Love Conquers All
Chapter 2: Star-Crossed
The Underworld
"Another moon has come and gone, and still you have not given me a grandson. Please tell me why this is the case, Callos, my son."
"I am sorry, father," the prince said from one knee in front of the onyx-black throne. "I believe the fault lied with your concubine, who is apparently barren."
"Like the five other ones you've gone through, child?" the king asked, half-humorously, half-scornfully.
"I think I may have discovered the source of the problem, father. The problem is that none of them had a sufficient amount of spiritual energy."
An older youth standing behind the kneeling one snorted harshly.
"Someone doesn't have enough energy, sure, and I'm looking right at him."
"Shut the hell up, Aron. Do you want to join your parents in the Caverns?"
The older youth's orange eyes narrowed to slits and he clenched his fists dangerously, but did not act.
"I thought so," Callos jeered. "All brain and no brawn, you orphan trash."
"Enough!"
The king's voice boomed throughout the chamber, and the two arguers fell stone silent.
"Your incessant prattling makes my ears bleed. Callos, my son, here is my decree."
"Yes, father?"
"You will look deep into the Seeing Pools and search out someone who you think is strong enough in spiritual energy to give you a son. Once you have found her, take any measures you see fit to acquire her."
Callos rose to both of his feet and bowed low.
"Thank you, father."
On his way out of the throne room, the prince slammed his shoulder into Aron's, hoping to knock him over and failing.
"Asshole," the soldier muttered as soon as Callos was out of earshot.
"What was that, General?" the king muttered, a small smile on his face.
"N—Nothing, sire. Nothing at all. What is it you needed me for, my Lord?"
"I need you to look after whoever my son brings back here this time."
"How do you mean, my Lord?"
The king sighed.
"My son is impatient; he gets angry and dispatches his companions far before giving them a fair chance to prove themselves. I want you to make sure that he doesn't snap and throttle this new one three days in; spirits know Callos has turned enough of my hair gray already."
Aron bowed and smiled to himself. Finally, he had a chance to give Callos hell and get away with it.
"Absolutely, sire."
Callos stared deeply into the molten pools, searching and searching like a falcon combing a field for mice. After a few hours of gazing, the lava swirled and crystallized, giving way to a glassy surface that showed a slightly round face, framed by dark hair, sporting sharp blue eyes and pulsing with spirit energy. A hungry smile crept across Callos' face.
"I found you… Rukia Kuchiki."
Karakura Town
Ichigo swung Zangetsu through what felt like the 100th Hollow that day, hitting the ground with a tired thud. Out of the corner of his eye, the Soul Reaper saw Rukia finish off a Hollow and then just stand there, distracted, while another masked monster snuck up behind her. Summoning up the last burst of speed in his legs, Ichigo sprinted and threw himself between Rukia and the Hollow. Blocking the first attack, he lashed out and split his enemy in half with his first slash.
"All right, Rukia," he said, exasperated, "spill it."
"Spill what?"
"You know what I mean. You've been spaced out all day, and that was the third time I've had to back you up. What's on your mind? Whatever it is, you can tell me."
"I doubt that," Rukia muttered half to herself, then raised her voice. "I'm fine, trust me."
Ichigo didn't believe her for a minute, but he knew that arguing with Rukia never ended well for him, unless he was saving her from death in some incredibly dramatic way. Shrugging it off, Ichigo slung Zangetsu over his shoulders and walked back towards his house.
That night, Rukia lay still in her bed and stared up at the ceiling, growing more and more agitated as sleep refused to grace her eyelids. After what felt like hours she gave up, grabbing Sode no Shirayuki and creeping down the stairs and out the door. The cool night air brought her some peace as it flowed past her cheek soothingly, but nothing as fleeting as the breeze was going to calm her down completely. A few flash steps later she was in the park, the moon shining high above her. Drawing her blade, Rukia began cycling calmly through her moves, the blade flowing like water. As she focused all of her energy on the dance of her sword the tension in her body finally seemed to melt away, her heartbeat slowing down to normal.
Until the sound of metal clashing on metal echoed through the clearing, and Rukia's eyes snapped open in shock to find herself deadlocked with Ichigo, who was wearing an obnoxious grin.
"What're you doing here, Ichigo?" Rukia demanded, trying her best to keep her voice level and sounding irritated. "I was doing this alone for a reason."
"It must not be a very good one," he parried. "What's the point of training by yourself when you can do it with a partner?"
Those words had a bigger impact on Rukia than Ichigo had anticipated. Kaien's face came to her mind unbidden, a few of his words echoing in her head.
Don't die alone.
Entrust your heart to someone.
She let herself exhale, feeling the knots in her stomach untangle now for a completely different reason. She was at peace with herself, for the first time in a long, long time. Rukia smiled, a genuine, joyful smile that Ichigo hadn't seen since the day Aizen had been defeated.
"You're on. But don't expect me to go easy on you, punk."
"Likewise, shorty. Bankai!"
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"
And dance they did. Moving back and forth in an effortless game of give-and-take, knowing exactly where to strike and how the other would react. Ichigo's bankai might have given him superior speed, but Rukia knew all of his openings like the back of her hand. They both exulted in the feeling of combat, the blood racing through their veins as their hearts beat in unison and they felt truly alive. Eventually their blades stopped moving: Ichigo's black katana was resting on Rukia's neck, right below her chin, and Rukia's Zanpakuto was pressing, lightly but insistently, against Ichigo's sternum.
They both froze, realizing how close they had come to one another. Ichigo could barely breathe, whether because of exhaustion or because of excitement he couldn't say. Rukia's ears were buzzing, her eyes shining like gems in the moonlight. Saying nothing they moved closer and closer, a half step at a time, until they were no more than an inch apart from each other. After a moment's hesitation, their weapons fell to the ground unnoticed and the distance between them vanished entirely. The kisses they exchanged were far from feverish; lust was the furthest thing from either of their minds. The two of them were opposite parts of the same whole; he was fire, she was ice, and yet somehow they melded perfectly together, as if their souls had been paired from the start. They both felt completely content and at peace, but even that perfect moment had to come to an end, and eventually Ichigo drew back. His normally impassive face had become tinged with an admiration bordering on awe as he looked at her, his breath stuck in his throat. After a moment, he managed to string a sentence together.
"Well," he said, "this sure changes things, huh?"
Rukia chuckled.
"You could say that."
Suddenly, Ichigo's adrenaline decided it had better things to do and left his blood altogether. He slumped over, the exertion of the fight finally catching up to him. The grass was surprisingly soft, and he stretched out with a yawn. Rukia smirked.
"What do you think you're doing, Ichigo?"
"Going to sleep. C'mon, it's really nice down here. You should give it a shot."
"Why wouldn't we just go back home?"
"Home's so far away…" he groused, refusing to get up. Rukia thought about leaving him there in the cold by himself, but knew deep down that there was no way she was leaving him at this point. Sighing, she laid down next to him.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," she said, keeping up her façade even as she grew warm when he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.
"You know you love it," he whispered.
"Yeah," Rukia said once she heard Ichigo's light snores start, "I guess I do."
She didn't see the smile that appeared on his face just then, his head leaning on her shoulder.
The earth of the park split open so silently it felt like a dream, and from the depths of the fissure a young man with dark eyes and a regal face rose up and landed gently on the grass. Looking at the two figures on the ground, one of which was certainly Rukia Kuchiki, his eyes lit up with malicious intent.
"And here I thought she was going to be by herself," Callos thought to himself, "but this is so much better. Not only will I get to savor the heartbreak of that boy, but a woman with a broken heart is so much easier to bend than one whose will is strong. This must really be my lucky day."
After preparing the spell for a few seconds, Callos released a light akin to the Menos' negacion, which promptly engulfed Rukia and pulled her, still sleeping softly, towards the gaping abyss.
"I almost feel bad about this," Callos muttered. "But not quite. Heh."
The prince held his newest betrothed in his arms, still enveloped in the light, and sunk back down below the earth, which swallowed the two travelers up and returned to how it had been, as if the hellish visitor had never shown up.
Aron paced back and forth in his quarters nervously, not knowing quite what to expect from his new ward. He knew from the outset that he was going to do everything in his power to keep her alive, but the big question in his mind was whether or not she would want his help. It all depended on the type of woman she was. A weak-willed one would be as boring as watching paint dry, but a strong-willed one could be harder to deal with than a hydra.
Of course, the General thought bitterly as he put his head in his hands, nothing could ever just be simple.
One of his messengers appeared in his doorway and bowed, forcing Aron out of his thoughts.
"Yes? What is it?"
"Well, sir, I have my report."
"And?"
"The prisoner… I mean, Prince Callos' wife-to-be, has arrived. She seemed to be asleep, and upon waking she became manic and seemed to think she was in some kind of nightmare, the poor girl. She kept calling out for an 'Ichigo', and managed to kill two of her guards with her bare hands before we subdued her."
"Well, that's certainly a first," Aron said, at once impressed by this young woman and terrified of what trying to keep her alive would be like. "How is she doing now?"
"She's sleeping fitfully, sir. Would you like her to be transferred here?"
"Yes, please. Is there anything else?"
"Oh, one more thing. She seemed to possess a Soul Reaper's Zanpakuto, which she advanced to its shikai form before we got her under control."
"Really? That's not a complete shock, I guess. Do you know what it looked like?"
"No, sir, I am sorry," the messenger replied, "the shape of it escapes me at the moment. I do recall that it was pure white, though."
You have got to be kidding.
"Did you happen to catch its name?" Aron asked, struggling to keep fear out of his voice. If this was a mere coincidence, if she was really the one who had wound up here, if it was really Byakuya's sister, then karma really, really hated him.
"I think it was something like 'Soda ni Shariuki'. Sorry, but I was so busy trying not to die that I didn't get the name down exactly. Sir? Sir, are you all right?"
Aron had collapsed into a chair, his hand shaking before he clenched it into a fist.
"I'm fine. Just leave me in peace, and bring in the young Kuchiki in as soon as you can."
"At once, General!"
When his door had closed, Aron walked over to his desk and pulled out an aged picture frame from the bottom drawer, blowing the dust off of the surface and looking at the faces that stared back at him. There was his face, from a happier time, and right below him was a young man with wild black hair and bright violet eyes.
"Well, Byakuya," Aron said to the portrait, "if I can't make it up to you, I can at least make it up to your sister. I'll keep her safe and repay my debt, you have my word."
As soon as the General had put the frame back, the door slid open again and Rukia was brought in by two attendants, lying still as death on a stretcher.
"Put her down on my bed and leave us."
The two orders were obeyed immediately, and Aron gazed down at Rukia's face with sadness.
"You look a lot like him, your brother," he said, "but I hope, for your sake, that you didn't get his temper."
The General put his hand on her forehead, gazing into her mind and looking at her last memories of the world above. There was a swordfight, and then…
'I love you, Ichigo.'
The last thought she had formed played over and over again in Aron's head as the cruelty of the situation became fully apparent to him.
"Oh, Callos, you bastard," he swore, helping himself to a bottle of sake and trying in vain to calm himself down. That scumbag of a prince had stepped over the line.
In that moment, the General formed his resolve and made it as impenetrable as the walls of the Seireitei. Not only was he going to keep her alive, he was going to reunite Rukia with her family and friends. Even if it cost him his life, he owed it to the Kuchiki clan, and he owed it to himself. He had to do this. But he also had to do it right, and that would take planning. Pulling out a pad of paper, Aron immediately began sketching out ideas that raced through his brain like lightning, desperately searching for one that could work.
He was so absorbed in his work that the General never heard Rukia wake up, nor did he see her call her sword to her side through sheer force of will. What he did feel, though, was cold steel pressed to his neck.
"Where am I, and who the hell are you?"
This wasn't good.
A/N: I hope this chapter was a bit more satisfying, and sets up what the summary hinted at. Not a whole lot of action, but I hope the character development was plausible. It'll really pick up next chapter and the following ones, though, when Ichigo finds out what happened and Aron tells Rukia about his history with the Kuchiki family and his promise to get her out of Hell. All this, and Kenpachi Zaraki! What's there not to love? I hope you all enjoyed this part, and PLEASE please please review if you have the time, even if it is only a sentence or so. It's what keeps us writers going, feedback.