This was written for the IchiRuki contest on BF, around the seasons theme.

1824 words, pairing IchixRuki, no real spoilers I can think of XD

Of course, I still don't own Bleach, and I'm still french! If you see some errors, just tell me:p

Quick edit to thank all my reviewers who loved this story :)

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Yuzu was looking at her with such eyes, she just couldn’t resist.

“Please, Rukia-chan? You owe me one story, remember?” she asked again.

Rukia sighed, and wondered what kind of story a shinigami could tell to a gentle child. “Alright, I’m going to tell you a fairytale.”

Immediately, Yuzu sat down happily on the bed. Rukia closed her eyes, thinking deeply. And then began.

“Once upon a time… there was a princess who was born in the middle of the winter. She wasn’t gorgeous, or anything special, and sometimes she wondered why she was a princess, because she truly didn’t think of herself as a princess. She cared for the people around her, but she couldn’t show it, hiding herself behind the coldness of the winter. Sometimes, her friends told her that her heart was like ice, pure and beautiful, but also impossible to penetrate. She couldn’t answer anything, because she thought that they were right. The seasons passed, but even in the middle of the summer, she felt cold. Sometimes, she could swear that the winter and its snow were always with her, carried by her heart.

“You’re the moon,” had said another of her friends. She wondered why he said that, and he explained that the moon was so beautiful that in the night it was striking, but also cold because it didn’t know the sun, which could warm its coldness.

“That’s because I’m born with the Winter, so ice and snow are how I am,” she replied. He looked at her with sad eyes, but found nothing else to say.

Her family, her brother, her friends, all were caring deeply for her, and she cared for them. She just didn’t know how to say it.”

She could see the sadness filling Yuzu’s eyes, and smiled gently. She didn’t notice the door partway opened, now that she was lost in her fairytale.

“Once upon a time, there was a knight, who was born in the middle of the summer. He wasn’t really gentle, or your typical knight in shining armour. He didn’t feel like he was a knight at all, to tell the truth, because he only did what he wanted. He didn’t see that he was acting like a knight sometimes, and most of the time, he hid himself behind an angry frown. He cared deeply for his family and his friends, but just didn’t want to show it. However, he had a hot temper, like the sun he was born with.

“You’re like the Sun,” said once his childhood friend, “with your hair that matches its colour, and a temper that could warm a volcano.”

“That’s because I’m born with the Summer,” he replied, “so heat is how I am.” She just nodded, agreeing silently with him.”

Yuzu was now completely stuck in the story she created, her eyes shining beautifully as she imagined the characters she painted for her.

“Once upon a time, a princess, who didn’t think of herself as a princess, and a knight, who couldn’t think of himself as a knight, met. They shouldn’t have met, because she was the Winter and he was the Summer, she was the Moon and he was the Sun, but nonetheless they met. They crashed into the other’s life without any warning. She cooled his hot temper, and he warmed her icy heart. However, they were just friends. One could have said that they hid more than that, behind their coldness and frowns, but so far, they were just friends, and they were fine with that. They took care of each other, grew to know each other, while the rest of the world didn’t understand their true bond, and how close they were.

However, the brother’s princess wasn’t happy to see his sister far away from him, and more of that, living with a knight! So one day, he decided to retrieve her, and take her back to where she belonged.”

Yuzu’s lips formed a “Oh!” while her eyes widened, but she still listened, wanting to know more.

“And to do so, he beat the knight, leaving him nearly dead. He wanted to add a fatal injury, but the princess begged his pardon, and, despite the fact that he was angry, he accepted because he cared for her.

However, to punish her, he put her in a white tower, and told her that she would never see him again.

The knight heard the punishment, and found it unfair. He recovered, and trained to become stronger. He wanted to show that man how wrong he was, that his sister deserved much more than the Winter, that she deserved to know the other seasons, Spring, Summer, Fall. He wanted her to know them all, because he could vaguely grasp that in the core of her soul, she was as complex as all the seasons intertwined. He was never good with words, so he didn’t know how to explain that other than becoming stronger to beat her brother back.

He crossed the worlds to find her. He finally found her, and, like he promised himself, he beat her brother in a great battle that involved other people, who took side for the princess or for the prince. He got her off her white tower, but, while he was certain that she would come back with him, she decided to stay back. He was taken aback by her decision, but he respected that. He knew that his mission was a success, because he could see the Sun in her eyes. However, he couldn’t help but think that she always had her place in his world. He didn’t say anything, but she knew it, and smiled gently when he went back to home.”

Now, did she dream, or were there tears in Yuzu’s eyes? “Why did she stay back? Why didn’t she come back with him?” she asked, worrying.

She half-laughed gently. “Let me finish my story, okay Yuzu-chan?” The girl nodded.

“However, once back at home, the knight didn’t really have time to think of the princess. A war was in preparation, and it called all of his attention. When he somehow lost himself, and thought he was unable to fight anymore, she came back. Seeing her again was the greatest shock in his life, but he should have known, because the war also involved her world. She brought him back from his depression, and entrusted her faith to him for the battles to come. On a way or another, he failed his next battle, and left, because once again, for her sake and his’, he wanted to become stronger. She was angry and sad that he left, but she understood it, and focused herself on training too. The war was inevitable, and it was going to be bloody.

They somehow won, but it was a bittersweet victory, as many of their friends had fallen during the battles.”

She paused, and saw the questions in Yuzu’s eyes. “What?” she asked.

“Did they end together?” Yuzu asked back.

“Mmh, that’s a good question,” she replied thoughtfully.

“Once upon a time, there was a princess who didn’t see herself as a princess, and a knight who didn’t think as himself as a knight. They shouldn’t have met, because she was born with the Winter, and he was born with the Summer, but, as the Moon and the Sun meet once in a while, they met, crashing into the other’s life. They intertwined themselves so much, without even knowing it, that what was evident for their friends wasn’t evident at all for them. Maybe one day, they’ll discover how they feel for the other, but is that really important? The important thing was that they could continue to intertwine their lives together, growing to know the other seasons, while at the beginning they only knew the Winter and the Summer. They nearly knew all of them after the last great battle, because with Fall was the sadness of losing their friends, like leaves fall from the trees. Winter and Summer were their seasons, that they grew to know from each other. But Spring, and its blossoms were still to live. They weren’t in a hurry, because they knew it would come, at its time. Ultimately, like any other fairytale, we could say that they ended up together, living a long life, with lots of children, but truly, with those two, nobody can guess.”

Yuzu smiled, and jumped on her, hugging her tightly. “Thanks Rukia-chan, it was a beautiful story!”

She hugged her back, grinning. “It was nothing, Yuzu-chan!

She then stepped out the room, sighing. It was exhausting to tell a fairytale, she decided. At that time, she still hadn’t notice the boy who gripped her wrist, making her jump in surprise.

“Ichigo?” she asked, eyes widened. She suddenly wondered if he had heard the story, and since when he was listening. He grinned, and pulled her inside his room.

“Nee-sannnnnn!” cried Kon, jumping on her. He lazily caught him in the middle of his jump, opened his door again and found Yuzu.

“Hey Yuzu, look what I found in my room,” he said, smirking.

“Oh, my plush! Thanks Ichi-nii, I wondered where it was!” she exclaimed, taking Kon in her arms. “Come on, we’ve got to find some cute dresses for you!” she continued, talking to a desperate Kon.

He leaned casually on his door, and looked at her. She had her arms crossed, a serious expression on her face. “So, you DO realise that it was your chance that it was me and not Karin who overheard your story?” he asked.

“It’s a fairytale, not a true story,” she shot back. “Did you think that it was our story? As far as I’m concerned, I’m not a princess, and you’re not a knight. And I was sentenced to death. And…”

He frowned, and cut her. “Like hell, yeah. But it was a good story. Yuzu liked it. What would happen, if the Moon and the Sun met again?”

“Who knows? Even they don’t know it,” she replied. She was now in front of him, waiting for him to stand up so she could leave.

“There are still Spring and its blossoms to live, uh?” he asked back, smirking.

She eyed him, furiously blushing. “What! That was only part of the fairytale!” she protested.

He abruptly stood up, kissed her lips sweetly and pocked her forehead before she could even realise what was happening. “If you said so,” he retorted, grinning boyishly.

“WH-WHAT WAS THAT?” she shouted, still surprised and confused.

“The first blossom,” he replied, just when Yuzu called for Rukia. “I think Yuzu needs you to torture Kon,” he added casually, opening his door.

She elbowed him painfully. “You…” she muttered darkly.

“That hurts,” he stated plainly.

“Wait until I have time to hurt you more,” she retorted nastily.

“Duh, I can’t wait,” he replied, confident. He just couldn’t take his eyes off of her until she went back on the girls’ room, asking Yuzu what was happening.

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Bah, hope you liked it XD I enjoyed writing it so... XD