Masquerade - Prelude (a dark UlquiHime fic)

Rated T for blood/gore, swearing, sexual (but not explicit so far) themes and implications. Will be Rated M soon EXCLUSIVELY on ff.net

Disclaimer- This will be the only time I write this and it will apply to all chapters from now on: Bleach is Kubo Tite's creation.
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Inoue Orihime watched her reflection in the mirror as she twirled in her cerulean gown. Layers of fabric and lace floated in the air around her slender ankles as she spun, her brilliant auburn hair surrounding her like a halo and framing her well-endowed chest and heart-shaped face. The hem and every edge of her azure dress were decorated with myriads of complicated, beautiful white lace. A crystal necklace that contained the colors of the rainbow at every facet glistened in the dim room and traced the curves of her collarbone. Her cobalt heels that adorned the intricate lace of Victorian times tapped lightly against the hard floor as she spun, her hair billowing like fire behind her.

The girl closed her eyes and sighed softly, picking up a small brush to comb her unruly waves hair. Satisfied that her hair had been tamed, she placed her brush back on the dresser. With delicate, gloved fingers, she reached for her mask.

It was a simple disguise: a porcelain mask painted with a gradient of violet and blue to match her dress. Embezzled around the eyes were feathers that ranged from scarlet red to the orange of the sunset and many small crystals to accentuate her silver eyes. The mask would only hide her eyes, exposing her small nose and full lips.

Orihime fastened her mask on properly and tucked free strands of caramel-brown hair behind her ear. Turning once more, she faced the orange-haired boy who had been watching her in awe the whole time.

"Ready, Kurosaki-kun?" Ichigo could see her eyes crinkling behind her mask as she beamed
at him.

Her white knight was clad in a white tuxedo complete with a black bowtie, a crimson rose tucked in its pocket with a gold chain of an expensive pocket watch dangling over the edge. His mask was eerie and sinister, covering his entire face and obscuring his real smile under the mask's grin that stretched from ear to ear. It was purely white except for the scarlet lines that ran horizontally across, like many scars from a battle. The eye holes were slanted menacingly to reveal the dark brown eyes of a strawberry-haired boy.

Ichigo nodded to her silently and watched the girl skip over to him to slip an arm through his innocently. Her smile was blinding despite her face being partially obscured by her amethyst mask. Underneath his mask, Ichigo returned a small smile in which Orihime couldn't see.

Arm in arm, they strode to the cab that waited for them outside the apartment.

…

Upon entrance to the grand hotel ballroom, Orihime released her hold on Ichigo's arm and ran through the crowd in excitement. A smile stretched across her small, pale face as she glided across the marble floor. She looked up at the ceiling to admire the large crystalline chandeliers that decorated the ceilings of the large room, casting diamonds of pure light and color upon the white marble floors and black walls. Despite the myriads of crystal chandeliers and candle arrangements on the tables, the ballroom was dark creating a romantic atmosphere.

Ichigo shoved his hands in his pockets and chuckled as he watched the girl frolic amongst the crowds of people. Sauntering past couples clad in their large gowns and fancy tuxedos, he met with the auburn-haired girl, fiery strands whipping past and around her face as she twirled happily around the ballroom.

The white knight scanned his surroundings, his eyes settling on the orchestra that was currently tuning in to play their first piece of the night. Finally, he found the girl he had been searching for playing a note on her violin for the orchestra to tune to. Her short black hair was straightened, giving her a more feminine and mature look. Her small figure was accentuated by her curve-fitting, black dress that loosened near the bottom and flowed like clouds at her feet.

Placing a hand on the girl's shoulder to halt her in her steps, he turned to her, "Hey, the orchestra is getting ready to play. Wanna dance with me, Inoue?"
Despite how unromantic Ichigo was being, Orihime felt her heart swell and her body become weaker from his touch.

Here she was at this magnificent masquerade ball with the boy she was in love with. She would have never been gifted this opportunity if it weren't for Kuchiki Rukia and her brother Kuchiki Byakuya. The dark-haired siblings were well-known for their old wealth and deep family bonds and it was a lucky coincidence that Ichigo stumbled upon Rukia at a random outing and they quickly became close friends.

Orihime nodded enthusiastically to his proposal and took his hand. Bashfully, he laughed as she tugged him towards the dance floor. Somehow, in the midst of her excitement, she stepped on the hem of her gown and tripped and collided with the floor. Multitudes of people surrounding her halted in their movements and conversations to stare at her with concern.

"Inoue! Are you alright?"

"Oww…," she sat up and rubbed a hand behind her head to soothe the throbbing concussion she received. Feeling heat rise to her face, she laughed awkwardly, "Yes, I'm fine, Kurosaki-kun. Thank you."

He gave her a hand to help her up and she took it. Aware now that he was holding her hand, her face turned bright red under her mask and she withdrew her hand from his.

"Ahh... thank you," she muttered shyly, ignoring all the stares of concerned people who had witnessed the event. She averted her gaze and began to pat her dress free of dirt and wrinkles,

"Goodness, I'm such a clutz!" she patted a fist to her temple, smiled timidly, and gave Ichigo an apologetic look.

Noticing Ichigo had become suddenly silent, she opened her eyes to look at him, but his eyes were not directed towards her. Turning her head to see what had his attention, her silver eyes fixated upon the amethyst eyes of Kuchiki Rukia herself, though Rukia's eyes gazed through her as if she were invisible, locking onto Ichigo's brown eyes.
She was wearing a beautiful, expensive ebony dress that had a violet sheen to it. Her lace gloves exposed her tiny, delicate fingers and wove up past her elbows. However, what really caught Orihime's attention was her vertical, crescent-shaped mask that only concealed half of her face. It was a gentle hue of sky blue, decorated with beads of diamonds and sapphires and lovely, complicated acrylic paint patterns that resembled rain. Large, violet orbs peered softly right at Ichigo, a captivating smile plastered on her face.

Orihime was caught in between the two. She sensed the air around her grow stale with awkwardness and her heart lurched forward in pain. Her rapidly beating heart only made the pulsating headache much worse. She tugged on Ichigo's sleeve to distract him.

"Umm, I'm going to sit down. My head is killing me," she giggled awkwardly. She didn't bother to hear him respond.

Pushing past Ichigo, she kept her head bowed to avoid the curious stares of strangers. A melody began to play from the orchestra behind her as she walked, her heels tapping sharply against the pavement.

'Is he here for Kuchiki-san?' she tried to shut her eyes from the pessimism that threatened to consume her, 'They are friends after all.'
Orihime felt her heart squeeze in pain once more in synchronization with the pounding of her head. She brought a gloved hand to the area above her breast to calm the twinge of jealousy burning in her heart.

…

In the shadows lurked a dark figure clad in a black tuxedo. Long coattails swished behind him as he weaved through the crowd to find a better view of the girl who, the whispers rumored, had the sun in her hair and the beauty of a goddess.

'Trash," he mused to himself, 'Why must they overreact over the smallest things? It's quite annoying."

Concealing his presence with the crowd, his green eyes scanned across the room and fell upon the rumored girl. Pausing in his step, his dark coattails lightly patted against his ankles as he observed her from the shadows through the slits of his own mask. She walked to an empty table and sat down, her sad, silver eyes reflecting the candles of the table's centerpiece. Her crimson-brown hair glistened faintly in the dim room and cascaded down the curves of her back and shoulders, blue pins keeping the wild strands from obscuring his view of her pale cheeks.

His frown deepened. Humans had disappointed him once again.

'She's also trash,' he concluded, but continued to watch her nonetheless.

He was captivated by her eyes that were sheltered by a mask that seemed to adorn the colors of the sky at dawn. Not only did her eyes hold the image of the flickering blue embers of the candles around her, but they held a sense of dignity and strength despite the beautiful, sad smile that was carved into her features. He observed the way her feeble fingers combed through her hair, tucking loose strands behind her ear, and the way her natural, pink lips parted to let out a quiet sigh.

The girl's blank stare shifted to her orange-haired companion who had called out to her from a distance holding Kuchiki Rukia's hand. The eyes behind her mask turned into an expression of longing and dejection.

'I see,' he calculated, 'Unrequited love.'

A flame began to erupt inside him, licking at his empty heart as his hunger for her grew. This craving was much different than his past experiences. Looking at the girl, he realized that she did have potential. It was evident in her strong eyes, her gentle hands, her quiet mannerisms, and her soft voice as she responded to the boy in white. She had something humans rarely had nowadays.

A pure soul.
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I hope you enjoyed it so far! Yes, this is still slightly AU. You will see what I mean later~
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This fic is still ongoing and currently at 9 chapters and almost 40,000. I update weekly or bi-weekly too!