The clang of blades sang in the room. She had healed in less than a week. There hadn't been any poison or magick on the arrow; it seemed that while the youkai were wanting to spill blood, they would rather do it in person, than underhandedly. It didn't matter either way. The arrow had done its job of riling them up; it seemed that fury was what drove the Seelie Prince now, he was constantly training in one way or another. Rukia had been told by the others that he had even gone so far as to employ Shirayuki and Hisana when it came to his magick. Even Renji came to speak to her of him, telling her of the monster Isshin Kurosaki had created.
Metal was the only scent in the air. Rukia didn't know what to do. Byakuya had forbid her from seeking out Ichigo, and the boy king was too wrapped up in his anger to remember that she existed. That particular thought always stung, in part because it seemed that she wasn't capable of forgetting him, and that perhaps part of the reason he did so was because of Orihime. With his family and people being threatened, he had to be terrified and furious that such a thing was happening. Especially if his lover was one of those people.
She grunted with a particularly heavy lunge from her opponent and blinked to stare up into the face of Shunsui Kyoraku. He was smiling down at her but she could see the questions behind his copper eyes. Sighing and shaking off her thoughts, Rukia returned fully to her current training session, stretching out her shoulders. Her weapon's instructor allowed the avoidance, choosing instead to unsheathe his second blade and renew his attack.
XxXxXx
A week after the incident at Yuzu's gala, Rukia was called to the War Room. It was a room that they no longer used, except for when the Kuchiki siblings needed to speak on different matters without the worry of other ears. So when she walked into the room and was faced with Shirayuki, Renji, and the Kurosaki's, she was rather surprised. They seemed just as surprised as she, and even a little confused on what they were doing there. As General, Rukia was sure that Renji was also wondering why they weren't convening in their official war room.
Before anyone could say a word to each other, and before Rukia could even look in Ichigo's direction, Hisana and Byakuya entered the room from the opposite door. At once, Rukia could feel a barrier created by her brother's magick, shutting everyone out of the room, while her siblings took a seat at the head of the table. Hisana waved a hand out towards the other seats.
"Please. Sit down." The others obeyed at once, seemingly unable to help themselves, and Rukia scowled, but acquiesced.
"What is this meeting for?" the voice was surprisingly Karin's and Rukia felt horrible for not having gone to see her in the past couple days to see how she was doing. Hisana only smiled at the girl, before catching everyone's eye. When she finally met Rukia's gaze, she spoke.
"We're here to talk about what we're going to do next. Clearly the youkai are not going to stop, and both of our lands are at risk to the upcoming war." Everyone sat straighter. Renji frowned and leaned forward, and Rukia was surprised to see him sitting next to the Seelie Prince.
"Then why are we the only ones talking? Soi Fon should be here as well. Even Kyoraku and Ukitake-san." Hisana never took her gaze from Rukia's, and she admittedly felt stupid for not realizing it earlier.
"You want us to take a force to the Seelie and meet up with their troops don't you?" Everyone turned to Rukia, but Hisana didn't react, Yuzu did.
"But…Why? We're all here now and you guys have men here." Rukia frowned, but for whatever reason, her sister wanted her to be the one to figure out her plan, to set it in motion.
"Because…you want us to secure the South. You want the feared General of the North to fight once more. If we fight here and ask for his men, there's no guarantee he'll want to send them, or the youkai could intervene and easily slaughter men who don't know the land like they do…like we do. You want us to lead them back here and finish it. You want us to make a statement." The small smirk her sister gave had Rukia knowing she was right.
"Then the only question is who's going and when?" Renji once more. At this, Byakuya stood, looking gravely at the group in front of him.
"Abarai. Kurosaki. Rukia. You three will head to the Seelie lands with a small group of our elite men to meet up with the Seelie king and secure the army. You will lead the battle there, and we will continue ours in the North as well." He turned to face Ichigo, and the boy king had the sense to stand.
"We are depending on you, Kurosaki." The burning prince nodded sharply.
"I won't fail." To Rukia's surprise, Byakuya nodded back, and if her eyesight wasn't failing her, he even gave a slight smile to the prince. It was then that Rukia wondered if Byakuya had known Ichigo's mother personally, if he saw her in her son, like she knew Hisana sometimes saw Isshin in him. She found herself standing as well, something telling her to take command, and looked around the table.
"Then we're leaving tonight. We can't afford to wait any longer. Renji, I want you to pick your 5 best men, and make sure Ayasegawa is with them. Shirayuki, we're entrusting the girls to you. I know you will make the best choice." She turned to Hisana next, her sister standing to meet her. "I need you to deter Toshirou as long as possible. He needs to be here, I need him to stay here." She would not risk all the people she cared for while going to the South. Her cousin was better suited to stay Northbound and she could see the way he and Karin were starting to interact. She would make them both stay, and together; her cousin deserved happiness.
Rukia was already onto the next thought, planning what they were to do next and what supplies they may need when Hisana's voice cut through.
"I'm coming with you."
XxXxXx
The room was silent when the Unseelie Queen spoke. Not a soul dared to breathe, and not one person looked towards the Unseelie King. No one knew whether or not they had spoken of her going with the group to the South. But for a long moment, nothing happened. Then nothing continued to happen. Her mate had not reacted, had not moved even an inch, but they could tell he was not happy with her decision. She continued to speak.
"I must see Isshin. Byakuya will continue to lead here, and I will go to ensure our mission." The Unseelie hime went to speak but the Queen raised a hand. "There are things that only I can do Rukia."
And so ended the discussion, and at once, the magick over the room dissipated. The group left quickly, all getting ready for the beginning of their retaliation.
XxXxXx
They left when the moon was low in the sky, 10 fae in all. In lead were Renji and Ichigo, both alpha males seeming to butt heads, while Rukia and Hisana lingered further back with one of their healers and soldiers, a male by the name of Ishida Uryu. He was a kind man whom Rukia had known for at least 50 years. Next to him, Yumichika Ayasegawa was walking, not a care in the world, and Rukia supposed he could be that way. He was one of their spymasters, a fae gifted with the ability to cloak himself and even change his or others appearance. Of course it left the male arrogant but mostly harmless, too wrapped up in being beautiful. The only real harm was that he knew that even battle could be beautiful, like a dance, and the male was trained well in both.
Behind them, bring up the rear were Renji's elites: Grimmjow Jaegarjaquez, Ulquiorra Cifer, Shuuhei Hisagi, and Kensei Muguruma. They were dangerous males in their own right, but loyal to their cause for their own reasons, and now wary of their hime for all the same reason. She had told them all the same thing before they left out. I will only say this once. If I have even the slightest doubt in your loyalty, if I sense an inkling of disobedience on this mission, you will pay with your life. You were chosen because your general believes in you, and I believe in your general. Do not dishonor him.
A nudge from the male next to her had her looking up. Yumichika was classically beautiful, as most fae were, the Unseelie in particular. If a male was not ruggedly handsome, he was beautiful, something that could be seen clearly in their current rag-tag group. Rukia raised an eyebrow to him, not deigning the casual touch with a verbal response. He smirked at her regardless, and cast his eyes forward. Turning, she spotted the marker that ended the Unseelie lands and gave way to the lush hills of the South. At once, magick washed over herself and Hisana, both women choosing to dress alike to help in confusion if the need arose.
They wore all black: long-sleeved bodysuits, stockings, and flat boots. Even their hair had been slicked back, with Hisana braiding hers in order to tuck it into the high neck of the bodysuit. The males around them had also chosen to wear all black, but the soldiers were outfitted with practically half the armory. Rukia could even sense the sword each man hid on his person with magick, similar to the way her own was hidden.
She was so in tune to her magick that she had sensed the disturbance almost immediately. Giving a sharp whistle, the entire group stopped immediately, and a pair of identical masks flashed into existence onto Rukia's and Hisana's faces. Ichigo and Renji had the sense to backtrack, not turning their backs away from the women, instead keeping an eye on the expansive hills. She could feel Yumichika and Ishida close ranks against her and Hisana as Renji's elites formed a half-circle behind them. When Ichigo and Renji were close enough to whisper, the Seelie Prince spoke.
"What is it Rukia?" it was not the time or place, but Rukia couldn't help the flutter caused by Ichigo speaking her name so casually. Throwing her awareness out, she felt for what set her internal alarm off.
"There's a ripple of magick out there. Someone is waiting for us."
XxXxXx
He could sense the animosity between Renji and himself so easily that he was surprised no one else in the group had mentioned it. The male spoke to him sparingly, and always with a bite to it. He was honestly starting to tire of it. He knew the Unseelie hime was taken, knew that he needed to either back off or formally make a claim for her, even if it meant fighting Renji, but that was where things became difficult. The Seelie and Unseelie had just allied only the other week, and he doubted trying to steal their hime from another male would sit good with them. That wasn't even considering the fact that Rukia might not even care for him in that way. Glancing at Renji, he made up his mind.
"Ne', Renji?' Are you with Rukia or somethin'?" he tried to be as casual as possible, but he felt so transparent that he knew he would blush any moment if the other male only stared at him. Thankfully, Renji always seemed to go above and beyond his expectations, and instead wildly turned towards Ichigo, his brown eyes comically wide, and his loud mouth gaping.
"Excuse me?!" it seemed he had the common sense not to yell at the last second, but the fury in which he spit the words at Ichigo did not diminish. Glaring at the Unseelie General, Ichigo tried his hardest to look every bit the prince he was. He didn't respond, only raised an eyebrow, and after a moment Renji thankfully spoke. To Ichigo's surprise, the male looked embarrassed and even went to face the lands once more.
"No, we're not-" he was cut off by a sharp whistle, and at the same time Ichigo could feel something brush over his skin. Careful Prince, careful, something is out there. The warning was eerie, but it didn't take away from what Renji had admitted. It echoed insistently in his head, and despite whatever danger might've found them, he couldn't help but think of the hime. He and Renji had slowly started to move back towards the group, tightening their ranks and scanning the area in front of them as they did so. Neither could feel what Rukia was feeling, but if Skadi indeed laid claim to the forests and lands, Rukia wouldn't steer them wrong.
XxXxXx
The group continued to move through the valleys slowly, each person trying to become hyperaware of their surroundings. The Unseelie hime didn't speak again, and if the Seelie prince would've bothered to look closely, he would see that her eyes had shifted to a pale lilac. They could feel her magick in the air easily, it curled around each one of them, coaxing them forward, and lingering as protection should they need it. It was only when they crested the hill before entering Karakura that the hime finally reacted.
Her magick dissipated so quickly that the group looked around in confusion, most of them turning to her. She didn't say anything, merely started to walk away from the group, off towards where a large cropping of boulders were, and called out:
"I know you're there. Come out." There were no false promises and luring voices, and it took the prince a moment to realize that between the Unseelie hime and her sister, they could sense what would happen before it happened, and they were more than enough to deal with it. When the hidden person walked around the rocks, however, it seemed no one was prepared to see what would happen. The bright orange hair was a dead giveaway, as well as the bright goldenrod of her shield, if only to the prince.
"Inoue?"
XxXxXx
The name was like cold water down her back, and at once all of her built up magick stuttered out, releasing sharply into the night, charging the warm air with a brief blast of bone chilling cold. Embarrassed at her own reaction, she took a step back towards the group, and accidentally stepped into Ichigo. His hands wrapped around her shoulders, warm even through her clothing, and it took everything in her not to flinch away. She watched the shield around Orihime deconstruct, before the woman spoke.
"Kurosaki-kun? What are you doing here?" a snort of disbelief, thankfully from Grimmjow, came from Rukia's left, and it took her a moment to realize that he had instinctually went to flank her left when she moved from the group.
"Us? What are you doing out here onna?" his tone was harsh and suspicious, and had Rukia not the woman before, she would've felt the same as Grimmjow, but knowing what she did when it came to the Seelie prince and this woman, she took a step away from Ichigo and caught Grimmjow's eye.
"She is an ally of the Seelie Ouji. Though it is odd to be in the valley this late at night-" she gave a pointed look to Orihime, who had the decency to flush, "-she means no harm to us." She met the eye of every male there, and they all bowed their heads forward, not moving until the hime spoke once more. Grimmjow was the last to incline his head, instead searching Rukia's face. When he found whatever he was looking for, he seemed satisfied and physically relaxed before bowing his head. To her surprise, he even bowed forward, a sign of him trusting fully in her word. Pleased, she touched his shoulder lightly to let him know it was appreciated. Turning to face Orihime once more, she gave a small sigh.
"My companion does have a point. Why are you out here?" the woman shuffled slightly, before looking to Ichigo and brushing her hair behind an ear. Rukia could see the small smile on the fae's face and bit down on the inside of her lip at the shame and anger in her chest.
"The sprites led me here." A raised eyebrow. She sent a confused glance towards Ichigo, who seemed to be already facing her for whatever reason. She tried not to think too hard about it. He gave a small smile which seemed to be more charming than normal, and held a hand out to the lands, gesturing.
"They're like your yukionna. They're small fae who are a part of the land, manifested from it, I guess you could say." Nodding and only half understanding and wanting to understand more, Rukia faced Orihime once more.
"They told you we would be here?" a swift nod.
"Oh yes! The minute you left your lands, they came and told me. So I told the King and came out here to wait for you. He's still waiting for you all now." Surprise and relief for not having to worry about the King turning them away crashed into Rukia, and she glanced around her group. She couldn't help the small smile on her face.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
XxXxXx
Getting to the main estate was rather quick, due to the fact that majority of Karakura seemed to be asleep or at least at home. The estate was still fully lit, with guards at any entrance and patrolling the pathways. When they spotted their prince, however, they all fell into kneeled bows. Surprisingly, Rukia could feel embarrassment fall from him, and even a glance from Hisana told Rukia that her sister had read something similar. He at least inclined his head back to them but did not stop moving. Quickly, he led them up the main stairs and through several halls, before they stopped at a set of ivory doors. Rukia glanced to Hisana and couldn't stop herself from reaching for her sister's hand. The Unseelie Queen flinched slightly, seemingly lost in her thoughts as she stared at those twin white doors, but looked slowly over to Rukia.
Be on your guard. Confused at that, Rukia wanted to ask more, but then the doors opened and Ichigo led them into the room of the Seelie King.
XxXxXx
Meeting him was nothing like Rukia expected. Isshin Kurosaki was a broad, tanned, dark haired male with a perpetual 5 o'clock shadow and grin. He stood swiftly when they entered, his arms spread wide as he came around the table he sat at. It was only when he took in Rukia and Hisana that he faltered. He was a few feet from his son when his arm's dropped. The look on his face was one Rukia had never seen from someone who looked at her sister, and she found herself stepping slightly in front of Hisana.
The movement caused him to move once more, and he ended up taking a step towards them.
"Hisana." Her name was reverent on his lips, and before Rukia could do or say anything, Hisana gently moved her.
It's okay Rukia. Feeling like it entirely wasn't but not being in a position to say as much, Rukia found herself next to Ichigo, but unable to pull her eyes from their family.
"Isshin." It was only his name, but the Seelie King flinched as if she struck him. He bowed his head as though it were second nature, and only when Rukia watched her sister run her hand over his hair did she finally understand. She must've gasped aloud, because they both looked to her. There was no shame on Isshin's face, only something that seemed like nostalgia and sadness, while Hisana looked to her knowingly. Her sister took a step away from the Seelie King, and her outfit disappeared into a flurry of midnight black organza, her hair unfurled into loose curls, and once again the Unseelie Queen returned. She looked to them all. "Renji. You and your men are dismissed. Find the Seelie General and speak to him about your temporary quarters." Without looking, Rukia knew they bowed and quickly filed out of the room. Her sister seemed to wait a beat, mulling something over, before turning to look at Rukia. When she spoke, it wasn't to her sister however. "Inoue, you are dismissed as well. Thank you for bringing us here."
Hisana said nothing more to the girl, opting to turn to Isshin once more, and Rukia couldn't make herself turn to see the woman's face. Surely Ichigo would argue to allow his lover to stay? Glancing over to him showed that he didn't even slightly react to Hisana's declaration, in fact, he was currently looking at his father with something like confusion and betrayal on his face. Curious, Rukia found herself nearly reaching out to touch him, before the opening of the door caused her to flinch back. She looked to Hisana once more, and saw her sister leaning against Isshin's desk, facing them. Isshin seemed to have returned to his seat as well. Rukia wasn't sure how she didn't realize it before. Her sister had briefly spoken of how she had been friends with the Seelie king once, when they were young and both Unseelie, but she never realized that the Seelie King had once sworn fealty to her.
Before anyone could say anything though, Ichigo exploded.
"What is the meaning of this?!" he nearly roared the words, and Rukia couldn't stop herself from watching him. His eyes were burning, and Rukia was sure that if he didn't have the type of control he did, he would be aflame right now. No one answered, and he took a step forward, Hisana no further than an arm's length away from him. "Someone better answer me right now." His voice was dark and Rukia stepped forward without fully thinking, her sword materializing at the juncture between the Seelie Prince's shoulder and neck. She held it there as she made her way between him and Hisana, and though his fury was hot, the chill in her eyes was enough to freeze hell over.
"If you do not back down Ichigo Kurosaki, you will regret it." He didn't even look down at her, and her annoyance skyrocketed. Throwing her sword away from him, she didn't bother with formality as she lunged for him, shoving them both to the ground. She felt his shock as if she were struck by lightning, but then he wrapped his arms around her and took the brunt of the fall. They landed harshly on the ground, a heavy exhale on both their parts, but before she could get off of him, amber eyes caught her own and held her. He looked as though he wanted to continue arguing, he looked betrayed, he looked confused, and he looked like…he wanted to kiss her? She wasn't sure if that was it, but whatever it was caused her heart to beat erratically. Only the screeching of Isshin's chair caused them to move from one another, and they stood in time for him to stand toe-to-toe with his son, bearing down on him.
"Do not ever disrespect your mother like that again." His voice was low and sharp and so Unseelie that even Rukia had been taken aback. To her surprise, Ichigo hadn't flinched whatsoever, but did look cowed. This male in front of her may be parading as Seelie, but he was anything but. He had been the feared General of the North. He was Unseelie.
XxXxXx
The room seemed to hold its breath before both men deflated and Ichigo even bowed his head. Isshin took a step backwards, clearly trying to contain his temper, but the chill was still in his eyes when he glanced to Rukia.
"You are clearly aware, but for the sake of making sure we are all on the same page, I used to be bound to Hisana." The term registered to Ichigo, and he even turned to look at Rukia, who nodded.
"Yes, like Toshirou and myself." Isshin nodded as well.
"Yes, after I had been bound to Hisana, the elders made the decision to allow the Hitsugayas to swear fealty to the Kuchikis." The statement was odd, and at first Rukia couldn't pinpoint why. Ichigo, however, seemed to realize it.
"You can have more than one person swear fealty at a time?" a dark look crossed the Seelie king's face. Not exactly anger, but perhaps regret? He shook his head.
"No. There are many different types of bonds with our people, but a fealty cannot be sworn by more than one person." Still, confusion rang in the room from the younger pair. Before Isshin could attempt to explain further, Hisana moved forward, catching Ichigo and Rukia's attention.
"The only thing stronger than that of swearing fealty, of giving the blood oath, is the bond of mates. Had we all been Unseelie, Isshin would still be sworn to me, but as it happened, we weren't, so he left…and I stayed. He was not a highborn of our people, and yet his mate was. Byakuya was a Seelie Prince, one of several, so he was free to leave, but I was the only high lady. The laws of our people demanded we separate, and so we did. Instead, Hyorinmaru swore the blood oath, and so has Toshirou to you, Rukia." Ichigo frowned.
"We don't swear blood oaths here, why didn't you stay in contact?" Isshin grimaced slightly.
"The Seelie find blood oaths to be archaic, it's practically unheard of here, and only Unseelie who have found their mates in the Seelie lands even know of it anymore. We were still at war with one another when I met Masaki, and I was an Unseelie General, they did not trust me for a long time." It took Rukia a moment to realize that Isshin looked to her now. "Hisana left the Seelie lands once she heard of you being born. She was still young, barely 300, and had not yet succeeded to the throne. Your birth sped things up. Hisana was to return to the North and claim her birthright, and so she was forced to disavow me and our bond."
She couldn't help but look to Hisana, to see if what he said was truth. Her sister's gaze was unflinching, and Rukia found herself in disbelief. She was 400 herself, and no word had ever been said of when she would take the throne. Did Hisana blame her for having to take the throne so young? Would they have Rukia do so once this war was over? Or would they wait to see if she would find her mate? Would she be forced to remove the blood oath from her cousin? She couldn't imagine it, couldn't ever imagine leaving him, but even as she thought those words, she glanced to the male beside her. Would she have asked him to swear the oath to her had her cousin not done so when they were younger? Something very old kept pulling on her bones, kept this male revolving in her head, and she was tired of not knowing what it was. Would having a bond ease whatever the incessant, ancient thing in her soul was? Before she could contemplate further, Ichigo spoke.
"We need to speak of the war. We need troops, dad. We need to defend our lands here and ensure the youkai don't rise up against us, and then we need to take it North. Rukia and Hisana came here just to help us all. Our men won't be able to fend off the youkai while traveling through unknown lands…" Ichigo hesitated a beat, and Rukia was surprised to see him glance to her. It was only a heartbeat before he looked to the Seelie King once more. "They need you in the North, dad. I'll stay here to defend our home."
XxXxXx
She felt as though the floor had fallen out from under her. Turning on Ichigo, she knew she wouldn't be able to control her mouth.
"What do you think you're doing?!" it was a voice as cold as ice that slipped from her lips, and she watched Ichigo steel himself before turning to face her.
"What needs to be done. My father is Unseelie. He'll be a better ally in the North, and I am better suited to the South. You and Hisana will go with him, while Renji and the others stay here and help out." Rukia tore her gaze from the prince and looked to the others. They said nothing, merely watched them, and she knew her decision.
"Hisana will go. I will stay." She could feel him take a step towards her.
"Most definitely not-!" she turned slowly and looked up into his face, hoping her fury was well received. She watched him gulp slightly and was satisfied when he didn't open his mouth.
"Do any of you have the skill or precision in magick like myself?" she waited a beat to see if he would speak, then continued. "Has anyone else here ever fought with the youkai? Know how they move? Know their weapons?" Nothing. "That's what I thought…and besides, I would never leave you and Renji alone in the same area, let alone make you work with one another." She sent him a dry look and was pleased when he flushed. Turning to face her sister and the Seelie King, she gave a short bow.
"If you will excuse me, I am going to retire. Tomorrow we'll start training the other men and learning their skills." She turned and waited until she was at the door to speak again. "Oh, and I would go to sleep soon if I were you, Ichigo…you're going to have a long day tomorrow." She didn't wait to hear his response but the flare of heat pressed against her back was enough to make her chuckle.
XxXxXx
To Rukia's surprise, she had been the last to make it to the training grounds. Even Hisana and Isshin were there, although farther off and seated at a table, with what looked like maps and plans sprawled out across it. Looking away in favor of watching the soldiers, she was surprised at how well they all seemed to be getting along. The Seelie had a contingent of several hundred, and it seemed they were well trained, at least in their prejudices. Satisfied with that, Rukia quickly sought out bright orange hair, and was given a sharp reminder when she found Orihime speaking with him and another male who had a blond bob with familiar, blunt bangs.
Something in her demanded her to go over and speak to him, but she knew how it could be perceived to onlookers, and Rukia Kuchiki would never admit to such a weakness. She was ice, she was cold, she was quiet perfection…At least she was supposed to be. It seemed that meeting Ichigo had caused her normally harsh exterior to melt without even realizing it. Clenching her hands and rolling her neck, she released a wash of magick, and changed her clothing into a pair of tan, fitted trousers and a white billowing tunic that was tightened at her waist and wrists.
She glided to where the front of the training grounds were, to stand at the head of the soldiers, and waited. She breathed in deeply, and held it for a moment, before exhaling and watching as her men reacted. Almost immediately they stopped what they were doing and turned to face her, bowing lowly. She still did not move. She looked past them all, even as one by one the others started to realize she stood there, waiting. Eventually they all faced her, and a few even decided to incline their heads. It didn't matter to her if they respected her now, they didn't know her. Before the day was out, however, they would understand.
Finally, Ichigo seemed to notice what was happening, and made his way over to her, Orihime and the blond on his heels. The woman was watching the soldiers, clearly confused at what was going on, but Rukia could feel Ichigo's understanding. He stopped just an arm's length away from her, giving her a small smirk despite what happened yesterday. She didn't turn to face him, didn't address him, she didn't nod. She instead finally settled her gaze onto the men in front of her.
"I'm sure many of you wonder why you're here right now, with Unseelie in your ranks, and their hime standing at the head. No doubt you've already been informed of the upcoming war." A few nods. "We are here to teach you and train you. By the end of the day, I will decide upon 20 men that will go to the North with the Unseelie Queen and the Seelie King. There, they will start their training with my men, learning our lands, learning how to fight youkai." Not a man reacted at her words, but she could see realization dawning on Renji. They hadn't told him of their decision last night. He didn't realize that she wouldn't be fighting back home. "The rest of you will stay here and train under your prince and myself, my general and his elite. We will eradicate any youkai that dare to travel South, that dare to think you will be easy to overrun. And then we will head North and continue the rest of the battle. It will be long. It will be grueling. However, I expect your cooperation. If I sense any ill-will, any dissent, I will not hesitate to eradicate the issue. That goes to both fae." She could feel the change in her magick as it sharpened and her eyes paled. She could hear her voice become otherworldly. "Am I understood?" the chorus of yeses were sharp and obedient, but hearing it from Ichigo surprised her the most. She couldn't stop from turning to him, her cold mask slipping for a moment. He was smiling at her, his amber eyes warm.
He seemed unable to stop himself as he brushed a hand against her back when he went to speak to the soldiers.
"The Unseelie are our allies. They are our comrades. I do not expect anything less than full cooperation with them. We are going to war, we cannot afford to hold grudges, not when the man next to you could be the one to save your life." The soldiers couldn't help but glance around, and Ichigo continued to speak. He pulled Rukia forward, his hand still resting on her back, and she became hyperaware of Orihime watching them. "The Unseelie Hime is my friend, and my second in command. Her word, above everyone else's, is absolute law." Rukia was dumbfounded. Being friends and getting along was one thing, but to name her second in command? What was he thinking? How could he trust her with this? "Do not disappoint us."
Us? Is there something you're not telling me Rukia? Hisana's voice was almost a relief, were it not for the teasing tone she had taken. Wishing to strangle her nosy sister, and not for the first time, Rukia shoved her from her mind and stepped towards the men once more, Ichigo falling into step beside her.
"I want you to pair off into groups of 4 and 4. I want to see what you're made of."
XxXxXx
He hadn't expected his men to fall into line so easily. He could tell they were confused, if not a bit angry at the fact of an outsider coming in and demanding their obedience, but he knew that they could sense her strength. Her strength called to all fae it seemed, demanded they listen if she commanded. Even now, he could see his men watching her as she watched them, seemingly unable to look away from the lull of her. It was why he stayed close to her. Though they were not together, nor had they even spoken of the possibility, he couldn't imagine some other male coming by and trying to sweep the Unseelie Hime off of her feet. He couldn't imagine containing himself were another male to try and charm her. And that wasn't to say that she would take it lying down, neither; Rukia Kuchiki was more than likely to devour these men whole.
Nearly chuckling at the imagery, Ichigo hadn't realized that Rukia stopped walking. He stumbled right into her, causing her to fall forward. He reached without thinking, wrapping an arm around her waist and righting her. The Unseelie hime was pressed against his chest and despite knowing better, he couldn't help but lean down to her ear.
"Are you okay Rukia?" he was so sure she was going to punch his teeth out that it surprised him when he felt a chill run through her. She didn't move, didn't speak, and if he listened closely, he could hear her breathing turn shallow. Wanting to see her face, he turned her, but she pushed him away at the last moment before he could lift her chin.
"enough Ichigo." It was nothing more than a whisper on the wind, but it chilled his blood nonetheless. When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were ice, and he felt his stomach plummet. When she turned and made her way through the sea of soldiers, he couldn't help but wonder where he went wrong.
XxXxXx
Though it was clear that she was not trying to cause a scene, Renji had still watched her shove the Seelie Prince from her and run. Perhaps she hadn't actually run away but Renji had known Rukia long enough to know that she never backed down from anything. Whatever the Prince had said to her had unnerved her enough to escape from him. Annoyance licked at him and before he knew it, he found himself walking away from his own group to go after her.
He found her watching the blond male that had been standing with the Prince and the other woman. She seemed to be mesmerized, not aware that she had stopped walking, though Renji could see why. The male moved so much faster than his companions, fluidly, as though he were dancing, and made Renji think of Yumichika. The spymaster was currently fighting in a group not far from the blond, but Renji hoped they would cross paths soon.
Moving on, he had started to make his way towards Rukia again, intent on finally getting a chance to speak with her about what was going on. With what the prince had asked him, and the way his friend was acting, he knew that there was not simply nothing between the fae. Before he could even reach her, however, he watched the blond man turn and face Rukia, and before he could make sense of it, the male lifted his blade and heaved it towards the hime.
It soared towards her, intent on its mark before Renji could even take a step, but the fear that had built up so rapidly in his chest stuttered out when a wall of ice shrieked into existence and the sword embedded itself in it only inches from Rukia's face. The hime didn't blink, she didn't flinch, she didn't even lift a hand. She only looked forward, her violet gaze intent on the blond who was smirking lazily at her.
XxXxXx
She could sense his intent a mile away. Whether or not he knew of her ability didn't matter, the blond seemed set on figuring her out, and it finally dawned on her why. She stepped forward, the wall of ice dissipating almost instantly, causing the blade to drop to the ground harmlessly. It was only when she was a few feet away from the male that he cocked his head to side and inclined it forward, a grin taking over his wide mouth.
"It's a pleasure to officially meet the Kuchiki-hime. I've been wondering about how you'd turn out for quite a while." Raising an eyebrow, Rukia couldn't help the small smirk.
"The feeling is mutual, Shinji Hirako. Although I liked your previous hairstyle better." He barked out a laugh and stood up straight.
"So it really is you then." His cinnamon gaze flicked past her shoulder, and she didn't have to turn to know who was coming. She could tell by the way Shinji's grin widened. "Ah, Ichigo! I was just reconnecting-"
"What the hell was that?!" the Seelie prince was furious, cutting Shinji off immediately, and even going so far as to step in front of Rukia to stand nose-to-nose with the male. The Seelie General was rather bold to take his Prince staring him down without immediately kowtowing, but the male seemed like someone who particularly enjoyed riling up Ichigo, and Rukia just knew she was going to have to interfere. Heaving a sigh, she did exactly that, before the two men in front of her could cause a scene that would garner the attention of their families. She wrapped a hand around Ichigo's forearm, the connection causing a shock to run through her, and her blood to sing in some unknown song. She didn't notice Shinji watching them closely, she was too focused on making sure she could breathe right.
"Ichigo, enough, he didn't hurt me." The prince didn't react for a long time, and it was only when Rukia made an effort to turn him towards her that he finally loosened his rigid posture. Aggression still lined his body when he stared down into her face, seemingly checking her over for wounds and most definitely getting angry once more. Before he could turn back to his General and actually start fighting this time, however, Rukia pressed contentment and calm towards the Seelie Prince, hoping he could feel it. He didn't react outwardly, but she watched his body finally loosen, and watched the fire in his eyes dull.
Pleased, Rukia released her hold on the male before waving a hand towards Shinji. "We were reacquainting ourselves it seems…" she murmured to the General, who looked completely unbothered by the fact that he was nearly burnt to a crisp not ten seconds ago. Instead, Shinji smiled at her, a wide grin so at ease on his face like a scowl was for Ichigo.
"Yes, of course, hime. I remember seeing you…oh, nearly 200 years ago? I had at first assumed it had been Hisana…we were acquainted when she had first met Byakuya, but you had looked far too young to have been her. Still, I couldn't be sure, and I couldn't very well risk you seeing me after all, I had been in your lands at the time, and I am clearly not Unseelie." Rukia smiled at that. Nearly 200 years ago she had been exactly that old, and still training. She had not yet been allowed any position in regards to physical or magickal skill, and so much of her time was spent in her lands, learning it, learning her magick from it. It was in those lands that she had met Shinji, or more likely found Shinji, when he was skulking around for whatever reason. The forest had felt that he was harmless however, and Rukia could see that he didn't dare to pass too deeply into their lands to reach the Seireitei, and so she left him be.
"Ah, but I had still seen you, just perhaps not with the eyes that I own." She felt Ichigo tense at the familiar words, no doubt reminding him of their first encounter. "And with such long, blond hair, I would have to be blind to have missed you." The General laughed at that, and she could even hear a low chuckle from Ichigo, but before they could speak further on it, the sharp screech of metal, and a roar broke the calm.
XxXxXx
It sparked the leaders into action, quickly moving to find the culprits, and when they fell upon the fae with bright aquamarine hair, heaving and being held back by his brothers-in-arms, snarling towards a pair of Seelie, a cold, terrible fury surged through Rukia. She knew they felt her before she spoke, could taste their numbing fear as her magick descended upon them before her words did. She knew no sides, knew only of this war and their stupidity that could get them all killed, and so it was without care of who was Seelie and who was Un, that she opened her mouth and:
"SILENCE." She was no longer hime, she was only kami. Not a person on the field dared to move, and those closest to the offending group found themselves paralyzed in fear. Slowly, she moved closer to the fae, and saw that blood dripped from Grimmjow's hand, something he seemed to have forgotten in his fury, but only added to Rukia's. She looked to the Seelie standing opposite of the snarling panther. "I will give you only one chance to tell me what happened here…and it will be the truth," she didn't care for the burning prince standing at her back, nor the cunning fox general to her left. She only thought of the war, of the youkai, of how these males did not know the power they held in being able to ruin it all for them.
She watched the males gape at her for a moment, clearly at a loss for words, and nearly snapped when they looked past her to Ichigo, as though he were going to step in. Instead she hissed at them. "I asked you a question." The threat hung clearly in the air, and it only got thicker the longer they stayed silent. To her surprise, Grimmjow stepped forward, bowing lowly to her.
"I apologize hime-sama, I have crossed a line with these two males. I will take the blame and punishment." She watched his stiff posture, the way he refused to move from in front of her path, and knew that though he had probably started it first, they drew blood on him. Breathing out evenly, she raised her gaze, cataloguing the two Seelie. They were plain in features, dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin, nothing in particular stood out about them, but she would remember their faces. She stepped forward, placing her hand on Grimmjow's shoulder, and could feel him tense even further.
"This is not a game. Many of you were alive during the Thousand Year War, and all of you know our history." She allowed her voice to carry, made sure they felt her anger. "I have no need for males who will draw blood on their comrades, who will risk our peace in the face of an enemy. That is how they destroy us, if they see we are not one unit, if we do not exist on the field to protect one another." She took a step towards the males, meeting their gazes, making sure they fully understood her words. "I have no need for you. So you are dismissed." She didn't allow herself to appear as anything but cold and cruel, the Unseelie hime she knew they all saw her as. They hesitated for a long moment, seemingly wanting to argue, but finally, finally, they bowed to her and walked away. She watched them go, then turned to Grimmjow. "For your part in this, First Lieutenant Grimmjow, you are demoted until further notice. As of now, you are no more than a common foot soldier." He bowed further once more.
"Thank you, hime-sama."
XxXxXx
After the incident on the training grounds, Hisana and Isshin took over watching the men while Rukia, Ichigo, Shinji, and Renji left, Hisana imploring them to go calm down and relax a bit. Rukia knew it was because her sister wanted to work her magick on the men and see where everyone stood, and she knew that Rukia was close to breaking down soon as well. Orihime had quickly asked to join them when she saw them leaving, and it was Renji who had quickly agreed. Rukia could only shoot a look at her childhood friend who was ignoring her, preferring to lead the way to some small café or another that the men had passed by the night before. She could tell something was off with him, but couldn't figure out what, and he wasn't being forthcoming with even speaking to her right now for whatever reason.
Rukia sighed and focused her energy inward, allowing her magick to breathe and extend its awareness out to the lands surrounding it. Nothing in the Seelie lands protected them from youkai attack, and Rukia had no doubt they were aware of where she was, so she was going to keep an eye out. She had been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realized when the group had finally made it to whatever place Renji had led them. Glancing up and seeing that it was indeed just a coffee shop, Rukia was both surprised and pleased. The South was far more modernized than the North and it was extremely appreciated right now. Following Shinji inside, she tried to ignore Ichigo and Orihime behind her, and found herself thinking about earlier.
She absolutely hated herself for having to embarrass and demote Grimmjow in front of those men like that, but she knew that if she had taken it too easy on him, they would have issues on their hands and she refused to look like she favorited her men. The only relief was sensing that Grimmjow held no ill will towards her and fully understood. If he applied himself, she knew he could become Captain quite easily, he just had to get his temper under control.
"Welcome to Urahara Shoten, how many to- oh! Ichigo, what a pleasure to see you and your guests." The voice was distinctly male and it caused Rukia to look up and face their newcomer. He was rather scraggly, and overtly casual, but before she could catalogue him beyond that, he met her gaze, his own widening slightly.
"Unseelie Joou?" Queen. The title caused her heart to clean stop, but she shook her head to him, raising her hands. Before she could clarify that she was the Unseelie hime, Renji stepped beside her, a casual arm thrown over her soldiers.
"Ah, this here's Rukia, the Unseelie hime." The abrupt touch caused her to nearly flinch out of his hold, but ever so minutely she felt his grasp tighten in warning. Not understanding what her friend was thinking, and not wanting to show dissent in front of a stranger, she turned back to the male and inclined her head slightly. His brown eyes lit up in amusement, and he inclined his own back.
"I'm Urahara Kisuke, proud owner of this lovely establishment. Pleasure to meet the younger sister of Hisana Kuchiki." Rukia couldn't stop from raising her eyebrow at the male-Urahara. He clearly knew who her family was. She couldn't stop herself from holding her hand out to him, hoping to get a read. He didn't seem to notice what she was doing, just gently but firmly took her much smaller hand in his own and gave it two shakes, but it was enough for her to have an answer. Nothing. She felt absolutely nothing from him, and as if he knew such, he gave her a feline smile.
"Ara, nice try Kuchiki-hime, but I am much harder to read than that." She willed her face not to react as she only looked at him. He only laughed instead, and waved them forward, leading the four of them to a booth. "Ah, apologies, I did not mean to offend you, I can see your eyes closing off." He glanced over his shoulder at her, but Rukia kept her chin raised, and her eyes cold. To his benefit he did look genuine, but without being able to feel it, Rukia wouldn't trust a word he said. He finally stopped at a large booth, hidden in the back corner of the coffee shop, and allowed them to sit, while he looked at them expectantly.
It took them a moment to realize what he was waiting for, but they quickly rattled off what they wanted, ranging from a whole meal with drinks from Renji and Ichigo, while Orihime ordered a pastry and Rukia found herself ordering an Americano Misto. He held Rukia's eyes before leaving, inclining his head deeply.
"I do truly apologize, I had only wanted to see what the Unseelie hime was like." When he stood, his eyes were sparkling. "I was not disappointed."
XxXxXx
She couldn't stop watching her, glancing at her from the corner of her eye, or outright staring when she seemed to get lost in her thoughts. The Unseelie Hime was something of a story to her, only a tale told between her friends and herself of the cold, unfeeling Rukia Kuchiki. She didn't know what she had expected, but the woman in front of her was not it. Orihime had heard of what was whispered about the Unseelie, how they were a savage group, who didn't care for anything or anyone but themselves. Who would sooner kill a Seelie than help one, and the harshest stories revolved around their Royal family, the only one the Unseelie held in absolute power, unlike the Seelie and their multiple royal lines.
The female in front of her was rumored to be the pinnacle of that absolute power. Rukia Kuchiki was a woman who was blooded with power, with magick capable of shattering a person. She had done exactly that to the Tengus that had attacked them at the Summer Solstice. She had done so with ease. It had floored everyone there, and Orihime could see how it affected Kurosaki-ouji, could see the way he watched her. She couldn't help clenching her jaw at the dark feeling in her stomach. She could see the way her Prince was drawn to the Unseelie hime, and she hated the feeling of jealousy towards the faery.
From what she had seen of Rukia, she was sure they could get along…if only Rukia had been born someone else. If only her Prince didn't watch her the way he did when she wasn't looking at him. She couldn't hate the woman, after all, they had all been dealt their own hands, but for the first time, Orihime had looked at another woman and was terrified of losing her Prince. Not that she necessarily had him, but she had held out hope that he would recognize her and how she had been there for him. She hoped he would make her his wife. Looking to the woman sitting across from her, she wondered how fate could be so cruel.
As if sensing her gaze, Rukia looked up and caught Orihime's eyes, and she watched a dark emotion flash from the hime's eyes, lightening them into the pure violet she was known for. Surprisingly, she gave Orihime a small smile, before looking into her drink and taking a sip. It was then that Orihime couldn't stop herself from opening her mouth.
"Why did you demote your lieutenant in front of all of those men like that?" if she didn't know better, she would've sworn the Kuchiki-hime had flinched at the question, but when Rukia met her gaze, only Unseelie stared out.
"Would you prefer I had killed him where he stood?" aghast at how offhandedly she spoke of her lieutenant, Orihime violently shook her head.
"N-no! That's not what I had meant…couldn't you have just given him a warning?" her voice was much softer now, and she watched Rukia glance to Kurosaki-ouji. Rukia didn't look at her for a long moment, but then she squared her shoulders and looked back at Orihime as if she could see into her very soul.
"No. My men know that there is no second chance. They are trained to obey and serve and protect. Grimmjow ignored a direct order, and for that I could have killed him where he stood and not one of my men would be able to say anything. Grimmjow fully understood the consequences of his choice, and it was why he took the punishment for the Seelie men as well. Do you understand? What your soldiers did was draw blood on my lieutenant, and that is grounds for retaliation. Wars have been started for less. If I did not punish Grimmjow, I would look like I favor him, and I favor no one. I am the Unseelie Hime, I cannot, I do not play favorites." Orihime couldn't stop the dumbfounded look on her face, she hadn't meant to rile up Rukia, but the Unseelie hime was clenching the table so tightly that even a coating a frost was starting to build on her end. Her General seemed to have notice it as well, and even went to reach for Rukia, but the woman jumped up away from the table, her eyes like ice. "Do not, Renji." He was shocked at her reaction, but didn't say anything, more aware of where they were and the company they were with. Lovers? They are so casual with one another…Rukia didn't say anything more, and it was to the shock of both Seelie that the Unseelie hime merely disappeared from before their very eyes, shimmering away to Amaterasu-knows-where.
XxXxXx
She had ended up at the entrance of a small forest. She wasn't far from Karakura, she could still easily sense her sister, but she knew that she had enough power to go home if she wanted. Toying with the idea for only a moment, she shook her head. Being in these lands were making her weak. She didn't long for home, and she didn't blow up in public. She nearly groaned and made her way up into a tree to sit. It was just the ignorance in which Orihime spoke that bothered her. She seemed to be forgetting herself, who she was. As much as she hated to admit it, it was Ichigo who was causing her to be this way. This burning and charming Seelie prince had just had to be friends with her, and just had to be familiar with her. Rukia groaned this time and leaned her head against the trunk of the tree.
She could feel the life of the tree, calling out to her, and it helped her to center herself. Breathing deeply, she found herself closing her eyes and sending her awareness out, using the trees as a conduit, encompassing the entire forest in a matter of minutes. She wondered how the Kurosaki Twins were doing. She wondered how her cousin was. Renji was being a general nuisance, and she could tell he was keeping something from her. She didn't like it. Despite everything, they were friends, and he had never kept anything from her before. The negative emotion was causing her to lose focus on her magick, so she pushed it from her thoughts and kept pushing further and further to see how far her magick and awareness would extend.
All thought stopped when she felt something dark push up against her magick. It didn't seem to know she was there, but she had felt this sort of thing enough times to know what it was. Shifting her attention elsewhere, she was pleased when she found a small fox near the offending group and she asked it to be her eyes. It acquiesced immediately, surprising Rukia when it had shown an image of Yuzu to her. Saving it for a later time, she blinked once, her vulpine eyes latching onto them immediately. Youkai. They were much stockier than the few Tengus that were with them, and they had curved tusks, marking them as boar youkai. Rukia wanted to clench her jaw. There were at least 50 in all, all of them wielding weapons and armor, but it was the cart they were pulling that angered her.
She could see that it was a cage they held, and she could just tell who it was for. The markings around the base were Unseelie in nature, meant to hold her people. She wondered what sort of trickery they would try in order to capture one of her men, but even that thought halted when she saw a tengu step away from the other side of the cart, his scarred face easy to see, even in the dimming light. As if he knew the fox was there, he caught its gaze and watched it, a slow smile making its way onto his face. Run. Rukia pleaded with the fox. It couldn't move. He slowly made his way forward, his mouth moving but her not hearing it, and Rukia asked the fox to let her hear. She wished she hadn't.
"Ah, I'm so glad to see you again, Rukia." His voice was slick and smug, someone who clearly thought they had an advantage. "I'm glad to know you have come to the South to protect your allies." He crouched in front of the fox, and she begged it to run once more. As if the Tengu could hear her, he shook his head. "Poor thing, so terrified. I hope to see you like that before me soon." A cruel grin overtook his face, and Rukia knew what he was about to do. She tried, one last tug to force the fox away, and it had started to move, but it didn't matter. He lunged for it, and she could feel him shatter its spine as if it were her own. Her consciousness was thrown back to her own body, but it didn't stop the tears falling from her face as she felt its life fade. As it sent her one last image of Yuzu.
A broken sob fell from her mouth, but Rukia stood, facing the direction she knew the youkai would be coming from. Taking a deep breath, she wiped her face and disappeared. Back to Karakura.