A/N: I'm posting this chapter while mourning about what happened in the latest manga chapter. Why Kubo, why? :bawls eyes out:
So um, keeping canon grievances aside, I want to give big squishy hugs to all the lovely people who reviewed: Enelya87, Virgil Theart, Rochelleteentitan, Fostersb, K, XBluexFlamingoX, PameRulez, Blitch, alice hattercandy, hitokiri angel, Miss L, sly_kitty, Mizuki's Star, Domyouji and x3Sn0w. I'm so thrilled that you guys find this story promising :D And also to all those who've added this fic on their author alert and fave list (already!) I'm flattered, truly!
By the way, I'd thought I'd let you know...from this chapter on, I'm going to be making a lot of stuff up regarding the Royal Realm with no basis in canon whatsoever ^^; On to the story.
oOo
Iba Tetsuzaemon raised his glass. "As the President of the Shinigami Men's Association, I would like to propose a toast to our good friend, Kurosaki Ichigo, former Captain of the 13th division and now member of the elite Royal Guard…to Ichigo!"
"To Ichigo!" the rest of the men sitting around him echoed before each of them gulped their sake down.
Ichigo only raised his glass half-heartedly as he silently observed his friends. Renji, Shuuhei, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Izuru…they were all gathered in the 7th division mess hall, celebrating Ichigo's recruitment into the Royal Guard. Though whether it was a cause for celebration was debatable in Ichigo's mind. Bringing the glass in his hand close to his lips, he took a small sip. Perhaps telling them about this hadn't been a good idea. Not that it had been a matter of choice. He had told Renji and Renji had blabbed to everyone else.
He nearly choked when a strong hand thumped him on the back. "What's with all the brooding lately, eh? You should stop, thinking isn't your strong point." Renji's face grinned down at him. "You might hurt your brain."
Ichigo took one large swig of his sake and scowled at the red-head, but didn't reply. He wasn't really in the mood for another of their quarrels.
Renji raised his tattooed eyebrows. "What? No insults?" He brought his face closer and peered into Ichigo's eyes. "You…aren't having second thoughts about this, are you?" he whispered.
Ichigo moved his face away instinctively and his gaze shifted from the red-head's face to a spot on the floor. "What do you mean?"
"Kurosaki-taicho, I didn't get to congratulate you in person," Kira Izuru's words cut-off Renji's reply and Ichigo couldn't help feeling a bit relieved. He turned to find the blond vice-captain smiling at him nervously.
Ichigo shook his head. "Izuru, I told you to stop calling me that. I'm not even a Captain anymore," he drawled, lips curved upward in a half-smile.
"Higher than a Captain, actually. Perhaps we should call you Kurosaki-sama," Shuuhei remarked, his voice low and teasing.
There were chuckles around the room and Ichigo groaned. It had been bad enough when he was Captain. These men were his friends, no matter what rank they held. The other captains didn't seem to see that way and looked down at his mingling with the lower ranked officers. Though that had never deterred him as such, ever since he'd become captain, his relationship with his friends had inevitably changed. Now that he had been inducted into the Royal Guard, it was only going to get worse.
Wait, Hikifune said that once I cross over to the Royal Realm I won't be able to come back. Which means…
He frowned. Which meant this was probably the last time he was seeing all of them, his friends, his squad…Rukia. His insides suddenly felt cold.
There was an eruption of loud laughter as Ikkaku cracked a joke. Ichigo laughed along weakly.
It doesn't matter now. I've made my choice.
He felt Renji's gaze on him. He looked up to find the red-head watching him with narrowed eyes. Lifting up his glass, Ichigo grinned at the other man reassuringly. Renji observed him for a beat before nodding and lifting his own glass in response. Both emptied the sake down their throats in one large gulp.
To a new life and a new adventure.
oOo
chapter two
the call of adventure
A week had passed since his first meeting with Hikifune Kirio. At the crack of dawn, he'd been summoned to the 1st division. On his arrival, Yamamoto had led him through a hidden trap door to a circular room, which no Shinigami apart from the Sotaicho had ever been allowed to see. Hikifune stood at the center of the hidden chamber with a calm expression on her face and a scroll in hand. Beside her was a stool with a wooden casket.
Yamamoto took the ancient scroll from her and unfurled it. His eyes scanned the contents once before starting to chant slowly under his breath. Hikifune opened the wooden casket and took out a huge golden key from inside, so big that she had to hold it with both hands. She lifted it and slowly made her way to stand between the Sotaicho and Ichigo. She looked Ichigo straight in the eye. "Do you know what this is, Kurosaki?"
Ichigo shook his head.
"The King's Key. The Ouken." Her dark eyes shone. "It is this key which opens the portal connecting this world to the Royal Realm."
Brown eyes widened in understanding.
"However," Hikifune continued, "it is not as simple as that." She paused. "To activate the key, you must pay a price."
Ichigo frowned. "Price?"
"Your blood, willingly given," she explained calmly, "and an oath to serve and protect the Royal Family even if it is at the cost of your life." Ichigo's face hardened at her next words, "After this there will be no turning back."
He took in a deep breath. His last conversation with Rukia replayed in his mind. She had said those exact words to him.
"Are you absolutely sure about this, Ichigo?"
"Yeah."
"This is not something you can choose to do in a whim, like you normally do. This…if you choose this…there's no turning back."
"Yeah, I know."
He nodded at Hikifune. "I understand."
Hikifune smiled. "Very well, then. The ceremonial knife is on the table over there," she indicated with a slight inclination of her head, "just a few drops over the key would be enough."
Picking up the knife and removing it from its scabbard, Ichigo approached her. Raising both hands over the key, he placed his left thumb at the edge of the knife. He hesitated only for a moment before slashing his thumb. Thick crimson drops fell from the wound and on to the key. The blood vaporized on contact and the key glowed.
"Hold the Ouken with both your hands," Hikifune instructed. Ichigo obeyed.
"Kurosaki Ichigo," she said solemnly, "do you swear to serve and to protect the Royal King and his family, to abide by the rules of the Royal Realm and to defend the sanctity of everything in the Royal Realm, even if it is at the cost of your life?"
"I swear."
"Then by the authority bestowed upon me by the Royal King, I, Hikifune Kirio, officially pronounce you, Kurosaki Ichigo as a member of the Royal Guard."
Yamamoto's chanting got louder and then abruptly stopped. The air before them rippled. A second later there was a blinding flash of light. Ichigo shielded his eyes and blinked rapidly.
Eyes slowly adjusting to the light, Ichigo saw that a huge doorway had appeared right in the middle of the room. It seemed to be made of polished wood, with an ornate knob and a golden keyhole with 3 slots in the middle.
"You know what to do Kurosaki," Hikifune smiled and indicated to the key.
Ichigo nodded. Lifting up the heavy tri-pronged key, he inserted it into the keyhole with much effort.
"Turn it 3 times anticlockwise and twice clockwise," she instructed. Ichigo did as told. There was a creak and very slowly, the door opened, bit by bit. He screwed up his eyes. It was still too bright to see anything.
"Go on Kurosaki, don't be afraid."
"I'm not afraid," he said firmly and moved forward. He felt Hikifune's presence and barely heard the door slam shut behind him before his senses were overtaken by the blinding light.
"Goodbye, Kurosaki Ichigo," Yamamoto's low voice echoed in the empty room. "Perhaps we'll meet again and I would get the opportunity to tell you how your father would be proud."
oOo
Ichigo had been nothing but a street rat roaming around Rukongai when he had first seen the Royal Guards. He'd heard about the royal procession through the forest from Ganju and his thugs, though they had also warned him against going to watch it. It was absolutely forbidden for even a Shinigami to interfere with anything to do with the royalty. He had gone regardless.
Since then he'd always harbored a secret desire to become one of those warriors in red. The highest rank a Shinigami could reach…it was a tempting prospect. It hadn't been his aim though. For him, being a Shinigami was all about the fight. And the compelling desire to protect as many people as he could.
He certainly hadn't expected such an opportunity to be presented before him so soon. From what he had heard, even the most powerful Captains had to wait for centuries before they got promoted to the Royal Guard. He'd been a Captain for only around 40 years.
He'd realized, if he chose to become a Royal Guard, he would miss his life in Seireitei, his friends…Rukia, Renji, Ikkaku…everyone…and he had been hesitant at first, until he had talked to Rukia.
"Ichigo, if you feel you'd regret it for the rest of your life if you let this opportunity go…you should go," she had said in her usual matter-of-fact tone.
His thirst for a new adventure had had the better of him and he'd agreed to Hikifune's proposition. When he entered the portal to the Royal Realm, he did it with a confident grin and a clear, undoubting mind.
They were walking now, swiftly through a hallway, with Hikifune leading. The wooden floorboards creaked with their footfalls. The sound of swords and sticks clashing reverberated and Ichigo curiously eyed the many fusuma doors along the hallway. A couple of doors were slid open and Ichigo's suspicions were confirmed when he saw several red-uniformed warriors sparring against each other. The training area, Ichigo realized. It was much similar to his own division's training area, except that this was much larger and was partitioned into several rooms.
So the portal from Seireitei leads to the dojo of the Royal Guards? Interesting.
Ichigo idly wondered if he'd have to fight with a few guards to prove his worth. He smirked at the prospect. Finally some exercise for his muscles, which he was sure were becoming rusty from lack of use. He mentally made a quick check for the familiar weight on his back. His trusted sword was still with him.
But Hikifune didn't slow down, she seemed to be in quite a hurry. They had a few inquisitive glances thrown their way; Ichigo was still in his Shinigami uniform, though he had eschewed his captain's haori. He met those glances with a small smirk and a short salute.
They walked for a good few minutes and Ichigo was wondering in awe at just how big this dojo was when Hikifine stopped. They had reached the end of the hallway and were now standing in front of a room. "Stay behind me," she whispered to him before raising her voice. "Yamazaki-taicho, this is Hikifune Kirio reporting."
"Ah, you may enter Hikifune," came a deep voice from inside.
Hikifune slid open the door and entered. "Yamazaki-taicho," she bowed. "I have brought the new recruit, Kurosaki Ichigo."
Ichigo's eyes fell on the man sitting behind a wooden desk full of files and papers. His short silver hair was gelled back and his dark, narrow eyes gazed at Ichigo from behind gold-rimmed glasses. "Ah, thank you Hikifune." His thin lips curved upwards in a smile. "Kurosaki Ichigo, hm?" he started sifting through the paperwork, "I think I have your file somewhere here…" he frowned as he searched through the huge pile, "it should be somewhere here…"
Hikifune stepped forward. "Shall I help you look taicho?"
The silver-haired man smiled again. "Ah, thank you Hikifune."
Ichigo raised an eyebrow as he watched the two supposedly elite warriors desperately comb through the piles of paperwork, unmindful of the mess they were making as the papers fell to the ground. He held back a chuckle.
"Just hold on a second Kurosaki."
From what he'd heard, Ichigo guessed that the silver-haired man was Yamazaki Hiroshi, captain of the Royal Guard, one of the most powerful souls in the entire world. However, looking at the scene before him, Ichigo was finding it a bit hard to believe.
His gaze traveled across the room. It was decently furnished, with a neat bookcase on one side and a wide window on the other. Right above Yamazaki's desk hung a huge portrait; a family portrait. A young man, dressed in regal white stood in the center along with his beautiful wife, adorned in a matching kimono. Beside them stood their two children. The older, a boy with dark black hair looked on stoically. The younger, a pretty girl with short auburn hair and wide grey eyes smiled brightly.
A sudden memory of a crimson palanquin, flowing auburn hair and lovely grey eyes flashed through his mind and Ichigo swallowed. It had been so many years since his little adventure, yet the memory was vivid in his mind.
"Found it!" Yamazaki announced suddenly, triumphantly holding up a file. Hikifune looked relieved. The older man quickly opened it. "So let's see…Kurosaki Ichigo…former Shinigami captain of the 13th division…excellent records…100 percent success rate on missions…hmm, I'm impressed…" He stood up, gaze still on the file, and walked towards Ichigo.
Abruptly closing the file shut, he stretched out his right hand. "Welcome to the Zero Squad, Kurosaki Ichigo." He smiled. "I'll be your Captain, Yamazaki Hiroshi."
Ichigo grinned and shook the other man's hand. "I guessed as much, Captain."
"Ah, of course you did," Yamazaki turned to Hikifune, "have you briefed Kurosaki about his duties?" She shook her head.
"I see," Yamazaki scratched his face, "well, Kurosaki, you've been assigned to the eastern area of the Imperial Palace. You see, your selection was a very quick decision. One of our Royal Guards there committed suicide a few weeks back."
Brown eyes widened in surprised. "Suicide?"
Hikifune coughed pointedly and Yamazaki waved dismissively in her direction. "Kurosaki is a Royal Guard now and it would be unadvisable to hide such matters from him, especially since he's going to be assigned in that area."
Ichigo frowned as his gaze moved from Yamazaki to Hikifune and back. "What do you mean? What's going on?"
Yamazaki sighed. "Perhaps we're being paranoid. It's just that we've never had any of the guards commit suicide before. And this particular case, well, it was completely out of the blue. It's all very suspicious." He shrugged. "Since you are here to replace him, I thought you should be informed."
Ichigo nodded. "So what are my duties?"
"Ah, it's very simple," Yamazaki stared at Ichigo beadily. "Protect the princess, even if it costs you your life."
Ichigo started. "The...princess?" he asked slowly, feeling his pulse quickening.
"Yes, the Eastern area is where the princess resides and you're one of the 10 guards assigned there to protect Princess Orihime."
Ichigo swallowed. "Right," he said, trying to sound casual.
Yamazaki turned to Hikifune again. "I suppose you would brief him about all other matters, Hikifune?"
"Hai, Yamazaki-taicho."
"Escort him to his quarters and give him his uniform and badge."
"Hai."
Yamazaki gave a short wave while walking back to his seat. "Dismissed."
"Come on, Kurosaki," Hikifune called softly.
Ichigo gave a last lingering look to the auburn-haired young girl in the portrait before following Hikifune out of the room.
Princess Orihime, eh?
As he walked once more along the hallway of the dojo, Ichigo couldn't help the small grin on his face.
tbc
A/N: No IchiHime meeting yet, sorry ^^; This chapter's purpose was mainly to set the scene. I didn't want the story to seem rushed. It's quite different from my other fics since this one actually has a plot. The rest are all silly little oneshots -_-
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts :)
