Tsuki:

Readers, here is my new fanfiction, like I promised!

It's an AU, just so you all know, and told from Rukia's POV.

I hope you all enjoy this one, and remember to review, please!

PREFERRED MUSIC: Goodbye to You by Michelle Branch

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'Our Bride'

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I have always been a pretty girl.

And I do not say that in a boastful manner; in truth, I have loathed my beauty since the day my marriage was arranged by my father.

Sickening, indeed, to know he had decided my future when I was a mere child of six years old.

I hated him, and I hated my mother, my sister, my friends.

Everyone was an enemy during that chaotic time.

"How could you do this me, father?" I remember crying, tears streaming endlessly down my cheeks. "I don't want to marry to a man like that!"

"Rukia," He whispered, softly in an attempt to temper my rage. "My child, you will not marry until you are nineteen. So don't fret over it now."

Gritted teeth sank into my bottom lip painfully as Hisana, my sister of twelve back then, held onto my hand for support. I glared at father, and then at her.

"Let go, Hisana."

"You calm down first. And I'm trying to be helpful, Rukia. Just listen to what father has to say."

"I don't want to listen!" I screamed and slapped her hand away, running to the door. "I hate you all! I hope you all die!"

The door shut with a heavy bang.

After that nuisance, I walked down the lonely streets of Rukongai, pondering about my fate. Honestly, I was not satisfied with my behavior that day, and tried to find away to atone for everything.

Nothing really came to mind, unfortunately.

With my legs dangling down the balcony of a building miles away from home, I gazed into the sunset through teary eyes and thought about my family.

Father was not a happy man, truth be told. Life for him had long been thorny as a poor artist, and it became even more difficult when mother passed away.

I don't remember her, for she died seven months after my birth. But Hisana remembered her, and missed her greatly.

From her own testimonies, mother was a kind, gifted, and beautiful woman—the daughter of Rukongai 3rd District's governor. I had received my beauty from her, and for a while I, shamefully, hated her a bit for the cursed inheritance.

Hisana was born with a gorgeous face, too, and her marriage was also arranged early. Luckily for her, Hisana's future husband was someone she loved, even as a child.

His name was Byakuya, grandson of Sereitei's governor, so his family was undoubtedly wealthy and respected.

Hisana matched the profile of an ideal wife, unlike myself. Therefore, I questioned the reason my father betrothed me to the man I was to marry.

From what I knew, he was the only son of Hueco Mundo's king, and three years my senior.

The boy's father died from an accident, and everything was immediately granted to him: prosperity, land, the castle of Las Noches, as well as the colossal responsibility of kingship.

I understood that it was immensely difficult to rule over such a vast land like Hueco Mundo, despite its sparse population, and rumors spread that the young king never left his quarters from all the work he had to finish.

He would have gotten some sympathy, if not for the other tale that stated he was the spawn of the devil.

The people of Rukongai never fancied evil creatures, so everyone I knew naturally hated him, as did I.

I detested this king, whoever he may have been, and smirked whenever someone trashed his name through the mud. My loathing grew when father told me the horrible news of my engagement, for he was the only one who did not despise the boy.

It was strange to think how the one you have hated since the beginning of time could one day be your life partner.

I, of course, thought it was utterly brainless and vicious of him to do that, and did not forgive him for thirteen years, much to my sorrow.

My nineteenth birthday eventually arrived, and I woke up at dawn so Hisana could dress me into the garment that was given to me from the king.

It was a lovely opalescent silk dress decorated with tiny pearls at the collar. A slit was cut through to reveal my bare legs, and my hair beautified with jewels along with a silken, opaque veil.

While Hisana applied red paint to my lips, I sat and stood blankly across the room, a bit regretful. I did not know what to do that day, considering that I would be wed in a few hours. My heart pounded, tears were forced back, and I wanted so much to rip the flesh off my face. I didn't do that, but I cried, instead.

Sniffling, I asked Hisana, "Why did father choose me? Why would God do this to me?"

"Rukia, my lovely sister, I am sure it is all for the best." She replied with a smile. "I have never trusted the wicked gossip the townspeople spread. Perhaps, this king is different from what they say."

"And what if he isn't?" I brushed my hand across my cheek, wetting my palm with salty tears.

"What if he truly is the devil's child? Oh, Hisana, I know nothing about him or his father. I know nothing of Hueco Mundo and its people! I will die there!"

Hisana held me in her arms before I could continue my cries, and she shushed me gently like a mother comforting her child.

"Rukia, try not to think of anymore 'what ifs'. I do not believe that father would blindly marry us off to any rich man who asks for our hand. He does not do if for money, but because he loves us, and you know it."

"B-but, w-what will happen if I-I hate this man too much…?"

Hisana caressed my hand and replied, "You will learn to love him, because no matter what anybody says about him, this man has a heart, and he will love you as well. It only takes time, but your feelings shall ultimately blossom into adoration. This I promise you."

Taking my sister's words to heart, I endured the hammering feelings of anger, and stepped out into the night of Rukongai.

It was a clear evening, with twinkling stars that seemed to somehow wink at me. As crazy as it may sound, it gave me true hope.

Father stood by me along with Hisana and my companions, all waiting for Hueco Mundo's escorts to appear.

I looked to my left, and saw Kurosaki Ichigo smile in my direction. He was my childhood friend, and a boy I had once hoped to marry. Walking towards me, he handed me a single stem of a bellflower. His handsome smile calmed my nerves greatly, and I smiled back blushingly.

"Congratulations," he said to me.

"Thank you, Ichigo."

"So…I…" He stared down at the floor. "I can't believe you're actually getting married tonight, and to a man you barely know."

"Yes, I have been quite worried about that."

"Will you be alright?"

"Of course, there is no need to be concerned for me. After all, I will be queen of a powerful land soon."

Ichigo chuckled lightly, and extended his arms out in an embrace. I gasped when his hands were wrapped about my shoulders, but felt the flow of a young love in my blood. Yes, I loved him so much, and it hurt to be separated from the one I truly, passionately admired.

I kindly pushed him away so father would not get suspicious of our actions, and mistake it for a lovers' embrace, even though it was one.

"Rukia," Ichigo said to me. "You look absolutely stunning."

"Truly? You've never once uttered anything like that before."

"Well, I mean it now. You are…I mean…I…"

I beamed at his stutters and held my hand to his lips in an apparently "friendly" style. His head tilted closer to mine, almost in a kiss, and I whispered to him, "I love you."

He smiled. "I love you, too, from the moment I laid eyes on you, Rukia. Do you really have to leave?"

My eyes gazed into his affectionate, chocolate orbs, and I could feel the pulses of my heart jumping wildly. My thumb softly brushed his bottom lip.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo. I didn't want to do this. But, we had to say farewell one day."

"Will you miss me?"

"Of course."

"Always?"

"Always…"

Ichigo held my hand for the rest of the time until Hueco Mundo's escorts finally arrived an hour before midnight.

Goodbye was harder than expected.

Dangling jewels clacked together as I sat stiffly in my litter, carried smoothly across the barren desert by ten of the king's escorts.

From my window, I could see that Hueco Mundo was blanketed by white sand, and dotted with trees in the distance. A crescent moon sat high in the heavens, glowing.

I suppose that land could have been considered beautiful, if I had not been distracted with weeping. My hand clutched at the linen cushion under me, and the steady rocking gradually made me more anxious. I could not understand why I was still nervous; it was already over for me.

But, perhaps, it was because I had a different plan to mind.

And I was not about to marry a stranger.

Yes, it was a last chance of escape.

I knocked on the door of my litter, and an escort instantly came to my aid.

He bowed. "Rukia-sama, how may I assist you?"

I gulped and hid my nervous voice with a demure whisper. "Oh, yes, this rocking has been causing me to feel dizziness. Could we, possibly, stop for a minute so I may breathe some of Hueco Mundo's fresh air?"

"Absolutely, Rukia-sama." The escort motioned for the rest of the men to set down the litter. "Our queen needs air, men! Quickly, let her rest!"

They complied, and I was let out, relieved. I took off my shoes, throwing them aside when no one was watching.

The grains of sand felt frigid against my feet, but I decided it was nothing to be concerned about.

The sense of no direction was the one worry that caused my heart to rumble.

I did not know where to run first, but, then again, if I ran in any direction I had to anticipate the dangers of the wilderness. The escorts had taken me to the middle of nowhere, so no lights of a neighboring civilization could guide me into the darkness.

Despite my apprehension, I rolled up my skirt and flung the veil off my head, sending the pearls to the ground.

Once I was certain no eyes were upon me, my feet dashed swiftly across the sand.

I was about a few yards from the litter when one man saw me.

He yelled, "Men, the queen! She-she is running!"

I did not stop, but ran faster, even as they chased me.

"Rukia-sama!"

"Our queen, please stop!"

My breaths froze in the freezing air, and I did not think.

I only ran for the moon.

"Rukia-sama!"

I suddenly experienced a pain in my legs, and a momentary paralysis. They had sunk deep into the sand, and began to descend into the pale depths.

I could not believe my eyes.

"Q-quicksand?!"

My hands tried to dig myself out of the hole, until I realized that I was trapped in an enormous bowl of sinking grains.

I was waist deep under a white sea when the escorts caught up. The horror in their eyes shattered my last bit of hope.

"Christ," One of them whispered. "This is monstrous."

"How will we save her?" Cried another.

"We…we can't…"

The sands had reached all the way up to my chin in a matter of seconds. By then, I was drowning and coughing out dust, my arms attempting to reach for their hands.

But they were forced even further away.

"Rukia-sama!"

The sea ultimately inundated me, and for a while I could not breathe.

Cries of the escorts were barricaded by the shadows, and I looked around in panic.

The area was cloaked in blackness, like that in space, except there were no stars or a scintilla of light.

I could have sworn to see trees, however, and towering figures dressed in black capes with cone-shaped noses. They bellowed deeply, horrifyingly, all while creeping closer to where I lay.

I felt my eyes widen, and a sudden lethargy imprison my petrified body in a coffin created by trepidation.

"Somebody…" I managed to whisper, as the roars continued to thunder.

...

I do not remember much past that; I must have fainted instantly once I caught sight of those creatures.

However, I do recall soft warmth underneath me.

Yes, it was soft...and strangely inviting. I thought I was back home, resting on my bed after a terrifying nightmare.

Of course, those giants plastered in black, those escorts, the sparse Hueco Mundo and quicksand…all of it was false.

That was the lie I wanted to believe.

My eyes opened, and I realized that I was neither at home or in the underground forest.

A crystal chandelier hung high above me, softly illuminating the room with a radiance of ginger. I rose and saw that the windows were covered by translucent curtains, a mirror sat in the corner, and so did the white gown I had worn earlier.

Gasping, I quickly tossed away the covers and shrieked at my nakedness. I held my arms over my breasts, eyes shifting from left to right for any sign of an intruder.

It was seriously startling to have been pulled under an ocean to sinking sand, to sitting in an unknown room exposed and defenseless with the possibility of getting molested, possibly, by an alien.

I wrapped the sheets around me to explore the dimensions of the room, but then saw the hardened blood clotting around my wrist, and a strip of cloth on the carpet that was sodden with red liquid.

I bent down to pick it up until I heard the door creak open.

"Who's there?" I demanded, my fingers rigid with fear.

The door was pushed open further, and, to my surprise, a young girl leaped in.

Her hair was the first feature that caught my attention.

It was pink, like the color of cotton candy, or ribbons, or a stuffed bunny. So were her cheeks, and I unexpectedly imagined a sunrise in a green pasture with fluffy sheep prancing about in the exaggerated backdrop, accompanied by atrocious circus music and bubbles.

--Ahem, excuse my moment--

Anyway, I said nothing, but stared ahead into her round, curious eyes.

I could have sworn they sparkled, but it might have been the lighting.

Yes, I was nude, and this was a child in my presence, but she treated my nakedness like she had seen it everyday in her life.

To her, I assumed, it was like looking at the sky; there was a strange aura of maturity around her.

I still spoke nothing and waited, but she didn't any longer.

"Good," she said, grinning. "You're awake."

So, how was it?

Good, I hope.

And I hope you enjoyed it while excusing my horrid sense of humor.

That is, if you caught any...

--Cough--

I will be working on chapter two, so please review!

And review even if you don't like it!

I am willing to grow.

Merci.

Goodbye to You

Of all the things I believe in
I just want to get it over with
tears from behind my eyes
but I do not cry
Counting the days that past me by

I've been searching deep down in my soul
Words that I'm hearing are starting to get old
Looks like I'm starting all over again
The last three years were just pretend and I say

Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew
You were the one I love
The one thing that I tried to hold on to