Hello all!

There are two reviews I would like to reply on:

Darklover: Thanks for checking up! I really wasn't sure which one to use! And you will have to excuse me... I read the manga in black and white and have only recently started watching the anime. I apologize profusely if I get some eye colours wrong! I think I'll look up a few pictures as well as refer to Bleach wiki. Thank you! I appreciate your help so much! :D

Alyssa: Hmmm... you're right! I hadn't realised that he had such a laid back attitude. I think it might be a flaw in my story… But I think he's supposed to be laid back… There is a greater purpose! Don't worry!

Enjoy this chapter guys!

~Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach!

Hey, where's your work? What's your game?
I know your business but I don't know your name…

Hold on tight, you know she's a little bit dangerous
She's got what it takes to make ends meet
The eyes of a lover that hit like heat
You know she's a little bit dangerous…

You turn around, so hot and dry
You're hiding under a halo, your mouth is alive
Get out of my way, get out of my sight
I'm not attracted to go-go deeper tonight…

~Dangerous, by Roxette

Chapter 3 – She's a little bit dangerous

"Uhm... Ichigo?" A voice said from behind him. The orange haired man spun around and faced the person who had addressed him. He gave Renji a dirty look.

"Walls have ears you idiot!" Ichigo whispered frantically. He couldn't afford for anyone to hear Renji's slip up. Renji's eyes grew and Ichigo scoffed.

"What?" He asked rudely and crossed his arms.

"The servants never brought up our clothes and I need to change," he told Ichigo. The orange haired man looked at Renji indignantly and just rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure you can hold out a little bit longer," Ichigo said and started to walk towards the great hall. Renji grumbled for a moment then followed his friend down the hall.

The great hall, it turned out, was empty. Both men were slightly confused and Ichigo scratched the back of his head.

"Your majesty?" someone asked from the entrance. Ichigo turned around and saw Uryuu standing there, bowing slightly. "Count Kuchiki moved lunch to a more private setting and he would like you to join him and his sister."

Ichigo nodded his head slightly and when Uryuu turned around to walk away, both men followed him. Renji nudged Ichigo in the ribs as they walked up one of the many big staircases.

"She's not that bad," the big man said with a large grin.

"I bet she isn't..." Ichigo replied thoughtfully, not quite understanding Renji's train of thought. Maybe he could befriend her. She might really not be that bad. He was slightly relieved at the thought, but he was still a bit jittery. The room into which Uryuu led them was massive. It was set out as a dining room with a long table in the middle. The table looked like it could seat at least thirty people and Ichigo pretended not to be impressed.

"Please, sit," a light albeit deep feminine voice said. It was the first time Ichigo had heard Lady Kuchiki speak and the sound was new and strange to his ears. Her voice didn't suit her tiny body at all. He lifted his eyebrow and walked up to where they were sitting. The three men seated themselves at the table; Ichigo opposite Rukia, Renji next to Toshiro who sat next to Rukia and Uryuu next to Ichigo. Yukata was next to Uryuu and of course, Byakuya himself sat at the head of the table. For fifteen minutes, nobody spoke and everybody ate. Ichigo didn't want to be the one to break the silence and talk to the Lady Rukia. What would he say? When those silent moments were up, Rukia looked like she couldn't take it anymore. She looked at the man sitting in front of her and directed a question at him.

"So how do you like Lancaster thus far, your majesty?" She asked, her face showing nothing but interest. Ichigo almost spat his peas out when she spoke to him. He didn't however and choked them down, not even bothering to chew.

"It's very... big," he said, groping for an adequate word. He couldn't find one that would sum up exactly how he felt about Lancaster... Overwhelming, massive, extravagant, luxurious... There were many better words than big, and he said 'big'. Ichigo felt like kicking himself. Rukia's mouth twitched into a ghost of a smile for a second.

"I agree with you," she said and took a delicate bite of mashed potatoes. "You should see the gardens."

Ichigo nodded and smiled at her. Renji tried not to laugh at Ichigo's attempt at small talk.

"Well the castle is really huge, and so awesome," Renji butted in, trying to sound nonchalant. Ichigo felt his eye twitch, but the big pineapple head didn't see him. After Renji's remark the whole table became awkwardly silent again, but Yukata broke the tension by bursting out into loud chuckles. At first he was the only one laughing, but a little while after that, Rukia started to giggle. It was quite something to see the Ice Princess laugh and the melodious sound of her giggle had everyone but Ichigo and Byakuya laughing. The two of them sat there and observed.

It wasn't long until comfortable conversations started up all around the table. Ichigo kept his attention on Rukia and her brother. Rukia was talking to Uryuu, and included everyone in the conversation by asking questions and opinions. Byakuya even added a comment to the conversation, after his sister directly asked what his attitude was on having rabbits as pets. He said it was a ridiculous idea and Rukia frowned at his words.

Rukia had already planned out a space in the gardens for two white rabbits, and she was going to ask one of her brother's guards or hunters to go with her to find a rabbit hole. She wanted to pout, but she would never do so in front of her brother. She nodded her head slightly, and changed the course of the conversation. It was a very small sign, but Ichigo picked it up. He could see she was a little upset about the rabbit thing, but he didn't know what to do about it. In the end, he just decided to hold his tongue.

Lunch took forever, and after talking to the King's knights throughout it, Rukia was exhausted and intrigued. The King didn't say much during the afternoon meal, and like her brother, he only spoke when directly spoken to. Rukia found it interesting that he was so quiet and it made her want to find out why.

"Uhm... Your majesty?" Rukia asked as everyone left the table. Kaien's eyebrow shot up as the petite lady spoke to him.

"Would you like to see the gardens?" Rukia asked, not sure if it was such a good idea. Instead, the king surprised Rukia by saying yes.

"Sure. I really like roses..." he said. Rukia wanted to giggle.

Rukia nodded and folded her hands in front of her dress. She started walking towards the gardens, and before she left the room, she quickly glanced back at her brother. He was looking at her and when their eyes met, he nodded.

The king's mouth fell open at the sight of the gardens. The masses of green grass had a roll-in-it quality to it. Beautiful trees and flowers were planted in perfect formations and settings. It looked like something out of a fairy tale.

"Whoa," he breathed and looked at Rukia. She nodded and pursed her lips. She thought it was a bit much at times, but she appreciated the fact that if she went far enough, no one would go looking for her between the trees and flowers.

"It's a bit much, but it's lovely," Rukia said and walked down the path to her second favourite spot. The king followed her and didn't say a word. He still looked slightly upset, and Rukia wondered if he ever didn't look like he was agitated.

"Why don't you just stand up to your brother?" he asked suddenly. Rukia froze. It felt like she had just been slapped. "I mean, don't you think it'll be worth it? You might even get what you want sometimes," he continued. Rukia swirled around to face her future husband and narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"My brother is a realistic and good person. He makes sure I get what I need. I don't need you to tell me that I should stand up to him," She hissed. She had no idea why she was so angry, but she hated it when someone said anything disrespectful about Byakuya…

Ichigo blinked a few times then burst out laughing. After a few chuckles he looked back at the raven haired girl in front of him. Her eyes threatened murder.

"Che... It's not like I'm wrong, and you know it," he said and crossed his arms over his chest. Rukia fumed.
"You idiot!" She breathed and poked him in his chest. "You have no right to say any of those things!" Ichigo raised his eyebrows at her.

"Says who, Midget?" He replied with a smirk and had the satisfaction of seeing her big violet eyes twitch in anger.

"You fool! You dare call me short? You have orange hair!" She snapped and shoved her face right in front of his. "My brother is a much better man then you will ever be Kaien Shiba!"

A vein popped in Ichigo's head.

"Listen here you little brat!" Ichigo said loudly, wriggling his finger at her.

"Uhm... M'lady?" A voice said from the pathway. Both people preoccupied with the argument turned their heads in that direction. Rukia immediately straightened up and touched Ichigo's arm.

"Yes, Orihime?" She said with grace and a completely composed face. The red haired girl looked at Ichigo and paused momentarily.

"My Lord asks if you know where he had put his riding gloves," she asked, finally regaining herself. Rukia placed her hand on her temple and thought for a second.

"The last time I saw them was in the library," she said and looked at Orihime. She smiled at the girl and turned back to Ichigo.

"Would you like some tea my King?" She asked her and dug her fingernails into his arm inconspicuously. The man tried not to flinch at the sting, and kept a straight face. Ichigo was confused, but decided to play along as best he could. He hoped that if he did what she wanted him to, she would get annoyed, and for some reason he wanted to annoy her.

"That would be nice my dear," he said and put her hand on his arm to escort her back to the castle. His reaction surprised Rukia so much that she gaped at him.

"You look adorable when you do that," he said and flicked her on the nose for good measure. He could practically see her face twist and redden, but she kept up the show and smiled. They looked at each other, their eyes burning holes into one another's souls. To Orihime it looked like they were staring at each other. She gave the handsome King one last look then turned away from him. As she walked back to the castle, Orihime recalled the picture of the orange haired king in her head over, and over again.

They stood still, waiting for the handmaiden to disappear from view completely, and when she was gone, they jumped apart and glared at each other.

"You are such an imbecile!" Rukia hissed and narrowed her eyes at the king. He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"And you're a midget, so I guess we're even," he replied with a smirk. Anger boiled in Rukia's veins as she studied the man in front of her. He was agitating and frustrating and she had no idea how to handle him.

"You are idiotic and simple minded! I'm sure you became king as a practical joke!" She said and threw her hands up into the air. He looked at her, brows furrowed and came right up to her face.

"Oh yeah? Well you have to marry this idiotic, simple minded, pathetic king, midget," he said. Rukia couldn't breathe. His face was inches away from hers and she kept telling herself that it was anger that made her cheeks warm up.

Ichigo knew he shouldn't have pulled the 'I'm going to marry you' card, as he wasn't really the one who was going to marry her, but he couldn't help it. This girl would be the end of him. She was so stubborn and decisive and she frustrated him. He pulled back from the undeniable tension that hung in the air between them, and scratched the back of his head, satisfied. Rukia stared at him, her mouth hanging open. In that moment, something inside her seemed to snap.

"Do you think I want to marry you?" She hissed, and backed him up against a tree. "Do you think I even wanted to marry at all?" Ichigo blinked and cocked an eyebrow. He had to give it to her; she knew how to get to someone. He thought about Kaien and about the fact that he should make everything right with the Ice Princess, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. She was so frustratingly proud that it would be a useless action anyway.

"Che… Just wait till Byakuya hears that," Ichigo said with a smirk. He knew it was the end of the argument before she stepped away from him. His chest felt cool where Rukia's body heat was missing.

"Don't let me hear you speak disgracefully about my brother again. EVER." She warned and gave him a deadly look. After that, she picked up her dress and walked to the other side of the garden elegantly. Ichigo rolled his eyes and walked back in the direction of the castle.

Renji paced his room for the third time that minute. He worried about Ichigo and wondered where he was and if he was doing alright. A knock on the door pulled him out of his reverie and he raced to it, yanking it open. Yukata stood outside eyebrows raised. Renji released the breath he was holding and his shoulders slumped.

"Have you seen Ichi… the king?" Renji asked opening the door wider to let the dark haired man in.

"Well hello to you too," Yukata said and ran his hand through his hair. He looked miserable, but calmer than Renji. "And no, I haven't."

Renji swore and scratched his arm where it had started to itch.

"How do you think he's doing?" The black haired knight asked, genuinely worried. The red head wiped his hand over his face and shook his head. He had no idea what Ichigo was up to, but he prayed that everything was fine. Suddenly, another thought occurred to Renji.

"What do you think of Rukia?" He asked, trying to sound nonchalant. The other man shrugged and sat down on Renji's bed.
"Don't you think she's… attractive?" He grabbed the right word out of the air and placed it in the sentence. He wasn't sure what it was, but there was something about the Lady Kuchiki that appealed to him. Yukata raised his right eyebrow and looked at the big man questioningly.

"She's not… really my type," he replied to the question. Yukata didn't look too comfortable and Renji wondered why.

"She's definitely my type," the red head mumbled, dismissing the thought. He laughed at Renji's words and just rolled his eyes. Then he got serious.
"Just, stay out of it Renji," Yukata warned and gave him a look.

Ichigo walked through the gardens, glad that he had decided to not head back to the castle. He walked in the opposite direction of the one which Rukia took, not wanting to anger her any further. He sighed as he saw a bench on a quiet patch of grass, under a big oak tree. It was peaceful so he took a few minutes and closed his eyes, just feeling the breeze and smelling the freshly cut grass. It wasn't long before he got up and started walking back to the castle again. He wanted to see if Zangetsu was well looked after and got enough attention. His stallion was after all his pride and joy, having had him since he was a filly.

"Excuse me," he stopped a brown haired girl who was hurrying off somewhere. She paused and looked at him. Her eyes grew in size as she took him in and her eyebrows lifted.

"Yes, sir, may I be of assistance?" She asked, clutching the sheet she was carrying tightly to her chest. Ichigo nodded and smiled at her.

"Could you please point me in the direction of the stables? I would like to check on my horse," he said and scratched the back of his head. The girl nodded eagerly and put her sheet down on a wooden table. She grinned at him and Ichigo smiled back. Ichigo found her grin just slightly creepy, like she knew something he didn't.

She walked through the castle to another big door then opened it, revealing a small path between rows and rows of trees. It led into the forest as far as Ichigo could tell, but that didn't stop him from following the girl. She was quiet most of the time, walking next to him with a determined step.

"So are you one of the king's nights?" she asked after a few steps of silence. Ichigo was about to say yes, but caught himself. Instead, he looked at her and saw her looking back at him with interested brown eyes. Ichigo slowly shook his head, and looked in front of him, unsure of his step on the path. The girl's eyes widened in realization and she immediately stopped and sunk into a low bow.

"I… I'm so sorry your majesty. I hadn't realized…" she trailed off and looked up. Her face was bright red and she looked mortified. Ichigo waved a dismissive hand at her.

"It's no worry, really," he said and continued down the path. It took her a few seconds to catch up, and when she did, Ichigo saw that her face had returned to its natural state.

"I'm Momo Hinamori," she told him, and clasped her hands behind her back. She walked a bit ahead of Ichigo, showing him the way.

"Pleased to meet you," the substitute king said as he walked. He tried to be on his best behaviour, but he was getting tired of trying to be like Kaien. Ichigo knew he wasn't anything like the King, and the only person who was able to draw the real Ichigo out so far, was the Kuchiki Princess. The orange haired man huffed internally as he thought of her. She wasn't like anyone he had ever met before and he had no idea what to expect of these two weeks anymore.

Rather suddenly, Hinamori turned on the path and walked to the left. Ichigo hesitated for a split second before following her. The forest was silent, and there were no sounds apart from the birds singing in the trees, animals scurrying in the bushes and the crunch of two pairs of feet on the ground. Abruptly, the trees opened up before them. There was a large field to their right, and right next to them, to their left, was a big barn. The orange haired man sighed in relief as he walked behind Hinamori to the stables. She bowed to him at the door and said that she would wait for him to finish then take him back.

"That's all right," he replied, scratching the back of his head again. "I think I can find my way back." The girl hesitated, but then nodded, bowed again and left. Ichigo walked into the stables, glad that he was finally alone, and wondered over to the horses. There were more than thirty stalls, each with a big, healthy horse in it, and the substitute king couldn't help but stop at every stall, and look intently at every horse. He had never seen such a wide variety of colours in horses and it amazed him how well they were all trained. When he approached a stall, the horse in it would approach him and sniff his hand. If the horse was satisfied that Ichigo wasn't there to hurt him, he or she would stand perfectly still and allow the tall man to stroke its neck. Ichigo enjoyed himself immensely and repeated the proses with every single horse, starting at the beautiful snow white mare that had silver ribbons braided into her tail.

Rukia wondered around, still letting off steam. She had no idea where she was going, but a few minutes later, she found herself at the stables. In her haste about the king, she completely forgot about Shirayuki. Her horse was a little stuck up and needed to be brushed every day, so Rukia wasn't surprised that her feet had brought her here. The raven haired girl sighed and walked up to the door. Pushing it open ever so slightly, she paused. She could hear a voice in the stable, but she could tell there was only one person there. Rukia crouched, making sure her dress didn't fall into the dust, and peeked into the stable. She couldn't make out who the figure in front of her horse's stall was though. Her blood ran cold and her hands clenched into fists in her dress as she suspected the worst. Her heart pounded in her throat as she crawled into the stables and closer to the man standing in front of her horse. She could hear what he was saying now, and his voice was soothing and soft.

"There, that's nice," he said. "You are really beautiful." Rukia crouched behind a bale of hay and peeked over the top. The yellow, dried grass poked and prodded her small hands and fingers, but Rukia didn't even notice it. All her attention was with the man attending her horse. She knew who he was -it honestly wasn't really hard to tell with that orange hair- but what kept Rukia's eyes glued to him was the way her horse was responding to his touch. The white mare hated most people and sometimes didn't even allow Rukia to come near her, but this man, this annoying, frustrating man, held her horse's full attention. Shirayuki had put her head close to Kaien's face and he was stroking her neck delicately. Rukia stared at the soft exchange between horse and man and felt a pang of what she could identify as jealousy. She wasn't exactly sure whom she was jealous of, but nevertheless, the feeling was there. She also couldn't understand this other part of the king. How could someone treat an animal as if it were a human, but treat her with such disrespect as some people treated animals? Anger reddened Rukia's cheeks again as she continued to look at the handsome man in front of her. She blinked at the thought. Handsome? Handsome? Seriously Rukia, just remember what he said to you…

But he's so attractive and gentle… Another part of the raven haired girl's brain said. She shut her eyes and shook her head roughly. Shut up! She told herself and opened her eyes again. The king had moved to the next stall and was talking to her brother's stallion. The horse was just as stubborn and emotionless as her brother and Rukia snickered, thinking that the horse would probably reject Kaien as soon as he stuck his hand out.

"There," the orange haired man said softly, cooing to the horse. Rukia's mouth fell open when her brother's horse started moving forward hesitantly. There was a new found fondness in her heart, but she didn't want it there. When he moved to the third stall, Rukia had to adjust her position in order to keep watching him, and when she shifted her weight, her dress hooked onto a nail in the wood behind her. She tugged to get it loose, but her attempt just caused the piece of material to hook and loop onto the nail further. She gave one last pull and the result was not what she had hoped for. The sound of material ripping echoed in Rukia's ears and her head shot up, seeking the king's back. He hadn't heard… had he? She hoped not, but when she lifted her eyes to his face, it was turned in her direction. Rukia held her breath, not wanting one more noise to come from where she was sitting, concealed from those honey brown eyes. It seemed that fate hadn't heard her, for at that second, the petite young lady lost her balance and fell on the water bucket, soaking her legs and favourite, newly ripped, purple dress. Her heart froze as she heard the words she had been dreading to hear while watching the king.

"Hello? Who's there?"

Rukia's heart plummeted, and out of her mouth came the best swearword she knew, knowing very well that she had been caught.

A million thanks to every person who reviewed this, added it as a favourite, or added it to their story alert list! Your support keeps me going!

I apologise if my characters are out of character. I'm still getting used to writing in an alternative universe. Let me know if a specific character is too different, and I'll do what I can to fix him/her!

Thank you all! Please review and let me know what you think.