The Hunt of the Unicorn
English version of 'La caza del unicornio' Rukia.
Synopsis: Rukia, the only sister of Rokubantai's Daimyo, has been kidnapped by another enemy Daimyo who requires her for a nefarious purpose, this will lead her to discover things about herself that she did not even imagine.
"Dialogs"
"Thoughts/ Telepathic talking"
Part One
The palanquin's space was small, intended to ensure that she could not move or escape.
"Relax, Rukia-Hime, or you won't be able to do your job properly," said the voice of a middle-aged man. It was none other than Sosuke no Aizen, the Daimyo de Hooru and Gobantai lands.
"How do you expect me to relax if you kidnapped me when I was going to my wedding?" She was still dressed in her Shiromuku and she didn't know where they were taking her to.
"You are alive, aren't you?" He said it as if that was enough, as if he hadn't forced her to see how he violently murdered the entire entourage of the Abarai family, whom she supposedly would join with a small security squad that should have escorted her to the small temple the Abarai chose for the wedding ceremony.
Aizen made sure not to leave anyone alive, including villagers and priests, and to force the entourage that escorted her to her husband's lands to take poison so that none would not return to inform her brother or clan what happened and, also, for the simple pleasure of watching them slowly die.
Rukia was in silent protest, she would not grant him the honor of bowing to his whims, because if he did that to those who stood in his way, what would he do to her?
He does not want her as a wife or as a hostage because he has not sent her brother for ransom, he could have requested it from the Abarai family if he had stolen her beforehand. No, Sosuke Aizen doesn't want anyone to know that she is with him.
"Aizen-sama, is this place adequate enough to set up camp?"
"Yes, we are near a crystalline lagoon and a field of flowers. Make our guest comfortable and send O-ri to dress her appropriately."
Rukia could hear the whole exchange from the inside of her palanquin and worried because they would be camping in such an open and unprotected place, weren't they worried about thieves attacking them?
They did not take long to move her and let her out of the palanquin. She realized that there were behind some rather thick trees and bushes, yet still allowed a little view of the lake and flower field.
"Follow me, Hime-sama," Said a girl with bright red hair who was pointing to a tent they were setting up.
The girl was wearing a simple but expensive kimono, she must be a high-ranking servant. The girl, surely O-ri, was leading her in the direction of the lake where they were mounting folding screens.
"Aizen-sama has ordered me to remove your makeup and wedding attire," She explained, seeing Rukia's confused face, when they headed towards the lake instead of the tent"after that I will dress you appropriately.
"Why are we stopping here? Wouldn't it be safer to stop at a fortress?"
"Aizen-sama requires you to be in this place."
"I don't understand, if he wants a ransom, you should send a messenger to my brother. Nii-sama will pay him anything he wants."
"Aizen-sama only wants your virginity, Hime-sama, well, that is, if you are," O-ri said in a voice so subdued and nervous that it terrified Rukia. "Only a maiden can help him."
"What?!"
What would they do to her? Why did they need something like her virginity?
"Get undressed, Hime-sama, you must take a bath to purify your body."
Rukia was about to protest but saw that, behind O-ri, was an escort with a katana ready to draw it in case she resisted. So she had to put up with the whistles and taunts of some of Aizen's men when she began to undress behind the screen.
The screen only protected her while she undressed and undid her complicated headdress, but she could still feel their lustful glances travel all over her figure as she entered the water, which fortunately was not cold because it was already spring, and began to wash her body and face of the heavy makeup on her face.
When she came out of the water, on the orders of O-ri, she had to smear a peculiar oil highly perfumed with flowers all over her body and dress in a white nagajuban before being guided to the tent that would be hers, in which there was only one mat, a coat rack and a futon to lie on.
"Aizen-sama has asked me to inform you that you must not leave this tent until further notice," She said after finishing brushing her hair.
"What can I do? What does that man want from me?" Rukia thought, unable to flee because her tent was located exactly in the center of the camp and was protected by a sentry who from time to time put his head in and gave her a look that made her uncomfortable and disliked intensely. It was not sexual, it was, rather, as if she were a rare specimen soon to be part of a cruel experiment.
In the distance she seemed to hear the neighing of a horse, although it sounded unusual, as if it were an echo that resounded in her ears and called to her.
"Why doesn't that horse stop whining?" She asked aloud when she noticed that it seemed that no one was attending to the poor animal.
"Oh, so can you hear him too, Rukia-hime?" Aizen entered the tent, followed by a couple of servants who put up two folding chairs and a table and O-ri who came out and quickly returned with a jug and two glasses of sake that began to serve.
"What do you need me for, Aizen-dono?" Rukia asked after taking the cup that was offered to her, although she didn't drink from it. She looked at its content suspiciously.
"It's not a horse..."Aizen said before taking a drink from his cup and having O-ri refill it.
"Pardon?"
"What you heard was not a horse..."
"In that case, what did I hear?" She didn't understand what Aizen was referring to, but preferred to get as much information out of him as she could, maybe that would allow her to run away.
"Drink, Rukia-hime, don't be rude, it took me a lot of work to get this sake," He pressured her to drink with his gaze when he noticed that she was only holding the cup between her fingers, the sake tasted sweet and sour at the same time, it also left a thick sensation in her mouth that grew cool and warm at the same time as it passed down her chest and settled placidly on her belly. The bastard was enjoying playing with her, it was obvious that the sake was adulterated in some way". The creature we are listening to is something akin to a kirin"He said mysteriously.
"A kirin? A mythological creature?" By the tone of her voice, Rukia showed she was annoyed by the daimyo's taunt, although she was also beginning to feel thirsty so she took another sip of the sake until it was empty.
"Yes, something like that, in fact it is called a unicorn and I wish to catch it. O-ri. Fill the princess's cup, I'm sure she wants more."
"And how do you plan to catch SUCH a magical creature?" Rukia said sarcastically before consuming the contents of her cupin one gulp. If the kirin did not exist, much less a creature she had never heard of before.
"God, what a good sake!" Passed through Rukia's head for a moment before O-ri refilled her cup again without needing to receive an order.
"You are still a maiden, aren't you?" Aizen asked, there was some lust and sadism in his eyes.
"What kind of question is that?" She said indignantly, she was seventeen years old, and again they brought up such a topic. Of course she was a virgin! Just because she was still single compared to most of the girls her age or that her brother rejected every proposal he received for her hand, until the elders chose for him, for no apparent reason, did not mean that it was because she had been licentious.
"A more important one than you think, but don't worry, we'll find out tomorrow," Aizen said as he got up from his seat and a pair of servants entered and took away the table and one of the chairs.
"What does that mean?" Rukia caught the ominous tone in Aizen's words.
"That, you will find out tomorrow, Rukia-hime. O-ri will take care of your needs and prepare you, so I ask you, for O-ri's sake, not to try to escape," by the way the young servant trembled, Rukia realized that he was not a ruse. She would do something to the redhead if he tried to escape... and, maybe, he would do it to her too.
"After supper I will comb your hair, Hime-sama," O-ri said with downcast eyes and left the tent to bring any necessary items.
Lunch and dinner were vast, a small feast in which they served more sake just for her, considering the circumstances, and the company, they were... well, two guards watched them at all times. One was taciturn and kept his eyes on O-ri and the other was a bully who did his best to get the attention of the first guard. Rukia should be thankful that they had pulled out once she finished dinner and O-ri started combing her hair.
Although Rukia was distracted, the whining made her heart flutter. She didn't even complain when O-ri pulled her hair hard or paid attention to the beautiful kimono that was hung on the rack that, guessed, she would wear the next morning.
"Is the call too strong, Hime-sama?" O-ri asked, while she made a complex hairstyle with combs, tweezers and needles.
"Eh?" The sake had affected her senses a bit.
"The unicorn, does it make your heart race or your legs tremble?" The tone of her voice was understanding and soft, and, although Rukia did not want to admit that it made her feel something in her belly that she did not quite understand, she hoped that it was because of the sake.
"Do you hear it too?"
"Not this unicorn, I no longer hear them."
Rukia turned in her place, the young maid's beautiful face reflected tremendous sadness and sorrow.
"What did you mean by 'no longer'?"
"... I... before... when I was still a maiden..."
They heard hurried steps that approached the tent before that soldier named Ulquiorra entered.
"Onna, Aizen-sama wishes you to hurry up and go to attend him. When you finish, Jaegerjaques and I will be waiting for you to take care of your tent."
The girl's face and ears turned so red that she looked like she would start fuming from her ears at any moment.
"Y-yes, I'll be right in a moment, I'm almost done," In her voice there wasn't even a hint of fear.
"Does she... does she serve them that way too?" Rukia wondered at the girl's reactions, she seemed pained, although somewhat eager to go and attend the daimyo.
When the soldier left, O-ri continued with her task of combing her hair, although now she did it more quickly. She was in a hurry.
"Before I go," the maid began to speak in a very low voice, almost mute, when she was almost finishing her hairstyle," you must know that Aizen-sama is also affected by the unicorn's neigh." So whatever happens, stay away from Aizen-sama's tent.
"What do you mean?" She hadn't planned to leave the tent.
"A few years ago I was also able to hear unicorns and when Aizen-sama found me I realized that the call also affected him... it still does."
"Affect it, how?"
"One night before we arrived at the flower field where we would find the unicorn, Aizen-sama asked me to accompany him to see the moon... and I gladly accepted."
"The moon? It's a very strange metaphor" Rukia thought, sometimes she had a hard time understanding the double meanings of others.
"The unicorn is looking for something, I don't know what it is, but if he's not careful Aizen-sama will catch him and I don't want to imagine what he will do to him. Aizen-sama told me that they are very dangerous beings"She lowered her voice again". So, I hid one of your dowry's gifts, use it when you meet the unicorn. They say that his blood protects from evil, so do not hesitate to bathe yourself with it if you feel in danger.
O-ri finished her hair so she started putting away her combs and hair ornaments.
"O-ri," the girl stopped her task, "what does a unicorn look like?
The girl smirked before answering.
"Mine was a beautiful black stallion with a golden horn, but I think there are different colors."
"And what happened to him?"
"... I don't know, he left before I could mount him, although he attacked and took out Aizen-sama's escorts on that occasion." Such a shame, he looked so strong and wonderful, he would have been an excellent war horse.
"Wait," Rukia noticed something in O-ri's way of speaking, "you're not a normal servant, you're Aizen-dono's lover..."
O-ri just smiled mysteriously and quietly left, moving her hips with a certain flirtation of what she would do with her lord and master.
If she weren't so dizzy from the sake and the floor spinned, she'd swear she saw a flash of malice on O-ri's face.
When Rukia was left alone in the tent she crawled in search for what O-ri hid, it didn't take long for her to find the gift she was referring to. It was the zanpakuto Sode no Shirayuki, an all-white ceremonial katana, made in her image, or so the smithmaster told her when he handed it to her parents in her seventh spring.
"Why did he leave me this?" Rukia wondered as she sat on the futon to admire the katana, they almost never let her hold it even though it belonged to her "Is it because... she wants to help me escape?"
Rukia was trying to collect her thoughts when she heard the unicorn call out to her again. The effects of the sake seemed to potentiate it.
The whinny she heard felt so close and rumbling in her ears made her lose what little concentration she had for a moment. Rukia's heart began to beat rapidly.
"He is calling to me," Rukia finally accepted it, "he wants me to go with him."
She was feeling anxious and she was not sleepy despite her clouded mind. She felt that she must go somewhere immediately. She got up from the futon determined to go where she had to go.
As quietly as she could, she approached the entrance to her tent and poked her head out of it. There was no one guarding her entrance, there was not even anyone near her. The fires were out, except for a few lamps. It was not too late to relax any surveillance.
"Have they gone to sleep? It's not normal... it can't be normal..." She told herself when she didn't see anyone after several minutes "Maybe I shouldn't..."
As she headed back, unsure of what she should do, she heard another nehinning that suddenly cleared her mind.
"He's close," She felt it in her heart, she must have gone by now.
She looked at the kimono hanging on the rack, she wasn't sure if she should put it on herself, she had never dressed alone in her life, but the spring night was cold and the thin fabric of her nagajuban would not protect her from the cold.
Without any delay, she put on and knotted the kimono as best she could, took Sode no Shirayuki, which she knotted around her waist, and the lantern that they had left in her tent.