Death Is Only The Beginning

by Insanity-Plus

Ichigo is a member of the Guard, an elite group of warriors trained to protect thier vampire Masters. Rukia is the vampire Princess of all the Kingdom. When it is discovered they are having an affair by a potential suiter of Rukia's, things go wildly out of control, and neither will ever be the same again. IchiRuki. Vampire Fic. R&R!

Man, this was a big project! It took me over three weeks to complete, and I am very, very proud of how it came out!

On my poll everyone voted they wanted a Vampire Fic the most from me, so I went to work on trying to write one. Let me tell you, this was hard! It took me WEEKS to come up with an idea! It isn't that I was having writer's block or anything, it's just that coming up with a Vampire idea without it being oh-so overly done is hard! Just about everything has been done for God's sake! But, one day while fiddlehead picking with my Grampy, this finally came to me and I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters associated with the Anime/Manga. They belong to Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump Magazine. Please support the official release.

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-Death Is Only The Beginning-

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The lambent flicker of the candles on the walls was the only light to illuminate the stony hallway. The candles had been replaced not too long ago, and were long and bright, lighting the hallway as if it were daylight instead of the midnight it truly was. The languid flickering of the candles reflected off of Ichigo's long broad sword attached to his back, the blade as long as his body and held securely in a sheath that covered the blade only down to its middle, exposing the tip. The sheath was tied around Ichigo's torso over his black robe, red trimming all along the sleeves and legs reaching just above his calves, his feet adorned by sandals and his waist wrapped with a white obi. The sound of his feet hitting the stone echoed down the hall as he made his way through the castle, a scowl set deeply on his tanned features as he itched feverishly at the fresh gauze wrapped around his head under his shock of spiky orange hair.

"I hate wearing this stupid thing..." Ichigo grumbled to himself as he continued to itch at the wrapping. He had tried to convince the infirmary that he didn't need it, that the wound he had received over his left eye while out on patrol wasn't that bad. It was just a scratch from a scraggly little wolf looking for food, and it had taken Ichigo by surprise when he was busy picking an apple from a nearby tree outside the castle. It had gotten the one attack in, and then Ichigo ended it with a quick swipe of his long broad sword.

Somewhere right now someone is cleaning up that very beast for dinner.

His blade tapped against the stone floor and Ichigo adjusted it on his back so it wouldn't keep doing that. That was how the tip dulled. Many ridiculed him for waving around such a hefty weapon, claiming its heavy weight and inconvenient size made it the worst possible weapon to choose as their standard for battle. But not Ichigo. He preferred the oversized blade, not because he was overcompensating for any weakness of his. On the contrary he was the strongest of all the Guard, in both physical strength and skill. No one could handle him in combat, be it fist-to-fist or weaponry. He was the best of all the Guard, and was favored by the Masters of the castle.

The blade's weight was nothing to Ichigo as he carried it around nearly all the time. He wielded it as if it were as light as a feather, and was as graceful as a dancer on the battlefield. Anyone who ridiculed him for wielding such a weapon was quickly silenced when they witnessed him in battle.

Idiots, the lot of them. He thought as he ran a calloused hand through his orange hair.

Since it was nighttime the Masters will be up and around now. They couldn't move around in the daylight, otherwise it wouldn't be pretty. So they slept in their closed off chambers until night fell, which by then everything that has needed to be done by the Guard is completed. Ichigo's task had been to lead the daily patrol around the grounds, something he had made a huge stink about the entire time. He was the strongest of the Guard, and had killed many in the name of his Masters, and yet they had him skipping around the grounds like some low level recruit? It was disgraceful.

But he did not protest when he was given the task. Going against the Masters was the same as committing suicide. They weren't like any other Kingdom with normal Nobles and a normal King and Queen. Their King, Kuchiki Byakuya, was, as were the Nobles, a vampire.

The Kingdom was a kingdom of vampires. The undead having been risen to feast on the blood of the living. They were the strongest in the land with their supernatural powers, and any who dared oppose them was extinguished instantly. Ichigo had faced many a Knight who thought they could overrule the vampire Masters and he had cut them down before they could even reach the castle gates. If he could cut them down, then they wouldn't last a minute with any of the vampire Masters.

The Guard was a human task force that guarded the vampires during their vulnerable daylight hours. They were the elite, stronger than Knights. They were trained from childhood to adulthood in preparation for the vampires' protection.

Ichigo's family had been taken from him as a young boy, barely nine years of age. His mother had died long before then of illness, and his father and two sisters...they starved to death. Ichigo had survived for reasons unknown, and just as he was on the brink of joining his family he was found by none other than King Byakuya himself while out for a stroll through the woods. He had found Ichigo battered and dying, skinny as sin and weaker than an infant. The Lord could have killed him then and there, drained him of his blood to sustain himself, but he didn't. He offered him a home, food, water, and a future as one of the Guard. King Byakuya may be a cold, calculating vampire but he did not kill senselessly. When he took Ichigo into his castle to become one of the Guard he had gained a sworn protector.

Ichigo dedicated his life to protecting his Lord and all of the vampire nobles. It was what he was trained to do; it was what he was given life for. He could have died that day in the woods, but he was saved and he planned on spending every living day protecting his King.

He made his way out of the hall and towards the exit, walking out into the brisk night air into the garden. He liked coming here because it was peaceful. He could settle his raging soul when he came here and just relax. He walked along the garden path, the sound of his sandals hitting the cobbled path the only sound other than the gentle breeze brushing the orchid bushes catered to by the human servants that roamed this castle every second of every day and night. The servants were all human, the right of being a vampire served only for the noble. It was a high honor to become a vampire, one that must be decided upon by the Council of Nobles led by the King himself. You had to prove yourself that you were worthy to become a member of the undead, worthy of obtaining eternal life. The Guard were the only ones who weren't allowed to become a vampire, because it was their job to protect them, not become one of them. Ichigo had no hopes of becoming a vampire, despite his secret desire to be one. But not for the power or for the eternity of being on this Earth. He had a very special reason for wishing to be one of them.

He stopped walking along the cobbled path to turn towards the castle, his amber eyes rising high to one of the many towers that made up the stone castle. It was a vast castle, large as it was wide. Towers stood high into the sky, all pointed with windows lining them to let the moon fall into the rooms inside. Many of the windows were closed though to keep the sun out so that the Masters could sleep, but a few had been opened to let in the light of the full moon up high above in the starry sky. His eyes landed on a specific tower, one of the tallest and largest of them all. He could see the window on the balcony opened to let in the brisk night air into the room it withheld from the world, the purple curtains swaying with the breeze. He could see a light inside the window and against that light stood a dark silhouette that stared down at him with interest. He let out a tiny smile as the silhouette noticed him looking and faded from view. He chuckled, standing in place as he awaited the inevitable.

The sky was cloudless tonight, he noticed as he waited. He laced a hand through his white obi, letting his shoulders ease down as he stared into the sky. He could smell the flowers on the air, calming his nerves as he closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy this absolutely perfect moment.

"Kurosaki-sama,"

The inevitable has come, and Ichigo held in an amused smile as he turned to face the rather mousy looking servant girl. She was very short, pale and thin but not overly so. The servants were well fed in the castle, and were rarely mistreated by the Masters. The Guard, on the other hand, seemed to make a game out of pushing the poor servants around whenever the Masters weren't around. He had made it a goal to beat the shit out of anyone he saw bullying the poor servants, because he didn't like his fellow warriors degrading themselves to such petty matters.

The servant had soft brown eyes, her dark hair pulled into a bun behind her head. She wore the standard white robes the servants were required to wear, running down over her legs to sway about her feet. She bowed to him, slightly tense from being around one of the Guard. He tried to maintain a reputation of being one of the good ones, but still all the servants were nervous around him.

"Yes, Momo-san?" He asked, watching the young woman stand straight to face him.

"My mistress wishes to see you." Momo said quietly.

Ichigo fought hard to hide his grin now. He glanced up at the window once again, seeing that familiar silhouette watching him from high above.

"As she wishes," He responded, walking behind Momo as she nodded and led him back into the castle.

He knew the way by heart, but he said nothing as Momo led him through the halls and up the stairs. They passed by a few of the other servants, who bowed their heads at Ichigo as he walked. He returned their respectful nods, remaining quiet as he stayed close behind Momo. The walk up the spiral staircase was rather long, seeing as the room they were heading to was at the top of the castle, but he didn't mind. He was in good shape, and the stairs did nothing but invigorate him.

When they reached the top tower they walked down the lavishly decorated stone hallway. The walls were covered in portraits of the Masters, tapestries with the Kingdom's stamp sewn into them. The insignia their kingdom held was that of a black butterfly, red designs along the paper-thin wings. The red design within the wings was different according to who wore it. If it were the Nobles then their design was red along the butterfly's wings and tail to signify their purity as vampires. The Guard's design were three red curved marks on both wings to represent battle scars as they were the human fighters who protected the Masters.

They passed the portraits and tapestries, Momo leading him to the large oval shaped wooden door at the end of the hall. She stopped in front of it, turning to him with a timid expression.

"Sword has to stay out here." She said quietly.

He nodded, knowing the drill. He was forbidden to bring any weapon of any kind into the chambers of any of the Masters, so he reached up and untied the knot that held the blade to his back and placed it against the stone wall next to the door. Momo nodded in appeasement and raised her frail hand to knock, waiting until the customary "Enter," sounded from within. She opened the door and Ichigo followed her inside.

The room was large, bigger than most homes out the surrounding villages. The stone floors were covered with rugs of all kinds, most purple with designs of the Kingdom's insignia on them; the walls bear with nothing but the candles that lit the room and a few portraits of the King and of a young woman who slightly resembled the King. The white sheets of the extravagantly large bed were made of silk, the curtains around it the same. On the far side of the room stood a wide exit that led onto the very balcony he had seen earlier. The curtains swayed with the breeze, and in between them stood the woman from the portraits, and the owner of the silhouette he had seen staring at him from the balcony in the garden.

"Your Highness," Momo bowed low to the woman. "Kurosaki-sama, as you have requested."

The woman turned to the two of them, and Ichigo took in her beauty. The paintings of her did no justice to the true elegance and grace she possessed.

She was a rather short woman, but what she lacked in height she made up for in strength. Her posture was stout, her face set in a stoic stare as she took in the two of them. Her raven colored hair reached just above the nape of her neck, a stray strand between her sharp violet eyes that pierced through the air like knives through butter. She appeared to be in her early twenties, skin as smooth as the silk on her bed and pale as the moon outside the balcony. She was dressed in an elegant purple gown that dragged slightly on the floor, a black sash around her thin waist. She was, in every sense of the word, beautiful.

Ichigo had heard many of his men whispering about how she haunted their dreams, and Ichigo himself would be lying if he said he didn't dream of her as well. She was the epitome of what all women wished to be, despite her rather small stature, and there was no way to ignore it.

She was the daughter of the King. Vampire Princess Kuchiki Rukia.

She was not his daughter by blood. She was his fledgling, the only person in history to have ever been turned by him into a vampire. Many whispered that this was so because the King had fallen for a human peasant, and the peasant had been taken by illness before the King could save her. The rumor was that the King turned Rukia because she had been the peasant's younger sister. The scandal of it was never confirmed though amongst the Guard or servants, and the only people in the world who may know are the King himself and the woman standing before him now.

"My Princess," Ichigo bowed in greeting, just as Momo was still doing. "What is it you wish of me?" He asked formally.

Rukia's intense gaze took in his bowed form, her eyes just as cold and calculating as the King's. He glanced up at her, staring into those violet pools. A shiver ran down his spine, and she took notice.

"Momo," Rukia's voice split the air in half, smooth and confident as a princess should be. "Thank you for your service. You may go. I wish to speak with Kurosaki alone."

Momo nodded, standing straight only to bow once again. "Yes, Your Highness." She turned and left the room, closing the wooden door behind her with a quiet creak. Ichigo stood straight, glancing briefly at the door as it closed before turning his attention back onto the vampire in front of him.

Rukia's gaze landed on him, those violet eyes taking in his posture and stance as if preparing to strike. "Kurosaki, may I inquire where you received that head wound?"

Ichigo fought the urge to reach up and itch at the damn bandages again as she asked this. "It was during patrol. I was attacked by a stray wolf."

A delicate brow perched itself atop her forehead. "The great Kurosaki Ichigo wounded by a mere wolf? You must be going soft."

The insult struck a chord with Ichigo, and he didn't fight to conceal the frown that found its way onto his lips. "It surprised me. I was picking an apple from a tree."

"You must always be alert; otherwise you will be stricken down within the heat of battle. And I cannot have our best Guard be killed." She said, stepping towards him. He could hear the soft thumps of her bare feet hitting the carpet as she neared, and he did nothing but stare as she stood directly in front of him now, craning her neck slightly to look up at him.

"I understand, Princess." He said quietly, staring down into her eyes.

She stared back into his amber orbs, a quiet, peaceful moment passing between the two before she turned away from him and walked towards the bed. "Come here, Kurosaki."

Ichigo complied, walking towards the bed behind her. She turned, motioning for him to sit. He did as she wanted and she reached to the bandage around his head. She hooked a finger through it and tore it open, letting it fall down to the floor uselessly. The fresh wound over his eye was revealed, looking angry and puffing as the antiseptic hadn't taken full effect yet. The cold air on his newly acquired wound made him shiver. Ichigo frowned at her as she raised her hand, palm up, to his face.

"What are you-?"

She brought up a fingernail and, with the swiftness of a vampire, sliced open her wrist.

"Princess!"

"How many times do I have to say it?" She let down her icy mask to replace it with a small smirk. "Behind closed doors I'm Rukia."

Ichigo watched as she dabbed a finger onto the cut, staining the digit with some of her blood. The wound healed once her finger was away, the skin molding back together and the blood seeping back under the skin, except for the stain on her index finger.

Vampires healed extraordinarily fast; their skin able to seal over any wound as long as it wasn't through the heart. That was one of two ways to kill a vampire, a stake or sword through the heart or beheading. Those were the only ways for a vampire to die, not including the sunlight.

"Hold still," She whispered with that sultry voice of hers, and Ichigo did as she commanded as she placed her bloodied finger against his wound, wiping the blood along the damaged skin of his forehead. He felt his head beginning to burn slightly, her blood seeping into his wound to bond with it. He hissed as the skin began to seal up, healing instantly once her finger was away, just like her wrist.

Ichigo reached up to feel the now smooth patch of skin above his eye, all the pain gone and the burning sensation fading. He looked back to her, smiling lightly.

"Thank you, Rukia."

A vampire's blood had healing properties to it. Their blood was holy, which is why none of the doctors were allowed to have any of it. You would think they'd distribute the blood to them so they could use it to heal the wounded, but the problem with that was a vampire's blood was addictive. It was a drug that made you high if ingested. Many had tried to steal a vampire's blood in the hopes of getting high, but the vampires refused to hand out their blood. It was against their law to use their blood to heal, so the fact Rukia was doing it put her at great risk.

"Your welcome," She whispered, and leaning in slightly. He felt her hot breath blowing on his face, eliciting little fires along his cheeks. He shivered as she smirked. "I couldn't do with that beautiful face of yours being marred."

He grinned, staring into her eyes as her lips were now only inches away from his own. "My, my, Princess...you seem a bit frisky." He teased.

"Only because the scent of your blood from your wound is so intoxicating..."

Ichigo couldn't help but chuckle as she breathed in his scent. She tilted her head, and he couldn't hold himself back from capturing her lips any longer.

She moaned as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her roughly, his mind having toyed with the thought of this moment all day long. Her lips were so addicting, the taste of her a better drug than any vampire blood. They were soft and kind of cold, the feel of her skin under his hands the same. He went to work to warm her up instantly.

Her hands trailed up through his hair, massaging his scalp as she kissed him back with just as much force as he kissed her with. She had been eager to get him alone, he could tell from how tightly she clung to him. He sent his tongue out to ask for access, and she granted him what he wanted.

Their tongues danced, fighting for dominance until finally he won and explored her mouth, his eyes rolling at the euphoric taste of her saliva. He felt her shiver under him, and grinned as he picked her up and laid her down onto the bed.

"Aww...Kurosaki...you seem so impatient." She teased, crawling backwards up the bed away from him.

Ichigo snorted, crawling on his hands and knees after her like a lion stalking its prey. "How many times do I have to tell you, Princess? It's Ichigo."

She giggled as he pressed his body on top of hers as her head rested on the soft pillows of her bed, their lips once again moving against each other's as their hands explored each other's bodies.

Ichigo undid her black sash, tossing it to the floor as her robe opened to his prying hands. She hissed as he cupped her plump breasts in his large hands, squeezing them to make her moan and arch her back. He loved to make those exquisite sounds come from her mouth; it made him fill with a lust and passion he had never known before.

She moaned once again as he leaned down to suckle on her left breast, his hand caressing the other as he worked his mouth over her nipple, feeling it harden in arousal under his tongue. He smirked as she panted with need. He was the only one in the world who could make the great vampire princess so vulnerable, and he loved every second of it.

He switched breasts, clamping his mouth over the right breast as his other hand pinched her left nub. She leaned into him, her hands gripping his hair as he pleasured her. He felt her nails dig slightly into his scalp, understanding that if she really wanted she could crush his skull given enough force. But he trusted she wouldn't, because they were in love.

Their affair started nearly a year ago, after a night mission to the North. One of the Kingdoms was threatening war against the vampires and Rukia had been selected to go out to make peace with Ichigo as her body guard. It had been the first time he had been in direct contact with the Princess, only having seen brief glimpses of her whenever he was called into the Royal Hall to receive orders from the King. Her beauty had struck him, but he had not let that deter him from his mission to protect her.

When they arrived at the Kingdom of the North it had been a trap set to capture the Princess for leverage against King Byakuya. All of his men had been killed, leaving just him and Rukia to fend off the Knights who dared attack them. Ichigo had protected Rukia at all costs, killing just about every one of those men with his broad sword. Rukia helped, using her vampiric strength and speed to tear apart the Knights. One of them got the jump on her from behind, and Ichigo took the blow, letting the sword slash open his chest and stomach. She quickly took notice and killed the man, snapping his neck like a twig and coming to Ichigo's aid.

"You saved my life," She had said as Ichigo lay there dying, his blood pooling around him from the gash in his chest. "I shall save yours."

She used her blood to heal him, an offense punishable by death. Ichigo had not believed how fast it worked, how it sealed up the wound in his chest and let him live. He berated her, told her she should not have done that. He was not worth the punishment she would receive should anyone find out about her transgressions.

"You are," She had assured him, smiling. It had taken his breath away. "You're special, Kurosaki Ichigo."

They've been having their affair ever since.

"Mmm...Ichigo..." She moaned his name as he suckled from her tit. He pulled back from it, letting go with a pop to make her shiver in delight. He looked up at her, grinning as he took in her flushed appearance. She was most beautiful when there was color in those pale cheeks of hers, and he absolutely loved that it was only he who could bring about that color.

"Rukia..." He whispered her name, leaning up to capture her lips once again. She cupped both of his cheeks, holding him in place as their tongues fought it out for dominance once again. This time he decided to let her win and shivered as her tongue ran over his teeth and along his tongue. She bit his lip and pulled on it as she leaned away, grinning at him as she let it go.

"I want you..." She whispered, and with her vampiric strength and speed had Ichigo flipped over so that she was on top, straddling his hips with her long, slender legs on both sides of him. He stared up at her as she removed her robe fully, throwing it to the floor and displaying her fully naked form to him. He felt his mouth water at her beautiful skin, those perky breasts and hairless crotch. He leaned up to kiss her, but she placed her hands on his shoulders and pinned him to the bed, grinning as she leaned down to kiss his neck. He shivered, feeling her tongue race along the juncture between his neck and shoulder, right above the jugular vein. He could feel his heart racing, and he knew she could feel and hear it.

"Rukia..." He whispered her name again.

"I love it..." She said, running her tongue along his jugular. "I love the feel of your heart beating..."

He held in a moan as her tongue ran over his skin. She pulled down his shirt to reveal more of his neck as she continued to lick and kiss him down to his collarbone. He watched as she gave a small growl and took hold of the collar of his shirt, and he had to quickly catch her wrists to stop her.

"You can't rip my shirt open. Remember the last time?"

She scowled up at him. She hated him wearing clothes, and she would often tear them off for their offensive act of covering his body from her view, but that would lead to him having to leave without any clothes to wear. Last time it happened she had to order all of her servants on a task so he could get an opening to make a run for it back to his quarters to get new clothing. They couldn't risk being caught like that again, otherwise he would be hung.

"Fine," She grumbled, leaning up to kiss his chin. He grinned, slipping out of his robe to expose his chiseled chest and hard abs. She grinned down at his chest, her hand reaching down to trace a finger over his chest, along a single bite mark that was partially healed up above his nipple.

"Marveling at your handy work, Princess?" Ichigo teased.

Rukia giggled, leaning down to kiss the bite mark. "Oh yes," She said, running her tongue over it and then around his nipple, which made him moan. "How about another one?"

Ichigo watched as she pulled back from him and smiled. Her eyes sparkled in the firelight, her perfect skin glistening as she did a little dance for him as she opened her mouth wide, her canines slipping back into her head to be replaced by long, sharp fangs. She breathed out, as if in relief once the fangs were exposed and grinned down at him.

Ichigo leaned up to kiss her, feeling her vampire fangs pressing slightly against his bottom lip as she kissed him back. He shivered in delight as she ran her hands up his stomach and chest, their lips moving against each other's heatedly as he kicked away the rest of his robe to the floor. She pulled back, letting her fangs glint in the light as she pushed him back down onto the bed.

Ichigo lay there as she leaned down to his chest, inhaling his scent as she barred her fangs and kissing his stomach. He shivered, feeling her lips move to his left pectoral muscle. Her lips lingered, and then he felt a sharp sting as she sunk her fangs into him. He seethed softly, feeling that familiar warm sensation running through him as she drank his blood. He moaned, feeling his pulse quicken as she placed her hands on his sides and continued to sip.

He felt a slight tingle as she pulled back, her lips now coated in red and her fangs glistening with saliva. She moaned, her eyes closing tight with pleasure as she licked her lips with her pink tongue.

"You taste so good..." She moaned, her hands coming up to run her fingers over her face in euphoria. "Only you taste this good..."

Ichigo felt pride swell inside of him at this, and gave a smug grin as he leaned up to kiss her again. She kissed him back eagerly, her arms wrapping around his neck as his tongue cleaned her lips of his blood, the coppery taste swimming in his mouth, mixing in with her sweet taste to fuel his lust and make him want her more.

"Ichigo..." Rukia whispered his name, pulling back to stare into his eyes with her fangs still bared. "Have some..."

Ichigo watched as she brought a finger to her mouth, prickling the end of it with her fang to draw some blood. He frowned, shaking his head as she offered the finger to him.

"I don't want it," He said sternly.

Rukia raised a brow at him. "You never do...you're such an odd human. The only to ever refuse vampire's blood." She said.

Ichigo snorted. "Because I don't want to become addicted to it," He said, kissing her neck. "I'm already addicted to something, I don't need another thing to deal with."

She chuckled as he continued to kiss her neck. "Wish I could say the same," She whispered, running her hands over his shoulders. "I've got two things I'm addicted to...your blood...and you."

Her hand reached down his waist to his crotch, her fingers curling around his erect member to make him groan against her neck. She giggled at how his moan tickled her skin, her hand positioning his dick directly under her hot, moist opening. She moaned, feeling his tip teasing her pussy as she gripped him, his teeth nibbling on the skin of her neck.

"Do it..." He whispered.

She bit her lip with her fangs, holding in a powerful scream as she impaled herself onto him, his thickness filling her up as her walls closed in around him. Ichigo groaned in pleasure, his head rolling back as he felt his mind fizzle from how tight she was.

Her nails dug into his shoulders as she pushed him down, her hips gyrating as she rode him. He gripped her hips, thrusting up into her core to match her rhythm. She moaned, her fangs glistening as she raised her head up to the ceiling with her eyes closed in pleasure. She rode him faster, heat washing over her usually cold skin. She clawed at his chest, her finger trailing over the bite mark she had left on his pectoral. He moaned as she touched it, feeling waves of euphoria pulsating through him as he thrust into her with every ounce of energy he had.

"Nngh...so good..." Rukia purred.

Ichigo reached up to grip her breasts, her hands instantly over his as he massaged those plump mounds, making her shiver and mewl as he pinched her nipples and kneaded her breasts. Her head rolled around in a circle, her hips still moving against him as their passion increased.

"Rukia..." Ichigo grunted as he felt his stomach burn and his balls clench, his end coming near as she continued to ride him like a damn bull. She was moving so fast, but holding back from using her vampire speed as to savor the moment, to savor the incredible pleasure coursing through them both. He moaned, gripping her breasts harder to make her throw her head around in delight. "I'm gonna..."

"Do it..." She whispered breathlessly. "Inside me..."

Ichigo yelled out softly as he released his hot seed into her womb, the heat spreading through her hips and legs to make her feel, if only for a moment, alive again. She whimpered his name, her inner walls convulsing as her orgasm pulsed around his length and her womanly juices dripped down onto his legs. He shivered, panting as he felt his energy seep out of him with his release, his body falling limp against the bed as she fell down next to him, her face flush and her eyes hazed over with satisfaction.

"You never cease to amaze," She whispered, curling into his side to kiss his shoulder. He chuckled, turning to her to meet her lips softly.

"Same goes to you," He said, grinning. She giggled, kissing him again with her luscious lips. Her taste was so intoxicating it had him wanting more every time.

"Tell me about your day, my love." She whispered against his lips, her eyes lighting up with warmth towards him. He was the only one who ever saw this side of the great vampire princess. Her nickname amongst the humans was The Ice Princess for her seemingly emotionless gaze and lack of interest in anything. To them she was as cold as ice, but to him she was warm and inviting, loving and passionate, wild and invigorating. He loved her to death, and would surely die for her if she ever needed him to.

"Other than the wolf attack, boring." He said. "Without you it seems dull."

She smiled, her teeth having sunk back into her gums to be replaced by a set of human canines. "I'm sorry I cannot be there."

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry, Rukia." Saying her name made her smile wider. She loved when he did so. "You must rest during the day, so that you can be ready for me at night." He grinned slyly at her, making her giggle.

"Oh," She said humorously. "But I'm always ready for you." She said, leaning in to kiss him once again.

Ichigo returned the kiss, smirking as he rolled on top of her. "Are you ready now?" He whispered huskily, a light forming in his eyes.

Rukia grinned up at him. "Of course,"

Ichigo chuckled, bending his head down to other things.

[–]

As much as neither wanted to leave the sanctity of the bedroom, Rukia had to attend a Council meeting amongst the Masters. Ichigo understood, and left to rest from his long day of patrolling while Rukia left to join the meeting under her father, King Byakuya.

The chamber they were seated in was dark, lit by only a few measly torches. But this did not matter, for everyone in the room could see in the dark, Rukia included. They were seated on throne-like chairs that were tucked in under a long oval table decorated with a white cloth and glasses of deep red blood taken from the many prisoners down in the dungeons that they bred to keep the Masters nourished. It was their punishment for trying to oppose the vampire Kingdom and for having killed many of the human villagers. They were fed and hydrated properly, and then sedated as blood was drawn from their veins to feed the vampire lords up above in this very chamber. Rukia twirled her own glass as she stoically looked around the room, glancing into the posh and stern faces of the other vampires in their seats, drinking from their glasses greedily as most have not fed yet like she has.

Like mud from the ground, She thought as she took a sip from her glass, the blood sliding down her throat to cool the slight ache that was always there. This blood tasted nothing like the heaven that was Ichigo's blood. Nothing compared to his taste, his presence. She silently wished he was here, at least to brighten this dull and rather dark atmosphere with his head of orange hair.

At the front of the table was her father, the King. Their seats may be throne-like, but his seat was an actual throne, decorated with marble that shone in the dim light with rubies and gold running down the sides. He was dressed in a long ornate black robe with white sakura petal designs running down his legs, the material of the robe found only in deep Asia where they had dealings with the Mongols. His long dark hair was prim and neat, flowing down to his shoulders as his dark eyes quietly watched the other Nobles drink.

Rukia looked up to her father from her seat directly next to his and let a soft frown mar her perfectly emotionless expression. She had spent so many years perfecting her abilities to hide her emotions, as a Princess should to hide her weaknesses, but her father seemed at times to never have had any emotions in the first place that he had to hide. He was perfectly stiff, his eyes devoid of any interest in what was going on around him as his lips stayed in a thin line and not a wrinkle showed on his perfectly smooth face. To the other Nobles and to the humans of their kingdom he was perfectly cold, an ice sculpture who's only proof that it was alive was its ability to think and move and speak. But she knew the truth about their King. He cared about his people, unlike some of the other Nobles who only saw them as food supplies. In his six hundred years of existence Kuchiki Byakuya had not lost his faith in humanity, and would rather die than to give up on his kingdom. She has seen his more tender side, especially when he turned her nearly two hundred years ago, and she knew that no matter what happened she could put her trust in their King.

"I trust everyone has had their fill for the night," Byakuya's smooth voice cut through the silence of the chamber in one quick swoop. Every head turned him, their glasses, empty or not, being placed back down onto the table in front of them to give full attention to their King.

"Good, we may now begin our meeting."

Rukia thinned out her lips as she paid attention to the words passed between the Nobles. There was no new business to be handled, only reports of how the villagers are prospering correctly and how very few wished to speak with the King for accommodations. Their people were a fine bunch, wealthy in their own way, but Rukia found a lot of them to be snobbish because of this. If the day ever comes where she needed to take the throne and become Queen she'd make sure to change that. With their vampire lords protecting them and providing them with money in exchange for a few offerings of blood, the people have grown to be fat cats with no true fears of the outside world. Rukia didn't want to instill fear in them, just wanted them to appreciate the fact they have it so easy now. They didn't know what it was like to beg for food, to sleep in the mud under the heavy rain, to cry each night wishing for more...

Rukia's attention was brought back to the meeting as her father announced that he was pleased with the reports and that they may go on their way. Their meetings were always terse and to the point whenever there was not a threat to be dealt with, and tonight there was no such threat to keep their attention held. They stood and bowed to their King, waiting for him to wave his hand so that they may straighten up and leave to their other devices.

As Rukia waited for the Nobles in front of her exit, being polite like she was to let the others leave first, a shadow was cast over her back and she felt a slight chill run up her spine to signify that someone was standing directly behind her.

"Princess," A voice called curtly.

Rukia turned to find a tall man standing behind her, dressed in the formal dark robes of a Council Member with a white obi wrapped around his waist. His shoulders were broad, his stature that of a soldier as well as his gait. His blue hair was up in wild spikes, running down the nape of his neck and over his bright teal eyes. He was grinning at Rukia pleasantly, and Rukia did not find the energy to return the smile.

"Grimmjow," She greeted with a nod of her head. Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow was one of the newer vampires included in on the Council, barely even a hundred yet, and it seemed at every twist and turn he was trying to court Rukia to be wedded. She refused every time, but it did not deter the blue haired vampire from trying. "What do I owe the pleasure?" She kept her voice even and withheld any emotion from her tone, though she did let her eyes narrow slightly in annoyance.

Grimmjow's grin did not waver at her annoyed stare. "I was wondering what plans you have on this rather cloudless night. I thought maybe we could take a stroll through the garden?"

He asked that after every meeting, and her answer was the same every time. "I am sorry, Grimmjow. But I am rather preoccupied at the moment. I wish to oversee our Guard's reports on the day's events more personally." She said, the new excuse having been thought up earlier for this very moment.

Grimmjow's grin faltered, and nodded sullenly. "As you wish, Your Highness." He bowed his head as she turned with a wave of her dress and walked out of the room, leaving Grimmjow as the last one in the chamber, his lips curling into a scowl as he lifted his head back up and watched her go.

You will be mine, Princess. I swear it.

[–]

The Guard's quarters were very spacious, considering they were the King's most precious, and important, faction. They were a short walk away from the treasurer seeing as they frequently needed to visit him for various missions to other villages or Kingdoms, and were positioned not very far from the front gates in case they needed to mobilize and head out to protect the castle. Each Guard had his own space to call his own, a small single bed within a room dug out within the wall closed off from the other rooms by a thin wooden door with their name etched onto it on the outside for easy finding. The rooms weren't very decorated, but held the basic candles for lighting and they were permitted to bring any personal items inside should they so choose.

Ichigo's room was very plain, seeing as the only time he really spent inside was to sleep. His waking hours were spent outside, preforming his duties as a Guard or slipping away to the room of the Princess. His room was just stone walls with two lit candles above his white sheeted bed. Against the far wall stood his sword, placed next to the hook where most others would hang their sword. But Ichigo's broad sword was much too heavy for the hook and would most likely tear it from the wall, so he just stood it up against the wall when he didn't need it; almost as if it was overlooking him when he was resting.

After leaving Rukia's room Ichigo sneaked back to his room to get some very much needed sleep. He was accustomed to sleepless nights, he was trained to go days without a wink, but since there was not much for him to do at the moment he figured an hour or two wouldn't hurt. So he lay sprawled out on his bed, still fully dressed in his black and red robes, snoring silently as he rested his head against his rather soft pillow.

When after two hours of straight sleep a knock came at his door, he was awake in a second. He grunted as he swung his legs over his bed and placed his bare feet on the cold floor next to his sandals. He yawned softly and rubbed his eyes, the knocking persisting as he remained silent throughout his eye rubbing.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Ichigo called, standing and opening his door inwards, scowling at whoever was disturbing his rare moment of allowed rest. His scowl though instantly went away when on the other side of the door was Princess Rukia, her face set in that emotionless mask he hated so damn much. He hated her hiding her emotions, especially since she was so beautiful when she showed them on her face. "Your Highness," He bowed, discreetly looking around for any prying eyes that might see them.

"Don't worry, Ichigo." Her face split open in a slight smile. "Everyone is gone, I checked. The Guard are either on a mission or out. We're the only ones here."

Ichigo raised a brow. "No servants? You never go anywhere without them." He noted.

Rukia shook her head. "I gave them a break, claiming that I would be taking a stroll to regain some peace after the hectic meeting between the Masters and myself."

Ichigo's lips formed into a frown. "The meeting was hectic? Why? Are we preparing for battle?"

She, again, shook her head. "No. It was rather dull and monotonous, as always." She grinned at him, making his chest flutter from the beauty of it. Her face was never prettier when she was displaying her emotions.

"Lying is very unbecoming for a young Princess like you, Your Highness." Ichigo teased, smirking at her.

"If I have to say it again I'm going to strangle you," She said, crossing her arms over her bosom. "It's Rukia."

Ichigo chuckled. "Of course, how could I forget such a pretty name like that?" He watched her giggle, and couldn't help but smile. "So...it's just us here, huh?"

Rukia nodded, smirking. "I made sure of it," She affirmed. "It's just the two of us here for...a while." She said.

Ichigo grinned mischievously as he opened his door wider for her to enter, poking his head out to check around before slamming it shut and claiming her.

Unbeknownst to either party, a set of stern teal eyes had been watching them from the shadows.

[–]

As dawn threatened to break across the sky, the vampires all began to return to their darkened chambers to rest for the daylight hours, Rukia included. She had spent nearly the whole night with Ichigo in his room, testing out the durability of his bed with their furious yet passionate love making, and she was more than slightly sedated. She ran a finger over her lips, tasting still both him and his blood, a mixture she never wanted to leave. It was hard to keep in place her wall of stoicism as every time she did she'd think of him and want to smile, but she did well not to freak out the servants that scurried by in preparation for the day ahead. They bowed low to her and did not get back up until she was gone, and she would nod to each and every one of them as she passed, paying her respects to the men and women who kept the castle clean and tidied up.

As she made her way through the torchlit stone halls towards her room she felt an eerie chill run up her spine, just like it had back in the meeting chambers. She turned her head to find Grimmjow suddenly there, having appeared through the use of his supernaturally incredible speed to lean against the wall with his arms crossed and his lips high in a smirk.

"Grimmjow, what do I owe the pleasure?" She said slightly disdainfully. Seeing him once a night was enough for her tastes.

Grimmjow's teal eyes raised up to meet her purple ones, a look of smugness shining in those blue orbs of his.

"My Princess, I have some rather exciting news for you." He said smoothly, still leaning against the wall.

Rukia perched a delicate brow, the most Grimmjow ever got other than annoyance from her facial expressions. "And what is that?" She said.

"I've finally discovered the reason for your constant spurning of my courting," Grimmjow said, grinning widely, showing off his canines, something Rukia found to be very insulting to someone in her position. It was almost as if he was challenging her.

"I would not say that I am spurning your advances, Grimmjow." Politely saying Go to Hell was more like it.

Grimmjow snorted. "I believe spurning is the proper word, Princess." He said. "But either way, I have been pondering why this has been the case for so long, until tonight."

Rukia let her lips tilt into a frown, every expression permitted rather than instinctual. "And what is the reason?" She inquired dryly.

"That boy," Grimmjow said, and Rukia stiffened. "One of the Guard. Kurosaki Ichigo I believe his name is?"

Rukia steeled her features to hide the shock. How did he know about Ichigo? "What about him?" She asked, feigning ignorance very well. She was a skilled actress, and she was putting her best skills to use right now to hide her contempt towards this man.

"Do not hide the truth," Grimmjow said, pushing off of the wall to tower over her. "I know of your little...affair with the human."

Rukia clenched her fists at her sides, narrowing her eyes at him. How had he found out? She was always so careful with her meetings with Ichigo. How in the world could this little runt find out? "I do not know what you are talking about, Grimmjow." She said, keeping her mask in place.

"Oh, but you do, Princess." He said tauntingly. "I saw you go into his quarters a few hours ago. I've seen how you look at him, whenever we go out to welcome back the Guard from a mission, I see how you search him out in the crowd to make sure he has come back alive. I've noticed it, but have never really put two and two together until now, when I heard your little conversation with him outside his quarters."

Rukia held back a hiss. "You are delusional," She said. "Have you fed properly tonight? Your head must be screwed on the wrong way for you to think of such ridiculous things."

Grimmjow shrugged theatrically, his eyes still alight with that glow of smug confidence. "Maybe I haven't fed enough tonight...maybe I can squeeze in a little drink before dawn. And since you don't care too much about Kurosaki Ichigo...I think he'd be a worthy dinner, don't you?"

Rukia was unable to keep her composure any longer, and with lightning fast reflexes had Grimmjow pressed up against the wall with her fangs bared and her hand wrapped tightly around his windpipe. She hissed at him, anger burning in her eyes as she glared at him intensely.

"You do as much as lay a finger on him and I'll crack your skull open like an egg with my bare hands." She growled in his face, which only made him grin even more.

"So it's true," He said, grunting from the pressure on his throat. "You admit it?"

Her eyes widened as she realized what she had just done. She had, indeed, just admitted to having an affair with a member of the Guard, an offense punishable by exile, or worse: death.

She retracted her fangs and let go of the blue haired vampire, pulling back to forcibly place her mask back on her face, but it was hard as her anger was stroked to the point of becoming feral. She huffed, foregoing her icy stoicism and just out right glaring at him.

"What do you plan to do?" She said softly, at his mercy. If he told anyone Ichigo would be executed, and she couldn't have that.

"I plan to do nothing," Grimmjow said, straightening up as he brushed off his robes. "as long as you accept my courtship."

Rukia hissed at him. "I'd rather die a second time than marry you."

"If you don't," Grimmjow said snidely, his grin gone now and his eyes stern. "I promise you your affair will become the scandal of the century."

Rukia gritted her teeth. She knew he wasn't bluffing. He was as sadistic as they came for vampires, one of the few that believed humans were nothing more than blood supplies. He was cruel, masochistic, and gruesome. It was one of the reasons she did not like him. She did not want to be wed to him for eternity, she would rather have her fangs ripped out from her head so that she could not feed. But...if she didn't Ichigo would die...

"Fine..." She relented through clenched teeth. "Tomorrow night, I shall announce my...acceptance of your proposal at the meeting." She ground the word 'acceptance' out as if it left a sour taste on her tongue- which it did.

Grimmjow's face lit up in a grand smile, his brows raising in joy. "Excellent. I look forward to our union, my fiancée." He leaned down to kiss her, but she hissed at him and he pulled back with a chuckle. "Don't be so prude, darling. Very soon we shall have to do that a lot."

"I will marry you, but I will never love you."

"In a hundred years or so, you'll have changed your mind." Grimmjow said, turning from her to walk down the hall. "I shall see you tomorrow night, Princess."

As Grimmjow walked away, he could practically feel the seething anger radiating off of Rukia as she stomped her way towards her room to let loose her frustrations by destroying most of her pottery. He gave a low dark chuckle. He finally had the Princess where he wanted her, and finally he'd have her hand in marriage. He'd become King someday, and with the beautiful Kuchiki Princess by his side he'd be unrivaled.

But first, He thought as he walked to his chambers. I'll have to take care of that orange haired human before he causes any more trouble for me.

[–]

Ichigo got another three hours of sleep before he had to be up for patrol. It was the most sleep he had gotten in weeks, and he felt very much so refreshed as he suited up in his Guard's armor and slung his sword around his back and set out with a squad of Guard to inspect the woods.

The armor the Guard wore was lined with pure silver, thick around the torso with breaks between the joints to allow more mobility, a mesh of chainmail linking the armor together at the legs and arms over the joints. On the back of the armor was the insignia of the Guard, the black butterfly with the red scars down the wings, painted under the small scratches and cuts the armor has taken in its lifetime while being worn by the orange haired soldier. The black gloves he wore flexed as he led his gang of soldiers along the perimeter of the castle, passing by a few villagers as they went on their merry way to their own personal destinations. Some shied away from him, but others bowed in respect. He nodded at them, his silver boots stomping on the dirt as he and his men walked by.

"This is a ridiculous task," One of Ichigo's men, a bald headed Guard by the name if Madarame Ikkaku, groaned as they circled the perimeter. "Why are we always patrolling? Why is there any action anymore?"

"Because, Ikkaku-san," Another one of Ichigo's men, a long haired man with a flower in his dark hair named Aysaegawa Yumichika. "No one dares attack the vampires. They all know what will become of them if they do."

Ikkaku snorted. "Well the fact no one has enough balls to stand up to us just shows what kind of men they are." He said gruffly. "We get more action off duty than on duty!"

"Quit your bitchin'," Ichigo said from ahead of the group. "The more you complain the longer this day will be. So shut up and patrol like you've been ordered to."

Ikkaku groaned. "Yes, sir."

Ichigo shook his head as they continued to walk, their armor clanking as they walked by the woods, the very woods Ichigo had been injured in the day before. No one seemed to notice how Ichigo's wound on his forehead was suddenly gone. He didn't wear the bandages like he probably should have for show to make sure no one got suspicious, but really the only people who knew he was injured was the infirmary. No one noticed how his forehead seemed perfectly healed when this time yesterday he was sporting a pretty nasty wolf scratch. Thanks to Rukia he didn't have to deal with that itchy gauze over a hot wound.

The day was starting to wear thin, and even though he had dismissed Ikkaku's incessant ranting he himself couldn't help but inwardly scowl at how boring this patrolling was. Yesterday had been an interesting one, solely because of the wolf attack, but now he was just leading his men around in circles for hours. They weren't even able to go into the village, that squad had left long ago. So they were just going around the grounds, by the woods and under the castle towers. No one and nothing ever came by to cause trouble, and by the time the sun was starting to set Ichigo was about ready to claw his eyes out.

"Thank God it's almost over," Ikkaku said as they stopped to look out over the horizon at the setting sun. "I'm ready to go train to actually work up a sweat."

Ichigo looked over the horizon, thinking along similar lines as his squad mate. Once that sun was set he could go back and see his Rukia once again.

"I guess we should be heading back now," Ichigo said as darkness began to descend on the land. "There's no need for us to patrol during night."

Ichigo led the group back towards the main entrance to the castle where they could head off to do their own business and await for one of the Masters to need them. Unfortunately if there was not a battle commencing, then they were not needed at all. But, for Ichigo, he was needed elsewhere during the night hours.

The sun was nearly completely gone by the time they neared the entrance, Ichigo and his four man squad were ready to take off their armor and rest for a while. He turned to glance at his squad, seeing their tired but eager expressions. They were ready to relax and be done with this boring task, hoping for a better task the next day. Ichigo thought maybe he'd talk to Rukia and have her give them something better to do during the day.

"Ya know," Ikkaku said, placing his gloved hands behind his head, his sword dangling at his waist as he walked. "We should all go out to drink tonight. Get wasted so that tomorrow we can spend this boring as hell time recovering." He grinned at them, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Sorry, have to pass." Ichigo said.

"Whaaaat? C'mon strawberry, what do you have to do that's more interesting than getting drunk and maybe getting into a fight at the tavern?" Ikkaku asked, stepping under the shade of the castle.

Ichigo thought of a few things more interesting, all of them raven haired and violet eyed. "Everything is more interesting than that." He snorted.

"Oh, Ichigo, you're just a stick in the-"

Ikkaku's sentence was cut short as suddenly a tearing sound echoed high into the sky followed by a loud thud and a splash. Ichigo's head whipped around to see Ikkaku's bald head roll on the ground away from his body, which had fallen to the ground to shoot a geyser of blood across the dirt.

"Ikkaku!" Yumichika cried out for his friend.

Ichigo and the rest of the men drew their blades, looking around in shock at the horrific death of their comrade. There was no one around to be seen to put blame on for Ikkaku's death, and as such they became very wary, backing up back to back with their swords held up defensively.

"What the hell is going on?" One of Ichigo's squad mates yelled.

"I don't know," Ichigo said lightly, his eyes darting around in search of who or what had killed his friend. "But whatever it is, be wary of it."

The surviving three men nodded, looking around.

There was an eerie quiet around the group as they stood under the dim light of the descending sun. One of the men turned to look down at Ikkaku's dead body, frowning as he noticed that the bald man's body was the only one that had gone under the shadow of the castle above.

"Hey..." The man said, taking a step forward towards the body. "Do you guys notice-"

"Don't break the circle!" Ichigo barked.

The man was unable to stop before his hand reached out under the shade where the sun didn't touch. In that moment when his hand touched the shade something blurred past and the hand came off in a quick, clean slice. He yelled out in shock and pain, blood bursting free from the stump that had once been his hand. He dropped his blade and held his stump, his scream loud and shrill as he stumbled forward, staring down at his bloody wound with wide, petrified eyes.

"Don't go into the shade!" Yumichika yelled running after the man to try and save him.

"Yumichika! Stop!" Ichigo called.

It was too late.

As Yumichika walked under the shade that blur returned and Yumichika's throat suddenly split open to spill a waterfall of blood that dripped down his neck onto his armored chest. He gurgled, holding his throat as the blood continued to spill, his mouth opening and closing in shock as he tried to breathe but the blood filled his lungs. He turned to Ichigo, his eyes wide as his blade fell to the ground. He coughed, a glob of spit and blood flying from between his lips before he fell to his knees, and then flat against the ground, dead.

"Oh my God!" The only remaining Guard member other than Ichigo wailed as the man with the bloody stump for a hand fell to the ground, pale as the moon from all the blood loss.

"Who is there?" Ichigo bellowed, holding up his broad sword defensively, keeping to the sun bathed ground strictly. "What do you want?"

There was a moment of silence as the man with the missing hand twitched and died slowly. Ichigo would have gone over to preform mercy on him, but he couldn't risk going into the shade lest he want to end up the same way.

"Show yourself!" His squad mate, a young man with long brown hair and eyes yelled. He was all that Ichigo had left for support, and that slightly unnerved him as he wasn't the brightest of bunch.

"Keigo, be careful." Ichigo said softly to his comrade.

"I got your back, Ichigo." Asano Keigo said, holding up his blade towards the shade.

"It doesn't matter what you do," A voice said, startling the two of them.

The blur returned, but instead of it fading from out of sight it stopped in front of them and stood still, revealing itself to be the armored Grimmjow, his blue hair swaying with the wind as he came to a halt. He was dressed in white armor very similar to the Guard's, the Masters' black butterfly with red trimming along the wings insignia on his back. He held up his sword in his hand, pointing it at Ichigo with a wide grin on his face.

"You're doomed." Grimmjow finished, standing over the dead bodies of the three Guard members.

"Master Grimmjow!" Ichigo gasped. "What are you doing?"

Grimmjow chuckled, swinging his sword over his shoulder as he eased down from his stance. "I've come to take care of you, Kurosaki. You are in my way from achieving something rather...important." He said.

Ichigo's lips deepened into a scowl. "What are you talking about, Master Grimmjow? I haven't done anything to you!" He said, clenching the hilt of his blade tightly.

"Oh, but you have." Grimmjow said, his teal eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm not sure for how long, or how it came to be, but you've been having an affair with a certain someone..."

Ichigo's eyes widened to the size of saucers as realization struck him.

"What's he talking about, Ichigo?" Keigo asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

How did he find out? Ichigo thought, glaring heatedly at one of the vampire Masters he has sworn to protect. "What do you want?" He seethed.

Grimmjow picked up his blade suddenly, Ichigo and Keigo both flinching at the action, pointing the tip of his sword towards Ichigo threateningly.

"In order to get what I want wholly, I need for you to be out of the picture." Grimmjow said, twirling his sword between his fingers. "So I need for you to die."

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock. "You're going to kill me? For her?" He growled.

"For who?" Keigo asked, completely out of the loop.

"It's necessary," Grimmjow said, his eyes trailing downwards for a second before rising back up to Ichigo. "I can't afford to have you clouding her mind."

Ichigo frowned as Grimmjow glanced down once again. What was he looking at?

Ichigo looked down at the ground, furrowing his brow in confusion as he saw nothing but the blood of his comrades and the line of the shadow from the castle...moving?

Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized the shadow was coming within inches of their feet. He gasped as he realized what Grimmjow was doing.

"Keigo! Step back!" Ichigo yelled, jumping back away from the shade just before it could touch him. Keigo was too confused to react instantly to Ichigo's command, and the shadow fell over him like a blanket.

"Wha-"

Grimmjow shot forward, his fangs popping out from his gums as he grabbed Keigo by the head and jerked it to the side, sinking his fangs deep into the Guard's neck to draw blood from the jugular vein.

"Keigo! No!" Ichigo cried, watching as Keigo tried to fight against Grimmjow but only managed to flop around as Grimmjow drank from him, a trickle of blood falling down Keigo's armor over his butterfly insignia. Keigo wheezed, his face paling as Grimmjow drank him dry.

Ichigo clutched his blade in anger as he watched his comrade die, Grimmjow's sadistic glare set firmly on Ichigo as he killed Asano Keigo. He pulled back, his mouth and chin stained with blood. He gave a slight cackle as Keigo fell to the ground in a heap, his armor clanking loudly against the ground as he crumpled. Grimmjow gave a kick to the man's side, smirking at the enraged look on the orange haired man's face.

"You were pretty fucked before," Grimmjow said smugly. "But now that I've fed...you have no chance in the world."

Ichigo snarled at the vampire. "You son of a bitch..." He ground out. "I'll kill you..."

"How can you?" Grimmjow taunted, spreading his arms out to expose his chest, his sword held loosely in his right hand. "How are you going to kill me...from over there?"

Ichigo scowled, looking down at the slowly ascending shade line. Ichigo scooted back a step, remaining in the lighted area to remain safe. If he went over there he'd be killed in a second just like his friends. No, he needed another strategy.

"Come on, Kurosaki." Grimmjow said, waving his sword around in a full circle in his hand. "You have no chance, accept this. The Princess is mine now, she has already agreed to marry me."

Ichigo glared at him. "Liar," He said gruffly.

"I am not," Grimmjow said, shaking his head. "Last night before dawn...she told me that she'd announce our union to the Council tonight. That's why I'm here now. I got up early to make sure there would be no one to object to our rather...unholy union." He chuckled.

Ichigo felt his heart racing in anger. Rukia would not willingly agree to marry this asshole, never in a million years. She was in love with Ichigo, no doubt in his mind. But then why would she...?

"You're blackmailing her, you coward." Ichigo accused, glaring ever harder, if possible. "I know Rukia and she would never accept someone like you as her husband."

"First name basis, huh?" Grimmjow taunted. "Seems you two were close. Makes it all the more sad that she's about to lose you forever," He said, taking a few steps forward as more ground was available to him. "You can't keep stepping back forever. Eventually the sun will be gone completely, and there will be nowhere for you to hide from me, boy."

Ichigo looked down at the line, watching it coming towards him steadily faster now as the sun set in the distance. He had only minutes before Grimmjow could reach him. He needed to think, quickly!

Come on, Ichigo. You've been backed into a corner before. Being under pressure is when you're at your best!

Ichigo looked up at Grimmjow, who took another step towards him as the line drew closer. Ichigo cursed inwardly, taking a step back. He needed more time to think! He wouldn't be able to think of a plan this way!

"Why don't you run?" Grimmjow suggested smugly. "It's more fun when my prey let me give chase."

Ichigo felt his anger boil underneath his skin at this. He was not this man's prey and never will be anyone's prey!

Ichigo threw caution to the wind as he stomped his foot down for balance and swung his long broad sword at Grimmjow over the line, aiming for a quick decapitation, but Grimmjow was very much so quicker than he and leaned back away from the tip of the blade, laughing.

"That all?" He teased. "You'll have to do better than that, Dandelion."

Ichigo growled in frustration, tossing another swing at Grimmjow only to have it dodged again. Ichigo roared in anger, letting all logic slip away as he charged at the blue haired vampire with his sword raised high over his head for a vertical slash. Grimmjow raised his blade and blocked the blow, grinning at him as he held back the much larger sword away from his face.

"I've got you now, Dandelion."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he realized his mistake, and before he could pull back into the sunlight Grimmjow grabbed him by the collar of his armor and threw him further into the shade away from the sun. Ichigo rolled on the ground, fighting to regain balance as he skidded to a stop a few feet away from Grimmjow, who smirked with his bloody fangs and began to circle the human like a leopard would a gazelle before leaping.

Ichigo raised his head to look at Grimmjow as he held up his sword towards him, smirking all the while. There was a look of triumph in his eyes as he had Ichigo where he wanted him, and it only angered Ichigo more as he pushed himself up and brought his sword up in a defensive stance.

"Still think you have a chance?" Grimmjow jeered.

"I will not die without a fight," Ichigo said with determination. No turning back now...

Grimmjow gave a low whistle. "You've got spunk, I'll give you that." He said, raising his sword. "It won't serve you well though, in the last fight of your life."

Ichigo was about to respond, but Grimmjow suddenly faded from sight and Ichigo knew he was charging. He swung his sword in front of him, watching as Grimmjow appeared and jumped in the air over the blade, missing it by mere inches.

Ichigo gave a triumphant roar as he reared back to swing. Grimmjow could do nothing while in mid-air, you had no momentum to use to create speed so his supernaturally enhanced legs couldn't carry him away from this attack. Ichigo brought the sword back from his previous swing and lunged at the blue haired vampire, smirking as he made a clean cut along his abdomen through the chainmail, cutting through it to slice open skin which pooled blood.

Grimmjow hissed as he landed and jumped back to hold his wounded stomach, blood dripping down onto his fingers as he glared at the orange haired human.

"Lucky shot," He growled.

Ichigo brought his now blood stained sword back up in preparation for the vampire's next attack. "Luck has nothing to do with it," He said, grinning.

Grimmjow snorted, feeling the wound finally healing under the cut chainmail that dangled over his stomach. He brought up his sword, his face now set in a deep scowl as he glared at Ichigo. "Fun time is over, shithead. This is about to get serious."

Grimmjow faded from sight once again, and Ichigo preformed the same move as before and swung his sword out in front of him, watching as Grimmjow appeared once more out of thin air, but this time he didn't jump over the blade. Instead, he ducked under it, catching Ichigo defenseless in mid-swing. Ichigo's eyes widened as Grimmjow smirked, rising up with his blade to slice open the chainmail of his arm and leave a deep gash just above his elbow.

Ichigo cursed as he brought his sword back and brought it down on top of Grimmjow, only to have the vampire speed out of the way. His sword crashed against the ground, cutting a decent sized hole into it from the force of his sword, added onto the weight of his blade, which was now becoming more apparent to him as he felt his arm gush with blood. He grunted, holding the wounded arm as his forearm protector filled with the red substance.

"That was a warning cut," Grimmjow said, appearing a few feet ahead of him, his blade dripping with Ichigo's blood. He smirked, licking it off with his long tongue, his fangs glinting under the light of the moon as it slowly rose into the sky, the sun's rays just about fully diminished. "The next one won't be so flimsy."

Ichigo scowled at him, letting go of his bleeding arm to hold up his blade, despite the fact it agitated the wound tremendously. "Are you going to talk all damn night, or are you going to fight me?"

Grimmjow laughed loudly, throwing his head back to open his fanged mouth wide to bellow his amusement. "You're a cocky kid..." He said, grinning madly. "Let's put to the test just how strong you are!"

Grimmjow charged him again, and this time instead of swing his blade Ichigo stabbed it forward, watching as Grimmjow spun around it like a graceful dancer. He brought his fist up to punch at the blue haired vampire as he spun, but Grimmjow saw it coming and caught the fist with his hand, smirking as he brought his leg up and kicked Ichigo hard in the chest, sending him flying through the air a ways before he slammed and rolled onto the ground.

"C'mon, human! Show me what you got!"

Ichigo only had a split second to react as suddenly Grimmjow was above him with his sword upside down and brought it down straight for Ichigo's face. He rolled to the side, just barely missing the impaling blade as it took a few strands of his hair. It stuck into the ground, and in that moment when Grimmjow had to readjust his grip on the hilt to pull it out Ichigo struck. He brought his leg up to kick Grimmjow in the groin, not nearly doing as much damage as it could have without his pelvis plate but still effective enough to knock the man back a few steps with a grunt. Ichigo kicked up his legs to vault himself back onto his feet, crouching to launch himself and tackle Grimmjow at the waist to pin him to the ground.

"I've got you now!" Ichigo pulled back a fist and punched Grimmjow as hard as he could in the face with his good arm. He punched him again, and then again, and again. He had Grimmjow firmly placed down under him, and he released a barrage of punches into the vampire's face to disorientate him and bruise his pale skin.

"Fucker!" Grimmjow finally got his bearings and swung his arm in a wide arc to smack Ichigo across the head to knock him off of him. Grimmjow pulled himself up and jumped after the stumbling Ichigo, rearing back with a hard fist to punch the orange haired human across the cheek. "Let's see how you like it!"

Grimmjow's barrage of punches was ten times more worse than Ichigo's, for the punches were much faster and they pummeled into his face at lightning speed that blinded and dizzied him. Ichigo stood there, unable to defend himself as Grimmjow unleashed hell on his skull. A few cuts opened up on Ichigo's forehead and cheeks, his eyes swelling slightly from the beating and the bone of his chin cracking under the pressure. He felt spit and blood drip from his mouth as his lip cut against his teeth, his vision blurred to the point of blindness.

"Grah!" Grimmjow finished the barrage with a furious uppercut, knocking Ichigo off of his feet into the air for a moment before he came crumbling to the ground, his whole world nothing but a spinning mess of colors and intense pain. He groaned, trying to regain sense and logic before Grimmjow could finish him off, but everything just continued to spin, and he was finding it hard to breathe slightly.

"I guess this was your limit," Grimmjow's voice echoed in his mind as he tried to make sense of the spinning in his vision. He was starting to regain sight, staring up at the blue blob that moved around above him. He heard metal clanging against the ground, and when he finally could see he watched as Grimmjow brought his sword high above his head for the finishing blow. "I'm tired of this fight. You've amused me long enough. I need to finish this so I can hide your bodies before the meeting."

Grimmjow brought the blade down, and Ichigo moved by pure survival instinct and rolled out of the way as the blade slammed against the ground, cutting into the earth. Grimmjow cursed as Ichigo used all of his leftover energy to stand and snatch up his sword and sprint away from the vampire as fast as he could, running around the side of the castle in hopes of regrouping.

"You think you can run from me?" Grimmjow yelled after Ichigo. "You can run to the ends of the Earth, and you'll never even escape my sight for a second!"

Ichigo ignored this as he ran, trying to think of a way to successfully fight back against the obviously stronger vampire. How could he win on his own? He was not trained to fight vampires, but to protect them. He was lucky to have lasted this long as it is, but what chance did he have to living through this?

Stop it, Ichigo thought as he huffed and puffed. Don't give up just like that! You're a man, and men don't just roll over and die!

He felt an icy chill run up his spine as he ran, and on instinct he spun around with his blade and swung outwards at the air behind him, Grimmjow bending backwards to avoid being cut. Ichigo growled, swinging the blade around to swipe out the vampire's legs, only to have Grimmjow jump back away from the blade and smirk maniacally at him.

"You bastard..." Ichigo seethed.

"You think she really loves you?" Grimmjow taunted, making Ichigo's eyes go wide. "She's a vampire, and not just any vampire, but the Princess! How could she ever love a peasant's son?"

Ichigo felt his rage skyrocket at this. He gave a feral roar and charged, his sword reared back for a ferocious swing. Grimmjow cackled, bringing his sword up to clash with Ichigo's, sparks flying through the air from the force of their collision. Ichigo pressed down on his heavier blade onto Grimmjow's, trying with all of his might to break the vampire's grip, but he held a sturdy grip on his blade and just smirked at Ichigo evilly.

"You had your fun with her," Grimmjow said, staring into Ichigo's fiery amber eyes. "She's done with you now. You were good for a few sips for her, but now she needs a real man, one she can actually have on level with her- like me."

"SHUT UP!" Ichigo weighed down his sword with more of his weight, trying with all of his might to break Grimmjow's defenses. Grimmjow tutted at him, shaking his head as he held his sword fast to Ichigo's.

"Humans," Grimmjow said, almost with shame. "Always so damn testy."

"Fuck you!" Ichigo brought his sword back to slam it harder onto Grimmjow's, but Grimmjow used that moment to maneuver his blade around under Ichigo and swing upwards behind his guard, cutting a long gash up his chest plate and then leaving a thin red line of blood up his cheek. He cursed, watching as Grimmjow brandished his sword once again for another slice, but Ichigo ducked back before he could execute the attack, and the Ichigo turned and started running again, knowing that he was going to lose this confrontation.

"Running again, scared little man?" Grimmjow jeered as Ichigo sprinted away, panting as sweat and blood dripped from his chin. "It's starting to get pathetic, Kurosaki!"

Ichigo could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage, running like a cheetah through the savannah. He was losing a lot of blood from the wound on his arm, and he was starting to get woozy a bit from all of this excursion of energy. He wouldn't make it very long before he passed out, so he needed to hurry and finish this fight. But how?

As Ichigo ran around the side of the castle, he could see the gates to the garden coming into view. He could lose Grimmjow in there and find help! Ichigo alone was no match for Grimmjow, but with someone else on his side he just might have a chance!

Ichigo raced up to the gate, praying to God it was still unlocked from when the maids came by to water the flowers. He stopped to grab the gate door, yanking on it to find, to his uttermost joy, that it was indeed unlocked. He gave a grunt of relief as he swung it open and ran inside the garden, his nostrils being invaded by the familiar scent of the flowers that usually calmed his nerves even when they were at their hottest, but right now he couldn't take a moment to enjoy the peaceful garden as he ran for his life.

"The garden, Kurosaki? You trying to make it more fun for me to kill you?" Grimmjow called from behind. Ichigo didn't dare look to see how far away he was, but he sounded close, so he picked up speed and lost himself in the maze of the greens that made up the garden.

The sky was now completely black, the sun gone leaving the land dark and almost Gothic looking. Ichigo ran as fast as he could through the garden trail, completely lost as to where he was going. In his frantic pace he had gotten lost on the trail, the only thing he could see ahead of him being more shrubberies. The garden was a very large part of the castle grounds, and it could take days to get found if you got lost. Usually Ichigo was very good on remembering his path, but now as he took odd turns and ran for his life, he was completely and utterly lost.

This isn't good, He thought, feeling his whole arm going numb from the blood loss. He was slowing down with exhaustion, his lungs on fire and his muscles cramping up. He wheezed, spitting out the blood from the cut on his lip.

"You cannot lose me, Kurosaki."

Ichigo felt a cold chill run deep into his bones as Grimmjow appeared in front of him suddenly, his blade held up high in offense. Ichigo skidded to a stop, staring in horror at the grinning, not even sweating vampire standing in front of him in the garden path. He was trapped, zapped of all his energy and very much so wounded. He couldn't keep running any longer, he was too damn tired. He was ready to drop, barely able to hold up his unbelievably heavy sword or his equally as heavy body. Everything had a blurry edge to it as he panted, one eye swollen halfway shut as the other watched Grimmjow as he grinned.

"Your blood is an easy trail to follow," Grimmjow said, raising his left hand to wave the air into his nostrils theatrically. "The air is coated in the scent. It's delightful...hints of desperation and fear...you can try to hide it, but it's there. Right smack dab in the center of that deliciously pungent smell of your blood. It's so intoxicating...I can't wait to drink it." He said, taking a step forward.

"Stay away from me..." Ichigo said, raising his sword shakily, panting still, sweat beading down his temples in fat clumps. "I'll cut you down!"

"Your naivety amuses me," Grimmjow said. "But I'm really pressed for time. This is the end of the road for you, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Grimmjow once more charged, and Ichigo tried to bring up his sword to block but it was too late.

Ichigo's eyes opened wide in shock and horror as Grimmjow pierced his blade through Ichigo's armor and through his chest, the tip sticking from out of his back. He stood there stock still, paralyzed by the shock of what had just happened. He slowly looked down at the sword that stabbed into his chest, feeling warm blood spill on the inside of his chest plate down his torso. He followed the blade up to the hand holding it, and then up to the triumphantly smirking face of Grimmjow, one of the vampires Ichigo had sworn to protect, now the man who had killed him.

"N-No..." Ichigo coughed, the pain slowly starting to register to light a fire along his upper body, spreading down to his stomach and further to his legs, numbing him from just about everything but the pain. His face paled, his eyes dimming slightly as he felt the blade shift, Grimmjow pulling it back out to jerk Ichigo forward.

"I told you you were no match for me," Grimmjow said smugly, catching Ichigo before he fell to the ground. He held Ichigo up by his hair, sneering into his face with blood coated breath, his chin still slightly stained with Asano Keigo's blood. "You tried to defy the truth, but all your efforts resulted in was more torment for you. Now you stand here dying, slipping away into the darkness where there's no return. How do you feel, Kurosaki?"

Ichigo couldn't answer, and instead just wheezed in a painful breath.

"As I thought," Grimmjow snickered, pulling Ichigo higher into the air off of his feet by the hair, watching him slowly fade away. "You're so pathetic. I can't believe she even played with you like she did. It's pretty disgusting, really. You're so damn weak!"

Grimmjow cackled, and Ichigo's eyes began to roll. He was growing so cold, his fingers feeling like ice as he clutched the hilt of his dead weight sword. He refused to let it go, because then he would have truly given up. He refused to give up, even if it was certain he was dead. He would die a warrior, not a coward.

Grimmjow glanced down at the blade, raising a brow at it before lifting his gaze back to Ichigo.

"I can give you this...you have pride. I respect that." He said, and then gave a snort. "Fat lot of good it did you."

Ichigo felt his hands shaking. The edges of his vision was beginning to darken. He was dying, for sure. This was it. He never thought this was how he'd go. Killed by one of the very people who had saved his life as a child. Why would they save him if they were just going to kill him? It made no sense...

Ichigo's eyes rolled upwards to the towers of the castle, standing so tall towards the heavens with all of their glory. His dulling amber eyes found the tallest tower, the one that held the woman he loved. Was she still asleep? Or was she out feeding? Would she notice that he was missing for so long? Would she really care? Was Grimmjow right when he said Rukia never truly loved him? No...he knew that wasn't true. Rukia loved him, and he loved her. If only he could see her one last time...

He stared into the light that glowed from her balcony, and for a second he thought he saw a shadow move through the curtains. The silhouette disappeared though before he could register that it had ever really existed. It must have been his imagination; the cold fingers of death toying with him before claiming his soul to drag him to the underworld.

"Ready to die?" Grimmjow whispered, bringing Ichigo back down to eye level as he sprouted his fangs.

Ichigo stared at the fangs, knowing Grimmjow was going to drink from him to kill him. He thought of all the times Rukia had bitten him to take a sip of his blood, how gentle she was with her bites with her fangs. Would this hurt? Grimmjow definitely wouldn't be gentle, so he imagined it would be very agonizing...

"Say hello to your friends for me," Grimmjow snickered, opening his mouth to clamp down on Ichigo's neck.

Ichigo closed his eyes, accepting that death was right on his doorstep now and there was nothing he could do...

"Ichigo!"

Suddenly the hand that was holding Ichigo up disappeared and Ichigo was dropped onto the ground, his back taking the blow with a grunt. He seethed in pain, his wound throbbing. He opened his eyes and looked up to see what had happened, and what he saw shocked him to his core.

Rukia had Grimmjow by the head with her hand, struggling with him as he angrily yelled and flung his arms around trying to reach her to throw her off. She sprouted her fangs and dug them deep into Grimmjow's neck, making him cry out in pain as he continued to struggle.

"Get off of me, you bitch!" He roared.

Rukia did not budge as she began to drain Grimmjow of his blood, his life essence. Vampires did not drink from other vampires for subsidence, but for pleasure or to cause pain, the latter of the two the case here. She latched onto him with an iron grip and gnashed her teeth against his neck, trying to weaken him.

"I said..." Grimmjow balled his hand into a fist. "GET OFF!"

Grimmjow brought his fist back into Rukia's face, effectively knocking her off of him, but not without having her fangs drag through his neck to carve open his skin to draw blood. He cried out in pain as Rukia fell back against the ground, dazed from the force of the punch, her had reaching up to cup her bruised face.

"You bastard!" Rukia barked. "You taste like dirt!"

"Well get used to it, baby, because you're too late to save your precious human." Grimmjow said, holding his bleeding neck with a glare. "He's gone."

Rukia's amethyst eyes glanced over to Ichigo, a deep frown on her face. "You think so?" She asked, returning her gaze back to Grimmjow.

"Are you blind?" Grimmjow snorted. "Look at him!"

Grimmjow moved to point to the downed Ichigo, but just as he turned Ichigo's broad sword stabbed through his armor and through his chest, jutting out from his back from through his undead heart. His eyes widened, a pained gasp leaving his lips as he looked down in shock at Ichigo as he held up the blood, his pale face coated in sweat but his eyes burning with determination.

"Never..." Ichigo ground out, glaring at Grimmjow. "...turn your back...on the enemy."

Grimmjow dropped his sword to the ground as he raised his hands to the blade that stuck inside of him. He opened his mouth, trying to scream, but unable to as his lungs constricted and his skin began to turn gray. His cheeks sunk into his mouth, his forehead winkling and his eyes turning black as he moaned and his body began to disintegrate into dust.

"Fuck..." Grimmjow wheezed just before he disappeared forever. "...you..."

His white armor fell to the ground with a loud clunk as his body completely withered away into nothing but dust on the wind. The dust blew away in the wind, all that was left of the vampire Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow.

"Ichigo!"

Rukia appeared by Ichigo's side as he finally dropped his blade and fell forward, unable to hold himself up any longer. She caught him in her arms, pulling him up into her lap as she stared down at his wounds, her eyes wide with worry. He coughed, looking up at her with slight confusion.

"H-How did you...find me?" He asked.

"My balcony," Rukia said, nodding her head towards her tower. "I looked out over the garden and I saw you...being stabbed by that monster." She sniffled, and he watched as her eyes filled with tears. He never seen a vampire cry before, and he was mildly shocked to find their tears weren't like a human's, but were streaks of blood that fell from their eyes down their cheeks. Rukia's eyes filled with red and he watched with morbid interest the red line that slowly made its way down her cheek.

"Don't cry..." Ichigo whispered, bringing his shaking hand up to wipe away her red tear. She leaned into his hand, still crying as she watched him die. "It'll be alright..."

"No..." She shook her head. "I don't know what to do...you're dying..."

"There's nothing you can do," He said softly, feeling his body going more and more numb, unable to even feel the pain any longer. He was ice cold now, colder than the skin of a vampire. He stared up into Rukia's beautiful violet eyes, feeling, for some strange reason, at peace with her being there with him. "Can I ask...a favor?"

Rukia looked down at him, her eyes filled with pain and sorrow. "Anything..." She whispered.

"Can...I have...one last kiss?" He said, cupping her cheek with his cold hand. His skin was as pale as hers now, but there was nothing he could do to bring any color back into them like he loved to do to her skin.

"O-Of course..." Rukia said weakly, leaning down to brush her lips against his softly. He kissed her back, feeling a slight warmth run through his body at the taste of her. He shivered, but that only made him flinch as his wound throbbed. She pulled back at his flinch, but he held her in place to continue kissing her.

"Don't go..." He whispered against her lips. "I don't want you to go..."

"I'm not going anywhere," She said back, her eyes now freely flowing with crimson tears that fell onto Ichigo's cheeks.

"Good..." Ichigo said, letting his heavy eyelids slowly close, the last thing he would ever see being the crying Rukia.

"It's okay..." Rukia whispered to him softly, letting her fangs poke out from between her lips. "You'll be fine Ichigo...I promise."

Ichigo trusted her, because he knew no matter what Rukia would take care of him.

I love you...Rukia.

[–]

When Ichigo was just a boy and his poor mother was dying she would tell him the same thing every time he started to cry for her sake:

"Death is but the beginning, my darling." Kurosaki Masaki would say to the young Ichigo as he sat by her bedside crying his poor little brown eyes out because of her ill fate. "When I pass on it will not be a sad thing. Life is but a blink of an eye, and it isn't until after we pass on do we learn what our true purpose is."

Death is but the beginning...

Ichigo took that with him when King Byakuya found him in the woods, his whole family gone and the thread holding him to this plain soon to be cut. He did not mourn them, because they were lucky. They had begun whatever journey they were to undertake, while Ichigo was the one to be pitied for having survived. Death is but the beginning, and Ichigo had yet to begin his quest.

"Young boy," King Kuchiki Byakuya's cold gray eyes were locked onto his dulling brown ones as he leaned up against a tree, his stomach growling and his muscles so thin he was practically a skeleton. He had felt like nothing more than a bag of bones with skin wrapped around it. You could practically play a tune on his protruding ribcage. "Do you need help?"

Why would this man help me? The young orange haired boy had thought as he looked up at the lavishly dressed man with long black hair and scary gray eyes. Everyone who saw Ichigo turned their noses up and walked past, not at all offering to save the poor boy's life. Ichigo was an unwanted burden on this planet, and the sooner he died the sooner everyone could stop looking down at him.

"No..." Ichigo had said, his voice scratchy from thirst. "Even if you give me food and water...it will only last a short while before I grow hungry once again..."

King Byakuya's eyes stared down at the boy, mulling over his words. "You wish to die?"

Ichigo nodded his head slowly. "I want to be with my family..."

"Are they dead?" The King asked.

Ichigo just nodded.

"I'm afraid though..." Ichigo whispered, looking down at his thin little fingers, seeing all of the callouses he had gained from the scavenging he had done to make this far.

"Of death?" King Byakuya inquired. Ichigo once again nodded. "You should not fear death. Death is merely the beginning."

There it was again, that saying. His mother's words went through the young boy's mind and he looked up at the King, his eyes lighting up slightly at his words.

"Tell me, what is your name?" The King asked, kneeling down by Ichigo's side.

"Ichigo...Kurosaki Ichigo." The boy answered.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," King Byakuya acknowledged, nodding as he reached out a hand. "You say if I give you food and water that it would last you only a short while, but what if I give you a home? A home full of food and water, where you can prosper and become strong? Come with me, and I will make sure you see adulthood."

Ichigo couldn't help but marvel at the man before him. He was really offering to save his life? Who was this man, what was he?

"I-I don't know..." Ichigo said hesitantly.

"Come with me," King Byakuya said again, this time much more softly. "Come with me, and I will teach you how death truly is just the beginning."

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly, and he could feel his heart race as he nodded slowly and took the man's hand, being picked up and carried to the castle where his life would forever be changed.

[–]

Ichigo felt cold, but warm also at the same time. He was nowhere nearly as cold as he was before when he lay in Rukia's arms, but still slightly cold nonetheless. He gave a shiver as he forced open an eye, squinting against the light that invaded his vision and stung his eyes. Once he was adjusted to the light he opened both of his eyes and looked around at the stone ceiling, seeing the curtain rods to a bed high above him as well. He frowned softly at them, turning his head slightly to find that he was, indeed, laying in a bed with the white sheets wrapped tightly around his prone body.

The bed was unbelievably soft, tens times softer than his own bed in his dingy little hole in the wall. Where was he exactly? How had he gotten here? His frown deepened as he looked around the large room, a few torches lit to brighten the otherwise dark room. He could see that the door to the balcony was open, letting in the cool night air. That must be why he was so cold. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, watching as the sheets fell off of his body to reveal that he was wearing a white robe. He stared down at his clothing, wondering how he had gotten into them.

His throat was rather dry, he noticed. He licked his dry lips, feeling a slight aching in the back of his throat as he sat there frowning in confusion at his surroundings. He was very thirsty, and hungry as well. He needed to find his way to the cook's hall to pick up a plate or two of meat to fulfill his growling stomach.

He swung his legs over the bed and found that his body was very sore for some reason. He grunted slightly, pushing against the aching to stand and shuffle his way towards the balcony like an old man with brittle bones. He closed the balcony door, closing off the air of the night from the dimly lit room. He turned to the room, frowning as he looked around at the designer carpet and portraits on the wall of the King and...the Princess...

This was Rukia's room!

Ichigo's eyes widened in realization as it all finally clicked in his head. He groaned and held the side of his head as the memories invaded his mind; memories of Grimmjow killing his men, of the blue haired vampire chasing and beating him down until he stabbed him through with his sword. He remembered dying in Rukia's arms, remembered her crying as he closed his eyes, slipping away into the darkness that was eager to take him.

He gasped as he remembered all of this, standing there with a look of bewilderment on his face. How had he gotten here if he had died? Was this...the afterlife? Was he a ghost haunting Rukia's room or something? An apparition stuck here for some unexplainable reason?

Just as Ichigo's thought started to become more and more panicked, the door to Rukia's chambers gave a loud thunk and swung open slowly to reveal the mousy young servant, Momo. She looked up at Ichigo, her face soft but her brows knitted in slight worry.

"Kurosaki-sama," Momo's soft voice just barely reached Ichigo's ears as he looked up at her. "You're awake?"

Ichigo frowned softly. "Um...yeah." He croaked, his dry throat making it hard to talk properly. He swallowed hard, trying to bring moisture to his scratchy throat. "Why am I in the Princess's room?" He asked. "What happened to me?"

"The King wishes to see you immediately," Momo said, ignoring his questions. "He orders that as soon as you are awake to come to the Royal Hall to give your presence to His Highness."

Ichigo scowled in confusion. The King wanted to see him? What was going on? If Momo could see him...then he wasn't dead. Did Rukia give him her blood to heal his fatal wounds? Was vampire blood that potent in its healing abilities?

"Okay..." He said slowly, unsure of what else to do. Maybe the King would have answers to his burning questions. He followed Momo out of the room, walking barefoot along the stone hallways to the spiral staircase that led down into the main part of the castle away from Rukia's tower.

As they made their way down the staircase, Ichigo noticed a few odd things. The stone walls seemed to be more defined, each little grain and scratch catching his eye as he passed. The lights from the candles on the walls seemed brighter, nearly blinding him when he stared directly into them. He closed his eyes for a split second, trying to shake away these strange occurrences as they found their way to the bottom and began down the main hall towards the Royal Hall where the King resided for important announcements. Why was Ichigo requested personally?

What the hell is going on?

There seemed to be no one in the halls as Ichigo followed Momo towards the Royal Hall. He frowned as he looked around, wondering where exactly everyone was. Usually there'd be one or two servants meandering about, or at least a Guard making his way back to his quarters for the night. His confusion seemed just keep growing more and more.

Momo stopped in front of the doors leading into the Royal Hall and turned to him, staring up at him for a moment before speaking, "Let me be the first to say, Kurosaki-sama: Congratulations."

Ichigo raised a brow at her. "Congratulations for wha-"

Momo said nothing as she turned away from him and pushed open the grand doors, walking into the large hall ahead of him as he looked up and froze.

The Royal Hall was a very large chamber with a red carpet leading from the door directly to the throne where King Byakuya sat next to a smaller throne where Princess Rukia also sat, both looking calm and cool with their stoic expressions. Along the hall stood just about every Guard, every Noble, and every servant that lived within the castle, all standing to attention as the door swung open and in came Momo and Ichigo. His eyes widened as he looked out across the crowd, standing stock still as Momo scurried forward along the red carpet towards the thrones.

"Your Majesties," Momo kneeled down and bowed to her King and his daughter. "Kurosaki-sama, as you have requested."

"Thank you, Momo." Rukia said, waving her hand for Momo to join the other servants in the crowd, which she complied to instantly.

"W-What..." Ichigo stammered, staring at all of the faces that looked back at him.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," King Byakuya's voice boomed over the crowd in a smooth tone, just as calm and cool as the expression on his face. "Come closer," He commanded.

Ichigo moved along the red carpet, breaking free of his stupor to walk towards the throne and, just like Momo, kneel and bow low to his rulers.

"Sire," Ichigo greeted, glancing up quickly to see the King staring down at him, along with the Princess. Rukia seemed unfazed by his presence, but Ichigo knew Rukia better than anyone and he could see past that mask of hers. There seemed to be a sad glint in her eye as she looked down at him. "If you do not mind me asking...what is going on?"

"At ease, Kurosaki Ichigo." King Byakuya said, and Ichigo pulled himself from the ground to stand straight, facing the King. "I would imagine that you are very confused, as you should be."

"Yes, Your Highness, I am." Ichigo nodded in affirmation.

King Byakuya stared down at him, and for a moment Ichigo was taken back to that day in the forest. The poor young boy starving to death, weak and scared, staring up into that exact same face as he was offered a chance to survive. It brought a hint of nostalgia to Ichigo as he stared back into those cold gray eyes that he knew weren't as cold as everyone may think.

"My daughter has informed me of what has happened to you," King Byakuya said, sparing Rukia a clipped glance before returning his gaze back to Ichigo. "Grimmjow has betrayed his kingdom, and were he alive he would be executed."

Ichigo remembered stabbing his blade through Grimmjow's heart, how he used the last of his strength to bring up his sword and kill the blue haired vampire. He remembered watching the man turn to dust and disappear forever.

"I did what I had to," Ichigo said formally. "He attacked my squad as we were coming back from our daily patrol and killed all of my men."

"A burial ceremony is being held in all of their honors tomorrow night." King Byakuya said. "Your services for killing the traitor Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow has been rewarded greatly, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Ichigo let a small frown mar his face as he looked up at the King in confusion. "I'm sorry, sire, but 'has'?"

Ichigo noticed how Rukia turned her head away at this, the sad look in her eyes growing into that of sorrow. He fought the urge to walk up to her and hold her tightly until that look left and never came back.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," King Byakuya's voice grew louder to echo down the Royal Hall. "Last night, Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow succeeded in killing you. But, my daughter was able to save your life just in time...by turning you into a vampire."

The words were lagging as they registered in Ichigo's mind. He felt his whole body paralyze with shock, his blood running cold as he stared up at the King. He hadn't heard right...there was no way he was...

He turned to Rukia, who was still not looking at him, her eyes staring sadly at the floor. Ichigo opened his mouth slightly, wanting to say something but not knowing what. This was a dream, it was the only explanation. There was no way...there just couldn't be...

"My King..." Ichigo found his voice, his hands dangling at his sides as he looked up at King Byakuya. "You aren't...serious are you?"

"I am," King Byakuya said. "It was the only way to save you. Though the act of my daughter turning you was illegal as all turnings are discussed and agreed upon by the Council, your services for killing the traitor has earned you granting of your new status."

King Byakuya lifted his hand and he snapped his fingers, the sound echoing down the quiet hall. Ichigo turned numbly to find one of the servants walk up from out of the crowd holding a silver plate in his hands. On top of the plate was a single glass, full of a red liquid that was dark and swished slightly from the movements of the servant.

"Take your drink, Kurosaki Ichigo." King Byakuya said. "It is your right. You are now one of us."

The servant bowed to Ichigo, raising the plate high above his head to display it for the orange haired man. Ichigo stared down at the liquid in the cup, frowning in apprehension as he picked it up and held it to his face, unsure of what to do. He was still slightly under the impression he was dreaming, but the second he caught a whiff of the blood his head swam and he felt the ache in the back of his throat intensify. He nearly choked on it, wheezing slightly as he pulled the glass away from his face to stare down at it in shock.

"Drink," King Byakuya repeated.

Ichigo looked up at the King, and then at all the people watching him. He felt on display, as if being shown off as the shiny new toy. They were all intent on watching him, rigid backed and proper. He didn't like all of this attention, it made his skin crawl.

He looked back up at the thrones, his amber eyes catching the familiar set of violet orbs that he dreamed of so often. Rukia was finally looking back at him, her eyes locked onto his as he stared up at her. She gave a discreet nod to him, and he knew she wanted him to drink the glass as well. He frowned at her softly, nodding back as he looked back down at the blood in the cup and brought it to his lips.

The second the blood touched his tongue it was like he was struck by lightning. He had expected for it to taste coppery and stale like it always had, but now it tasted...sweet, intoxicating. It sloshed around in his mouth to make him shiver in delight. He swallowed the bit he had in his mouth and moaned as he felt it quell the ache in the back of his throat slightly. He brought the glass back to his lips and gulped down the rest of the red liquid greedily, his eyes rolling at how incredibly delicious the blood was.

As he drank, he felt a slight prickling in his gums. He frowned, feeling a slight pain in his mouth as something poked at his lips. He pulled the glass away once it was empty and felt around with his tongue, finding two long, sharp fangs now placed in his mouth protruding from where his canines should be. His eyes widened, his hand coming up to touch the fangs in his mouth in amazement.

Now that he has drank the blood the world seemed so much clearer. It was almost as if the clouds had finally cleared from his vision and he was seeing the world for the very first time. Every sensation was enhanced; his hearing, his taste, his touch, his smell. It was all new and so exciting.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," King Byakuya stood from his throne, followed soon by Princess Rukia. The whole room stood to attention as the King stood, his eyes set firmly on Ichigo as he spoke, "You are hereby no longer a Guard...but are now one of us. A vampire. Welcome to the Council."

Ichigo stared up at the King, his fangs still barred and his mouth rosy red from the blood. He nodded, bowing low to his majesty.

"Thank you," He said softly, feeling joy now coursing through him as realization struck him. This was real. He was a vampire now. And that meant...

"My King," Ichigo said, raising his head slightly to look up at King Byakuya. "I would like to ask a request."

"What is it you request of me?" King Byakuya asked, still standing from his throne.

"Your permission,"

"My permission?" King Byakuya let a thin brow rise in inquiry. "Permission for what?"

"To take your daughter, Princess Kuchiki Rukia, as my wife." Ichigo announced, eliciting a collective gasp throughout the hall.

King Byakuya's eyes narrowed slightly, looking back at his daughter as her mask slipped slightly and a look of shock was apparent on her face. His lips formed into a frown, turning back to Ichigo.

"You wish to take my daughter's hand in marriage?" The King inquired.

Ichigo nodded, determination glowing in his amber eyes. "Yes, sire. I do."

King Byakuya could hear the shocked whispers spreading throughout the crowd of men and women in the Royal Hall, the vampire Nobles included. King Byakuya swept the room with his gray eyes, mulling this proposal over silently in his mind. He turned his head to his daughter, who had quickly covered her shock with her icy mask, looking up at him in question of his answer. He raised a brow, and then turned back to Ichigo.

"Why do you wish to marry my daughter, Kurosaki?"

"Because I love her," Ichigo said instantly without hesitation.

The whispers grew more in quantity at this, and King Byakuya closed his eyes as he waved his hand to silence the room. A hush fell over the crowd as everyone looked up to the King, awaiting his answer.

"I have considered your proposal, Kurosaki Ichigo." The King said. "And I have come to a conclusion."

"Your Highness, what is your answer?" Ichigo asked, trying to hide his anxiety.

The King opened his eyes to look down at Ichigo. "I shall let my daughter decide," King Byakuya said, causing a room-wide gasp. Every head turned to Princess Rukia as she looked up at her father in shock.

"Father?" She whispered to him in confusion.

"I feel that this is a decision best left to you," King Byakuya said, looking at Rukia with his gray eyes. For a moment Rukia could have sworn she saw warmth in that cold stare… "You may decide if you are to marry this man or not. What is your answer?"

Ichigo and Rukia's eyes met for a second, and Ichigo could see the joy lighting behind that mask of hers.

"I accept," She announced loudly, letting the whole room hear.

Ichigo couldn't help the smile that crossed his features, and in that moment the whole crowd was shocked for the umpteenth time as Rukia, the Ice Princess, smiled in return.

King Byakuya was amazed by her smile, and turned back to Ichigo. "Then I grant my blessing to you, Kurosaki Ichigo, to marry my daughter."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Ichigo bowed once again.

King Byakuya turned to address the entire hall. "The marriage of Kurosaki Ichigo and Princess Kuchiki Rukia shall take place in three weeks from now! The entire village shall attend, as well as all of the Guard and Nobles. You are dismissed."

[–]

Ichigo lost Rukia in the crowd once they were allowed to leave. One of the male servants, a young mousy boy named Hanataro, came up to him saying he would show Ichigo to his new chambers, but Ichigo waved him off saying he did not wish to retire just yet before running off to find Rukia.

Ichigo couldn't find her in the halls, ignoring the bows and congratulations from the men and women that he did find. He scowled as he figured she must have somehow sneaked off to her room, and practically ran up the stairs to her tower to find her.

Ichigo was so much faster now, he practically blurred up the staircase. It only took him a few minutes to reach the top, and he wasn't even invigorated like he used to be from the ascent. He would need to get used to this new found power he held, but trusted with Rukia's help he would in time.

Ichigo didn't even bother to knock on her door when he arrived to her room. He pushed it open and looked inside, finding no one within the chamber. He frowned, taking a few steps inside as he inspected the room, trying to find what he desired most at this moment.

"Rukia?" He called out softly.

"Here," Her soft voice called back.

Ichigo looked over to see the balcony door that he had closed earlier was now open, and outside of it was Rukia in her long purple dress. He walked outside onto the balcony behind her, staring down at her as she looked out over the garden.

"Rukia…" Ichigo whispered as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling her relax into him but still she did not turn to him. "Why did you run from me in the Royal Hall?"

"I did not want to have an audience," Rukia replied. "I…I want to apologize."

Ichigo frowned. "For what?"

"For…" He heard her voice crack slightly, her shoulders shaking. "For what I have done to you…"

Ichigo looked down at her, knitting his brows in confusion. "What have you done to me? You did nothing but save my very life."

"No…" She shook her head. "It is because of me it has ended…you aren't human anymore, and it is my fault. If only I had been more careful…Grimmjow would not have found out about us and-"

"Be quiet," Ichigo said, tightening his hold on her. "It does not matter anymore. Grimmjow is dead."

"But so are you," Rukia countered.

Ichigo grinned, kissing her head. "And so are you,"

"Ichigo…stop it," Rukia pulled from his grasp and turned to him, bloody tears streaking down her face. "It's my fault you had to die like that! Grimmjow never would have attacked you if it weren't for my foolishness!"

"Are you saying what we have is foolish?" Ichigo said.

"Yes, it is very foolish!" Rukia said angrily. "You could have been taken away from me! I could have lost you forever! Do you understand?"

Ichigo watched as her crimson tears fell down her cheeks freely, very much in the same way they had the night before when she held him as he died. It wasn't until now did he realize with whole clarity that it was she who had saved him. She was the one who had turned him, thus saving his life and granting him the ability to pull off what he had just done in the Royal Hall.

"Rukia," Ichigo said softly, stepping forward. "What we have is not foolish."

"Yes, it is!" She retorted, stomping her foot down in frustration. "You don't seem to understand that last night you-"

Ichigo silenced her as he leaned forward and claimed her lips, moving faster than he had ever moved before. Her eyes grew wide as he kissed her, his hand reaching up to cup her face and wipe away the tears that stained it. She shivered, melting into the kiss almost instantly as he warmed her up with his lips.

"You are the one who is foolish," Ichigo whispered against her lips. "I don't regret a thing that has happened. If it weren't for Grimmjow doing what he did…we'd never truly be together like we are right now."

Rukia stared up into his eyes, soft and vulnerable as her tears misted her eyes. "But…"

"Don't argue with me," Ichigo said, pecking her lips. "It wouldn't do for us to be arguing…especially if we have a wedding to plan for." He grinned at her.

Rukia's face lit up in a smile, a quiet laugh leaving her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I guess you're right…" She said.

"Of course I am," Ichigo said, holding her against his body as his forehead pressed against hers. "Have you ever doubted me?"

Rukia giggled. "Not even for a second,"

Ichigo chuckled, leaning in for another kiss from his soon-to-be bride.

His mother had been right, as was the King. Last night Kurosaki Ichigo had died, but dying was only the beginning for something much, much more wonderful.

---

Man, this was so amazing to write. I honestly think it's one of my best and favorite one-shots! Other than A Werewolf's Mate and Cliché of course. I don't include Werewolf Rehabilitation Camp on that list because it's a Four Shot, though that is my all time favorite thing I have ever written!

I seriously hope you guys enjoyed this. I put a lot of work and energy into this story, and I hope it shows.

Oh, and there's a little shout out within the story! When Grimmjow calls Ichigo "Dandelion" it's from We're The Same byhunterofcomedy! The story is about Ichigo and Neko!Rukia developing a relationship at Tokyo University and the prejudice Rukia faces as a Nekojin. It's one of my most favorite stories now and I figured Grimmjow calling "Dandelion" was a great way to pay homage to it. If you want to understand why, go check it out!

Thanks for reading and favoriting everyone! It means a hell of a lot to me! You don't even know!

REVIEW!