Hello everyone! Here's my first chapter-fic! I'm really excited and nervous at the same time. I'm going to try and update this story every week, but no guarantees!
So I've been trying to get the first chapter out for a couple of days now, but I'm not really satisfied with it. I hope it's still enjoyable to read! Remember to review afterwards, please. (:
Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach c:
"Stop it Ichi-nii! I don't need a babysitter to look after me!" Karin shouted out angrily. "I am perfectly capable of looking out after myself, thank you very much."
Ichigo sighed. "Look Karin. I know that you're more than capable of looking out after yourself. But we're in a war! We're getting you a bodyguard, not a babysitter. He's not going to interfere with your daily activities or anything. He's just there to make sure you're safe!" Ichigo replied wearily. He'd had this argument with his younger sister countless times already, and he was growing tired of it. "Why can't you be less stubborn? Yuzu was perfectly content with getting a bodyguard."
"Yuzu and I are completely different people!" Karin exploded. Karin's younger twin sister was certainly different from her; they contrasted like day and night. While Karin had straight midnight-black hair which ran to her mid-back, Yuzu had curly, sunshine-coloured hair which came to her lower back. Karin had a pale complexion (despite how often she was outside) and sparkling grey eyes; Yuzu on the other hand was slightly tanner, with warm, honey-coloured eyes. Even their personalities differed greatly. Karin was outgoing, loud, and rude (which is very unbefitting for someone of her status), while Yuzu was sweet, kind, and quiet. Despite their differences though, the two twins were extremely close.
Ichigo sighed again. Why was his younger sister so opposed to having someone protect her? Of course, he already knew the answer to his question. Karin was a lot like him. She didn't want to be protected; she wanted to do the protecting. She wanted to be strong. Ichigo absent-mindedly ran his hand through his spiky orange hair as he pondered how he could change her mind. Truth be told, Karin didn't really need a bodyguard (she could pack quite a mean punch). But the fact that they were in a war remained unchanged. No matter how strong she was, she was still only a 16-year old girl, who could easily be used as bait by the opposing side. And there was no way in hell that Ichigo would let one of his baby sisters get injured.
Karin continued to stand in front of Ichigo, her face set with a frown. Her arms were crossed over her chest (believe it or not, Karin had gained herself a nice set of curves) as she tapped her foot impatiently. Her raven hair was blowing about slightly, as the gentle breeze blew past the two.
Ichigo tried a different approach. "Look, I'm not saying that you need a bodyguard. But it would relieve me and Oyaji when we're on the battlefield, knowing that you're safe. So please, would you accept the bodyguard, for us?" Ichigo pleaded.
Karin stopped tapping her foot and she looked up sharply. Ichigo couldn't read the look in her eyes, but he could tell she was thinking over what he just said. After all, despite how violent she could be with her brother and father, she truly cared for them. After the incident over a year ago with Kurosaki Masaki, the Kurosaki family had become a lot closer.
"...Fine," Karin replied under her breath. When she saw Ichigo starting to grin, she quickly glared at him and continued. "But only so that you two won't end up worrying about me on the battlefield. That would only result in you two getting yourselves killed. Don't think for a moment that I'll be courteous to this bodyguard!"
With that, Karin spun sharply on her heel and exited the castle's garden.
The Kurosaki family was a royal family that ruled over the kingdom of Karakura. Kurosaki Isshin was a fair (and exuberant) king who was loved by all. He had three children, including Kurosaki Ichigo, Kurosaki Karin, and Kurosaki Yuzu. All three of them often wandered into the various villages within their kingdom, and they had all made many friends with the citizens there. Lastly, there was Isshin's late wife, Masaki, who had been a wonderful queen. She treated all her subjects with kindness and compassion, and even more so with her own family. The incident which had happened 14 months ago had scarred the kingdom, dealing a heavy blow to its royal family especially. It had also marked the start of the war.
The war was started by Aizen Sosuke, a man formerly thought to have been compassionate, intelligent, and good-natured. He was from a noble family of Seireitei, a kingdom neighbouring the kingdom of Karakura. He was on good terms with the royal family (the Hinamori family), especially its youngest member, Hinamori Momo. He proved to be an inspiring member of society. That was before his betrayal.
He had stabbed Hinamori Momo in the stomach before fleeing Seireitei with two trusted allies of his, Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tosen. It had been revealed that Aizen had been plotting to start a war for years; the reason is still unknown, to this day. He fleed to the last kingdom that remained in the land; Hueco Mundo. Unlike the other two kingdoms, Hueco Mundo had been lacking a proper government, and it had a terrible reputation. Its streets were polluted with starving people, violent bandits, drunken men, and shameless women. Once Aizen arrived, he established it as his kingdom, and he became its ruler.
The war was initiated a few months after his betrayal with an attack on the outer cities of Seireitei. Hundreds of innocent citizens died, and thousands more were injured. The kingdom of Karakura immediately offered its help to Seireitei, which was gratefully accepted. After all, these two kingdoms had a long history of friendship and comradeship.
The war quickly escalated to heated battles and loss of innocent lives everyday. Karakura and Seireitei handpicked its best mages and wizards to partake in the war. Any less, and it would have been a waste of time and lives. Among the few chosen, Kurosaki Isshin and Kurosaki Ichigo were the top mages from the kingdom of Karakura. They were accompanied by other mages and wizards, including Uryuu Ishida, Uryuu Ryuuken, Inoue Orihime, Yasutora Sado, and more.
Kurosaki Karin herself had wanted to participate in the battles. She had wanted to be a soldier who would protect her home and her people. Of course, both her brother and her father would not let her. Heck, Karin wouldn't be going to war over their dead bodies. So Karin had no choice but to stay at home all day, with absolutely nothing to do. Sure, she could always venture into the various villages within the inner walls of her kingdom (her brother wouldn't let her go to the outer villages, as he deemed them too "dangerous") and play some soccer (it is probably fairly obvious by now that Karin isn't your typical princess; I mean, what princess plays soccer?) with her friends, but what was the point in that when her country was currently in a war? So, for the last 14 months, Karin had been in an extremely irritable and grumpy mood. Offering her a bodyguard didn't cheer her up one bit.
"Come on Karin-chan, I'm sure it'll be fun!" Yuzu exclaimed cheerfully. The two twins had just woken up and were eating breakfast in the dining room - alone. After all, their brother and father were currently holding an important war meeting in the council room, and no one else ever ate meals with them. "Having a bodyguard means having a friend around you all the time! You won't have to be lonely that way," she said sweetly.
Karin only grunted in response. Having some guy following me around 24/7 does not strike me as something that is "fun". Karin was smart enough not to say that out loud though, as Yuzu could be slightly sensitive at times. "Yuzu, I'm not sure if I want a bodyguard though. What's the point in having one?"
"Well, I've heard that the bodyguard who was assigned to you is really handsome! At least he'll be pleasant to look at, right?"
Karin snorted. Being handsome wasn't going to change Karin's opinion of the man. "Whatever..." she muttered.
A maid suddenly burst into the room. "Excuse me Karin-sama, Yuzu-sama. Your bodyguards have arrived," she said after curtseying. She quickly ushered two men into the room before hurrying away to attend to some other duties.
In front of Karin and Yuzu stood two young men. One had spiky white hair (that did not follow the laws of gravity) and striking emerald eyes. He was rather small in stature, being only slightly taller than Karin and Yuzu. His face was currently frowning at the moment. The other had chin-length black hair and fidgety blue eyes. He stood somewhat nervously, and his hands were tugging down on his plain black shirt. He was also rather short and small in stature.
"Eh...g-good morning Your Highnesses," the black-haired man stuttered quietly. "We'll be y-your bodyguards starting from today. I'm Yamada Hanataro, and t-this is Hitsugaya Toushiro."
Yuzu giggled quietly, somewhat amused by the man's extremely nervous demeanour. Karin simply raised one thin, black eyebrow.
"I've b-been assigned to Kurosaki Yuzu-sama, and Hitsugaya-san has been assigned to Kurosaki Karin-sama," Hanataro meekly continued. "Please treat us well," he finished with a shaky bow. Hitsugaya remained unmoving.
"Nice to meet you Hanataro-san!" Yuzu said brightly. "Is it alright if I call you that?" she asked sweetly. Hanataro bobbed his head up and down vigorously. "That's great! Well, I'll show you to your quarters alright? And Karin can do the same for Hitsugaya-san." With that, Yuzu sweeped out of the room gracefully, with Hanataro scampering after her.
She quietly closed the door to the dining room, her breakfast (which was pancakes if you're wondering) completely forgotten about.
An empty silence filled the room as Karin and Hitsugaya had a stare-off. Gray orbs met green ones as each continued to burn holes in the other.
Finally, Karin spoke.
"I'll only say this once. I don't want, and I don't need a bodyguard. You're only here so that Ichi-nii and Oyaji won't need to continuously worry about me. In other words, feel free to do whatever the hell you want. I'll show you your quarters, and that's that. Any issues?"
Hitsugaya stared at Karin, obviously not impressed. "That's not language suitable for someone of your status," he said simply in his deep, smooth voice.
Karin scoffed. "What does it matter to you?" she shot back. Though she appeared cold and aloof on the surface, inside, she was a mess. Why does this guy look so familiar? Do I...know him from somewhere? And gosh, Yuzu, calling him handsome is the understatement of the century. This guy is as attractive as they get!
Hitsugaya made no move to make a response, so Karin decided that taking him to his quarters and then getting as far away from his was the best course of action for the moment. Karin quickly stood up and made to the door in confident strides. "You coming, shorty?" she shot over her shoulder. As she went through the doors, she saw out of the corner of her eye that Hitsugaya immediately started scowling.
Huh. Interesting kid, she thought to herself while grinning slightly.
Et voila! That was the first chapter of "The Wish of the Dragon". I know it wasn't very good, but I promise (well..I hope) that it will get better! :) Why does Karin feel like she knows Toushiro? If you wait patiently for the next chapter(s), you'll find out!;D
Remember to review before you leave please!;)