The Tenchuren, the pillar they had to load into Kukaku's cannon, arrived with no interruptions and released its passengers onto the Vestibule Road, the entrance to the kingdom. Looking ahead, Toshiro saw a path that rose to the main area, with a city spread around not unlike the Court of Pure Souls. A stairway led upwards to a platform beneath an enormous floating building which he assumed to be his father's palace. There were six other floating cities which, if he remembered right, were the cities belonging to each of the Royal Guard members.
It was impressive, to say the least, but it wasn't home. He probably wouldn't consider it that for a long time yet.
"Follow us; I'm sure your father wants to see you." Senjumaru began leading the way across the path and through the city.
Tenjiro was coming as well, but Ruala and Sofia had left quickly towards one of the floating cities, the former giving Senjumaru the book.
"Probably went to check up on her animals." Tenjiro explained at Toshiro's questioning glance. "Her place isn't so much a city as it is a forest, which only one Royal Family is willing to live in."
"So she's mostly alone?" Hitsugaya asked.
"Well, alone from people. She's always got her animals; Sofia's the equivalent of her best friend."
For some reason, Toshiro found that…sad.
His attention was turned to the city as various people in richly designed clothing stopped to look at him. Some looked on in awe, others skepticism, and yet others with an air of indifference, as if his presence annoyed them. All caused the young Ex-Captain to outwardly stand tall as he usually did amongst strangers who doubted him, while inwardly he shrunk under the pressure. Being a young prince was going to be just as hard, if not harder, than being a Captain prodigy. He wasn't just ruling over a squad now, he had an entire realm under him.
No pressure…
They ascended the stairs out of the city and underneath the floating fortress. Even from far below, Toshiro could feel a strong presence inside, one that felt comforting to him but seemed to make the others shiver.
"Your father knows you're here." Senjumaru commented, turning her gaze on him. "He's eager to see you."
"I'm…not really sure I should…" Toshiro said quietly.
The Guards shared a glance, understanding the boy's situation.
"I'll go talk to him." Tenjiro smirked. "Senjumaru can show you your room. Kirio should be inside somewhere, the girls will help you settle in."
Their charge only nodded in reply, eyes gazing at the ground instead of them. As a sort of last minute action, Senjumaru called a large white butterfly to her before sending it off, and then led Toshiro to a large circular area straight underneath the floating fortress. The woman whispered something under her breath and the platform began to rise. Rock scraped against rock as large doors on the bottom of the palace opened to bid them enter.
Letting his eyes adjust from the bright sun outside to the darker inside of the palace, lit by multiple candelabra resting along the walls, Toshiro gazed around at his new home. The walls were pale brown, scarlet drapery resting between each of the candelabra and covering most of the windows.
"This isn't the fun part of the castle." Senjumaru grinned in a foxlike way, not even glancing as Tenjiro vanished with Flash Step. "The more interesting parts are further up."
"That all depends on how you view it." Toshiro replied.
"Oh you'll like it, trust me." And with that the young woman began leading him to the only hallway with stairs in it.
The young prince quickly noticed that there was a set of stairs that went down. Finding that rather strange, considering they were quite literally on the lowest floor with only a few feet of stonework between them and the open air, Toshiro took a moment to peer downward and try to discern what it was that was down there…or if it was just to be funny. It led into a dark room where he could see…nothing.
"What's down there? And how is it possible to go any further down?" Toshiro turned to the black haired Royal Guard.
Glancing back at him, and then to the downward staircase, the woman frowned deeply.
"That room is off limits to anyone without the King's permission." She spoke gravely. "I have not been in there, so I can't tell you why. As for how it can go downwards like that, it's a recent spell made by Ruala. Her title is the Ruler of Magika."
As the woman began moving upwards once more, Toshiro sighed and turned away from the object of his curiosity, following her upwards into the main section of his new home.
"By that name, I'm guessing she has some connection to Kido?" Toshiro questioned.
"She didn't invent it, if that's what you're asking." Senjumaru called back. "It's more that she's…a master of it. Even the Kido Corps would have trouble keeping up with her spells. Plus, she seems to have control over various other spells as well, not just Kido"
"She can use magic other than Kido?"
"Magic of the likes you would never believe in your wildest dreams." The woman gestured dramatically with her arms. "That girl can use spells easier than she can run. But enough about Ruala, you'll get to speak with her in depth at a later date."
They finished ascending the stairs and stepped into a grand hallway lit by the light of the windows on their right, the wall on their left covered with various portraits and drapery with the occasional door. The setting matched a British palace better than a Japanese realm, the color scheme soft blues and greens with the walls being a light cream color. Several other white butterflies fluttered around inside.
"The styles change throughout the levels. After all, the Soul King has been around since ancient times, not to mention rules all branches of the Soul Society." She turned to the stunned prince. "Each level expresses the different tastes of each Soul King. This level was, obviously, built for a British Soul King. Most of them may seem rather Japanese centered since that branch has become rather powerful, but be prepared to see some strange things." She grinned in that foxlike way again.
She led him along the sky blue carpet on the floor, the edges embroidered in dazzling silver. The drapes were similar in design, though they alternated with ones of deep forest green with golden lining. The doors were thick cherry wood with intricate designs carved along the wood, ones he was unfamiliar with but he had no doubt were powerful British symbols.
They passed through one of these doors, a plain one with no significance, and began climbing again.
"If I remember right," Senjumaru mused aloud and Toshiro had to strain to hear her, "By heading straight through this door first after entering and picturing which level I wish to go to, I can get right to the King's floor. Ruala really knows how to bump up security."
"Security?" Toshiro questioned.
"In case anyone ever manages to get inside without permission. Only the King and we Royal Guards know how to maneuver this place. Anyone else would quickly get lost. Oh, and the staff know their way around, too."
He grew silent again, simply following the woman up the flight of stairs and to a familiar sight of sliding doors like the ones in his own office. Glancing mysteriously at her charge, Senjumaru slowly opened the doors. Toshiro stepped inside.
The British level had certainly been impressive, but he hadn't expected what he saw on his father's floor.
The room was very spacious with very warm tones throughout the room. Scarlet seemed to be a favorite, as there were multiple velvet drapes of that color mixed with silver, a rather odd color to put with red, and a dark blood red carpet floor that was soft on the feet. One wall was mostly pulled away with a cherry wood balcony rail that allowed one to look outside. An inside garden twined itself around the carpet walkways and left a refreshing scent in the air as one walked by, more butterflies resting on the leaves or zooming off to other rooms. It had multiple outside qualities of a nobleman's mansion but all inside.
Senjumaru led him across the velvet path and across a small wooden bridge that arced over a tiny stream that circled its way back around to a miniature waterfall at the far side of the room.
"You'll be on this floor for now until you become King." Senjumaru said, dragging his attention from the scenery. "Then you can form one to fit your own tastes."
"How?"
"Normally it takes quite a long time, but ever since Ruala was picked, things involving magic became a snap. She could have the entire floor just how you want it finished within the day."
Toshiro found that, despite knowing so little about her, Ruala seemed very important. For not being a Soul Reaper she seemed rather powerful.
After passing through a long hallway with several sliding doors with different Kanji symbols for what they meant, Senjumaru stopped.
"Ruala apparently had this room prepared for you before she left." The guardswoman silently opened the door for the young prince. "You can adjust it however you like."
Much like the main room, the color scheme was a mix of dark scarlet shades and silvers. It was bigger than his office with a large bed draped in silver sheets and a dark red couch off in a corner. A desk of cherry wood rested near a large open window, the breeze from outside ruffling the scarlet curtains. The floor was mostly wood with a large red carpet that crawled out from under the bed and around the center of the room. Various cherry wood furniture was in place with silver candelabra over top and small bushes by the window gave the room a jasmine scent every time the wind pushed through.
It would take time to get used to such richness in his life, he could tell, but he didn't say anything to the woman next to him. Senjumaru set the black book down on the desk before walking back over to the center where Toshiro stood.
"When you wish to speak to your father, send a Spirit Butterfly to one of us and we'll take you to him."
"Spirit Butterfly?" Toshiro spoke, cursing as his voice betrayed some of his sadness.
"The white butterflies." Senjumaru seemed to take no notice to the slip up of emotion and pointed to one of the white butterflies lounging on the bush at the window. "Hell Butterflies are for the Soul Society but are too small to live here. We use their larger cousins instead, the Spirit Butterflies."
Toshiro nodded and watched the black haired woman leave before moving quickly to the window. He just stood there, letting the breeze brush over him and calm his nerves.
So much had happened in the span of two days. At the beginning of those days he was the same as always, the Squad Ten Captain and child prodigy of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, ruling over a decent squad with a lazy Lieutenant and dealing with the other Captains. Now he was the prince of the Soul King's Realm, ruling over all of Soul Society, including the branches of the other countries, as well as keeping watch over the World of the Living.
He remembered that he was still wearing his Captain's robe, gripping onto the familiar white fabric of the haori. After looking back briefly on the day he was gifted it, the day he became Captain and took on responsibility of Squad Ten after the former Captain had vanished, he removed it from his figure and folded it to where the symbol on the back was on top before setting it on the table by his bed. The black uniform contrasted with his white hair but he paid no mind to it, knowing that once the haori was gone, his removal from the Thirteen Court Guard Squads would be complete.
Pulling himself away from the haori to avoid the memories now attached to it, Toshiro instead reached back and gripped onto Hyorinmaru. He pushed himself onto his bed and placed the blade in his lap. If anyone could help him at the moment it was his zanpaktou.
In no time he opened his eyes to the icy plain that was his Inner World, the giant ice dragon resting before him with wings out wide. It was a majestic sight to behold.
"Your mind has become muddled, Master." The dragon rumbled with a despairing tone. "Are you truly so shaken by the truth?"
"I don't know what to think." Toshiro replied. "It's…in two days I went from a Captain to a prince. That's not something I can get used to within an hour. And now my life is threatened by people with more power than the Thirteen Court Guard Squads combined, not to mention I'll have to take over for the Soul…for my father…when he dies!"
Seeing the distress coming through the barrier Toshiro had put up, Hyorinmaru moved himself forward and wrapped himself around his Soul Reaper. The icy body managed to calm the white haired prince down and Toshiro gratefully leaned into his zanpaktou, reigning in his emotions again to Hyorinmaru's dislike.
"I cannot help you if you hide away what you feel." The dragon complained, moving his head down to look at his master, red eyes gleaming in the icy light.
Toshiro glanced up at the giant head in front of him, the emotions he was trying to hide showing clearly in his eyes. The shock was finally registering. He wasn't going back; he wouldn't see anyone he knew again. Momo, Rangiku, Karin….they would have to forget about him in due time. Ruala could say all she liked about him being allowed to go back, but as long as he was being hunted he would only be a danger to them. As all this came up to the surface, Hyorinmaru humming gently to support him, the young prince found the feeling that was at the core of his muddled thoughts.
He was afraid.
Aw, poor Toshiro. So, he hasn't met his dad yet, he's not exactly prepared for that. But he will soon! Promise! Like the twist I put on the palace? Eh? Eh? So Ruala's got a lot of magic but i'll tell you now, she does NOT like fights. She's actually kind of a really powerful scaredy cat. More of the sisterly type, really, not a guardian. More on that in the next chapter. Enjoy!