Damned Fate and a Damned Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

thoughts

dream

regular talk

flashback

It had started out innocent enough, Rukia stealing the homework Ichigo was working on as a payback for lunch. She had laughed and run around their room away from his grasp as he chased her. She had then jumped on the bed in order to avoid him and scramble away, but before she could he had tackled her down. The homework paper flew away, but was soon forgotten as they started wrestling each other on the bed playfully. Finally he had her pinned down with his body and held her hands above her head. She was still laughing and squirming and they traded insults at each other.

"Orange haired freak!"

"Stupid Chappy loving weirdo!"

"Idiot strawberry don't you dare insult Chappy!"

"I guess your brain is as small as you are in stature that's probably why you like that stupid rabbit!"

"At least I have a brain, I bet there's nothing in that empty orange head of yours."

As they traded insults, Ichigo had unconsciously leaned closer to her, she probably would have too were it not for her current position that rendered her immobile. Then they realized their position on the bed and the atmosphere changed. It was no longer light and playful, and there was now silence as they looked at one another's face. The world faded away, any thought of them being related flew out the window, it was only them two and the longing for one another. He leaned in slowly and she fluttered her eyes shut. It was too late to stop now. Their lips met. His first thought was how soft her lips were. Her's was his scent and taste. It began slow and sweet but progressed into a deeper kiss as they let out the pent-up frustration they had to carry constantly at being so close but never close enough. He asked for entrance, which she gave and they relished in each other's taste. They parted for oxygen, panting hard but reconnected their lips, more feverishly. Suddenly they heard footsteps coming up the stairs and headed for their room. "Shit!" they swore in their minds and pulled apart. There was a knock on the door and they heard Yuzu's voice through it. "Ichi-nii, your friends came and their waiting for you downstairs!"

"Yeah. I'm coming" he replied. They heard her footsteps go back down.

Ichigo had stood up, while she had stayed on the bed but had sat up.

"I guess I should go down." he said quietly

"Yeah." she responded just as quietly and averted her eyes from looking at him as he turned and shut the door behind him. She tried to calm her erratic heart beat and flushed face. They had crossed a line, a line they had been careful to avoid crossing. It must've been the suppressed hormones, stupid hormones. She decided to do the homework her teacher had assigned in order to distract her mind, she picked up her book and began to read :

Once long ago when lords and princesses and nobles existed, the lords waged war on each other to see who would be the ultimate emperor of all the land.
One fearsome lord named Byakuya was very rich and had much land, so many different lesser nobles gained alliances with each other to take him down. He was a skilled warrior and commanded many men,but when the others formed alliances against him, he was overwhelmed by the numbers. The enemy approached closer to his home, intending to destroy it along with him.
Byakuya knew that he was lacking defenses, but that wasn't what troubled him most, it was the fact that his daughter was at their home and with the enemy approaching she would be in danger. He had lost his wife to illness so all he had left was his daughter, a very beautiful young girl that would soon come of age.
Byakuya knew he must stay and fight with his men, for it was too late to retreat but he had to save his daughter. He decided to send her away someplace safe with guards to protect her.
He had heard of a young warrior who excelled in combat and since Byakuya wanted the best protection for his daughter he called for him. The young warrior agreed for he would be paid a handsome amount for this task and he was a good man who lived to protect. The young warrior was determined to protect the young princess.
The young princess was sad to leave her father but followed his orders and at dark her new bodyguard escaped with her towards a safe place. Since the refuge they sought was far away, they had to travel days and nights together through rough, hidden paths through the forests.
At first the pair didn't get along well, they fought and bickered, not your average love routine. But as the days passed, they grew to understand each other and bonds were forged.
Whereas first he thought only of completing his task and getting her to safety he now dreaded the day he must let her go. She in turn wished that they could stay together when at first all she wanted was to see her father again.
But their newfound love couldn't be, she was a noble and he, though a skilled warrior, was of humble origins. The girl knew that her father would never approve of them together and that her clan wouldn't either. Her fate had already been decided to an arranged marriage to form a strong alliance. Byakuya would win the war and once everything was settled she would marry into another noble house as payment for the reinforcements given to Byakuya during the attack of the enemy.
The young warrior, though, wouldn't give up on their love and convinced her to runaway with him so that they may be together. Byakuya wouldn't receive word for a long time since the war would be long and ardious. But when he found out about the warrior running away with his daughter, Byakuya was furious.
He had placed his trust in him to deliver her to saftey and this was how he was repayed! Byakuya sent out his men to hunt down the couple, kill the warrior and bring him his daughter.
By this time the war was over and the couple had successfully married and gone to live far away.
But still Byakuya's men had been able to find them, and the couple had been caught by surprise they took the young princess and left a seemingly dead warrior behind.
The princess was brought back to her father who turned cold towards her and set up the preparations for her arranged marriage for her to be wed to another noble. In Byakuya's eyes, she had shamed herself and him. The princess grieved for her dead love and resignedly followed her fathers orders to be married again.
But what they didn't know was that the young warrior had survived and was coming for the princess. The warrior with some friends stormed in the day of the arranged marriage ceremony.(A/N: kind of like Bleach cannon rescue Rukia arc) Byakuya was surprised but soon sent all his men after them.
The young warrior fought his way to the princess but before they could meet, Byakuya himself intervened. The young warrior and noble fought both with great skill and both recieving injuries. The princess watched on in helplessly, not wanting either to die. The young warrior knew this and for her sake, knocked Byakuya out cold.
The princess and the warrior met and embraced, but then the princess's fiancée who she was to wed came up from behind and stabbed the warrior. This time the blade pierced the young warriors heart, effectively sentencing him to death. And as the couple had been embracing and the sword used had been long, it had also pierced through to the princess who wouldn't survive the wound.
The warrior's friends saw them die together and knew that it was too late to escape, since the plan had been to rescue the princess then leave, but now their escape path was blocked. They stayed loyally and fought until each of them were killed as well.
The day ended with many deaths and tragedy, since when Byakuya woke and found his daughter dead he blamed himself and commited suicide not before killing the noble who had killed his daughter.
The legend goes that with such tragedy, a godly being took pity upon the couple and sent their souls to be reincarnated again so that they may love each other again but also with the gift of immortality to spend it together.

Rukia fell asleep after reading the story, thinking nothing of it. Unaware that the story was not just a story but the story of her's and Ichigo's past life.

A/N:I must apologize for the lateness of this chapter. I just couldn't write it, it had to be forced out of me and was very painful, if it makes you feel better, know that I suffered a lot.