This is a new story's prologue -AU- I have been working on, and will continue to work on this week (it's spring break in my country right now =D). I have another AU ('bout gladiators... uhuh) that I'm wondering if I should post here also, just to motivate myself to work on it... what say you?

Disclaimer: I own none of the fascinating characters Tite Kubo had created, nor the wonderful songs Sounds of Music produced. (Wow, I made it out of one disclaimer without crying, finally!)

*****

Flying on Ice

By: anaime

Prologue

Chibi Rukia lifted her eyes to her window and gasped. White, furling dots were dancing outside, beyond the miles that she can see in Byakuya's vacation house. It was the first snow of the season.

The gentle snowflakes fluttered, lifted by the wind, swerving outside her window, only to land and gather at the foot of her own planted tree.

True beauty.

A happy grin–-one that was so unfamiliar- broke over Rukia's face. Then she laughed. She hasn't laughed for days. The snow made her happy, happier in all the years that she had come to know –to love the cold and ice and speeding glide and pounding adrenaline.

She dressed quickly, the first snow was the most delicious to feel and taste and just be simply surrounded in. Her beloved chappy bunny gloves were once again in their rightful place, having been neglected for so long.

"Nii-sama," Rukia called to the empty house, "I'll be going out…!"

As Rukia raced out of the gigantic cottage her subconscious screamed in delight. The first snow meant for Rukia the end of her vacation -repercussion time, was what it really was- and back to Japan.

And back to her first love, ice skating.

*****

After sitting on a plane for ten hours with no sleep at all, Kuchiki Rukia, 16, was frighteningly glaring like her brother when he was irritated. No longer the midget–well, still midget, she was only 145 cm- that used to squeal happily when she sees snow –well, she still does- now she has lived up to her nickname, ice princess, named after a movie that she had not loved, but liked very much.

As the plane landed and the passengers boarded off, Rukia wondered why the hell she had not begged to ride on Byakuya's private jet, with its comfortable first-rate seats and custom made ice tea with huge ice cubes shaped like Chappy the Bunny that she loved to crunch between her teeth. Shaking her head sadly, Rukia pressed the replay button on her iPhone (Rukia was crying and screaming when Byakuya gave her this for her birthday, Byakuya's mouth corners had lifted up, however minimally, and then told her to act like a common Kuchiki), and My Favourite Things (yes, from the Sound of Music) drifted and soothed her sleep –or rather, the lack thereof- induced brain.

Rukia made her way out of the airport, eyes lidded and humming girl in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes, silver white winters that mel-

"Oof!" A un-lady like grunt escaped her on her favourite lines, and she was crashing, and –ouch, her butt- one of earphones fell out of her ears, and the noise of the airport droned on her, causing a migraine.

She glared upwards and saw orange.

"Oi!" Apparently, the guy that she knocked down –no, what was she thinking, clearly, the guy who knocked her down- was glaring as though it was her fault he was knocked down at her through slanted, amber eyes.

Rukia took one distasteful look at the guy's wildly orange hair and ugly scowl and scoffed internally. This guy was worth no word of hers. Using years of Kuchiki training, she rearranged her face into a tragic blank after one last, condescending look at the disgusting person who probably rubbed his germs off on her favourite chappy T-shirt, stuffed her earphones back, and walked away.

"Hey! Hey!" The guy yelled at her, completely bewildered and looked like he would not get his ass off the airplane floor soon.

*****

Rukia was gliding. In her mind, she was like a weightless bird, soaring through the sky to greet the summit of the mountain. In reality, it was not far from that.

The ice had always been her friend. Snow, ice, what does it matter. They were both cold and completely delightful to the touch. She had witnessed her first snow when she was a baby, and her sister had told her she jumped and giggled and laughed. And she was on the ice a year after that, slipping, falling but quickly gliding across the snow, with bubbles of laughter erupting from her.

Rukia inhaled. Silent, pacifying music was thudding through her ears and the entire skating rink. She skidded gracefully into a stop. Break time.

A thin sheen of sweat covered Rukia's face as she gulped down her water, she was wearing her sweats for the warm up, which consisted of 20 laps in five minutes around the rink. Yoruichi, her trainer, sat down beside her languidly.

"Princess!" She began, "It may not be the right time to say this, but I figured you have been nurtured enough" A pause followed, but only just, "But it's time for you to get a new partner."

Rukia sucked in a lungful of air and let the air escape her. She had been expecting the line for some time now.

"I have found the perfect one for you, he is being trained by an old accomplice of mine, he has the perfect build, and is an excellent skater."

Rukia nodded. Yoruichi's description of the perfect skater fell on deaf ears. Rukia's entire mine was a complete vacant lavatory.

"Listen, Rukia, I know it must be hard, but trust me, this will work out. You might want desperately to go back to skating solo, but talent like yours-" Yoruichi picked up a lock of Rukia's hair, "are not to be wasted. You are perfect for pair skating, and as long as I'm your trainer, you will grow to your maximum potential. I want the best for you."

Rukia nodded, again, and took another chug of water. She didn't want to give pair skating up, either; being thrown through the air brings so much more exhilaration and adrenaline than a double axle.

"So what do you say?"

Another nod.

"Excellent, princess, you'll meet your partner tomorrow at seven, here. We're all going out to coffee to acquaint each other, then we're back at nine and we're gonna see how you two jazz up."

Feeling slightly numb, Rukia only nodded then departed again for the ice rink. The speed will make it better. The cold wind rushing by her ears will make her feel better. If only she could believe herself.

*****

Shock.

Electrifying shock.

Through hazy mist and dusty conscious Rukia found herself facing a familiar face, one she shouldn't even remember. Dark, rich amber stared at her with a determined face. Brilliantly (one colour that was certain through this mist) orange hair was flashing in time to Rukia's beating heart.

She felt rather than heard something say -like a broken recorder-…

"Rukia… This is …your new partner, Ichigo… Kurosaki…"

Rukia woke up screaming.

Thank goodness that was a dream.

*****

Review if you like, review if you love, review if you hate... Just review...!

Writers do need reviewers in order to egg them on, and I only posted this fic on this site to draw encouragement and critism so I can write... REVIEW...! And yes, I beg, deal with it. Man, after typing that many reviews, I don't even know if I spelled it right...

-anaime, chocolate ice cream with whip cream served if you click the button to the left... haha