Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me.

Thanks to CraftingNA for reading it over. Thanks for the reviews!

AU chapter. This idea of the kings and queens, etc. theme came from a reviewer, GuessWho25, who forwarded me to rusky-boz's deviant picture of IchiRuki as royalty. Not forbidden love, but rather, something of destiny~ with sexy times of course.

XX

The golden door was large and carved elaborately with flowers and spirals. Beyond the door was a sparkling, golden throne. However, between the grand door and the throne, there was just so much red.

The floor was littered with dead bodies, mutilated flesh, and amputated body parts.

Her body tensed violently. She felt terror.

On the throne, she saw a young woman. She, too, was dead.

Then Rukia realized it was her.

The red poured forth from her mouth. She choked. Then came darkness.

She screamed when she woke up.

XX

I love

36. I love that she is the gear that pushes him forward

XX

It was tradition for princes and princesses to marry each other and then become Kings and Queens. She knew that when her time would come, she would have to marry a Prince. She just didn't think that her brother, the King of the Moon, would agree for her to marry the Prince of South Earth, Lord of the Sun, Kurosaki Ichigo. His people were brash and barbaric compared to her kind. Though in all fairness, it was the current King, Kurosaki Isshin, who fervently pushed for the marriage.

Why?

Isshin believed in old magic. An old magic lost to their people a long time ago. A magic that were part of myths and legends to even her own people.

Rukia wanted to believe that her brother didn't believe in it, but she wasn't so sure after he agreed to the marriage. She didn't know what exactly Isshin said to her brother, but the wedding arrangements were made quickly and then she found herself on Earth, in another life.

Earth was a beautiful planet, full of life and colour, but still she was scared. She thought about that dream, of death and blood, more and more. But of course, Kuchiki - no, Kurosaki Rukia, showed none of it.

Then when her wedding night came, she came to understand some of what Isshin was hoping for.

XX

The night, her wedding night, was cold and damp. It was raining outside and the pitter-patter of water slapping on the roof and balcony floors created a steady rhythm that almost put her to sleep. It never rained so much on the moon like this. It was almost depressing.

But it was not as depressing as marrying a man you hardly knew.

Rukia waited for him. When he emerged between golden doors, she gathered her wits and looked at him. His name was odd - Ichigo - and his hair colour was strange - orange - but he was a tall and handsome prince. In the times she saw him, he possessed a valorous walk but he wore a scowl on his face, as if he wasn't enjoying what he was doing. He was still dressed in his dark, furred robes from the wedding ceremony earlier in the day, and he still looked displeased.

She too was in her ceremonial white gowns. If the ceremony was done on her planet, in her kingdom, she would be in navy blue, the royal color. Instead, she was in white, the colour for purity. Rukia didn't know if she could be called a pure soul however.

Ichigo closed the golden doors and approached her. Her heart was hammering hard in her chest, but he didn't know it. She looked calm and icy - a real Princess of the Moon. Her new husband neared the bed but made no attempt to shed his clothing. His words were clear and sure, "I will not touch you until you're ready."

Her eyes flickered up to look at his brown ones, a colour unlike her peoples, and searched for truth or answers. Still, her face was unreadable. "Considering my feelings is so kind of you, my King. However, I am your Queen. I have duties and I will fulfill them."

Oh, her words, her tone. So sure, so precise. He asked her, "And in the bedroom, what is your duty?"

Her lips, glossed in pink, didn't curve in the slightest of smiles. "To satisfy my King and to bear his children." She paused, her face stoic and still. "We have only one year, or you will not become the true King of the four Kingdoms."

The Lord of the Sun was still. "We can wait...till later. Till we know each other."

Her face hardened slightly and surprising words flew out. "How many whores do you have?"

Eyes widened in response. "What did you say?"

She blinked at him. The Princess of the Moon was all serious. "How many whores do you have? I've seen the way women look at you." Finally she looked away, but had the audacity to get up from the bed and approach him. She was half his size, and for her to challenge him so quickly, so suddenly, so shockingly, made him angry, and...intrigued.

"I heard what you said."

"Or, am I not desirable for you?" She frowned at him - not the kind of frown that enticed sympathy from others, but a frown of disappointment and bitterness. Truth was , he was right; she wasn't ready. But she also didn't want to be the cause of her failing to please the King, or bearing his child. She would offer herself and hoped he said no.

But he must of have a softer heart than she expected. His anger seemed to dull and her frown was reflected on his face. Ichigo then deflected her question with another excuse. "For it to be enjoyable, love, or some kind of lust, is required. But you show none of it for me."

His words surprised her like a slap on the wrist but her face hardly hinted at it. "You also show neither for me."

"That's why I said we wai-wait." He stopped, realizing her words. "That's not true." They were mere inches away. She lowered herself on the bed, sitting and looked up at him. "You are what they all say. Skin, white as the purest clouds. Dark, shiny hair as black at the starless, moonless sky. Sapphire eyes-not sapphire, a colour I have never seen-but eyes that are like gems." He paused, scowling at her. "You're not the most prettiest woman I've ever seen Kurosaki Rukia, but you are something desirable."

And finally she showed a shred of emotion on her face. Her lips parted and those eyes like gems widened. She was surprised that this King of such a foreign land - a land that many of her people disliked - would say such a thing.

Kurosaki shook his head roughly, combing his fingers in orange hair. He couldn't believe he said something so tacky to her, but it did have some kind of effect. Interesting indeed, he thought. But still - they both weren't ready. Now to leave such an awkward situation...

"Do you actually think you could fall in love with me?" She wore a different kind of emotion now. It wasn't the Ice Princess he was seeing. This was an honest, true question, and a real questioning face took hold. Her slanted brows and frown was genuine and searching. How quickly she made him stunned...

The would-be King bared the tiniest of smiles. "I hope so anyways." He sighed, and took a rough seat beside her on the bed. "Look, this isn't easy for me either. I don't know what kind of stories your kingdom have of our people, or of me, but I'm not one of those royals who takes whatever he wants. I'm not a very patient person but I would never take away your freewill."

And that was what she needed to hear to know that she won this battle. "I...thank you, my King."

"And stop calling me that. Just Ichigo." His scowl returned to his face yet he made no effort to look at her. It seemed the wall was more interesting, or rather, safer.

"That's rude," she countered, a ghost of a smile on her lips. "My Lord."

This time he glanced at her, catching the faintest line of a grin. "Are you teasing me?"

"No, no." And the mask returned. "Whatever you like."

"Ichigo," he repeated, waiting for her to say his name.

"Ichigo."

He turned his slanted smile to her, and responded with, "Rukia." Awkwardly, he eyed her and added, "If there is anything... I can do... to help you adjust you to your life here, please tell me."

She nodded with understanding, again surprised. "The rumours really don't do you any justice."

To that he was amused. "What have you heard?"

"Hard-headed. Stubborn. Always thirsty for a fight. Ruthless." She returned his gaze and he made a throaty laugh.

"I am all of those things."

"I heard you like to take off the heads and eyes of your enemies."

"Well, that's not quite true. I kill where it's most convenient."

"Do you enjoy it?" she asked immediately.

"What?"

"Killing."

He averted his eyes from hers again, a sign of self-defence. "What do you think?"

"They say you do. They call you the wild beast."

He shook his head. "Well, what do you think?"

"I don't know-" She stopped, looking at his face when he turned to her again. He was handsome indeed but one of her strengths was reading people - sensing people's hearts and souls.

This was the first time she truly looked at him and she almost gasped at what went through her. The person before her was someone indeed special. "No," she answered, surely. "You don't enjoy it."

He appreciated the answer by simply nodding.

"I guess... we should retire then. We have business in the morning."

Ichigo agreed, with another nod, but made no move.

"Where are you sleeping?"

"Here."

"But I thought you said-"

He made a small chuckle, tinged with arrogance, and added, "I won't touch you, calm down."

Rukia did, and she frowned at him. Displeased. After a moment of deep breathing, she said, "Can I ask you for something?"

The sudden interest in her voice made him look at her, really look at her. Her face had transformed again, like the mask was gone, and he could see visible emotions on her face. In her eyes, there was intrigue. Her frown showed discontent. "What is it?"

She lifted a finger at him. "One kiss."

"What?"

"A kiss," she rephrased, almost stupidly.

His frown was sharper than ever. "I thought you don't want me to touch you?"

The more and more she really looked at him, the more she felt good things, good vibes, she liked to say. "It's not what you think. By your customs, the bride and groom exchange gifts on the ceremony day but not necessarily kiss. We do."

He countered, recklessly, "Well, we consummate our marriage on the first night."

At that, she narrowed her eyes at him and her frown was set deeper on her face. Whatever good vibes she felt from him was nothing to the way she reacted to his cocky attitude. Arrogance was something people didn't show in her Kingdom."Fine, let's make a deal then." Whatever she read in him and whatever he said were in conflict. "If you kiss me and I tremble, then we won't consummate the marriage. If I don't, then you can do anything you want to me."

He stared at her wide-eye, unbelieving her words again. What kind of logic she possessed, he wasn't quite sure. "Why?"

It was a test. "To prove I'm not as weak as you think I am." Her frown didn't dissolve one bit. "The way you look at me... it's like I'm a piece of glass. I'm not." It was a test of his character.

He slanted his eyes at least, at her temper, and crossed his arms over his chest. "You sure you want to make such a stupid deal?"

Though, come to think of it - it was quite out of her character to act so hastily, even though this was her new husband. Has being in this land changed her so quickly? "It's not stupid. I don't see what you're afraid of."

Their eyes made contact again. She wasn't sure if he could read her the way she could but he said, "Fine," then muttered, "if you say so," and finally reached in to kiss her. The touch of lips was brief, hesitant at first, but her fingers held his face, encouraging him to kiss her properly, thoroughly. And once he did, once one hand gripped her shoulder, and the other on the back of her head, he tasted her lips, the upper first, then the bottom, and then the upper again. He was gentle, slow, but she could taste hunger.

And then she trembled.

He pulled away first and watched her. He didn't say, "You lost," or "You're mine," but, "The old man was right." In actuality, the trembling wasn't because she was afraid.

It was power.

Her eyes slowly opened to look at him like a bud blossoming, her face flush and warm. "You felt that?"

Ichigo nodded at her, almost afraid, and replied with a husky, "Yes.."

She swallowed hard, her heart palpitations increasing. She saw flashes of images of him - but not exactly him - for a couple of seconds. "What does your father believe?"

He made no hesitation when he said, "He calls you Geia. It means gear. You are my gear."

His surety was real and it made her tremble again. Rukia leaned into him and whispered, "But he doesn't know me."

"I know, my old man is crazy but... I..." And without seeking permission, he moved closer. For a brief moment, the smell of blood and metal filled his nostrils and he gasped, but then he breathed out and in again, and he could smell something sweet and clean, like white pure snow, and without thinking, he kissed her. The power, like heat, entered his being like a slow, rolling wave. Of course, the other kinds of feelings took form, the fire in his loins, excitement in his heart, but this power, it was almost nondescript.

All he knew, whatever he feeling was too good, too unreal and he wanted to kiss her more and more.

She felt that power roll in as well, like a match hitting an oiled trail, and that fire blazed down a path. The power was warm and she couldn't touch it, but she could taste it - like muted blood and bodies - but then that disappeared and all she could smell was grass and sun and safety. The sudden burst in energy made her open her eyes, hazy.

"Ichi-" Rukia broke away for breath and stared at his glowing eyes. Beyond the brown iris, it was like sunshine trying to get through. Ichigo was giving her the same kind of look.

"Like moonlight," he breathed. "Trying to get through the purple sky." The Lord of the Sun watched his new bride pull her gown from her shoulders, revealing her sylph form. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down gently, kissing her mouth again. He could feel her hands under his clothes, searching and searching and he removed the cloth over his head.

His hands became a navigator, mapping every curve of her, watching her respond to her caresses and gropes. His mouth moved down south, over nipples, over the belly button and to her dripping sex. He briefly wondered if she was a virgin - but it didn't matter - he was in too deep to stop now. Then he wondered if she was as intoxicated as he.

Such a word slipped through him - intoxication - but he paid no mind. Whatever this was, it was like alcohol that made feelings like embarrassment and pride weaken, and the most inner, primal urges dominant. It was like the old was fighting to come alive again. It was like the power, whatever they had inside of themselves, just wanted to be and create and thrive.

His clothes were on the ground without any thought but to continue - to kiss her, please her, make her scream. It was almost like he knew her from sometime before because he knew which breast was more sensitive, he knew how to lick her wet, and he knew how to make her say, "Please."

His fingers pulled from her core and he watched her stretch across the bed. Her dark hair splayed against the golden covers, contrasting like the sun and darkness, and he crawled over her. Consumed in the madness, addicted to the power, Ichigo pushed inside of her, and she screamed his name like she knew him in her heart. He moved with her, kissing her shoulders, her neck, her mouth, till the rhythm became too much and he felt her body begin to tense.

No, he thought, he wanted to ride the power longer, and he rolled over with her on top. She barely managed to look at him, as she breathed raggedly, searching for breath. "I...can't..." she whispered. She gasped, feeling her body convulse with an orgasm.

"You can," he told her. His rough hands held her hips and moved her the way he wanted to be ridden. Ichigo struggled a moment to remember. "You said, your duty is to satisfy me, right?"

She made a crooked smile at him, at his logic, and dropped her hands on his hard chest. Her long hair fell around her like a cloak and she rocked back and forth, slowly at first, but gained momentum. She looked down at him, head bending forward and her dark hair shined seductively was like a curtain. Beneath her, his eyes were wide and golden. His skin was glowing with that power but she couldn't tell him, not with her core tightening again. She couldn't help screw her eyes shut and claw her fingers into his skin. And right before she reached the climax she felt her body rise and he got up to keep pace with her. Both sitting up now, she encircled her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. Rukia pulled away with her chin jutting to the heavens and a scream tore through her lips. Her body went rigid over him.

Then she went into shock.

Her body convulsed after he pulled himself out of her and he didn't know what else to do but hold her. Darkness took over and she found herself in that room again. The bloody mess of body parts and dead people. The golden throne was there, and she upon its glory, but this time she was alive. Her hands were bloody but she was alive.

"Rukia!"

She gasped and opened her eyes. She was lying on the bed , naked, and Ichigo was over her, holding her face. When she reached to touch his, her eyes noticed something grow out from his back.

Golden wings.

"Ichigo. What-"

He pressed his mouth against hers to silence her, to have her feel the energy swirl in the room. "I was strong before I met you. I could fight and I was able. But I wanted power, I wanted the power to save my people - and you've given me that."

Finally, he moved away from her and she could see everything clearly. The air was almost foggy, with swirls of electricity sparking at random moments. The walls were cracked and slashed in different places, as if a sword was trying to cut through. The ceiling also had similar causalities. The smell of the room was of sweat, but it wasn't pungent - it was almost like... home. Something familiar, something safe, and she shivered, feeling the power they had created together.

"I don't know understand." She reached up to touch his wings, silky, not soft but tough. "I don't understand it."

"Me neither." He grinned at her, almost wanting to laugh that she hadn't noticed her own present. "Yours are nicer though."

"What?"

He pointed to the mirror behind her. When she turned, she saw two, pure white wings on her back. "My father says the people from the moon were our angels. Maybe not the purest creatures, like a romanticized angel, but they were special."

She nodded, transfixed on her reflection.

"I don't know what he saw, or what he dreamt that convinced him you were my gear. But I think you're my salvation. Our salvation."

Rukia turned around to look at her husband and she nodded, not all comprehending what happened, but satisfied regardless. Then exhausted from all of the power let loose, she blacked out again into her Prince's arms.

Rukia understood her dream now.

XX

It takes my birthday to remember I used to write fics and haven't uploaded this chapter. Sorry for the long wait~ Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! Scenarios are most welcomed!