Title: S O V E R E I G N
Author: Shao Bei Bei
Rating: M
Genre: Romance/Drama
Summary: At the age of thirteen, Ichigo Kurosaki was married to a foreign princess he never met. Years later, the princess' brother Toshiro Hitsugaya comes to him with an urgent request for him to escort him back to his kingdom...with vicious vampires hot on their trail.
Warnings: Vampires, violence, slash, yaoi, an attempt at plot, alternate universe
Author's Note: Thanks for the feedback everyone! I feel better about improving my writing now.
School will start soon, gah! That means updates won't be very frequent. Add school to my graphics shop on Gaia and you've got a major load of BLAH. (By the way, if anyone here plays Gaia too, I've got the same username on there. Come by my shop and chat!)
Logging into my account and reading these reviews you guys write really warms my heart. I hate to sound like a cliche, but you guys give me the strength to keep going. Lately I'd been depressed because I thought I had no real skills but you guys showed me I have at least some promise in writing.
Also, I only recently learned that Toshiro's eyes were green. Doh! You don't mind if I refer to them as green from now on?
Archived On: Fanfiction dot net, Livejournal dot com
S O V E R E I G N
S T A R T
There were some moments in life when words were not needed. As Toshiro strode alongside Shinji, trying hard not to be dwarfed, he knew this was one of them. He'd had a strong feeling that the blond prince's true intentions regarding Ichigo went far deeper than shown. Perhaps Ichigo couldn't see past Shinji's sunshine-leaking personality, but even in Yuki'da, surrounded by hundreds of loyal servants, Toshiro had felt the bite of betrayal far too many times.
He could see shadows of great calculation and something akin to cruelty in Shinji's eyes when they appeared fleetingly from under his bangs. Vizard did not become a powerful country through ditziness; no, Vizard's royal families usually had at least four choices for Crown Prince or Princess, and there had to be something in Shinji that made him the top choice.
Something he was about to find out.
"So, Toshiro." Shinji started off casually. "Where are you from?"
Startled out of his deep thinking, it took Toshiro a moment to remember the cover story Isshin and Kisuke had thought up for him.
"Uh, I'm from Alkido." He named a country famous for its people's unique distinction of white hair and blue eyes. In reality he had green eyes but often the color was mistaken for teal or blue, something he hoped the other man would do. "I am an apprentice to a wizard staying here."
"Ah, is that so." Shinji appeared to give his story no more thought as they reached a part of the palace very popular with the guests, the Blue Storm. It was a beautiful garden filled with trees that birthed thousands of gorgeous blue and white flowers every year around this time, and Toshiro could see shadows of people through the shower of petals that gave the garden its name. In contrary to its name, however, it was quite peaceful. Spells laid on the garden made the petals gently glide around guests instead of falling on them, and any conversations not directed at you were muffled.
Shinji entered the garden gracefully; Toshiro managed to do the same after misjudging the depth of the numerous fallen petals that coated the ground at first. Dusting off his robe he followed Shinji to the Eye of the Storm, a little pagoda made of glass in which people could look out and admire the flowers without getting overwhelmed by the thick sweet scent that seemed to get stronger the closer they got to the Eye.
Here in the Eye the falling petals were not nearly so much, but the spells on the garden had been laid strongest here, making things a little more playful. Shinji chuckled as a little serpent-like cluster of petals twirled around Toshiro, flustering him.
When Toshiro managed to escape the demonic flower-pack, he entered the pagoda to find that he and Shinji were not alone. In fact, the place was packed.
A man with spiky red hair and tattoos on his face spoke to a black-haired young woman near the entrance, while a similar-looking man watched them sternly from a few feet away.
Covered in pink petals of unknown origin, a grizzled-looking old man slumbered on a window seat with a bottle of sake in his hand and several at his feet, while a dark-haired woman with glasses looked torn between waking him up and stabbing him.
A dark-skinned, muscular youth with long, wavy locks watched them with a look of confusion on his face, apparently wondering whether he ought to intervene or not.
There was a frightening man, too, with a scar and eye patch visible, but it seemed he wasn't that frightening because a pink-haired little girl was crawling all over him.
And a slender flat-chested girl with freckles was obviously new to the whole idea of staying in Karakura's royal palace; a small tiara perched in her hair when usually visiting royals discarded their signs of true blood immediately upon entrance, glad for the casual feeling that enveloped the place. She seemed to be alone, and more interested in a small indigo ladybug on the floor than anything else.
Toshiro watched her strange behavior for a few more seconds before he noticed Shinji beckoning to him from a place far from the others in the pagoda. He trotted over and Shinji smiled down at him.
"Do you see the red-haired man over there?" He pointed to the one the Yuki'da prince had noticed first. "That is Renji, the legendary swordsman of Gotei - he has a full name, of course, but no one uses it. The woman he is speaking to is the young princess Rukia Kuchiki, who caused quite a controversy when she became the first adopted royal in written history. Over there glaring at them is Crown Prince Byakuya Kuchiki. Rumor has it he is an even better swordsman than Renji, but it can't be proven since Renji kills every opponent he comes up against, and gods forbid that a royal of Gotei risk his life in a petty thing like that, eh? Better to let him die for his country." Shinji seemed to find this idea funny.
"The old man is some washed-out lord from Karakura's oldest ally; that's why he's even allowed into this palace. I think his name is Kyouraku. The woman about to kill him is his caretaker; I dunno about her name. The kid watching them is the son of a close family friend of the Kurosakis. Sado, Chad, something like that. Not much of a big deal, though I hear he's got a heck of a right when it comes to fighting."
"The scary guy is Kenpachi - what a cute name, right? Frighteningly enough, he's a king, and his country's reportedly one of the happiest in the world. No wars, no famine, I don't know how he does it, though I do suspect it's got something do with that pink-haired kid. She goes everywhere with him, and I mean everywhere. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she goes to the bathroom with him."
"Not too sure about the weirdo over there, but lastly, you've got me. Shinji Hirako, Crown Prince of Vizard. The fuckin' awesomest guy of the bunch." Shinji used the crude language so easily Toshiro wondered if he hadn't been adopted off the streets too.
"Of the bunch?" The white-haired teen inquired. They didn't look like they knew each other. Shinji gave a smile that revealed a bit of his true nature, as he leaned in close.
"I'll let you in on something, Toshiro. All these people? The royals, the nobles? They're here for one thing and one thing only, and it sure as hell isn't the scenery." The blond's warm breath over Toshiro's lips reminded him to breathe as his eyes were held by Shinji's. "You see, Toshiro, maybe the servants will buy the whole wizard apprentice thing, but anyone of true blood can see that there's no way a mere apprentice would have manners like yours. I know you're of the blood, I just don't know which country you come from and why you're hiding it. But I will say one thing."
Shinji smiled brightly, turning away as he spread his arms wide open as if to embrace the people in the room.
"All these people came to court my little strawberry, married he may be. Because Karakura may not know it, but it's on its way to becoming possibly the most powerful country in the world, with Kisuke Urahara on its side. And the moment Ichigo takes the throne, whoever's married to him gets a piece of that power. And I plan for it to be me. Vizard's going to take the power, see, and even this amount of people competing with me is too much. I've been a good boy up until now, but if another player joins the game, I don't know if I can keep from - " He paused, letting the silence drip. " - cheating just a little."
Toshiro was stunned. Even though he was next in line for the throne (despite Jun being five minutes older) and therefore responsible for making choices that would help the kingdom he had no idea this...competition...was going on. Ichigo was being fought over by all these people, but only so he could be used to make their country more powerful. A part of him felt pity for the orange-haired prince, who was much too soft-hearted under his rough exterior and would probably give in to Shinji the moment the blond thought of faking tears, but another part of him asked why he cared. It was the latter part that spoke when he replied to Shinji's veiled threat.
"You have no need to worry, Shinji." He replied icily, bringing his hands together as he turned away. "I have no interest in marrying Ichigo." He's my brother-in-law. "And yes, you're right, I am a prince. And I ask you on my honor as a fellow prince to keep this secret, or I just might have to tell Ichigo about this little game going on. I won't mention specific names, of course, but wouldn't it be harder to get close to him if his guard is up?"
Shinji was silent for a moment before he burst out into laughter.
"Now I know who you are! Prince Toshiro Hitsugaya, from Yuki'da, am I right? I remember that voice. We met at that party, right?" The party he spoke of had nearly started a war between Vizard and Yuki'da, but back then Vizard was still a new country and dared not try itself against Yuki'da's vampires. "Of course you'd have no interest in marrying him, your sister already has! So what is this, some sort of ploy? Ooh, I get it! You're going to keep him distracted so he won't be able to request a divorce before your assassins swoop in and kill his father, right?" He looked around eagerly, as if hoping to see these imaginary assassins. "Clever, very clever."
Toshiro rolled his eyes.
"I am hardly interested in Karakura's power. You may have compete for Ichigo's hand in marriage, though I doubt he likes the idea of marrying another man. Yuki'da can do fine on its own." And with that he strode out of the pagoda, and it was only when he left the garden he realized that Yuki'da would be left on its own after this, wouldn't it? There were two likely outcomes if he and Ichigo succeeded. One was that the vampires would be forced back into service for the Hitsugayas, but the other, far more likely, was that the vampires would attempt a revolt anyway, and end up being slaughtered. The vampire army Yuki'da wielded was its only advantage over other countries. What would happen to his country once word got out the vampires were no more?
He decided thoughts like that were best left for the long journey out of Karakura, and continued on his way back to his room.
B R E A K
Shinji laughed softly to himself as he watched Toshiro go. What a feisty little prince! And of course he meant 'little' in all aspects. He smiled at Kyouraku's caretaker, who glared at him suspiciously, and gave the freckled princess on the floor a pat on the head. His hand brushed her tiara by accident, and he frowned, turning to stare at her. The tiara felt like it was made of bone: dried, sanded bone. Not the usual silver or gold most princesses demanded.
She stared right back, her eyes wide open and innocent. Shinji couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong, something inhuman about her. Her look made him feel like shaking his limbs to get rid of the creepy-crawly feeling. He gave her a quick, fake smile and then left as fast as he could.
B R E A K
Wonderweiss wondered a little bit about the blond prince, but not much. He returned to watching the ladybug, adjusting the uncomfortable dress he wore a little. It was upon doing this that he remembered why he was here and wearing a dress. Tousen had sent him in to look for information on the prince that had escaped. He was pretty sure that had been the white-haired boy who left just a few minutes ago, but he couldn't be sure, since he hadn't listened very carefully to their conversation.
He sighed. Tousen would probably scold him, but it was enough that the boy matched the description given, right? He was supposed to sneak out of the palace and give the information to the blind vampire, but Wonderweiss liked it here. People treated him very nicely. It wouldn't hurt if he stayed here a little longer. Things were so different here in Karakura compared to Hueco Mundo. Everything was bursting with life and magic here, when Hueco Mundo was like a drain of all the happiness in life. Wonderweiss didn't like it there. That's why he was grateful Tousen had asked Aizen to let him stay in Yuki'da.
Yes, he decided, as he tipped the indigo ladybug over on its back again. It wouldn't hurt at all if he stayed for a few more days.
He hummed slightly, not moving even when the red-haired man with a bad temper crouched down beside him and attempted to start a conversation.
"So how long are you going to stay here, princess?" The tattooed man asked. Wonderweiss finally let the ladybug go.
"Just a few more days." He told him in the soft, sweet voice he had rehearsed with Tousen. "And then it'll all be over."
The red-haired man looked confused.
"What'll be over?" He asked, but Wonderweiss didn't reply. Instead he got up and walked to the open entrance of the pagoda. The blue petals fluttered around him as soon as he moved a finger out of the protective spells laid on the glass building. He liked these flowers. Seeing them cheered him up, so he decided to answer the swordsman's question before he left.
"Your world, of course." And he stepped out into the garden.
B R E A K
Toshiro slid open the door to his room to find Ichigo pacing around. Caught off-guard, he did nothing but stand there for a few seconds before snapping back to attention. Idiot, he told himself, What if it had been Tousen standing there?
But it wasn't Tousen, so he stepped inside the room.
"Excuse me." He spoke calmly, trying not to startle the worried prince. "Is there a problem?"
Ichigo looked at him. His eyes were wide, his hair tussled from being toyed with too much, and the moment he saw Toshiro it was like a switch had been flicked on inside him. The green-eyed teenager watched as Ichigo slowly sank to his knees on the straw flooring, one hand gripping the windowsill for support.
"Toshiro." Ichigo whispered. Toshiro had the eerie feeling that the orange-haired man wasn't really speaking to him. What had spooked him? Had he - his blood froze at the thought - seen Tousen? Been threatened by him? But that didn't make any sense. Why didn't the blind vampire just go after him?
He stepped closer to the older man. A sudden pang of worry, something he'd been feeling more and more often lately, compelled him to reach out and shake Ichigo's shoulder, but right before he grasped it Ichigo's scarred hand wrapped around his wrist with a nearly crushing grip.
"Toshiro," Ichigo said again, only this time his eyes bored directly into his. His expression was no longer lost; instead it was serious and determined. "I must warn you. If we run into any danger, I may...change. It'll be easy to notice, and I want you to know that if I do, you need to run. As fast and as far away as you can."
"What - " Toshiro started, but Ichigo toppled forward. His face hit the Yuki'da prince's shoulder, slowing breaths panning out over the little bare skin there was like clouds rolling through the sky. A quick check told Toshiro Ichigo was out cold, and that it'd be near impossible to drag him back to his room, if he even figured out where he was. He supposed he could call servants to help, but then he'd have to explain why Ichigo was in his room.
Toshiro surveyed the futon on the floor. It looked big enough for two people. With a grunt he pulled the orange-haired man over to it, unceremoniously dumping him there in a rather strange position. He rolled him over until a suitable amount of space was left there for him, and then started to prepare for bed.
B R E A K
The air smelled faintly of sweet rain, but only faintly due to the overpowering smell of sand and dust that always surrounded this place. Ichigo had probably left behind a very confused Toshiro, but here the outside world didn't matter much. Here he had the one thing in the world he wanted most back.
Through the same ritual he had been taught the first time he'd been here, he closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose, and out through his mouth. His breath formed a little cloud in the air that he followed through the quickly drying puddles to find Masaki Kurosaki standing on a hill, staring out over the desert that was, as he had been told, Ichigo's heart.
"Telling Toshiro to run was a little mean to him, don't you think?" She asked. A few seconds of silence passed. "When are you going to forgive him?"
"Never, mother." Ichigo replied. She asked that same question every time he came here. "And he probably doesn't care."
She laughed, and he wished he could see the smile in her eyes. But he couldn't look at her face, not with this feeling of hatred in his heart.
"He cares a lot more than you think, Ichigo." Masaki said. "I didn't raise my son to be so careless about other people's feelings."
"He's not a person." Ichigo retorted angrily. He hated this conversation that they seemed to have every time he came here, but he loved his mother. And then he continued softly, trailing off at the end,
"He could...he could never be human."
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S O V E R E I G N C H A P T E R T H R E E
