AN: Okay, so I decided to do the first chap because I got a few follows and a fav. I think I am going to continue with this story, because it's turning out really well I think. For this chapter, and maybe the whole story, the people will be a little OOC, but their normal personalities don't really fit with the time period, so I am having to dull them down a bit. I will try to get them more into character as the story goes on, but it might not be very easy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, sadly
*Words You Might Not Know:
ronin- samurai without a master
wakizashi- short sword
eaves- the ends of the curved roofs on Japanese buildings
no kimi- old honorific used when speaking of nobility
furisode kimono- women's kimono with long pieces of cloth on arms that hang down
kenseiken-the things in Byakuya's hair, worn by nobility
sakura- cherry blossom
maru- a tier of castle; one level of courtyards and housing
moya- large room that can be divided by paper walls or screens
zabuton- Japanese floor cushions
waraji- Japanese sandals
hitoe obi- thick belt worn around midriff when wearing kimono, normally for women
ojou- honorific; means princess
Chapter 1: Ronin of the Black Blade
A warm breeze rustled the leaves of the plants, casting the pink petals of the sakura* trees across the road and into the water, creating ripples in the shining, liquid mirror. The sun warmed the air, making the birds sing happily in the trees of the gardens, filling the air with beautiful music. The white walls of the buildings glowed warmly under the ray of light.
Standing at the gate of the Karakura Castle stood a man in a light grey kimono with a red hand-shaped smear created by dye placed on the back. At his waste were a katana and a wakizashi* in matching black sheaths with red and black cloth on the hilts. He wore a scowl on his face, and his amber eyes showed no emotion. But the weirdest trait of all was his orange, spiky hair.
As the man stood waiting at the gate, the samurai under the Daimyo Yamamoto watched him suspiciously. This ronin* was unknown in their prefecture, and yet he had been hired to be the personal guard of the Kuchiki clan's youngest noble, Kuchiki Rukia. The presence of a ronin within the castle was unheard of, and the fact that he had such a strange symbol on his clothing and his hair was an unnatural color made the other samurai doubtful of his skills.
"Are you Kurosaki?"
The ronin turned to see a man in a black kimono that stood out even more than him. The samurai had long red hair pulled back into a ponytail and had black tattoos on his forehead and neck that went under his kimono, presumably continuing to his chest. The orange haired man bowed slightly and the samurai returned the gesture.
"I am. Kurosaki Ichigo," the ronin stated.
"Abarai Renji. I was sent to guide you to the Kuchiki palace," the samurai said, turning to walk through the gate.
Ichigo followed, walking under the thick stone entrance and looking around at the lush gardens of the castle. The castle was organized into three main levels of maru*, with the highest, the honmaru, being occupied by the three tiered keep of the Daimyo. Each level of the castle was surrounded by a separate wall and a moat, and was occupied by an assortment of shops, shires, and housing for the samurai.
Every building in the castle was decorated the same way on the exterior, having white walls and dark grey, slate shingles with the more important buildings having eaves* decorated with gold ornamental designs. As they got closer to the castle, the buildings became larger to correspond with the higher social and military ranking of the residents. Along with the rising quality of the buildings and residents, the gardens gradually grew more and more magnificent. Sakura trees bloomed in full glory, releasing their petals in the gentle breeze to float through the air, carrying the sweet scent of the flowers throughout the streets. Small, shallow ponds sat in the middle of many of the gardens, the golden scales of koi flickering in the sun.
"We are going to stop by the house that was assigned to you during your stay, courtesy of the Kuchiki clan. From there, we will head to the Kuchiki palace," Renji said, turning to go down a side street.
As they slowed to a stop, Renji gestured to a small building that was surrounded by a small garden. The white walls making the building seem to have a warm and homey feel. Ichigo slid the thick paper wall open and stepped into the space.
There was only a single, dim moya* with dark wood floors. In the corner was a small cooking area and storage space, where a short wooden table and four zabuton* sat, pushed against the wall. There were more paper walls that could be used to divide the moya into smaller rooms, and a rolled up futon lay off to one side of the room. Through the back of the build, the garden was visible, with three of the blooming sakura trees and a shallow pond that reflected the pink blossoms and the light of the sun.
"Nice place, compared to what I'm used to," Ichigo muttered.
"The Kuchikis' spare no expense when it comes to protecting their family," Renji stated flatly. "Shall we go?" Ichigo nodded and followed the samurai out of the house. As they drew closer to a smaller maru with a large, eloquent building resting on it, the samurai turned towards Ichigo.
"I don't know what Kuchiki no kimi* was thinking, agreeing to allow someone like you to guard Rukia. You don't look very impressive. I mean look at you. What did you do to get your hair that color?" The snide comment went unanswered as Ichigo continued to walk.
"What? No defense? You really aren't impressive at all," Renji said with a slight air of disgust in his words.
"I wasn't hired to be impressive. I was hired to guard this Rukia that you mentioned. If you have a problem with it, I would be willing to accept your challenge right now," Ichigo said smugly, knowing full well that his words would irritate Renji, but he would be able to do nothing at the moment.
"Watch what you say, ronin. You have no influence here, and your mouth might get you in trouble," Renji growled.
"If it does, it won't be anything I can't handle," Ichigo replied.
Renji glared at him, but continued to lead him towards the palace. It only took a few more minutes to reach the building, and when they did, Ichigo began to observe the building, looking for escape routes by reflex. After becoming a ronin eleven years ago at the age of fourteen, Ichigo had slowly gotten himself into more and more bad situations, most of which ended with him fighting his way out of some kind of ambush.
"When we enter the Kuchiki Palace, you will sit and wait for Kuchiki no kimi and Rukia. You will address them with respect, and will not speak unless spoken to. Do you understand?" Renji said, sending Ichigo a look that seemed to dare him to try something.
"Sure. Let's just get this over with. I am not fond of nobles, so I would prefer to be in and out as soon as possible," Ichigo replied.
They walked into the white building, sliding open the thick paper wall dividing the interior and exterior. Upon entering, Ichigo removed his waraji* and was given a zabuton to sit on while waiting. Ichigo sat with Renji sitting down next him. The room was just like the room in the house he had been given, consisting of only a large area divided by sliding paper walls. The wood here was lighter than the wood in the residential buildings, and the garden visible in the rear of the building was much more spectacular.
At that moment, a woman with silky, shoulder-length black hair that flipped out at the ends walked into the moya. She wore a purple furisode kimono* so dark that it almost looked black. On the bottom of the kimono were branches of a sakura tree with white blossoms and buds lining the limbs, which provided a bright pop of color to the dark material. She wore a brown hitoe obi* around her midriff that brought emphasis to her petite form.
When Ichigo looked her in the eyes, he saw that the dark purple material accented them perfectly. Her eyes were a deep violet that seemed to capture his attention, making it hard to look away. The stark contrast between her dark attire and her pale skin made her seem even more noble than she already looked. Ichigo had to admit that she was beautiful.
Behind the girl walked a man that gave off an aloof air just being present in the room. He shared the girls black hair, but his was longer and pulled back into kenseiken*. He was dressed simply in a dark grey kimono and a scarf that was wrapped around his neck. The man's cold, grey eyes rested on Ichigo with what looked like disapproval.
"Bow, you idiot!" Renji hissed at him as he himself bowed. Ichigo followed suit and then sat up, his eyes resting on the woman again.
"Kuchiki-sama, Rukia," Renji said, turning to look at Ichigo. "This is Kurosaki Ichigo, the ronin that was brought here by Yamamoto-dono. Kurosaki, this is Kuchiki Byakuya-sama and Kuchiki Rukia-ojou*."
Ichigo bowed again, and this time, both of the nobles inclined their heads slightly. Ichigo looked up as he heard a new voice, and saw that it was Byakuya.
"I hope there is no need to remind you of your duty, but I shall do so anyway. Kurosaki Ichigo, from this point until the threats of enemy attack or assassination attempts are over, you are in charge of protecting my younger sister, Rukia. With the increase in violence across the land, the Daimyo saw fit to hire a new guard to protect the Kuchiki clan's princess, so that Abarai could be used in the defense of the city. If any harm befalls Rukia, you will have disrespected both the Kuchiki family and the Daimyo. Be sure that if that were to happen, I will kill you myself. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Kuchiki-sama. I plan to protect her with my life is necessary. But, if I may make one request."
"Continue."
"I wish to move Kuchiki-ojou to the house you have provided me. This will make it easier for me to be with her at all times and if there were an attempt on her life, they would expect her to be here, in one of the sections of the palace, not in a samurai residence."
Byakuya looked down at Ichigo, no emotion displayed in his face, but after a few seconds, he nodded.
"I approve of this. It is a sound strategy that is surprisingly well thought out. I will have a servant put some of her personal belongs into a cart so that they may be wheeled down to your residence."
"What? I am not going to stay with some ronin who I've never met before! What are you thinking, agreeing to such a thing Byakuya?" The voice surprised Ichigo, and he looked over to the princess. She was looking at her brother as if he was sentencing her to time in a prison.
"That isn't a good idea, Kuchiki-sama. For all we know, this ronin could be an assassin of the enemy here to kill Rukia! If he is left alone with her, it would give him the perfect chance to kill her!" Renji joined in. Byakuya simply looked at the two.
"I trust in the Daimyo's judge of character. If you wish to complain, do so to him, not to me. Now if you will excuse me." With that Byakuya turned and left the room, walking out to the garden and disappearing into one of the other sections of the palace.
Rukia turned to look at Ichigo, and displeasure was clearly displayed on her face.
"Why would you suggest something like that?" she asked, losing any air of properness she held just seconds ago.
"I apologize if it makes you uncomfortable, but I am here only to protect you, not make you comfortable," Ichigo said flatly, standing up.
"You bastard. Who the hell do you think you are coming in here and asking for her to live with you? I've run the security in this palace for five years, and there has never been a need to move Rukia to a new location, so there is no reason to do so now," Renji said angrily.
"That is not something you get to decide now, samurai. I may be just an unknown ronin to you people, but I am now in charge of Kuchiki-ojou's safety, and I will run the security as I see fit. Now if you don't mind." Ichigo turned to leave, and Rukia saw the read hand on the back of his kimono. A distant memory tugged at her mind, something that couldn't quite be grasped, but felt like it was right there, like she should know what that symbol was.
"Ronin, you said that you were open to any challenge I may offer. Well, now is the time," Renji said coldly. Ichigo turned to look at him, a smile appearing on his face for the first time, but it was not a kind smile. It was the smile of one who relished in fighting and defeating his enemies.
"Very well. Let's take this to a more suitable location."
Soon the three found themselves in an open stone pavilion surrounded by sakura trees. Samurai were gathering around to watch the fight between the samurai and ronin. Ichigo could hear the samurai talking about how quickly this would be over after Renji got through with him, but he ignored their comments. Across from him, Renji drew his katana, holding it out in front of him.
"Well, are you going to fight, or stand there as I cut you to pieces?" Renji asked.
"There is no honor in cutting down an enemy who has not drawn their blade. Or do the samurai of this prefecture not care about honor?" Ichigo asked in return, successfully riling his opponent up.
"Why you… draw you blade so that I can kill you and end this! You have no hope of beating me! I have trained every day of my life to become stronger. I will not lose to a ronin with no reputation or honor!"
"You say I have no reputation, but if I remember correctly, you are not from the same prefecture as I am. And tell me, if I have no reputation, why did you Daimyo ask me to come to this city in the first place?"
Renji glared at Ichigo as he drew his wakizashi, not knowing how to answer his question. Ichigo readied his blade, the black metal glinting wickedly in the sun.
"What? You dare to challenge me with a short sword? And the color of your blade… that is not a samurai's bladed. It is the blade of an assassin. You really are a disgrace!"
Renji lunged forward, swinging his blade down from over his right shoulder, trying to build enough power to end the fight in one swing. Ichigo ducked down, sliding his right foot back so that his side was pointed toward Renji. Renji's blade hit the ground in front of him, clattering on the stone of the pavilion. Ichigo slid forward slightly, pulling his right foot behind him and swinging his body around so that his left shoulder brushed against Renji's right. Ichigo continued to turn going too quickly for Renji to make a move after his disorienting miss.
In a matter of seconds, Ichigo was behind Renji, slamming his elbow into the back of his head. Renji stumbled forward, his head ringing from the force of the blow. But before he was able to recover, Ichigo spun to his left, keeping his left foot planted in place and bringing his sword over his right shoulder and swinging down at Renji with incredible speed. Renji raised his blade, managing to black the blow, but the speed and force of the attack knocked him to the side, making him stumble more.
Renji attempted to straighten and turn back to Ichigo, but Ichigo was already next to him. The hilt of the black wakizashi connected with the base of Renji's neck, sending him sprawling to the ground. Renji rolled so the he was facing his opponent, trying to get up quickly, but Ichigo's black blade was at his throat, glinting with an air of malicious glee.
"You say that you have trained everyday to gain skill and strength? Tell me, Abarai Renji, can a child learn to walk perfectly after just one attempt? Can an apprentice watch a smith for a year and then make a perfect blade on his first? Can a Daimyo study the art of war and then go on to win every battle presented to him?" Ichigo looked down at Renji with a cold, serious glint in his amber eyes. His scowl had deepened, and he almost looked as if he had aged slightly.
"The answer is no. They all require experience. Nothing in life can be perfected without experience. Skill does not come from training; it comes from the use of the training, he experience. Remember this, Abarai Renji. Remember the difference in our experience. Remember the difference in our strength. And remember your place." With that Ichigo sheathed his blade, turned, and walked away, the sakura blossoms blowing around him and the ring of samurai parting a path for him.
AN: I had fun writing this one! I hope you guys liked it, and don't forget to review to let me know what you think. Thanks everyone :)
