Chapter 12

Four months later everything was different at the Palace. Rukia had fallen into depression and all the efforts Renji and Byakuya made to help her seemed futile. Then one of the elder captains Ukitake suggested that they send her away for a month, because changing of the scenery always helped. Byakuya agreed to send her far away by the seaside where one of Ukitake's sisters lived. Rukia was not against it, but she took the news as indifferently as she took everything else these days. Renji was worried. He tried being optimistic but the day when he sent her off even the short kiss they shared was so distant and cold that he felt abandoned.

"I feel like I am losing her." He told Ikkaku when he went to see him the night after Rukia's departure.

At the same time Hinamori was with Toushiro again, trying to suppress her moans, while he was intent on the opposite. He liked hearing them, that she knew, but she always felt like she was doing something abnormal. He was like a brother to her and she did everything to please him and save him from the other women, who wanted to use him and this thinking worked well in the beginning when their physical relationship brought her more pain and discomfort. But now when she felt that strange satisfaction and arousal, when she was thinking about his touch and kisses, she felt like a criminal. A new wave of passion overwhelmed her and she was lost in it for a few minutes before realizing that Toushiro was now next to her, breathing heavily.

"I love you!" He whispered in her ear and the feeling of guilt became so strong that she burst into tears.

He was confused, when he propped himself up on an elbow to check on her, but thought that she was just so emotional that these words hit her deeply. Her apology in between her sobs seemed adorable to him and he gladly accepted her on his chest when she embraced him and buried her head there.

To make matters worse, Kira came to see her the next day. He was promoted to Gin's lieutenant and she congratulated him earnestly. But his next words shocked her.

"Hinamori, I was thinking…now that I am a lieutenant I can offer you a good life. If you wish…I can propose to you and then you can be free from the palace."

The smile disappeared from her face and she turned her eyes away.

"That is impossible, Kira." She calmly said.

"Why?" He asked, surprised.

"Because I belong to Toushiro now."

"Well, you know that the concubines are not slaves. They can be freed especially if they don't have any relations with the prince." He said enthusiastically.

"You did not understand." She turned her eyes to him. "Toushiro and I are deeply involved."

He was hurt by this revelation. While he was sitting on the bench speechless, she got up and moved away.

Without Rukia and Toushiro the dinners at the palace became frighteningly quiet. While Byakuya was slowly eating his soup, Soifon broke the silence.

"Don't you think, father, that aunt Rukia's horse was poisoned?"

Byakuya looked up. Soifon's suggestion was not shocking, but her rare use of the word father was.

"I already told you, Soifon, that the doctors did not find any trace of poison."

"Oh, there are some poisons that are very hard to trace. Besides the horse recovered completely a few days later and it was obvious that she was also suffering for my aunt. They have a special connection."

Byakuya's eyes darkened.

"Stop fantasizing!"

Soifon got angry and stood up.

"Very well then! I am just warning you that we have an enemy. A dangerous one at that! You keep on underestimating me, but one day this will play you a very bad joke!"

She stormed out of the room and Byakuya moved his plate away. Her thoughts had run through his head too.

Two weeks later, Byakuya received a letter stating that his sister had not reached her destination.

"How can this be?" Renji shouted. "Rukia should have arrived a week ago!"

"Do not shout!" Byakuya said coldly. "I am investigating, of course."

Renji was pacing around.

"I want to go too!"

"Not now! You are too important to leave. When we have some news, we will decide what to do."

"Captain, do you think…she might be killed?" Renji asked, worry visible in his eyes.

Byakuya swallowed hard.

"Do not get absurd!"

"First the accident with the horse and now this. This is not a coincidence!" Renji stated as he sat down in front of Byakuya's desk.

Byakuya was forced to agree with him and this deprived him of his sleep at night.

The only news they got was that Rukia's carriage was attacked, possibly by bandits wanting to steal something valuable. They did not find Rukia, but her entourage was all killed.

"She is kidnapped!" Renji sighed.

"If she was we would have already received a letter. It's been a month." Byakuya was looking through his documents.

"What are we going to do? If I stay here without doing anything, I will go crazy!" Renji stood up, pacing.

"You know that my men are searching the whole Empire day and night!"

"Then maybe she is not in the Empire!" Renji shouted. Both he and Byakuya were startled by the opportunity.

Hinamori was dressed in her pink nightgown, reading a book before going to bed. There was a knock at her door which made her get up and put on a long robe above. She was expecting Toushiro, but it was Matsumoto instead.

"Rangiku?"

"Momo, do you mind if a stay for a while?" Matsumoto smiled.

"No, of course not!" Momo smiled.

The girls moved to the couch.

"You have such a nice room!" Matsumoto smiled. "Our prince is really spoiling you!"

The smiled disappeared from Hinamori's face.

"I really thought you were happy, Momo! But you seem so miserable sometimes that I wonder what's wrong with you."

"Nothing's wrong."

Matsumoto raised an eyebrow.

"That is what you said, when Minari scratched your face and you hid from Toushiro. Well, he found out and chased her away anyway."

Momo sighed.

"It is just that he loves me so much and I can't return that love. I feel guilty about it."

Matsumoto turned her face to Hinamori's.

"You are both too young to know what love is."

"We are not. The things we do…"

"Sex does not mean you are grown-ups." Matsumoto smiled, while Hinamori blushed. "Momo, real love is not all about passion. This is all short lived. What remains in the end is trust, loyalty and friendship, combined with attraction, of course. Don't you feel any of them?"

"I feel all of them, but I am not attracted to him the way he wants me to be."

Matsumoto smiled.

"You are not? Then why are you dressed in that silky short nightgown?"

Hinamori blushed and quickly moved her parted robes together.

"I…because he likes me to…"

"Toushiro is happy. But you are not an actress, my dear. It is not in your nature. And trying to keep a man under the illusion that you like him, when you spend every night in his bed is hard, if you don't feel it for real."

Hinamori was quiet.

"Get rid of the thoughts in your head that keep you from your freedom. Just let yourself feel and live and it will all be perfect. Otherwise, sooner or later, it will ruin you both!"

The next morning, Toushiro called Hinamori to meet him in the garden. He stood there waiting as the warm sun rays were shining. Hinamori quickly walked to him, smiling. The weather was so nice and Toushiro's idea of a walk cheered her up.

"I have a surprise for you, Momo!" He smirked.

"What is it?" She asked, truly curious as her big eyes looked at him. He loved that look so much.

The noise made her look in the opposite direction, as she saw one of the guards coming with a beautiful horse. She looked at Toushiro, then back at the horse, until he spoke.

"It is yours!"

Momo moved slowly, completely mesmerized by the beautiful creature, that was so black, it looked almost blue. The horse immediately liked her touch.

"She is so friendly!" She exclaimed.

"You should be careful! She is friendly, but fiery at the same time. She has your fire spirit." Toushiro walked closer to them.

There were tears in Momo's eyes, when she jumped to embrace him, smiling and crying in complete joy.

"Thank you, Shiro!"

He returned her embrace tightly, smiling himself. To see Hinamori happy was everything he needed. She moved away to caress the horse again.

"I am going to name her Tobiume! The fast horse with a plum color."

"I like it." Toushiro nodded.

Meanwhile, Rukia woke up, her head feeling heavy. She looked around. It was an unfamiliar place, definitely. Just as she was about to get up from bed the door opened and a little girl screamed in surprise.

"Dad! She woke up!" It was an orange-haired teen.

A few minutes later an older black haired man, probably around his forties came inside, smiling.

"Well, hello there, miss! I am Kurosaki Isshin. These are my children – Karin, Yuzu and Ichigo." Rukia looked around. The girls were both around the same age – the orange-haired one who had screamed was Yuzu and the other, who resembled her father, was named Karin. The boy was standing with his back on the door frame while his hands were folded in front of his chest – he was also orange haired. "Ichigo found you collapsed and took you home. I am a doctor. Well, not the best one, but I am certainly capable!" He laughed, while Karin puffed. "So, can you tell us your name?"

Rukia blinked a few times, thinking what to say. The man was awaiting a response and so was Yuzu, who had moved closer, her eyes wide opened. Karin and Ichigo seemed more bored than interested.

"I…don't know. I don't remember!"

Yuzu gasped.

"She has amnesia, dad!"

"It's ok. You hit your head when you fell from your horse. It may take some time." Isshin smiled. "Do you remember something? How you got here? What has happened to you?" Rukia was still quiet. "Anything? No? Ok. We will get you some food and leave you to rest."

"Wait! Where am I? What is this place?"

"This is Karakura town. And our small house is the Kurosaki clinic." Yuzu smiled.

After they all left, Rukia sighed and fell back into the bed. She remembered everything. She was travelling with the carriage, when they suddenly stopped due to a fallen tree on the road. Then, some masked men attacked them. They started killing everyone. She was frozen in her spot inside, hearing the screams around her. Then one man opened the door and she saw his sword, bright from the blood. He was coming to kill her. She heard Sode no Shirayuki. The horse had managed to free herself and was waiting outside. In a matter of seconds, Rukia jumped outside from the other door landing on the back of her horse, just in time to escape certain death. Then she started riding through the woods, with three of the men following behind. Luckily, she was still a good rider, faster than everyone, so after a while they lost her. Her heart was pounding inside her chest, both she and Sode no Shirayuki were tired. She did not know where she was, but she reached a town. Her clothes were dirty, she was barely hanging on, thirsty, hungry and tired. She remembered seeing a man's figure asking her if she is ok, before collapsing and falling from her horse. The man had orange hair. That must have been Kurosaki Ichigo.

Karakura was a small town, bordering their Empire. She had gotten so far. She was not a princess anymore. At least not in this place and she liked it. So she decided to keep the truth to herself. Her brother and Renji, they would search the Empire to find her. She knew they would come, sooner or later. Or maybe they would never find her outside of the borders. It would be better for everyone this way. She was tired of their concerned faces and her inability to be there for her loved ones. "They better think I am dead. This way they will suffer, but then forget and go on their ways. Goodbye, Seireitei! Goodbye, Renji! Goodbye, brother!"

Hello, everyone! So, Ichigo finally joins the story. Seems like things are relatively calm before the storm. Next chapter will bring more revelations about Aizen and his motives. Enjoy reading! :)