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Sweet Submissive Sixteen

Chapter Two: Blooming Flowers

It was once again morning when Ichigo opened his eyes to find himself back in his bedroom and it was a few moments before the sleepy haze lifted away enough for him to remember he had blacked out the day before and undoubtedly been dead to the world for another day.

Sighing heavily at the realization, the first thing he noticed was that someone had slipped off the clothes he'd been wearing the day before and redressed him in one of his linen nightshirts.

But that wasn't the only thing that had changed...

The agonizing experience on his birthday where he transformed from human to vampire had altered not only his body but his life as well in a terribly permanent way and it really hadn't hit him fully until Rukia had informed him that he was to be handled the same as a female recently come into her Inheritance- meaning he was going to be subject the traditional gathering of suitors where a marriage was expected to be arranged.

No, his life would never again be the same.

Hence the passing out in the middle of a horse pen.

Ichigo rose to a sitting position, still a bit light-headed, and licked his lips as he felt how dry his mouth was with thirst. He was on the verge of pushing himself off of the bed to head to the bathroom to rinse his mouth with some water when the door leading to the hallway creaked open slowly, a familiar head of strawberry blonde hair peeking around the edge.

"Oh, you're awake!" Rangiku grinned, showing off her pearly white fangs before letting herself into the room and closing the door behind her. She was holding a porcelain tea cup in one hand, its contents a secret as it was tilted towards her. "I was worried you'd fallen into a coma from shock."

The orangette remained silent, partly because of the arid feeling in his mouth and partly because he didn't have anything to say to that, didn't want to say anything. Rangiku, not surprisingly, wasn't fazed by his antisocial demeanor, placing her free hand on her hip as her mouth then curved into a frown. She approached the bed and when she looked down at him with one raised eyebrow Ichigo was suddenly eight years old, caught red-handed pilfering sweets from the kitchens all over again. He hunched his shoulders and averted his eyes away to stare at his duvet.

"What did you think you were doing - overexerting yourself like that when you'd just gone through your Inheritance and not even bothering to satisfy your thirst?" the female vampire said, her chastising tone making the tips of the youth's ears turn red from contrition.

"Sorry," he said, peering up at Rangiku through the mussed tangles of nectarine-colored hair that had fallen into his face. "I... forgot."

"Hmph, well you better make sure you don't 'forget' anymore because I won't drop everything to nurse you back to health one more time." Rangiku sighed heavily then as if she were exasperated by his reckless behavior. "Now, drink this before you faint again."

The porcelain teacup was then proffered to him as it was held in front of his face, allowing him to see that it was filled to the brim with a bright red, thick substance that before he turned sixteen would have disgusted him. But now its scent, ambrosial and piquant, beckoned to him and the orangette didn't hesitate before taking the teacup and bringing it to his dry lips.

It tasted just like he remembered and he drank from the cup like a drunkard did cheap liquor, the spiced sweetness going down his throat like melted chocolate. Almost immediately, he felt better, and not only was his fatigue lifted but his spirits as well, no longer so dampened by recent events. This time, he did whimper a little when he'd swallowed the last drop.

"Have you had any headaches? Or strange dreams while you were asleep?" the strawberry blonde asked him and he shook his head and let the hand that was holding the teacup to his lips to fall into his lap. "Hmm, your abilities must still be latent then..."

Ichigo knew that Rangiku was referring to the unique mental abilities all vampires gain once they reached their Inheritance. No one vampire had the exact same and it was rumoured that they were dependent on the personality of the owner. For example, Rangiku's ability was the power to be able to tell when those speaking to her were lying (which had made getting out of those times when he'd been caught red-handed with his hand in the cookie jar even harder) and his guardian, Byakuya, had the telepathic ability to receive strains of thoughts that the owner wished to send to him.

The orangette merely nodded to that and the female vampire continued on, pointing to the empty porcelain teacup cradled in his hands.

"That's a day's worth of blood, so you cannot drink anymore until tomorrow evening," Rangiku said, as if reading his mind. "Drinking too much is just as bad as drinking too little; unless you were to conceive that is, then you would need to drink ten times this amount."

Ichigo choked on the air he was breathing when the strawberry-blonde mentioned the word 'conceive', his cheeks flushing with embarrassment for no good reason other than the fact he was still unused to the idea of being able to... do that. It was pretty hard to wrap his mind around, thinking for his entire life he was a normal human male, that when the time came he would have to suppress his attraction to the same sex and marry a respectable, hopefully kind woman his guardian approved of.

"You're going to have to get used to it at some point, you know." The female vampire shook her head in disbelief. "You're as bad as Byakuya when he says he 'does not speak of such things because it is improper'," she said, mocking her employer's painfully stoic manner.

It was then the sound of a door slamming down the hall reached their ears, nearly making Ichigo drop the empty teacup in surprise.

"Speak of the Devil," Rangiku said. "He and Rukia have been bickering for the past half hour."

"About what?" the teenager asked, sliding over to the edge of the bed so that his feet touched the floor. He wasn't concerned as his surrogate sister often lost her patience with their guardian and was infamous for her door-slamming episodes.

"The master is a bit miffed about what happened down at the stables yesterday morning." Rangiku grinned coyly then, her blue eyes sparkling knowingly. "I was in the room when he heard from that chatterbox chamber maid that his precious Rukia was in the arms of a half-naked man and just when he was going to see for himself that gorgeous stable hand came bursting through the doors with you in his arms." She clasped her hands to her chest then, expression wistful and glazed over.

Ichigo, however, was not so enchanted by the information.

"What!" he said, actually dropping the tea cup that time to fall to the floor and shatter into several pieces. "Please tell me you made that up."

He could not ever face anyone again if that had really happened. The redheaded stable hand especially; he'd throw himself out of his bedroom window before he would encounter the man again. It wasn't enough that he'd passed out in a horse pen but then the other had been obligated tocarry him back to the manor and Byakuya had been there to witness the spectacle.

"Don't be so embarrassed, Ichigo," Rangiku said. "It was like something out of one of those romantic novellas. And you should have seen Byakuya's face; I thought his head was going to explode."

"That isn't helping," Ichigo said, burying his face in his hands. He could only picture the vein in his guardian's temple throbbing visibly and his lips pressed into a thin line like they did whenever something upset him so greatly he lost that little bit of his composure. "I'm never leaving this room again."

"Well, actually that is why I'm here now that you mention it..."

The orangette's head snapped up from where it had been resting to regard Rangiku with anxious coffee brown eyes.

"Byakuya asked me to come and fetch you so that you could greet your visitor in the dining hall."

"Visitor?" Ichigo asked, but wasn't answered immediately as the strawberry blonde turned and crossed over to where his clothes had been laid out for him like they always were, not hesitating to pick up one of his usual waistcoats from where it lay and chucking it back into the trunk that held his entire wardrobe.

"Yes, it seems that the vampire elders don't trust that Byakuya can handle the gathering of suitors by himself, so they've one of their own to 'assist'," Rangiku said as she withdrew an ivory silk waistcoat with gold, floral embroidery and a matching cravat from the orangette's trunk, placing it over the breeches and shirt that were laid upon his dresser.

"You mean The Elders?" Ichigo said, a bit flabbergasted as he stood from his place on the bed.

"Unfortunately," the woman said under her breath. "But yes, one is sitting in the dining room currently and waiting on you, so put these on and hurry on downstairs." She walked back over to the door leading to the hallway, treading carefully around the broken shards of the teacup on the floor, and let herself out with a swish of her full skirt and a soft whisper of "Good luck."

The gray-haired, older vampire sitting almost as rigidly as Byakuya (oh, nobles) at the long, dining table Ichigo expected when he'd finally arrived after dressing in the boots, white gloves, breeches, shirt, cravat, and waistcoat chosen for him, thankfully remembering to run his until then rarely used hairbrush through the tangles in his long locks of nectarine-colored hair (for if he hadn't, he was sure his guardian would have had the same heart palpitations as when Rukia wondered about the manor with her own curtain of dark hair loose.)

What he had not been expecting, however, was the piles upon piles of boxes in assorted sizes and colors and the numerous burlap sacks filled with sealed envelopes that had been placed in the dining room alongside all four walls. Before anyone addressed him, he noticed that there was a red and pink, heart-shaped theme among them and spotted his name written on the fronts of the envelopes and on the tags attached to the boxes.

"Ah, Ichigo, so nice of you to join us," Byakuya's voice cut across his thoughts as both of the men sitting at the table stood at his entrance in regards to his new female-like status. The orange-haired youth arched a brow at the use of his first name by the man who'd referred to him by his last ever since they'd met, but he said nothing. Instead he offered a cautious smile to the two other males in the room, chocolate brown eyes sweeping over the newcomer.

He was visibly older, which only spoke as to how ancient he must be considering vampires after their Inheritance aged one human year for every ten that passed, and he had gray hair not only on his head but also fashioned into a handlebar mustache above smiling lips. Also, he reeked of nobility, dressed impeccably with a rapier that surely must have been centuries old strapped to his waist and staring impassively at Ichigo with hawk-like yellow eyes.

"Elder Chojiro Sasakibe, this is my charge, Ichigo Kurosaki," Byakuya said, introducing the two of them. The vampire now known as Sasakibe extended a similarly white-gloved hand to gently grasp Ichigo's in a way a man would a woman's, somewhat startling the orangette until he surmised that with his new identity as a male submissive that he would no longer be treated as if he were just as equally male as the dominant male vampires. Fortunately, Sasakibe did not make as if to kiss his hand, only inclining his head and smiling politely.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ichigo. You've caused quite the stir among our kind the past few days," he said.

"It's nice to meet you as well," Ichigo said, not forgetting the etiquette he'd been raised with ever since he'd been adopted by the older Kuchiki and brought out to the country to live on the estate. However, he couldn't quite force himself to say it as jovially as was perhaps expected of him. Not when he knew why the vampire elder was there.

Sasakibe let go of his hand and all three of the males sat down in their respective seats, Byakuya at his usual position at the head of the table and Ichigo to his right with the older vampire across from him.

"Elder Sasakibe has graciously traveled from Seireitei in order to oversee the procedures of the gathering of the suitors," the brunette said then in his monotonous way, though the submissive vampire could've sworn he heard a hint of displeasure in the man's voice- which wouldn't have been very surprising as Byakuya was sinfully proud and no doubt took offense that the Elders thought him so incompetent as to not be able to handle his charge's affairs properly.

"Oh it was no trouble." Sasakibe waved a gloved hand dismissively, though he still managed to come off as incredibly dignified. "I was very eager to meet the first male submissive to come into his Inheritance in over a century," he said in that noble kind of manner that made it seem impossible that the word 'eager' even existed in his vocabulary. "It was quite the surprise, I'm sure you know."

"We here at the manor were taken aback as well," Byakuya said. "I was under the impression that my ward was human for the past decade."

"Ah yes, because you adopted him from an orphanage in one of the northern cities, correct?" the elder vampire questioned, raising a hand to his face to stroke his mustache with his forefinger and thumb when the other gave a short nod. His hawk-like gaze was firmly set on the orangette across the table, who averted his eyes to his lap in what appeared to be out of modesty, but really resulted from discomfort. "And no one has any knowledge of who his parents might have been?"

"None."

"Interesting..." Sasakibe's eyes narrowed but he diverted from the subject despite his curiosity. "But moving along to more pressing matters- regardless of young Ichigo's lineage it is crucial that he find the most suitable mate in order to best propagate our race."

Ichigo's heart sank into his stomach and he could feel a migraine forming at the Elder's words. He'd known they were inevitable, that the whole situation was, but it's no secret that everyone subconsciously still clings to that last bit of hope even when their worst fear is staring them dead in the eye. Chancing a glance over at his guardian, he was stunned to see the mildest frown in the world marring the vampire's handsome face.

"I am aware of the traditions," Byakuya said. "However, I thought it may be best for any talk of marriage to be postponed for a year or so as Ichigo as only just learned of his... status and I believe is far too young and reckless at this point to consider having children of his own."

Ichigo's toffee orbs widened to the size of saucers and the points of his sharp incisors prick the flesh of his bottom lip as he bit into it reflexively in his surprise. He'd never imagined in a thousand years that his guardian would ever consider breaking tradition and the customs of both the vampire race and its nobility in order to prolong the orangette's childhood for just a bit longer. But surely an elder would be greatly affronted by the proposition?

"I understand your concern," Sasakibe said a little more sternly than usual. "Nevertheless, we cannot afford our young ones more time to indulge in youthful dalliances. Your other charge, Ms. Rukia, will also have to find a husband immediately com here inheritance as well. Our dominant male population outnumber the submissive females, and Ichigo here, thirty to one and every year we find that our population is dwindling more and more. If this continues, soon we will be a minority amongst humans and I am sure I do not have to inform you of what will come to pass should that happen." He spoke with all the persuasive power of a politician and with a gently chiding tone that only the elderly could possess when self-righteous about their amount of life experience.

"You do not," Byakuya said, but didn't offer any commentary on what else the elder vampire had spoken of. So Ichigo decided to, because there was one little piece of information that had caught his attention.

"Excuse me, but did you say thirty to one?" he said, nearly choking on air as his mind tried to wrap itself around the concept that for every female vampire (and him) there were thirty males vying for their hand in marriage.

"Not to worry, Ichigo," Sasakibe said, his thin lips stretching into a well-bred smile that showcased his two ivory fangs. "Your guardian and I have already begun the process of sorting through your potential suitors in order to only invite those deemed suitable to the manor tonight."

It was only because Byakuya then spoke that Ichigo was able to keep from bursting out yet again. He'd thought he would have had at least a few days to say goodbye to the freedom of human childhood before resigning himself to the fate he shared with all of the females in the world, the fate that stripped him of all individuality and control.

"Rukia is well informed on the subject, Ichigo; she will help to familiarize you with the customary procedures," his guardian said, not bothering to even look at him while he spoke. "She is waiting for you in the gardens."

Taking that as his dismissal, the orangette absentmindedly rose to his feet (as did the other two vampires in the room) and in a mild shock induced daze bid good day to the Elder before retreating from the dining room, dragging his feet across the marble floors of the manor as he made his way to where a pair of double french doors led outside. He pushed them open and stepped directly into the manor's rose garden, furnished with every type of the fragrant flower and stone benches- upon which sat a despondent-looking dark-haired girl in a modest peach-colored dress.

Rukia looked up from where she was staring at the ground, chin in hand, when Ichigo was about ten feet away. Her violet eyes were noticeably somber and her lips were pressed into a thin line, not to mention her hair was pulled up into a severe bun which the orange-haired vampire knew for a fact his surrogate sister never did, always leaving her hair loose no matter how 'improper' it was, unless she was upset by something or another.

"Byakuya sent me out here to talk to you about... tonight," Ichigo said, lowering himself to sit on the bench beside her, drawing his legs up in front of him to rest his chin on his knees.

Rukia didn't say anything, only huffing as she looked up at the impossibly massive manor they'd grown up in. Her eyes narrowed and she folded her arms as she apparently thought of whatever it was that was distressing her.

"Rangiku told me that you two were fighting because he nearly fainted when he heard about the stable hand helping you down from the fence yesterday." He purposefully didn't mention the part that their guardian had also witnessed him being rushed inside after he'd blacked out in the horse pen by the exact same redheaded stable hand.

Rukia laughed abruptly, sounding almost bitter as she shook her head and turned to face Ichigo, a sad smile on her lips.

"No, I'm afraid that argument took place last night," she said, sighing. "This morning we were arguing about... well, you."

"Me?"

"Yes." The dark-haired girl averted her eyes then, looking to the side and biting her lip with still human teeth. "I was angry with him for not holding off on the gathering of your suitors."

"Why?" Ichigo asked, curiously peering down at the female vampire-to-be. She was the one yesterday who'd been reassuring him that having his... unique abilities as a submissive male weren't bad at all, so why was she upset by the fact that he would soon have to put them to use?

Without warning, Rukia flung herself onto him, wrapping her small arms around his torso in a crushing embrace while burying her face into his shoulder. Stunned, it wasn't until he felt her diminutive frame start to shudder and the fabric covering his shoulder became slightly damp that Ichigo hugged her in return.

"Don't you see, Ichigo?" she said miserably, her voice muffled. "Once they pair you off with some old cur he'll hide you away in his own manor and force you to raise his children just like you were a woman and then we'll never see each other again!"

To say that the orangette hadn't thought of this as a possibility was a lie, because it was all he could think of. He knew what was expected of women in society, especially in nobility and the vampire race, and that many men took this to an extreme. It was rare indeed to know of a marriage where both partners were considered even close to being equal, and so he knew what kind of life would very possibly befall him once his guardian and now Elder Sasakibe found a 'suitable' mate for him.

Ichigo felt much like crying himself but instead swallowed thickly and patted his surrogate sister's back in a halfhearted attempt to soothe her as she continued to sob. There was no doubt that if he were to allow himself to break down similarly to Rukia he wouldn't be able to face the coming night.

His fate was sealed, inevitable. It was of no use to cry over it now.

"You don't think I would really let someone lock me away in some ivory tower, now do you?" he finally said when the brunette's weeping had died down for the most part.

Rukia straightened up, wiping her eyes and cheeks with her white-gloved hands and sniffing though a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.

"No, I suppose not," she said. "It's just... not fair, what they do to us, like we're inferior to them just because we can give birth..." she trailed off, her words making the air around the both of them heavy, almost suffocating- but such was their life in these times. Ichigo was silent for a good few moments before pushing himself off the bench and brushing imaginary dirt from his breeches.

"Walk with me while you tell me all about the hours of torture I have to endure tonight?" he asked with a wry smile, holding an arm out to Rukia out of habit.

"It would be my pleasure," she said, pressing a hand to her chest and batting her eyelashes before linking their arms together. "The first thing you have to know is that the dominant males Brother and that Elder invite will be here for a few days."

Ichigo groaned, though he'd suspected as much. The dark-haired girl laughed as they turned a corner around one of the rosebushes.

"Well you'll be happy to know that they won't be staying in the manor; that would be-"

"Let me guess," the orange-haired youth interrupted. "Improper?"

"Indeed," Rukia said, holding up a finger. "It wouldn't do to have all of those unattached male guests spending the night in the same building as an unattached submissive male. It has to do with unmated dominant males being driven wild with passion from your scent or something along those lines."

"My... scent?" Ichigo nearly stopped dead in his tracks, lifting his shirt to sniff at it before shrugging. "But I don't smell any differently."

"To them you do, trust me." His oldest friend waggled her eyebrows in a Rangiku-like manner. "All of the dominants will be drooling over you tonight. You'll be lucky if you manage to get through the evening without being mauled," she said in part amusement, part scorn.

"That's reassuring," the orangette said resentfully.

"Don't worry, Brother and Elder Sasakibe will be there to make sure nothing 'illicit' goes on. Besides, it's embedded in a dominant male's nature never to harm a female, or a submissive male rather. Or not physically anyway. Especially when the ratio is so skewed and they all yearn to procreate and further their race and lineage."

Ichigo felt the slightest bit of relief upon hearing that; at least he would never have to worry about his future mate trying to beat him into submission as he'd heard some humans did.

"But anyway, about tonight," Rukia said interrupting his morbid thoughts. "The first evening is where the dominants will introduce themselves to you. The Elder will most likely chaperon as you meet with all of them for a few minutes each, and then there dinner will be served but it's tradition that you not eat with them because that's the time when the father, or guardian in your case, will question them."

The girl was about to continue on when Ichigo held up a hand in a gesture for her to be silent. At her puzzled expression, he raised a finger in the air and looked at her meaningfully, indicating that she should listen carefully because he thought he'd just heard...

The distinctive sound of a whip cracking through the air rendered them both stunned still for only a fraction of a second before they broke apart and rushed around the tall hedges of the gardens, the orangette sending a quick prayer to whatever deity may have been listening that it wasn't what he thought it was.

He and Rukia both came to a screeching halt when the estate's stables and horse pen came into view, what Ichigo saw then making his stomach lurch and horror and rage to well up within him. They both stood there for one terrible moment with identically horrified expressions on their pretty faces before the slightly less traumatized female spoke.

"I'm going to get my brother," she said before turning and racing back to the manor, picking up the bustled, full skirt of her dress as she did.

Not a second later, Ichigo broke out into a full out run, sprinting down the path as fast as he could, for what he'd seen in front of the stables in the pen was not his beloved horse trotting along happily or grazing on grass while someone brushed his beautiful coat.

No, instead the jet black stallion was rearing back, standing on his hind legs as he whinnied in distress. A few stable hands and trainers were circling him, one pulling on a rope whose end was fastened around Zangetsu's neck and, as if that wasn't awful enough, another was holding a whip that he snapped in the air to crack against the animal's flesh in a way that even sounded tortuously painful and made the vampire youth's chest tighten with a mixture of awful emotions.

"Stop!" Ichigo cried out, not halting soon enough to keeping momentum from making him collide into the wooden fence, knocking the air out of him. Zangetsu neighed in response to his voice, bucking wildly enough to almost make the man holding the rope to lose his grip. The orange-haired male made to scale the fence, slipping his booted feet between the planks of wood and gripping onto the peak to hoist himself over, only to be met with the unwelcome mug of the elderly man who ran the stables and seemed determined to keep him out of the pen.

"Let me through and stop this immediately," Ichigo said viciously, ready to physically force his way past the man who had earned a permanent place on his black list. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do when it came to his horse, one of the few steady companions he'd ever had since Byakuya had allowed him to try and tame the wild stallion and he'd succeeded with lots of patience and sugar cubes.

"Master Kurosaki, it's too dangerous for you to get any closer. Stay back while we get the animal under control," the elderly man said as if chastising a young child and making the orangette see red.

"Do not tell me what to do," he said through clenched teeth. "Now get out of my way so I can stop you idiots from hurting my horse anymore."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

Just as Ichigo was about to make for the man's throat and throttle him until he begged for the mercy that Zangetsu wasn't currently being shown, a blur of red and white caught his eye as it shot past him and effectively diverted his attention away from his prospective murder victim.

Straightening from his position leaning over the tip of the fence, holding on using his foothold on one of the planks of wood and the tenuous grasp he had on the tip of the top, he scanned the pen to see what had just flown by him so quickly. What he saw had his jaw dropping in slight awe and heart bursting with gratitude and something he didn't have a name for as it was completely new to him.

The orangette witnessed as the redheaded, tattooed stable hand from the day before (who he noticed was now covering his upper body with a loose linen shirt) ripped the whip out of the hands of the one who was wielding it in one swift move, the other man frozen still in surprise. Zangetsu dropped to all fours then and snorted triumphantly, pawing at the ground with one hoof despite the rope still around his neck, which his savior then grabbed a hold of, the cowardly man clutching it letting go immediately.

Ichigo, like everyone else, could only watch with wide eyes as the redhead then walked right up to the stallion who only ever behaved for his orange-haired owner and patted the place between the animal's wide-set eyes, smirking arrogantly obviously at the fact that he'd been able to diffuse the situation all by himself and so easily. That expression had Ichigo's heart skipping a beat as the elderly stable manager moved away from the fence, pointing an accusatory finger at the redhead stable hand.

"Abarai, what do you think you're doing?" he said, face turning a lovely shade of mottled purple as he stalked towards the redhead who'd just put an end to Zangetsu's torment. The other man didn't answer, didn't even look at the approaching stable manager. "I'm talking to you, you impudent little-"

"Excuse me," Ichigo said, interjecting in a tone far calmer and much haughtier now that his horse was being pet by a rather handsome stranger and no longer in pain. The vampire then hefted himself over the fence to drop gracefully to his feet, hands immediately going to his hips. "But you will not speak to the man who saved my horse from you and your lackeys' cruel treatment. In fact, you're dismissed." The orangette smirked in glee as the stable manager's face deepened to a dark burgundy, looking as if his head might explode right then and there.

"You can't do that! Master Kuchiki hired me; he wouldn't let you dismiss me-"

"Actually, he would," a frosty voice cut the man off and Ichigo's eyes snapped to where the voice was coming from the entrance to the stables where Byakuya was standing with Rukia, who'd apparently been successful in retrieving her brother. "I specifically remember telling you that riding crops and whips were not to be used on my thoroughbreds but it would seem that your minuscule brain could not absorb the information. You are hereby dismissed from your position here and banned from the Kuchiki estate grounds."

The stable manager's fists clenched by his sides and his eyes looked as if they would bulge out of their sockets, but after a few moments of silence he finally slunk away to the side of the stable building, undoubtedly to retrieve his things from inside but too intimidated to pass by Byakuya himself. Ichigo felt a smug satisfaction as he watched the disgraced man's back grow smaller and smaller, only when it had entirely disappeared facing his guardian. However, Byakuya was already stately making his way back to the manor, Rukia following one step behind and to the right apparently speaking to the noble about something as the orangette watched her mouth move at a rapid rate.

Frowning heavily, it was another second before Ichigo remembered why he was there in the first place and spun on his heel to dart towards Zangetsu, who was still being pet by the redheaded stable hand, noticing absentmindedly that all of the other stable hands had cleared off.

He came to a stop about five feet away, feeling somewhat unsure of himself and definitely embarrassed as he remembered what Rangiku had told him about how this man in front of him had carried him back to the manor when he'd fainted in the horse pen yesterday morning.

"So I guess I have to thank you twice now," Ichigo finally said, chewing on his lip as he clasped his hands behind his back and dug the toe of one of his booted feet into the ground. The stable hand stopped stroking Zangetsu's velveteen coat and turned his head so that eyes the color of russet silk focused on the submissive male's now flushed face.

Ichigo had to suppress the urge to gasp as he caught sight of one physical trait that had been lost among the many other... eye-catching ones the stable hand possessed. From between two smirking lips peeked a set of incredibly sharp-looking fangs, meaning this redhead was obviously a vampire just like he was.

"Yeah, I guess you do."

The orangette's eyebrows rose to his hairline in surprise at how the stable hand, one of the estate's employees that usually fawned over him, had spoken to him so casually. But though it was unexpected, it wasn't particularly unpleasant...

"Well, I... thank you for stopping them," Ichigo said, then letting his gaze drop from those mahogany eyes sparkling with bemusement to look at his feet, clearing his throat. "And for... assisting me back to the manor yesterday."

"Don't mention it," the redhead said, shrugging his shoulders while Zangetsu snorted and shook his head. "Your name's Ichigo, right?"

Being addressed by his first name by anyone other than Rukia and Rangiku was again unexpected, but the teenager found he rather liked it, especially when his name sounded so very nice when spoken by that deeply masculine but still youthful voice the other owned. Nevertheless, he didn't trust his own at that moment and simply nodded, raising his eyes back so that they made eye contact and offering a small smile.

"Mine's Renji," the redhead said, grinning broadly before reaching out a hand. Ichigo then cautiously placed his gloved one in the other's calloused, tanned, broad one and was pleased when even though it was held like a man would hold a woman's, the stable hand's grip was firm and not holding his hand as if it were made of spun glass. "I've been wanting to meet you in person since last week when I saw you riding this beast here; never seen any noble up on a stallion before." The male vampire now known as Renji gestured to Zangetsu, who tossed his head up in the air and trotted away, offended at the use of the word 'beast.'

The orange-haired male felt his face become even warmer at both the words and the realization that Renji was still holding his hand. Silently cursing his propensity to blush at the drop of a hat, he gently pulled his hand back to him and immediately mourned the loss of contact.

"Well I trained Zan myself, so I'm pretty comfortable riding him," he said in a way he hoped came off as casual despite his voice wavering when he got to the word 'riding.'

Damn Rangiku and her late night 'informative lectures.'

"Impressive," Renji said, whistling lowly. "Maybe there's a future for you in the field, then." He smiled wolfishly, a smile that Ichigo had never seen the likes of in his years of living amongst nobles that were far too reserved to ever come across so... rakish. It sent shivers down his spine that he had to make a show of huffing and folding his arms over his chest in order to cover up.

"No, there isn't," he said.

Ichigo knew there wouldn't be time to raise horses, train them, breed them, when he would be busy every single second of every day of his life looking after the children he'd been obligated to have with some dominant male he barely knew, most likely didn't love and possibly hated. As he thought this, he was even aware of his expression falling into one of despondency, eyes misting over with the grief he felt for the life he'd once partially looked forward to as he looked at the gorgeous redhead across from him.

If only he had money or a title...

It hit the orangette then that there he was, developing something of an attraction to the stable hand when he knew that within a matter of hours he would be standing in a room full of dominant vampires with qualities Byakuya and Elder Sasakibe found desirable and only one of them could be his life-long mate. He was only making it harder on himself, he realized.

Renji was perhaps going to say something in response, but Ichigo abruptly spoke before the other would have the chance to.

"I have to go," was all he said before turning around and walking as quickly as he could back to the manor while still looking dignified, ignoring the singular cry for him to wait.

As Ichigo stepped inside through the french doors after nearly jogging up the path to the building, he was immediately greeted by a woman with strawberry blonde hair who was smiling at him sadly and whose crystal blue eyes shined with pity.

"I've informed everyone that you need your rest, so you can go lay down in your bedroom if you like," Rangiku said, reaching out to run soothing fingers in the teenager's newly lengthened sunset and honey-hued strands of hair. "No one will call on you until a quarter to five."

"Thank you," Ichigo said softly in genuine gratitude. "I think I'll do that."

The female vampire nodded and let him pass by her to drag himself up the stairs, using the banister as if without it he would fall right over, his shoulders hunched in defeat and fatigue. He felt Rangiku's uncharacteristically sorrowful eyes on him until he reached the top of the stairs and turned the corner to head into his bedroom.

A few moments later he collapsed onto his downy bed face down, rolling onto his side after a second to stare out of one of the massive windows to where they looked out over the entire grounds of the estate, the stables and horse pen clearly visible even from this distance. A long shuddering sigh escaped from between his lips and he hesitantly reached to place one elegant, still-gloved hand over his stomach.

Impulsively, he withdrew his hand to rip his glove off and push his waistcoat and shirt up so that his lower abdomen was exposed and the bare skin of both it and his palm could touch as he replaced his hand there, feeling how the lines of muscle definition had faded for the most part, leaving nothing but a perfectly flat stomach. It was unreal to think of the new organs that had formed inside of him due to his Inheritance, and what could possibly very soon reside in there as well.

It wasn't that he'd never wanted children, because Ichigo had always found pleasure in the thought of having a son or daughter to call his own. But of course, he'd never even dreamed of being able to carry his child himself.

And to be perfectly honest, that didn't much disturb him. In fact, he was somewhat relieved he would never have to copulate with a woman in order to procreate and the idea of a new life developing inside of his body was kind of... nice, in some ways.

He only wished it wouldn't be so soon and with someone he may never be able to love.

As the newly turned vampire absentmindedly ran a hand over the light bronze skin of his smooth abdomen, he barely even noticed the occasional teardrops that fell from luxe eyelashes to run down his face.

For the rest of the day, though he'd meant to at first, Ichigo didn't sleep at all.

He swore he could feel the dominant males' presence as they invaded his home one after one, no doubt gathering in one place to lay in wait for him.

Ichigo adjusted the new cravat he'd found in the outfit someone (Rangiku) had chosen for him when he'd been outside that morning and had been set aside by his dresser to change into when it neared close to quarter to five. There had also been a note left on top of the pile of fabric written in the strawberry blonde's distinctive loopy penmanship that stated that it had been fashioned after the clothes the male submissives before him had worn.

The outfit wasn't terribly different from what he usually wore, but there were slight deviations that brought attention to his new androgynous features. It consisted of pure white breeches that were perhaps tighter than normal, boots almost exactly like the ones he wore to ride Zangetsu but they were dyed a pale powder blue to match his dress shirt that in the sleeves was sewn to fit snugly, the broad cuffs lined with delicate, snowy lace that formed several ruffles under the high collar that brushed the very top of Ichigo's neck. The waistcoat was the customary silk but was a soft white embroidered with an intricate silver pattern, the same silver as his cravat that was uncommonly fashioned into a complete bow with a sapphire fastened in the middle. The waistcoat was also peculiar for the way it fitted extraordinarily securely around his waist, accentuating the effeminate curves he'd recently acquired.

Studying himself in the mirror, the youth was disheartened to see that it was a possibility some would have trouble guessing his gender, especially since the only thing he could do with his femininely long, tangerine hair was to leave it loose over his shoulders and let it frame his lovely face with its mussed waves and soft spikes. He scowled at his reflection but stopped when he saw that he just looked as if he were pouting coquettishly. Frustrated, he turned away from the mirror altogether and strode out of his bedroom.

The walk to where he'd been informed Elder Sasakibe was waiting for him was too brief for Ichigo's liking. He all too soon rounded the corner at the bottom of one of the manor's many staircases to see the elder vampire standing by the double doors leading to the formal parlour, a room he'd only been in a handful of times.

"Ah Ichigo, there you are," Sasakibe said, greeting him with a polite smile. "I trust you are well-rested and ready to greet your guests?"

All the orangette could do was nod as he swallowed down the bile that was rising in his throat and dug his fingernails into his palms as he clenched his hands clothed in another pair of white gloves on either side of him. He allowed the other male to place what he was sure to be a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Good, good," Sasakibe said. "Then we are ready to begin." He gestured to the servant who stood beside the doors and the latter dutifully went to fling them open, bowing out of the way automatically as the Elder stepped forward and guided Ichigo to stand in front of him.

The Kuchiki Manor parlour room was a spectacular example of architecture and design with gold filigree covering the walls and ceiling and furnished with antique couches, armchairs, and one mahogany coffee table that was worth more than everything else in the room combined. However all of this was hidden by the massive amount of dominant male vampires that had somehow been stuffed into the room and were now drinking in the new arrival with hungry eyes.

They were of all shapes and sizes, not to mention ages- some of them only looked a few years older than himself and there were others who easily looked several times his age. The only thing they all had in common were the ever-present pair of pearly fangs protruding from between their lips. Ichigo also took note that Byakuya was nowhere to be seen; perhaps he wouldn't join them until he and the Elder had to question the dominants over the course of dinner.

Though what they could possibly be eating was puzzling...

"Gentlemen, it is my distinct pleasure to introduce Ichigo Kurosaki," Sasakibe said proudly as if he'd known the orangette much longer than the measly hours they'd been acquainted with each other. "As tradition dictates, all of you will be allotted three minutes to meet with him in the adjacent parlour and as the appointed Elder, I will be chaperoning these brief meetings. Are there any questions?"

The dozens of male vampires didn't even appear as if they'd heard the older male, gazes directly focused on Ichigo, who shifted from foot to foot uneasily. He felt like a slab of meat thrown in the middle of a starving crowd who were ready to fight to the death for the chance to devour him.

"Excellent. If you would please follow me, Ichigo." Sasakibe used the hand that still rested on his shoulder to lead him through the horde of dominants that shuffled aside to make a path for them and to the door that was directly across the room. The teenager couldn't help but to look down as they passed, not wanting to meet those hungry stares, and it wasn't nearly soon enough when they reached the door, letting another servant open it and usher them through into the smaller parlour that lay beyond.

A much more intimate setting was arranged in this room, two plush armchairs faced each other in front of a fireplace that was empty due to it being July. But the candelabras mounted onto the walls were lit, casting the entire vicinity with a warm glow. Ironic as Ichigo felt anything but.

Elder Sasakibe directed for him to sit down on the armchair facing away from the door and informed him that he would bring the suitors in one at a time and then Ichigo would be expected to ask the other about themselves, which the orangette automatically dreaded as he was terrible at making small talk in everyday situations, let alone the event where he would be meeting his future lifelong mate for the first time.

The first dominant vampire the Elder let into the room had Ichigo's heart stopping when he saw hold old the man was, appearing as if he were a human well into his sixties. Fortunately he never lost composure and managed to plaster a false smile on his face when Sasakibe introduced him as "Barragan Luisenbarn" and the dominant merely grunted and sat down, his burly eyebrows and mustache nearly hiding his bored expression.

"So... thank you for coming," Ichigo said, hoping that was the right thing to say.

"Well all of the females talked too much and were disrespectful little chits, so I figured I might as well give you a shot," Barragan said, shrugging. "Oh and I got this for you." The elderly vampire retrieved a box from the inside pocket of his heather green frock coat and thrust it in Ichigo's direction.

After a murmured thanks, the youth opened the box to see a ring fashioned similarly to a woman's engagement ring with one center stone of amethyst, two diamond baguettes on either side, and with a gold setting. Now he was no expert in jewelry or anything of the sort, but Ichigo thought even he would have more taste than to pair the purple stone with gold...

Needless to say the rest of the three minutes passed by for the most part in awkward silence.

Most of the rest of the evening's meetings went rather similarly, including the gift of a prospective engagement ring, which Sasakibe explained to him in between suitors was a custom to state the dominant's intent to marry.

Despite that they were blatantly proposing to him, it seemed many dominant males tried to come off as strong but silent and therefore win his affections with their masculine energy and so didn't talk much at all. Some others were complete disasters, most of the younger dominants incredibly full of themselves and acted like all around curs. Nevertheless, there were the rare few that were actually tolerable.

"Ichigo, this is Kaien Shiba," Elder Sasakibe presented to Ichigo a dominant that only appeared a few years older than himself with spiky jet black hair and sea green eyes that crinkled in the corners as he smiled brightly at the orangette, taking his seat across from him.

"Pleasure's all mine, Ichigo," he said before the submissive could say a word. "To be honest, I really had to come and see the first male submissive in over a century. That must've been pretty ghastly when you found out; to think you're one thing your whole life to find out you're something different, yes?"

"Actually, I'm getting used to it now," Ichigo said, smiling softly.

"You're a better man than me, then." Kaien shook his head, reclining back in his chair before abruptly straightening, reaching into his suit coat's front pocket to withdraw the by then infamous velvet box. "Almost forgot to give you this," he said a bit sheepishly, proffering the box to Ichigo who took it gratefully.

This ring was by far the best so far, and strangely almost the same as Barragan's as it consisted of an amethyst center stone and diamond baguettes but the setting instead of gold was brilliant platinum.

"Say, don't you have a sister? Or... an adoptive one?" Kaien asked, interrupting Ichigo's thoughts that perhaps the other male was the best in the bunch of dominants that had been invited to the manor. "Tiny little thing with dark hair, big violet eyes? Rukia?"

At the blatant enthusiasm shining in Kaien's sea green orbs, the orange-haired vampire felt his heart sink like a stone, disappointed.

"Yes, I do," he said. "And yes her name's Rukia."

"She's coming into her Inheritance soon, right?"

Ichigo sighed, closing the velvet box holding the ring and after a moment, held it out to the dominant vampire to be reclaimed by its owner. When Kaien's eyebrow arched in obvious bafflement, he elaborated.

"January fourteenth," the orangette said. "That's her sixteenth birthday so you'll probably want to hang on to this."

The dark-haired male looked stunned for a few good moments before, with a heartbreaking grin, he plucked the box out of Ichigo's hand. After pocketing it, he once again made eye contact with the submissive, grin falling so that his lips formed a straight line.

"You're a rare one, Ichigo Kurosaki," he said seriously. "You'll find a good man to spend the rest of your life with, I'm sure of it."

And then he was gone, only leaving Ichigo feeling worn out and very hopeless. He rubbed his temples with the pads of his index and middle fingers, scrunching his eyes closed as he felt a colossal headache coming on.

"Ah Ichigo, I know you must be tired from all the excitement but you will be happy to know there's only one more suitor left for you to greet," Elder Sasakibe said causing the vampire youth to perk up at the news that this mind-numbing torture was so close to its end. He heard the door open and close shut behind him and soon enough two figures were then in front of him, one being the Elder and the other a man who in human years appeared to be in his early thirties.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, this is Kugo Ginjou."

Kugo Ginjou was an attractive enough man with dark hair that reached the nape of his neck but was swept back, matching sable eyes, prominent chin, and a polite smile that was fixated on his face as the man held his hand for a few moments longer than necessary before sitting down in the armchair meant for him.

"It is such... an honor to finally make your acquaintance,... Ichigo," Ginjou said, speaking the orangette's name as if it were the dramatic very last word in a sonnet, full of meaning. But it didn't sound extraordinarily romantic as Ichigo was sure it was meant to.

"Same here," the submissive said, forgoing formalities as his mind chose to focus on the bit of information that after the male in front of him's time was up, he could retreat back to his bedroom and recover from the entire ordeal.

Their conversation went much like the others, though Ginjou had a certain... air about him that felt slightly off, not to mention the ring he gifted Ichigo with was certainly unique being that it held a center stone of over twenty carats of a pink diamond in a heart-shaped cut. It was absolutely laughable for Ichigo to imagine himself wearing it.

And when it was time for the dominant to leave, unlike the others he once again grasped the younger male's hand in his and not hesitating to press his fanged lips to the back of the gloved appendage, forcing Ichigo to suppress his shudders of distaste.

Blissfully, the orangette was then given permission by Elder Sasakibe to return to his rooms in order for he, Byakuya, and the dominants to talk amongst themselves. Apparently when he would return the next night the amount of suitors would be thinned out by at least half.

Ichigo rushed away from the place where all of the males that stared at him hungrily were gathered as fast as he could to barricade himself in his bedroom. Once he locked the door behind him, he gave a long-suffering sigh and threw himself onto his bed. However, once he did so there was the distinctive sound of paper rustling and so the next second he sat up to see that a envelope addressed to him by first name only had been placing on top of the duvet.

Frowning in confusion, he reached for it and easily ripped through the top of the envelope despite the wax seal and withdrew an incredibly short length of parchment upon which a brief letter was written in impeccable penmanship.

Ichigo,

You will soon know how long I've waited for the chance to meet you after you blossomed into the beautiful creature that you are because we will soon be together forever.

Sincerely,

An Admirer

And as if that wasn't enough of a surprise, when Ichigo opened his mouth to whisper "That's strange" to himself, arms shot out seemingly out of nowhere to encase his torso in a vise-like grip, a hand holding a funny smelling rag clapping over his mouth and effectively silencing him.

Just before consciousness left him due to what he was sure the rag was doused in, he heard a silvery, seductive voice right by his ear.

"My my, such a pretty thing ya are. Mus' be my lucky day."

A/N: Holy crap you guys, I finally get the guts to post the first chapter, not expecting many people interested in this story because of its crazy plot and what do you know, I get you lovely readers reviewing saying you like it! *throws confetti* I can't express how much I love you all. :3

Oh yes, and I would like to point out that I do not use the term 'submissive' because I believe females submit to men and Ichigo should too because he can bear children, I've used it because that is what I think this is what the aristocratic, male-dominated vampiric society would choose to call his unique state. Hope that clears things up a bit...

Dedz to Cerulean-Guava for helping me with the "Elders" and to ryuuken5 for doing so with the chapter title.

I hope you all liked this chapter and I'll see you next time! : )

Ah, almost forgot - Grimmjow and Shiro to appear next chapter, as well as Renji.