AN: I'm so sorry for the long wait for this update, but rest assured that they are absolutely coming! Thank-you so much for your patience and the always incredibly encouraging words. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 13

The Bad Omen

~8~

Rukia would be fooling no one had she said that the Lords atop their horses did little to intimidate her, so it was to her greatest relief when she watched Grimmjow pull back from the men to ride alongside her. For the hour that the men had set out hunting, Rukia had barely spoken a word to anyone, only throwing discreet glances at Ichigo's back any chance she had, but with the presence of both Senna and Hisana bearing down on her, the opportunities seldom arose. Sighing, she wondered for the umpteenth time how Yoruichi had swayed her to join, particularly when she had spent the good portion of the hour embarrassing herself when her lack of control of her horse made it clear to everyone that she had never ridden before. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny how beautiful of a day it was, and how nice it was to be around people other than her sisters and Ichigo.

The thought of her time spent with Ichigo brought the usual wave of guilt as she glanced at Hisana's back from where she rode merrily next to Senna and her maid. She had never intentionally meant to defy her sister's plea, but before she realised it, two months had passed since Hisana had made her request to which she had found impossible to adhere to. She loathed thinking about it for the secrets and lies that had sprouted between them now seemed endless in a relationship that was built on unshakable trust, but she simply could not find herself selfless enough to stay away from the one person that made her happy. Looking at Senna, who was laughing politely behind a closed fist at something Hisana had said, Rukia again couldn't deny how picture perfect her sister was... and perhaps, how picture perfect Ichigo and Senna would be as King and Queen.

Breaking through her train of thoughts, a large hand suddenly appeared before her as a strong fist reined her horse from again steering off to the side.

"Woman, watch where you are going."

Grimmjow's words only made her want to cower further in shame, especially when she noticed Ichigo was paying no more attention to what his advisors were saying, and was instead glancing over his shoulder at her and her new companion. Riding directly behind Ichigo was of course her sisters, which meant Rukia was quite a distance away from him, but even the distance did little to hinder her detection of the King's sudden terse expression.

"Why do you bother when you cannot even ride?" Grimmjow asked with no attempt to avoid hurting her feelings, a bluntness she found oddly comforting.

"I was invited by Yoruichi." She countered, clutching desperately to her fine thread of dignity which conversely only made her sound like a child and slightly pathetic.

Grimmjow must have realised it too for a chuckle escaped him as he teased, "Well I was invited by the King. So I suppose that makes my being here of greater importance."

Rukia rolled her eyes to herself, "You are a man and a General at that, I am sure you did not need an invitation from his Grace to realise your value against mine."

"You would think that wouldn't you?" He smirked, his eyes revealing to her that she had not imagined the double meaning behind his words.

She tried to look disinterested but knew her attempts were in vain in front of the ever-knowing General, "And what do you mean by that?" She looked away, trying to sound as aloof as her strained voice would allow.

When she shot him a side-long glance, Rukia internally noted how masculine Grimmjow looked as he rode his horse with no effort, as though it was as natural as it were to walk, when she on the other hand could barely even sit comfortably.

With his back straight and eyes trained ahead, taking in the rarity of this moment of friends gathered, he replied, "Well you would think that there should be no comparison between a life-long friend now trusted General of his Kingdom, and a girl whom he has only come to know for four months." As much as his tone was as indifferent as it usually was, she knew without doubt the rare hint of suggestiveness behind his words.

Successfully preventing a blush to spread from cheek to neck, Rukia easily brushed off his words despite the sudden rise in her heartbeat. "I do not know what you speak of, and what you speak of makes little sense."

"Of course." He smiled knowingly, sparing her a quick look to make sure her horse hadn't upheaved her from its back, "So pray tell, have you succumbed to court life gossip yet?" And without missing a beat and speaking whatever registered in his mind, he asked in genuine curiosity, "And shouldn't you be growing, you are still just as small."

"I have grown." She gritted through clenched teeth, her once large beautiful eyes no more than mere slits. "And no I have not yet resorted to the likes of the Courtesans."

"I see." He seemed to dwell on her response, for what reason Rukia did not know, but when he spoke again, his tone had lost its playful edge, "You may want to make the most of the freedom you have now. The time when it will end may be sooner than you think."

She didn't respond to this as a million possibilities filtered through her mind, none being an optimistic prospect. Predictably, Grimmjow halted all thoughts before she got too carried away as he steered the conversation back to a lighter note.

"So." He said, smirking to himself as he counted the third time Ichigo had turned his head in their direction since his companionship, "Not yet corrupted by Court hay? I s'pose then that you have not heard of the rumour about yourself?" The General wondered whether it was just his over-observation, or had Ichigo in fact slowed down his riding? And when Grimmjow noticed that the King was no longer leading the group as customary, he wanted to laugh as his theory was confirmed.

"There is a rumour about me?" Rukia's face lit up in unsuppressed curiosity, even slight fascination that anyone would even bother mentioning her name. At best she was always known as Senna's sister.

"Not just you, it concerns myself also. The rumour that you have grieved our time together in training." The smile he offered her made countless women weak at the knees, but it only served to unnerve Rukia.

"No such thing!" She hadn't even realised that she had jumped as she declared her innocence, but her sudden reaction resulted in alarming her already unpredictable horse that had Grimmjow not reached for the reins in time, the beautiful stallion would have taken off with speed.

"Easy." Grimmjow laughed unabashedly, fast to steady her horse from a sudden sprint, "I was merely speaking in jest, but your reaction has me wondering otherwise."

Grimmjow didn't know what humoured him more; his provocation in the young girl or watching the challenge it was for Ichigo to keep his distance. His laugh had Ichigo forsaking any subtlety as the King had turned to look at them so quickly that Grimmjow found himself with a larger audience than he had hoped for.

"Grimmjow, my sincerest apologies for interrupting your courtship, but perhaps you may wish to partake in the hunting?" Kyouraku, one of the most trusted and longstanding advisors amongst the men, suggested smoothly albeit impishly as he rose a good-natured eyebrow at the teal-haired man.

"Leave him be." Shuuhei interrupted apathetically, "He has all his days to hunt, but his prospect of marriage however is fast passing him by." His indifferent demeanour could have fooled a bystander into thinking that he was merely commenting on the weather and not in fact insulting one of the most feared men in the Kingdom.

Urahara, who had been riding next to his wife and speaking relentlessly for the past hour could not find it in himself to hold back from his own input, "You have obviously never had the misfortune of stumbling across his bed chambers in the early hours of dawn."

"No, and I am still counting my blessings." Shuuhei quipped back easily; sincerely relieved he had not come across such misfortune.

"Quite right Shuuhei," Grimmjow shrugged unfazed and still riding next to Rukia, much to Ichigo's agitation, "you wouldn't know what to do with all that woman."

Kyouraku and Urahara, two typically joyful men, did not hold back from their loud cackling as Senna and Hisana, though surprised by the nature of the conversation, couldn't hide their amusement at the back and forth jabs. One individual however, found neither humour nor amusement in the conversation, and instead continued to ride in silence as the jealousy steadfastly mounted. Ichigo was glad that most was only able to see his back, save for Kyouraku who rode alongside him, for he was fast losing his hold over his envy of the General's freedom to act as he pleased, and he himself could not. He failed to acknowledge that despite his trust in both Rukia and his friend, that the two had inevitably developed a friendship, one he childishly wished hadn't come to fruition.

"If I may remind you gentlemen that you are in the presence of fair maidens." Yoruichi rolled her eyes as she watched the men, revered and influential, regress to the likes of young girls.

"Yes, but all soon to be family." Her selectively wise husband offered, to which the exotic beauty could only again roll her eyes.

"How about it lady Rukia? Why not consider Grimmjow, he is certainly dashing for those with acquired tastes." Kyouraku called over his shoulder and thus missing how tense and rigid the King had suddenly become from his proposal.

"I could have any woman under the sun." Grimmjow asserted his pride for safekeeping, though he was far from falling for their bait. He was however, amused at the uncharacteristically silent King who, on any other occasion, would have easily and happily joined in on the jabs.

"That is for lady Rukia to decide." Another selectively wise advisor spoke up; though it did impress Grimmjow how long it had taken Shinji to say something. The man was typically the one, much like Urahara and Kyouraku, to fuel on the repartee.

"Imagine that, the elder sister wedded to the King, and the youngest wedded to the General. Not bad." Whilst the words were somewhat spoken to himself, most were able to hear Kyouraku's thoughts, particularly the man riding next to him whose hands immediately gripped the reins far too harshly as he felt a discomfort in his chest too painful to dismiss.

Once Shinji was part of any banters, there was certainly no way he would leave it alone, "Perhaps we should part ways with you and the lady, what do you say General?" He offered with an accompaniment of a waggle of his eyebrows that almost had Yoruichi reaching over and slapping him over the head.

"I say you are threatened by my presence with women. Rightfully so." To faze Grimmjow was a task only accomplished by the rarest, and whilst one of those rarest was amongst the group, Ichigo felt no desire to contribute.

"Here here!" Urahara laughed, "Even if Grimmjow was a wedded man, he would very likely still draw more women than you Shinji."

Shinji shot Urahara a death glare only to be overlooked and ignored as he proceeded to mumble underneath his breath how it was only a stroke of luck that Urahara had managed someone like Yoruichi.

"What do you say my Lord, will you grant the two your blessings?" The eldest of the advisors asked with mirth.

Unfortunately that had been the last straw for Ichigo as he replied with a seriousness and abruptness that rendered everyone silent and somewhat shocked, "Absolutely not!" Immediately realising his slip of facade, he quickly amended, "I bear no grudge towards the lady to befall upon her such a wretched fate." Though he was able to fabricate his words with underlying mirth, it took every effort in him to speak so offhandedly about something that made his heart feel like it was being crushed just by the mere thought of it all.

At least he was able to fool most of them... but Rukia had yet to tear her gaze from his back. For the briefest of moments, she wished it was she who was riding alongside him.

"Ahh quite true. I am afraid you are to remain a free man for the rest of your days General." Kyouraku laughed.

"Happily so."

Riding with no real intent to hunt, Urahara stared off into the beautiful scenery as the words escaped him before he had any time to assess the repercussions of his thoughts, "Mm. Good wholesome women are rare to come across these days."

The men unanimously choked back a laugh knowing well the temperament of his wife, and when she turned her head slowly with a look that promised of many cold lonely nights ahead for Urahara, the men almost felt sorry for the genius, "I hadn't realised you were still looking Kisuke."

"Are you saying good women in general or good women for Grimmjow?" Shinji asked.

"There is no such thing as one good woman for Grimmjow." Ichigo responded with a roll of his eyes, no ill-intent or malice in his words, just a fact he had come to learn over his years of friendship with the man.

"I agree." Kyouraku concurred, honestly enjoying the topic of women more than most other things, "So what is a good wholesome woman to his Grace? And I don't mean for you to go on naming lady Senna's traits."

Senna immediately felt a blush cover her cheeks when all Rukia could do was bite her bottom lip from how jarring she found those words to be. She definitely did not want to realise how much it hurt to even hear their names together in the same sentence.

Ichigo on the other hand held back from outwardly sighing and prayed to the Gods for a distraction...but his prayers went by unheard as no sign of animal appeared before them for them to participate in what they had initially come out for, hunting. It didn't help that his unrelenting headache over the past two days had only grown to intensify, and with the sun bearing down on him, he simply did not have it in him to contest his men. So he responded half-heartedly, hoping his response would satisfy their curiosity. "A kind woman."

The silence that came afterwards felt so loud that Ichigo knew he had done little to satiate their interests. He hoped that perhaps if he kept silent for long enough, his men would just dismiss the subject entirely, but alas, judging by the transpiring of the day so far, he knew that luck was not on his side today. Ichigo could just feel the way his advisors were looking at him.

The first to break the uncomfortable silence was none other than Shinji, "He is the man all Courtesans fight over?"

"I believe being a King might play a small part." Kyouraku dismissed cheekily.

Rolling his eyes, Ichigo said the first honest thing that came to mind, "A woman with an opinion then." Any hope for a tranquil moment to calm his headache now seemed futile.

For whatever reason, Rukia felt a jolt spike through her at Ichigo's words, only to quickly set aside the notion that he had been referring to her.

"Ooh, I'm not sure about that." Shinji pondered earnestly.

Shuuhei didn't even bother to glance at Shinji as he spoke, but his deadpanned tone spoke volume of his thoughts of the man, "And that is why you remain backwards and lonely."

"Intelligent women are my weakness." Urahara quickly added, hoping to get back onto his wife's good side, only to prove ineffective when all that he accomplished was an impassive look in return.

"But what does the King value? What personally captures the Lord's attention?" If Kyouraku wasn't one of his most valued right hand men, Ichigo would not have hesitated in sending the brilliant mind into exile, but as it were, not only was he gifted with experience and wholly trustworthy, Ichigo had also respected him as a child.

So he took a calming breath and thought over his words, yet regardless of his attempt to respond as ambiguously as possible, he was only able to register the one answer, the one face, in his mind. Whilst hoping that no one would be able to distinguish his words properly, he knew his words couldn't be more specific to understanding ears. Deep down he had always wanted her to know.

He looked over his shoulder; this time making sure his eyes captured her amethyst ones but discreetly enough so that the rest would only think he was glancing at them as a group, he spoke honestly, hoping his words would reach her.

"...A woman who loves animals."

In that moment, the men again broke into laughter as Ichigo vaguely heard some of them accuse him of how obvious it was that he was referring to his fiancée for her beautiful grace and handle over her mare. Even Senna was too caught up in the moment to realise what he had truly meant for she could not contain the smile that broke out across her features.

Ichigo could not remember a time where he had wanted something more than his current desire to turn around and sought out Rukia's reaction in that moment. He swallowed, hoping to ease the drumming of his heartbeat and the pounding of his head. He didn't know where the bravery and courage came from to inadvertently declare to Rukia an inkling of his feelings, but after the recent two months spent with her, he knew he was slowly losing control over his desire for her. Had she known of the moments he had seen nothing but her lips, or the thoughts he had harboured for her every night, he was sure she would be left blushing and running as far away from him as possible. Still, in his heart, he knew this self-denial was much like fighting a losing battle, only this time, he was content to surrender, and surrendering he was.

He gripped his reins, desperate to risk a glance at the small girl who had him completely enraptured, and yet a part of him feared seeing something he did not want to see. Perhaps she had not understood, or worse, did not reciprocate his feelings. Closing his eyes momentarily to clear the black spots dancing in his vision, he calmed his heartbeat and assured himself that her smiles for him were all very real, the ease she felt around him was all apparent... even the guilt. She thought she had him fooled, but he saw how torn she was being with him, yet his overwhelming need to be with her prevented him from doing the right thing, and that was, as an engaged man, to stay away from his fiancee's sister. So he had pretended to take no notice and they had both continued on closed off to the rest of the world.

He understood her guilt all too well, he too felt horrible, and if it was within his power, he would do anything to make sure no one would get hurt in this crossfire... but that was a fantasy too unrealistic to ever dwell on. So all he knew was that if ever came the day where he would have to spare anyone from heartache, in spite of everything else, in spite of whether it was deemed right or wrong, it would be Rukia he would protect.

Rukia found it almost impossible to tear her eyes away from Ichigo's broad back as he carried himself like the King that he was, nor could she believe Ichigo's declaration. All at once their first meeting came rushing back to her, from when he had handed Berry over to her to when she had mistook him to be a garden boy. She felt numb all over and could no longer hear anything aside from the slow inhale and exhale of her own breathing. Her thoughts were at a complete halt and only the image of Ichigo's handsome features deeply imprinted in her mind registered to her in her stupor.

For too long she had repressed any thoughts that had questioned her genuine relationship with Ichigo, too long she had ignored her own needs for those of her sister's, too long she had wondered what it would feel like to rest against his broad sturdy chest and drift off to sleep to the sound of his heartbeat. She never dared to wonder when she had started to resent Senna, or how she had come to defy Hisana, but before she realised it, she had done it all for the one person. The one person who was entirely forbidden to her, yet the one whom she had risked so much for. Deep down, she knew there was nothing innocent about all of this, and though the guilt was consuming at times, the presence of Ichigo assured her that it would always be worth it.

Slowly she urged her horse to pick up pace as her need to be close to Ichigo was begging to be satiated. She had almost passed Hisana when Hisana threw her a curious look, knowing well that her eldest sister was being overly cautious before Senna's ever observant eyes, but Rukia paid no heed.

And then, an unexplainable feeling of dread washed over her. A chill so awful it almost rendered Rukia motionless. In mere moments, she watched the back of Ichigo sway.

And with horrified eyes, she watched the King fall from his horse.

A fear engulfed her as Ichigo, a pillar of strength to her, now lay limp against the grass. And though it was clear that he was still conscious as he attempted to lift himself up, in his weakened state, he did not manage.

Immediately her thoughts went rushing to the headache he had mentioned to her but had been too carelessly dismissive of. She had chastised him to rest, but he had only teased her about being worried, effectively ceasing further talk of his exhausted state. Now she could only reprimand herself for not being firm enough with her stance. Quick and desperate to be by his side, Rukia made a move to slide off her horse before her actions were halted midway when her sister's voice broke through.

"My Lord!" Senna cried out in sincere concern as she gracefully slid from her saddle and ran to Ichigo.

Rukia watched on in a heartbreaking daze as Senna lifted Ichigo's head onto her lap and against her chest before his kind brown orbs blinked open. She barely registered the rushed footsteps hurrying towards the King as his advisors were quick to make sure that Ichigo was unhurt. It seemed Ichigo was quite alright as he reassured everyone gathered around him that it was merely exhaustion that had overwhelmed him, but Senna was reluctant to relinquish her hold over him.

Suddenly Rukia's dream had all but dissipated into thin air as she stared blankly at the scene unfolding before her. Just like that, the spell had come undone. Numb again, this time for an entirely different reason, a reason that was tearing her up inside, she watched on in understanding of her predicament and understood at once that she did not have the power to tamper with fate. Just the thought of wanting to be close to Ichigo brought upon the worst kind of omen all Kings feared... the King fell from his horse the moment she tried to near him. Her chest squeezed painfully.

Rukia felt like she was choking as a surge of unwanted emotions overtook her entire being. She had never felt pain so excruciating before. Nothing in her young years could compare to such awfulness. Her heart was breaking into pieces, or perhaps something had pierced it, whatever it was, she was quite certain nothing could ever make this feeling stop.

As she sat frozen atop her horse, very much alone as she vaguely realised Grimmjow was no longer next to her, she could see that Senna's tears of worry were real and her concern completely sincere as she clutched desperately to the man she was destined and sanctioned to love. And Ichigo, his gentle comforting words to ease her worries were perfectly fitting for the scene. Their faces were so close that Rukia couldn't help but think how typically fitting for a heartfelt kiss at that exact moment... as it should be. That was the customary ending to any good play.

Senna truly loved Ichigo.

This was how it was meant to be, Senna rightfully by Ichigo's side. No matter how desperately she wanted to claw her way through to him, the invisible barriers of fate were set in stone and forever unyielding. It would never come to be.

And then Hisana's words resonated within her very soul.

"Stay away from the King."

This time, she was truly hearing them.

~8~

Standing off to the side, knowing her place and keeping silent in her emotional torment, another lone heart broke.

But as the heartache intensified, so did the hatred.

Staring at Senna as the love of her life was clutched in another's arms, Inoue felt darkness clouding her heart.

~8~