Young God
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Distant cackling of burning wood can be heard from the hearth in the room. The roaring fire chases away the chill, offering warmth as the frosty gales billow and howl unperturbed outside. Its light lends itself to the gleam in Shirayuki's lilac eyes as she sizes up her opponent sitting across the table from her.
"Your move," says Shirayuki as she slides her knight onto the square next to the black king.
A square board of sixty-four alternating white and black tiles, eight on each side lies between them. A game of sixteen chess pieces arranged in two neat rows- eight pawns to line the first and on the last row, first comes the rook, then knight, bishop thereafter, and finally the queen and her king. The queen is on her colour and white always moves first.
White is very much her colour.
There is a glimpse of pale skin as Shirayuki lifts her arms, one hand rolling up the long furisode sleeves delicately while the other makes her move. Her silken kimono slides cool against her skin. The heavy silver-threaded embroidery of moon flowers and flying cranes at the hem of her collars and sleeves glimmers white and soft in the low light. She is the very epitome of grace and elegance, silvery white hair coifed and arranged behind the crystal diadem perched on her head.
Zangetsu smirks. He drapes himself across the arm chair carelessly, a hint of feline grace in the set of his shoulders and the way he sits. Tall and broad-shouldered, he doesn't shy away from her gaze. His strange eyes- one blue, the other yellow peer at her every bit as intently. He leans back against his seat, a finger tapping at his chin as he mulls over his choices. His own queen had been captured a while ago and his remaining chess pieces- two pawns and a bishop are of no help to his king. He positions his pawn in front of his king.
"The king's weak without the queen there to protect 'im."
Shirayuki frowns. "Are you referring to the game or something else?"
"I don't know," says Zangetsu with a careless shrug. He props his head on his hand, looking amused and not at all affected by his imminent loss. "Whaddya think, Yuki?"
The woman rolls her eyes in response. "I think that one of these days I'll tire of your cryptic riddles and kick you out of my world."
"Nah, you'd miss me too much," he says with a wry grin, "These winter nights can be awfully lonely without someone by your side to warm the bed. I seem to recall a certain snow lady panting and begging for more the night before."
His eyes flash with heat and the grin on his face deepens as he pushes himself forward, leaning on his elbows braced against the rosewood table to close the distance between them. "I'd like to think I've kept my woman satisfied- well enough for her to keep me around to scratch her itch whenever she's in the mood for something more stimulating than chess."
"Don't be crass," Shirayuki chides, giving him a cool glare. "Need I remind you that you are treading on very thin ice? You have not been honest with me, Zangetsu. Your wielder- Ichigo, what is he? He's not a Quincy, not in the strictest sense of the word at least. He can't be with you here as his zanpakutou spirit. And I know you said that his powers- Shinigami, Hollow and Quincy are all part of the schrift given to him by that thing but I don't buy it. That monster plays at being God but there are limits to what he can do, no matter how powerful he thinks he is. No- there's something else at play here- something very different and unnatural. What aren't you telling me?"
Zangetsu rolls his eyes, an exasperated tone in his voice as he scoffs. "I told you everything there is to know, Yuki! The King's a Quincy. You think Yhwach would just take in a Shinigami/Hollow/Quincy hybrid and make him his heir and Crown Prince to his empire?"
Shirayuki scowls fiercely but says nothing. There is sound logic behind Zangetsu's argument. Yhwach is a monster who hates everything Shinigami with a vengeance. He wouldn't have made anyone an exception to his rule. But she stands by what she said: Zangetsu's wielder is not just a Quincy who was put through gruelling training and turned into an anomalous hybrid after drinking the monster's blood. She has a nagging suspicion that there is more to the story- more to the story of a grief-stricken Masaki who fled the Human World with her surviving kin after the devastation of Auswählen. There has to be more. She just doesn't have all the pieces of the puzzle to put things together yet.
Taking advantage of her silence, Zangetsu presses on, trying to placate Shirayuki by addressing her main concern. "He means Queenie no harm. He'd sooner cut out his own heart than do anything to hurt her. The King– he's scared stiff of losing her. He'd do anything to keep her—"
"Then what is Ichigo really after? What is he planning? More importantly, what does he want from Rukia? Why did he bring her here to Silbern?"
Shirayuki fixes him with a stern glare. She may have shared her bed with the man, used his body to satiate her own needs but her loyalty to Rukia comes first. She told her mistress to trust her captor with no real evidence to support her claim beyond the words of a strange silver-haired man who warms her bed and has an unhealthy tendency to silence her questions with his kisses. She has to make sure for both of their sakes that the trust is not misplaced.
"Isn't it obvious, Yuki? What he wants from her—" his lips curl into a knowing smirk, eyebrows wiggling— "if you haven't already heard 'em going at it."
Shirayuki colours. The pleasure Rukia feels echoes through the bond that they share and that feeling is potent. For every toe-curling, spine-tingling sensation that has her wielder unravelling into a puddle of goo at the touch of her man, Shirayuki feels it just as acutely, catching glimpses of naked bodies entwined in carnal rapture that has her heart racing, fists clenching against the soft silk as she crosses her legs, avoiding eye contact with Zangetsu.
It makes her ache in kind for him. The memories of their own sweat-dampened bodies coiling and writhing together in bed and the noises that they make replay in her mind. Zangetsu has a mouth on him and he is silver-tongued in more ways than one. She knows how utterly sinful it feels to have the press of his tongue flat against her throbbing clit, licking and sucking at her until she is nearly incoherent with lust. She remembers lying on her back, fingers tugging sharply at his hair as Zangetsu keeps a strong grip on her thighs, holding her down, eating her out and edging her for hours on end. The things they do to each other in bed would have easily made Rukia blush, but what her wielder doesn't know won't hurt her. The Shinigami didn't ask and after tonight, well- maybe she'll understand how hard it is to say no and resist temptation.
Something of her desire must have showed in her eyes. She feels Zangetsu's excitement in the slow curling smirk on his lips, the heated looks he sends her from the corner of his eyes with every sudden ripple of pleasure that shudders through their wielders. He knows what he is doing. Everything from the casual gap in the front of his tunic to the messy shock of white hair covering his eyes is designed to tempt her and lure her into bed with him. She would have taken him up on his offer in a heartbeat on most nights. Shirayuki is no blushing bride and no stranger to the deviousness of his mind, the depravity and depth of his want for her.
But no, not today; she has made up her mind. Zangetsu has a way with words and is always so cryptic with his answers. Tonight at the very least, Shirayuki stands firm: she will offer him no place in her bed unless he yields to her and dispenses some truth from his spew of silver-tongued riddles.
Time is ticking. There has been enough of it wasted in talking in riddles and going around in circles.
"Checkmate," says Shirayuki. Her white queen moves five squares up diagonally, stopping right next to his black king. There is no escape. The white queen captures the black king, ending their game.
"You lose."
Zangetsu gives her lazy grin in response. There is smugness in his tone as he taunts. "Ya need to look closer, Yuki. I won."
Shirayuki furrows her brows. "Where?"
Her attention falls to the chess board. The chess pieces are exactly where they lie. The white queen is next to the fallen black king, her white knight three rows below her; white rooks and black pawns, the black queen lying behind their lines of casualty as Shirayuki tallies them. Everything is as it is and as it should be. She won- fair and square.
"Look up."
Their lips meet. Zangetsu sweeps her up into his arms, silencing her surprised gasp with the press of his mouth hot and needy against hers. His wandering hands make quick work of her obi sash with practised ease. The front of the kimono gaps and he roughly pushes it off her shoulders. The silken finery pools to the floor, falling beneath their feet but he doesn't care enough of it to spare it a second glance, opting to snake his arm around Shirayuki's waist, pressing her tighter against him with one hand while the other eagerly grabs her by the knee, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist. The nagajuban that she wears underneath is near translucent and she hisses at the feel of his bulge pressed close to her own damp sex.
Shirayuki hears a muffled curse, pressed to the side of her face when Zangetsu's back knocks against the table. She is dimly aware of the chessboard being knocked over, ivory and onyx carved chess pieces falling to the carpeted floor, but she couldn't bring herself to care. It is much too hard to focus at anything else at all when Zangetsu has a hand at her ass, kneading and squeezing at the tender flesh while grinding himself against her.
Zangetsu smirks at the sudden gasp of his name- needy and desperate from her lips as she wraps her legs tighter around him. Shirayuki carries herself like she is a statue made of ice- cold and unfeeling, would have people believing that she has nothing but poise and aloofness running through her veins. Zangetsu knows better. Zanpakutou spirits are the truest reflection of their master's soul. Much like her petite wielder, Shirayuki is a passionate lover, slaking his thirst and lust for her with a fire that burns every bit as bright and needy for him.
He dips his head lower towards hers, deepening their kiss. He sucks lightly at her tongue and nibbles at her lips, coaxing at her to surrender and give in to pleasure. She slides her hands through his hair, making it even messier as she tugs at it in a bid to have him slide closer, pressed fuller to her. Her efforts are rewarded with a choking groan of her name and the crystal crown on her head falls with a heavy clatter as he pushes his hand into her hair.
Her hands slip under his shirt- an instinctive need to feel his hot skin, naked and burning against her own. He grunts when her nails dig into the flesh of his back, breaking the skin and drawing blood. But it doesn't bother him enough to stop. Shirayuki can leave as many of her marks and bites on him as she wants. It just means that he gets to do the same with her later.
Her hands are clenched fists at the front of his clothes, just a step away from ripping his tunic apart when they finally part for air. Zangestu is the first to recover as he shamelessly slaps and squeezes at her ass cheeks, kneading the flesh when she hisses in displeasure. Shirayuki snarls at the sight of his smug grin, the teasing gleam in his eyes as he looks down, wordlessly drinking in the sight of her glazed eyes and wild hair.
She swats him on his chest, her eyebrows furrowed angrily as she pants, breathing through her mouth as she tries to fix her messy hair to no avail. "Y-You liar! You tricked me!"
Zangetsu merely cackles. "All's fair in love and war," he crows, "There's more than one way to capture a Queen."
Shirayuki is far from the poised lady that she was merely moments ago. Zangetsu thinks he prefers her like this- angry frown and all, looking like a woman in heat and in need for her lover's touch. Her chest heaves and she is a little pink in the face. Her lips are tingling, swollen from the heated kisses. Compared to Zangetsu, she is near naked and her clothes leave very little to imagination. The front of her under robes dips to show the swell of her breasts. Her pebbled nipples strain against the soft material with the ends of the garment pushed up to her waist. Shapely thighs and long pale legs are curved around his waist; revealing fuzzy silver curls on her soft mound when she moves and pivots her hips, making him groan with every shift and wiggle as her wet slit teases and brushes at his erection through his trousers.
She smirks. Zangetsu's deviousness is rubbing off on her. He fancies himself a conqueror- the winner to their game tonight but it doesn't even take much for her to turn the tables on him. Her eyes gleam with purpose as she leans in closer towards him, licking at her lips before brushing them at his. Two can play at that game.
Her tongue slips into his mouth, distracting him while her hand slips past the waistband of his trousers to wrap around his straining erection. The sudden feel and warmth of her palm on his sensitive member makes him jump. He squeezes his eyes tightly shut, moaning loud when she begins pumping him. He bucks his hips at her, whimpering as her grip slides to the head of his cock, her thumb teasingly rubbing at his wet slit.
It feels so good.
He doesn't have to look up to know how much Shirayuki enjoys this, seeing him at her mercy with his quivering lips and barely-coherent moans. He grits his teeth, nipping at the flesh of her exposed collarbone in retaliation as he hides his red face in the crook of her shoulders, his hot breath and soft hair tickling her skin.
"Y-You're going to be the death of me, Yuki," he growls. With a sharp nip at her throat, Zangetsu reaches for her hand, tugging at her wrist to wrench her away from his cock. He gives a sharp hiss at the sudden absence of warmth but it doesn't stop him from throwing Shirayuki over his shoulder, carrying her towards the direction of the bedroom. He has plans for tonight and where possible, he does try to be gentle. It is best to have her on the bed before this goes any further.
By the time this night is over, he will make sure that his snow queen has a matching mark to those that she left on him, her fair skin dotted with enough bruises and teeth mark that her wielder doesn't have to ask to know what- or rather who- she got up to. The party is only just beginning and he will be damned if he lets himself be outdone by Ichigo.
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"Rukia."
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She wakes up to the press of hungry kisses down her throat. She groans at the feel of naked skin pressed to her own: his front to her back with his arms raised to wrap themselves tighter around her waist. His kisses fall to her eyelids, trailing lower to brush at the corner of her lips, her cheeks, down the side of her neck before trailing upwards to nibble at her lips again.
The roughness of his stubble pricks at her sensitive skin and his musky scent envelops her, cocooning her in a bubble of warmth, making her feel safe and cared for. Her lips curl into a smile. Even with her eyes shut, she can feel Ichigo's warmth pressed to her back. She instinctively arches her back, leaning into his touch and warmth as Ichigo's bare arms snake at her waist, tugging her close.
It feels like a dream.
Rukia sighs in contentment, lazily stretching, giggling at the needy way his body seems to curve at her, limbs coiling and tangling. She turns to her side to face him fully. In the morning, she is only a woman lying in the arms of her lover- untouched by the politics of war, momentarily relieved from the many rights and wrongs of a world shaded heavily in shades of grey.
Sunlight dips and gilds him in golden light and she reaches out to press her hand against his cheek. The smile on his face renders his expression uncharacteristically soft as he nuzzles against her, lips brushing against the inside of her wrist. Rukia wills herself to believe that she is the only one to have been privy to this side of him- sleepy, unguarded and undoubtedly hers.
"Good morning," she whispers, a hint of breathlessness in her voice when he sidles closer, pressing their naked bodies even closer under the covers. He is so warm and a part of her is still in disbelief about what happened between them the night before.
He grins, sliding his fingers through her hair before cupping her cheeks, his thumb brushing softly across her lips before sighing, leaning in to press their foreheads together gently.
"Did you sleep well?"
His morning-after voice is delicious- husky from sleep, with just the right amount of heat to it. She shudders, feeling a thrill of pleasure running down her spine. It makes her ache and want things that she shouldn't be in the business of wanting when her legs feel like jelly and her body is sore in places best left unmentioned.
Rukia smiles coquettishly as she gives him a quick peck on the lips. She wasn't prepared for him to deepen the kiss, calloused fingers sliding through her hair while the other hand grips at the small of her back. His naked flesh feels delicious under hers and she moans, swinging a leg over his hip to twine their lower limbs together under the cover. She hisses sharply, feeling his hardening length pressing against her.
Ichigo hums in response. He says nothing as he brushes his nose against hers, his hand reaching to grip at her thighs, spreading her legs wider for him as he hitches her leg higher up his hip. He fits his cock between the gap, shallowly thrusting into the space, but never venturing past her puffy lips as he whines her name- needy and guttural. She is weak for the way he says her name, weak for the way he looks at her with that gleam in his eyes and the slow-curling smile on his lips. His heat thrums so readily at hers and his hands are never idle, kneading and palming at her ass cheeks to make her moan. Her response to it is innate and she can feel herself growing wet again.
Her breath hitches. Their coupling last night left her body sore and aching but the same can't be said for Ichigo as his idle fingers begin to wander, gliding just past the gentle swell of her breast and the smattering of love bites he left there to go lower. The press of his mouth is insistent on her skin and the look in his eyes hints at a hunger that borders on starvation. That man is truly insatiable.
"A-Again?"
"Always," he murmurs, lips softly brushing at her collarbone, gently kissing the bruised markings on her chest before dipping his fingers inside of her, making her gasp. He chuckles dark and throaty at the sight of her arching her back, mouth slightly open and mewling softly as she rides his fingers. His hot breaths fan her cheek. "I always want you."
The feel of his fingers stroking at her wet folds, his thumb circling at her clit makes her weak at her knees. Her body shudders with need as she looks up at him, pupils dilated and nothing more than a ring of dark purple, lips trembling and nails digging into the flesh of his back. When he crooks his fingers, leisurely flicking and rubbing at her nub, she curses, feeling more wetness trickling down between her legs. Her face colours from the embarrassment, wanting nothing more than to hide her burning cheeks but Ichigo wouldn't let her.
It makes for an erotic sight. Rukia's skin is flushed, dotted with bite marks and bruises in the shape of his hand. To see her like this- chest heaving, eyes glazed and unfocused with her lips swollen, her mouth open slightly as she pants, makes him hard and his balls ache. He gulps, swallowing thickly. He is determined to know her intimately- inside and out; to see every facet of her when she is at her most vulnerable, to memorize the noises that she makes when she is on the brink of ecstasy. He won't let her hide from him.
He nuzzles at her cheeks, his lips finding hers and Rukia finds herself relenting, allowing his tongue to curl and brush at hers while his fingers slot themselves deeper and faster inside of her. She moans, her eyes rolling to the back of her head when the pleasure becomes too much. Her toes curl and the soreness she feels becomes a fleeting thought, inconsequential compared to the hollowness within her. She wants to feel him so badly, to have more of Ichigo inside of her.
She needs him.
"Rukia- what a good girl you are. So fucking wet for me already," Ichigo purrs, sharp teeth nipping at her swollen lips. "Do you want more?"
Delirious, Rukia nods. There is no way to hide her arousal from him and he grins at the wetness coating his fingers. His Rukia is so needy for him and he wants nothing more than to fill her up and stuff her full, to make her come so hard and so loud that the whole of Silbern knows to stay away from her and leave her well alone unless they have a painful death wish in mind for themselves.
Rukia is his.
"Good girl."
He presses her back against the mattress, covering her body with his as he kneels between her legs. He palms himself, coating his cock in the slick dribbling past her puffy lips while the other hand grips her by the ankles to wrap her legs around his waist.
Rukia whimpers at the feel of him as he sinks himself into her. She chokes on her moans as she squirms, trying her best to accommodate Ichigo's girth and length despite her sore muscles. Her heels dig into his back and sharp nails rake across his back in retaliation. Ichigo dips his head low, hastily pressing a kiss to the side of her throat, muffling the sound of his loud groan against her hair.
Her wet heat is intoxicating. This early in the morning, the reins on his self-control are frayed. He barely gives her enough time to adjust to his size before he begins thrusting. All at once, the world fades to only the feel of her pussy clenching at his cock. He hisses at the velvety tightness, vice-like and gripping, drawing him in every time he pulls away so he has no choice but to slam himself back in deeper and harder.
Rukia's breathing is noisy and the noises that she makes are nothing more than a nonsensical string of words mixed with an occasional moan of his name, but it excites him nonetheless. He wants to hear more of it, to see her come undone by his ministrations. He grips at the inside of her knees, untangling them from his waist to fold them to her chest. Then, he picks up the pace, sliding in and out of her wet heat in earnest, wanting nothing more to hear her scream.
"Ahhhhh!"
He pulls away just in time to see her come undone. Her body spasms and jerks violently, her back arching off the bed but Ichigo's grip on her keeps her anchored to him. She squeezes her eyes shut, saliva dribbling down from the corners of her swollen mouth as she pants, wetness coating her thighs and staining the bedsheets. The aftershocks of her high render her nothing more than a quivering mess on the bed, mind sluggish and as defenceless as a kitten.
She wants to curl into a ball in Ichigo's arms and she reaches for him, chasing after his warmth. His touch sooths her and she doesn't fight it when he grabs her by her hips, rearranging them to have her lying on her stomach, knees planted on the bed and her ass in the air. He boxes her in, draping his much larger body over hers. His hardened length presses at her from behind and she can't help but grind against it, teasingly rubbing her wet slit over it. He tenses at that, breath hitching before his grip on her tightens.
"Rukia—" Ichigo's warning nip on the top of her shoulder is sharp and deterring— "Behave."
The sudden sting makes her hiss, but it is worth it to hear him choke on his moans. Satisfaction curls within her to know that she has that effect on him, that a powerful being like Ichigo can be brought to his knees because of her. She would have done more but Ichigo steals her breath away when his finger suddenly dips low, circling at her clit again. She stills, instinctively clamping her thighs together as her bottom lip quivers, softly whimpering as she rocks her hips at the intruding finger.
Her body is wired, shamelessly aroused and every part of her is acutely aware of her desire for him. Wetness pools between her legs again and she is near breathless from anticipation. Flecks of golden amber gleam in his eyes as she turns her head to face him and he withdraws his touch, smirking at the dewy moisture sticking to his fingers. Ichigo knows it too- the extents of her want and need for him. A devious man like him isn't about to let it slide.
Chuckling, Ichigo licks at the shell of her ears, sharp teeth tugging at her sensitive ear lobes as he leans in, his hot breath tickling the side of her face. "Get down on your hands and your knees."
Her knees wobble at the sound of his husky voice and she shudders when she feels his hand sneaking between her legs, spreading the wetness on his fingers at her inner thighs before pulling them apart until she can feel her wet pussy glistening with slick fully exposed to his gaze.
A split second later, her face is pushed into the pillow, muffling her screams as Ichigo enters her swiftly, sheathing himself fully from behind. She clenches her fists at the bedsheets so hard that she thinks she might have ripped the seams.
The sound of their skin slapping against each other echoes through the room. There is a hand at her breast, groping and squeezing it, the rough pad of his thumb flicking at her pebbled nipples while the other grabs onto her by the hips, steadying her while he pounds into her.
"Does it feel good, Rukia when I fuck you like this?"
She moans, unable to find her voice to speak. It feels more than good. Ichigo feels bigger somehow, going in deeper as he ploughs into her from behind, fucking her into the bed. He makes her feel so impossibly full and she can feel her walls clenching tightly at him, coaxing at him to spend himself inside of her. She bucks her hips at him, her own fingers drifting low to draw circles at her clit, rubbing at it urgently.
"Fuck!"
Rukia hisses at the sudden pain as blunt nails dig into the meat of her hips. Ichigo is close. She feels it with the change in his breathing, the strain and coil of his muscles as he keeps his gruelling pace, snapping his hips faster at her, his movement jerky.
She can feel her own muscles quivering, her arms straining under the effort of holding herself up and she knows they are both nearing their limit. Her fingers brush and slide at her clit for one last time. Her eyelids flutter shut, body shaking as she hooks her fingers over her spot.
"Ichi-Go!"
Rukia sees stars as her walls clench at his cock, squeezing at him. The orgasm overwhelms her and she collapses onto the bed, unable to do more than moan as the pleasure overloads her senses, making her body twitch uncontrollably while juices gush out from her. Ichigo staves it off for as long as he can, his thrusts growing wilder and faster, balls aching as they slap against her ass until he tumbles over the edge, chasing after her. With a loud grunt, he empties himself inside of her, his heavy body falling on top of hers as he heaves, breathing through his mouth while he catches his breath.
Minutes tick by with just the sound of their noisy breathing. When the world finally sharpens back into focus and Rukia no longer feels like she has been cast afloat on sea, it is Ichigo that she feels and reaches for. His weight presses reassuringly against her from behind. The stubbles on his face prick against her skin as he nuzzles his face against hers but she doesn't mind it as she turns her head to press a soft kiss to his cheek. His heavy load fills her up and Rukia moans at the feel of hot fluids coating her insides.
The excess of their combined release trickles onto the messy bed as Ichigo pulls away from her. He is mindful of how tiny Rukia is under him and picks himself up as soon as he is able to, so he doesn't crush her under his weight.
Rukia however is unappreciative of his concerns. She whimpers at that, marking her displeasure. The musky scent of sex permeates through the room and her body aches but she is too tired to pay them heed. All she wants- all that she needs is Ichigo. It is Ichigo's low voice that placates her as he hushes her with his kisses, a warm hand cupping at her cheeks and tucking the stray bang behind her ears as he falls to his side.
Sweat beads roll down her neck and Ichigo carelessly laps at them, licking them away, relishing the taste of salt on her skin before wrapping his arms around her. Her body heat sidles closer as she lays her head on his chest, settling herself with the sound of his beating heart.
Ichigo bends to press a kiss to the top of her head. Rukia will never know how deep his obsession for her runs. Everything about her he covets and even now when they are both spent and weary, the only thought that pervades is how to have her next, how to make her scream louder and come harder, to pleasure and overwhelm her so much that leaving him becomes the unthinkable. She is his anchor and the hum of her reiatsu now that she is satiated and lethargic- all tuckered out from morning sex washes over him like a cool balm in everlasting summer heat. He breathes her in as he holds onto her like a lifeline. He never wants to be apart from her.
"Sleep," he tells her as he presses kisses to her face and tired body. "I'll still be here when you wake up. Promise."
Rukia nods, snuggling deeper into his arms before allowing exhaustion to take over, falling into a dreamless sleep. The last thought that graces her mind is a happy one.
At this moment in time, she is simply Rukia and he is Ichigo.
They are neither Shinigami nor Quincy, neither friends nor enemies. The world doesn't exist beyond the confines of this little apartment, their little patch of haven and no evil reaches here. The rule and tyranny of Yhwach does not breach these four walls. There is instead sunlight- soft and streaming from the tight gap beyond the curtains, the warmth of naked bodies pressed close to each other under the covers and something else- something so simple and yet laughably unattainable for her that she doesn't even dare to voice it aloud, but deep within her heart, to herself at least, she allows the sentiment to take root.
This feels like home.
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It becomes a routine, enough that she doesn't question it when her days begin and end with her in Ichigo's arms. Waking up with Ichigo's body pressed close to hers makes her feel safe, having breakfast together feels natural and the sex— she presses her thighs together, a silly smile curling unbidden on her lips. The memories of their bodies writhing and coiling in bed makes her toes curl. Ichigo keeps her sated and fed. Rukia doesn't want these days to end.
"Are you sure you don't want me to escort you over to Mom's?"
She looks up to see Ichigo's brown eyes peering down at her in concern. He reluctantly shrugs on his coat, his bright hair looking as messy as always as it falls over his eyes. She shakes her head, standing on her tiptoes and tugging at the front of his coat for him to dip his head lower before brushing their lips chastely together.
"I'll be fine," she says. The corridors in Silbern still look the same but the path from Ichigo's apartment to Masaki's is not so hopelessly complicated that she can't make sense of her bearings after making the journey so many times.
"Maybe you should just stay in the apartment instead?"
Rukia scoffs, "Stop fussing, Ichigo. You're the one who thinks it's safer for me to stay with Masaki while you're away. Besides, I've been cooped up in here for days. Let me stretch my legs a bit. You can't keep me locked away forever."
Ichigo's reply to this is a stern frown and growl as he pulls her into a deep kiss, nipping at her lower lip when they part. "I can certainly try."
Then a heartbeat later, he sighs, the look in his eyes softening as he cups at her cheeks, pressing their foreheads together. "I don't like this," he confesses, "I don't like being away from you."
He doesn't tell her that there is a sense of unease that bubbles deep in the pit of his stomach, setting his teeth on the edge since he received his summons from Yhwach. It has been three days since the night of the disastrous ball. On the morning of the fourth, he wakes up with a sudden jerk, startling Rukia when he bolts upright, hissing in pain. The mark on his chest burns unpleasantly. He can feel his blood churning inside of him, boiling and frothing in a fizz, like he is being burned from the inside. Rukia's presence helps. Her cool touch distracts him. The look in her eyes when she lays her cool hands on him, wiping away the sheen of cold sweat gathering on his brows tugs at his heartstrings. Her icy cold reiryouku sooths his nerves but it doesn't stop him from scowling. The Schutzstaffel are being summoned by Yhwach. He expects them in the throne room by the dawn of first light.
Rukia leans into his touch, kissing him on the cheek for the final time before pushing him out of the doors. Her anxiety and worry is deep-set but she forces it down, willing Ichigo to see none of it. She insists on seeing him off, knowing that it would have been impossible for him to refuse the summons.
The nights may seem endless and wonderful, hiding secret lovers under the cloak of darkness but morning always comes and the nothing can remain hidden under the bright glares. Now, it is time for them to face reality.
This is Silbern but also Soul Society.
There is a war.
She is Kuchiki Rukia, a captured Shinigami being kept as a prisoner of war and he is Kurosaki Ichigo, the Crown Prince of the Wandenreich Empire, a Quincy and her captor.
Everything between them is laid out in clear cut blocks and shades of black and white- Shinigami and Quincy, captive and captor, light and dark; but this bond between them is not one willing to be so clearly defined. Rukia feels things- things that she shouldn't feel for her captor and perhaps therein lies the greatest tragedy of it all: she let herself fall. She did this to herself- falling for her captor, allowing her defences to fall for him because he is the only one that she remembers treating her like she is her own person, the only one who made her feel safe and wanted for the first time in a very long time.
But Ichigo—
"Now go! You're already late." Her tone of voice is purposefully blithe and unusually chirpy. "I'll see you later."
—Ichigo might not even feel the same.
.
.
The labyrinth of corridors in Silbern has always given her an eerie sense of forbidding gloom as she makes her way through them. The air here is frosty at best and the lack of natural light within the oppressive fortress certainly doesn't help.
This morning however, something in the air feels distinctly heavier and Rukia can feel her hair standing on end. The journey to Masaki's apartment does not last any further beyond three turns to the left in the maze-like corridors but she can't help but feel a presence behind her, dogging her every step. Yet every time she turns around there is no one behind her. She knows she is not imagining things. Her years of training as a Shinigami have taught her that much at least. There is someone- or something following her.
She takes her stance, violet eyes darting cautiously at her surroundings, eying the corners of the unlit corridors with much suspicion. She wills herself to be brave even without Shirayuki by her side, calling out loudly to no one in particular.
"Show yourself."
Nothing but silence greets her, yet Rukia is undeterred. She calls out again- louder this time, her hands fisting at the silky pale blue dress when she catches a gleam of something lurking from beyond the corner.
Eventually, a figure slinks out from the shadow. He is tall and imposing, dressed in the nondescript uniform of the Sternritters- white trench coat on white trousers, black boots that are polished well enough to gleam in the dark. Rukia can feel her hackles rising at the sight of him.
There is an inhuman quality about him, evident in his appearance and his unnatural gait. His skin is deathly pale- a shade of macabre white that Rukia has had the misfortune of seeing in terminally ill patients in the hospital, given perhaps only months to live. Konso awaits them and what she'd give to perform it on him today instead. He has no eyebrows. His black hair is straight and parted at the middle. It is long enough to touch the ground and sways in time to his stride as he makes his silent approach, his eyes- piercing and pitch black staring right at her. The strange mask that covers his nose and mouth, obscuring the lower part of his face from view is leathery with a row of metal spikes going down the middle, making him appear all the more sinister in the dark and empty corridors.
"Who are you?" she asks, standing to her full height, jutting her chin out at him in defiance. Her Kuchiki holier-than-thou façade is impeccable and she stares him down.
His voice is raspy and hoarse. "Just a curious passer-by wondering what's a trespasser doing within the walls of Silbern. I don't think I have seen you before."
"I have permission to be here. Now leave me alone!"
The strange man tilts his head to the side, fixing his stare on her. The balefulness of the stare doesn't lessen and Rukia inadvertently takes a step back, unnerved by it.
She hisses, "Stop following me. What I am doing is none of your business."
The stranger cackles. His glee in her misstep and defensiveness is evident in the shine of his eyes and the tone of his voice.
"On the contrary, I have reason to believe that you are trespassing and an enemy spy. In other words, a mousy vermin—" A circle of spike-like thorns gleam in pale blue, materializing around him with a snap of his fingers. Rukia eyes them warily, unsure of where the attack will come from. The strange man splays his hands open and the thorns sail through the air at his beckoning— "I am Äs Nödt, the Sternritter F: the Fear. Living must be so hard for little critters like you, forever scurrying away and hiding in fear. Well little mouse, let me spare you the torture. Live in fear no more!"
A cruel gleam settles in his eyes. "Let me send you off to a better place!"
Rukia barely has time to fling herself to the side before the man attacks. The spiky thorns are made of pure reishi and are sharp and heavy enough to dent the walls. She grimaces at the sight of the holes made where the thorns have wedged and buried themselves into the walls and the floor. She can't afford to be hit by any of them and with that thought in mind, Rukia somersaults through the air, dodging them using a mix of shunpo and Shinigami athleticism as she evades the attacks.
"Why are you fighting the inevitable, little mouse? You're not making it any easier for yourself!"
Rukia scowls in response. Without Shirayuki, she is forced to rely on her arsenal of kido spells as her main form of offense. Seizing a sudden lull in his volley of attacks, she immediately readies herself, firing off a quick succession of kido spells at Äs Nödt. Small and agile, she weaves through the air, her hand movements a quick blur, sometimes foregoing incantations for lower-level kido spells like Geki and Shakkahou in entirety, sacrificing power and accuracy for speed.
A well-aimed Shakkahou catches him off guard, forcing Äs Nödt to take a step back as the blast hits him in the chest in full force. When the smoke clears, the man emerges largely unscathed but there is a singed mark on the trench coat, staining his once white uniform. He furrows his brows in annoyance, glaring vehemently at Rukia.
"You ungrateful little critter!" he grits out behind clenched teeth, "You would attack the hand that seeks to deliver you from the pain of living? Does the little mouse fancy herself a lion?"
He wrenches out a strange bronze-coloured medallion from the depth of his pockets. It is small enough to fit within his palm and in the low light; all that Rukia observes from it that there is a black five-pointed star on it. She narrows her eyes at that, wondering what other tricks the Sternritter has up his sleeves.
"You get what's coming to you, little mouse. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
Rukia's eyes widen in surprise. A torrent of bright pink petals- paper thin and deceptively sharp, take form; hurtling towards her direction at Äs Nödt's bidding. She immediately leaps away, dodging the angry stream. She hisses as she lands on her knees some distance away. The ground is hard and she easily skins her knees on the rough surface. The scrape isn't deep enough to render her immobile but it does sting.
She winces at the pain, chiding herself for letting her guard down. Shock and disbelief dulled her reflexes. She dodged a second too late at the last attack and Äs Nödt draws first blood. A single drop of blood slides down her pale cheek but she doesn't have the luxury to fuss over minor cuts like that. She presses a hand to her shoulder blade, grimacing when she sees the blood staining her palm.
Pain is nothing compared to the anger thrumming and rushing through her veins. Her anguish and despair is overwhelming. The very idea of it seems unthinkable yet this Sternritterhas somehow managed to come into the possession of her brother's bankai powers. He must have stolen it from Nii-sama, perhaps with the use of the strange medallion. That begets another question- one that Rukia isn't sure she wants to know the answer to.
"Nii-sama—" Her voice is hoarse and her fists clench. She gulps— "What have you done to Nii-sama!"
"Nii-sama?"
Äs Nödt cocks his head to the side, nodding to himself as understanding dawns. So this little mouse is related to that Shinigami. How very interesting, he muses; his mouth splitting into a wide grin under the mask.
"Oh! I see the family resemblance now. How quaint! Your brother was a good fighter, honourable and brave till his last breath. But it's useless. Even he can't overcome his bankai with his shikai."
Rukia can feel her eyes stinging and her voice chokes with emotions. "Y-You lie! Nii-sama is strong! He would never allow himself to be killed, least of all by someone like you!"
Äs Nödt merely cackles. "Perhaps. But the last time I saw him, the man was looking quite trim. As if he was missing a few body parts. I don't know anyone who's ever survived an evisceration. Do you?"
"Give it back! Senbonzakura does not belong to you!"
Her grief propels her and Rukia reacts instinctively, mounting an offensive attack as she flings a volley of destructive kido attacks at Äs Nödt. The man barely blinks, batting the attacks away with a careless flick of his hand. His skin is like hardened armour and even the most destructive of her kido spells, Soren Sokatsui barely scratches him.
"Now, now- no need to be rude. I quite like this Senbonzakura. It suits me and my purposes just fine and I'd like to think it's better, more powerful than it ever was in the hands of that Shinigami—" Äs Nödt readies his stance, smirking at the look on his prey's face. He will teach her the true meaning of fear— "Now, any other family members I should know about? It feels right that I should be the one to end the family line. All the more reason for you to die, Shinigami- maybe then you'll finally be able to reunite with your dead brother. One big happy family!"
The news of her brother's death feels surreal but Rukia is forced to push her grief away and focus on her own survival instead. She is barely given time to defend herself. A quick splay of palm sends more flower petals flying at her. She dodges as best as she can but she can't outrun them. She feels Äs Nödt's eyes trailing after her, very much amused by her attempts as he cackles.
"Run, run, run, little mouse!"
Rukia growls at the taunts. She flips through the air as she attempts to fire more kido spells but her brother's bankai is legendary for being capable of both offense and defense. The effects of her Byakurai and Sokatsui are negated by the walls of pink flowers as Äs Nödt activates Senkei.
Sweat drips down her forehead, plastering her hair to the back of her neck, her dress sticking to her body unpleasantly despite the chill of Silbern that surrounds her. She scowls, panting from exertion as she realizes that her current attacks won't make an iota of difference no matter how hard she tries. The battle is being drawn out for longer than she is comfortable with. Äs Nödt's attacks are relentless while her own begins to falter. Her reserve of reiryouku is slowly being depleted, her body barely able to keep up with her attacks even as she pushes herself to go beyond her limits. She has cuts on her body and her shoulder throbs. She doesn't even have to look at it to know that her dress is ruined. Blood stains are so hard to come off silk.
She straightens herself, rising on shaky legs as she swipes at the sweat on her forehead. She would avenge Nii-sama, or die trying.
"I'm surprised that you can still stand after this, Shinigami. Most of the people that have been cut by my reishi thorns would have found themselves crippled to the ground, shaking in their own puddle of piss by now."
"S-Shut up!" she growls, pressing a hand to her wounded shoulder. The wound throbs and every movement of her arm makes her wince. "Don't flatter yourself. These wounds are made by Senbonzakura- the weapon that you stole from my brother. I haven't been cut by you."
"Oh, is that so?"
Amusement lights up his features and a sense of dread grips at Rukia though she forces herself to remain stock still. Äs Nödt throws his head back in laughter, pressing a finger to his dry eyes when the laughing fit passes.
Rukia grits her teeth. "What's so funny?"
"You!" says Äs Nödt, "Perhaps the speed is too quick for your eyes to follow, but you silly little Shinigami, don't you know that the cut on your cheek isn't made by Senbonzakura?"
She presses a hand to her bloodied cheek, recalling the events leading to it. She grimaces when she realizes that Äs Nödt is right. The cut was made earlier when she was busy dodging the glowing thorns hurtling towards her. It is just minor enough that she doesn't even registered it until it started bleeding.
"So what?" she challenges, feigning bravado. "One measly little cut is hardly enough to affect the outcome of a battle."
Äs Nödt tuts at her, shaking his head as he croaks, "Let me tell you how my power works. The true power of my reishi thorns isn't just in their physical offensive capabilities. It's the fear that I can induce just by making a small measly cut on my preys. Surely you've noticed by now how your body seems to move slower. You think it's just the cold affecting you? The exhaustion from dodging attacks? Think again!"
His laughter is shrill and chilling, more so when his pitch black eyes bore into hers. "You're in my world now!"
She can hear the creepy cackling of Äs Nödt's echoing as he advances towards her. He is too powerful for her to defeat. She should run and hide, but her legs won't listen to her. Her body is frozen stiff and the cuts on her body throb. Her right shoulder feels like it's on fire.
Everything hurts.
Rukia drops to her knees, feeling as though she is being yanked by her ankles, plunged deep into a sea of black that engulfs her. She is drowning in it. There is no light. Her body feels heavy. Fear consumes and cripples her. Even struggling seems too much of an effort.
Vivid images flit through her mind. In every single one of them, she sees only disappointment in the gazes levelled at her. She hears crying- soft and muffled, faint in the background, then there is someone calling her name but there is so much pain behind it. Her heart clenches and seizes.
Nii-sama is right to keep her benched. She can never be a seated officer worthy of respect. She doesn't have the skills. All she has even brought to him and the Kuchiki family is shame. She is unworthy- unworthy of Ukitake-Taichou's faith and his good praise. She is a horrible vice-captain who led her men to their deaths. She doesn't deserve anything- least of all kindness from these people. She murdered Kaien-dono.
She failed in so many ways as a Shinigami. She couldn't even protect Sode no Shirayuki. She let that Sternritter take her away from her. She let herself be captured. She should have tried harder to fight him off. She should have tried harder to resist.
Ichigo- the Sternritter is just using her for his own gain. Ukitake-Taichou will die because of her. Nii-sama regrets the day he ever took her in.
Everything is her fault.
.
"Yes! Let the fear consume you! Can you feel your heart on the verge of bursting?"
.
Rukia gulps. It hurts too much to even breathe and her hand clutches at her chest, feeling the contractions that grip at her heart in painful spasms. She can't—
That's when she sees it.
A sudden burst of light shoots up across the skies and she has to avert her gaze at the sudden brightness. Icy gales howl and tear at her clothes. She feels Sode no Shirayuki's anguish. The white-haired woman's indignant demands echo loud and sharp: she must pick herself up and carry on fighting. The cold is jarring and Shirayuki's cry is loud enough that she snaps out of Äs Nödt's spell.
But the light is not Shirayuki's doing. Rukia squints at the brightness and surrenders herself to it as the light surrounds her. With it, she feels safe. The glide of something cool brushes against her face and she opens her eyes in time to see the blackness peeling away from her world, dropping off like sheaves of dry leaves from autumn branches. She surges upwards, gasping and finally breathing again. When her vision adjusts to the surroundings, there is only light- clean and bright. In this sea of light there is a pale blue sphere, glowing softly and pulsing with power. It feels warm and she knows instinctively that it is Ichigo's.
It is Ichigo's reiryouku within her that saved her. His strength flows through her and the sphere of light is coiling at her, clamouring for her attention, practically begging her to take the reins on it. It feels like it's always been a part of her.
Rukia hesitates. It is unheard of. A Shinigami's powers are his or her own. In all her years of living as a Shinigami, she has only ever heard of one instance of a Shinigami sharing powers with another soul and that move is one that even fresh-faced recruits would know to avoid. The transfer of power is taboo and punishable by death.
She glances at her surroundings, hoping for a sign but all that she hears from Shirayuki is a pleasant hum. She reasons with herself that desperate times call for desperate measures. Without Shirayuki in her hands, she needs every bit of help that she can get. She inches towards the sphere. She only meant to tap at its surface but her hand slips past it, plunging deep into its depths and the sphere turns purple.
Her world explodes into a kaleidoscopic beam of light. The zing of it sends a chill down her spine, shivering from the potency of it as the sphere coils and writhes before bursting apart, set free from its confines to flow through her veins.
She sighs as the wave of power washes over her, sweeping her under its tide. Reiryouku- renewed and rejuvenated; a strange mix of hers and Ichigo's flares within her. It makes her a little heady. How strange and wonderful it must be to have so much power flowing through one's veins.
Is this how Ichigo feels?
Is this what it feels like to be drunk on power? To have so much reiryouku flowing through her, feeling full enough to burst, that even holding back seems like a chore?
Her eyes glow white when she opens them. The colour lends itself to her features, her lips turning bloodless and her hair turning white. She feels cold, like she has been left in the middle of a frozen tundra without a shred of clothing during the coldest of winter days. She heaves and puffs of white smoke emerge. That's when she knows. You can't inspire fear in something that's not among the living. Fear doesn't exist when you are too cold to feel anything.
Äs Nödt cannot touch her. Not when she is in this state.
Even without her zanpakutou, she is powerful. Ichigo's strength flows through her and with it, she is invincible.
"How?"
Ignoring Äs Nödt's look of disbelief, Rukia launches her attack.
"Byakurai!"
Äs Nödt is quick enough to dodge the bolt of lightning but his reflexes aren't nearly quick enough to escape the next hurl of kido spells that speeds towards him.
"Hainawa! Rikujokoro!"
He seethes but the two binding spells hold fast, forcing him to his knees. The surplus of reiryouku channelled through the spells render them nigh unbreakable. Six beams of light pierce through Äs Nödt, holding him captive no matter how much he struggles.
Rukia makes her approach, determination set in her eyes. She learned her lesson. She has no chance of landing a solid hit on Äs Nödt, not without Shirayuki in her hands, but if she keeps him still for long enough, it means he can't direct Senbonzakura to attack. And if she keeps at it long enough, she is sure that something- something from her arsenal of kido spells will eventually break through his thick hide.
Vengeance will be hers. She will make Äs Nödt pay for what he did to Nii-sama.
She doesn't hold back on the power this time, taking her time with the incantations, performing Niju Eisho- combining two spells into one as she becomes creative in her attacks. The first hit of Byakurai catches him on the chest, barely making a dent. But Rukia is undeterred. Her next attack is a double hit of Soren Sokatsui and Shakkahou. The combination is powerful enough to finally penetrate his defences. Äs Nödt hisses as the wound sinks onto his left shoulder, making him bleed. He struggles some more against his bonds but it is futile.
Rukia fires another Rikujokoro at him.
"You bitch! You fucki—"
The next Byakurai lands on his side, knocking him sideways before Äs Nödt can finish screeching. Rukia lets loose a dark chuckle. Her silk dress is ruined and her hair, wild. The cuts on her body are still bleeding and dried blood cakes on her knees from where she scraped them earlier. She looks like a madwoman on a murder spree. She feels a little like that on the inside- unhinged and unrepentant. A gleam settles within her eyes and she steadies her hands, tracing glyphs in the air and channelling her reiryouku into it.
She is nowhere near done!
The attack quickly morphs into a Soren Sokatsui, a Raikoho, another and another; each one more powerful and deadly from its predecessor. She loses herself, letting her grief and anger take over until all she can hear is the sound of Äs Nödt's strangled cry.
When she finally stops, Äs Nödt is nearly unrecognizable from the man he was before. He is down on all four, still pinned by the beams of light. His uniform is cut and tattered, speckled with blood with holes made from where Rukia's kido spells have left their mark, cutting through his skin and drawing blood. Fresh blood gurgles from his mouth, staining his leather mask in hues of blotchy maroon but his eyes burn with hate, directing a venomous glare at her, even with one of them swollen from where a low-powered Sho had bounced off him.
Rukia takes another step towards him, holding his stare as she tugs the medallion away from his grasp. She is not afraid of him. She makes it a point to destroy his device in front of him, firing Byakurai after Byakurai at it, until it splinters, cracking at the middle into two halves.
There is sudden pulse of energy as the medallion splits. It is a burst of light that disappears just as quickly as it appears. Rukia wants to believe that it is a sign of her brother's bankai returning to him, that the Sternritter lied and that Nii-sama is still very much alive, albeit wounded.
She heaves a sigh of relief. Then turning to Äs Nödt still bound on the ground, she splays her palm, the incantation for Kurohitsugi at the tip of her tongue. She feels nothing for the man in front of her now. He can hate her all he wants but his fate is sealed. This scum will pay for what he did.
Yet before she can do anything else, a sharp pain erupts in her middle. She doubles over, kneeling as the pain wrecks at her. She tries her best to get back on her feet but the room is spinning and the ground underneath her feels unstable, like she is walking on water instead.
She falls, crumpling to the floor. Next to her, she can hear the sound of Äs Nödt breaking free from his prison. He rises to his feet and a second later, there is fresh pain blooming on her chest.
The bastard's boot shoots out, striking her in the chest and she goes flying through the air, only stopping when her back hits the wall. She splutters, coughing up blood. Her hand clutches at her chest, hoping that she hasn't got a cracked rib from the injury. She wills herself to move before Äs Nödt strikes again but her right arm feels like it is on fire when she tries to move it. Her lower limbs are like lead, heavy enough for her to drop into an ocean and sink.
She feels weak and the pain—
.
"RUKIAAAA!"
.
At the sudden roar of her name, she lifts her head up weakly, just in time to see Ichigo running towards her. His sudden appearance surprises Äs Nödt and Ichigo lands a solid punch on the other Sternritter's face before pushing him aside. He is by her side in an instant, cradling her battered body to his chest, his panic evident in his shaking hands. He cups at her cheeks, his hold tight enough to leave bruises.
"I-Ich—"
There are so many things that she wants to say to him, but the words and sentiment behind them overwhelm her. Her tongue is clumsy and she can't make the right sounds, even as Ichigo's warmth envelops her.
She reads regret in his eyes as he holds onto her. He never should have left her alone.
"Look at me, Rukia! Damn it! Stay with me!"
She tries, truly she tries but another wave of pain assaults her and she can't. It just hurts too much. Her hand flits to her midsection. The pain pulses, concentrating as it slides lower and deeper down her abdomen. She feels like someone is stabbing her and she reaches for Ichigo, wanting to feel his warmth against hers. Her fists clench at Ichigo's arms before she throws her head back, screaming.
Her hand falls limply by her side and the world fades to black.
"RUKIAAAA!"
.
.
The atmosphere in the throne room is tense. All the members of the Schutzstaffel are present and accounted for but they know better than to make a sound and draw attention to themselves. The Crown Prince of Wandenreich is murderous enough to kill a man by sight alone. Yhwach does not remember ever seeing him like this. The boy has a fiery temper but he never forgets himself when he is in the presence of his king. He quirks an eyebrow but says nothing as he sips at his tea, eagle eyes surveying the ensuing scene with mild amusement.
Ichigo is livid. His scowl is deep enough to make everyone clear him a wide berth as he rushed into the Infirmary with Rukia in his arms. His hands are still stained with her blood and it is only Masaki's reassurance that she will stay and keep vigil that calms him enough to leave the Shinigami behind. He clenches his fists tight, digging his fingernails into the meat of his palm hard enough that he thinks he smells blood. He almost lost her. If he had arrived just a second later, he has no doubt that Äs Nödt would have killed her.
"Rukia is mine! You shouldn't touch things that don't belong to you, Äs Nödt!"
"Me? What did I do?"
Äs Nödt blinks. He has changed into a fresh set of clothes but the injuries inflicted during the fight are still present. His left eye for one is swollen shut, though he mostly has Ichigo to thank for that. The bruises on his face are still fresh and tender. At the mention of the Shinigami, his eyes turn flinty. If the Shinigami hadn't suddenly lost control, he shudders to think what might have happened to him.
He snorts. "Your pet is feral, Kurosaki. The Shinigami attacked me unprovoked!"
"Stop lying, you dickless bastard or I swear in the name of the All Father I'll gut you like a fish, split you open from your mouth right down to your belly. You were standing over her when I got there. Admit it! If I had gotten there a second later, you would have killed her!"
Äs Nödt splutters. "Oh I would have killed her! Have you seen what your precious little pet did to me? She was going to kill me if I hadn—"
"Enough!"
Yhwach has heard enough from the bickering pair. As he slams his palm flat against the arm of his throne, his Sternritters bow, falling to their knees in submission as it becomes harder to breathe for everyone in the room. It only lasts for a second but the oppressive presence and forbidding feel of suffocation is quick to remind everyone that they are in His presence.
Yhwach stands to his full height, towering over everyone else in the room. "This is unseemly! How many times do I have to tell you? I will tolerate no petty bickering in my presence. Conflict does not please me."
His wine red eyes narrow at the Sternritter, his expression humourless as he waves him off. "Äs Nödt, remember this incident well and listen to my words very carefully. You are forbidden to go near that Shinigami again. We will talk of this no more."
"But All Father, he—"
"I said we shall talk off it no more!"
Äs Nödt bows stiffly and Ichigo grudgingly falls silent at that. He growls instead, his eyes glaring venomously at the man. Yhwach reads his intent in the way he grits his teeth and the tight clench of his fists. He is ready to throw the first punch as soon as the Sternritter turns his head.
"Ichigo," says the All Father, "Calm yourself! I forbid you from stirring any more trouble amongst your brothers. This is infighting. That Shinigami woman is only a pet. You are making far too much fuss over her. You are the Crown Prince of Wandenreich! A Quincy! Should there be a reason for me to doubt where your loyalties lie?"
Ichigo's scowl deepens but he averts his gaze, mumbling, "No."
"Louder!"
"I said, no, All Father. You are the Light and in Your Guidance, we follow the path of the Righteous."
Silence stews as Yhwach peers at him, frowning. Finally, he waves his hand, bidding them all to rise.
"Good," he tells Ichigo, "Now go and make amends. Bury the hatchet between you two. The Sternritters must present a united front."
Ichigo keeps his eyes downcast as he makes his way towards Äs Nödt. Every step that he takes is heavy and torturous on his conscience and when he thinks about what the bastard did to Rukia and how close he came to losing her today, he knows.
Screw what Yhwach thinks! He can't let this go! Äs Nödt will pay for what he did to her.
He draws close to the other man, clasping his hand tight and pulling him into a hug. The All Father looks on passively, none-the-wiser about Ichigo's traitorous thoughts. Under his breath, Ichigo mutters into Äs Nödt's ears, turning the other man's blood cold.
"You better sleep with one eye open, Äs Nödt. This isn't over."
.
.
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Song inspo: Young God (Halsey)
Happy IR week 2021! I cheated a little, so this is my entry for day 1: I swore to myself just one kiss... just one time and day 2: your hands found a dark switch in me/That I, that I never knew existed.
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