Inspiration from
ChocolateCarnival
I just love Ichigo as 'Still Doll'.
04.11.2018
(1) Kaninchen – rabbit
*cookie*
Ichigo was sitting near the window, his hand laying flat against it, watching the world going. He took a small breath, exhaled and took another one. If he could feel anything, he would be excited as a dog waiting for his owner to come back. But no, he forgot how it felt to feel a long time ago.
'How long it was?' He asked himself. He thought for a moment.
'How long it was since he was saved by His Majesty?'
'How long it was since Shinigami, this horrible creatures who called themselves 'the saviors of every world', killed his mother and tried to finish him too?'
He closed his eyes for a moment, pressing the side of his head against the cold window. Cold almost as his heart since that horrible accident.
Inhale...
Exhale...
And slowly repeat...
But the memory didn't hurt his heart as it 'was supposed' to. No, he felt nothing, thanks to His Majesty.
His Savior.
His King.
Ichigo opened his eyes when he heard the door knob twist but didn't look at the person who opened it. It was probably Haschwalth since His Majesty was too busy to visit him now.
"You look troubled, Prince." Said prince turned his attention to the blonde man.
"Just a simple headache, nothing to worry about." It was really common for him: from time to time his head was killing him, only His Majesty was able to shut it.
The other man slowly walked to him, touched his chin and lifted his head slightly forcing him to look at him.
"You are paler than usual." Haschwalth noticed. Ichigo looked into his blue eyes and said:
"And you do not look troubled by it."
"Should I be?" Ichigo moved his eyes to the closed door. "His Majesty will come back soon, he-."
"I know." Haschwalth let go, Ichigo turned his attention to the window again. "Should I go practice before The War?"
"If you wish." Haschwalth was a simple man but Ichigo wasn't touched by that. No, he was grateful.
He took the offered hand and got up. He accepted the white coat and let the other man dress him.
"You don't look happy. Did I do something wrong?" The Prince asked the blonde man.
"No." Ichigo nodded. "Did Buzz-B say something to make you sad?"
"I can't feel sadness anymore." He looked at the snow laying on the ground. "And no. The only person who can make me feel anything is His Majesty."
*cookie*
They walked in silence for a few minutes. Ichigo looked at the other Quincies who were training hard to never let the King down. Some of them stopped and bowed at them but he didn't mind it at all. He didn't care about their opinion, they were going to die anyway.
But His King would be proud of them.
Soon they walked deeper into the forest, to the place where Stern Ritters could spar together.
The Prince stopped near one of the groups. He watched as their blood and sweat were staining the white snow.
"Look who decided to join us, our little prince!" Suddenly he was hugged by one of the Stern Ritters. "You should go out more, we missed-."
"Let him go, Candice-." She loose her grip but didn't let go and was leaning against him with a smile.
"C'mon, you can't say you aren't excited, Bambi!" Ichigo watched as 'Bambi', short for 'Bambietta', blushed.
Soon Candice let go of him but was still holding his wrist and was walking towards the frozen lake.
"We'll see you soon!"
*cookie*
"Haschwalth is treating you well, right? I don't have to-."
"He's alright." I said slowly. She always treated me like an older sister would treat her younger sibling. We weren't related but it felt... alright to have her around from time to time. "And you? How have you been lately?"
She blushed with a smile on her face and started telling me about things that happened, from the small things like 'I changed my hair' to something more important like 'The War'.
"You don't have to feel afraid." I stopped her monologue. "His Majesty will always protect His children."
"Of course I know that! But that stupid-."
"Don't trouble your mind with it." I looked at the fishes that were swimming under the frozen surface. "How is your training doing?"
She started talking again. After a few minutes Haschwalth came back and took me to the palace.
*cookie*
I let the lower ranked Quincies to wash my tired body. I closed my eyes and started thinking as one of them started gently massaging my shoulders.
I didn't see His Majesty whole week except for the one meeting. I was... a little bit worried. Of course, it wasn't the first time when He hadn't had much time to spent with me but He started... ignoring me lately...
I'm not troubled my that, of course, He's The King, The Greatest King we could ever had and He has many things to do, of course I understood that. But I... I...
I...
Miss Him.
"Don't feel sad, Ichigo-sama." I opened my eyes. I frowned as I felt the wetness from my eyes, not the water from the bath I was currently having. No, it was...
My heart skipped a bit. I closed my eyes trying to stay calm as much as I could.
"Just... Hurry up." I said as I was counting how many times I inhaled and exhaled.
After a seventeen inhales and eighteen exhales, they dried my body off and wrapped it in a thick, soft material. I slowly left the bathroom and felt a sting in my heart when no one was in that room.
I sat down on bed, trying to think about His Majesty, thinking about Him always kept me calm. My fingers slowly moved to my neck where the small charm was placed by Him.
I exhaled slowly.
I missed Him so much that my heart started to ache again.
Trying to ignore the feeling I shouldn't be able to still feel, I laid down in a soft bed, covered myself under the warm covers and closed my eyes.
But the ache never stopped.
*cookie*
At first I didn't know where I am. I couldn't open my eyes, I started panicking because of the heat I was feeling, almost suffocating me but when I felt that warm hand on my chest, near my heart, I calm down a bit but the blackness surrounding me was stressing me out.
"Calm down, My Prince." I was too afraid to move my head towards the voice or to answer but I tried to calm down. "I have to seal your emotions again, do you remember how we did it last time?" I slowly nodded but when He moved my hand, hid it under His and gently squeezed I felt the wave of calmness.
I felt my heartbeat slowing down, slowly. Then the calming wave of numbness, so familiar to me, came and I sighed in relief. His hand was still holding mine and when I blinked a few times, the darkness started becoming only a few small black dots which slowly were becoming less and less visible.
"Your Majesty..." I said with a clear relief in my voice. I closed my eyes when His finger touched my lips, I slowly kissed it.
"Did you miss me?"
"Yes. I missed you really bad..." He let me slowly turn on my side and hid myself in His embrace, I breathed in His scent and my body immediately relaxed. "I missed you so much..." I said grabbing His clothes. I closed my eyes, He said nothing, He didn't have to say anything.
"I apologize." I wanted to say that He didn't need to, that His presence now is more than enough, that I such an idiot, such an arrogant idiot... But I didn't need to say anything, His Majesty understood everything, better than I did.
I opened my eyes and traced my fingers against His Majesty's jaw. I felt so safe, I wanted to show it...
I laid my hand against His face and connected our lips, slowly, trying to show and tell everything by that simple action.
Even if I started the kiss, it wasn't me who truly controlled it. I didn't mind it, I was grateful His emotions about me didn't change, I was so afraid His Majesty would replace me with somebody else...
"Stop thinking." He ordered and I obeyed immediately, if it wasn't Him, I would be dead, I needed, needed to show His my gratefulness.
His hand moved and rested on the back of my neck, the place where The Mark He gave me was. For someone who knew nothing, it was just a black tattoo of a necklace from one shoulder to the other but it was something more for Us, for me and for Him. It was a promise of the better life, of a life fulled with love, kindness and gentleness.
Just like His Majesty.
I smiled to the kiss because of that thought.
I opened my eyes which was fulled with every positive emotion I could have imagine.
He directed my head to His lips again and then to His shoulder, I laid my head there feeling so... right. So peaceful.
I almost melted when He embraced me.
"My Kaninchen. (1)" Nothing hurt anymore, nothing ached, nothing was happening.
His Majesty was slowly running His fingers through my hair, I felt so calm around him...
"What made My Prince so emotional that the seal was almost broken?"
"I'm sorry..." I said feeling embarrassed.
He didn't comment so I moved closer, searching for more comfort.
"Do not make me repeat myself." I closed my eyes and told Him about my every worry and fear, His Majesty was the only person that could be so... calming and He understood everything, He didn't ask unnecessary questions...
He touched my cheek and slowly stroke it. I felt the weight disappearing from my shoulders, I suddenly felt so tired...
"I will wait for your arrival tomorrow. There will be a special guest for you to meet." I nodded and let myself fall into deep slumber. But before that happened...
"I love you..."
*cookie*
I woke up alone but I didn't feel lonely. No, I felt so loved that it felt like my heart was jumping from happiness.
Someone knocked on the door so I waited for the maids to come and dress me. They came but they weren't alone.
"Good morning, Haschwalth." I greeted him and nodded to the maids so they could start dressing me. I got up and I started a small talk with him. "His Majesty informed me last night that there will be someone important seeing us today."
"Yes, it is true."
"I assume that it's a 'surprise' for me so you can't tell me?" He nodded.
"His Majesty ordered me to assist you until then." I nodded again.
I looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a classic Quincy uniform with a golden cape covering his right arm. It had a Quincy Cross on the side and one single stripe from his neck to the bottom.
It was beautiful.
I looked at Haschwalth.
"It is a big day for all the Stern Ritter." I simply nodded. He walked me to the dinning room where I was served with a breakfast, I grabbed the fork and slowly started eating.
It was going to be a big day. But for who? For him? Or... for His Majesty? I bit my lip feeling a bit nervous. Was it going to be a day when he was going to...?
I shook my head. His Majesty would never leave me, He already told me that.
I sighed, I didn't want to eat anymore, even if it was a really good food.
"Eat." Haschwalth said. "There is nothing to be worried about." I nodded and returned my full attention to my breakfast.
It took me a while to eat everything, cooks prepared everything what I liked, I couldn't just leave it, they would be sad...
I realized how much everyone cared about me. It was... Nice.
*cookie*
I would feel nervous if it wasn't for a calming arm draped around my shoulders.
I took a deep breath. We were waiting for every Stern Ritter to arrive, soon I would know what His Majesty was going to say. When almost the whole hall was filled with everyone and a few people I didn't know, the arm disappeared. I walked with His Majesty and Haschwalth to the center of the room and the whole room fell into silence.
His Majesty started talking to everyone. But I couldn't focus as much as I wanted to. Something was... troubling me. I hoped that no one noticed.
Then His Majesty said about His Heir, someone who will take a throne after Him. I felt eyes on me, my heart was beating so fast I didn't know how long I was going to stand there.
"I'd like to introduce you to Uryu Ishida. My Heir."
I felt like my heart stopped.