yo agen!

'Almost…there!' Hisako panted with a relieved sigh, stepping back from her handiwork.

'I can't breathe', I said in a high-pitched voice, clutching my chest.

Hisako huffed. 'Well it's not my fault your dear mother wants you to wear a damned corset!'

I let out a shaky laugh. 'These things are death traps', I muttered darkly. 'I never saw the point of these'

'Your wedding is today', Ayami reminded me. 'You need to fit in it perfectly', she said in a perfect imitation of Nanao.

Hisako and I giggled.

'You're not fat or anything though…' Hisako said frowning. 'In fact, if you get any skinnier, you'll probably die' I rolled my eyes.

'Are you going to…?' Ayami hesitated. I looked at her questioningly.

'Are you going to stay here, at the palace, or will you move somewhere with your beloved prince?' she finished sadly.

I suddenly felt cold. She hadn't thought about that. Ayami and Hisako were my best friends. How could I survive without them?

'I-I'll find a way for us to stay together!' I said warmly, smiling. 'I'm never gonna leave you guys!' Hisako and Ayami glanced at each other, unconvinced .

There was a knock at the door, and Hisako went to answer it swiftly. A group of blue-clad maids strode in, making a beeline for me. I yelped as I disappeared under a mass of hands, being gently pushed and shoved. I saw a swish of white and sequins, and smelt something sweetly floral.

After a few confused minutes, my vision cleared, and I gasped, Hisako and Ayami's gasps echoing mine.

I was now wearing a pure white silk dress that fit like a glove, with straps that enclosed gracefully just under my shoulders. The material flowed smoothly to the ground, intricate designs moving in a spiral.

A single tear escaped my black-outlined eyes, trailing down my cheek. One of the make-up ladies wiped it away, murmuring something and smiling.

'R-Rukia-sama, you look beautiful!' Ayami gasped, grinning along with a nodding Hisako.

'Yes it is', I whispered, referring to the dress.

'Breath, Rukia, breathe!' Nanao reminded me, clutching my shoulders. I shot a glare at her.

'I can't in this damned corset!' I snapped.

'Don't swear!' Nanao said in an equally snappy tone.

A sweet line of piano started, and I whimpered. Time to breathe again. Nanao looked me in the eyes.

'You're getting married.' she whispered happily, smiling a rare smile. 'Don't be nervous, you like him, right?'

I nodded, my pink cheeks invisible under all the makeup. I smoothed an imaginary loose strand of hair back into my perfect bun and took as deep a breath as I could.

Nanao nodded, straightening up proudly. A head popped in to the small silk pavilion.

'Ok, it's time to- Rukia you look beautiful!' Byakuya stated, face blank, but eyes burning. He walked over to me, placed his hands on my shoulders and disappeared. Like I said, a man of few words.

'Not now!' Nanao hissed. 'It's time!'

I laughed breathlessly and stood straight at the entry to the small silk pavilion, fighting the urge to bolt.

A light bridal chorus started, and the thin material pulled up slowly, revealing me to the vast crowd. One side was full of nobles from the Shiba kingdom, the other side filled with Kuchiki followers. Both sides were sneakily glaring at each other, noses high in the air. Nobles from Ukitake and Hitsugaya were also scattered throughout both sides. The crowd turned to stare at me, astounded murmurs rippling through them.

I blushed invisibly, beginning my slow walk down the lavender aisle.

There he was, my soon-to-be husband standing like an angel at the altar, a wide smile appearing on his face at the sight of me.

The next half-hour passed in a blur. I was vaguely aware of the minister's deep voice repeating vows he must have said hundreds of times.

'…Do you Shiba Kaien, take Kuchiki Rukia to be your life-long wife and queen?'

'I do', Kaien murmured, his hand temporarily tightening around mine.

'And do you, Kuchiki Rukia, take Shiba Kaien to be you life-long husband and king?'

Tears welled up in my eyes. 'I d-'

A shriek pierced the silent air.

All eyes turned to the source, gasps and screams echoing among the crowd.

A group of pirates stood at my preparation room. One of them, a tall fat man with a purple scarf, dropped the groaning body of a guard, where he hit the ground with a muffled thump.

I stood where I was, frozen to the spot. I heard a small groan from next to me, and turned my head slowly, disbelievingly. A tall, orange-haired was standing where the minister was, who was now collapsed on the ground moaning. She was holding a long blue dagger in each hand.

Kaien was engaged in battle, barely holding back 2 of the pirates. One of them kicked him in the stomach, where he flew back, landing heavily on the ground. He didn't move again.

Suddenly there was the flash of steel and shouts, along with the trampling of thousands of feet in a hurry to get away from the swordplay.

I let out a gasp as something jerked hard around my navel, pulling me back. With a wild scream, I squirmed, latching my elbow into something soft behind me, which let out an 'oof!' of air. I caught a whiff of flowers and a flash of orange, then suddenly my vision disappeared, rendering me unconscious.

Pain. Agonizing pain. A cold feeling in my gut, fire smoldering in my head.

'How hard did you hit her?' a distant voice asked.

'Not that hard!' a higher voice snapped 'She started struggling, so I decided to knock her out!'

'Well, she's a princess, you should've done it softer', the first voice said amused. 'She's probably not used to any rough treatment.'

There was an angry huff.

I opened bleary eyes, wining at the brightness above me. With a whimper/groan, I sat up, gasping as the room seemed to tilt, tipping me off whatever i had been lying on.

I hit the ground with a yelp, hissing in pain. The voices outside became silent. The door opened, and I gasped, scooting back till I hit a wall. Sunlight burst into the room, temporarily blinding me. What seemed to be about a dozen people were gathered outside the door, waiting for something.

The tall orange-haired girl looked down at me with a slight smirk, twisting a strange, blue-hilted dagger in her hands.

'Who... are you...?', I breathed, my heartbeat echoing in my ears. Orange-girl sighed and looked out the door. The sun was suddenly blocked out as a figure stood at the doorway. It took me a while to focus, then-

'Are you alright?' the stranger asked me carelessly. I narrowed my eyes, anger rising up like bile.

Without thinking, I stormed towards him, and slapped him across the face. There were a few gasps and chuckles. My eyes widened as I realized what I just did. The man tilted his head, seeming unharmed and smirked. My breath hitched.

It was like staring into an exact copy of Shiba Kaien, only a bit more good-looking. He had bright, spiky orange hair, warm, chocolate-coloured eyes, and was all-in-all very good-looking.

Not that I cared about that right now.

I was furious. This man dared to approach me calmly after he and his devil-spawned friends destroyed my wedding? I would give the captain an even bigger slap, or kick him so he will never be able to father children.

The man chuckled. 'I guess I haven't introduced myself.' His face was mostly blank, but there was a hint of amusement in his handsome features.

'Captain of The Moon's Fang, Kurosaki Ichigo'

oops bad idea, Rukia-chan! ^^

please review! It motivated me and makes me happy!

till next time,

-lazy llama-