Chapter 4: Under the Night Sky
Rukia's gaze lingered on the plate of food in front of her. Despite the tiresome training she endured that day, Rukia wasn't as hungry as she thought she would be. She felt her stomach doing so many back flips, it was impossible for her to even swallow a bite.
Tonight was her first training session with the Prince. She wasn't sure what to expect, and her mixed feelings weren't making it any better. She felt excited as she did nervous; happy and confused, surprised and energized.
The previous night's meeting returned to her thoughts.
"Well, then I guess it's settled." The Prince said, holding out his hand. Rukia hesitated for a moment before taking it. Strange enough, she was comforted by the feel of his calloused hand on hers. He gave her hand a squeeze, as if to reassure her. "From now on, I'll train you."
Rukia glanced from their joined hands to the Prince's intense brown eyes.
She gave him a lop-sided smile. "I wonder how the soldiers will react when they see the Prince in the training grounds, training a girl."
Ichigo, however, looked serious. "They won't know. If I am to train you, then this must remain a secret between you and me. No one can know; not the instructors, not the other men. No one." He looked off to the distance. "If someone were to find out, it could cause trouble for the both of us."
"Then, how are we to train in secret?"
Ichigo casually released her hand and brushed back his bright hair. "You will continue training with your peers everyday. Come suppertime, you can meet with me for an hour of practice."
Rukia looked skeptical. "But won't we get caught if we train out in the open?"
Ichigo had a secretive smile on his face. "I have a place where we can train with no worries at all. Follow me." He turned heel and headed toward the South gate.
The Prince made a left toward the thick marble wall that stretched nearly ten feet in the air, separating the lush green forest on the other side. Coming to an abrupt halt at one of the wall hedges, Ichigo waited for Rukia to catch up.
He glanced both ways, making sure no one was coming (although the area was so dark and deserted no one would come there anyway). Ichigo shoved aside the thick branches and vines out of the way, revealing a marble door with a wooden handle. He pushed against it, successfully opening it to a world of complete darkness.
Rukia looked questioningly at the Prince, but he only seemed satisfied with himself. "Stay close." He said and entered. After shutting the door, he led them in dimness for a few yards.
"Where-" Rukia started to say, but was cut short when she saw the glowing light of lanterns ahead. Taking another step forward, she could clearly see her surroundings now.
Rukia let out an involuntary gasp. The forest was grand; stretching for miles with the help of the glowing lanterns lighting the way. It was impossible to tell where the forest ended, or if it even did end. The thick trees were closely clustered together, their trunks triple her size; they reached so high that most of them disappeared in the night sky.
"Wow." She breathed.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Ichigo asked from behind her.
Rukia looked at him from over her shoulder. She had almost forgotten he was there. "Yes, it is. But how are we to train? These trees hardly leave enough space."
Ichigo smirked at her. "We haven't even gotten to the best part yet." He took the lead in front of her. He continued walking into the darkness, zigzagging past the trees, as if knowing by heart where to go.
"Here we are." He said, coming to a halt on a short slope. Rukia examined the new area. It was more open than the rest; the trees were much thinner and more widespread. There was more grass, and plenty of space to spar.
"Better?" The Prince asked.
"Much." She replied. "When shall we begin then?"
He stared up at the moon. "The best time would be when everyone else retries to bed. That way, we can both meet without arousing suspicion. What do you think?"
"That sounds good to me." Rukia replied.
"So, we'll start our first real training tomorrow night."
And now as it was getting close to her training session, Rukia felt like it was coming too fast and taking too long at the same time.
"What's wrong, Rukia?" Renji asked, his eyes soft with concern. "You haven't touched your food."
Rukia glanced from him to the still-full plate in front of her. The food was delicious: a chicken leg with mashed potatoes, green peas and a biscuit. She had never had this kind of food since….well, ever. Growing up in poverty, she couldn't afford a decent meal, let alone three meals a day. This was the most food she had ever laid her eyes on. But still…
"Oh, it's nothing." She replied, half-truthfully. When Renji didn't looked convinced, Rukia lifted a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth and smiled.
Renji released a sigh and looked away. "Look Rukia, you know if anything's bothering you, you can talk to me; anytime."
"Really, Renji. I'm fine." Was her reply, but in reality, she was thankful for her friend's gracious words. He had always stuck with her and managed to keep an eye out for her.
I'm a horrible friend. Rukia thought to herself. She should have been honest with Renji; after all, he was always honest with her. But she couldn't…not after the Prince had made it clear that no one could know.
Glancing sideways at her redhead friend, who was busily chatting with a sentinel across the table, Rukia tried not to think about how she awful it was lying to him.
Rukia walked among the group of large men, trying to find the perfect opportunity to slip through the crowd, but it was proving to be difficult. Second Lieutenant Ikkau was leading them to their quarters, while Sergeant Hisagi was bringing up the rear. Luckily for her, he was chatting with one of the soldiers, not paying much attention to the rest of them.
They rounded a corner of the barracks. Rukia hung behind the crowd, casually bending down on the ground, as if to retrieve something she dropped. When most of the men passed, she slipped sideways in the building's shadows. She waited there for a moment, hoping no one saw her. When it seemed the coast was clear, she moved further down.
She released a sigh of relief. But she had a ways to go back to the marble door that led to the secret meeting place. She headed south, turning the corner.
"Oof!" She bumped straight into someone. "S-sorry." She said, but immediately regret it when she saw the idiotic grin on the blonde's face. "Tatsumi." She growled.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, half-amused. "Quarters are back that way, darlin'." He folded his arms across his chest. "Unless of course, you're lost. In which case, I'm not surprised."
Rukia narrowed her eyes at him. "You're one to talk, Tatsumi. You shouldn't be wandering off on your own. But then again, who would want to accompany a bastard like you?" She turned back the way she came, hoping to ward him off long enough to escape.
But Tatsumi caught her arm. He pushed her against the barrack's wall, pressing himself close against her. His breath smelled badly of alcohol.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" He asked, licking his lips.
Rukia gritted her teeth and glared at him. "Let go of me. Now." She said.
"You're a real pain, you know that?" He inched forward. "But you're still a girl. And there's only one thing girls are good for." Before he could get any closer, Rukia lifted her knee as hard as she could, hitting him successfully between the legs.
He groaned and backed away. But Rukia wasn't done. She fisted him straight in his pretty-boy face, giving him a nosebleed. "And you're good for nothing." She said, spitting on the ground before him.
"What's going on here?" Sergeant Hisagi stepped towards them, examining the scene. He looked from Rukia to Tatsumi on the floor. The Sergeant almost looked like he was suppressing a smile.
"Tatsumi, get up and head back to quarters!" He said.
The blonde stood up, wobbling on his feet. He stumbled the way the Sergeant pointed, mumbling under his breath.
When he was gone, Hisagi let out a full smile. "Well, Rukia, you certainly can handle yourself." He lowered his voice. "But don't let anyone else see you get into a fight like this outside of training or you'll be punished." He made his way back, but paused midway. "Aren't you coming?"
"I-I was…" Rukia worked an excuse. "…just going to, uh…"
But the Sergeant waved his hands. "No, I get it. A lady's personal matter is her own concern. I'll see you tomorrow." And with that, he was off, leaving Rukia in the shadows.
Rukia's footsteps were the only sound in the forest under the dark sky. She had managed to escape when they were dismissed for bedtime, quietly sneaking out from the crowd.
She had found the marble door that led to the forest easily; and now, she made her way through the thick trees, to the training ground, where she was sure that the Prince would be waiting for her.
The sound of a snapped tree branch reached her ears. She turned to the source of the noise and was welcomed by a sword aimed at her neck.
Rukia's eyes drifted to the familiar black sword's owner. "Prince Ichigo!"
"Remember, always beware." He said. "Enemies could be lurking any where and could strike at any moment." He sheathed his sword away and made his way to the center of their training ground. Rukia followed.
"I apologize for being late. It was rather tricky sneaking out without getting caught." She didn't mention the part where she got into a small fight and almost got in trouble. "Did you wait long, Prince?"
"No, I just arrived moments before you did. And do not refer to me as 'Prince'." He turned to her. "Since I am here to train you only as an equal, you may only call me by my name. Not my title."
"Very well, Ichigo." Rukia said, feeling the strange, but nice, feel of his name. She had said it many times before, but that was with his title. Saying it so casually made it sound different; it was like tasting a new food. "So what shall we be practicing in our first session?"
"Well, I've seen that you are quite skillful with a sword. I'm assuming you've had training in the past." He pulled out his black sword, gesturing for her to do the same.
"Yes. My friend Renji has trained me for some time."
"Ah, so that's his name." Ichigo recalling the redhead that had accompanied Rukia.
"In that case, we will skip basic training and move onto something more advanced." He squared his shoulders back and took a stance. "We'll first work on defense, so let's -" He was cut off by the sound of a loud rumbling.
He looked to Rukia, who was slightly blushing, one hand on her stomach. He raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you're not hungry, are you?"
Rukia's face flushed more red. "N-no." She replied, but her growling stomach proved otherwise.
Ichigo chuckled, earning him a glare from her. "It's not nice to laugh at someone." She said.
That comment only made Ichigo burst out laughing even more. "Sorry. It's just that you're not a very good liar." He made his way over to one of the bushes near by the trees. He pulled off some purple berries and handed them to her. "Here. They aren't much, but they will nosh your hunger at least until we're done."
Rukia took them from him, eating them one at a time, despite wanting to swallow them altogether. She didn't want to give the Prince another reason to laugh at her.
Ichigo wasn't surprised to admit that Rukia was different than most girls. He knew that she was unique from the moment she walked into his study, requesting that women be allowed in the Guard.
She never ceased to amaze him from that moment on. She had managed to give worthy attacks in their battle, even though she had lost in the end. She was not intimidated and certainly was not afraid of taking a challenge.
And now, as they sat together underneath the dark sky with the full moon hanging over their heads, he couldn't help, but to look over at Rukia.
She sat with her back against one of the tree trunks and her legs spread out before her. Her face was tilted back as she gazed into the sky, her violet eyes lost in thought. Her dark hair moved around her face in the gentle breeze. She pushed her hair behind her ear, before catching his gaze.
"What?" She asked, her eyes wide and curious.
"Nothing." Ichigo replied, looking away quickly.
"Well, then." Rukia rose to her feet, dusting her clothes with her hands. "I feel refreshed now after eating those berries." She held out her hand for him. "Shall we continue practicing?"
Ichigo took her hand and stood up. "I'm ready if you are."
Rukia stood with her feet shoulders' width apart, slightly hunched over, with her sword grasped in both hands in front of her. Her breaths were coming out heavily and sweat fell down from her brow. She was exhausted.
"Had enough?" Ichigo asked, breathing just as heavily, but not looking one bit tired.
"I'm not done yet." Rukia said, coming at him with full force despite her protesting muscles. Her sword collided against his, and she tried a knee to his stomach, but the attack made her weaken the grip on her sword, causing her to stumble back a few steps.
"Word of advice. When attacking full-on, you shouldn't waste effort by using any body part elsewhere." Ichigo smirked. "That will only result in failure."
Rukia felt her cheeks burn. Her eyes drifted to his right hand, where he held the sword languorously at his side. She recalled their first battle when the Prince had slid his sword against hers so easily, causing her to lose the grip on the hilt.
Her eyes glinted mischievously. It's time the Prince had a taste of his own medicine. She thought.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I can guarantee you that it won't work." Ichigo said, watching her with interest.
"We'll see." Rukia replied. She took a step forward, waiting for the Prince to lift his sword in position. At the right moment, she turned her sword's blade flat and slid it against the Prince's black sword. The tip of her sword was just an inch away from his hand, when suddenly, the Prince shifted his arm outward.
With no more support, Rukia tumbled forward, her sword passing in between the empty space of the Prince's arm and his chest, completely missing him. Instead, she collided straight into his chest, sending them both lurching two steps backwards.
They were in a half-hug, half-crash position. Rukia's face was pressed against his well-defined chest. She was so close, she could hear the beating of his heart. She swallowed hard. She felt the Prince's strong, but gentle hands on her shoulders. He held her at arm's length.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
Rukia met his soft gaze and was at a loss for words. All she could do was nod. She started to back away, but he caught her by the wrist, holding her in place.
"You're hurt." He said.
Rukia looked at her wrist and sure enough, there was a scratch there. She must have gotten it by the Prince's sword when she tried to slid her sword with his.
"It's nothing serious." She commented. It was as long as her finger and luckily, it wasn't deep, but there was a small drop of blood slowly seeping out. She made to pull her hand away, but the Prince's grip only tightened. His hand felt strangely ice cold.
"I-Ichigo?" She asked, watching him. He slowly lifted her wrist to his face, his uneven breathing tickling her hand. "Ichigo?" She asked again, but her voice came out a whisper. His face was only centimeters away from the injury when Rukia's voice broke into his thoughts.
"Ichigo!"
He blinked. Once. Twice. He looked almost startled, like he had awoken from a spell.
"R-Rukia." His voice was hoarse. He released his grip on her wrist and retreated a step back. "You- you're right. It, uh, doesn't look serious."
Rukia watched him with concerned eyes. "Ichigo, are you okay?"
He turned his back to her, brushing his hand through his hair. "I'm fine." He replied, half-heartedly. He cleared his throat. "I think that's enough training for one night." He slid his sword back into the scabbard at his hip and made his way past her, back towards the marble door without another word.
Rukia watched him go, her hand instinctively touching the unusually cold place on her wrist where the Prince had held her.
A/N: This chapter gave me so much trouble! I had writer's block for three weeks on this one blasted chapter. It was horrible, but I'm glad I finally got it the way I liked and posted it. I hope you all like it as well! :)
Oh and as a sidenote, I just have to mention in case it wasn't clear, Hisagi thought Rukia had to go to the bathroom, so that's why he let her go. Just had to bring it up.
Thanks!
