A/N: Hello, again possibly. I thought I should try my luck with this, seeing as it wouldn't leave me alone. I wanted to post this before my extended leave, so hopefully it'll be okay. I've never done AU, but here goes ;)
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Kubo does. I don't own his characters, he does. It's that simple.
…arcane WINTERS © Dia de Luz
Bleach © Tite Kubo…
( Chapter I )
Exordium
... It was a castle amidst barren mountains and plagued pines, whereas the never ending inactivity of frozen Nature reigned in a still lull. Sunless and overcast, it would be too much expected to see much life and vegetation. The relentless cold was bitter and tiring as it paved way of unadulterated white, falling in sheets as it layered upon the vast quietude. It was there, in that unbounded and hushed detachment, that the fires blazed in that stone castle, and the screams of its inhabitants echo throughout the area to this day ...
- From the Diary of Fuyuka Yukibosu
.Centuries Ago.
The castle had never seen anything but snow.
It was just a fact- one idea that had been engraved in stone regarding the marvelous Fuyu Manor for ages. The pines were the only green that would stretch on for miles on end, and the land looked as though it were a never-ending wonderland. The sky was either dark, or clouded- there was no sunshine in the Fuyu Manor.
At the time, nightfall had bestowed on the grand estate; only the faint flicker of candlelight would guide one towards their rightful residence. It was assumed the inhabitants of the castle were all in their dreams, fast asleep and not to be disturbed. Unfortunately, this was where it started.
Naïve assumptions ultimately caused the downfall of the Nobility's stand.
For the head of the House himself was fast awake, sipping at his hot tea in the cold and bitter night. The old Head's balcony was simple and elegant, and provided the privacy he needed, when it was so asked. With his calloused hand, the Fuyu official gripped a small letter, ink scrawled on it so neatly.
War was upon the Fuyu- indigenous, domestic war. Infiltrations of the Fuyu were not uncommon, but to go undetected for so long… It was different. Facing Hollow was different- they were a blatant enemy, and disposed of on sight. But for a furtive mole to be digging so far into the core of the Fuyu- well… it was unheard of.
The end was coming.
The Hollow had mutated with time- they were keen, intellectual, and could fight on equal ground with the Fuyu. And with the mole, the Head only expected conflict. He would protect his people for as long as possible, and he would have to merely overlook the mole Seireitei had placed in his House for now.
Seireitei only wanted one thing, which would inevitably lead to another.
The Fuyu were among the riches of Soul Society- decadent and flourishing with economic stability. Their treasures were unbounded; their means of acquirement were virtually untraceable. But with a mole, the Shinigami had made the perfect move. The Shinigami wanted Fuyu control- their resources, their land, and their cooperation. They wanted the Fuyu to reside in Seireitei peacefully with other Nobility, but the House of Fuyu refused. In turn, the Shinigami turned to Fuyu riches, and were presumably in search for the wonders of the Fuyu.
They needed the location.
The Head sighed, rising from his position on the balcony before turning, sensing the very embers from beneath.
It had started.
Opening the doors to his room, the old Head narrowed his eyes as siege had befallen his very people. The Shinigami were disregarding the fact that the mutated Hollow would sense distress and come attack, with their shrill howling. Almost like wolves.
But the Shinigami wanted riches- they would not get them. They were searching for a map, and their efforts would be in vain. They were searching for something tangible in which they would not find. They would ask each official, possibly even resort to interrogation if they were desperate.
Again, their efforts would be futile.
For only the Head of the Fuyu had the location- the map. And the Head would perish with his people. The Shinigami could try with all their might- they would never get Fuyu wonders with their means of murder and sleuth. And when the siege ended, there would be survivors. Fuyu would live on, and they would rebuild. And the treasures would be passed down once again, but in a different route.
Stepping inside his bedroom, the old Head went straight for the wall, where his brandished sword lay, untouched for ages. The smoke was rising within the castle, but the old Head would finish his ritual, so that the Fuyu could live on. Unsheathing the old sword, the old Head frowned.
Who said the Shinigami residing in Seireitei were the only ones with zanpakutou?
With his actions, the Head could not save his familiars inside the castle, but he could save future Fuyu from the same destruction that had fallen in his time. The words of location would no longer be spoken among Fuyu- but ingrained in each chosen Head in generations to come. The House of Fuyu would fall for the time being, but it would resurface with time, and it would resurface with security.
Each Head would ensure that.
And with his spell, each Head would have their own burden to bear, but for the sake of the Fuyu…
.Two Centuries.
Plum eyes and white hair.
Fuyuka Yukibosu had not just a name, but a prestigious yet condemning title as well. Eccentricity, unfit, misfit- the works of an outcast in a judgmental society. On contrary, it was always said how odd the universe worked- that same eccentricity and 'bad nut' was sentenced as the next heir to the House of Fuyu.
The girl was a thin thing, but worked in the kitchens in any spare time that she came across. The girl lived in Fuyu Manor, a castle in the sky, yet labored as if she earned her keep. The next heir had never quite fit in, going as far as wearing tanned trousers and loose-fitting cotton shirts in the biting outdoors.
Some said she was a walking contradiction. That said, it was assumed not many were privy to understanding the young heir, as many regarded her in the utmost contempt at her childish activities. Her behavior simply wasn't proper in the inhabitants' eyes, nor were Fuyuka's various entertainments relevant in regards to her studies as the next heir of the House of Fuyu.
The patrons of the main branch of the House of Fuyu were easy to depict in the general sense- the same alabaster white hair, piercing turquoise eyes, and the flawless, waxen skin that glittered in the many portraits adorning the manor's various corridors. Fuyuka Yukibosu had inherited these classic and elegant Fuyu traits, save for her light, plum eyes.
Those eyes, ashen mauve and as big as they come, had condemned the girl as soon as she was conceived.
How was it that an outlandish girl with ashen mauve eyes would soon head one of the most prestigious Nobility in all of Soul Society?
Easy- Fate, my dear.
Thoughts, please!
Review!
