Yo people!

So, this is a tryout fic, as I have never done an AU before. I may continue... maybe....

Anyways, tell me if you want me to continue, constructive criticism is welcome as I too agree that I could work on a lot of stuff.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN BLEACH

Enjoy!

Rukia's POV

I awoke in the morning shivering feverously. Quickly my eyes darted to the window. Closed. The fireplace was on too, so why was I freezing? There was a horrible feeling in my stomach. Something bad was going to happen today, there was no doubt. I settled back into my pillows, considering calling for Isane, but decided against it.

There was nothing wrong with me, so it would be pointless. A trip to the stables would definitely get rid of this feeling.

I'd always loved animals, and they'd always loved me. In fact I'd had squirrels, birds, foxes, and who-knows-what-else following me everywhere throughout the halls of our residence. Byakuya disapproved of course, but he couldn't really do anything to get rid of them. They just kept coming, following me hoping for a stroke or treat. They loved me, sometimes annoyingly so, but what can I say? I loved them too.

There was one in particular I prized though.

I breathed in the fresh scent of the stables in satisfaction. This was the only place in the residence that I could let myself go, not having to worry about the way I held myself and spoke, not having to worry about manners, hell, not having to worry about being a Kuchiki.

A grin broke out across my face as a trill 'neigh' rang through the air, melody to my ears. I ran past the stalls, ignoring the faces of the purebred stallions that eyed me curiously. Finally, I reached her, the only mare of the stables.

"Shirayuki!" I cried, laughing as she trotted up to me, muzzling my ear.

I saw her everyday, and yet she still took my breath away.

She was beautiful, she was perfect, she was everything you could ask for in both a horse and friend, and she was mine.

I stroked her pure white body, combing my fingers through her mane.

"How did you sleep girl?" I whispered into her ear, staring at her beautiful ice-blue eyes.

"Quite fine Milady." She answered me, her smooth voice echoing in my mind.

Oh, that was another thing. I was a Whisperer; a person Gifted with the ability to communicate with and sense animals… any animal. I guess that's why they followed me around so much. It was a wonderful Gift, to be able to actually hear the voice of the animal you love as your sister.

Unfortunately, in this kingdom, Gifts were more like curses.

Long ago, when the lands were still at peace, Spirit-Wielders, the most powerful of the Gifted, guarded the people from harm. Whether it was a maniac killer, a dangerous Mythical, or simply a man who spilled blood unnecessarily, the Spirit-Wielders were always there to protect the innocent with their lives.

Unlike most Gifts, the Gift of a Spirit-Wielder was not a Gift that a person inherited or was born with. The Gift to wield a spirit had to be given by a spirit or creature that was willing to infinitely devote and bind itself to a person who was worthy of becoming their wielder.

And so, it was rare for one to become a Spirit-Wielder, and even rarer to find a strong one, but where there was a Spirit-Wielder, there was a loyal protector.

Sadly, that was their greatest downfall.

The son of the greatest Spirit-Wielder was born with the Gift of Twisting, a very dangerous Gift. His Gift allowed him to twist the minds of any soul, bending their will to do as he commanded.

He was a prodigy, and more than anything, he desired to protect. His longing was so great that when he found a dying demon left in the forest, he did not hesitate to revive it. By doing so, he earned the demon's devotion. The demon opened his soul, and so the man became a Spirit-Wielder, but not a normal one.

Since the demon soul he'd absorbed had been tainted with pure and permanent sin, he too gained the blood lust and poison in his soul. He went crazy, eventually succumbing to darkness within. As his soul died, it left the demon free of its binding to its master.

It took over its master's body, and with the body, the demon gained his master's Gift of Twisting.

Now, not only did the demon have a human body and Gift, it had its own abilities. Its greatest one was releasing a disease that could turn even the brightest souls black and contaminated. A disease that turned souls into what we now call Reapers.

As you can imagine, the Spirit-Wielders knew of this great threat and so all of them were gathered and sent to kill it.

Alas, they were no match. The demon Twisted and broke their will, then injected its venom into their systems. Horror was released. The Spirit-Wielders, the strongest of the kingdoms, had become Reapers. They wreaked havoc upon the lands, spreading their disease and devouring souls. It seemed that the world had become Hell in itself. There was no peace or love, only fear and malice. Yet still, in the midst of the darkness, a scientist came to a conclusion. He found that the disease could only affect the Gifted, not the normal humans.

So, with new hope, the scientist, being a normal human, set off to kill the demon, leaving his wife to spread the news of his discovery to those willing to listen.

His word stretched across the land and the people, driven by rage, overtook the demon and most of the Reapers in a gigantic war. The surviving Reapers fled across the land, hiding in forests and abandoned places where they could gather their forces and one day rise up against humanity again.

Humans are not stupid though. A group of 46 normal humans who were the greatest fighters and supposedly 'wisest' of the people, took charge of all the lands and called themselves The Order. They proclaimed that all Gifted were to be executed, so to prevent the Reapers' population from increasing.

The Order still lives on today, and Gifted are hunted down everyday and sentenced to death.

I am Gifted. But Fate smiled upon me, as my brother is Byakuya Kuchiki, the ruler of the West Kingdom. Byakuya knows my secret and has managed to keep me safe, but he has also warned me that if I were to be found out, he would be forced to treat me as any other Gifted.

I grinned upon hearing Shirayuki's voice, it was not often that I was left alone in the stables and here I could use my Gift freely and without hesitation.

"Did the stallions bother you at all?" I asked, smirking as she snorted, obviously annoyed.

"Milady, you know as well as I that those… those mules… will never stop bothering me. They're as persistent as ticks!"

I laughed then asked for her permission to ride.

Before long, I was feeling the wind comb my hair back as we raced across countryside towards the village. The sun was shining brightly today, and I smiled as I felt the warm rays hit my cheeks.

I threw my hood up, shadowing my face so people would treat me as an equal, not royalty. Byakuya had said that it was better to avoid drawing attention to myself.

As we passed through the village gates, a sudden and loud cheer rose up. The shops looked empty, and the streets were deserted. The trill cheer rang through the path again, this time sounding louder and more… vicious.

Wanting to find out what had aroused a crowd, I coaxed Shirayuki to go faster.

We soon reached the scene, and what I saw made my blood run cold.

A large crowd was gathered around a platform on which a girl was chained.

She had beautiful, long orange hair held back by flower-shaped hairpins. Her face was smudged with dirt, but anyone could tell that under that grime was a face of pure innocence. She was sobbing, tears leaking out of her grey eyes, and she seemed to be whispering something under her breath.

Guards surrounded the platform, their hands hanging loosely on their weapons.

"Ms. Orihime Inoue," the high-pitched voice of the announcer echoed through the crowd, "Has been hereby charged of refusing to obey the rules of The Order. Her kind is a danger to our people, and by avoiding The Order; she has put those around and with her at risk. By the first and greatest rule of The Order, Orihime Inoue shall be put to death!"

The crowd gave another shout and many people jeered. They fell silent as the announcer raised his hand.

"Let this be an example to all Gifted. You cannot avoid The Order, and eventually, each and every one of you shall fall and perish! Orihime Inoue, do you have any last words?"

The girl, Orihime, sobbed then whispered something sorrowfully while tears continued to pour out of her eyes.

"Kurosaki-kun!" she screeched, her call sounding throughout the whole village.

I clenched my fists so tight that my fingernails cut into my palms. It was torture; seeing someone innocent be killed for something she had no control over. Knowing that you could just as well suffer the same fate.

Upon hearing the name fall from her lips, Shirayuki shuddered.

The name she had shouted played itself across my mind. I tightened my hold on Shirayuki.

"Do you know who she speaks of?" I asked softly.

"I have heard stories Milady." She said almost… guiltily?

I reeled back in shock. Shirayuki had heard of this man? I was abut to ask her more questions, but stopped as the executioner stepped onto the platform.

"To cleanse her of all disease she may have caught, the executioner will pierce her in the middle of her heart, the source of her life-force. Her blood and body shall be thrown to rot in the forest with all the others of her kind. She shall return to the Hell she belongs in."

I watched, horrified as the executioner drew a blood-crusted sword. Carefully, he rested its tip on her chest, smiling wickedly.

"Kurosaki-kun, Kurosaki-kun, KUROSAKI-KUN!" she screamed.

"Decay in Hell princess." He hissed then he drew the sword back, and thrust it forward.

It never met its mark.

The executioner dropped the sword as he clutched his chest. The audience shrieked in shock as they saw the blood now pouring out of the man.

Orihime looked shocked too, and even more when her chains shattered.

What happened next almost made me faint.

A wolf, bigger than most and looking very, very ticked off, jumped in front of Orihime, snarling.

It had pitch-black fur and golden eyes that seemed to glow with rage, but what caught my attention was the long ropey scar that curled around its front left leg. The scar was a deep shade of scarlet red, and that wasn't all. It was shaped exactly, and I mean exactly, like a hissing snake.

The crowd screamed running in all directions shouting things like, "A demon is upon us!" or "Reaper!"

Guards charged towards the beast, surrounding it and drawing their weapons. These were Byakuya's castle guards, and they were the best fighters in the kingdom. Immediately, they closed in on the wolf, shoving their swords forward.I knew that the creature was going to die, there was no way the wolf could dodge all of them at once.

I was wrong.

Growling, it seemed to disappear then reappear shortly outside the circle. The guards looked surprised and took a few moments to regain their composure.

That gave the wolf enough time to do what it had come here to do.

It swiftly sprinted up to Orihime and placed its back against her.

Orihime seemed to have recovered from her shock, as she jumped onto it without hesitation.

"Santen Kesshun I reject!" she cried, and I gazed at her, amazed.

A transparent, triangular shield now protected both her and the wolf from a volley of arrows and spears thrown at them. It was quite clear that they were going to get away if the guards didn't think of something soon.

It was not often that a person (or thing) would attempt to free a doomed Gifted, and I didn't want to miss any of the action.

"Follow them Shirayuki." I commanded her, and she obeyed, taking off at a rapid gallop.

The wolf was jumping from roof to roof, overcoming gaps that shouldn't have been possible to jump over. It was obvious that this was no ordinary creature, that much I knew.

As we followed them, I could sense another animal was coming, a powerful animal.

My theory proved right as I suddenly felt gusts of wind tassel my hair. The sound of flapping was heard above me and as I raised my head up to see what was going on in the sky, my heart sunk.

There, its eyes focused on its prey, was a Griffin, one of the strongest Mythicals to be tamed.

The wolf was never going to make it, not with the girl on its back.

I suddenly realized that I could help them. I could help the girl escape by taking her to the palace, but should I? Was it worth the risk? I mean, I could die… Shirayuki could die. And yet, everything inside me was screaming at me to help them, to stop dawdling and save an innocent life. It was a matter of heart or mind. Well, Hisana had always told me that although the mind was the source of logic, the heart always knew what was right.

"Look up!" I screamed at them.

"Kurosaki! Throw the girl here!" I heard Shirayuki cry. Wait, that wolf was Kurosaki?!

Um, I guess, Kurosaki snapped his head towards us then up. As soon as he locked eyes with the griffin, it charged.

"Take her! I'll hold them off long enough for you to get away!" He shouted, then threw a shrieking Orihime off his back and towards us.

What an idiot! How did he expect us to catch a live person?! Shirayuki didn't think though, she just swerved right under the falling girl. Leaving me to not-so-gracefully catch Orihime and shove her behind me.

"KUROSAKI-KUN!" she screamed, madly struggling against against my hold.

Okay, she was really getting on my nerves now. She was going to end up getting all of us killed if she kept on screaming like that! I looked back, my eyes widening.

The shield had shattered and Kurosaki had somehow launched himself onto the Griffin, ripping and tearing all flesh he could reach. He was killing the Griffin, THE Griffin!

I screamed at Shirayuki to go faster as I saw what looked to be a group of at least thirty soldiers mounted on horses catching up to us.

There could be no mistake, the wolf, however strong he was, couldn't take out an army of mounted soldiers and protect us at the same time.

I heard Shirayuki's labored breath and felt the sweat coming off of her. Still, she somehow kept running at amazing wasn't enough though, as I saw what looked like hundreds of arrows shoot towards us.

This was the end. Byakuya would be furious, but I knew what I'd done had been right. I closed my eyes and bent over Shirayuki.

"Thanks girl." I murmured, and waited for the arrows to meet their mark.

Shirayuki stopped suddenly and I knew she had probably accepted her Fate too.

"Why! Why the hell would you do that!" She screamed. I gasped in surprise, Shirayuki had never in her life sounded so angry. Wait… we were still alive?

I snapped my eyes open and cried out in shock.

Kurosaki was standing in front of us protectively and he… he looked sad. There was blood everywhere coming from… him. He'd taken the arrows, all of them, to protect us.

"What are you doing you dumb donkey!" He gasped in pain, "GO!"

I felt Shirayuki stiffen underneath me, then she reluctantly turned away and took off at a sprint that would make a racing stallion cry in defeat.

"The stables Shirayuki!" I cried, "They'll never expect us to enter the palace!"

"Yes Milady." She whispered silently, then took a sharp turn at the cross-path to lose our pursuers.

I felt wet tears soak through my cloak as Orihime wept against me.

Shirayuki was distressing too. Why? She barely knew Kurosaki, heck, she didn't know him at all. And why did I too feel the urge to go back to him? I looked back, expecting to see a hoard of soldiers chasing us, but the street was deserted. I felt a small bead of hope at the prospect of the guards turning away after they saw what the wolf had done. But that washed away as shouts and cries of pain reached my ears. That meant only one thing; Kurosaki, with tons of arrows stuck in his flesh, was holding all the guards off.

"Milady," Shirayuki's voice broke through my thoughts. "We are here."

I jumped off her, hastily pulling a bawling Orihime off my horse's back. Shirayuki looked at me worriedly, watching us as we crept out of the stables. Orihime seemed to be drowning in her own tears, resisting as I attempted to drag her out the entrance-way.

"Orihime!" I practically shouted at her, "Snap to it girl!"

I pulled my hood up so that my violet eyes were visible. That was how everyone knew me in the kingdom. I was Rukia Kuchiki, the violet-eyed girl.

Orihime's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as she took in my appearance, then she broke down, sobbing even louder.

"I-it was a t-trap!" she howled, "N-now I'm g-gonna die!"

"Orihime!" I cried, annoyed, then my temper ran out. I slapped her. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I, Lady Rukia Kuchiki, slapped Orihime Inoue. Hard.

She stared at the ground in shock for a few moments, then raised her wide eyes too me.

I knelt down slowly, and whispered in her ear.

"Listen Orihime, I hate to say this, but Kurosaki's probably dead right now because of us. He did it to save our lives Orihime, and you're not really making an effort to preserve what he fought for. Also, did you really, honestly think that I would go to all the trouble of escaping from an army with you if I was just going to hand you over?"

That shut her up.

I unbuttoned my cloak then gestured for her to wear it. She threw it on, then pulled the hood over her face. My cloak was way too small, but as long as no one could recognize her, I was satisfied. We marched up the stairs, not one person paying attention to us except to maybe bow or acknowledge me. As the door to my room came into view, I almost collapsed with relief.

Well, it turns out I didn't collapse with relief, cause my relief was gone the minute I heard brisk footsteps and the sound of my brothers voice rounding the corner at the end of the hall.

Frantically, I threw the door to my room open, and before Orihime could even squeak, I shoved her inside then slammed the door in her face.

Ya, I know I'm being mean to her, but if the choice were between getting bullied by a princess, or getting executed for being born, what would you choose?

Byakuya was standing in the middle of the hall and staring directly at me, as if searching for something. That wasn't the only thing that made me tremble in fear though. He was standing with the man that made me want to throw up every time I even glimpsed him. Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the scientist well known throughout all four of the kingdoms, was here, and as he gazed at me, I couldn't even imagine all the thoughts going through his head.

"Rukia," Byakuya stated in his emotionless voice, "You were in the village today right? Did anything unusual happen?"

Yes.

"No Nii-sama. All I know is that a Gifted girl was to be executed today, so I avoided the village and rode Shirayuki across the countryside instead." I said quietly, looking at everything but the two men in front of me.

"Very well Rukia." He said, silently giving me the I'm-going-to-expect-a-few-answers-later look. Then they both strode off, Mayuri saying something about a practically dead wolf killing an army and surviving.

Wait… did he just say what I think he said?

I hurried after them keeping to the shadows and listening to their conversation.

"I've never heard of such a thing happening." My brother was saying, narrowing his eyes at the scientist.

"I am not stupid Kuchiki. Your guards returned dragging that creature and saying that it had killed forty-four guards and a Griffin. Do not deny it Kuchiki, you have that creature in your dungeons right now. Let me see it." Mayuri hissed, killing intent dripping off every word.

"What happens in this kingdom is not to be of your concern Kurotsuchi. Now I suggest you leave this affair to me and return to your original duties." The cold voice of Byakuya echoed through the halls.

Mayuri stomped off, grumbling angrily.

"You can come out now Rukia." My brother called and I gulped.

Why does he seem to know everything?! I stepped out and avoided his gaze.

This was not going to be pretty.

"Rukia," he stated, looking distressed, "I shall talk to you tomorrow when matters are less hectic." And with that, he turned and paced down the stairs.

Right, that wasn't that bad I guess. Or maybe it was. Geez, I'm seriously not in the right state of mind right now!

I leaned against the wall, mulling over what I'd heard.

First, Kurosaki had somehow managed to take down an army and survive.

Second, he was currently slowly dying in my brother's dungeons.

And finally, Mayuri wanted him.

Slowly I walked back to my room. Should I tell Orihime? Or ask her some questions first?

No, I couldn't do either of the two yet. I needed to see the truth with my own eyes before I could tell Orihime anything.

I practically sprinted down the stairs leading to the dungeon. What if he was dying this very instant?!

The prison-guard was about to halt me, but I stared at him directly, and immediately seeing who I was, he stopped and instead bowed.

"What can I do for you Lady Kuchiki?" said humbly, still bent over.

"May I ask where your most recently caught prisoner is?" I said in my sweetest voice, willing him to answer me.

"The wolf you mean? Oh, he's at the farthest cell to the right. Hasn't got much time left if you ask me." He answered, mumbling the last part.

I thanked him, then hurried past all the cells, looking into each one of them in case the guard had been mistaken. Most of the cells were empty, and the ones that were full housed bearded grimy men or Mythicals, all looking like they were in another world.

As I neared the end of the hall, The smell of fresh blood entered my nose.

The guard had not been mistaken.

I stopped at the cell. The farthest cell on the right, that's what he'd said.

But what I saw was not what I had been expecting.

Sitting against the wall with his eyes closed was a vibrantly orange-haired teenage boy who, like Orihime, looked to be the same age as me. He wore a long, black cloak that was ragged and shredded at the ends with baggy black pants.

What astonished me even more was the many arrows and wounds decorating his body. His breathing was ragged and his face was unnaturally pale. Blood spilled over the floor, painting it red.

"What did you do with the wolf?" I asked, horrified.

He opened one amber eye at me then closed it and ignored what I had just said.

"Are you even listening to me!" I screamed at him, "Who are you?"

He just smiled, keeping his eyes closed, and said weakly,

"My name's Ichigo. Ichigo Kurosaki."

Wooh! Okay, so overall I think I did okay on this. I apologize if the characters seem OOC (especially Rukia), but I promise in future chapters (if I continue...) they'll definitely get back into their characters. I think that the story went a bit too fast for my taste, but its your job to tell me... Oh, and there's a reason Shirayuki's a horse. She'll play a key part in Rukia's future, and just so you know, I'm going to ignore the Zanpakto (sorry if I spelled it wrong) Ark, 'cause I wanna twist her personality to fit my story.