Circumstance: A Coincidental Fairytale
Full Summary: Ichigo is the knight, off to restore his honor. Ishida is the peasant, off to save his one true love. Orihime is the princess Ichigo's supposed to rescue. Ulquiorra is the conquistador, and what he does is his business, thank you very much. Oh, and Rukia is the damsel-in-diplomacy turned diplomat-in-distress by Mr. Not-So-Prince-Charming. Oh no! Where will this all lead? An AU. An IchiRuki fairytale. An experimental piece.
Disclaimer: Ha, ha, ha… you think Kubo Tite would spout out this crap?
Word Count: About 780
AN: Okay, I don't believe in ANs at the beginning, but this chapter is way longer than I intended it to be. Just an FYI: other chapters will not be this long (or dark – this is a happy piece). I'm waaaay too lazy for that.
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Prelude: Five Points of a Shooting Star
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His eyes closed as he ran his fingers through his bright orange hair. His chest heaved upwards, and then relaxed as he breathed out.
Out. In.
"I don't really care about honor," he said. "Especially not this kind. Especially not about something like this."
"You owe me, Ichigo."
"It's Kurosaki," he replied.
"Not anymore," the voice replied back. "You have to earn your last name, remember? You're just a body now. Why, you don't even deserve a name! Be happy that I'm generous."
In. Out.
"It's not that bad."
"Your task isn't that bad, either. Worth far less than a name, actually."
"It's a pain in the ass," Ichigo said.
"Well, be screwed or get screwed," the voice scolded mockingly. "You're rescuing a girl after all, and you are quite a handsome young man-"
"Shut up," Ichigo said sharply. "I'll do it, provided that you don't keep up that kind of crap."
Lips turned more upwards into a more menacing grin.
"Fantastic. This smile is sealed."
Ichigo grabbed his sword. He slung it over his shoulder.
"What do I do?" he asked.
"Get a horse," the voice said. "You're playing Prince Charming."
Out. In.
"I don't play," Ichigo responded.
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"She's gone," she lamented. "She's really gone."
The girl grabbed at the boy's shirt, tugging at the white cloth.
"God damn it – she's gone and I can't do a single thing!" she cried. "I'm strong, but not in the way I need to be. I'm not enough. I'm not enough!"
He said nothing.
"They took her away!"
Nothing.
"They took her away!"
Still nothing.
"Uryuu-"
"It's Ishida."
"Whatever. Ishida, please. They took her away."
He said nothing, his dark hair blowing across his face as he looked out the balcony, onto the setting sun, onto the shining stars.
"You can save her."
He squinted.
"You're enough. You're the only one who can."
The sun had almost faded now; only the smallest sliver of a circle remained and half the sky turned black.
"Maybe, Arisawa. Maybe I'm the only one who wants to. The only one who is enough who wants to," he said.
"Yes, well, will you?"
He said nothing as all the sky turned black.
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Her long auburn hair cascaded over her shoulders and onto the splintered wood she laid on. It was cold, so very cold. She could see nothing but darkness. She could hear nothing more than muffled voices, thumping steps, echoing across the deck. She could smell nothing but salt and dust and rats.
She had been there for days.
Suddenly (involuntarily), she lurched forward across the ground, the wood scratching her face. The door above her opened, and starlight poured in, only blocked by a single silhouette.
"Well, there you are, princess. We've reached the shore."
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"So, we're back! Finally!" a loud voice sounded through the ship.
"We could have been back a long time ago, Grimmjaw," a voice said sharply, "if you had not delayed our departure."
A stifled snicker echoed throughout the crew. The man named Grimmjaw glared, and the echo was silenced.
"We accomplished our mission!" he snarled. "Be happy that I did the dirty work!"
A cold man, slight in stature but great in presence, walked to the front of the boat, gazing onto the land.
"Yes," he said calmly. "The mission was accomplished and we have arrived back - successful and on time. I do not need to listen to your useless arguments. Instead, wake the girl. The treatment she received has been disastrous."
"Oh, do you care, Ulquiorra?" a voice snickered. "I offered to keep her in my room…"
"No," he responded. "But Lord Aizen does."
A hushed murmur echoed throughout the crew.
"Lord Aizen," he murmured. "He'll be waiting for our report. We'll tell him in a few hours, in the morning."
The sun had set, and the cloudless sky twinkled with the countless stars.
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Her eyes widened.
"Are you serious, sir?" she asked, almost giddily. She blushed immediately. She was never "giddy."
But the man looking at her smiled.
"Indeed, Kuchiki. I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about the mission!"
She blushed.
"Forgive my-"
"No forgiveness necessary. Just be careful. It's dangerous for a young girl to travel, especially in such parts. But remember – this is very important! The work of a diplomat, the work of an ambassador… I'm counting on you. Be careful around Lord Aizen, though."
She nodded.
"Yeah," she said. "I'm really excited. I'll leave by boat tomorrow."
Her heart beat faster as she walked through the halls.
But if she was so excited, why did she suddenly feel so nervous? Almost as if there was to be a series of very unfortunate circumstances…
Well, Kuchiki. That depends on your definition of unfortunate.
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AN: First off, this is (despite the extremely long and kind-of-dark-and-nasty prologue) a very lighthearted, not-to-be-taken-too-seriously piece. Second off, this is experimental. Don't worry; it will make sense. Eventually. Hopefully. Actually, what am I saying? Don't get your hopes up too high.
This chapter was very, very long… but don't worry; the other chapters WILL be shorter. I just wanted to tackle our five main characters. And to anyone who reads my drabble series (like no one… but all the imaginary guys who do it are way cool) – that WILL be updated. I've just been so lazy. XD
And remember – I'm a liar. Don't hate me too much.