Hi readers, WithoutPen is back!
Allow me to take this chance to clarify some stuffs.
This story is not a new story. The plot largely remains the same but I have decided to make some improvement to the writing. I know I am not the best author around but I hope you will love this version as much as I had fun writing it :)
Please enjoy & leave a feedback :)
P.S - I know RenRuki is canon now but that will not stop me from shipping ByaRuki. Having said that, I was extremely agonized by the revelation. It is not even a punch in the guts for me; It felt more like a death sentence. I cannot give my heartfelt congratulations because I strongly believe that Byakuya and Rukia are meant to be together. The majority of the Bleach fans might oppose their relationship but it does not change the fact that they are the perfect couple. Peace out.
CHAPTER 1 - PRELUDE
Darkness.
The moon had hidden itself away behind the protection of the clouds as if shielding itself from the beings that were undeserving of its beauty.
The relentless waves hitting the shore and the howling wind were the only sounds to be heard.
Then, a twitch of a finger followed by a painful grunt escaped dry and chapped lips. Tightly shut eyes slowly began to open. The moon suddenly unveiled itself and the clouds parted as if they have been waiting in anticipation for this precise moment to come.
The moonlight shone gently upon the body of an ebony-haired boy whose body is battered and clothes tattered. In the presence of the unforgiving wind and biting cold, the petite figure subconsciously curled up into a ball in an effort to conserve any residual body heat.
The boy is in desperate need of something warm to raise his body temperature but he could not muster any strength to stand or think clearly for he is in a very bad shape. Grunting, he used every ounce of strength he has to pick himself up. His body felt extremely heavy and he stumbled with every step he took; he was evidently exhausted. Despite that, he continued to lumber forward without a destination in mind; something told him that he must not collapse here.
In his sluggish state of mind, he failed to notice a cleverly concealed wire and tripped over it. The boy fell without bracing the fall as his reflexes were dulled by the toll of pain and fatigue which had caught up to him. Darkness began to set in once again and the blaring sirens never reached his ears.
"Ahhh…! Ram your thick dick into me, Ryuji-sama! Give me more!" The blonde haired woman moaned and threw her head back in pleasure as she rode the man before her.
"Does it feel that good to be fucked by me?" The man whispered into the nape of the woman's neck as he rubbed her nipples back and forth in between his fingers and thumbs, causing the busty woman to mewl. "I'm going to ram my meat so violently into you so much so that you can't even feel your pussy. You like that, don't you?" Without waiting for her reply, he shoved his dick in so hard and deep that she was trembling with ecstasy. He was about to fuck her mindless when the door suddenly flew open.
"W-We have a situation, Ryuji-sama." The awkward soldier cleared his throat in an effort to keep his composure; he had no idea he would drop in on his superior having the fuck of his life. He was starting to worry if he will be severely punished for this.
"What is the ruckus about?" He frowned at the interruption before continuing his raunchy act, pumping into the horny woman and not really giving a care about modesty.
"Someone has sneaked onto the island."
"There must be a mistake." Ryuji thought to himself while making his way urgently to the control room.
Understandably, his disbelief is justifiable since there is no way for people to make it onto this island due to the treacherous water. Even more daunting than that is the fact that this island does not exist on the world map, thus making it impossible to locate.
"But what if…?" He shook his head. He would rather not entertain such ridiculous thoughts. Their plans must be accomplished no matter the sacrifices.
"What are the findings?"
"Ryuji-sama!" The soldier got up from his seat and saluted as his superior stepped into the room. "Please look at this." He enlarged the image projected on the monitor. "It appears that the intruder is a young boy but he is unconscious. "What should we do about him Ryuji-sama?"
"A young boy, you say?"
Ryuji tapped his chin thoughtfully; the situation has taken for an unexpected turn. Never in his imaginations did he expect a child.
"Gather a few men and dispatch them to the site now. Do whatever you want with him if he is a threat; kill him or feed him to the animals." He paused for a brief second. "Otherwise, restrain him and send him to the laboratory. He might be a useful asset for our plans."
"Yes sir!"
"Professor Yanagi! You must come and see this!" A female voice cried out with excitement and shock as she ran into the room.
Surprised by the sudden interruption, Yanagi accidentally spilled the chemical contents in the test tube.
"What is it?" The skinny bespectacled and gray-haired man in pristine white lab coat barked, annoyance clearly written on his face. His useless assistant had better have a good reason for distracting him; he can't even remember how many times she has come up to him for stupid matters.
"It is about the boy they found yesterday! Never in my many years of research did I come across someone with reiatsu that is this strong. This may sound insane but this child has beaten the highest record by a whopping three times."
It took a few seconds for her words to sink in before Yanagi threw down whatever he was holding and hurried out the lab to the boy in question.
Ryuji threw his head back and roared with laughter upon hearing the piece of good news. The heavens are surely on their side. Who knew that the person they have been looking for would come knocking on their door?
"What shall we do with the boy when he wakes up?" Yanagi asked.
Ryuji's roaring laughter died down as he took a moment to ponder. "Send him to where the other experimental subjects are housed."
"Are you sure about that Ryuji-sama?" the head researches said in surprise.
"Yanagi, are you questioning my judgement on this matter?" Ryuji shot him a stern look so intimidating that it could make the older man fall to the ground on his weak pair of knees.
"N-No Ryuji-sama, I would never dare. Please forgive my impudence. I didn't know my place." The frightened man bowed and fled the room.
One would have thought that being special means being entitled to privileges but Ryuji would not allow the boy a chance to have a hold over him even if he is the key to their plans – No. It is precisely because he is the key that they must ensure that he knows nothing. If there is even the slightest miscalculation, this project they have been working on for the past few years could be destroyed.
"LET ME GO!" A hysteric man struggled in vain, trying to escape the bitter fate that is awaiting him.
Mortifying screams echoed through the cavern. The fear and desperation in those screams were haunting enough to make the other prisoners avoid their eyes and some to cower in fear. There were also those who were just staring into space; their spirit, as dead as their eyes.
The young boy with ebony hair reaching beyond his shoulders hair observed his surroundings while he was being 'escorted' to his assigned cell. The thick, heavy metal chained to his feet rattled noisily in mockery, starkly reminding him that he is now a prisoner; his freedom no longer his.
He continued walking, all the while aware of the cold steel against the nape of his neck. He has no doubt that they would lop off his head in a split second if he makes a careless move.
Finally, they came to a stop.
"You don't want to know what will happen if you move from this spot." the guard threatened and walked forward to unlock the heavily padlocked gate. The boy was unfazed by the threat but he obeyed, not out of fear; he simply did not have a reason to disobey.
Without a word of protest, he stepped inside as the gate swings open.
There is nothing in the cell except for a little girl who is sitting on the wet, cold floor. Her knees were hugged tightly to her chest.
"Don't forget the rules." The guard reminded before he slammed the rusty gate shut.
As the sound of the footsteps slowly faded, he quietly approached the petite girl and took a seat next to her. There was not much room to be choosy. He threw a side glance at her, trying to determine if she has any objections with their proximity. The girl however, did not seem bothered and kept her eyes closed.
With nothing to do, the boy could only stare at his younger cellmate who is stained with dirt from head to toe. His eyes wandered from her untrimmed fingernails to the torn tattered rags she is wearing. He was about to look away when his eyes fell on the scars on her frail body. There were old and fresh looking ones; they made him wonder how long she has been trapped here for.
"What?" A voice as quiet as the wisps of air shook him from his thoughts and he looked up.
Slate grey eyes met violet ones.
His eyes widened, surprised by the pair of alluring amethyst eyes that is looking at him. Something about them has him enchanted and he could not look away.
Realizing he was staring, the boy felt his cheeks grow warm with embarrassment. He hastily directed his attention to the stone sitting at his feet. He opened his mouth, about to apologize for his rude behaviour when he hears heavy footsteps walking towards their cell.
The door unlocked and an old man staggered into the dim-lighted cell. The boy knew at one glance that this person is not a newcomer; the scars on his body are identical to the girl's.
"Yashiro jii-chan, you're back!"
He watched as the girl exclaim and ran into the arms of the man before them, tears streaming down her face. Once again, she has caught him by surprise with her sudden change in attitude.
"Rukia-chan, I'm sorry I took so long. You must have been worried." Yashiro smiled and knelt down on one knee before gently placing a hand on her head. Rukia nodded as she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.
While consoling her, Yashiro turned to look at the ebony-haired boy. "It always pains me to see another child brought into this cursed place. What is your name, child?"
A conflicted expression appeared on the boy's face. He frowns, not knowing what to say. Then, seemingly to have recalled something, he pulled up his sleeve and looked at his wrist. "I am…#3901"
"Not that." The old man chuckled before continuing. "My name is Yashiro and you can call me Yashiro jii-chan." He smiled gently.
"What is your name?" Yashiro asked again.
What is my name?
The boy bit his lips as doubt and uncertainty smeared across his face. It is a simple question, but so difficult to answer. He has no memories about himself and the only name he remembers, he knows not if it was his or someone else's. After thinking long and hard, he finally answered.
"Byakuya."
Byakuya's eyes grew wide in amazement as a ball of blue light hovers above Yashiro's palm.
"We call this 'reiatsu' and it is the reason why you and I are here." Yashiro explained. "Everyone has this energy residing within us but only very few possess high level of reiatsu. The people who brought us here are using us as test subjects in order to harness this energy. However, the experiments usually lead to death as the process is extremely strenuous on the human body and can cause a person to collapse for weeks."
At this point, Yashiro wistfully said as pain streaks across his face. "I'm sorry that children like you have to go through such painful ordeals."
"It seems like you have been here for a very long time..." Byakuya commented.
Yashiro chuckled. "Indeed I have but Rukia-chan was here way before me. Back then, it was so hard to look at her because you could tell that she practically lived her whole life here."
Suddenly, the raven-haired girl who has been so quiet all this time stood up and took slow and tentative steps towards Byakuya. She fiddled with her fingers nervously as the distance between them closes; a delicate rose-colour tinting her cheeks. Then, she stopped short. Uncertainty made her turn and look back at Yashiro.
"Go on Rukia-chan." Yashiro encouraged before explaining to Byakuya. "She is a little reserved. Although there are many children trapped here, she does not have many interactions with them as they are all housed in different places. I hope you will become friends with her."
Friends…
While Byakuya was contemplating the foreign word, Rukia stood before him with a sheepish look on her face. She looked off to the side as she tentatively extended her hand and opened her palm to reveal a red string sitting on it.
"Oh? Isn't that your treasure?"
Byakuya looked at it long and hard, not understanding how this piece of string is a treasure. Sure, it does have an intricate pattern but it is only just a string. His eyes traveled to her face and noticed that she looked like she was about to cry; tears pooled her violet eyes. He became a little perplexed.
"…You can keep it if it makes you sad to give it away."
Rukia shook her head, still holding her hand up.
"She has had that on her person ever since she could remember. Rukia-chan must really want to be friends with you." Yashiro smiled.
"Oh…" Byakuya thought for a second. "I appreciate it but please keep it, um, Rukia-chan."
Her face fell at his rejection.
Sensing that the girl is going to cry, he quickly explained. "This seems to be very important to you and I don't want to take it away."
"How about we exchange a handshake as a form of friendship instead?" Byakuya suggests.
The girl paused to think for a brief moment before nodding in agreement.
Slowly, Byakuya lifted his hand and placed her small hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. A fond smile appeared on both their faces.
And... there you have it! This is how Rukia and Byakuya first met as children.
The next chapter I am working on is a time-skip, 15 years forward into the future. I will reveal their past as the story unfolds so please look forward to it!
I'm hoping to upload the 2nd chapter in 3 days' time. Woohoo!