~Bleach/Frozen A1 Ch2~
The next day...
Elsa enjoyed her current situation. She was curled up in an oversized red chair, not a single limb peaking out from underneath the blanket other than her right hand which held a nice, thick book. To the right of her chair, was a table stand the height of one of the arms of her chair where a cup of half finished, still steaming hot cocoa laid on top given to her from her now favorite doctor. Elsa carefully marked her place in the book before placing it on the table stand and taking up her cocoa, the fine plate in her left hand and the cup in her right arm. Yes, Elsa was quite content with her current situation.
She looked to her left where she had a clear view of the outside through the pentagonal shaped window despite the several towering bookcases. It was snowing lightly again, the same as yesterday, though the afternoon sun shone as brightly as if it was a midsummer day. Elsa's thoughts turned to the resident doctor who had given her the cup of hot cocoa she was currently enjoying.
Elsa wasn't sure what to think of him. He was brash, not to the point of arrogance, but rather, a tempered brashness that he had learned through years of hard work. He addressed her colloquially with only the slightest touch of respectfulness in regards to her position as Queen. She didn't dislike the way he talked to her; it was a refreshing experience to be talked to as if she were just another woman especially since there was no one else she could really talk to as an ordinary person other than her sister. Even with foreign dignitaries, she had to be careful of the way she phrased her words lest she unintentionally insult them.
Elsa sipped some of her hot cocoa and subsequently frowned when she realized that her cup was only a quarter full of the wondrous drink. She wasn't sure what to make of his past either. She had gathered from what Ichigo Kurosaki revealed of himself that he was once a powerful warrior in his homeland and had inferred that he had likely slain many men in the past before taking up the mantle of doctor.
It was that reasoning that had led her, hours after departing from the infirmary, to ordering more guards to the infirmary to protect Anna. She trusted Ichigo especially when she considered that he had had three years to kill either she or her sister without anyone being the wiser, however, her concern outweighed any fledgling trust. She did not doubt that Ichigo could handle himself, not after secretly observing his movements and the way he walked– not a movement wasted no matter what action he took from lifting a cup to the way he walked; each movement carefully calculated to take the least amount of energy, something she had only observed in the most battle-hardened of her army– but the safety of her sister came before all. Anna was more vulnerable now with her injured foot, more vulnerable to being killed by assassins.
Assassins. Elsa gritted her teeth in anger. A sip of hot cocoa calmed the flash of anger she experienced. Many in the world detested her magic and magic in general. When one compounded the fact that she was a ruler, a Queen of one of the most influential kingdoms in the entire world because of Arendelle's favorable location along the coast of Norway which allowed access to the entire Baltic Sea, other rulers– kings in particular– became jealous of her status. The greedy kings and rulers who wanted her kingdom for its prosperity sent assassins after her to directly attack her kingdom would essentially mean war. War that would include the use of her mystical powers. Many had heard of the Eternal Winter Elsa had caused in her kingdom, a vast land, and so the rulers thought to themselves, who was to say that she couldn't freeze an army of men or a large navy?
For the record, she could do that, which was why no ruler dared to declare war against she in the name of stamping out sorcery and witchcraft like many had done in the past. Instead, they sent assassins after her– mainly incompetent thugs who never set foot within castle grounds thanks to the work of her guards but on the rare occasion, really only once, a deadly master-assassin that come within inches of taking her life. Elsa unconsciously rubbed the side of her neck where a thin scar from an abnormally sharp dagger remained invisible unless one was near enough to her that they were about to kiss her neck.
No one had ever gotten that close to her before that day.
Elsa leaned her head back into the seat and sighed, hot cocoa balanced on the arm of her seat and plate held close to her abdomen. She had never realized exactly how difficult it was to rule a kingdom. There were so many things that needed her attention from the taxes on specific items being imported to and exported from Arendelle to revising unfair laws to conducting negotiations with other countries and making sure that other countries wouldn't go to war with Arendelle. Yes, she delegated much of her tasks but she still had the responsibility of overseeing the end result to make sure it was all for the good of Arendelle. And on top of all that, she had to deal with assassins every couple of months.
Elsa admired ordinary people– like the resident doctor Ichigo Kurosaki. People like the doctor had it easy, only having to worry about themselves and their immediate family at the most. They could take breaks from their jobs and even take the day off if need be. She didn't have the same choice. Being a Queen was a full time job, day and night. There were no breaks for her though she did manage to find a little time for herself today– miraculously, she had held court and finished all the needed to be done earlier in the day. She had nothing pressing to be done for the rest of the day, thankfully.
She drank the last of her hot cocoa and stood up, leaving the blanket in her place and placing the cup of hot cocoa and plate on the table stand. She had decided the previous day to visit Anna everyday until she could walk on her own.
Elsa's guards followed her, as they always did everywhere, on her way to the infirmary. There, she was met with a sign on the closed doors.
At the royal blacksmith's with Princess Anna and guards. If you need the doctor, you can find me there.
- Kurosaki Ichigo, Castle Doctor
Elsa thought it strange that he would put his last name first.
...
Morning, the same day...
The sound of curtains sliding open awakened Anna from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered sleepily, wondering who would disturb her at an ungodly hour of the morning. "Ichigo?"
"Good morning, Princess," a small smirk graced his lips. "How are you feeling today?"
She sleepily asked, "What time is it?"
"Eight in the morning," Ichigo responded.
"W-what? Why did you wake me up so early?" Anna finally sat up, frizzed strawberry-blonde hair all about her head. "I usually don't get up until ten." Her head continuously fell forward as if she were about to fall asleep only to catch herself in time and set her head straighter.
"Did you really plan on staying in bed all month long? Well, let me dissuade you of those thoughts now. You won't be staying bed for more than a couple of days," Ichigo responded. "But in order for you to be able to move about, we need to visit the royal forge."
Anna snored, the loudness of said snore actually waking herself up. "H-huh? Forge? Why do we need to go there?"
Ichigo withheld a laugh at the sight of Anna trying to keep awake. "You'll see. In the meantime, two maids have offered to assist you in bathing." He pinched his nose shut and teased her. "You stink!"
Anna gaped at him. "What? I took a bath yesterday!"
"And you're going to take one today. And tomorrow. And every subsequent day you're stuck with me," Ichigo said.
"But bathing too often can bring about disease!" Anna protested. She really didn't like taking baths; they were so cold!
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because I'm a doctor and I say that baths actually promote health and cleanliness. They only bring about disease if you're taking water from a spring, pond, or lake without boiling it first."
Ichigo let loose a small laugh at her horror-stricken expression. "Bathing is good for you, Princess, and as long as you're with me, you're taking a bath everyday...one way or another. And there's nothing you can do to persuade me otherwise."
Anna's lower lip quivered. Ichigo remained steadfast in his decision. For five long years, he had had to deal with the horrible stench of just about everyone since in the 1840s, everyone bathed once a week if that. He had, of course, eventually gotten used to it, but he himself took a bath once a day ever since taking the post of castle doctor. If he had to take care of someone for a month, they were going to smell clean, damn it! "I'll let you in on a little secret, Princess."
Anna glared at him though displayed a small amount of curiosity at what Ichigo was going to say.
"You're going to smell much better than you're sister after this," Ichigo grinned at her before turning around. "Ladies, the Princess is ready for you!"
Anna could only gape at his retreating form at the words he had uttered.
...
"Ready to go?"
Anna crossed her arms and tilted her away from the castle doctor. Her bathing experience had been...embarrassing to say in the least. She had never had someone look at her with no clothes on let alone actually touch her. And two people had touched when she was naked! She was only grateful that it hadn't been a man who had given her a sponge bath. She would have been redder than her hair throughout the entire ordeal!
Ichigo smirked at Anna. She had fought the maids tooth and nail throughout the entire attempt to bathe her until Ichigo had threatened loudly from within his office that if she hadn't finished being bathed in ten minutes, he would finish the job himself.
Anna had been much quieter after that.
Finally, Anna scrunched up her nose and faced Ichigo once more, "How do you expect me to get to the royal forge? In case you haven't noticed, I sprained my foot." Anna pointed to her elevated, injured foot for emphasis.
Anna grew worried at her doctor's slow forming grin; she yelped when Ichigo put his arms underneath her legs and back and lifted her from the bed.
She looked at Ichigo with wide eyes, her nose nearly touching his. She was so close to him that if she wanted to, she could easily steal a kiss from the handsome doctor's lips. She stuttered nervously, a blush slowly growing on her rosy cheeks. "H-hi."
He smiled at her, causing her to blush even deeper. She had gotten the impression the previous day that Ichigo smiled on the rare occasion and laughed even less. "Hello, Princess."
Anna shifted a little in his arms and accidentally poked his stomach. And then poked again when she realized that her finger had met muscle instead of the fat she had expected. And again. And again. And again. And again. "Ooh. You're very firm."
Ichigo gave her an amused look. "Thanks, I try to keep myself in shape."
Anna stuffed her face into his chest in bashfulness before trying to change the subject. "Don't I need to keep my foot elevated?"
"Why do you think the guards will be carrying your bed?" Ichigo asked, nodding at the guards to let them know it was okay to pick up the bed.
"I didn't even notice them there," Anna murmured.
"Well, they are there for your protection not for you to bug them," Ichigo answered as he began walking. "Let me know if you guys need a break!"
The two of them carrying the bed grunted an affirmative while the other two guards gave him a vocal "Yes, sir!"
Soon enough– though the two guards carrying the bed didn't quite share the same sentiment– they arrived at the royal forge though not after gathering many strange looks from the people they had passed on the way to the forge.
The forge was located outside the castle though within castle walls. It was a large, one-story structure with a large chimney with smoke blowing from the chimney signaling that someone was at work in the forge. It was a structure mainly made of brick and unpainted, aged finely though in a completely usable state. A smaller structure, barely capable of holding three people comfortably jutted out from the side made of the same material.
"Cover your ears," Ichigo told Anna who complied though wondering why she had to do so. "Oi, Erik! Get out here!"
A few moments later, the door slammed open and revealed a large man width-wise, though reaching to Ichigo's chin. He was the descendant of a Viking, burly, with thick, bulging muscles displayed on his arms, a result of hard work and genetics, and wearing ragged, tight clothing. A smile grew across his bearded face, sweating from the stifling heat behind him, "Haha! Ichigo Kurosaki! Finally found a lass for yeh and decided to introduce her to me, eh? And what a fine way of doing so with the lass in your arms!"
Ichigo grinned, "Look a little closer, Erik, or has the smoke blinded you in addition to taking your hearing? That's the Princess you're talking about."
Erik peered at the girl in his friend's arms; Anna had met him a couple of times– though not for more than a minute– and still thought he looked like a furry, red monster with all that red hair on his face. She much preferred her men clean shaven– like Ichigo. Oh my god, did I really just think that? Well, at least he can't read my mind! She quickly tuned back in to Erik's words. "So it is! How about that! Pleasure to meet you, Princess Anna!"
Anna giggled– how could she not with the boisterous, infectious mood Erik had about him?– and responded politely, "Nice to meet you too, Erik."
"Ehh? What was that Princess Anna?" Erik asked, cupping one of his ears. "I'm afraid I'm half-deaf! You're gonna haf ta speak up!"
Anna giggled again. "I said, it's nice to meet you too, Erik!"
"There we go lassie!" Erik adopted a strange look. "Ichigo! Why are you carrying the Princess? Have you gotten engaged to her so soon after she broke up with that lad, Kristoff? You work fast, boy! Bwahahaha!"
Anna wanted to feel bad when Kristoff was mentioned but she simply couldn't be sad for a second in Erik's continually merry presence. Ichigo shook his head, "No, the Princess here sprained her foot so until I build something for her, I have to carry her everywhere. Speaking of which, that's why I came here. You mind helping me out with a little project of mine? It's for the Princess."
Erik shrugged his shoulders. "I had planned on making some swords for some of the guards but they won't be expecting them until next week. What do you have in mind, Ichigo?"
Ichigo looked around for a moment. He couldn't exactly put the Princess down for a moment to retrieve the schematics he had made for a wheelchair and the guards did have to be on alert and carrying a Princess wouldn't exactly allow one of the guards to be at the ready, no matter how remote the chance was that they would get attack within castle walls. "Anna, do me a favor and take out the folded piece of paper in my pocket, please?"
Anna blinked before complying, her hand fumbling around blindly on the inside of his coat and touching his stomach on more than one occasion and tongue sticking out of her mouth cutely in her quest to find the paper before finally her fingers touched the edge of a piece of paper. Her face lit up as she pulled the piece of paper out. "Aha! Found it! Here you go, Erik!"
"Thank you, Princess!" Erik unfolded the paper, taking care not to rip it and went over what was written carefully. "Yes, yes. I see. Yes, I think I could forge and weld all the materials you've outlined on here. And as usual, you even have the dimensions written down! I have enough steel to make all the parts you need for this, what is it called, a wheelchair?"
"Yeah. And that's good to hear. I assume you'll need my help with the hammering part since your apprentice has off for the day, right?" Ichigo asked.
"Aye, lad, he has Wednesdays off. Why did you bring the Princess if you're going to be helping me?" Erik asked.
"The Queen told me to stick with her when I told her I had a lot of free time on my hands," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders, unintentionally jostling Anna. "Besides, it'll do the Princess good to get out of the infirmary for a while. Even I don't like being in there for too long and I'm a doctor."
"Bwahahaha! Very well, then set Princess Anna up comfortably and come inside. We have work to do! Princess Anna, 'twas good to meet you. I wish you a swift recovery!" Erik turned and disappeared into the forge.
"He was nice," Anna commented. 'Really jolly."
Ichigo smiled wistfully. "He became my first friend after I became the castle doctor. I healed his son when was deathly ill and he helps me build something every now and then when he has the time."
"That's really nice of him!" Anna chirped as Ichigo set her on the bed in the adjacent cottage. "He seems like a good friend."
"He is," Ichigo agreed. "Are you going to be okay here?"
"Well, I certainly don't want to be looked at the ceiling all day," Anna smiled. "Thanks for taking me out!"
Ichigo smiled a bit at the chirpy princess as he placed her leg on the elevating device. "No problem, Princess. You don't move from here, understand?"
"Yes, Ichigo," Anna rolled her eyes as he covered her up in blankets though the proximity of the cottage near the forge was close enough to keep her warm. She had discovered, once inside, that it was really just a resting place to sit down as evidenced by the three wooden chairs the guards had moved, and a place to use the washroom if necessary.
Ichigo lightly tousled her strawberry-blonde hair; Anna blinked at the familiarity of his action as if he had done that same thing many times before but she didn't say anything. It felt nice for someone to touch her hair even if it was just a little pat. "Stay out of trouble, Princess. One of the guards said they'd bring you breakfast and we can have lunch together in a few hours."
"Okay, Ichigo!" Anna grinned at the doctor. She looked forward to getting to know the mysterious doctor a little better. And maybe ask a couple questions she couldn't ask while Elsa was present.
Like if he had a girlfriend.
"Oi, take good care of her, all right?" Anna heard Ichigo tell the guards outside. "And if she tries to get up, knock her out. Queen Elsa's orders."
Anna pouted. I wouldn't get up from my bed.
A butterfly flew lazily across the single window of the cottage.
Ooh, a butterfly! If only I could get up and chase it!
...
"Hi, Ichigo!" Anna greeted as cheerfully as ever.
Ichigo gave her a small smile as he entered the room, slightly tired and with a fine layer of grime added to his skin. He smelled of smoke, mainly, though there was the slightest tinge of vanilla to him– likely because of the soap he had used in the morning. He headed towards the bathroom, which contained a small shower for a quick cleansing. "I'll be right out."
Anna hummed to herself as two of the guards came in and set up a small table before placing some food they had brought from the kitchens on it.
"Thanks," Ichigo told the guards who saluted him. "You guys can go on break now. I'm sure your hungry."
"With all due respect sir, we were assigned as Princess Anna's bodyguards by the Queen. We are not supposed to leave her side for any reason unless the shift ends or the Queen herself orders it." One of the guards stated though his official tone was betrayed by the rumbling of his stomach.
Ichigo snorted and waved them off. "You can't exactly protect the Princess on an empty stomach. Go and eat. I'm sure I could take on any would be attackers. Don't worry, I'll take the blame if the Queen comes around."
The guards saluted him. "Thank you sir. We'll be back within the hour."
"Take your time," Ichigo called out behind them. "Don't want you guys to get indigestion."
"How's your thingamabob coming along, doctor?" Anna asked as Ichigo leaned in to set some extra pillows behind her back so she could sit up. "Ooh, thanks!"
"No problem, Princess," Ichigo stood up straight. "It's coming along fine. We just have to make the wheels, find some rubber to put on the wheels, and find some upholstery to put on the wheelchair so it's more comfortable for you to sit on. Now, what would you like to eat first?"
"Uh...," Anna tilted her head, her index finger placed on her cheek in thought as she looked at all the food on the table. "Some soup, please. It's a little cold in here."
Ichigo poured her a bowl of soup and handed her the bowl and a spoon before pouring himself a bowl of the same and sitting down on the chair. "How was your morning?"
Anna smiled at him after slurping some soup from her spoon. "I slept after you left."
"That's unsurprising. I didn't exactly give you anything to do to entertain yourself. Sorry about that," Ichigo replied, tearing into a loaf of bread voraciously. He was starving.
"So," Anna began, having finished her soup and having decided to wait a while before eating something new. "Do you have anyone you like?"
Anna laughed at the doctor, who had looked up from his meal with a piece of bread hanging from his mouth. He took the bread in his mouth and chewed it thoughtfully as he thought about two girls in particular– two women he hadn't seen in over a decade and likely wouldn't see for decades to come. Rukia and Orihime. In the end, he hadn't done anything even after realizing that he had liked them. By the time he had realized it, Rukia and gotten together with Renji and Orihime had turned her love to Uryuu. Of course, there was also a war going on against Aizen and his Hogyoku-enhanced Hollow army so there wasn't exactly time to confess his feelings.
Ichigo's voice sounded strangled to Anna as if recalling a particularly painful memory, "Not...anymore."
"Oh! I'm so sorry if I brought up any painful memories!" Anna exclaimed, sounding genuinely sorry to Ichigo's ears.
Ichigo waved her off. "Relax, it's been a long time since I thought about them anyways. I've been too busy to think about the past."
"Them?" Anna asked curiously.
"Well, haven't you ever liked more than one person in your life, Princess?"
Anna nodded her head thoughtfully. "Oh, I see."
They ate in silence for a little before Anna popped another question. "How do you like Arendelle?"
"Well, I wouldn't stay here if I didn't like it. It's nice. Peaceful. The Queen rules her kingdom well," Ichigo answered.
Anna grinned slyly. "Are those the only thoughts you have about the Queen?"
Ichigo eyed her warily. He had heard about Anna's many attempts of finding Elsa a lover; they all ended in disaster and not unusually, with the potential suitor frozen solid. "Don't even think about it, Princess."
Anna continued on, pretending that she hadn't heard him. "What's your opinion on magic?"
Ichigo rolled his eyes but humored her regardless. "It certainly seems useful especially."
"But do you like it?" Anna pestered. "Would you mind if you had a magical girlfriend?"
Ichigo decided to nip this in the bud before Anna could try pairing him up with Elsa. "I'm not going to date your sister, Princess."
Anna blinked. "Date?"
Ichigo shook his head. "Sorry, I meant to say court. I am not going to be courting the Queen, Princess." He frowned. "Language still gives me a little trouble sometimes."
"Are you sure?" Anna looked at him with wide eyes. "Because I'm pretty sure she likes you."
Ichigo snorted. "Is that what you tell all the guys when you're trying to match them up with your sister?"
"No," Anna mumbled. "Sometimes I just push them into my sister and let it play naturally from there."
A small laugh escaped Ichigo before he could stop himself. "Aren't those guys usually the ones who end up frozen?"
Anna sulked and turned her head away from the doctor. "It's not my fault Elsa reacts so badly towards being bumped into. Hasn't she ever heard of love at first bump?"
Before Ichigo could respond, a knock at the door sounded followed by the opening of the door.
"Elsa!" Anna squealed. "What are you doing here?"
Standing in the doorway was Elsa, with a stern expression across her features, and dressed in a pale blue dress that accentuated each and every curve of her body.
"Where are the guards?" Elsa demanded, hands on her hips in slight intimidation.
"Relax, highness," Ichigo said, finally turning around to face her. "I let them go have lunch."
Elsa blinked. "I had forgotten about that particular tidbit."
"No worries," Ichigo said, pulling up a chair that had been moved to the corner of the room. "Come sit down."
"Thank you, doctor," Elsa said politely as she sat down. "And as to why I am here, Anna, I found some free time on my hands and thought I would visit you."
Elsa turned to Ichigo, eyes narrowed ever so slightly but still looking very, very deadly. "Imagine my surprise when I went to the infirmary only to discover that neither you or the doctor were there."
Ichigo shrugged, placing an apple core into an empty bowl. "I did say that not much happened in the infirmary."
Elsa pursued her lips but otherwise said nothing. He had been the castle doctor for three years now, and from what she been told by Gerda, the head maid and one of the few people she considered to be a friend, he was successful in his duties, never once losing a life when a sick or injured person had been brought to him. He had also always arrived promptly after being called for. She understood that people had their own ways of doing things and so long as he continued his excellent work, she wouldn't say anything further of his comings and goings during work hours unless his work slipped from him.
Besides, he might cut off her cocoa supply and she couldn't have that.
Instead, Elsa asked, "What are you doing here, doctor? I doubt my sister is capable of forging anything in her current condition."
"Call me Ichigo, highness. I've never been one for formalities. You too, Princess." Ichigo added almost as an afterthought. "I'm working with Erik to build something that will allow the Princess to move about despite her injury. A wheelchair."
"You can call me Anna, Ichigo!" Anna interrupted.
Ichigo blinked before slowly nodding his assent. Anna stared intently at Elsa who gazed back resolutely. Anna then pulled out the big guns. A quivering lower lip and eyes opened as wide as possible, displaying her glittering, turquoise eyes for maximum effect.
Elsa sighed. "It appears my sister will not stop looking at me with that puppy dog look until I allow you to call me by first name. So, in private only, you may call me Elsa."
Ichigo shrugged his shoulders in neutrality, showing Elsa neither happiness or distaste at calling her by her first name. "Sure thing, Elsa."
Elsa decided to change the topic. "Tell me more of this wheelchair, Ichigo."
Ichigo stared at Elsa blankly. "It's a chair. On wheels."
Anna sniggered at Elsa's flushed cheeks.
"I'm joking, Elsa," Ichigo said after Anna had calmed down. "An injured person like Anna will be able to move on her own by rolling the wheels of the wheelchair or by having someone push them from the handles located at the rear of the wheelchair. I'll show you the actual wheelchair tomorrow so you can understand what I'm talking about better."
Elsa nodded her head. "I look forward to tomorrow then, Ichigo."
"So Elsa," Anna said, drawing eyes from both Elsa and Ichigo, "have you given any thought as to what you want for your birthday?"
"My birthday is not for another two weeks or so," Elsa pointed out.
"So? I need to know so I have time to get overseas if need be," Anna explained. "Oh! And so Ichigo has enough time to get you a present too!"
Elsa turned to Ichigo with a raised eyebrow, "You're going to get me a birthday gift?"
Ichigo decided to roll with it, "I guess Anna decided that since we're all on a first name basis with one another, we're all friends, and friends get each other gifts for their birthdays. Or something like that, right Anna?"
Anna looked at him with wide, happy eyes, "We're all friends? Yay!"
Ichigo and Elsa glanced to each other and shared an eye roll. "So long as you are with me on my birthday, Anna, I will be happy."
"Elsa!" Anna whined. "You say that every year! At least give me a hint or else I'll give you a stocking full of coal for your birthday! And Christmas!"
Elsa smiled. "Very well. I suppose I could use a new dress for the Christmas Ball."
"Ooh! I know the perfect store that has the most amazing–"
Elsa held up a hand to stop her. "Since you wanted a hint, I think it is only fair that you make the dress yourself."
"W-what?" Anna gaped at her. "I don't know how to sew! Besides, it'll take too long!"
"I believe there are sewing machines for sale in town," Elsa smirked at Anna. "I've heard that they make sewing much easier. Perhaps you should find one and learn how to use it."
"But why do you want me to make a dress? It'll turn out horrible! There's a lot of pretty dresses in–" Anna tried to convince Elsa.
"Because," Ichigo interrupted Anna; the sisters both turned to look at the doctor, "gifts that come from the heart, that come from the hard work a family member put into it will be forever much more important and much more sacred than any store bought gift. I, personally, would prefer a gift made by a family member than any expensive, flashy gift."
Elsa looked at him, a small smile on her lips. He had summed up her feelings on gifts perfectly. "That is exactly correct."
"You wouldn't happen to know how to use one of those sewing machines, would you Ichigo? Even though they're on sale, I don't think anyone in the entire city knows how to use one," Anna asked glumly.
Ichigo looked upwards, mildly uncomfortable. He had wanted to make a scarf for Yuzu and had gotten several lessons on how to use sewing machines from Uryuu.
"Y-you know how to use one of those things?!" Anna questioned gleefully. "Please! You have to teach me! Pretty please with a cherry on top? Please! Please! Please!"
"She's not going to stop until you say yes," Elsa looked amused at Ichigo's discomfort of his current situation.
"All right already," Ichigo gave up if only to stop Anna's pestering. "I only took a couple lessons from a friend of mine so I can't promise to teach you anything overly extravagant but I could at least teach you how to operate a sewing machine."
"Thank you so much!" Anna beamed at him.
"Yeah, yeah, not like I had a choice," Ichigo muttered.
Anna smiled cheerily at his grumpiness before asking Elsa, "Who's going to be at the Christmas Ball, Elsa?"
Elsa wrinkled her nose in disgust at the upcoming ball. She detested most balls because she had to continually play the political game with visiting dignitaries while avoiding being set up with the sons of said dignitaries for the evening. "Most countries. Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and England. Oh, and Corona too. And two dignitaries from the Southern Isles and Weselton. Apparently, they both want to make reparations to us so that we might open up trade negotiations with them."
"Rapunzel and Flynn are going to be coming for Christmas?" Anna asked excitedly. "Oh, that's so wonderful!"
Then, Anna wrinkled her nose in distaste. "People from the Southern Isles and Weselton are going to be coming here? That's a disaster waiting to happen."
Ichigo leaned back in his chair with his hands on the back of his head, "Hearing all this makes me glad I'm a simple doctor."
Anna snorted. "A doctor who can fight."
"And invent things," Elsa added.
"And sew!"
"And supply me with hot cocoa."
Elsa blushed when Ichigo and Anna looked at her strangely because of her last comment.
"None of that is nearly as impressive as dealing with people who tried to kill me a couple years while pretending that everything is okay," Ichigo said. Technically, he had done the same thing when he had first invaded Soul Society as their enemy but later had become their ally and when he had worked with Tia Harribel, Coyote Starrk, and Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez when Aizen had surfaced the second time around but that was besides the point.
Anna looked at her blushing sister and the relaxed doctor, trading glances between them rapidly as an idea formed in her head. She giggled to herself mentally as she said, "You know, Elsa, Ichigo doesn't have anyone he's seeing right now. Maybe he could be your escort for the ball?"
Ichigo sighed. "You're going on about this again, Anna?"
Elsa narrowed her eyes. She voiced her thoughts aloud in a slightly angry tone. "Am I not good enough for you, doctor?"
Ichigo blinked at her. "No need to sound so angry. Anna was asking earlier in a not so covert way about my taste in women...to set me up with you...I would prefer to have a five second head start before you start trying to freeze me."
Elsa had been steadily turning redder while Ichigo was talking though in embarrassment and not in anger as Ichigo had assumed. But his last words had doused her embarrassment like water to fire. She laughed– a beautiful sound that she immediately tried to suppress only to absolutely fail and burst into even more laughter, a contagious sound that spread to Anna, who had begun giggling, and infecting even the normally reserved Ichigo, causing him to lift the corner of his lips upwards into a small smile; a bright and cheerful noise of pure amusement, causing her icy blue to sparkle in delight and caused her face to simple radiate a mild yet potent euphoria. Ice momentarily formed along the walls of the cottage.
Finally, Elsa caught herself and began to calm down. She wiped a tear that had formed in the corner of her eye. "I am sorry about that. I am so used to people being careful of what they say around me for fear that I would freeze them that I found your humor hilarious. I would be delighted if you would be my escort to the ball. You are certainly less dull than all the suitors I have had to deal with in the past. Certainly more...interesting."
Ichigo could only stare at the Queen. What? What? What just happened here? Someone has to have joked around with her before, right? "Uh..."
"This is the part where you say you'll take Elsa to the ball," Anna cupped her hands and stage-whispered conspiratorially to Ichigo.
Ichigo confusedly said, "I-I'll take you to the ball?"
Elsa stood up and smiled at the both of them, not the usual polite but distant smile she would give dignitaries but a full, genuine smile. "This has been an enlightening and fruitful conversation. I will see the both of you tomorrow, hopefully at the infirmary."
She turned to leave, opening the door before a thought occurred to her and she turned her head backwards. Ichigo gulped, she looked–dare he say it?– flirtatious with her single platinum french braid draped over her left shoulder, a hand on her hip, and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "I hope you know how to dance, Ichigo."
And then she was gone.
Anna giggled at Ichigo's momentarily awestruck expression. She had known him for about a day but even she knew that such an expression was exceedingly rare.
Ichigo recovered and turned to Anna.
"What did you get me into?"
~Bleach/Frozen A1 Ch2~
A/N:
Darkkon27: Thanks for your input but I just don't see it working. Thanks though!
duskrider: Or maybe, the Bounts (hint, hint). That actually occured to me after writing the first chapter. About having the Bounts or the Quincies (going by the name "Monks of Destruction" in the human world) seeking sanctuary in Arendelle or attacking it. I don't know yet. But it's certainly something to explore especially since the Quincy were in a war with the Shinigami around this time.
Friaku: Yeah, I wasn't into Frozen when it came out but now I regret not watching it in the theaters. Oh well. I'm glad you enjoy it.
Dp11: I won't actually be writing lemon scenes though. And, he might be. I'll just have to see how it pans out.
So, as you all can read, things are heating up (or cooling down) and getting interesting...at least, in the future anyways. Now, it's all senseless fluff.
Yep, I think this would count as a fluffy-like fic but with fighting and action as well. Or something like that.
I will not be writing lemons scenes of any kind– kissing is probably the most I'll go. This is rated 'T' after all.
As always,
Thanks for reading!