Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Bleach.
Title: The Princess and the Dragon: A Bleach Fairy Tale
Chapter 2
Notes: Sorry if there are any mistakes. This is unbetad.
As soon as he woke up Ikkaku dragged himself to the city gates. First light had come and gone but he knew his friends were just as hungover. It was closer to noon when he reached the gates and still no sign of Renji or Yumichika. He leaned against the stone walls and slide slowly down to the ground, looking less like a brave adventurer and more like a homeless person. The fact that he still reeked of alcohol didn't help.
It was another hour before he had any company, besides the locals. It was a busy morning, meaning a little more noise, but he'd also made several kan just sitting there. So, not a total loss.
Something down the road caught a beam of light, driving a sharp spike of pain across his temples. Ikkaku looked for the source and almost didn't recognize Renji. His friend was riding a white horse, in full armor, and leading a small entourage, towards the gates.
If he was trying to look regal, he almost pulled it off. Too bad the armor looked ridiculous on him. It looked like the type of plate mail western knights wore. But the stupidest part was the strange fur draped around the neck and shoulders. Stopping in the middle of road, dismounting, and running into an alley to throw up also kind of ruined the moment.
The small entourage waited patiently for Renji to return to his horse and lead them down the road. Renji stopped in front of him, still on horseback, waiting for some kind of acknowledgement.
"How the hell did you afford all this?" Ikkaku asked. Besides the horse and armor (obviously new), Renji had brought along a wagon and two drivers. Renji liked to think of himself as a bit of a celebrity, and to be fair, knights were looked up to. But most knights, especially the younger ones, weren't rolling in cash.
The look on Renji's face told Ikkaku that wasn't the greeting he was expecting. Whatever Renji was about to say was cut off before it started when Yumichika appeared, two massive suitcases in tow. "Excellent a wagon. That was going to be my first suggestion."
Ikkaku felt like he should ask another question here. Something about bringing so much luggage and no means to carry it. But his head was pounding. It felt like he was stuck playing the straight man. And it was too bright and too loud to keep that up much longer.
Yumichika finished loading his bags, with the help of their still silent drivers, before turning to Renji. "That outfit is awful." Yumichika eyed Renji's armor with disgust. "Oversized and pretentious."
"Let's just go." Ikkaku groaned. If they were on the road, they'd at least be making progress while they argued over something stupid.
. . . . .
Renji grumbled to himself as they took their first steps onto the open road. There was still a crowd and he didn't want to make a scene. Or the wrong kind of scene. He rode at the front of their group, of course. The wagon lumbered slowly behind, with his friends bringing up the rear.
His idiot friends.
What did they know? He was a famous knight, with an image to maintain. That meant a white horse, shining armor, and a wagon with servants. Yes, the armor had nearly cleaned him out. But it was worth it. He looked good. Besides, once married he'd never have to worry about money again.
Maybe he could buy new friends.
20 minutes later they could barely see the city walls. Renji slowed down until he was even with the wagon and called everyone to a halt. He was rewarded with several annoyed looks. The knight sat up straighter in the saddle and looked over his companions gravely.
"I'm gonna crash in the back of the wagon for a while."
With his armor off and safely stowed the knight climbed warily into the back of the wagon to sleep of the worst of his hangover. He moved the luggage (Yumichika's) and supplies (booze) to make space for himself.
A few minutes of shuffling and cursing later, he stretched out as best he could. And found his eyes drawn to the servants driving the wagon. They hadn't said a word to anyone, not even each other since he'd met them.
He didn't know anything about the drivers. Lord Ukitake had sent them along to help with their quest. Lord Ukitake was clearly very fond of the princess, to let two of his students go on such a dangerous mission. It was the thought that they might very well die that compelled Renji to at least learn their names.
The silence was getting to him.
"Oi! You two, introduce yourselves. Why'd you two volunteer?"
And that silence was shattered.
"I volunteered for the sake of Lord Ukitake. He's just tagging along."
"I didn't need to volunteer! Lord Ukitake asked me to go. He trusts me!"
"Ha! He wanted you gone. I'm here to make sure you don't screw up!"
"You just wanted to copy me! Couldn't handle the thought of me saving the day?"
. . . . .
"This wasn't quite what I expected from a dragon's lair." The princess remarked. Rukia stood facing the dragon, now in his human form. Apparently, he could discard his wings and tail at will. It must have been very convenient for moving around indoors.
Even in his human form he retained his stark white hair which, while most people would find odd, didn't bother her in the least. She had spent enough time as one of Lord Ukitake's art students to find it quite striking. Then there were his eyes. Lord Ukitake had green eyes too, but his had a warm softness to them. The dragon's eyes…intense was the only way to describe them. Ever alert. And even when he smiled, when his eyes did soften, they pierced you. They were strange, unnerving, and exciting.
The dragon, he'd introduced himself as Hitsugaya Toshiro, nodded his head in understanding. He gestured to the farmers working around them. They were currently touring the property's vast watermelon fields. "It used to be that a dragon could terrorize the country side, take what they needed, and build up a respectable horde of treasure."
While technically a prisoner, Rukia felt a pang of sympathy. Hitsugaya had an almost wistful look on his face. It gave the dragon a sense of mystery.
"But when the economy gets bad everyone feels it. It's far more effective to employ those same townsfolk. Someone needs to organize all these people."
Rukia gestured to a group of workers loading several wagons. "You grow enough crops to sell?"
"Yes, although we export less watermelon than you'd expect. But we have trade agreements in place with most of the nearby towns."
The princess looked over the handsome and well to do dragon appreciatively. "This is quite the operation."
"It helps to be able to control the weather. We produce a lot and people go where they can find work. It's a lot to manage, especially now that my assistant is gone."
"What happened to your old assistant?" The princess couldn't help but ask. While Hitsugaya had been a perfect gentleman since her arrival (overlooking the kidnapping), she had no idea what a dragon was capable of doing.
"She had a drinking problem." The dragon shook his head sadly. "In and out of rehab. Finally had to let her go."
Surprised, and feeling more than a little guilty, the princess barely suppressed the urge to hug the melancholy dragon. There were just so many misconceptions about dragons! Instead, she reached out to take his hand. "I'm sorry to hear that. I guess we all have our personal demons."
The dragon gave her hand a gentle squeeze and led her back to the castle. It was a comfortable silence as the sunset and workers wrapped up for the day. They entered the castle through the main servants' entrance. They stopped just inside the castle, still holding hands.
The moment was ruined when a pair of workers came in, one of them holding a cage with a white ball of fur inside.
And then there was chaos.
The princess was a blur of motion. Squealing in delight, she tore the cage from the shocked servant's grasp. Hitsugaya couldn't be sure if she opened the cage or ripped it apart in her bare hands but seconds later she was hugging a small white rabbit to her chest. "You are adorable!"
The terrified servant looked to the dragon for answers, help, maybe even safety. "Found him out in the fields my lord."
The dragon did a better job of hiding his own surprise. "It's okay. I believe the princess plans to keep him as a pet."
"Yes!" Another squeal, "I shall call you Snowflake!"
Then the equally terrified rabbit looked to the dragon, desperation written all over its little face. "Why don't you take him up to your room, Rukia?"Hitsugaya swore the rabbit shot him an accusing look as it was carried off by the princess.
He watched the princess hurry up the stairs before waving the servant over.
"Bring one of the smaller rabbit enclosures to the princess' room. And rabbits are no longer on the menu inside the castle." He locked eyes with the servant. "Never speak of it."
"Yes, my lord."
. . . . .
The wagon rocked beneath him, Renji rolled onto his side and draped an arm over his eyes. Was a couple hours of quiet too much to ask for?
Lord Ukitake's students had argued constantly for the first half of the trip and about the stupidest things. Finally, he'd forced a jug of alcohol into each of their hands. That seemed to be the trick. They were still talking but it was a minor miracle compared to their constant bickering. He might even have something to drink himself, take the edge off.
The wagon rocked again, nearly putting him on his back. The road they were on was a real piece of shit. They must have been way out in the countryside. At least that meant they were making good time.
His weight (and everything else in the wagon) shifted backwards and he figured they were going up a hill, a steep one. They were moving at a much slower but also gentler pace. The ride smoothed out and Renji started to nod off.
He awoke when one of Yumichika's suitcases landed on top of him. He'd just gotten it off when the other crashed into him. He was up and cursing before he noticed the entire wagon was shaking. What the hell was going on? What were those stupid drivers thinking? Now he knew why Lord Ukitake had parted with them so easily. Renji yanked open the curtains to scream at them.
But there wasn't anyone there.
No drivers, no horses, not even any road.
The wagon was shooting down the side of a hill, rapidly closing in on what looked like a dry riverbed. And it was picking up speed.
He was going to die.
Renji scrambled to the back of the wagon, climbing over all the crap they'd brought along for the trip. Stumbling over Yumichika's damn luggage, he grabbed the back rail. The landscape was a blur of green and brown. If only he could slow down but there was no time to try. No time to look back.
He jumped.
Then there was darkness.
. . . . .
Renji opened his eyes and let the world slowly come back into focus. Two fuzzy human shapes hovered over him.
"Hey boss."
"How ya feeling?"
He squinted at the two blurs. "What happened?"
It was really pretty simple. Kiyone and Sentaro, might have had a little too much to drink. Then theyhad the brilliant idea to try and jump the riverbed. In their defense the ground in front of the riverbed did slope upwards, almost like a ramp, and with a hill that steep anything was possible.
They figured they were at least even money to make it.
Of course, they weren't going to risk the horses or, god forbid, their own lives. So they took a few minutes to get everything setup first.
Things kinds of things happen.
Renji watched the drivers return to the remains of the wagon. It was lodged at where the slope and the riverbed met. Without seeing the front, Renji could tell they wouldn't be riding in it anymore. He didn't have the strength to glare at Ikkaku and Yumichika, still on horseback several feet away. "Why didn't you stop them?"
They shrugged their shoulders. "We thought the wagon would make it over."
"So did we!" Sentaro called back. He took another swig of the liquor jug, which had miraculously survived, and handed it to Kiyone. He gave Renji a surprisingly serious look for a drunk. "We have wrecked our fair share of wagons and this one" he slapped the side for emphasis, "this one, can take a beating."
Kiyone nodded enthusiastically. "Damn fine craftsmanship. Damn fine." She passed the jug back.
Ikkaku and Yumichika trotted their horses over.
"Well, nothing left to do but move one", Yumichika smirked, "and pay up."
A round of sighs and curses followed as the others pulled out their wallets, counted out a few coins, and angrily dropped them into his waiting hands. Ikkaku handed over his entire pouch. "Can't believe he got out of there."
"What the hell is wrong with all of you? Now we need to get it out of there. Then we have to push thi-." Renji froze. "Wait, did you bet I'd die?"
"No. Don't be stupid." Ikkaku looked genuinely offended.
"He bet that you'd freak out and cower inside the wagon. Which would probably kill you. I knew you'd try to save yourself." Yumichika took a single coin from his winnings and tossed it to Renji, "you've always been scrappy."
"I thought you'd gone soft working for Lord Kuchiki for so long." Ikkaku explained as if speaking to a particularly slow child.
Renji was silent.
Unfortunately, the drivers (no, now technically just servants) were not.
"You can't be serious!" Kiyone whined.
Sentaro agreed. "We have wrecked our fair share of wagons and this one" he slapped the side for emphasis, "this one, is a piece of shit."
Kiyone again, nodded enthusiastically.
Maybe it was the near death experience, maybe it was a concussion. Probably a concussion. Whatever the cause, Renji's brain decided to block out that part of the conversation and just move on. "Yes we are." He mounted his horse. "And by we, I mean you."
. . . . .
Two hours later found them pushing the wagon through an ominous forest. His friends had heard stories of a large wolf-like monster terrorizing the area. Apparently it stood on two legs and towered over men.
"Why don't we hunt this monster down? I bet there's a reward out for it."
"No."
"Or at least ask him why a wolf walks around like a human being. Or why we've never seen anyone else like him."
"No, he stays in his stupid den and never does anything important."
Moving on.
. . . . .
It took a day and half to reach a real town. They managed to push the wagon onto the main street before collapsing around it.
"We made it." Yumichika gasped out between short ragged breaths.
The best Ikkaku could manage was a quick nod.
Then fate decided to smile upon them.
"Greetings!I am Kyoraku Shunsui, local councilman and ladies' man."
There, standing over them with a huge smile, was a strange man with a straw hat and brown hair drawn into a ponytail.
"I'm Sir Renji and these are my comrades." Renji pointed to his friends. He then jerked his thumb towards Kiyone and Sentaro. "And them too."
"Of course. My apologies, I should have recognized a knight's bearing!" Renji stood a little prouder. Shunsui pretended not to notice. Instead he inspected the eyesore that used to be the wagon. "It looks like your vehicle is in need of repair. I can easily show you where to find the local smith." He removed his straw hat and gave a quick but dramatic bow. "Would you brave adventurers join me for dinner? I'd love to hear the details of your quest."
Renji sighed. Tempting as that was, work did come first. "We should find the blacksmith first and it's a little early for dinner." That much was true, it was only midafternoon.
Their host paused to consider the problem. "I suppose we could have a few drinks to pass the time."
Screw work. He'd spent the entire day pushing a wagon (or supervising) after nearly dying in it. Just don't sound too eager, he told himself. "Yes. Let me just give my servants their orders."
Smooth.
Renji walked to the back of the wagon where Kiyone and Sentaro were resting, too tired even to bicker. That was probably a first.
"We'll be with the local councilman tonight." He jerked his thumb towards the man wearing a straw hat…with a woman's kimono draped over his shoulders. He seemed legit. "Find the blacksmith, fix the wagon. Sell Yumichika's things if you have to." Renji didn't wait for a response.
They followed Shunsui through the doors of what had to be the biggest restaurant Renji had ever seen. Their host spoke briefly to a waitress and requested his usual table. The young lady smiled at him and then flashed an even bigger smile at his guests.
Shunsui turned back to them. "If you'll follow me."
He guided them through the crowd and up 3 small steps to table that could easily seat 10 people. They were still in the main room but in an area that was raised a few feet of the floor, away from the common tables, and separated by a small railing.
"Please excuse me for a moment. I'm going to have a quick word with the owner." The councilman headed back towards the entrance, greeting people as he passed. Everyone seemed to know him and was eager to talk to him, large smiles on their faces.
Renji soaked it all in. It felt good to be off the road and back in civilization. Dinner with a town official in the best restaurant, at the prime table. From their raised position he looked over the lesser patrons. Most of them were looking his table, at him in particular. He couldn't blame them. A heroic, and soon to be famous, knight gracing them with his presence, eating at the very same restaurant. They'd be telling all of their friends about this later.
It was about time he was appreciated.
And when Shunsui returned and asked if they'd be interested in a little drinking match Renji didn't try to keep the grin on his face. Everything was falling into place.
"It's on!"
Shunsui stared at his guests as one of them immediately launched into some sort of pre-drinking luck dance. "I see you started without me."
Ritual done, Ikkaku dropped back into his seat and slammed a hand down on the table. "Let the battle begin!"
The councilman smiled to himself and raised his glass.
Too easy.
. . . . .
The next morning found Renji and his two friends laying in the street, in front of the restaurant. The three sputtered awake as a bucket of water was dumped over them.
Renji shot to his feet. Or tried to, immediately getting light headed and falling back down. He looked up to see his attacker, a slender woman with black hair and oval glasses.
"What the hell?!"
"How rude of me. I'm Ise Nanao, local restaurant owner. Specifically, the owner of the restaurant where you got drunk, ran up a huge bill, and blacked out." She handed him a receipt that was longer than Renji's arm. "When we realized you were broke, Shunsui suggested I talk to the local smith about confiscating your wagon."
"He suggested that?! That bastard was supposed to pay the bill."
She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Do not take about him like that."
"I ah… meant to say. We were invited-"
The woman waved off their explanation. "Shunsui does this to a lot of people. He always gets them to drink and he's always the last man standing." She adjusted her glasses and gave them a stern look. "But usually they have enough money to pay. You can still have your horses. I'm holding the wagon as collateral."
"Why do you let him keep doing it?"
"Simple answer: None of your goddamn business."
As angry as he was, Renji had to admit the offer was fair, generous even. It might take weeks to reach the dragon's lair on foot. And it wasn't like he could do anything about it. They didn't have anything left to sell or barter.
That wagon had been nothing but trouble. Bringing it along had been the worst decision of his life. But it just felt like a knight shouldn't travel so light. People expected more from him.
Renji snorted. To hell with that. Not bothering to respond, he joined his friends by the horses.
The owner could keep the damn thing for all he cared and what was left of their supplies. His servants had probably sold all of Yumichika's things to pay for the repairs. So what was left? Ikkaku didn't bring much. Neither had he, just a change of clothes and some food.
And his armor.
All of the blood drained out of Renji's face.
"How was your night out with Shunsui?" Kiyone asked brightly.
Renji was already mounting his horse. "I don't want to talk about it." He paused. Something about Kiyone's tone, the familiarity sunk in. "Wait, did you know him?"
"He's one of Lord Ukitake's oldest friends. He's taken us out drinking plenty of times."
"Careful though, he'll stick you with the bill if you can't hold your liquor!" Sentaro laughed.
Kiyone joined in. "Everytime!"
Renji's right eye began to twitch. He walked back to the owner and lowered his voice. "I can get you the money but right now I need the armor in the back. Can you hold those two", he pointed at the still laughing drivers, "and let us go?"
"No one's ever asked me to hold a person as collateral. Look, I can let you have the armor and your servants."
"I insist."
. . . . .
The five three brave adventurers continued on their quest. An uncomfortable silence had fallen over them. It must have been due to being violently hungover. What else could it be? Other than the hangovers, absolutely nothing was wrong. They had their horses and Renji had his armor. It had been a wise decision to set out with only this two friends on horseback.
Traveling light meant traveling fast.
Ikkaku was the one to break the uncomfortable silence. "So we're leaving those two behind?"
"I suggest we leave that part out of our heroic tale." Yumichika added.
Renji pretended not to hear them, he didn't know what they were talking about.
Ikakku, oblivious to his friend's frayed nerves, carried on. "Don't you think someone's going to notice? I mean, that's two of Lord Ukitake's followers missing."
"Three, counting the princess." Yumichika pointed out.
Renji finally lost it. "You're both wrong. It's been the three of us since the start. We didn't have a wagon so we didn't need any help driving it. So obviously, we couldn't get the wagon impounded or sell the help into indentured servitude."
"Is sell the right word? Felt more like giving 'em away." For whatever reason, Ikkaku insisted on his version of events.
"That never happened! And we certainly didn't get hustled by some common town drunk!"
This time it was Yumichika. "There was nothing common about him."
Ikkaku nodded his head and immediately regretted it. Riding a horse with a hangover was bad enough. That man drank all three of them under the table and then did a victory bottle by himself. Say what you want about his character, but "recognize the skills."
. . . . .
Meanwhile, the princess was trying to settle into her new surroundings, which were quite similar to her old surroundings. The room she'd been given was spacious, with a large balcony. The room itself was well furnished with a large bed, wardrobe (the seamstress had been busy), and art supplies.
And that was how the dragon found her: sitting in front of her painting easel, brush in hand, working on a portrait of her rabbit.
Hitsugaya took a moment to admire her work. Or at least the effort put into it. "He's a very cooperative subject isn't he?"
Snowflake was curled up against one of her pillows, a single red rose strategically placed in his tiny paws.
Rukia turned to him with a smile. "Actually, he's quite the diva. I was just more stubborn."
Hitsugaya sighed with exaggerated seriousness, "We all have to suffer for our art."
The princess' smile grew, reluctantly she turned back to her subject. "I know they must be a burden to the farmers but I find them adorable."
She didn't see the slightly uncomfortable look that crossed the dragon's face. "Oddly enough, we don't see many of them."
Rukia hummed thoughtfully, tried to add a little more definition to the painting's ears. "That's fortunate. Almost like they're avoiding the area." Pleased with her work so far, she put down her brush and stood up to stretch.
"I'm taking a break for lunch and was hoping you'd join me."
As if in response, Rukia's stomach rumbled. Trying to fight down a blush and needing a distraction she glanced towards the balcony, imaging all the work going on in the watermelon fields. "It must be difficult to manage so much on your own." The princess knew the long hours both her brother and Lord Ukitake kept. Not that they ever let her help.
"There is a lot of work. Today's been mostly paperwork. Reports to go over. Bookkeeping."
"Can I help?" She blurted out. She knew the dragon, Hitsugaya she reminded herself firmly, had been working diligently since breakfast. While she enjoyed her time with Snowflake, she wanted to feel useful and missed the company.
It was obvious by the look on his face that Hitsugaya hadn't been expecting that question. The princess expected a polite refusal, the type Lord Ukitake always used, before it was her turn to be surprised. "I'd appreciate the help. I have to warn you though, the amount of paperwork can be a little scary."
Grinning now, Rukia held the rabbit out to him. "Can you put Snowflake away while I wash up?"
Barely waiting for a nod. The princess gave the rabbit a quick kiss and darted off to the washroom.
Hitsugaya held the rabbit gently in his hands. It was wary of him but not terrified. That was a good sign. Some animals could sense his true form. It was good thing he never needed to ride a horse. "Trust me. It could have ended up worse for you." He sighed and put the rabbit in his cage.
Notes: This story has grown out of control. The entire fairy tale was originally supposed to be a prologue to another story where you would see more of the outside (real) Bleach world. In that story I wanted to characters to find out about Matsumoto's fairy tale, with full repercussions. I'll have to make that a sequel down the road. I appreciate the feedback, especially about the formatting. I'll try to come up with a better system for the conclusion.
Can anyone guess which fukutaichou will be in the last chapter?
