A/N: The other day I was thinking, what would Bleach be like if it were a shoujo manga, and BAM! that thought spawned a whole new plot bunny which would not leave me alone until I wrote it down. So yeah, that's how this fic was born. Also, I've always been fascinated by the princess & protector theme around IchiHime and I wanted to explore that.
This is an AU. However it is set in the same world as Bleach, just the characters' circumstances and motivations are a bit different. I hope it doesn't get too confusing ^^;
And beware of clichés and star-crossed lovers and forbidden romances (if that merits a warning)
On to the story :D
oOo
prologue
a casual indiscretion
He wasn't supposed to be here, he knew it. Curiosity can be a dangerous companion to a thirst for adventure. He couldn't resist the silent challenge, especially since there was that part of him that constantly tried to rebel.
So he hid behind a tree and watched.
The palanquin was elaborate and ceremonious. It was crimson with intricate, embroidered patterns in gold. Golden drapes hung along the gaps in the palanquin, hiding everything in it from the view of the outside world. Masked men stood at four corners, hoisting and carrying the palanquin over their shoulders. They were led by several musicians and dancers, singing and dancing to unfamiliar tunes. At the back were several soldiers clothed in red, carrying swords which looked like Zanpakuto. The Royal Guard.
They were all certainly making a lot of noise, considering that this was supposed to be a discreet affair.
As the procession came closer, he hid himself further from view. He observed them with wide brown eyes, wondering what was inside the palanquin. What was so precious that it required so much ceremony and protection at the same time?
He brushed away a lock of orange hair and rubbed his eyes. If only he could get a better view…
It happened for fleeting moments. The drapes of the palanquin withdrew the slightest. He caught sight of a pale hand and a flash of auburn hair before realizing that it was a person inside the palanquin, not a thing.
Not just a person, a girl.
The drapes withdrew further. He gasped, catching sight of the heart-shaped face framed by flowing auburn hair. Beautiful grey eyes locked in on his own and he nearly cursed out loud in shock.
She had seen him. He was caught.
He turned around and shielded himself completely from view. He kept his eyes shut tightly, expecting the Royal Guard to find and attack him any moment.
But the moment didn't come.
Hearing the sounds fade, he slowly peered out from his hiding place. The drapes of the palanquin were back to being firmly shut. He let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps whoever had been in there hadn't actually seen him.
He watched as the procession moved away gradually. He considered following them, but decided against it. The risk was too much; the Royal Guards were never to be underestimated.
His eyes flickered to the palanquin again. Who was that girl? Was that…the Princess…?
The fleeting glimpse of her beauty had been quite enticing. He wondered if he would ever see her again... and immediately scoffed at himself for imagining such a thing.
Get a grip Ichigo…she's way out of your league.
oOo
chapter one
a touch of destiny
Kurosaki Ichigo was bored.
Not that it mattered. In fact, Ichigo being bored meant all was well in Soul Society and that, according to some people, was a good thing.
A good fight was hard to come by these days. Things had become so bad that Ichigo had to barely draw his sword before Hollows would shrivel up and disintegrate. Rukia said it was his fault because his reiatsu was so insanely powerful that the creatures couldn't even stand facing it. Ichigo, however, firmly believed that Hollows were starting to lose their touch.
He walked silently along the streets of Seireitei, Zangetsu hung across his back. Even the streets were quiet that day and under the afternoon sun, he found himself feeling drowsy.
He had considered heading over to the 6th division and starting a fight with Renji just to get out of his stupor. However, the ensuing cold glare and deride he was sure to get from Captain I-am-better-than-thou had been the only thing that had made him decide against it. Kuchiki Byakuya resented Ichigo's presence in the Gotei 13 as it was.
Bet that bastard is just pissed off that I beat him at Shunpo. Ichigo smirked at the memory.
"Kurosaki-taichou! Kurosaki-taichou!" A short, vivacious young brunette came running from behind and stopped in front of him.
Ichigo gave his 3rd seat a questioning look. "What is it Kiyone?"
She opened her mouth to answer but was stopped by a rude shove. "I was supposed to relay the message, not you, squirt!" yelled Ichigo's other 3rd seat, Kotsubaki Sentaro.
"I didn't here her mentioning your name you big gorilla!" Kiyone shrieked back.
"Who're you calling a gorilla?"
"Who're you calling a squirt?"
Ichigo sighed. Here we go again. Ichigo was feeling quite restless from the recent lack of fighting and the bickering between these two wasn't helping matters. His patience was starting to wear thin. His eyes closed and his eyebrow twitched.
"Enough, you two!" he yelled in his most authoritative voice.
It worked. They stopped quarreling immediately and straightened up, looking alarmed at Ichigo's sudden display of annoyance.
Kiyone bowed. "I apologize, Kurosaki-taichou! Kuchiki-fukutaichou told me to-" she yelped when Sentaro elbowed her, "told us" she corrected, throwing him a dirty glare, "told us to ask you to go to the 13th division headquarters. She wants to see you immediately," she finished with a flourish.
"Immediately?" Ichigo frowned.
Both Kiyone and Sentaro nodded fervently.
Ichigo grinned. If Rukia wanted to see him "immediately", something was definitely up. Something that could finally be a respite from his boredom. He nodded at his third seats. "Right then, I'll be off. Thanks Kiyone, Sentaro."
Ichigo didn't wait for a response as he sped off in Shunpo.
Kiyone stared at the spot where their captain had been standing moments ago. "Our taichou…isn't he awesome?" her eyes were shining in blind adoration.
"So young and yet so powerful! We're lucky to have him," Sentaro agreed, the look in his eyes mirroring Kiyone's.
oOo
When Ichigo found Rukia, he walked over to her and flicked her on the forehead.
"Ow!" Rukia looked up from the book she was reading and frowned in irritation, "What was that for?"
Ichigo sneered. "As the fukutaichou, you're supposed to come and find your taichou, not the other way round." He crossed his arms and grinned smugly. They were standing in his office, which was quite sparse, save for the odd piece of furniture lying here and there.
Rukia rolled her eyes. "And as the captain of the 13th division, you're supposed to stay inside your division's headquarters, not roaming about Seireitei neglecting your duties," she scolded, poking him in the chest.
The orange-haired Shinigami plunked himself on the futon. "And what are these duties that you talk about, apart from signing boring paperwork?" he gestured with his hands.
"Well, for starters, a Hell Butterfly just came in for you with a message from the Sotaichou," Rukia said matter-of-factly.
Ichigo groaned. "Shit, not another Captain's meeting! If I'm forced to suffer through another minute of the old man's drivel, I'm gonna qui-"
"It's not a Captain's meeting," Rukia interrupted, "Sotaichou wants to see you… personally."
Ichigo gave her a puzzled look. "Personally? As in alone?"
"No personally, as in front of entire Soul Society," Rukia huffed. "Of course alone, you slow idiot! How you became a Captain is just beyond me!" she resignedly shook her head.
"Hey, I can court-martial you for that…insulting your senior officer," Ichigo teased.
"Like anyone would take your word over mine," Rukia gave him a sweet smile. "You know, right now you should just focus on why the Sotaichou wants to see you."
Brown eyes narrowed. "I bet your beloved brother-in-law would have something to do with it. He's been giving me the evil eye since I became Captain."
Rukia waved an arm dismissively. "Nii-sama wouldn't do such petty things like complaining. Stop making up stories about him. I swear, you can be just as bad as Renji some-"
The rest of her words were drowned by a sudden flurry of footfalls as three dark figures landed right in front of Ichigo. The orange-haired captain nearly jumped off his seat in surprise. "What the-?"
"Secret Ops?" Rukia gasped.
Ichigo gaped at the three figures dressed completely in the black standard uniform of the Onmitsukido…the Secret Operations squad. "What is it?" he asked after recovering from his shock.
"Kurosaki Ichigo, Captain of the 13th division," one of them spoke in a monotonous voice.
Ichigo stood up. "Yeah, that would be me."
"Did you not receive the message through the Hell Butterfly?"
Ichigo scratched his head. "Uh…yeah…I was just about to go…"
The guard didn't wait for him to finish. "You have been summoned immediately by the Sotaichou, Yamamoto Genryusai. We are to escort you to him. You are to come alone."
Ichigo met Rukia's bewildered gaze. "Escort me? I can go alone," he protested.
The figure shook its head. "We are to escort you as per the Sotaichou's orders. You are to come immediately."
"What's the matter? Is Ichigo in trouble?" Rukia asked concernedly.
"We are forbidden to speak of the matter," came the deadpan reply.
Ichigo's gaze flickered from them to Rukia. She shrugged at him and shook her head, amethyst eyes wide in bemusement. Ichigo frowned at the Secret Ops guards, brown eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What the hell is going on?"
oOo
Ichigo had died when he was only 15, due to a freak accident, which he later found out had been because of a Hollow. His soul had escaped the Hollow which had killed him, but he was a sitting target for several others.
He had been this close to being turned into a Hollow himself before a Shinigami named Kuchiki Rukia had cleansed his soul and sent him to Soul Society.
Rukongai was his first home in Soul Society. He roamed about the streets like all other souls, looking for a familiar face in the crowd. However, for some reason the people of Rukongai were wary of him, some even feared him. Perhaps it had been because of his strong reiatsu which tended to leak out and overwhelm people around him. Or perhaps it had been because of other reasons he tried not to venture into. Either way, he didn't feel at home in Rukongai. He wanted out. That, and the unbearable pangs of hunger were the main reasons why he enrolled in the Shinigami Academy.
His rise after that had been dizzyingly fast. Not only did he graduate from school within a short span of time rivaled only by Ichimaru Gin's, he replaced Madarame Ikkaku as the 3rd seat of the 11th division, much to the chagrin of the bald Shinigami.
5 years later, Ukitake Joushirou resigned from his post as Captain of the 13th division, citing ill-health as the reason. Zaraki Kenpachi himself submitted Ichigo's candidature for the post days later, leaving the entire Gotei 13 quite shocked.
One captain's proficiency test later, Ichigo was being welcomed in to the Gotei 13 as the new Captain of the 13th division. Well, not exactly welcomed. Kuchiki Byakuya certainly wasn't pleased by the development. Komamura Sajin didn't seem too convinced about Ichigo's ability either and SoiFon made a point to throw glances of contempt at him every now and then.
Ichigo couldn't care less though. He was Captain of the 13th division now, and he repeatedly rubbed the fact in Rukia's face, mocking her for being his subordinate when she'd become a Shinigami 50 years before he had. It usually ended with him hunching over in pain from a kick to the shins.
He'd remembered to send a thank you note attached to a barrel of milk to Shihouin Yoruichi after becoming captain. The former leader of the Secret Ops had been the one to train him in secret to achieve Bankai in such a short time.
This was 40 years back and now there were very few in the Gotei 13 who doubted Ichigo. His entire squad, which had initially been disdainful towards him, had grown fiercely loyal to him over time. Everyone in Soul Society knew and respected (some grudgingly) the loud-mouthed captain with orange hair and the huge sword.
However, that didn't mean he was without his share of enemies, or people who were wary and even scared of him.
Probably the reason why I'm here right now.
Donned in his black Shinigami robes and Captain's haori, he now stood in front of the 1st division chambers. The three guards who had escorted him bowed and left in a flash before the doors to the chamber started to open slowly.
"Come in Captain of the 13th division, Kurosaki Ichigo," came the powerful voice of the Sotaicho Yamamoto.
Ichigo entered and gave a short salute. "You summoned me, old man?"
Yamamoto's eyebrow twitched at the informal gesture, but didn't comment on it. He was well past the point of trying to teach Ichigo how to show respect to his seniors. "Indeed. There is a matter of utmost importance that I wish to discuss with you."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "So that's the reason for all the fanfare? I don't need the Secret Ops to show me the way to the 1st division, you know." He grinned.
"You were asked to report to me immediately, which you didn't," Yamamoto's tone was impatient, "so I sent the Secret Ops to fetch you."
Sensing the edginess to the Sotaicho's words, Ichigo's grin faltered. "I…um…wasn't in my office when the Hell Butterfly came with the message."
"I see," Yamamoto said tersely, "the Hell Butterfly was sent to your office because the matter at hand is to be kept discreet. How many people know you're here?"
Ichigo frowned. "Uh…just Rukia."
Yamamoto nodded. "I see." He tapped his stick on the ground and the doors behind Ichigo slammed shut. "Hikifune Kirio, you may reveal your presence now."
Ichigo made a sound of surprise as a figure stepped out of the shadows and stood beside the Sotaicho. It was a woman, her long, dark hair tied back in a long braid. Her features were soft and she stood with elegance and poise. Ichigo was strongly reminded of Unohana-taichou, except that this woman was dressed completely in red, tight-fitting clothes. She also wore a golden armband with a strange insignia engraved on it.
"Captain of the 13th division, Kurosaki Ichigo. Is this the man you wanted, Hikifune Kirio?" Yamamoto's voice rang through the chamber again.
Hikifune smiled enigmatically, looking straight at Ichigo. "Indeed. This is the man." She slowly approached the orange-haired captain, while he watched her with suspicious eyes. "Kurosaki Ichigo," she placed one hand on his shoulder. "How do you feel about being part of the Royal Guard?"
tbc
A/N: That's all for now ^^ As you can see, a part of this story is going to be set in the Royal Realm and since we don't know much about the Royal Realm/Guard, I'm going to take some liberties in that regard, as in how the Royal Guard is selected, their rules and customs and so on. Oh, and for those who may not have noticed, Hikifune Kirio is a canon character. She was the 12th division captain before Urahara until she joined the Royal Guard (ref: TBTP arc)
I'm not too sure about the rating though. I might turn this into a lemon. But it depends on how the story turns out. I only have the basic plot in mind right now.
Anywho, I'd love to hear what you guys thought. Feedback keeps me going ^_^