I tried to move so I stayed still and held my belly where our baby was growing. I did love Byakuya, I knew that. And I couldn't help but imagine holding our baby for the first time as he had said last night. Tears bubbled to the ceiling. I loved our baby as well.

I sang soft lullabies and gently stroked my belly. Unlike humans, our pregnancies only took about five months. Our child would arrive in no time at all. I yearned for my baby yet I feared birthing. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that my tail was being caressed by Byakuya's or that he was singing with me until his hand fell over my own, startling me.

"See, you are already a good mother." He told me and kissed my temple. I smiled shyly as he held my hand over my belly.

"Rukia, our coronation is today. I…know it is frightening to you, so I only invited some of the nobles from the most important families, and the captains of Seireitei. Is that easier for you?" He asked me worriedly. I smiled up at him and nodded. We talked for a while from topic to topic and eventually ended up mating again before leaving our room. I was sad when I found out that I couldn't go to the surface to see Ichigo again until our baby was safely born. But hopefully he would come and see me before then.

We were announced king and queen of Seireitei and we entertained our guests before retiring for the day.

A week later I received my first visit from Ichigo. He was surprised and a little hurt to know that I was with someone else, but he wished me well and Byakuya assured us that he would keep our secret.

Months later Ichigo decided to become a permanent resident of Seireitei and a soldier for the kingdom. Both he and Renji were lieutenants now.

Our first child was born a few days after the celebrations. We had a beautiful baby boy with one grey eye, like his fathers and one blueish violet like my own. We laughed at how perfect he was as he symbolised the two of us truly becoming one. His fins were a pale pink just like his fathers though and he sported our stubborn bang that we both shared. We named him Sojun, after Byakuya's father.

A year later Ichigo no longer needed our blood to live among us, the years of drinking my blood must have had a more positive affect on him because he just stopped needing it.

Five years later we had our second child, our second son that we named Kiun. He looked more like his father than his elder brother did but he seemed to inherit my love of breaking rules as Byakuya's hair started greying as early as Kiun's second birthday, two years later.

A decade later I fell terribly sick and we were forced to capitalise in the city of Atlantis until I recovered. I never truly did though and our traveling became more and more strenuous until I decided to stay at the main city of Seireitei with Kiun, our second son when I fell pregnant with our third child.

Months later when our daughter, Meiumi was born, Byakuya returned to me and began training Sojun more desperately to succeed him. He worried for my health too much and it began troubling him when he had to leave me for many months at once for work purposes.

In three years, Sojun was crowned the new ruling prince of Seireitei and while he took care of the business his father once did, Byakuya, Kiun and Meiumi stayed at the Seireitei and ruled it peacefully.

Five years later Sojun mated a young mermaid from the Shihoin clan and Kiun had become almost as skilled as his father in battle.

A decade later, tragedy struck. A tsunami devastated the oceans of Agartha and we lost out oldest son, his mate and their first child. Our second son, Kiun took his brothers place as crowned prince and out daughter had eloped with a human artist. We never saw her again and both my own and Byakuya's health started failing us.

Months later we crowned Kiun as the new king of Seireitei after he mated Ichigo's daughter. We retired and lived our lives leisurely, waiting for the day to come where we could dote on our cute grandchildren.

Such a time never happened though because Byakuya and I died together months later from an assassination. We could rest at ease though, because even in death we had each other and we had absolute faith in our son that he would avenge us and lead the next generation into the future with the will he inherited from his father, my inherited kindness, and a heir born from a love that would last forever.