I'm back! After a 15 month hiatus, I finally got around to writing again! I had parts of this chapter done for over a year sitting in my Google drive, so I finally wanted to come back to this story. My issue at the time was thinking of the direction of the story, but I finally figured it out. Hope you enjoy it!
Approximately three hours have passed since the newly appointed king, Shiro, had made his inaugural proclamation – an unprecedented wish to marry his lifelong friend and his "protector", Rukia Kuchiki, a mere slave. For the first time in history, the Soul Society found itself plunged into a frenzy uproar never seen before. While past discontentment of the Soul Society had simmered over minor grievances with things such as rules and governance powers, the notion of a king seeking marriage to a slave ignited an unparalleled public backlash, finally tipping the people to their absolute breaking points.
Shiro had managed to escape the barrage of the public outcry. People were throwing things on the stage, water, food, rocks, anything that could be a weapon to hit the new king.
The townspeople were attempting to gang up on Rukia. Many snarky comments came out of their mouths.
"A slave gets to marry a king? What kind of world is this?"
"She's a gold digger!":
Rukia was still frozen still from Shiro's unworldly requests that she didn't even pay attention to the dozens of obscure comments people were saying about her.
Kisuke noticed Rukia from the ground's surface. He knew that he couldn't get Shiro to come and rescue her at this instant…..
"Shunsui and Ukitake! I'll secure Rukia's escape!" Kisuke screamed out over the noise of the riots happening.
"Let's meet after Rukia is safe!" Elder Ukitake noted to him.
Kisuke nodded and jumped down from the top of the tower. The tower is at least 25 feet, yet he landed without a scratch or broken bones. He grabbed Rukia from her arm.
""Lady Rukia, we must go!" Kisuke locked eyes with her, the violet galaxy's orbs she has reflected back to him, a silent understanding between the two. Rukia, without uttering a word or questioning Shiro's royal advisor, nodded in agreement.
Together, they navigated through the crowded capital streets full of mobs, weaving through the chaos that Shiro had started.
The elders, Shunsui and Ukitake, were inside king Shiro's private chamber along with Shiro. Shunsui and Ukitake were both pulling their long aesthetic hair out. Shiro on the other hand, was more nonchalant about what he just did.
"Shirosaki-sama, this could absolutely not happen!" Elder Shunsui exclaimed as he paced back and forth in Shirosaki's private chamber.
"Shunsui is correct, Shirosaki-sama. A marriage between the King and his personal guard, most especially, a slave, is unprecedented and unheard of. Other Noble houses might rebel and rise up against you because they certainly wouldn't accept that their future Queen was of lowly origin!" Elder Ukitake added.
"You don't want to deal with a noble rebellion this early in your reign," Shunsui said with a grim voice. "They will find a way to dethrone you and replace you with someone they think is acceptable."
The chamber doors had opened and it was Elder Kisuke, "Sorry I'm late. I had to make sure Rukia was safe first. Kisuke took his hat off and joined them on Shiro's table.
Buckethead tapped his cane to get Shirosaki to look at him. "Shirosaki-sama, this is not my opinion, but the opinion of various noble leaders. I want to make that clear."
"According to them, you're the last hope of the House of Shiba. The last opportunity for the House of Shiba to be restored to its former glory. It had been 200 years since a Shiba ruled the Kingdom. In their eyes, If you marry a slave, the prestige of the House of Shiba might become tainted."
The word 'tainted' ticked Shirosaki off. It was like they were saying it was Rukia who was tainted. Rukia, the purest person he knew, and they were calling her tainted just because she was a slave?
Shirosaki finally spoke up. "How does marrying Rukia make the House of Shiba tainted? The Shiba clan has always been tainted. Have you seen how deprived the other elders are? How about me, didn't they call me a cursed child because I was born with defects and my mother died giving birth to me?"
Shirosaki's voice was full of conviction as he continued.
"If anyone was tainted, it was me and not Rukia! Rukia becoming a Shiba is actually purifying our clan!"
Ukitake opened his mouth as if he was going to respond but Shirosaki sent him a death stare.
"Don't try to convince me to change my mind. I have already made my decision to marry Rukia. I'm prepared to face whatever consequences I get." Shirosaki said with finality before turning around to leave the chamber, leaving Shunsui and Ukitake in silent shock. Kisuke on the hand, wasn't so surprised and left out a smirk.
The sea and night sky reflected one another; one an endless vessel of the stars and space, the other an infinite cavern of water and life. Rukia was aware of both, just as she was aware of Shiro next to her. It would have been impossible for him not to notice him, after all. They'd have known each other for eleven years, and there were times when she wondered if they could be more than friends.
It could happen as the fate of the kingdom and her and Shiro's relationship is in the palm of her tiny hands. Accepting Shiro's marriage proposal was a choice she grappled with. Even if she did, the nobles opposed and objected to the whole notion of a slave and a king getting married. She necessarily never thought of marrying someone who was royalty. As long as they were at least someone of her social status, she would have no complaints, but Shiro is now a king.
But she also hadn't brought up the possibility of agreeing to Shiro. He hadn't breathed a word to her about it, either since earlier. Shiro wasn't so certain if she had ever entertained the notion. He knew her better than anyone else in the entire world, but despite all of that, knowing Shiro sensed hidden aspects inside Rukia's mind and heart. He may have known her for over a decade, but he felt that there were secrets about her waiting to be uncovered by him.
She was thinking about her conversation she had with Kisuke earlier and how that would impact her decision making with Shiro.
Their shared silence stretched for an hour, the quietness broke out only by Shiro's question to Rukia. "Do you ever think about the future, Rukia?"
"At times," Rukia replied, tilting her body to face him, their eyes meeting after an hour of stargazing. "What are you trying to say?" she queried, her gaze returning to the stars.
"That I want ya to be my wife." Shiro broke the silence, expressing his desire for Rukia to be his wife. Her response, however, was hesitant.
"Shiro." She began. "I can't." Rukia looked straight at him, avoiding the real reason lingering in her heart.
"Why can't you?" Shiro pressed, his frustration simmering.
Reluctant to reveal the advice she had received from Kisuke, Rukia offered a different explanation to him."Because.. I have to follow my duties. Marrying you would go against my duties and obligations here in the clan." Besides, why would you want to marry me? I'm still a slave at the end of the day?"
Shiro's irritation grew, prompting him to question her actions years ago when she saved him from near death.
"Why did a slave save me from bleeding to death when I was eleven?" Why did a slave say 'I will protect you...forever?"
Rukia had enough. Her small stature stood up from the wall they were both leaning on. Her eyes closed for a second, fist crumbled like a ball.
"Because who was gonna stop you from fucking bleeding you idiot! You would have been dead if it wasn't for me!" The tension escalated, culminating in Rukia's eruption of pent-up anger, catching Shiro off guard.
Shiro gets up as well." You're gonna act like that huh? Well, you didn't even answer the second question I had asked ya."
Uncharacteristically, she dismissed his questions, hinting at hidden truths. Shiro, perplexed, demanded an explanation, only to face resistance. "I can't explain that to you. You are too native to understand." Rukia said without looking at him, clearly showing that she is perhaps hiding something important to him.
Shiro raised an eyebrow at her comments. "Huh? This isn't the Rukia I want to marry? What's with ya attitude all of a sudden? "That's no way to treat a king.."
"Don't drag me into this! I didn't ask you to marry me, fool!"
"Where's the Rukia who told me: "If you are afraid of others you just have to get stronger."
Shiro continued "Even if no one in the world believes you, stick out your chest and scream in defiance!" Shiro yelled out to her. "Where's that Rukia I have known for 11 years!"
"I'm a slave! I'm a fucking slave! I accepted that about who I am, fool!" Rukia retorted back, the exact opposite of her speech to him years ago about strength and defiance.
Shiro's white albino face began to slowly form tears around his face. Emotion flooding down his face, slowly wimping out. Rukia began to notice and her attitude slowly began to change.
"Do ya…" Shiro slowly attempts to speak but is overshadowed by his tears..
Wanna know the reason why the black sun dies every night so the white moon can breathe? He finished out his sentence to her.
Rukia, puzzled by his question. "Why?" She started back to him.
Shiro, who got closer to Rukia. He got on his knees so he can be at her eye level, Both of their orbs locked together, with either of them losing focus in each other's souls. "Because the black sun loves the white moon so much." Shiro whispered out to her. Though softly, his statement echoed inside of her soul. She looked down at her sun necklace and looked at his moon necklace. She then realized what his symbolism had meant all long.
"Wa…wait?" Rukia let out… "You Lov…"
"I love you… no.. I fucking love you Rukia.."
Her spine tingling, Rukia's world spun with the realization of Shiro's profound feelings for her, setting her heart and mind ablaze with emotions she has never felt before in her life.
Rukia watched as Shiro started to approach her slowly, as she stayed rooted in her spot, still completely surprised by his confession. Her heart was beating fast and butterflies rumbled in her stomach. She felt her cheeks heating up as she realized that this scene was not a dream, but happening in reality. Once in a while, she would admit that she thought of how it would have been like if she weren't a slave. Would Shiro ever look at her in another way… as a woman?
Always, she would shake her head to erase that notion as slaves like her didn't have any right for pipe dreams. She was tempted to shake her head awake right now, maybe even pinch herself, just so as not to delude herself, but when she looked up, there was Shiro, so close to her face, his breath fanning hers.
All thoughts vanished as she stared at gorgeous golden orbs. People were always scared of those orbs, but she found them beautiful, as she could always see the tormented soul beneath them, just yearning for saving. And save him, she did, as much as she could. Now, they had the same yearning, but it was different. It was filled with something else… desire, dare she say?
"Rukia?" He whispered, uncertain. Rukia wasn't exactly sure what she was asking from her, but she didn't step or avoid him.
Being this close to him was once but a dream. Gently, Shiro lowered his face until his lips were so close to touching her. He took a look at her eyes one last time, as if asking for permission, and she closed her eyes in acceptance.
She felt Shiro featherlight lips on her lips, and took a few nips at her closed lips. Instinctively, she opened her mouth, slightly, inviting him. Something broke inside Shiro at her action as he delved in with the hunger of a starving man as he kissed her deeply, while hands went to embrace her back to bring him closer to his rock hard body.
All these were foreign sensations to Rukia, but somehow, she knew what to do. Tentatively, she let her tongue out to explore Shiro's own cavern. Their tongues touched and violently danced within their connected mouths. She felt his tongue all over the roof of her mouth, her teeth, her cheeks. They kissed with the yearning of a thousand years.
Finally, their breath was running out, and they had to disengage, albeit reluctantly. A thread of saliva still hung between their lips as they did so, staring at each other with amazement.
Shiro was the first to recover as he rested her forehead against her. "I have to marry you now," he said with a light tone. "I have to take responsibility for taking your first kiss."
His quip took away the awkward atmosphere as she lightly hit shoulder. "You ass," she said in an equally joking manner. "You definitely should now."
Her words brought out the widest grin from the man, as it meant only one thing, she was finally agreeing to marry him.