Archive of Our Own

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Warning: This might turn out to be incredibly cheesy. If you get the chills thinking of a ridiculous amount of parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar, this story may not be up your alley.

Side note: Mmm, cheese.

x

Wandering through the rows of neatly stacked bookshelves, Ichigo yawned and stuck his hands into the pockets of his school slacks. He was supposed to be searching for something to write his research English essay on, with references and stuff. Apparently his teacher was testing them on their analytical skills. Ichigo figured it was pretty pointless, because most of the other kids would just be copying off some random book or whatever they could find on the internet. It wasn't any use telling them 'plagiarism is a crime and will not help you in the future etc'. No one really bothered to listen anyway.

There was a thumping noise coming from around the corner. Ichigo peeked through the gaps in the arranged books curiously. He caught sight of a girl in uniform and a guy in sports attire, complete with roaming hands and mouths trapped in a frenzied lip lock. There was some grunting and moaning involved.

Hmm. He pulled away and walked to another bookshelf. Some people actually use the library to study.

He neared a geeky guy struggling with an armful of books. Every few seconds, he had to stop to push up his thick black framed glasses with one finger, dropping a few books in the process. Ichigo stooped to help him pick them up.

"Thanks!" The student smiled gratefully, displaying his shiny multicolored braces.

Rainbows slid into Ichigo's mind, and he hastily shoved the thought away into the depths of his head.

"No problem." Ichigo smiled back, walking him to the nearest table so he could deposit his pile of books safely without anymore accidents.

Ichigo went back to wandering aimlessly through the shelves, wondering what to write about. His teacher had said it was a free topic, and the students could choose anything to elaborate on, as long as they didn't choose any offensive material.

So, no raunchy stuff, skip the racy themes, delve into boring, safe topics that no one really bothered to read . . . well, the library was enormous and he had time to kill.

The orange haired teen's mind drifted to his sisters. What would they read? Karin didn't usually read much, being an outdoorsy, sports magazine type of girl. No thick books with tiny words filling up every inch of space on their pages for her. She liked stuff with pictures, preferably ones with motorcycles and sports outfits.

Yuzu on the other hand, almost always had her nose in a book, whenever she wasn't doing the household chores. She would sit on a cushion by the windowsill in the living room, devouring her storybooks. Often Ichigo would watch her riveted expression as she read through the thrilling bits of the stories. She usually read stories with plots like the ones in fairy tales.

Oh.

That's right!

"Fairy tales!" Ichigo snapped his fingers. "I could write about them."

Silly childish stories came to mind.

Hmm.

"But it's a pretty lame topic, actually."

Ichigo wasn't sure who he was talking to.

He bumped against the nearest bookshelf with his shoulder. A little ways down the tall rack, a hardcover slipped off and dropped to the carpeted floor with a heavy thud.

Yikes.

A nervous glance around told him that the school librarians hadn't heard. Or if they had, they probably didn't give a damn.

Whew.

Feeling lucky, Ichigo sauntered over to pick it up.

"Fantasy World," He read, admiring the elaborate gold cursive print of the title. "This book looks like it was made in medieval times for little kids. What's it doing in our school library?"

The book smelled new, however. The paper was crisp, and designed to look like the edges had been burnt. The inside cover displayed a pretty feathered quill being dipped into an inkwell. Flipping through the parchment-like pages, Ichigo came across a fairly empty page with beautiful printed words that read: 'Fantasy World's Fairy Tales, Guaranteed to Satisfy Your Needs! If you close your eyes and make a wish, we'll grant you that in a swish!'

Wish, swish.

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the cliché rhyming.

"Pa – the – tic." He muttered. "Maybe I should choose something about cars instead. Or animals; like the Emperor Penguin. Those are cute."

He shut the book and was about to place it back on the shelf, when it occurred to him that this was the type of book Yuzu would like to read. With some embarrassment, he placed it on the borrow section of the counter, along with several books on cars and penguins. Sliding his library card over to the bored looking librarian on duty, Ichigo patiently waited for his books to be stamped. He checked his watch. There were still a couple more hours or so to hang out in the library before he headed home.

Making his way to the big comfy sofas at the corner of the library, Ichigo plopped down into one and spread open the fantasy book. Thanks to his rebellious streak, he didn't feel like completing his homework research at the moment, and there wasn't anything else better to do.

"Welcome to the world of melodramatic fantasy and fairy tales." One of the pages screamed in a lovely forest green font, with silver lines bordering the text. "Please wait while we process a fantasy that would suit your needs."

"What the heck's this?" Ichigo frowned, dubiously staring down at the page.

Out of curiosity, he flipped to the next page.

It read "Still calculating. Be a dear and turn the page, will you?"

Ichigo blinked.

Huh.

Obviously, this was a really weird book. He wondered if he should let Yuzu read it. Of course, she really only liked things with dashing, manly princes who did their best to stay awesome and saved damsels in distress for a living. These damsels were usually rich and had jolly fathers who would allow their daughters to marry the first guy who managed to protect his child from the usual suspects – general bad men, bandits, evil witches, wicked stepmothers, terrible ogres – take your pick. Either way, they were all out to get feeble, I-need-help-to-tie-my-shoelaces type of young ladies. Not that they wore shoelaces anyway. Most of them owned dainty footwear or went barefoot.

Daintily, of course.

Every few paragraphs, they would all break out into cliché song numbers or perform a random dance routine.

"Aren't there any spineless men who need saving from strong women?" Ichigo wondered aloud, scratching an itchy spot on his chin. "Crap, I feel a pimple coming up."

He looked down at the new page.

It now read: "Calculated! Please shut your eyes and count to three."

Please.

Like he would do that.

A glance at his watch told him barely two minutes had passed. Oh well.

Shaking his head, Ichigo shut his eyes despite feeling like a silly seven year old. He counted to three, and heaved a yawn before opening his eyes.

His heart froze.

His hands were now empty; the thick book had vanished, as had the entire library around him. Ichigo gaped, taking in the scenic view of his surroundings. It was exactly like one of those places in fantasy lands. There was lush green grass all around for miles, and the spot he was standing on seemed to be near the edge of some cliff. Ichigo took a step forward with a rustling of skirts and – whoa, hold up.

The orange haired teen stared down at his new outfit. Gone was the usual drab light gray of Karakura High's uniform; in its place, wrapped around Ichigo's lean torso, was a strapless fitted bodice in a light pink hue. His shoulders were bare, and his lower arms were covered in lacy white gloves that went up to his elbows. The dress itself was made of a delightfully silky material. It had a long pink train that flowed out behind him like a wedding gown's.

"H – Holy shit." Ichigo stuttered, feeling slightly dizzy. "The hell . . .?"

He gripped at the dress, lifting up the ridiculously long skirt to check out his footwear.

"Please be Nikes, please be Nikes."

To his mortification, his size ten and a half feet were encased in beautifully made white satin pumps. At the heel, lacy white roses were sewn on for decoration.

Whoa.

What in the world was going on?

"How the hell did they get my size right?" Ichigo hollered to nobody in particular. "No, wait! Why am I in a dress?"

A dress that fit just right, too.

Obviously, no one answered, save for the birds chirping cheerily as they flew overhead. Their innocent songs seemed to be mocking his plight. Ichigo felt his knees turn to jelly out of sheer horror and dismay. Dropping to the soft grass, he stared at his glove covered hands and groaned.

"This has to be a dream." Ichigo muttered, running his hands through his spiky orange hair.

His fingers grazed against something on his head. He yanked it off after a few cautious pats. The teen found himself looking at a pretty white tiara with a matching pink gem smack in the middle of the headpiece. It was too much to handle. Already, being in a dress in a strange place was building up his stress levels. He snapped the tiara into seven pieces of plastic and hurled the broken bits forward with all his might.

Pinching himself on the arm, Ichigo winced and gritted his teeth at the pain.

Pain receptors worked just fine, which indicated his bodily functions were still quite intact. Had he hit his head somewhere in the library? Like, a random overhead lamp given way and decided on succumbing to gravity's seduction?

Mmm, no way.

Well, pain ruled out the theory that he wasn't dreaming. But his body was still in good condition. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"Think, Ichigo, think! What would you normally do when in an entirely new environment?" He gritted his teeth. "Find someone, get help. Try to figure out where you are geographically. Get directions on how to get home. Like with a taxi, or the bus. Hitch a ride. Yeah. I just need to find someone."

He jumped to his feet, which was insanely difficult because he wasn't used to wearing flimsy heels. Nevertheless, the feminine shoes were the only choice of footwear he had available at the moment, and he didn't want to risk ditching them in case the ground had snakes or poisonous spiders – which was highly unlikely due to the dreamy fairy tale-like scene, but Ichigo – former Boy Scout member and regular jungle trekker – wasn't one to take chances.

He tottered over to the edge of the cliff, taking care to avoid treading on the rocks. Upon looking down, Ichigo felt like he'd just been thrown into a Disney world, complete with flying unicorns and smatterings of royal castles.

"Fucking hell." Ichigo facepalmed. "Someone kill me now."

"I'm afraid that would be a horrendously ridiculous waste, my good lady."

Ichigo nearly jumped out of his skin, but thankfully he had the long trailing piece of dress anchoring him down. He staggered on the balls of his feet, trying to regain balance.

The owner of the voice graciously held out his arms to help steady him. "My humblest apologies, my lady. I did not mean to surprise you."

"S'okay," Ichigo said breathlessly. "I'm just not used to defying gravity."

He looked up into the handsome face in awe. The guy was so gorgeous and model-like he practically glowed in the bright sunshine. The way he flashed Ichigo a 200 mega-watt smile would send women swooning into his arms.

"You'd be great in a toothpaste ad."

Ichigo almost slapped himself.

"I'm sorry?"

"Forget I said that. Um, I'm Ichigo, by the way." The teenager held out a hand for a quick shake.

To his horror, the man lifted his hand to his lips and kissed his fingertips with a practiced air. Ichigo tried to mask his shock with a weak smile, which gave him a grimacing look.

"Forgive me, my lady. Perhaps you are more used to being kissed on one knee?" The man tilted his head and waited politely.

"What?" Ichigo said, a little too loudly. He lowered his voice and practically breathed out his question. "You want to kiss me on the knee?"

"Yes," replied the man, looking fairly puzzled. "It is the custom around here for the men to greet the ladies. Unless of course, you are from a foreign kingdom, I presume . . . ?"

Realization swept over Ichigo in an awkward wave.

"Er. Yeah, something like that."

He was lying through his teeth, but it was better to play along than to be abducted and slaughtered the good old medieval way. This way, he could also figure out where he was and how to get home from the alien place. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Taking his answer in stride, the man dropped to one knee and brought Ichigo's knuckles to his lips. "Then I welcome you to the kingdom of Azasael, my good lady. You may call me Captain Renji. I work for the Royal Guard."

Ichigo started at the familiarity of the name. He had noticed something vaguely recognizable about the man before him, but without the presence of the usual black tattoos and the gold headband covering his red hair, Captain Renji looked like someone else.

"Renji? I can't believe you're here!" Ichigo reached down to squeeze his good friend's shoulders. "Tell me this is all just some weird joke you're trying to pull on me."

Captain Renji stood up and clasped Ichigo's wrists with both hands. "You are familiar with me, but forgive me my lady; I am not one to forget a beautiful face such as yours so quickly. If you may prompt my memory . . .?"

Ichigo made a face. "You're not Renji, after all."

His response only garnered him a quizzical stare.

Ugh, so much for hope.

"Sorry." He noticed the confused, hurt look on the man's face. "I'm just . . . new here. Thanks for the welcome. There's a ton of questions I have to ask you."

Mentally slapping himself for such a lame excuse, Ichigo chewed on his lower lip and tried to come up with something else. Renji masked his surprise with an understanding smile and took Ichigo by the hand.

"I'm Ichigo, by the way."

He felt a little weird for having to introduce himself to Renji.

Except that this wasn't Renji.

"What a beautiful name." Renji gushed. "It suits you, my lady."

"Um, thanks. Could you please call me Ichigo?"

'My lady' sounded alien to his ears.

"Of course." Renji nodded and did some more smiling. "Now, if you are lost, Ichigo, allow me to take you to the Castle and present you to the Royal Prince. It's dangerous out here at night, especially for a young lady like you."

Right.

Ichigo bit back a retort; for a high schooler who fought Hollows as a side occupation, he was more than capable of taking care of himself.

Renji led him to a proud white stallion and held out both hands. Puzzled, Ichigo raised an eyebrow at him.

Renji smiled.

Ichigo raised the other eyebrow.

"Allow me to lift you up, Ichigo."

What?

No.

Shooting Renji a glare, Ichigo shifted his weight on his heels. The skin on his left ankle was feeling painfully itchy from being scratched against the sewn-on roses. He was sure his right ankle already had a blister.

Okay, just this once.

With some effort, Renji's strong arms hoisted him up onto the saddle.

"Y – You're quite heavier than most ladies, Ichigo."

Was he saying that he thought Ichigo was overweight?

Please.

He barely had any fat to spare.

Obviously, track running and bench presses did wonders for his muscles. Not that this Renji would understand if he tried to explain. Deciding it would be fun to mess with Renji's head, Ichigo gave him a sultry look.

"Stronger, too." Ichigo smirked, pushing up his sleeve to flex a bicep. "Want to see my thighs?"

His sleeve fluttered in the wind, exposing a well tanned upper arm.

"No, no. That's quite alright."

Renji's cheeks turned pink and he blinked, checking the reins as an excuse to avoid eye contact.

Hmm, strange.

Stepping onto the stirrups, he swung himself up behind Ichigo, almost losing his balance because of the splash of frills and lace kissing his face. Ichigo had to tuck them down at his sides to avoid enveloping Renji with his dress. After a few minutes of hasty fumbling, a sure sound of fragile cloth ripping, and some mumbled apology, Renji could finally see clearly without any obstructing material.

Disgusted with his dress, Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Onward." Renji clicked his tongue at his horse.

As they lurched forward at a brisk trot, Ichigo shut his eyes and allowed the breeze to fan his face.

If this was a dream, when would he wake up?

x

Any suggestions for princes? Dudes only, of course. Like Nnoitra, or Stark, or Byakuya. Whoever comes to mind. Except for Grimmjow. He's definitely on the top of the Prince List. ;)

Chapter 2: Chapter 2

Thud.

" – yes Captain, right away sir."

Stirred by a clinking noise, Ichigo blinked his eyes open.

The first thing he saw was someone's chin – complete with stubble – and lots of royal-looking banners attached to a high ceiling.

There was a strong arm supporting his back, and another under his knees. Technically, the arm was buried under the thick folds of his satin and lace dress.

Ichigo groaned, rubbing his cheek against the cloth and hard chest mere inches from his face. He was still dreaming.

Wait.

Hard chest?

"Oh gods."

Renji looked down at him with a quizzical smile.

"You're awake, Ichigo."

Well, hello Mister Obvious.

"No shit, Sherlock."

Ichigo glared up at him blearily and received another dazzling smile.

"We're in the Castle now. I'm taking you to see the Prince. Of course, if the King were here, he would grant you immediate permission to stay, but our Prince has a different way of ruling." Renji shot him a reassuring glance. "Have I scared you?"

Pfft, as if.

Feeling rather like a helpless turtle – mainly because he didn't know where to put his hands – Ichigo kicked his legs in the air, causing Renji to stagger a little.

Payback for assuming he was weak.

"Please don't do that, my lady."

Ichigo frowned. This 'lady' business was pissing him off.

"Don't call me that."

Acknowledging his snappy request with a polite tilt of his head, Renji regained composure and shifted Ichigo's weight before continuing to walk.

"I can walk on my own, you know."

Renji pretended like he hadn't heard.

"Seriously, last time I checked, I've still got two feet."

Forcing a smile onto his face, Renji looked down at him. The teen could tell he was gritting his teeth.

"You're a difficult woman, Ichigo. Please allow me to carry you. You are, after all, an honored guest. Falling asleep on my horse; that must mean you're very tired."

Not true.

The journey had just been annoyingly long, filled with nothing but straight roads and grass – also he'd had extra track running during gym period in school and was wiped out. Ichigo proceeded to tell him so.

"Still, it's common courtesy." Renji smiled some more.

Ichigo scowled back, figuring the redhead did enough teeth baring for the both of them. It was more than a little irritating.

Especially now that he knew Renji had really nice teeth.

The red haired captain looked highly pleased with himself. Ichigo decided to mess with him a little more. Wrapping his arms around his neck, he breathed into Renji's ear.

"You don't want to put me down, is that it?"

Turning a nice shade of merlot from his neck to his ears, Renji did a good job at not dropping Ichigo like a bag of hot coals.

"My lady." He said graciously, and leaned forward to set Ichigo down on the lush red and gold carpet. "If you wish to walk on your own, I understand."

Smirking, Ichigo kept his arms around Renji's neck.

"Oh, but Captain." He gushed, evidently enjoying himself. "Are you tiring of me now?"

Renji was struggling to keep a polite mask on his face, and Ichigo knew that, which added more fun to the flames. He hid a smile behind one hand as he watched Renji take a deep breath of patience.

"If you please, Ichigo."

Honey brown eyes followed the direction Renji's hand was gesturing to.

"The Prince's throne room lies beyond those doors. Allow me to escort you and help with the explaining."

"Cool." Ichigo studied the ornate gold and white double doors. "Lead the way, brother."

Giving him an odd sidelong glance, Renji extricated himself from Ichigo's arms and walked a few steps in front of him. "The Prince may be slightly . . . eccentric, to put it bluntly."

The redhead nodded at Ichigo's raised eyebrows. "He is, however, a good prince, and has a kind heart despite his . . . hard exterior."

Hard exterior?

Ichigo snickered.

Naughty images and a gloomy looking tortoise danced into his mind, but he shoved them away and filed the thoughts for later perusing.

Renji twisted the door handles and turned to smile reassuringly at Ichigo.

"Ready, my lady?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes. Just how bad could this 'eccentric' prince be? Beneath the 'hard exterior' – heh, kinda hard not to let his hormonal side chuckle at that – he was probably just some nutty guy with a strange sense of humor. Like one of those weirdoes on TV.

Wait a second.

Was Renji trying to scare him just because he looked like a girl?

It was just the goddamn dress, for Pete's sake. Not that he knew who Pete was. Pete could go jump in a lake for all Ichigo cared.

"I'm not a pussy." Ichigo trotted up to Renji in his heels and snarled into his face.

"Of course not." Renji did another stunning smile. "You're hardly small enough to be even considered as a type of cat, my lady."

Never mind.

Ichigo sighed.

"Let's get on with it."

The doors opened, and he followed Renji into a large circular room. Actually, large wouldn't even cut it. Enormous was the word. The room was bigger than the auditorium in Karakura High. The red and gold carpet ended just after the door, leaving a wide expanse of black marble floor, glittering from the light reflected off candles neatly placed in chandeliers hanging down from the high domed ceiling. Gold lamps adorned the walls in neat rows, providing ample light in the huge hall. There were giant windows covered with enough curtains to wrap a whale in, and their maroon and gold tassels hung down like limp tentacles from a dead octopus.

"Fuck." Ichigo breathed, feasting his eyes on the sight of the hall that just screamed 'riches'. "This is like some gigantic music hall."

"Exquisite, isn't it?" Renji said, coming to stand beside him. "The Prince uses this room as a grand ballroom as well. He usually sits up on the throne over there."

Ichigo looked to where Renji pointed, and saw a large chair with tall backing, just like a prop from a medieval casting set. There were red velvet cushions and intricately carved armrests.

"So if he usually sits there, where's he now?"

"Oh, probably out hunting with the General. Perhaps dining out in the gardens, or playing with his hounds." Renji waved a hand airily. "The Prince doesn't like being idle very much, you see."

Good then.

Kicking off his uncomfortable heels, Ichigo made a mad dash for the small flight of steps leading up to the throne. Renji's surprised calls did nothing to deter his sudden bout of enthusiasm. Ichigo dived for the chair, squashing several pillows in the process. Lace and frills from his dress swooshed out around him like long trails of confetti.

"My lady, you really shouldn't –!"

"Dude, lighten up!" Ichigo laughed at the visible aghast on Renji's face. "This chair is like, the greatest thing ever. It's like a freaking bed, only not as big. But it's still cool. Damn, if I had my phone with me I'd snap a photo and send it to Keigo. He'd be freaking out right about now."

"No, really, please come down from there Ichigo. This chair belongs to the Royal Prince!"

"Will you please relax? It's just a chair." Ichigo grinned. "A pretty awesome one, I'll have to admit. And this carpet's not too bad either. Sure beats those heels I had on earlier. I swear my left toe just died and went to heaven."

"Glad you like it, then."

A smooth voice startled both Renji and Ichigo out of their skin. In Ichigo's case, whatever skin he didn't have under his dress. Their heads swiveled around to face a tall man standing by an archway to the right, looking highly amused. He was dressed in a deep blue velvet jacket, white and gold pants and knee high suede boots. He carried a riding whip, a set of keys and a whole lot of attitude.

He looked very familiar, but Ichigo couldn't place him.

Renji dropped to one knee.

"My sincerest apologies, your Highness!"

Ah.

The Royal Prince.

It was then Ichigo noticed the neatly lined men – possibly soldiers – and footmen behind the Prince, and the highly disapproving looks on their faces.

Ichigo took it in stride.

They were most likely jealous he was sitting in a cool chair, and they had to stand around looking like rigid stage props in haughty looking boots. Ichigo wriggled his bare toes under the satin lining of his dress and grinned.

"Who is that wench?"

What?

Did the loser just call him a wench?

"What's that, you bast –"

Renji silenced him with a fierce glare.

"I am deeply sorry, your Highness. I shall remove her from your throne at once."

"How dare you sit in the Prince's chair?" Demanded a pompous looking soldier. "Punish this brazen commoner at once!"

"Calm your tits, bitch." Ichigo curled his lip in disgust. "It's just a chair. How childish can you get?"

The soldier spluttered. "She should be whipped!"

There was a general hubbub as every other soldier voiced their two cents.

The Prince held up one white gloved hand.

Everyone shut up instantly. Ichigo found it kind of cool.

"I asked who she is, not for your opinions." He drawled lazily as he smirked at Renji. "Well?"

"Her name is Ichigo, your Highness." Renji couldn't seem to get enough of bowing. "I found her in the heart of Dissidian Forest while patrolling and brought her back with me. She claims to be from a foreign kingdom and cannot seem to remember how she came about."

Curious, Ichigo scrutinized the Prince, trying to place him. Piercing blue eyes, crooked grin and artfully messy blue hair.

Shit.

Without the mask and teal markings around his eyes, the Espada looked really different. Well, not too different, but Ichigo could still recognize his nemesis. What on earth was he doing in his dream?

Grimmjow! His mind hollered.

"Guhmmnn." His mouth spewed before he could stop it.

Prince Grimmjow turned his gaze on Ichigo.

"Were you saying something, wench?"

Irritated, Ichigo narrowed his eyes.

"Yep, I said you're a wanker."

Renji and the other soldiers let out a collective gasp of horror. Grimmjow's eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"I also think you need to get your ears cleaned."

Cerulean orbs glared icy daggers at defiant honey brown ones.

"Is that so, tramp?"

"You're the tramp!"

Another collective gasp and someone at the back fainted.

"Do you have any idea who you are talking to, woman?" Yelled an irate soldier, shaking his fist.

Ichigo gave them a one shoulder shrug. "Dude, I'm a guy."

Renji clamped a hand over his mouth. "You Highness, this lady is –"

"A foreigner. I know." Grimmjow looked amused. "I like her. She's feisty. A lot more life than most of the girls sent here with marriage proposals."

Ichigo was outraged. Were they just gonna disregard his true gender? His hair was still chopped short in the usual orange spikes, sticking up every which way, and what kind of girl would have a flat, hard chest and shoulders this broad? Well, so maybe he shouldn't have shaved in the morning before school, but it wouldn't take a blind old man to figure out he had a very noticeable Adam's apple.

"Hey, I'm still in the room, idiots."

The soldiers spluttered and looked horrified, while Renji shut his eyes in mortification. Ichigo curled his lip in disgust as he glared at Grimmjow, who narrowed piercing blue eyes back at him.

"True. Join me for dinner."

His eyes were suddenly warm, and one hand reached out to trace Ichigo's cheek.

The light touch sent chills down the teen's spine.

"Um . . . huh?"

"You must be hungry."

Truthfully, Ichigo had skipped lunch in school, but he didn't really feel like eating now. It wasn't good manners to just refuse outright though. And maybe, just maybe, he could try talking things out with this prince so he could get home in one piece.

"Since you're offering . . ." He stood up and grinned.

Grimmjow smirked. "Silly rabbit. I was only joking. Still."

He turned on his heel and strode down the stairs. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Have her cleaned up and appropriately dressed. Seeing her in that sorry excuse for a dress would turn me off dinner."

What the hell?

Ichigo was about to unleash a witty, scathing retort when Grimmjow turned around and winked.

"Treat her as my special guest this evening."

As he walked away, there was a disgruntled murmur among the soldiers. A gaggle of maids scuttled over out of nowhere to grab Ichigo by the arms and hoist him bodily toward the exit. He struggled and waved frantically at his only source of hope.

"Renji! Help!"

He received a worried smile from the redhead before the double doors closed on him with a soft click.

x

"Stop it!" Ichigo flung his arm back, knocking over a pile of perfume bottles and powder puffs. "I can dress myself!"

The maids watched him with cautious eyes.

He didn't like it.

It was bad enough explaining that he was a male, had manly parts they didn't need to see, and didn't wish to be scrubbed and washed in a large porcelain bathtub with lion paws. On top of that, they'd tried to wash his hair for him with flowery smelling shampoo, and now he smelled like a total girl.

He'd bit the first maid on the arm when she attempted to put curlers in his hair.

Well, at least he hadn't punched her.

Teeth were great self defense mechanics against women.

There was a knock on the door, and a young looking maid about Ichigo's age slid into the room. "If you please, ma'am. Prince Grimmjow is already making his way down to the dining hall."

"Really, call me Ichigo. Ichigo is fine. It's my given name." Ichigo sighed. "And I'm a guy. Do I have to bullhorn it out the window so everyone gets it?"

After much fussing – from the maids, and foul-mouthed objections – from Ichigo, the teen managed to get his way and was promptly shown into a dining room by a weary looking butler. Only it didn't look like a dining room, rather like something out of Beauty and the Beast's era, or Snow White's. The room was wider than his school cafeteria and was lavishly decorated with vases of flowers, candelabras and a realistic statue of a great albino panther.

"Wow." Ichigo murmured, feeling very much out of place.

"Welcome, Miss Ichigo. I see you managed to survive my maids. They can be quite stubborn, much like your character." Grimmjow smirked as he entered the room from another door. "I'm sure you have a lot in common. Do sit down."

"Right." Ichigo replied, his fingers twitching in the pale pink satin gloves the maids had made him wear. "Could you please just call me Ichigo? I'm a guy, you know. Is there something in the air that makes everyone here confused about genders?"

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow and walked to a chair at the head of the table, where a footman quickly helped to seat him. Wine was poured into bronze goblets, and a dozen covered trays were wheeled in on a silver trolley. As soon as a maid opened one of the covered dishes, a wonderful aroma spread out in the air. Ichigo felt his stomach growl. Well, so maybe he was more than a little hungry.

"Are you going to stand there and watch me eat?"

Ichigo had the decency to blush and headed over to where a footman was currently holding out a chair for him. As he plonked down into his seat, he heard Grimmjow question one of the maids why 'the wench wasn't in proper ladies' attire' and received a disappointed shake of the head from said servant.

"She insisted on wearing pants, your Highness."

Rubbish.

When were they going to realize he had manly bits?

Ichigo brightened up considerably when he noticed the big white platter of smoked salmon placed in front of him. He took a bite and realized the food was amazing. At least there was a plus side to this weird dream.

"Now, as the captain of my personal guard has explained to me, I hope to hear your side of the story." Grimmjow wiped his mouth with a napkin and raised an eyebrow. "In full detail, of course."

"If Renji already told you about me, why do you need me to explain any further?" Ichigo muttered. In a louder voice, he said "I opened my eyes, found myself in a dress smack in the middle of nowhere, and conked out on a horse before coming here. Long story short, I don't know where I am or how to get back to where I came from."

Raising both eyebrows, Grimmjow paused before forking a piece of fish into his mouth. "Why not start by explaining where you were and what you were doing before waking up on my land?"

Ichigo didn't miss the superior tone Grimmjow was using on him.

"Even if I told you, I don't think you'd even know."

"Try me."

"Well, I was in school before this." Ichigo leaned back into the soft cushions of his chair. "I was searching for a good subject to write on for my essay. That was when I found some weird book and for the love of god, I don't know what made me want to read it. Shit like that shouldn't even be considered ready material in a high school library, y'know?"

He stopped to see if Grimmjow was still following him.

Judging by the placid look on his face, he either understood where Ichigo was coming from, or had no idea what he was saying and was just humoring him.

"Any questions?"

"What would a young girl like you be doing in a danger-ridden forest?"

Okay, he obviously didn't get it.

"Look, how long are we gonna keep this up?" Ichigo asked directly, not caring if he came off as rude with his bluntness. "You and I both know that I'm not a lady."

"Oh yes." Grimmjow smiled. "I can definitely tell you're far from anything refined."

Ouch.

True, because of the way he'd been acting, but that didn't mean he had to like the facts.

Chewing meticulously on his food, Ichigo ran a mental image reel of his fist punching Grimmjow in the face in slow-mo. The maids whispered and watched the Royal Prince's 'special guest' show his true colors. This was a sure juicy tidbit for gossiping purposes with the other Castle servants.

"The book kinda like, looked cheesy. It was sketchy as hell when I first read it." Ichigo sighed, not wanting to argue. "I mean, I tried to read it, but it was mostly just weird instructions. It told me to shut my eyes, count to three. Next thing I know I'm dreaming this up."

Leaning his chin on his hand, Grimmjow processed this calmly. He watched Ichigo shrug, then continue to eat, and only spoke when the teen started on his stew.

"How do you know this is a dream?"

"It's obvious this . . . thing is just something out of my imagination." Ichigo said around a mouthful of stew. "I mean, please. I'm just your average high schooler. I don't take drugs. Haven't ever smoked. I do my homework regularly. Heck, me being hardworking is the whole reason I'm here in the first place."

"If it's a dream to you, when do you think you'll awaken?"

Ichigo couldn't shrug off the feeling he was being interviewed for a paranormal TV show.

"Don't know, but from what I've grasped, it should be anytime from now." He grinned, running a hand through his hair. "I mean, I conked out in the school library. There's gotta be someone who's bound to wake me up soon. Our school closes around five thirty."

Grimmjow studied him skeptically. "And what if you don't manage to wake up?"

The teen blinked. He hadn't thought of that.

"Then . . . this wouldn't be a dream, would it?"

"No." Grimmjow agreed smugly.

"It'll be a nightmare."

The prince frowned. "Where is it that you said you were from?"

"Karakura." Ichigo replied quietly. "Ring any bells?"

He received a terse shake of the head. Narrowing his eyes, Grimmjow reached for his wine glass.

"How do I know you're not an enemy?"

At Ichigo's look of surprise, he held up a hand.

"The kingdom of Azasael is under my command while my father is away. There is a high possibility that you could be from another kingdom, feeding me lies so you can double as a spy in my castle." He paused to take a sip of wine. "Perhaps you have an intention of garnering my trust because you've heard of the curse rampant in my kingdom."

Confused, Ichigo could only stare.

"Did you think I was stupid?" Grimmjow locked gazes with him, swirling the wine in his glass gently. "Don't think you can fool me with your silly stories. People tend to assume that princes are rich brats coddled with wealth, but you can't just waltz in here and expect me to fall for your lies."

"Are you calling me a liar?" Ichigo bristled, feeling more than a little annoyed.

Grimmjow gave him a one shoulder shrug. "That depends. Are you? I'm not usually one to assume, but I've had bad experiences in the past with pretend princesses."

Okay, this guy obviously had issues he couldn't even begin to grasp.

Ichigo massaged his temples, drawing out as much patience as he could.

"I already told you, I'm no princess. Could you please look at me? I mean, really look at me. I'm a guy."

Anyone in their right mind could see that he was far from anything feminine. No doubt he had shaved before going to school, but he'd done it in his usual slapdash manner because he'd woken up early and spent twenty minutes sleeping while he showered. He still had slightly visible stubble around his chin, and veiny arms that certainly couldn't belong to any woman. Because of the sheer white and gold threaded blouse he'd been shoved into, his obviously flat chest could be seen under the thin fabric. Besides, Ichigo figured his voice screamed manly teenager with enough attitude to drop a man.

"All the more reason for me to suspect you." Grimmjow finished the rest of his dinner before starting on his second glass. "My kingdom has many jealous enemies."

They finished dinner in silence. Ichigo tried his best to figure out how to prove himself innocent, but he was tired, and his mind refused to work properly. He still couldn't shake off the niggling feeling that he needed to get home and complete his assignments before he got detention the next day.

There was a light tap on the door, and the butler opened it before coming over to Grimmjow and whispering into his ear. Renji stepped into the room, dressed in a black and blue, a stark contrast to his flame colored hair. He nodded at Ichigo and offered him a reassuring smile. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Grimmjow stood up and looked at Ichigo.

"I have urgent matters to attend to. My maids will show you to a room." He turned on his heel and strode off to join Renji by the door.

Ichigo craned his neck to watch them as they exchanged whispers. It sounded like something was up. They disappeared through the door, and a footman began instructing maids to clear the table. Feeling full, Ichigo downed the rest of his wine and stood up. His foot caught on the chair and a resounding thump echoed around the hall as chair met marble flooring.

"S-Sorry." Ichigo blushed, turning red.

He helped pick up the chair and fled from the hall as soon as the butler opened the door for him. This palace would take him a long time to get used to.

"This way, ma'am." A maid popped up by his shoulder. "Prince Grimmjow told me to escort you; we have already prepared a bath and proper clothing for you."

Another bath?

Weird and weirder.

x

Twenty minutes later and Ichigo was lounging on a king-sized bed, complete with dark blue velvet hangings on the canopy and deliciously soft sheets that slid over his skin like fine silk. This was heaven! Maybe this dream wasn't so bad after all.

Dimly, he wondered if anyone would mind if he slept shirtless. After all, Keigo had broken his AC a while back, and he'd never gotten round to fixing it. Sleeping with just his boxers on was something he'd gotten used to over time. More comfortable and all that.

Struggling with the buttons on his flimsy shirt, Ichigo flung it off into the darkest corner of the vast bedroom he could find, and turned over to blow out the candle on a tall stand by his bedside.

It stayed lit.

Well, whatever. The light was soft anyway, he could deal.

So tired. His bones ached, as did the muscles around his shoulders and calves. His gym teacher hadn't made it easy on him today, and he was certain he had a blister on both his heels.

Well, time to just sleep it off. Ichigo wondered sleepily if he would remember this dream if he woke up.

x

You'd be surprised, Ichigo.

Also, I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! :)

Chapter 3: Chapter 3

There was someone in the room, stomping and moving things around. Ichigo could hear the 'thump, thump' as furniture collided with someone's shoes. Someone heaved a yawn, and there was a distinct clinking of a belt buckle coming undone. Or it could be the clink of a plumbing tool, or a spanner, or a screwdriver. Wondering if there was room service this late at night, Ichigo sighed softly into the comfy pillows. He'd never get used to this strange world.

The bedroom door opened, and an orange stretch of candlelight streamed in through the open slits in the bed canopy. Ichigo frowned and rolled over as he heard quiet murmurs from the doorway. Were the castle servants doing midnight cleaning? He could hear the sound of the bathroom door opening, and the splashing of water in the tub. Late night plumbing? Could them be replacing used towels with clean ones, just like a hotel service? Ichigo blinked sleepily and huffed. He was tired and needed sleep. Figuring that whoever was in the room knew what they were doing, Ichigo drifted back to sleep.

Approximately one dream and a half later, the teen felt one part of the bed sag underneath someone else's weight.

Holy shit.

Were they taking room service up another level here?

Nervous, Ichigo sat up quickly. The person on the other side of the bed froze. Neither spoke for a little while.

"Who are you?"

"That's what I should be asking." Ichigo tried to keep his voice one notch away from quavering. "Why are you in my bed?"

"What?" The person sounded incredulous. "This is MY bed."

There was no mistaking the capital letters in his tone. He had a husky, low drawl that sent goosebumps popping up on Ichigo's arms. Or it could just be the chilly night air wafting across his bare torso.

"Your . . . ?" Ichigo muttered. "Look, the maids told me to sleep in this room, which makes it my bed right now. So why don't you go kick up some dirt with that hard assed prince or something."

He tried to make it sound more like a statement than a suggestion. There was a pause from the other end of the bed.

"You're that wench from earlier, aren't you?"

Oh god.

Ichigo scrambled backward until his back hit the headboard. Prince Grimmjow laughed, and Ichigo noticed a silver glint og an earring on his ear.

"And here I thought my maids had sent me a little present."

"Ugh!" Ichigo made a face, disgusted. "No way! Do I even look like one of those . . . serving girls?"

Grimmjow laid a hand on the mattress as he balanced himself over Ichigo's rigid form.

"You tell me." He smiled wickedly.

In the dim moonlight filtering through the thin curtains at the window, he looked positively evil. Ichigo cringed as he felt a gloved hand on his knee.

"I come home late after one of the shittiest fights in history to find a naked boy who could be a double headed snake in my bed." Grimmjow's hot breath ghosted over the skin on Ichigo's bare torso. "What else am I supposed to think?"

Turning a nice shade of merlot – but thankful for the shadows masking his blush – Ichigo spluttered indignantly.

"You've got it all wrong!" He said defiantly, slapping Grimmjow's hand away. "I'm NOT naked. And the maids showed me in here. It's not like I've been living here my whole life! How the heck would I know any better?"

"Sure you're not just attracted to me?"

Ichigo drew on the last bits of his patience and gritted his teeth. He hadn't expected that sort of response. Anyway, didn't Grimmjow have a ton of ladies queuing at his doorstep with marriage proposals, like he had bragged about during dinner? Okay, so maybe he hadn't bragged, but to Ichigo's high schooler mind, he who had never gotten himself a girlfriend, was have a smidgen of jealous cake.

"Don't you have a pile of marriage proposals to sift through?" He felt irritated at the hint of childishness in his tone.

Grimmjow laughed outright, a sure, confident laugh that added to the teen's irritancy. Ichigo scowled into the darkness of the bedroom.

"Alright, so look at it this way." Grimmjow tilted Ichigo's chin so he faced him. "Assuming my maids showed you in here when they know this is my bedroom . . . simple theory is that they must think you're my new woman."

New?

"What, do you have like, a different one every week?"

Grimmjow smirked as he leaned so close his lips were almost touching the teen's. "You jealous?"

Goosebumps spread out over Ichigo's skin once more. This time round, he was fairly certain it wasn't from the cold.

"Don't fucking joke with me." Annoyed to find himself blushing like a schoolgirl, Ichigo made to get out of the bed. "You know what? Fine. Sorry. Have your bed back. I'll find someplace else to sleep."

He barely reached the door before someone grabbed his wrist and jerked him back. Ichigo let out a yelp of surprise and turned to glare at the prince.

"Where would you sleep?" Grimmjow asked quietly.

Ichigo wrenched his hand away. "Probably go find Renji or something. He'd make a much better roommate than you would."

"That's just an excuse to wander around my castle, isn't it?" Grimmjow surprised him by grabbing both his wrists and walking him back to the bed. "Don't think you can pull any tricks on me, spy."

"What?" Ichigo struggled to free himself. "No way! Are you still hung up on that? Because I'm not one. Seriously!"

Shoving him down onto the mattress, Grimmjow kept his hand on Ichigo's chest, pinning him down so he couldn't leap up and run off. There was a predatory glint in his blue eyes, one that the teen was fully accustomed to, especially during battles with the Espada. Despite being used to it, Ichigo felt a shiver run down his spine.

"Prove it."

Bastard.

There was no way he could do that. It was only up to Grimmjow to believe in him. And like it or not, Ichigo knew he was at the Prince's mercy here. This was Grimmjow's kingdom, and he had soldiers and other resources at hand to do his bidding. Just one word from Grimmjow and Ichigo could have all his fingers sliced off one by one, or have his skin peeled off his body until he was a quivering red mass of pain and fear.

Right.

He'd been watching way too many gory shows with Keigo. Ichigo kicked himself mentally. There was no way things like that happened in fairy tales, right?

"You can't, can you?"

Damn it. If Grimmjow knew it, then why did he have to keep on pressing? He could send out people like detectives or private eyes to investigate, but seeing as there weren't any roots Ichigo was tied to in this new world, Grimmjow had no leads. Which brought it all down to the distrust in the blue haired Prince's eyes. Ichigo chewed on his bottom lip and tried to fight away the visions of being slaughtered and left to die in a pool of his own blood.

"I'm from another world." Ichigo tried to explain again. "I know you probably don't get it, but in that world, it's like a parallel universe. You're my enemy there, and I'm yours as well. But this place is just totally different. It's like a whole new setting. I don't know if you can tell, but it's the truth. And that's up to you to believe me or not. I understand you think I'm a stranger, which is pretty true, but . . . there's nothing I can do aside from telling you my side of the story."

Grimmjow's expression remained stone cold as he raised a hand. Ichigo flinched and kept his eyes shut, waiting expectantly for the blow that never came. Instead, he felt fingers gently carding through his hair. The teen blinked his surprise up at the Prince.

"Fine." Grimmjow told him. "Give me three days to put this in thorough consideration. At the end of the week, if I decide I don't trust you, you're out of here. And if I do . . . you get to stay."

Ichigo bit his lip. "But what I really want is to get back to where I came from."

"I'll help with that." Grimmjow smirked. "No promises yet, though; you'll just have to gain my trust first."

Figuring there was no other option, Ichigo nodded and avoided Grimmjow's intense gaze. "Okay."

"Now sleep. I've got plans for you tomorrow morning."

x

Plans turned out to be Ichigo gritting his teeth while three tailors and several menservants bustled around him, sticking pins into him and repeatedly measuring his size while furiously scribbling notes onto bits of paper. Fighting for patience, the teen twitched as he felt a servant hold some cloth around his waist while a tailor poked it full of pins. This was absolute torture. No doubt Grimmjow had an ulterior motive behind his mask of good intentions – most likely payback for Ichigo crashing on his bed the night before.

Highly irritated, the teen let out a growl. The tailors hurried to finish their work quicker. They fussed over him, bringing the teen some milk chocolate and jam filled cookies in attempts to placate him, but the more they showered attention on him, the more frustrated Ichigo felt. He'd given up on common courtesy and had reached the point where he would just grunt or shake his head at an offered plate. Well, the chocolate did help some. His mouth was full of it, which was one of the reasons why he didn't feel like talking. Spraying bits of food out of his mouth was something he didn't really want to do. It would only make them coo and smother him more.

The door slid open to reveal Grimmjow, who strode in without a word and came to a halt in the middle of the parlour with the biggest knowing grin on his face. Ichigo gave him his best scowl.

"Enjoying yourself?" Grimmjow teased, tapping the hilt of his sword absently. "You like chocolates, I see."

"Everyone does." Ichigo snapped, tugging his foot away from a servant who was measuring his shoe size. "Why are you here?"

Grimmjow snickered. "I'm a Prince."

Ichigo fought the urge to roll his eyes. Grimmjow said that like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, I got that the first time."

"We're finally finished!" Announced a proud looking tailor. "When we've completed the final outfits we'll send them by carriage, your Highness."

Looking pleased, Grimmjow nodded. "How soon can you get them done? There's a ball coming up and I want Ichigo to attend it with me."

A ball? Ichigo hadn't heard about this. He looked from the tailors to Grimmjow expectantly.

"Within three days, your Majesty." The jolliest tailor piped up. He was short and rotund, with a genuine, hearty laugh that made the orange haired teen come to like him instantly. "However, his shoes are the problem. We are unaccustomed to creating dainty heels in size ten."

Heels?

"Wait, you can't be serious . . ." Ichigo trailed off as Grimmjow held up a hand.

"Very well then. Three days it is. Bill me for the clothing cost."

With that, the prince turned around and stalked out of the room, nodding absently at the bowing tailors and servants. Ichigo's spunk deflated with a heavy sigh.

Just when would this dream end?

x

Renji coughed and spluttered as Ichigo regaled him with the events of that fateful morning. He tried to hold back his laughter but failed as the teen glared icy daggers at him, looking highly affronted.

"You find this funny?" Ichigo stood up haughtily. "I can't believe you're laughing at me."

"No no." Renji held up both hands in an effort to wave the white flag. "It's just . . . now that we've established you're a male, this all seems rather hilarious."

Setting down his porcelain teacup none too gently on its matching porcelain saucer, Ichigo chewed a slice of bread thoughtfully. He ignored the gasps of several maids as they noticed his not-so-dainty behaviour.

"You think it's easy wearing heels?" Ichigo sprayed bits of breadcrumbs out of his mouth as he snarled indignantly. "it's torture on feet, I swear. Why don't you try?"

Turning pale, Renji shook his head. "That's alright, I'll take your word for it, Ichigo."

The redhead placated him by dropping a silver bracelet on the empty plate before him. "Here, this is for you. It's a token so people know you're from the Royal Castle. You can purchase anything in the street markets if you just show the merchants your wrist with this on."

Nice.

Ichigo threw him a grin and fumbled with the tiny clasp, trying to figure out how to open it. Renji watched his antics with some amusement before standing up and dropping to one knee before Ichigo.

"Allow me."

One hand clasped Ichigo's smaller palm while the other worked on clicking the bracelet around his wrist. The sparkling silver diamond shone in the afternoon sun filtering in through the slits of the lacy white table umbrella. Ichigo watched the red haired Captain fondly. He couldn't help comparing this Renji to the other Renji that he knew so well. They were both good people.

"Don't you have work to do, Captain?" Grimmjow said in an unnecessary loud voice, striding out from the back door of the castle with an air of importance. "I'm sure I left the commands room in your care. There are things to be done, and I don't see them completing themselves anytime soon."

Renji flushed and stood up looking embarrassed. "Yes, your Highness. I'll see to it right away."

As the redhead hurried away in the direction of Grimmjow's castle entrance, Ichigo shifted his gaze to meet the Prince's icy one. He found nothing but annoyance and something else he couldn't fathom there. Ichigo threw a confused smile his way.

"I thought you were out riding."

Grimmjow narrowed his cerulean orbs at the teen and grabbed a scone from the plate on the table. "Did the Captain tell you that?"

Ichigo grinned. "Yeah. Renji skived off work to come see me."

The Prince frowned. He didn't exactly like the way Ichigo called his Captain so casually by his first name. Even Grimmjow didn't call Renji that. Hearing the name bounce of Ichigo's lips made him feel uneasy and sent a stab of some annoyed feeling through him. Not that he knew the real reason, but it probably didn't mean anything.

"I don't want you talking to him."

Watching Grimmjow with surprise, Ichigo took a slow sip of his orange juice. "Do you have something against him?"

"No." Pouring himself a cup of tea and downing it in two gulps, Grimmjow grinned. "Stay out of the forests."

Ichigo stared at him curiously. "What if I don't?"

"You get killed."

"What?" the teen scoffed. "No way! This is like, fairy land or something, right? You can't be serious. There's nothing bad happening here. It's all fluff and cotton candy like in those books. At least they are, from the ones I've watched on TV."

"Don't believe me? Then why don't you try heading out into the woods."

Ichigo gave him a long, hard stare, trying to decipher the hidden meaning in the Prince's words.

"Don't come crying back to me when your bloodied intestines are decorating the bark of every single tree in there." The blue haired man snickered as Ichigo shot him a disgusted look. "Or when your eyes are gouged out by claws so sharp you don't feel a thing. They'll leave your heart beating, pumping just enough blood to cover the energy needed for you to drag yourself back here, then they pull a string around your heart to make it burst."

Gory, like in a horror movie.

Still, Grimmjow's last words sent a chill down the teen's spine. The Prince gave him a knowing wink and turned on his heel before leaving, looking nonchalant like he didn't just scare the willies out of an innocent high schooler.

"Ugh!" Ichigo groaned, sagging down into the cushioned chair. He nibbled on a scone before tossing it back onto his plate. "He's probably just trying to scare me."

He turned to look at the tall off-white wall covered with creepers and moss. It was the only thing separating them from monsters his imagination created. And most conveniently, they all lived in the forest.

Ichigo gulped.

Yeah, Grimmjow was just treating him like a total girl again.

That had to be it.

x

You better hope so, Ichigo.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

"Wake up."

Light spilled from the huge double windows, and the screeching sound of a heavy curtain being pulled back roughly on its rings made Ichigo cover his ears with his hands.

"I said wake up."

A pillow smooshed into his face, and he struggled to get it off. The hand behind the pillow pushed down harder, making him stiffen and cough. This really wasn't the right way to wake someone up.

"Mmph!" Ichigo said.

There was a chuckle, and Grimmjow took the pillow away. "You're really lazy."

"You're a frigging jerk!" Ichigo yelped as soon as he got his breath back.

Only he didn't say 'frigging'.

Grimmjow laughed even more. "A lazy, good-for-nothing spy with a little bit of spunk. You're no better than a serving girl, you illegal alien."

Amber eyes flashed in anger as the Prince smirked infuriatingly at him. In a flash, Ichigo tackled Grimmjow, grabbing him around the collar as he drew his free hand back to throw a hard punch. Cold metal at his throat made him stop in his tracks.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." Grimmjow said quietly, his eyes cold and indifferent.

"Because you're a heartless bastard who doesn't give a shit whether I die or not." Ichigo replied back furiously. "We hate each other, you don't want me here, and I want to go back to my world. So kill me now and get it over with."

"Can't do that, sorry." Grimmjow grinned at him. "You're my date for the ball. Maybe after, when I'm tired of playing with you, I'll let you die however you like."

With that, he shoved Ichigo off him, not caring when the teen stumbled to the floor. Shrugging on a gold threaded vest, Grimmjow strapped his sword to his belt and tugged on his leather boots. Ichigo glared at him all the while. Heading toward the door, Grimmjow was about to make a smooth exit when a thought struck him.

"Here's a gift."

The knife he'd used to threaten Ichigo with was flicked toward the teen. Ichigo dodged to the side just in time, his Shinigami talents paying off well. The blade embedded itself in the wall behind him.

"Fuck you!" Ichigo made sure his holler was loud enough to wake the dead.

The bedroom door slammed shut, leaving the teen alone in the lavish waste of space, garbed in nothing but his strawberry patterned boxers. He really did feel like a serving girl, at least a little. Leaping to his feet, Ichigo threw the bright blue satin dress with frills and hoops a glare of disdain. Screw wearing girl clothes. He was going to borrow something of Grimmjow's whether he liked it or not.

Running for the Prince's closet, he yanked at the knobs only to have them smack his hands angrily. In his shock, Ichigo tried to pull away, but the knobs wrapped around his fingers and bit him.

"What the fuck?" Ichigo withdrew his stinging hands. "Shit gets weirder every day!"

The knobs hissed back at him defiantly. Narrowing his eyes, Ichigo turned back to his dress, which had turned a lovely shade of coral since he last looked at it. Growling, he stomped over to put it on. He wanted to be out of the castle so badly, to be away from Grimmjow and his vile nastiness.

The great hall of the castle was being measured and cleaned properly, maids rushing around with small brooms and washcloths in buckets. Servants painted over the bits of peeled paint that needed touching up, and two guards were busy helping a few servants to carry in a long banquet table.

Great.

Everyone was preparing for the ball, and no one was guarding the doorway. Ichigo could escape at his own risk.

x

"Dammit!" yelled Ichigo as he ran, slinging his pink shimmery shawl over his shoulder to keep from losing it.

The frenzied footsteps of the monsters chasing him kept his heart racing, supplying more oxygen for his panic. The diamond studded slippers on his feet were making him grit his teeth on account of the blisters, but he kept on running with dogged intent on escape. One of the monsters howled behind him, sending an eerie chill down his spine. He was running, but he didn't seem to be putting much distance between the monsters and himself. It was like they could run just as fast as he could, and if he stopped . . . who knew what would happen?

A hairy monster nipped at his ankles and Ichigo could feel the hunger it was radiating in strong, desperate waves. Coupled with the monster's horrible stench, which was very close to the smell of a clogged sewer tunnel, it proved to be a great stomach rolling inducer. Ichigo clapped one gloved hand over his nose and mouth to keep from throwing up, running for his life.

There was a sound of flying arrows whizzing through the air, but the monsters remained undeterred. Ichigo squeaked in alarm as an arrow flew past to bury itself in the ground not two feet from him. There was a painful ache in the skin of his heel as he felt a blister pop, chafing against the back of his diamante studded stilettos. Ichigo swore in a manner that was more than unfit for a soon-to-be princess' bridesmaid, and reached down to grab the offending heel. With a strong arm, he flung the shoe straight for the monster that was running directly behind him, catching it full in the eye. The teen had good aim. Howling with pain, the hairy creature staggered back, causing three other of its pack to crash and tumble over him. Safe from their hungry jaws for the time being, Ichigo escaped into the dense shrubbery of the forest, breathing hard. When he was quite certain he wasn't being followed, he chose a tall, sturdy tree and clawed his way up the bark. Splinters of wood stuck on his dress and hands, and leaves scraped past his face, lodging in his hair. Twigs and bits of bark fluttered down into his face, but Ichigo didn't stop climbing until he reached a thick branch that could hold his weight. Dropping onto all fours, the teen crawled onto the branch, elbows and knees trembling from exertion. His breath was coming in ragged gasps, clothing torn and dirty. Still, Ichigo was relieved he was safe.

Right, there were arrows earlier! Ichigo chewed on his bottom lip worriedly. That meant there were other humans nearby. Humans meant help, and possibly a way back to the castle! Breathing a sigh of relief, Ichigo felt his fatigue creep back into his body. So there were people who had seen him earlier. Now he had more hope for rescue. The problem was finding them and letting them know he needed help.

He still had one more stiletto left on his foot. It was covered with scratches and crusted with mud, and several diamond studs had fallen off. Ichigo chewed his lower lip, surveying his limbs. He'd gotten off easy with some bruises and scratches, but now he was truly lost in the forest Prince Grimmjow had told him about. Of course, he hadn't meant to venture off the stone path, but somehow he'd gotten distracted with a whole shitload of thoughts and let his emotions take the wheel. Before he knew it, he was in a lush forest with plenty of greenery and no pathway to be found. He'd tried to backtrack and retrace his steps, but he'd only ended up running into a cave full of monsters – which resulted in them chasing him all along.

"Damn, those fuckers were persistent." Ichigo hissed as he plucked wood splinters from his palm.

His eyes stung from the wind blowing in his face, and he just realized how cold the temperature had gotten. Using his tattered shawl – or what was left of it – he wiped his face clean and wrapped it around his ankle, which was smarting from a number of small scratches. He needed clean water and some antiseptic, but where was he going to find Dettol or Bactine here? Ichigo worried his lower lip none too gently, trying to quell the panic and exhaustion mingling in his chest. He longed to see red hair and kind eyes, and a warm bed to soothe away all his tiredness. Renji was the only person he could go to for help now. When they were Shinigami back in the real world, Ichigo always found comfort with his friend. But in this world, Grimmjow was a friend too. Somehow that gave him more reassurance than he was comfortable with. In the real world, he was enemies with the Prince. Here, he wasn't so sure. They had after all, gotten off on the wrong foot more than once.

So absorbed in his thoughts was the teen that he hardly realized when the sun began to set, allowing the trees to cast long, dark shadows under the dark blue sky. Ichigo finally came to his senses when a bird burst into an eerie rendition of an old Japanese nursery rhyme beside him. He jolted suddenly, causing the bird to take flight, frightened by his abrupt movements.

Don't come crying back to me when your bloodied intestines are decorating the bark of every tree in there.

Grimmjow's words floated back into his mind, and Ichigo shivered with fear. He shook himself, trying to bring all of his bravery back. He hadn't let the arrogant Prince's words scare him earlier, so why was he giving in now? That was all Grimmjow was really good for, anyway; all bark and no bite. Ichigo longed to wipe that infuriating smirk off his face whenever he saw him, but had never dared to. Here he was unarmed, unprotected save for his fists. Grimmjow had excellent swordsmanship, he knew from the way he sparred with Renji. Still, the blue haired Espada – no, Prince, now – was just such a total jerk. Ichigo fumed. What was up Grimmjow's butt? Couldn't he just drop the holier-than-thou attitude and suck his issues back up his nose? Grimmjow could definitely try to be a little nicer. No doubt he didn't trust Ichigo, but nothing had gone awry so far. The only thing Ichigo ever wanted right now was to get the hell out of fairyland and back home in his own bedroom, listening to Space Sonic on his Nitro-player and mimicking air guitar as an imaginary audience clapped and cheered for him. Those spontaneous everyday things were gone. Somehow, he ended up pointing all the blame on Grimmjow, even though he clearly knew it wasn't really the Prince's fault.

Okay, so it totally was.

But not much, seeing as the one who made the decision to leave the safe vicinity of the castle was Ichigo himself.

Still, he was mad.

"You bastard!" Ichigo hollered at the top of his lungs, scaring away a flock of noisy birds and a couple of chipmunks sharing his tree. "I hate your fucking guts!"

His voice echoed for miles around. Ichigo felt cold and lonely in the coral dress, all lacy and shimmery, but good for nothing against weather conditions. He let the diamond-studded heel fall down to the ground below, listening for its thump as it collided with the grass and stones.

And just for good measure, he yelled one more time. "Jerk!"

There was a slight rustling, and the tree he was sitting on shook violently. Ichigo barely had time to grab onto the branch in an effort to steady himself when the tree bark rippled, sending him hurtling down toward the ground below.

He was sure he screamed.

Nothing but green grass and white stones coming up toward him as he flew downward. Ichigo squeezed his eyes shut, hands covering his face as gravity pulled him to his death.

Something caught him, holding onto him tightly. Slender fingers parted to reveal wide honey brown eyes, staring up into his rescuer's face with surprise.

"Wha –" Ichigo's question was whisked out of his mouth as he was moved forward with a burst of speed.

"Stay quiet." A deep voice that sounded vaguely familiar whispered into his right ear. "Or I may have to kill you."

"B-But you just rescued me!" Ichigo said, then slapped both hands around his mouth as he registered the death threat. "S-Sorry."

Cold gray eyes stared down at him, making him feel uncomfortable yet safe at the same time. He was quite sure he knew the owner of the voice, and the man behind the mask, but couldn't quite place him yet. Black hair tied up into a high ponytail, with two small braids down the sides of his face. The man wore a silver and black mask, hiding half of his face from view. Ichigo bit his lower lip and stared back.

The man gave a shrill whistle, and they swerved sharply to the left – they were on a very large wolf, nothing but gray fur and a pink collar. The wolf leaped over a stream with ease, but Ichigo was joggled with the animal's loping gait. He gripped onto the man's shoulders for balance, and a strong arm swept under his back to curl around his waist. Ichigo blushed as the man pulled him closer; he could smell a strong cherry blossom scent on him, and knew that his own body probably stank of sweat, mud, and whatnot. His clothes were ripped and muddied as well, and he was barefoot. That was the downside of spontaneous running through a forest, Ichigo rationalized. But if the upside was he got to be rescued by hot men all the time, who wouldn't keep risking one's life?

Alright, so.

Ichigo was just going to pretend his brain hadn't come up with that thought. He was certainly losing a huge chunk of his sanity here. Maybe he was going to wake up from this absurd dream with a huge headache and forget it all to save his brain from exploding. Yeah, that was a really great idea.

The wolf slowed to a stop while Ichigo was having a mental breakdown. He looked up to see the gray eyes trained on him once more, this time closer than before. He couldn't help the blush that tinged his cheeks, but he could place his hands on the man's chest to keep him from invading his personal space.

"W-What're you doing?" Ichigo stammered.

"This."

Lips covered his, and a tongue cunningly swept into his mouth as he let out a gasp of shock. The tongue was as persistent as Ichigo's eyes were wide – like saucers. Except saucers didn't stick their tongues into your mouth, Ichigo realized. Then he moaned. What was he thinking? Saucers didn't have tongues. Clearly being in fairyland was addling his brain quicker than he thought it would.

The man evidently took his moan as encouragement, because Ichigo soon felt hands roaming the expanse of his chest and shoulders, slipping the coral bustier – which was very heavily padded to make up for his complete lack of breasts – down and the thin puffed sleeves off his body. Ichigo gasped as a finger pinched his nipple, and the man suddenly stopped.

"You don't have any . . ." He trailed off.

Huh?

"Breasts." The man finished, somewhat awkwardly.

Ichigo made a face, though the man couldn't really see in the dark. "No, but I have other cool body parts."

Wait, now he was trying to sell himself? Ichigo felt like duct taping his own mouth.

"You're not a girl."

Was this guy blind? Ichigo rubbed at his nipple, feeling sore and petulant. Maybe the mask made his rescuer see the world a little fuzzily.

"Of course I'm not a girl!"

The man looked stunned. The wolf gave a small whine. Ichigo felt like whining himself.

"Well then, is that why you were in that tree?" The man pulled the dress back up for him, prodding the breast pads experimentally. "Do you like wearing dresses?"

"Hell no." Ichigo replied. "To both questions, you dork. I was in that tree for safety reasons! And do I look like I'm having fun in this dress?"

Pausing, the man slid off the wolf, guiding Ichigo along as he flicked a dark cloth from a jar full of fireflies. Light lit up their midst immediately. "What is your name, boy?"

"Ichigo." Ichigo muttered, feeling awkward and tense and embarrassed. Then, on a more courage-filled note, "What's yours?"

"Byakuya."

Oh hell.

Ichigo tried not to look so aghast.

The man slid the mask off and gave the teen a dazzling smile before pulling him in for another equally dazzling kiss.

x

"He's missing, Sire." The guard that was part of the search team panted his report.

Seated in his large study, on a chair of the finest teak wood, Grimmjow spat out the seed of the fruit he'd been eating. "What?"

"The fiery haired young man, your Highness!" Practically wringing his gauntlet covered hands, the guard looked worried and alarmed. "The gardener claimed to have seen him climbing over your garden wall, right at the very end! We all know what lies beyond that wall . . ."

The guard looked close to tears. Grimmjow shot him a look of disgust.

"What are you waiting for?" The Prince asked, agitated. "Go look for him there!"

Rallying up the rest of his panicky search party, the guard hurriedly rushed out of the room, almost colliding with someone who was coming in. Renji looked surprised to see Grimmjow looking royally pissed. He walked in tentatively, his black boots making quiet thuds on the marble floor.

"Is there something going on, your Highness?"

"That kid is what's been going on." Grimmjow wiped his hands on a silk napkin. "Idiot decides to run off into Grimm Forest when I made it clear to him it's full of danger. He never listens."

"Remind you of anyone?" Renji chuckled softly as he leaned against the Prince's table. He caught Grimmjow's glare and coughed. "Sorry."

"I'm stubborn, not stupid." Grimmjow muttered, looking angrier as time passed. "If they don't find him right now . . ."

Raising an eyebrow, Renji held up a hand. "Searching takes time, your Highness. The boy couldn't have gone far; the forest is dense and full of thick shrubbery. I doubt he can manage to find his way deeper in such a short time."

"Short time?"

Frowning at him, Grimmjow beckoned for a nearby manservant, who was busy trying to look busy, rearranging the flowers in a vase on an unnecessary oak table.

"You. When did the news of Ichigo escaping happen?"

The servant bowed low before answering. "This morning during the banquet preparations, Sire."

It was nightfall now.

Grimmjow shared a look of alarm with Renji. In a flash, both men were on their feet, pushing past the surprised servant as they rushed for the door.

x

Can anyone else imagine how pissed Grimmjow will be?

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Chapter five!

x

Strong arms were holding him in place, and warm lips were covering his own, a slippery wet tongue begging for entrance as Byakuya licked, sucked and nibbled on Ichigo's lower lip.

"Uhn." Ichigo moaned, arms suddenly too weak to push the black haired man away. "Byakuya ..."

"Hmm?" Gray eyes bore into his with a curious stare as long fingers pinched and flicked his already pert nipples. "Are you tired? Hungry?"

Ichigo wanted to say no so they could continue making out, so Byakuya could stick his tongue into his mouth and work his magic on melting Ichigo's insides, so he could continue fully debauching the teen until he crumbled into a quivering heap of jelly. However, circumstances reminded him that he was in an unknown land, in an unknown cave, cuddled in an unknown man's arms. Well, in technical terms, Byakuya wasn't a stranger, but in this land everything was just totally different to Ichigo. The depressing part was that Prince Grimmjow would definitely be on an angry rampage if he found out his 'spy' was missing. On the plus side, Ichigo got to discover how good of a kisser Byakuya turned out to be.

No, he really shouldn't be thinking about things like that. Ichigo tried pulling himself away, but his limbs wouldn't listen to him and did the exact opposite of what his brain was saying. He needed some distraction, and it had to be serious.

Think disgusting thoughts! Ichigo mentally screamed.

Byakuya's tongue feels so good.

No!

Well, yes, but no, not that thought right now. It wasn't helping.

Old man Yamamoto doing a strip tease on my bed ... yuck. Oh god, what if Byakuya was doing that in my bedroom...? Ah, got carried away, there.

Ichigo moaned into the kiss, half out of disappointment at himself and partially because he was feeling Byakuya's hand fondle his semi-hard cock through the lacy panties – he'd substituted his duck patterned boxers for clean underwear and it was the only thing available – that barely covered his privates. He briefly heard the black haired man mumble something along the lines of 'Lace, what a turn on' before he was pushed down onto a soft bed.

Maybe he didn't really have to go back to his modern world so soon. After all, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Right?

x

"Wrong way!" Grimmjow growled out as he gripped his horse's reins and pulled backward to reverse his mount. "This path leads to the Nice Witch's lair."

"If she's so nice, then why are we avoiding her?" Renji asked as he turned his white horse after Grimmjow's stallion, wincing as a few twigs slapped him across one cheek.

"It was a sarcastic title." Grimmjow resisted the urge to lead Renji into a bog and leave him there. "Get your head in the game. How long have you been living round here?"

The Captain of his Royal Guard just laughed in that infuriating calm way of his and followed along beside him in a brisk trot. Grimmjow gritted his teeth and restrained himself from asking Renji how he'd gotten so close to Ichigo. He was feeling something akin to jealousy – not because Renji was close to Ichigo, but because Ichigo seemed to warm up to him better than he did Grimmjow. Of course, the Prince knew the answer to his question, but he refused to acknowledge the fact that he could act a little nicer to the orange haired teen. To him, Ichigo was something similar to a thorn in his side. A very small, insignificant thorn.

But why did he feel so worried when he'd discovered Ichigo had run away?

The question burned into him, making him feel somewhat angry for even thinking about it. Ichigo was just some spy who was vying for his attention; no doubt sent by some other enemy kingdom. The reason why he teased the boy was because he was so easy to bait. Ichigo never ran away from trouble; in fact the boy seemed to welcome it. Trouble would be a good middle name for him. Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair, frustrated and urged his horse onward.

x

It was mid-morning when Ichigo awoke from a restful slumber, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. Around him, the cheerful trill of birdsong could be heard. He was still in Grimm Forest. The teen yawned, stretching his limbs before he sat up on the makeshift bedding beneath him. He could smell something being cooked somewhere nearby. Pulling the coral dress around his waist, Ichigo bent his head as he exited the cosy tent into the warmth of the morning sun. Byakuya was seated on a rock, slicing something that looked like vegetables into a bubbling pot on a hearth of fire. Nearby, a larger fire roasted several fish on a long stick propped up above the flames. Ichigo felt his stomach growl. He walked over to Byakuya, who was focusing on cooking.

"Good morning." Ichigo ran a hand through his spiky hair.

"Did you rest well?" The Byakuya in this world was just like the one Ichigo was used to; stoic, expressionless and every bit the regal man he was - even while chopping chives and stirring a pot of broth.

"I did, thank you." The teen felt politeness at the tip of his tongue; Byakuya's formality was contagious.

With a slight jerk of his chin, the ebony haired man indicated a bucket of water nearby. "I believe you may want to freshen up before eating."

Ichigo nodded and used the water to wash his face and neck. They ate together in a comfortable silence for a while, and Ichigo tried not to do too much staring. Byakuya seemed to notice his awkwardness, as he seemed to notice everything, right down to the small details like Ichigo picking up most things with his right hand, and his adorable habit of tucking stray locks behind his ear - a slight feminine trait that contributed to his cuteness.

"You live at the royal palace, you say?"

Ichigo looked up from the fish in his hands. "I wouldn't say live, exactly. I'm more of a temporary guest."

Byakuya smirked. "Are you a relative, then?"

"Nah, not even close. We're enemies in my world." Ichigo noted the surprise in the noble's eyes. "I know what you're thinking, but it's true. I'm not from around here, as you've probably guessed. I just got sucked into this world by accident. I was brought to Prince Grimmjow's palace by his General, Renji. Maybe you've heard of him. Anyway, now everyone seems to think I'm some sort of spy from another empire, and Prince Grimmjow kinda wanted to kill me. I tried explaining, but I guess he's still stuck on that spy theory. All I really want is to get home. In one piece, if it's not too much to ask."

The teen muttered the last sentence in a low tone. Byakuya watched him carefully.

"You don't seem dangerous."

Ichigo chuckled. "Coming from you, that means a lot here. But I guess I'm just an outsider. Always have been, always will be."

Byakuya seemed to understand his plight. "The paths of our lives change frequently. It's not about where you end up - either as an outsider or someone who belongs. It's about how you shape your path to fit your life."

Ichigo could feel his eyebrows reaching his hairline. Byakuya liked philosophy. Not that he could say he hadn't seen that coming; as a Shinigami Captain, Byakuya was always nose deep in books and scrolls. Ichigo imagined him reading Shakespeare and shuddered. On the other hand, having Byakuya as a Literature buddy didn't sound like a bad idea.

"Thanks." He said softly, and received a ghost of a smile in return.

After he had helped Byakuya wash up and tidy their camp area, there wasn't much else left to do but talk. Byakuya seemed to have other things on his mind, however. He beckoned for Ichigo to sit beside him. The teen complied, somewhat awkwardly. He'd never been this close to Byakuya before, except in battle. Oh wait - he had. Last night was a perfect reminder of how soft the noble's lips were. Ichigo hadn't realized he was so deeply attracted to men. Did that mean he was gay? Well, time enough to mull over that thought later; Byakuya was leaning close to him, lips a fraction of a space away from Ichigo's own. The teen parted his lips, closing the gap between them and chasing all hesitance away. There was nothing like kissing Byakuya; not that he had much experience overall, but Byakuya was gentle and passionate and there was something about the way he would patiently wait for Ichigo to get accustomed to the feel of his tongue in his mouth. Their kisses weren't rushed. Ichigo decided he liked that.

A whinny sounded close by. Byakuya straightened up, pulling Ichigo closer. His free hand went straight to the hilt of his sword, strapped to the left side of his waist. There were more whinnies and the sound of hoof beats on the ground suggested more than two horses. They had company.

Out of the bushes, a string of horses pulled up, their riders garbed in the familiar royal blue and white of the place. Ichigo felt his heart thudding in his chest. Grimmjow was seated atop the largest horse - a fierce black stallion. He looked surprised and relieved at the same time. Well, at least until he caught sight of Byakuya's arms around Ichigo. His blue eyes narrowed and he seemed to seethe; his fury was practically visible. In a flash, he had his sword at Byakuya's throat. Ichigo was freaked out to notice his blade was exactly the same as Pantera.

"Who are you?" Grimmjow snarled, jumping off his stallion. His sword was still thrust in Byakuya's general direction.

His men surrounded them, swords drawn and ready to fight. Ichigo was roughly grabbed from Byakuya's loose grip and thrust into one of the guards' arms. Hands held his wrists as he tried to steady himself. He looked up into the guard's face and was immensely relieved to see Renji.

"Are you alright, Ichigo?" Renji asked as he checked him over for injuries. "We've been looking for you the entire night!"

"Fine, I'm perfectly fine." Ichigo gave him a grateful smile. To Grimmjow, he pleaded as persuasively as he could. "Please don't hurt Byakuya! He's a friend."

Grimmjow glared at him, sending icy daggers his way. "Byakuya?"

There were cliché gasps all around.

"Byakuya? It can't be!" One guard immediately dropped his sword; it hit the pebbled ground with a clang.

"Prince Grimmjow, it's him!"

Another guard dropped to his knees and fell onto his face in a dead faint. Ichigo couldn't help but feel like he was in a cheesy play. Even Renji was getting into the act, gasping at all the appropriate times and that one guard with the depressed face was theatrically wringing his gauntlet covered hands. Grimmjow and Byakuya were the only ones unfazed.

"Will you shut up and explain this?" Grimmjow ordered, clearly very annoyed.

"It's Prince Byakuya, sir. I have heard tell that he is on a journey over the mountains, travelling from the Zucchini Kingdom." Renji, ever the loyal general, spoke fluidly for the benefit of his Prince. "Sire, the Kuchiki Royal Family is our ally."

Wow, Byakuya was a prince. He'd been making out with pure royalty! Things were looking up.

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes even further, but lowered his sword. Ichigo breathed out a long sigh of relief. There wasn't going to be any bloodshed after all, thank all the gods who were kind enough to lend a hand in that mortifying display.

"If it is as my general says, how will you prove your identity?" Grimmjow had a snooty look on his face, which made Ichigo want to punch him.

However, Byakuya merely unclipped a silver claw-like pin from his long black hair and presented it to Grimmjow with a condescending smile. "This is a Kuchiki heirloom, made from the teeth of a thousand animals and forged with steel in the very smithy's within my palace grounds. It was passed down to me from my father, who achieved it from his great-grandfather, who -"

Grimmjow held up a hand abruptly, rudely interrupting Byakuya's explanation. "Fine. If you will excuse my doubting you earlier Prince Byakuya, I shall take my leave with my possession."

Ichigo blinked.

Byakuya didn't bat an eye. "Your possession, my good sir?"

Ichigo was manhandled out of Renji's grasp into Grimmjow's arms. "Ichigo is mine."

The teen felt his jaw drop; the nerve of the blue haired bastard! He was about to say something to gain a speck of his dignity back, but the crackling tension in the air as palpable. Byakuya and Grimmjow were having a staring match, cool gray eyes meeting defiant blue ones in a fierce battle. Ichigo felt like yelling 'Whoever blinks first is a rotten tomato!' but intelligently kept his mouth shut. The match ended after a minute, where Renji cleared his throat politely and respectfully bowed to both Princes.

"If I may humbly suggest, your Highnesses?" He straightened up with one of his brilliantly persuasive smiles. "It's almost noon. What say we head back to the Castle and get to know each other a little better over some wine?"

The tension seemed to dissipate at the mention of alcohol. Ichigo wrangled his way out of Grimmjow's stern grip and huffed at him angrily. He was still mad at him. Grimmjow was such an insufferable bastard! Ichigo ignored his threatening glare and turned away, heading straight for Renji, who smiled at him reassuringly.

"He rides with me." Grimmjow said loudly, commanding his horse over with a click of his tongue. "Get your ass over here, Ichigo."

Running a hand through his orange hair, Ichigo gritted his teeth and turned back around to face the blue haired prince. Leopards never changed their spots. The saying applied to panthers too, evidently. Renji gave him a gentle squeeze on his shoulder and headed for his own horse. Grimmjow watched as Ichigo sullenly stomped over toward him, bare feet making no sound on the grassy mounds. Cerulean eyes took in the tattered state of his dirty dress, now a darkened, mud-stained coral hue. Grimmjow's eyebrows rose as he noted the scratches on Ichigo's arms and feet, but he made no comment about it. Ichigo stood before him, pouting into the Prince's stallion's face. The horse nickered comfortingly.

"Well, get on." Grimmjow said gruffly, motioning Ichigo to the saddle.

The teen swallowed. He had never ridden a horse before, aside from the time Renji had helped him up on his steed. Grimmjow's stallion was larger. Ichigo had no idea how to mount the horse.

With a small bow, Byakuya was at his side. "If I may, Ichigo?"

Ichigo gladly took his offered hand. The Kuchiki noble held the reins as he guided Ichigo to step onto the stirrups before swinging his other leg over the horse's back. When Ichigo was seated safely, Byakuya held the reins out to Grimmjow with something akin to a smug smile.

"The essential key to being liked, Prince Grimmjow, is to be nice."

Grimmjow snatched the reins from him with a low growl.

Ichigo bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing aloud. The infuriated expression on Grimmjow's face was refreshing. At least the death glares weren't directed at him now. The teen hid his smile as Grimmjow slid onto the saddle behind him, arms slipping round his waist to grip the reins with practiced hands. He could still feel the anger radiating off the prince in waves. There was a shrill whistle as Byakuya called for his wolf, which came bounding across the clearing in swift, smooth strides. The horses neighed and champed their bits nervously; the wolf was large and every bit as intimidating as Grimmjow's green fury.

"I have things to do before I leave the forest." Byakuya waved a hand politely at Renji's offer to stay behind and aid him. "Expect my arrival before nightfall."

Renji bowed as low as he could on his horse. "Swift travel, my Lord."

Grimmjow barely waited a second longer to see if Byakuya would be okay on his own. He clicked his tongue to his stallion, making his horse break into a fast trot to the forest path. They started off in the direction of the Castle. They travelled in uncomfortable silence until Grimmjow decided to pick on Ichigo again.

"Have you had enough of your whoring, spy?"

Ichigo felt a vein twitch somewhere on his temple. "Excuse me?"

Grimmjow's voice was sending deep vibrations through his back, where the bare skin his coral dress didn't cover met the Prince's shirt-covered chest directly.

"You know what I mean. Don't pretend like you don't know anything; I'm sure you've had a lot of practice in that, but you don't fool me."

Amber eyes flashed furiously as Ichigo felt his anger start to stir. "Why don't you just quit being such a dick and tell me what your problem is?"

Gloved hands tightening on the reins, Grimmjow growled his reply. "You were whoring yourself out to Byakuya, weren't you? You seem to have a penchant for royalty. What have you done with him? Let him have his hands all over you while you keened like a wanton serving maid? I can see you have that act down pat."

Ichigo gripped a tight handful of the stallion's dark mane, eliciting a pained whinny from the horse. He relaxed his hold, patting the steed's neck apologetically.

"Grimmjow, you're either dense or really stubborn. Like I said, I'm not a spy! Nor am I a whore, a serving girl. If you can't respect me enough to call me by my name, then stop talking to me. I'm not going to answer you."

The Prince seemed unfazed by his short burst of anger. "You have everyone deceived and at your fingertips, but not me. I'll figure out what you really are. And one last thing, Ichigo. I don't take orders from a little whore who doesn't listen to good advice. Now I have to get another dress made for you; look at all the trouble you've caused."

So that was it? Grimmjow was pissed and acting like he had a flagpole up his ass because Ichigo got chased by monsters and ripped his clothes and let himself get molested by Byakuya out of his own free will? It couldn't even count as molestation because Ichigo had allowed him to. He could defend himself just fine against men. But freaky monsters who wanted him for dinner? No way in hell, not without Zangetsu strapped to his back.

"Look, the only reason why I ran into the forest was because I was so mad at you. You're the biggest jerk I've met since the day I was born, and that's not counting Aizen, or that one guy who bullied Chad for being Spanish. I got chased by monsters until I had to climb a fucking tree. I lost my heels and tore this dress, sure, but not on purpose. Byakuya saved me. He shot at the monsters with arrows. I owe him one."

"I see you repaid your debt by sleeping with him." Grimmjow's tone was steely.

Ichigo sighed loudly. "We didn't sleep together, okay? We just made out a little bit. So what? He's a good kisser. And it's not like I'm gonna get pregnant."

Grimmjow scoffed. "You're a little liar, aren't you? What else did you do for him? Lick his boots once you found out he was royalty, too?"

That was the last straw. Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. He badly wanted to punch Grimmjow in the face, but he knew it wouldn't solve anything - only make things worse.

"You know what? Just put me down. I think I can walk from here. I can see the Castle already, and it's still afternoon. No monsters." Ichigo lifted one leg fluidly over the stallion's back, readying to jump off.

Conveniently, the horse broke into a quick canter, thanks to Grimmjow squeezing his knees around its stomach. Ichigo glared at him and looked away sullenly. Of all the Princes he had to stay with, the fairytale had to pick the biggest dick.

"Your Highness? Is everything alright?" Renji asked anxiously, his horse matching Grimmjow's in speed as he rode up beside them.

"We're fine." Grimmjow snapped.

Ichigo ground his teeth and burned holes into the ground as he sorely waited for the ride to be over.

x

Dinner was a relatively tense affair. Ichigo answered everything with curt replies and didn't bother making eye contact with anyone, save for Byakuya, who was silent for the most part. Renji was not present, having gone with other guards for a nightly session at the local tavern in the village. Grimmjow was seated regally on one end of the long table, while Byakuya occupied the other. Ichigo sat somewhere in between, picking at his grilled salmon and boiled potatoes. The food was nothing short of sumptuous, but everything that went into his mouth tasted sour, thanks to the day's happenings. Ichigo ate as fast as it was deemed politely possible, and excused himself from the dining hall. He fled to the library, where he busied himself with a few good books. A servant kindly lighted several candles for him so he could sit in an alcove and read comfortably.

The hours passed before Ichigo felt fatigue catching up with him. He shut the book he had been reading reluctantly and sat gazing at the full moon through the tall French windows. A soft thump sounded as the library doors closed. Ichigo tore his gaze away to meet Grimmjow's hooded eyes in the dim light of the vast library. He didn't bother saying hello, still feeling sore and hurt from the Prince's words. Sliding out of the comfortable armchair, the teen placed the books back where he had found them and made swiftly for the exit. Unfortunately, he still had to pass Grimmjow.

"Where are you going?" Grimmjow grabbed him by the arm.

Ichigo was clothed in a new dress, which he hated - not the dress, but the fact that Grimmjow was still making him wear one instead of a shirt and trousers, like every other sane man in the kingdom. The fabric was soft and silky on his skin, and the material was a lovely satin white. Grimmjow's grip on his arm hurt.

"To bed, if that's still allowed here, your Highness." Ichigo couldn't resist the sarcastic tone in his voice. "Quit being so petty. I'm not going to run away and come back with an army to massacre everyone, alright? And yank that stick out of your butthole; you're seriously cramping my style."

Grimmjow looked amused instead of angry, which wasn't the reaction Ichigo intended to produce. "We have to talk."

"I'm tired." Ichigo pulled away with more force than necessary and turned toward the red carpeted hallway. "Goodnight."

He was yanked back into the library, pressed up against the door as it clicked shut behind his body. Grimmjow held his gaze, blue eyes glinting in the orange candlelight. He looked predatory. Ichigo swallowed, feeling his pulse quicken.

"You are nervous." Grimmjow's voice was low, silky, and dangerous.

"You're an asshole." Ichigo quipped, emotions getting the better of him.

Grimmjow looked like was about to say something, but Ichigo didn't feel kind enough to give him a chance. He pushed the Prince away as hard as he could, hands on his chest. Grimmjow caught his hands with his own.

"Listen to me." He said softly.

"No!" Ichigo startled himself; he hadn't realized how quiet the library was. Still, he couldn't control his anger. It was bubbling up in his throat, overflowing into the words that spilled out of his mouth. "No. I tried reasoning with you, but apparently you like being a dick. You revel in it. You enjoy my discomfort. You like seeing me squirm. You laugh when I'm trying to be serious. You hurt me intentionally, even when I'm being honest. What have I done to you? I wish Renji hadn't brought me here. I wish he'd brought me to Byakuya instead. I wouldn't be treated like some sort of joke. Maybe this fairytale story would turn out better than the shithole it is right now."

Honey brown eyes glared defiantly into Grimmjow's. The Prince could feel the hate rolling off the teen in waves. He was hurt, Grimmjow knew. He understood that. But he couldn't help saying things he knew he would definitely come to regret later. And hearing Byakuya's name roll of Ichigo's tongue so easily; he didn't like it.

"You keep saying things like fairytale and story. How much longer are you trying to deceive yourself? This is real." Grimmjow snarled back. "You're the one living in a dream."

Ichigo shoved him, hard. Grimmjow went back one step, an unfathomable smirk on his face. The teen could feel hot pricks of tears behind his eyes, but he was damned if he was going to let Grimmjow see him cry.

"Had enough?" Ichigo's shoulders heaved with the effort of his ragged breath. "If you hate me so much, then let me go. I'll find someplace else to live. I can find my own way home. I hate it here. I hate you!"

Turning on his heel, the teen wrenched open the library doors and dashed out, running as fast as he could toward the stairs at the end of the hallway. Part of him seethed; he'd said such childish words and acted like a little brat instead of a seventeen year old. But he didn't care. He's said what he'd been feeling at the time, and in a way, it felt worth it. He'd finally gotten it off his chest.

Running up the stairs, he let out a choked sob. The Prince's royal chambers were located at the third floor. Ichigo made a beeline for it. It was only after the bedroom doors slammed shut behind him did he allow himself to cry.

He was homesick. He wanted a little familiarity; this world was only teasing him with the lookalikes of people he knew. They weren't close to him, not the Renji of this world. The Renji he knew was red haired, covered with tattoos, loud, brash and always eager for a fight. This General Renji here was nothing like what he was used to. Ichigo wished hard for something good to happen. He wished with all his might to be able to go home. He wished for things to get better. He wished that Grimmjow would just up and die for convenience's sake.

He figured that with all the shit he'd uncovered, he could be reckless with his wishes; just this once.

x

It was late into the night - or early into the morning, whichever floats your boat - when Ichigo awoke. He was being carried. The person was gentle with him, like he was a little child. It reminded him of the time when he was little, and his mother would put him to bed and tuck him under the covers. His mother had smelled of flowers, but this person smelled of spice and something citrusy. Ichigo turned and buried his face into the person's chest, seeking warmth. He was laid on something soft; most likely the bed and nimble hands deftly loosened the complicated ribbons on his satin dress. His soft shoes were tugged off next, and a hand gently stroked the hair from his forehead. A warm wet cloth slid over his feet, and a soothing, jelly-like liquid was slathered over his grazed feet. Ichigo murmured incoherently and frowned as his legs were lifted. Warm, comfy blankets were pulled over him and a soft, bouncy pillow was adjusted beneath his head. Honey brown eyes blinked open blearily, just in time to catch blue hair - almost silver in the moonlight - before lips claimed his own in a chaste kiss.

Shocked into consciousness, Ichigo gasped. Grimmjow took the opportunity to slip his tongue into his mouth, one hand gently sliding under Ichigo's head to tilt his neck upward. He deepened the kiss, taking all the breath out of Ichigo as he did so. The teen released a soft moan, hands coming up to slide over Grimmjow's broad, muscular shoulders and trail down his back. Ichigo blinked; his eyes were sleep-swollen and reddened from all the crying, but he could still make out Grimmjow's face in the pale light from the window.

"I'm sorry." Grimmjow whispered, his voice soft and loving. "I didn't mean to say those things."

He kissed Ichigo's lips, catching his chin in a tender grasp to trail his lips over the teen's cheek to his neck. Ichigo placed his hands on the Prince's shoulders, squirming under the intensity of Grimmjow's words, despite his brain barely registering them. His hands were brought to Grimmjow's lips, his knuckles kissed tenderly. There was something strangely romantic about being treated so delicately by Grimmjow. It was a stark contrast to his previous behaviour. Ichigo hadn't the foggiest how to react save for blushing like an absolute virgin - which he was, truthfully.

Grimmjow continued speaking, his words poignant and begging for forgiveness. "I know you don't feel like you're welcome here, but I want you to know that you're wanted. I want you to stay. You don't have to leave. I'll do my best to help you get home."

Ichigo melted into Grimmjow's arms, leaning up as he used the pillows as leverage to pull the Prince into another kiss. Grimmjow's tongue slipped over his with practiced ease, slicking and sliding into his mouth. He was exhausted, his mind so tired; he didn't have the strength to marvel at the strangeness of it all. Grimmjow's fingers brushed over his eyelids, lulling him back to the throes of sleep.

x

Ichigo awoke to find himself snuggled into a warm body. There were bare arms around his upper torso, and someone was breathing gently into his hair. The teen took his time registering the owner of the bedchambers. Realization hit him, chasing away the remnants of sleep clouding his mind. Ichigo looked up to see Grimmjow's peaceful expression. The Prince looked handsome even while asleep. Ichigo snuggled closer, nuzzling Grimmjow's cheek with his nose. He placed a soft kiss at the edge of Grimmjow's lips. About to pull away, Ichigo's breath hitched as Grimmjow's arms tightened around him, pulling him even closer under the covers. The Prince breathed evenly, a sure sign he was deeply asleep.

Ichigo watched him as he mulled over the thoughts in his fully awakened mind. Grimmjow had apologized to him last night. It was surprising; something so out of character made Ichigo doubt his knowledge of how well he knew the Espada.

No.

Here, Grimmjow was a Prince.

He'd been mean to Ichigo because he was afraid for his safety; at least that was how Ichigo saw it. And something else besides; he hadn't liked it when Byakuya or Renji were around him. Possessiveness came to mind, but Ichigo obliviously brushed that thought aside. He liked Grimmjow, was willing enough to be friends in this world so long as there wasn't any fighting, but something was niggling him. It felt like his instinct knew something was going to go wrong somewhere. Then there was the problem about getting out of this Fairyland. The teenager knew it wasn't a dream he was having; he had gone to sleep and woken up multiple times in this world and hadn't gotten back to Karakura so far. He wondered how many more of his friends and Espada he was going to meet in this parallel universe.

Grimmjow heaved a quiet sigh in his sleep. Ichigo smiled as he noted the way Grimmjow's thick eyelashes curled. The bone white mask on his face was absent, as were the blue markings around his eyes. Grimmjow was cute. Ichigo reached up with one finger to tap the tip of his nose gently. Grimmjow's eyebrows dipped as he frowned, then relaxed as he continued sleeping. Ichigo couldn't resist chuckling. Grimmjow was handsome up close. Why hadn't he noticed it before?

Because he'd been too busy trying to dodge Pantera's blade, obviously.

Well, if the Renji here was largely similar in comparison to the Lieutenant he knew, Ichigo supposed Grimmjow would be the same back in his world. Now that he'd seen Grimmjow without his mask, he had a burning desire to peek beneath the covers and check if Grimmjow still had a Hollow hole. Respect for the Prince's privacy warred with his desire to find out, but Ichigo gave in to his curiosity. Slipping his hands beneath the covers, the teen ducked his head down to take a look. He couldn't see shit; there was too much blanket and too little Grimmjow. With an irritated grunt, Ichigo lifted the covers and checked Grimmjow out.

Perfectly sculpted pectorals, a nicely defined six-pack and the firm curve of a rounded ass cheek met his searching gaze. Ichigo swallowed and shook his head violently to clear all dirty thoughts from his brain. There was a good expanse of skin on Grimmjow's stomach, which stretched all the way below to meet blue tufts of pubes. The teen forced his eyes not to look any lower. He hadn't a clue the Prince liked sleeping naked.

"Like what you see?"

Ichigo jumped out of his skin and back into it.

"Whoa! Uh, I was just ..."

Yeah, there was no describing what he had been doing. Ichigo came to terms with that understanding and blushed to the tips of his ears.

"I'm sorry." He pouted. "I was checking if you still had your Hollow hole."

Prince Grimmjow looked stunned. "My ... what?"

"You know, that hole you always have. Whenever I was fighting you, I couldn't stop staring at it. I mean, I know you don't eat things the same way us humans do, but you do eat lesser Hollows and other Arrancar. I figured the spirit particles had to get digested somehow, but how could they if you have such a gaping hole in the middle of your ... you know, down there."

After a moment of awkward silence, Grimmjow felt Ichigo's forehead. "Perhaps you need a little more rest, my sweet."

Sweet. His sweet. Did that mean he was Grimmjow's candy? What else was sweet? Sweet meat? That was actually beef cooked with sugar and cinnamon sticks. Ichigo could feel himself blushing again. "No, I'm fine. Never mind, forget what I said."

Fingers carded through his hair. Ichigo leaned into the touch, his lips curving into a smile as he felt Grimmjow kissing both his eyelids. He was giving in too easily, but this felt great. Being able to spend time with Grimmjow and getting to know him bit by bit was awesome. Double plus because Grimmjow was an amazing kisser. Sliding his arms around Grimmjow's neck, Ichigo pulled him closer, revelling in the feel of larger, warm hands feeling the sides of his body. He kissed the edge of Grimmjow's lips, earning a gentle squeeze on his rear as he did so. Their legs intertwined in a tangled mess of limbs, shifting under the covers.

As Grimmjow ran his fingers through Ichigo's hair, lips brushing over his own, the teen felt a mixture of emotions well up within his chest. Grimmjow was only worried for his safety, nothing more. Was he kissing him because he liked him, or did he just treat anyone who shared the same bed as he did in a similar manner?

"Grimmjow, I ..." Ichigo trailed off, biting at his lower lip as he wondered whether or not to ask.

Blue eyes watched him questioningly.

"I like you." Ichigo said truthfully. "I'm sorry about yelling at you last night. I don't hate you at all. I just wanted you to understand me. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for. It's me who should be saying that." Grimmjow tilted his chin and enticed him into a slow kiss.

Ichigo could feel his heart do a little dance in his ribcage. Kissing Grimmjow felt even better than kissing Byakuya.

x

I couldn't resist and snuck in some cuddling. I figured Ichigo deserved it with all the shit I put him through. Lol!

I'd appreciate it if you could review. ;)