Thud.
" – yes Captain, right away sir."
Stirred by a clinking noise, Ichigo blinked his eyes open.
The first thing he saw was someone's chin – complete with stubble – and lots of royal-looking banners attached to a high ceiling.
There was a strong arm supporting his back, and another under his knees. Technically, the arm was buried under the thick folds of his satin and lace dress.
Ichigo groaned, rubbing his cheek against the cloth and hard chest mere inches from his face. He was still dreaming.
Wait.
Hard chest?
"Oh gods."
Renji looked down at him with a quizzical smile.
"You're awake, Ichigo."
Well, hello Mister Obvious.
"No shit, Sherlock."
Ichigo glared up at him blearily and received another dazzling smile.
"We're in the Castle now. I'm taking you to see the Prince. Of course, if the King were here, he would grant you immediate permission to stay, but our Prince has a different way of ruling." Renji shot him a reassuring glance. "Have I scared you?"
Pfft, as if.
Feeling rather like a helpless turtle – mainly because he didn't know where to put his hands – Ichigo kicked his legs in the air, causing Renji to stagger a little.
Payback for assuming he was weak.
"Please don't do that, my lady."
Ichigo frowned. This 'lady' business was pissing him off.
"Don't call me that."
Acknowledging his snappy request with a polite tilt of his head, Renji regained composure and shifted Ichigo's weight before continuing to walk.
"I can walk on my own, you know."
Renji pretended like he hadn't heard.
"Seriously, last time I checked, I've still got two feet."
Forcing a smile onto his face, Renji looked down at him. The teen could tell he was gritting his teeth.
"You're a difficult woman, Ichigo. Please allow me to carry you. You are, after all, an honored guest. Falling asleep on my horse; that must mean you're very tired."
Not true.
The journey had just been annoyingly long, filled with nothing but straight roads and grass – also he'd had extra track running during gym period in school and was wiped out. Ichigo proceeded to tell him so.
"Still, it's common courtesy." Renji smiled some more.
Ichigo scowled back, figuring the redhead did enough teeth baring for the both of them. It was more than a little irritating.
Especially now that he knew Renji had really nice teeth.
The red haired captain looked highly pleased with himself. Ichigo decided to mess with him a little more. Wrapping his arms around his neck, he breathed into Renji's ear.
"You don't want to put me down, is that it?"
Turning a nice shade of merlot from his neck to his ears, Renji did a good job at not dropping Ichigo like a bag of hot coals.
"My lady." He said graciously, and leaned forward to set Ichigo down on the lush red and gold carpet. "If you wish to walk on your own, I understand."
Smirking, Ichigo kept his arms around Renji's neck.
"Oh, but Captain." He gushed, evidently enjoying himself. "Are you tiring of me now?"
Renji was struggling to keep a polite mask on his face, and Ichigo knew that, which added more fun to the flames. He hid a smile behind one hand as he watched Renji take a deep breath of patience.
"If you please, Ichigo."
Honey brown eyes followed the direction Renji's hand was gesturing to.
"The Prince's throne room lies beyond those doors. Allow me to escort you and help with the explaining."
"Cool." Ichigo studied the ornate gold and white double doors. "Lead the way, brother."
Giving him an odd sidelong glance, Renji extricated himself from Ichigo's arms and walked a few steps in front of him. "The Prince may be slightly . . . eccentric, to put it bluntly."
The redhead nodded at Ichigo's raised eyebrows. "He is, however, a good prince, and has a kind heart despite his . . . hard exterior."
Hard exterior?
Ichigo snickered.
Naughty images and a gloomy looking tortoise danced into his mind, but he shoved them away and filed the thoughts for later perusing.
Renji twisted the door handles and turned to smile reassuringly at Ichigo.
"Ready, my lady?"
Ichigo rolled his eyes. Just how bad could this 'eccentric' prince be? Beneath the 'hard exterior' – heh, kinda hard not to let his hormonal side chuckle at that – he was probably just some nutty guy with a strange sense of humor. Like one of those weirdoes on TV.
Wait a second.
Was Renji trying to scare him just because he looked like a girl?
It was just the goddamn dress, for Pete's sake. Not that he knew who Pete was. Pete could go jump in a lake for all Ichigo cared.
"I'm not a pussy." Ichigo trotted up to Renji in his heels and snarled into his face.
"Of course not." Renji did another stunning smile. "You're hardly small enough to be even considered as a type of cat, my lady."
Never mind.
Ichigo sighed.
"Let's get on with it."
The doors opened, and he followed Renji into a large circular room. Actually, large wouldn't even cut it. Enormous was the word. The room was bigger than the auditorium in Karakura High. The red and gold carpet ended just after the door, leaving a wide expanse of black marble floor, glittering from the light reflected off candles neatly placed in chandeliers hanging down from the high domed ceiling. Gold lamps adorned the walls in neat rows, providing ample light in the huge hall. There were giant windows covered with enough curtains to wrap a whale in, and their maroon and gold tassels hung down like limp tentacles from a dead octopus.
"Fuck." Ichigo breathed, feasting his eyes on the sight of the hall that just screamed 'riches'. "This is like some gigantic music hall."
"Exquisite, isn't it?" Renji said, coming to stand beside him. "The Prince uses this room as a grand ballroom as well. He usually sits up on the throne over there."
Ichigo looked to where Renji pointed, and saw a large chair with tall backing, just like a prop from a medieval casting set. There were red velvet cushions and intricately carved armrests.
"So if he usually sits there, where's he now?"
"Oh, probably out hunting with the General. Perhaps dining out in the gardens, or playing with his hounds." Renji waved a hand airily. "The Prince doesn't like being idle very much, you see."
Good then.
Kicking off his uncomfortable heels, Ichigo made a mad dash for the small flight of steps leading up to the throne. Renji's surprised calls did nothing to deter his sudden bout of enthusiasm. Ichigo dived for the chair, squashing several pillows in the process. Lace and frills from his dress swooshed out around him like long trails of confetti.
"My lady, you really shouldn't –!"
"Dude, lighten up!" Ichigo laughed at the visible aghast on Renji's face. "This chair is like, the greatest thing ever. It's like a freaking bed, only not as big. But it's still cool. Damn, if I had my phone with me I'd snap a photo and send it to Keigo. He'd be freaking out right about now."
"No, really, please come down from there Ichigo. This chair belongs to the Royal Prince!"
"Will you please relax? It's just a chair." Ichigo grinned. "A pretty awesome one, I'll have to admit. And this carpet's not too bad either. Sure beats those heels I had on earlier. I swear my left toe just died and went to heaven."
"Glad you like it, then."
A smooth voice startled both Renji and Ichigo out of their skin. In Ichigo's case, whatever skin he didn't have under his dress. Their heads swiveled around to face a tall man standing by an archway to the right, looking highly amused. He was dressed in a deep blue velvet jacket, white and gold pants and knee high suede boots. He carried a riding whip, a set of keys and a whole lot of attitude.
He looked very familiar, but Ichigo couldn't place him.
Renji dropped to one knee.
"My sincerest apologies, your Highness!"
Ah.
The Royal Prince.
It was then Ichigo noticed the neatly lined men – possibly soldiers – and footmen behind the Prince, and the highly disapproving looks on their faces.
Ichigo took it in stride.
They were most likely jealous he was sitting in a cool chair, and they had to stand around looking like rigid stage props in haughty looking boots. Ichigo wriggled his bare toes under the satin lining of his dress and grinned.
"Who is that wench?"
What?
Did the loser just call him a wench?
"What's that, you bast –"
Renji silenced him with a fierce glare.
"I am deeply sorry, your Highness. I shall remove her from your throne at once."
"How dare you sit in the Prince's chair?" Demanded a pompous looking soldier. "Punish this brazen commoner at once!"
"Calm your tits, bitch." Ichigo curled his lip in disgust. "It's just a chair. How childish can you get?"
The soldier spluttered. "She should be whipped!"
There was a general hubbub as every other soldier voiced their two cents.
The Prince held up one white gloved hand.
Everyone shut up instantly. Ichigo found it kind of cool.
"I asked who she is, not for your opinions." He drawled lazily as he smirked at Renji. "Well?"
"Her name is Ichigo, your Highness." Renji couldn't seem to get enough of bowing. "I found her in the heart of Dissidian Forest while patrolling and brought her back with me. She claims to be from a foreign kingdom and cannot seem to remember how she came about."
Curious, Ichigo scrutinized the Prince, trying to place him. Piercing blue eyes, crooked grin and artfully messy blue hair.
Shit.
Without the mask and teal markings around his eyes, the Espada looked really different. Well, not too different, but Ichigo could still recognize his nemesis. What on earth was he doing in his dream?
Grimmjow! His mind hollered.
"Guhmmnn." His mouth spewed before he could stop it.
Prince Grimmjow turned his gaze on Ichigo.
"Were you saying something, wench?"
Irritated, Ichigo narrowed his eyes.
"Yep, I said you're a wanker."
Renji and the other soldiers let out a collective gasp of horror. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"I also think you need to get your ears cleaned."
Cerulean orbs glared icy daggers at defiant honey brown ones.
"Is that so, tramp?"
"You're the tramp!"
Another collective gasp and someone at the back fainted.
"Do you have any idea who you are talking to, woman?" Yelled an irate soldier, shaking his fist.
Ichigo gave them a one shoulder shrug. "Dude, I'm a guy."
Renji clamped a hand over his mouth. "You Highness, this lady is –"
"A foreigner. I know." Grimmjow looked amused. "I like her. She's feisty. A lot more life than most of the girls sent here with marriage proposals."
Ichigo was outraged. Were they just gonna disregard his true gender? His hair was still chopped short in the usual orange spikes, sticking up every which way, and what kind of girl would have a flat, hard chest and shoulders this broad? Well, so maybe he shouldn't have shaved in the morning before school, but it wouldn't take a blind old man to figure out he had a very noticeable Adam's apple.
"Hey, I'm still in the room, idiots."
The soldiers spluttered and looked horrified, while Renji shut his eyes in mortification. Ichigo curled his lip in disgust as he glared at Grimmjow, who narrowed piercing blue eyes back at him.
"True. Join me for dinner."
His eyes were suddenly warm, and one hand reached out to trace Ichigo's cheek.
The light touch sent chills down the teen's spine.
"Um . . . huh?"
"You must be hungry."
Truthfully, Ichigo had skipped lunch in school, but he didn't really feel like eating now. It wasn't good manners to just refuse outright though. And maybe, just maybe, he could try talking things out with this prince so he could get home in one piece.
"Since you're offering . . ." He stood up and grinned.
Grimmjow smirked. "Silly rabbit. I was only joking. Still."
He turned on his heel and strode down the stairs. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Have her cleaned up and appropriately dressed. Seeing her in that sorry excuse for a dress would turn me off dinner."
What the hell?
Ichigo was about to unleash a witty, scathing retort when Grimmjow turned around and winked.
"Treat her as my special guest this evening."
As he walked away, there was a disgruntled murmur among the soldiers. A gaggle of maids scuttled over out of nowhere to grab Ichigo by the arms and hoist him bodily toward the exit. He struggled and waved frantically at his only source of hope.
"Renji! Help!"
He received a worried smile from the redhead before the double doors closed on him with a soft click.
x
"Stop it!" Ichigo flung his arm back, knocking over a pile of perfume bottles and powder puffs. "I can dress myself!"
The maids watched him with cautious eyes.
He didn't like it.
It was bad enough explaining that he was a male, had manly parts they didn't need to see, and didn't wish to be scrubbed and washed in a large porcelain bathtub with lion paws. On top of that, they'd tried to wash his hair for him with flowery smelling shampoo, and now he smelled like a total girl.
He'd bit the first maid on the arm when she attempted to put curlers in his hair.
Well, at least he hadn't punched her.
Teeth were great self defense mechanics against women.
There was a knock on the door, and a young looking maid about Ichigo's age slid into the room. "If you please, ma'am. Prince Grimmjow is already making his way down to the dining hall."
"Really, call me Ichigo. Ichigo is fine. It's my given name." Ichigo sighed. "And I'm a guy. Do I have to bullhorn it out the window so everyone gets it?"
After much fussing – from the maids, and foul-mouthed objections – from Ichigo, the teen managed to get his way and was promptly shown into a dining room by a weary looking butler. Only it didn't look like a dining room, rather like something out of Beauty and the Beast's era, or Snow White's. The room was wider than his school cafeteria and was lavishly decorated with vases of flowers, candelabras and a realistic statue of a great albino panther.
"Wow." Ichigo murmured, feeling very much out of place.
"Welcome, Miss Ichigo. I see you managed to survive my maids. They can be quite stubborn, much like your character." Grimmjow smirked as he entered the room from another door. "I'm sure you have a lot in common. Do sit down."
"Right." Ichigo replied, his fingers twitching in the pale pink satin gloves the maids had made him wear. "Could you please just call me Ichigo? I'm a guy, you know. Is there something in the air that makes everyone here confused about genders?"
Grimmjow raised an eyebrow and walked to a chair at the head of the table, where a footman quickly helped to seat him. Wine was poured into bronze goblets, and a dozen covered trays were wheeled in on a silver trolley. As soon as a maid opened one of the covered dishes, a wonderful aroma spread out in the air. Ichigo felt his stomach growl. Well, so maybe he was more than a little hungry.
"Are you going to stand there and watch me eat?"
Ichigo had the decency to blush and headed over to where a footman was currently holding out a chair for him. As he plonked down into his seat, he heard Grimmjow question one of the maids why 'the wench wasn't in proper ladies' attire' and received a disappointed shake of the head from said servant.
"She insisted on wearing pants, your Highness."
Rubbish.
When were they going to realize he had manly bits?
Ichigo brightened up considerably when he noticed the big white platter of smoked salmon placed in front of him. He took a bite and realized the food was amazing. At least there was a plus side to this weird dream.
"Now, as the captain of my personal guard has explained to me, I hope to hear your side of the story." Grimmjow wiped his mouth with a napkin and raised an eyebrow. "In full detail, of course."
"If Renji already told you about me, why do you need me to explain any further?" Ichigo muttered. In a louder voice, he said "I opened my eyes, found myself in a dress smack in the middle of nowhere, and conked out on a horse before coming here. Long story short, I don't know where I am or how to get back to where I came from."
Raising both eyebrows, Grimmjow paused before forking a piece of fish into his mouth. "Why not start by explaining where you were and what you were doing before waking up on my land?"
Ichigo didn't miss the superior tone Grimmjow was using on him.
"Even if I told you, I don't think you'd even know."
"Try me."
"Well, I was in school before this." Ichigo leaned back into the soft cushions of his chair. "I was searching for a good subject to write on for my essay. That was when I found some weird book and for the love of god, I don't know what made me want to read it. Shit like that shouldn't even be considered ready material in a high school library, y'know?"
He stopped to see if Grimmjow was still following him.
Judging by the placid look on his face, he either understood where Ichigo was coming from, or had no idea what he was saying and was just humoring him.
"Any questions?"
"What would a young girl like you be doing in a danger-ridden forest?"
Okay, he obviously didn't get it.
"Look, how long are we gonna keep this up?" Ichigo asked directly, not caring if he came off as rude with his bluntness. "You and I both know that I'm not a lady."
"Oh yes." Grimmjow smiled. "I can definitely tell you're far from anything refined."
Ouch.
True, because of the way he'd been acting, but that didn't mean he had to like the facts.
Chewing meticulously on his food, Ichigo ran a mental image reel of his fist punching Grimmjow in the face in slow-mo. The maids whispered and watched the Royal Prince's 'special guest' show his true colors. This was a sure juicy tidbit for gossiping purposes with the other Castle servants.
"The book kinda like, looked cheesy. It was sketchy as hell when I first read it." Ichigo sighed, not wanting to argue. "I mean, I tried to read it, but it was mostly just weird instructions. It told me to shut my eyes, count to three. Next thing I know I'm dreaming this up."
Leaning his chin on his hand, Grimmjow processed this calmly. He watched Ichigo shrug, then continue to eat, and only spoke when the teen started on his stew.
"How do you know this is a dream?"
"It's obvious this . . . thing is just something out of my imagination." Ichigo said around a mouthful of stew. "I mean, please. I'm just your average high schooler. I don't take drugs. Haven't ever smoked. I do my homework regularly. Heck, me being hardworking is the whole reason I'm here in the first place."
"If it's a dream to you, when do you think you'll awaken?"
Ichigo couldn't shrug off the feeling he was being interviewed for a paranormal TV show.
"Don't know, but from what I've grasped, it should be anytime from now." He grinned, running a hand through his hair. "I mean, I conked out in the school library. There's gotta be someone who's bound to wake me up soon. Our school closes around five thirty."
Grimmjow studied him skeptically. "And what if you don't manage to wake up?"
The teen blinked. He hadn't thought of that.
"Then . . . this wouldn't be a dream, would it?"
"No." Grimmjow agreed smugly.
"It'll be a nightmare."
The prince frowned. "Where is it that you said you were from?"
"Karakura." Ichigo replied quietly. "Ring any bells?"
He received a terse shake of the head. Narrowing his eyes, Grimmjow reached for his wine glass.
"How do I know you're not an enemy?"
At Ichigo's look of surprise, he held up a hand.
"The kingdom of Azasael is under my command while my father is away. There is a high possibility that you could be from another kingdom, feeding me lies so you can double as a spy in my castle." He paused to take a sip of wine. "Perhaps you have an intention of garnering my trust because you've heard of the curse rampant in my kingdom."
Confused, Ichigo could only stare.
"Did you think I was stupid?" Grimmjow locked gazes with him, swirling the wine in his glass gently. "Don't think you can fool me with your silly stories. People tend to assume that princes are rich brats coddled with wealth, but you can't just waltz in here and expect me to fall for your lies."
"Are you calling me a liar?" Ichigo bristled, feeling more than a little annoyed.
Grimmjow gave him a one shoulder shrug. "That depends. Are you? I'm not usually one to assume, but I've had bad experiences in the past with pretend princesses."
Okay, this guy obviously had issues he couldn't even begin to grasp.
Ichigo massaged his temples, drawing out as much patience as he could.
"I already told you, I'm no princess. Could you please look at me? I mean, really look at me. I'm a guy."
Anyone in their right mind could see that he was far from anything feminine. No doubt he had shaved before going to school, but he'd done it in his usual slapdash manner because he'd woken up early and spent twenty minutes sleeping while he showered. He still had slightly visible stubble around his chin, and veiny arms that certainly couldn't belong to any woman. Because of the sheer white and gold threaded blouse he'd been shoved into, his obviously flat chest could be seen under the thin fabric. Besides, Ichigo figured his voice screamed manly teenager with enough attitude to drop a man.
"All the more reason for me to suspect you." Grimmjow finished the rest of his dinner before starting on his second glass. "My kingdom has many jealous enemies."
They finished dinner in silence. Ichigo tried his best to figure out how to prove himself innocent, but he was tired, and his mind refused to work properly. He still couldn't shake off the niggling feeling that he needed to get home and complete his assignments before he got detention the next day.
There was a light tap on the door, and the butler opened it before coming over to Grimmjow and whispering into his ear. Renji stepped into the room, dressed in a black and blue, a stark contrast to his flame colored hair. He nodded at Ichigo and offered him a reassuring smile. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Grimmjow stood up and looked at Ichigo.
"I have urgent matters to attend to. My maids will show you to a room." He turned on his heel and strode off to join Renji by the door.
Ichigo craned his neck to watch them as they exchanged whispers. It sounded like something was up. They disappeared through the door, and a footman began instructing maids to clear the table. Feeling full, Ichigo downed the rest of his wine and stood up. His foot caught on the chair and a resounding thump echoed around the hall as chair met marble flooring.
"S-Sorry." Ichigo blushed, turning red.
He helped pick up the chair and fled from the hall as soon as the butler opened the door for him. This palace would take him a long time to get used to.
"This way, ma'am." A maid popped up by his shoulder. "Prince Grimmjow told me to escort you; we have already prepared a bath and proper clothing for you."
Another bath?
Weird and weirder.
x
Twenty minutes later and Ichigo was lounging on a king-sized bed, complete with dark blue velvet hangings on the canopy and deliciously soft sheets that slid over his skin like fine silk. This was heaven! Maybe this dream wasn't so bad after all.
Dimly, he wondered if anyone would mind if he slept shirtless. After all, Keigo had broken his AC a while back, and he'd never gotten round to fixing it. Sleeping with just his boxers on was something he'd gotten used to over time. More comfortable and all that.
Struggling with the buttons on his flimsy shirt, Ichigo flung it off into the darkest corner of the vast bedroom he could find, and turned over to blow out the candle on a tall stand by his bedside.
It stayed lit.
Well, whatever. The light was soft anyway, he could deal.
So tired. His bones ached, as did the muscles around his shoulders and calves. His gym teacher hadn't made it easy on him today, and he was certain he had a blister on both his heels.
Well, time to just sleep it off. Ichigo wondered sleepily if he would remember this dream if he woke up.
x
You'd be surprised, Ichigo.
Also, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! :)