Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. It's property of Kubo Tite.

Author's Note: As promised, welcome back to another update! This time, I'm here with a longer chapter. I'm still not sure if I will be able to update again later next week, but we'll see. Mostly, because I'm writing other stuff, and then there's also my thesis to think about, my teaching job and the occasional translation job I get. Just got one today in fact. However, I promise that whenever I get the chance, I'll update again. Hope you like this chapter, though. It will answer some of your questions, and you might realize where this is going. Or not. Who knows. What I can guarantee is that this chapter is filled with goold ol' IchiRuki goodness, which is something we all enjoy and love, lol.

As always, thank you for all of your support! For reviewing,following, reading and putting this story in your favorites. I'm forever grateful of your continuous support!

See you guys soon!

Chapter 5: Prophecy

Kuro woke up early the following day. He quickly changed into some clothes he had lying around, and started a fire in the chimney. Ishida and Orihime were the next ones to go downstairs. Ishida had already his coat and hat ready. His wife gave him a satchel, and waving them goodbye, he left. Orihime then thanked Kuro for his help, and started preparing breakfast. Kuro went out to cut them some more wood. When he came back, Chad had taken over cooking, while the lady of the house was nowhere to be found. He was glad for that, since Orihime's food normally gave them stomachaches. On the table, Tatsuki was sharpening her knife, and Keigo was retelling the dream he had had to Mizuiro, who was busy reading a book. Meanwhile, Yoruichi was taking a nap on the window sill. Kuro chuckled at the sight. Those were his friends, alright.

"Everyone, gather round!" Orihime called from the top of the stairs.

Kuro turned around to find his friend walking downstairs, a smile on her face. Once she was down, she stood to the side, revealing the other person who was walking behind her. It was Shirayuki. She was dressed in a pink dress, which had probably been Orihime's, but it had been fixed so it would fit her. And fit her, it did. The fabric clung to her every curve, as small as they were. Then, he looked at her face. It was clear Orihime had also cut her hair, making it even. It now reached her neck, framing her face perfectly. He noticed that there was a stray hair which rested between her eyes. It made them look bigger. He didn't know if they were blue or violet, but they were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

"You look amazing, princess!" Keigo exclaimed loudly. His voice brought Kuro back from his stupor.

"Thank you, Keigo." She answered. "But please call me Shirayuki."

"Shirayuki it is!"

"Close your mouth or flees will fly in." Tatsuki whispered in his ear, a grin in her face.

"Shut up." Kuro muttered.

"Good morning." Mizuiro greeted Shirayuki. "Hope you had a good night."

"It was excellent, thank you." She replied, taking a seat next to Mizuiro, just in time for Chad to start serving them breakfast. They all sat down and started eating.

"It must have been!" Keigo exclaimed. "After Ishida's and Orihime's, Kuro has the best bed!"

Shirayuki turned to look at Kuro startled. Her cheeks began turning a pretty shade of pink. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to keep you out of your room."

Kuro just laughed. "It was no problem at all. But if you offer, you can sleep on the couch tonight, and I'll get the bed." He joked like he normally would with his friends. Then he stopped when he remembered who he was talking to.

Shirayuki laughed too. "It's a nice offer, but I'm afraid I won't take it. My back hurts a bit. But I'm sure the couch is nice enough for you." Kuro snorted. He recalled what Orihime had told him the night before. Maybe they could really be friends.

"Your back hurts? Why didn't you say so?" Orihime said, already fretting over the girl.

"It's fine, Orihime. Really." She told her, trying to calm her down. "It's to be expected after sleeping in a dirty dungeon."

"Dungeon?" Tatsuki said out loud. "They kept you in a dungeon?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Yes." Shirayuki said, shying away a bit.

"How dare they?!" Keigo retorted, enraged. "Are you alright?! To think they'd keep the princess in a dungeon! What is Aizen thinking?"

"Keigo." Kuro warned him. "Enough." He then turned to Shirayuki, who was playing with her spoon. "We'll get him, alright?" He said, putting his hand over hers. The girl looked at his hand and then at him. She nodded, giving him a small smile. Then he noticed the sly looks Tatsuki and Orihime were giving him. As inconspicuously as possible, he retracted his hand. "We have a long day of planning ahead, so eat well." He told her, and he started digging into his food.

As they ate, Kuro observed the princess. Shirayuki truly was a gorgeous thing, with mesmerizing eyes, soft-looking skin and luscious lips. But her physical appearance wasn't what intrigued him. It was something he had noticed in her the moment they had met. There was a fire inside of her. A light that blinded everyone around her. She had an indomitable spirit, and he liked that. She would need it if she wanted to defeat Aizen and recover her kingdom.

Aizen. The name brought back awful memories of when he had lost it all. His family. His kingdom. His strength. His will. Kuro believed he was no one if he didn't possess the strength to protect those around him. With each passing day, he grew weaker and weaker. His body was almost completely covered in the cursed markings. He would soon be dead. The only thing that kept him going was the fact that he needed to defeat Aizen. Kuro couldn't possibly die without taking the man down with him. He owed it to everyone in the room. He was just glad he had lived long enough to meet Shirayuki. Surely, when the time came, he would be able to leave things to her.

After breakfast ended, everyone scattered round to do their individuals chores. They would have a meeting later, when Ishida came back from town. In the meantime, Kuro decided to go fishing. The day before he hadn't been able to hunt anything, and their resources would be scarce if he didn't go out and look for food. Fishing was the better option since the lake was nearby. He took a satchel, his fishing rod, a bucket, hooks and chum. Kuro headed to the door, calling to Orihime.

"I'm going to the lake to fish." He told her, door already opened.

"Why don't you take Shirayuki?" She asked him.

Kuro groaned. Not again. "Look, stop that already. The things you're imagining won't happen. Ever. So drop it."

Orihime looked offended. She crossed her arms before telling him off. "What I meant to say was that she'd be less bored with you. She's a princess, so I don't expect her to help me and Chad with cleaning and cooking. You know how Tatsuki is, she'd rather be alone to train. And Mizuiro's been writing non-stop. You can either take her or leave her with Keigo." She told him, pointing to the window. He looked out and found Keigo wildly telling a story to Shirayuki, who was smiling politely.

"Fine." He said, grumbling. He knew better than to argue with her.

"Great." Orihime smiled as if nothing had happened. "Take these apples for the trip." She said, grabbing two red apples and giving them to him.

Kuro took them and nodded. Waving goodbye, he left the house and walked towards Shirayuki and Keigo. "Shirayuki." He called her. "Let's go." The girl nodded and stood up.

"Where are we going?" She asked him.

"Fishing." He replied.

"I want to go too!" Keigo added. "Just let me go for the spare rod!"

"No." Kuro said faster than he had intended.

"What?! Why not?!" Keigo complained.

"I need you here to cut some more wood and to keep an eye on Mizuiro."

Keigo winced. "Is he writing again?"

"Yes."

"Fine."

"Also, you're in charge of Yoruichi until we get back."

"What?! Why me?!" Keigo whined.

"Because you're the only one who's not doing anything." Since Keigo couldn't argue with that, Kuro just left, Shirayuki trailing behind him.

As they walked, Kuro couldn't help but observe Shirayuki. She was a curious one, looking around, taking in the scenery. She smiled every time she caught sight of a bird, a squirrel or a bug. Her reactions made him smile. Even if she couldn't see it because his hood hid his face.

"Where did Orihime get that dress?" He asked her suddenly.

"She told me she had it lying around. It's from when she was younger." Shirayuki answered. "She still had to fix some parts that were too big for me." She added. It was understandable since Orihime was taller and curvier than Shirayuki was.

"She did a good job." He said. It was true. The dress fit her like a glove.

"She was very fast." Shirayuki said, awed. "I was impressed."

"Orihime's good at sewing." His friend was terrible at cooking, but sewing was her specialty. "Ishida's good at it too. They both have made our clothes."

She inspected his hood and pants. "They did a great job. It's really amazing how good they are at it. I can only embroider."

"Embroider? Yeah, I guess that's something fitting for a princess." Kuro wondered out loud.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Shirayuki asked him, while raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "It's just something that I expected a princess to know."

"That's not all. I also know how to horse ride." She replied. "And dance and sing."

"All befitting a princess." Kuro declared with a playful tone.

"And swordfight." She added, grinning at his shock expression.

"You know how to fight with swords?" He asked her, clearly surprised.

Her grin widened. "My father taught me." Then, she turned sad. "Wish I had been able to fight by his side when it mattered. But I only stayed on the sidelines, watching as he got killed." Her tone was self-deprecating and Kuro hated it. He couldn't stand it.

He stopped and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Look at me." He demanded. "What happened to your father is not your fault." He said, looking at her in the eye. "Aizen and his men use dark magic to become stronger. You couldn't have possibly won against him."

"But I could've tried." She said stubbornly.

"No. It's good you didn't." Kuro told her. "He would've killed you or maimed you on the spot. To defeat him, you need to be a hundred steps ahead. It takes cunning and organization. Not brute force. Believe me, I've tried." He said, gesturing to his hood.

Shirayuki frowned. "Is this why you have yet to strike?"

"Yep." He said, starting to walk again. "Ishida's been thinking of multiple tactics that could work against Aizen. We've just been waiting for the ideal moment to attack. But I think that might be sooner than we thought."

She nodded, accepting that as an answer.

They kept walking until the lake came into view. It was a wonderful sight, if he said so himself. The water sparkled under the sunlight, glimmering like a star. The breeze felt nice against the skin. And, overall, it was just peaceful. They sat down side by side, and Kuro taught her how to fish. He put the rod in the water and they waited for the first fish to take the bait.

"It's really calm here." Shirayuki suddenly said, as Kuro put the rod into the water again after putting the fish in the bucket.

"Not a lot of people come around here. They mostly live back in town."

"So it's just you seven?"

"Eight if you count Yoruichi." He said. "By the way, remind me to catch one more fish for her. She loves them."

"I still can't believe you have a talking cat." Shirayuki muttered.

"She's not a cat." Kuro said. "She's a human that got turned into a cat."

"A curse?" She asked him, believing Aizen had done it.

"More like an accident." He answered. "Her best friend is a powerful wizard. Sadly, he's prone to a lot of mishaps. Yoruichi's cat transformation was one of them." He explained as he pulled one more fish out of the water. "As she told us, she wanted to see what it was like to be a cat for a day. He tried a spell he had just come up with, and she's been a cat for a decade."

Shirayuki snorted. "Magic. Spells. Curses. Talking cats." She listed. "To think those things from fairytales are real."

"Believe me, I was surprised too." Kuro retorted. "If I hadn't been cursed, I wouldn't have believed in them."

"So why is Yoruichi with you?" She asked. "If she's been a cat for that long, surely she had a home."

"Well, when I got cursed, I started searching for someone who could help me break the curse. After searching for months, I found Urahara. He told me that I had two options. I chose defeating Aizen, since it was something I wanted to do anyway. As I didn't have any money to repay Urahara for his 'services', he told me to bring Yoruichi with me, in hopes her curse would break too." He said.

"How would that happen?"

"Aizen has a magic mirror he stole from the king of my land. If we ask the mirror, maybe he can tell us how to make Yoruichi human again."

Shirayuki contemplated all the information for a moment. "What was the other option to break the curse? Surely it would have been easier to do that, and then defeat Aizen."

Kuro sighed. "It's actually much more complicated. Apparently, the only one who can break my curse is the fairest of them all." He said, a defeated tone in his voice. "I don't even know what that's supposed to mean. That's all Urahara could tell me."

Shirayuki's eyes suddenly lit up. "I know that story! My father's friends used to tell it to me when I was young."

"Do explain." Kuro said.

"The fairest of them all is a maiden who has the purest of souls─"

"─And the truest of hearts." He finished for her. "Yes. I've heard. Difficult to find. I even doubt she exists."

"Not only that." Shirayuki continued. "She's meant to be as kind as she's beautiful, and as beautiful as she's kind. She can break any spell."

"Name one person you think fits that description." Kuro said ironically.

"Orihime." Shirayuki said before thinking. "She's kind and beautiful. I wouldn't doubt her soul is pure too."

"Yeah, well, I thought so too." Kuro said, eyes looking misty.

"Oh."

"Yeah. After Urahara told us about her, she tried to break the curse. She really did. But she couldn't." He explained. "For it to work, Urahara also told me this girl should love me above all else."

"Ishida?" She wondered.

"Ishida." He admitted.

Shirayuki looked at her hands, not knowing what to say. Kuro stayed silent for a few moments, and then continued. "She actually hadn't realized she loved Ishida until she kissed me. They got married soon after."

"I'm sorry." She told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"It's fine. I was relieved, actually. Even if it saddened me to still be cursed, I was happy that I didn't have to reject her. I've always seen her just as a sister. I'm glad now the feeling's mutual. But…"

"Deep down you wanted to feel loved?" Shirayuki finished for him.

Kuro's eyes looked sad, and then surprised. "Yeah…" He trailed off.

"Maybe for it to work, you'd need to love her too." She replied.

He nodded, and then caught the next fish. As he worked, he spoke again. "After that failed, I started making plans to come and defeat Aizen. My original idea was to come here by myself, but the rest weren't having it. Ishida called me an idiot, and told me he'd come with me. That his family owned property in this kingdom, and that he was going to help me out. He wouldn't take no for an answer. I think he felt guilty after having married Orihime." Kuro explained. "Orihime wouldn't let us come alone, so she tagged along. Tatsuki thought it'd be fun, and decided to come too."

"And what about the rest?"

"Chad's been by my side for years. He didn't need to tell me anything. I knew he was coming whether I liked it or not. As for Keigo and Mizuiro, they wanted in too. After that, we all traveled all the way here and settled in this place."

"I meant to ask… not everyone seems like a fighter, so why did they come?"

"Ishida is an excellent tactician. Back when we served the prince, he always came up with the best tactics to ensure our victory in fights. He's also a damn good archer, and a proficient swordsman. Though I'm better." Kuro proclaimed proudly. "He's also knowledgeable in the history, geography and politics of your kingdom. He's mother was originally from here. So, I really would've been a fool not to let him come with me." Shiryauki nodded. "As for Orihime, even if we didn't want her to accompany us in the beginning, she's a healer. We've gotten hurt multiple times since we started our journey. She's the only one who gets us back to normal."

"I noticed that when she healed my scratches. They vanished overnight." She said, showing him her arms, which had been covered in scratches yesterday.

"That's Orihime for you." He nodded. "And wherever Orihime goes, Tatsuki goes too."

"She told me yesterday you introduced her to Tatsuki."

"Yeah. Tatsuki's my childhood friend. Ishida, Tatsuki and I used to play all the time as kids. When I saved Orihime, I immediately brought her to Tatsuki. I knew she would take care of her. They've been inseparable ever since." He reminisced. "As for Tatsuki, we trained together in self-defense. She can disarm anyone. She's also very stealthy."

"She looks tough."

"She is. She used to kick my ass when we were kids. She could still take me down if she wanted to."

Shirayuki laughed. "I can imagine it."

"She can't take Chad, though. He's as unmovable as a mountain."

"You seem pretty close."

"We are. Chad and I met some years ago, and we've had each other's backs ever since. He was a guard like me." Kuro said. "We've been through so many adventures that I can't imagine him not being here."

Shirayuki smiled. "And what about Keigo and Mizuiro?" She asked.

"Keigo's not a fighter." Kuro explained. "He's just very good at hiding and breaking into buildings. Even if he's loud and obnoxious all the time, he can pass by anyone. He's been in a lot of recon missions before."

"That's impressive." Shirayuki whistled. "He doesn't give off that vibe."

"Yeah. He only gets serious when he's on a mission. He's an idiot most of the time."

The princess laughed laughed, and then grew serious. "What about Mizuiro? What did you mean by he's writing again?"

Kuro frowned. "None of us are magical, except for Mizuiro. Sometimes, he gets premonitions of events, and he doesn't rest until he's written all of them down. He feels very sick right after."

"Premonitions?"

"Yes. Predictions of future events. Most of the time we don't know what they mean. All of us read them over and over, trying to figure them out, but we haven't been successful yet. He even predicted I'd get cursed." He said. "It'd really save us time if we could understand them."

"Perhaps I can help you with that. I'm good with puzzles." Shirayuki claimed.

"Thanks." He answered. Then he took the apples out of his satchel. "Wanna eat? It will soon be noon."

The princess gently took an apple from his hand. "They're so red and big!" She exclaimed. "And juicy!" She added after she took a bite. "I haven't had one like this in a long time."

Kuro chuckled. "They sell them in the town nearby. Maybe we can go someday and buy more." He said, and then bit his tongue. It was an impossibility, since it'd be dangerous for Shirayuki to stroll into town when Aizen wanted her dead.

"Id' like that." She said softly, cheeks red, and eyes sparkling like the water in front of them.

Kuro's heart skipped a beat and he felt his face turn hot. He silently cursed himself. This girl couldn't possibly have this effect on him.

"So none of you are from this kingdom." Shirayuki muttered as they ate.

"No. We came from Karakura." That was the neighboring kingdom.

"That means none of you know my real name." She stated.

"Wait! Shirayuki's not your real name?" Kuro asked, shocked.

She laughed. "It's as much my real name as Kuro is yours."

"So Orihime told you." He grumbled.

"I would have found out by myself anyway." She snorted, remembering how she made fun of him for having such a ridiculous name.

"So if Shirayuki's not your real name, why does everybody call you that?" He asked her, clearly curious about it.

"It's a nickname given to me by my mother. And then the whole kingdom started calling me that. It's no wonder no one outside of here knows my real name." Shirayuki explained.

"I'd like to know your real name." Kuro said before he could stop himself.

She smiled mysteriously at him. "I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours."

Kuro looked down at the almost eaten apple in his hand. He couldn't tell her. Not just yet. It was imperative no one outside of his friends knew.

"I'll wait." She said. "You have a deep, deep secret. I can see it. And I have no right to know. I have no method of stepping into the depths of your heart without getting it dirty. So I'll wait. When you want to talk to me, you'll tell me your name, and then I'll tell you mine. But only until the time comes. I will wait until then."

"Shirayuki…" Kuro whispered, awestruck. He had never met someone like her. Someone who would not meddle in his affairs and wait until he was ready. He felt as if his whole life, everyone around him had forced him to do things against his will. This girl was the only one who declared she'd wait for him.

He nodded and he watched her smile. He wasn't yet tired of her smile.

After they deemed that they had caught sufficient fish, they packed their things and headed back. Shirayuki this time carried the satchel, as a way to help Kuro. He had told her it wasn't necessary, but she wouldn't listen to him. He soon found out she was really stubborn, even as stubborn as he was. He let her, just to get her to shut up, he told himself. In reality, he liked how pleased she looked and how she had smiled at him when he gave her the satchel. As they walked back, Shirayuki happily talked to him about many things. She commented about the weather, and then she told him about how she used to climb trees when she was a child. He listened to her intently. Kuro liked the sound of her voice. It was deeper than he had expected from a princess, but so reassuring.

"So how old are you?" She suddenly asked.

"Why do you want to know?" He retorted.

"When you speak, you always sound like an old man remembering his life. But you can't possibly be over twenty." She explained.

"Thanks for calling me old." He said, faking a frown.

"You're welcome." She added, a smirk on her face.

Kuro shook his head. She was impossible. "I'm eighteen. I turn nineteen in the summer."

Shirayuki gasped and then smiled at him. "I'm eighteen too! Who would've thought we were the same age when you look much older?" She exclaimed.

"That's 'cause you're so short! Of course you look younger, like you're thirteen!"

"Well, you're too tall! Who's this tall?" She added.

"A lot of people are!" He yelled.

That got them into an argument. They bickered the rest of the way, only stopping when they were already at the door. They turned to look at each other, gasping for breath, and their faces completely flushed. Then they started laughing as if they had finally laughed after many years. When Shirayuki turned to look at him, with her doe-like eyes and her blinding smile, Kuro thought his heart would stop completely. He stared at her as if he was just truly seeing her. Why did she have this effect in him? Nothing like this had ever happened to Kuro before. He just couldn't understand it. As she went in the cottage, he stopped thinking about those things. It wouldn't do for him to entertain such thoughts. Walking inside, he greeted his friends. They were all sitting, except for Ishida and Mizuiro, around the table, looking at a piece of parchment.

"What's going on?" He asked, taking a seat next to Chad. Shirayuki sat down too, next to him.

"Mizuiro just finished writing another prophecy." Keigo explained.

"We're trying to figure it out." Tatsuki added.

"Let me see." Kuro said, and started reading the words out loud. "The eclipse will happen. The eclipse is near. When the two forces join together, their light will vanquish all evil. But beware of he whose madness reigns. He will not rest until he destroys the world. Beware of the red, the red of blood. No matter how juicy it looks." He stopped reading. He stole a glance to Shirayuki, who seemed as perplexed as he felt. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That's what we're trying to find out." Tatsuki muttered sarcastically.

"We think we figured out one part." Orihime said, ignoring her friend. "The part where it says 'beware of he whose madness reigns' must refer to Aizen."

They all nodded in agreement.

"But what of the other part?" Kuro asked. "It says two forces will vanquish all evil, meaning they will defeat Aizen. But who are these forces?"

"It also talks about an eclipse." Shirayuki said. "And the red of blood… blood… I got it!" She exclaimed.

"What? What is it?" Kuro asked excitedly.

"A blood moon!" She answered. "A total lunar eclipse!"

They all gasped and started talking a mile a minute.

"Of course!" Kuro exclaimed.

"It makes sense!" Keigo nodded.

"The two forces must mean the sun and the moon! They need to be aligned with Earth!" Orihime said happily.

"But when will there be a lunar eclipse?" Tatsuki grumbled. "They don't always happen."

Yoruichi took that moment to jump on the table. "In three months' time, we will have a lunar eclipse."

"How do you know?" Chad asked.

"I'm a supernatural cat. I know these things." Offering only that as an exclamation, she leapt off the table and walked to the door, just in time for Ishida to burst in.

"Everyone!" He yelled. "I've got news!"

"What is it, dear?" Orihime asked him, standing up to greet him.

"In exactly three months, Aizen will have a ball. All of his subjects are invited." He explained.

They all looked at each other and nodded. It could not just be a coincidence.

That night it was decided. In three months they would all attend the ball, and enact their plan. It had to go well. After all, the blood moon was on their side.

A/N: So, Rukia's comment about knowing how to fight with swords means one thing and one thing only: IchiRuki swordfighting!

Also, Kuro's falling for Princess Shirayuki slowly but surely.

Next time, we'll see how she feels.