A/N: I'm sooooo happy with the response this fic is getting *bounces excitedly* So many reviews after just 2 chapters! *tackleglomps everyone*

Thank you everyone who reviewed: Rochelleteentitan, alice hattercandy, Blitch, MellowDeez, slipperybrick, Fostersb, Mizuki's Star, x3Sn0w, hitokiri angel, Domyouji, Lady Spirituelle, Enelya87, Asobi Mashou, Kamen Rider Vega, XBluexFlamingoX, Hakkyou no Yami, Virgil Theart, Babiip and kittykat5o5o. And also everyone who added this fic to their faves/alerts ^_^

oOo

To an outsider, it would seem like a strange gathering. Perhaps, even a frightening one, if one were to have a good look at the people sitting around the pale white table. It was questionable if they could be even called "people".

The somber silence of the dimly-lit room was broken by the echo of rapid footsteps followed by the sound of a door opening and closing.

A man with cerulean hair and feline appearance glared at the occupants of the room. "What the hell is going on?"

A stoic green-eyed man sitting at the end of the table gave him a light glance. "Calm down, Grimmjow."

The man sneered. "No, I will not fucking calm down!" He strode into the room, bristling with anger. "I am fucking tired of doing nothing but lying around the whole day! We were supposed to get into action a week back. Where the hell is Aizen?"

"Watch your mouth, Grimmjow," a cool female voice admonished. "Aizen-sama must have a very good reason for not being able to meet us. Isn't that right, Ulquiorra?"

The eyes of every occupant in the room immediately turned to the green-eyed man. He maintained his calm countenance and remained silent for several moments. "It seems there has been an unforeseen difficulty in our plan," he finally said.

"Really?" Grimmjow jeered. "What is this "unforeseen difficulty"?" he asked, his voice full of disdain.

There was another lengthy silence. "A Shinigami named Kurosaki Ichigo."

oOo

chapter 3
a fated encounter

Red wasn't exactly Ichigo's favorite color, especially this particular shade of red; the red of his uniform. Standing in the middle of his assigned room and trying out his new uniform for the first time, he realized he didn't like its color. It was the color of blood. It was disconcerting.

"It clashes with my hair," he complained loudly to no one in particular.

The long-haired blond, sitting a few feet away from him, snickered. "True, but get used to it kid. That's going to be your uniform for…the rest of eternity," he gave him a toothy grin, "if you live that long, that is."

Ichigo scowled as he tied the golden armband on his left arm. The red kosode and hakama had seemed very impressive on the other guards, not so much on him. Perhaps he had become too used to his black Shinigami uniform.

"I'm not a kid," he muttered, remembering the other man's words.

"Well, you are surprisingly young for even a captain, let alone a royal guard."

"Then you obviously haven't met Hitsugaya Toushirou." Ichigo adjusted his armband and sat down next to the other man. "A kid half my size and he's 10th division captain."

"10th division, eh? Yeah, I wouldn't know. It's been a long time since my stint as one of the Gotei 13," he stretched out his legs, "what was your division again?"

"13th," Ichigo replied.

"13th?" the man echoed in surprise, "heh, in my time that was Ukitake's division."

"Yeah, I succeeded him after he retired."

"Retired?" the blond snorted. "So the TB finally got to him, eh?" he chuckled.

"He's still one of the best," Ichigo said defensively. "What division were you in?"

"Oh wait, I still haven't introduced myself, have I?" he offered his hand. "Former 5th division captain, Hirako Shinji," he grinned widely, "Royal Guard for the past 150 years and now your roommate."

Ichigo shook the other man's hand. "Kurosaki Ichigo." He didn't return the grin. There was something about the other man that was a bit suspicious. Not to mention his cocky and presumptuous manner was starting to get on his nerves.

"You know, I've been curious for a long time," Shinji continued, unmindful of Ichigo's coldness, "who got my post?"

"Aizen Sousuke."

There was a pause. "What did you say?" Shinji asked slowly, his grin vanishing.

Ichigo frowned. "Aizen. Aizen Sousuke is the current captain of the 5th division."

"Fucking bastard!" Shinji swore, "should have known." His voice was laced with vehemence.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "Why? What's wrong?"

Shinji met Ichigo's inquisitive gaze but didn't reply. He seemed to be wondering how much he could tell the younger man. "Nothing, doesn't matter," he said after a few moments, his tone dismissive.

"Right…" Ichigo's tone was skeptical.

Shinji grinned again, baring his teeth. "So…Ichigo, when did you cross over to the Royal Realm?"

Ichigo felt slightly irritated at the use of his first name but didn't comment on it. "Yesterday," he replied.

"So did you take a good look around the palace?"

"No, I haven't had the chance-"

Shinji grin widened. "Excellent! Then as your roommate it's my responsibility to show you around, right?" He gave the younger man a hard thump on the back.

Ichigo nearly fell forward in shock. "No, it's alright. I'll just find my way around-"

"No, you can't. The palace is a maze," Shinji nodded his head meaningfully. "Now get up. Your shift is going to start soon," he stretched out his arms and then proceeded to get up himself, "heh, isn't it great that our shifts are together and in the same area?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Ichigo didn't bother trying to hide his scowl. "Yeah, just great," his voice came as a deadpan.

oOo

It was said that the Royal Realm was akin to what the humans called "heaven". Or at least that was what Shinji had told him. Ichigo wasn't too inclined to agree. If it involved being stuck with Hirako Shinji as a roommate for the rest of eternity, only someone who got off on self-pain would call it heaven.

To call the toothy blond annoying would be an understatement. He seemed to have taken Ichigo under his wing, despite Ichigo's obvious resistance. Pulling him along as they walked about the palace grounds, introducing him to the other guards while making quips about his hair and his general cockiness were driving Ichigo up the wall. The only reason he wasn't punching that smug grin off the blond bastard's face was that said blond was a veteran while Ichigo himself had been a Royal Guard for just over a day.

Can't afford getting into a fight on my first day at work, he thought disgruntled.

The Imperial Palace grounds were huge. It wasn't something that could be explored in a day or two. Shinji had been right when he'd said that the place was a maze. There were several buildings spread across the area, interconnected by bridges and pathways. Surrounding the buildings were the royal gardens spanning across a large area as far as the eye could see.

The Eastern Building was quite magnificent. Built in the traditional style, it was three-storeyed with its beams and columns built of the finest polished wood. Its gabled hipped roof was rather splendid itself, with its wooden tiles adorned with beautiful paintings and with lanterns hanging from its ends.

Fitting for a princess, Ichigo had thought on seeing it for the first time.

Two of the princess' royal guards were always to stand watch over the entrance and every 4 hours there was a change of guard. The rest eight were to patrol the area around the building.

"It's all just a formality," Shinji muttered, walking with his shoulders hunched, "it's not like any outsider can get into the palace grounds in the first place," he glanced at Ichigo, "you know about the spherical barrier around Seireitei?"

Ichigo nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, there's a similar barrier around the palace grounds, except that it's 70 times stronger. You'd get fried if you tried to cross it."

Ichigo let out a low whistle.

Shinji smirked. "Impressive, eh? Sometimes I think it's such a waste to have so much effort put into protecting 4 people."

Ichigo gave him a surprised look. "Then why did you join the royal guard?"

"Perhaps the same reason why you did," he answered, keeping his gaze fixed in front of him. "Tch, whatever. Forget I said anything."

Ichigo's first shift at the entrance of the Eastern Building had gone without incident, with the exception of Shinji's noisy commentary. Now, it was near dusk and they were patrolling the East Garden. The surroundings were quiet, save for the sound of their footsteps on the cobbled path and the chirping of birds flocking back to their nests.

"Oy, Ichigo!" Shinji suddenly perked up, "come on, follow me. I want to show you something."

"Huh? Show me what?"

The infuriating grin was back. "The best part of my day."

oOo

Ichigo's instincts had told him not to follow Shinji. As it turned out he should have followed his instincts.

"This is the best part of your day? Snooping around the forbidden area of the garden?" Ichigo whispered furiously at the blond.

Shinji's response was to put a finger on his lips, indicating Ichigo to keep silent. The orange-haired man's scowl deepened. He kept his gaze fixed on the water fountain a few feet away, mentally counting till ten to stop himself from hurting the other man.

There were a few areas in the East Garden where the Royal Guards were not allowed to go. Apparently, even the royalty treasured their privacy. It didn't make much sense to Ichigo as far as security was concerned. But then that was the rule, and no one was allowed to question it.

What bothered Ichigo wasn't that they were breaking the rule, but that they were hiding behind a sakura tree. Ichigo didn't like sakura trees. They reminded him of Kuchiki Byakuya's Senbonzakura and the many times he had been chased around Seireitei by a bunch of deadly pink petals. One such incident had been prompted by Ichigo's announcement of Rukia as his lieutenant. Without his Bankai, Ichigo would have been in separate pieces within seconds. He shuddered at the memory.

"Scared, Ichigo?" Shinji wiggled his eyebrows at the young man.

"Right," Ichigo scoffed at the suggestion. "I'd just like to know what we're doing he-"

"Ssh, ssh, here she comes," Shinji whispered, waving his hand in front of Ichigo's face.

"She?" Ichigo's eyes widened and he peered out from behind the tree, one hand holding on to a low branch.

A young woman, dressed in a light pink kimono and with her auburn hair tied neatly in a bun, was approaching the fountain. She held both hands close to her bosom. Her lips were moving and at first Ichigo thought she was talking to herself. When she came closer, he realized she was talking to something…a small bird held in her hands.

"Princess Orihime," Shinji sighed, "she's not allowed to leave the Eastern Building during the day. But in the evenings she comes here to watch the fountain and admire the garden."

Ichigo felt his throat become dry as he observed her. She seemed oblivious to the fact that she was being watched. She sat at the edge of the fountain, cradling the bird in her palms. Her eyes were animated and her smile soft as she spoke soothingly to the feathered creature. The gentle breeze carried her voice towards them, but he couldn't make out what she was saying.

"Lovely, isn't she?"

Ichigo remained silent for a long moment, not knowing what to say. "Umm…is she touched in the head?" he finally asked, keeping his voice light and trying to look unaffected by her beauty.

The older man's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"She's talking to a bird," he said blankly.

Shinji grinned. "That's our cute Orihime-chan for you."

Ichigo stared at the expression on the blond's face. "Shit, are you in love with her or something?"

The blond man chuckled. "Hmm, what's wrong with that? I won't be the first Royal Guard to claim he's in love with the princess. She's got a long list of admirers…"

Ichigo frowned. For some reason, that piece of information rankled him a bit. Though, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to him. The momentary glimpse he had of her beauty several years back was still etched quite vividly in his mind. He could only guess what went on in the minds of those who got to see her on a regular basis.

Look, but not touch.

"Want me to add you to that list?" Shinji's irritating voice cut into his thoughts, "you'll have to stand in queue."

"Wha-?" Ichigo's eyes widened comically. "I didn't say that!" he said a bit too loudly. His hold on the tree branch tightened and it broke with a resounding crack. Losing his balance, he fell on the grassy ground flat on his face.

Shit.

"Who is it?" came a surprised female voice, followed by a rustling sound made by bare feet walking over fresh grass.

Ichigo mentally cursed and looked up to find concerned grey eyes staring down at him. He swallowed.

"Are you alright?"

Ichigo nodded dumbly and proceeded to get up. He smiled sheepishly, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Uh…um…sorry princess…"

She smiled. "There's nothing to be sorry about. Are you the new recruit?

"Yeah…"

"Oh, then that's why you probably don't know that this part of the garden is restricted…but I don't mind, it's alright," she said brightly.

"Eh, no it was-" he turned towards the spot were Shinji had been standing moments ago. The blond was gone.

The son of a bitch ran off! Ichigo thought angrily. He ditched me, that little-

"Have we met before?" the princess was gazing curiously at his messy orange hair.

Eyes widening in panic, he shook his head. "No…I don't think we have…"

Grey eyes blinked in confusion. "Are you sure? I could have sworn I've seen you somewhere before…"

Ichigo was saved the trouble of answering when the bird in the princess' hand let out a pained chirp.

"Oh, you poor thing, I'm so sorry for ignoring you," she cooed. Looking up at Ichigo she asked, "could you please hold her for a moment?"

Ichigo stretched his right hand forward mechanically and watched as she gently placed the bird on his palm. It was a brown, fluffy little thing. One of its wings seemed to be broken and it gave another pained tweet.

"Hold on, sweetie, I'll fix you up in a moment."

She raised both hands and placed two fingers on either side of her forehead. For the first time, Ichigo noticed the twin blue hairclips in her hair as they glowed bright.

"Shunou, Ayame! Soten Kisshun! I reject!" she called out, bringing her hands forward.

Ichigo watched, utterly fascinated, as two tiny creatures flew out of her hairpins and a golden oval shield appeared over the bird in his hand. Slowly the wound on its wing started healing itself. Ichigo felt a tingling sensation where his palm was exposed to the shield. He sneaked a glance at the princess' face, illuminated by the golden light. She was gazing down at the bird with unmasked concern.

Shit, shit, shit, he cursed mentally. Out of your league, Kurosaki, way out of your league.

A few moments later the wound healed completely. The bird stirred and moved its wing experimentally. It took a good look around its surroundings before fluttering its wings and flying off.

"Good bye!" the auburn-haired girl called after it, waving her hand delightedly.

"Well, uh, princess, I should be going now," he gave a quick bow, "I'm sorry for intruding." He didn't wait for her to respond before he turned around and started to walk off.

"Oh…but wait, you didn't tell me your name…"

Ichigo paused. He inclined his head towards her to find her looking at him earnestly, one finger on her chin. His lips twitched and curved upwards in a half-smile. "Kurosaki…Kurosaki Ichigo…"

tbc

A/N: And so they finally meet ^^ while trouble brews in the background…Aizen's up to no good as usual.

Now for the boring part where I clear a few things up. We'll be seeing more of the Vizards as Royal Guards in this fic. But technically they are not Vizards, just normal Shinigami. In this world they never became victims of Aizen's twisted experiments, instead they were promoted to the Royal Guard. Which also means that I'll only be using those Vizards who were former captains…if I'm not mistaken, only captains can be promoted to the Royal Guard (sorry, fans of Hiyori, Lisa, Mashiro)

The Espada make their debut as villains, though I'm not sure I can use all of them in the story. I did consider putting them as the royal guard (as some of my lovely reviewers suggested) but then it didn't work out in my mind. If you people have any particular favorites among the Espada/Arrancar that you really want to see in this fic, just give a shout out and I'll see what I can do ^^ (of course Grimmjow and Ulquiorra are a given) Since I can't fit in all of them, I'll just use the ones that seem more popular.

And the "cool female voice" in the beginning of the chapter, would you guys rather it was Hallibel or Neliel? Because I'm sort of at a loss as to who to use…I like both girls equally ^^;