Second fanfic already. Still haven't finished the first, but I kinda loved this idea a lot. It's set in an AU, where Byakuya is a King. Also, it's a ByaIchi story, so people who don't like yaoi might not enjoy this fanfic as much. (If serious fics are not your style, check out my other work titled 'Perfection')

Anyways, it's pretty short because it's the intro, but enjoy!

Five Years Ago-

The rain poured down. It was the most fitting weatherr for the current situation. It was almost like the inside of Byakuya's heart was being reflected in the weather. Prince Kuchiki Byakuya is the crown prince of the Kingdom of Caelum. Well, he was. Now, he wasn't the Prince anymore. He was the King.

*Flashback*

Thousands and thousands of soldiers stormed the Castle of The Kings. It was a surprise attack stealthily taking place at 1:00 in the night. The Caelese soldiers hardly had time to assemble. The General was also not present. It was a wholly one sided battle. What little of the Caelese army had assembled was not nearly enough to launch a decent attack. In no time they all lay dead or injured, blood dripping from their limbs and face, their armor and their pride lying in shattered pieces, as the enemy soldiers ran by and ravaged the Castle, stripping it of its precious ornaments, it's decorations , and its King and Queen. Yes, they murdered the King and Queen in cold blood, while they were sleeping peacefully. The Prince and Princess were to be next, but their plans were foiled by the arrival of the army with its General. They knew they stood no chance against the huge army of Caelum, so they retreated. Not all had escaped, however. The Caelese army had managed to take a few prisoners, but the deed was done. The King and Queen were gone, and no one had the heart to tell the Prince and Princess that. But it had to be done. The General, a young dark skinned woman with purple hair, named Shihoin Yoruichi, was the one designated to give the news to the siblings, seeing as she was the closest to them.

*Flashback ends*

The Princess, Kuchiki Rukia, had locked herself in her room, and was no doubt sobbing her heart out. Byakuya wished that he could do that too. But he couldn't. Being the older sibling, he had to take over the Kingdom, make sure that it didn't collapse. Now that the responsibility was on his shoulders, he didn't want it anymore. All he wanted was to let it all out, these pent up emotions that were gnawing at him from the inside. But no, however much he wanted to, he didn't. Kings don't cry. Kings don't scream and curse and wish to die. At least the rain provided him some much needed refuge, however brief it may be. He kept on staring on staring outside blankly. It would not be true to say that Byakuya only felt sadness at his parents' demise. He also felt seething rage and a searing hatred towards the person who had done it. At the funeral, Byakuya had sworn an oath upon his parents' grave - he would catch the perpetrator, even if it cost him his own life. He had also decided to not open up and let anyone inside his heart, ever. His parents' had been kind, open and considerate, and look where it had gotten them. It's not like Byakuya would be a cruel, monopolising ruler, he would be everything his parents had been, except that, unlike his parents, he would keep his feelings under lock and key. The time to interrogate the prisoners had come, and Byakuya tore his eyes away from the wet world outside and leave for the dungeons, accompanied by his General and a dozen bodyguards. There were prisoners to torture into giving out information, after all. He needed to know who was behind the attack, and he would go to any lengths to get it.

The Dungeons were dark, even in the daytime, and were only lit by some burning torches attached to the wall. The passageway was cramped, and the fourteen people passing through it had to walk in a straight line. It had been designed to be narrow as to slow down groups of prisoners trying to escape. The party walked with somber expressions, wondering what gruesome lengths they would have to go to to extract the needed information. Even the happy-go-lucky General was being serious for once. She understood Byakuya's pain and didn't make any comment and didn't tease him for being down, and she knew he appreciated that. The group reached the cell where the four prisoners were held, and six guards entered, searching the chained prisoners for any hidden weapons. When none were found, the King and the General entered, accompanied by another six guards. The prisoners were all interrogated, but none gave any useful answers. There was no option left now, but torture.

King Kuchiki Byakuya woke up in cold sweat. There it was again. That recurring dream of his. The dream where he saw the Castle being ransacked and his parents being murdered. That dream, that had been haunting him since five years. Yes, ever since his parents' murder, he hasn't slept for a week straight without dreaming up the gory details at least once.

His expression hardened further as he recalled the aftermath of the dream. Even after long days of torture, the prisoners had shown no sign of breaking. They had all died, of course. After a month of straight torture, they had all succumbed to the pain. But before dying, one prisoner had confessed the name of the mastermind behind the murder- Sousuke Aizen. This was, of course, impossible as it was a well known fact that Aizen had been killed in battle. His dead body had been seen by all, there was no mistaking it. Byakuya furrowed his brows, and laid down to sleep. He did fall asleep, but his handsome face was tense and showed no sign of relaxation. It hadn't since five years.

Okaaaaaaay, be honest here and tell me how it was, please? And you can also tell me how you want the story to proceed, it's always interesting to hear your views!

For people wondering where Ichigo is (are there even any?) it's a secret that's going to be revealed if you stick around~