1: Repentance [MA]

Disclaimers: See end notes or Disclaimers Page.
Originally written on or before 09/28/2009, Revised 03/31/2022

天国的白雪公主

Opening Theme: Rewrite by Asian Kung-Fu Generation
Ending Theme: Kyouka Suigetsu (Aizen Character Song)

Bleach: Cross
Across the Dimensions
The Formal Vow Arc
Soul of Shirahime
By Eugena

Rated MA Version

Chapter One: Repentance

天国的白雪公主

Mayuri Kurotsuchi Voice Over:

Previously on Bleach: Across the Dimensions:

Is it possible to love a god?  Does one love them or is simply enamored with their divinity?

There was a time I believed that all things existed for my experiments – willingly or not.

Then I discovered no experiment could chain a god.

The reincarnation of Heaven’s Princess walked among us.  She fought Aizen and died.  She was reincarnated again.  This time, she returned as fifth division taicho, a position Sou Taicho only thought of as honorary.  Much to his annoyance, she didn’t seem to be vacating that position anytime soon.

Until that night.

I could not sleep with thoughts of her in my mind.  I thought only to check on her, but passing by the tenth division, I saw her visit Hitsugaya.  There she stayed.  And there I learned that Hitsugaya was not as young as he pretended to be.

If I had a heart, I would say it was trampled upon by the knowledge she would never spend the night with me as she had him.

If I listened to my rational self, I would have realized she finally decided to return to the royal family.  I would have insisted she leave that place I followed her to.  Then perhaps she wouldn’t be at the non-existent mercy of Gin Ichimaru.

Ichimaru could destroy my body, but I would come back.  Should she die, she will never again return.

天国的白雪公主

HUECO MUNDO – AN INDOOR CHAMBER

Gin Ichimaru returned to his captives.  His eyes were wider than their usual slits, all part of his ruse to make the woman comfortable.  As she breathed in and out in ragged breaths, he recalled how she looked before the battle.  Such a regal woman, Thorne Shirahime Taicho looked the same as she would have long ago during her time in the royal family.  Such a pleasure and an honor it was to Gin to fight full-blooded royalty.

He reached out to her, cupping her chin.  Elevating his reiatsu slightly, he smiled reassuringly to her.  “I’m good at some kido.”  Her breathing evened slightly, a small measure of relief against the intense pain she felt.  He leaned in closer, having finally given in to the feelings he had suppressed so long.  She could not struggle this time.

“Leave her alone!” rasped the man across from them.

Ichimaru shot a cold glance back at Kurotsuchi Mayuri Taicho, glaring at him in his pathetic state.  Mayuri appeared as he did after he regenerated from his ooze form, naked, only his yellow eyes remaining a reminder of his usual visage.  All the barriers in the makeshift prison suppressed his spiritual power and left him only a shell of his usual self.

“My, my, taicho,” Ichimaru taunted.  “You are in no position to threaten.  You haven’t even clothed yourself.  How, rude in the presence of such royalty.  Were you hoping she would take you as a lover?

Ichimaru returned his attention to Shirahime.  “Now where were we?”

Shirahime spit at him.  He wiped it off in amusement.

“Is that all you have left?” Ichimaru asked.  “You are nothing but a pathetic human after all.”  He turned back to Mayuri.  “You should find this quite interesting, Mayuri.  After all, you always do love experiments.  How many times have you experimented on a human woman?  How far did you go?”  He paused, watching Mayuri’s anger build.  “Have you ever been with a woman or are you just too awkward?”

Incoherent rage filled Mayuri’s head.  A cascade of memories rushed past him.  Not long ago, he had met with his former taicho, Kisuke Urahara.  “You still don’t understand?” Kisuke asked him.  “You have Nemu, but you don’t know what it means to have a child?  You may have created her, but surely some part of you would care if she gets hurt?”  Kisuke looked at Yoruichi and the new fifth division taicho talking together in the distance.  “Even with Aizen exposed, I can never go back to Soul Society.  I can never be there to watch over her.”  He took off his hat and folded it on his chest, bowing his head slightly.  “I have no right to ask anything of you, but please take care of her for me.  One day, maybe you will understand.”

Strange that Mayuri could ever feel something like love.  Even his old taicho, whom he still admired, acknowledged that he was a genius at the expense of decency and ethics.  He had sacrificed four of his own division members in his first attempt to capture Uryuu and Orihime—and he thought nothing of it.  They were expendable, like everyone in his division.  His division existed for his research.  Nemu could be rebuilt.  Yet then, there was Shirahime.  All the taichos knew she could never be reincarnated again.  This had been the last time.

So, she agreed to marry the current crown prince of the royal family, Shiroyuki.  Her human life would always be insignificantly short to that of a shinigami’s and certainly that of one of the royal family.  Mayuri suspected why she really agreed.

No matter, Shirahime would die and never return.

Mayuri could die, and he would return some day.

Mayuri returned his thoughts to Ichimaru.  “My desire to be with a woman has never made me so weak.”

Ichimaru merely laughed and his reiatsu forced Mayuri to his knees.  “You don’t have to watch.”

Ichimaru turned back to her.  Unmistakable lust filled his gaze as he looked down at her.

“You must have a death wish,” she taunted.

“Hmm,” Ichimaru hummed, lowering his mouth to her ear.

“Touch me, and Aizen will kill you.”

“What he doesn’t know won’t bother him.”

Shirahime laughed. “Aizen, not know?  Now I really think you are stupid.”

Mayuri tried to slow his breathing.  Either Shirahime was being smart on her approach, or this would destroy her.  She was right about Aizen, no question.

Ichimaru began to nibble at her ear.  “Just relax.”

Suki will kill you.”

Ichimaru backed off, confused at the name.

“Yes, Suki.  I remember now.  I’ve begun remembering.  In some other life, I knew him.  I don’t know where, but now I understand why he keeps calling my son his own.  Suki is what I called him then.  I imagine he was an enjoyable lover.”

“Just be quiet,” Ichimaru snapped.  “Or I’ll help you with that, too.  This may be worth his wrath.”

His fingers traveled lower, and Shirahime shut off part of her mind.

“So worth it to touch pure royalty.”

Mayuri kept struggling to free himself.

“Calm down, Kurotsuchi,” Ichimaru told him.  “Once she’s compliant, I’ll let you watch.  I wouldn’t be surprised if you finally found someone you wanted.  Just pretend I am you and enjoy.  I know I will.

“Aizen is a powerful god, hime-sama.  A lowly human can’t keep his interest that long.  No matter how good you feel to him.”

Shirahime never before wanted Aizen to appear so badly.  If she began to remember that past life with him now; perhaps he did, too.  Even if it was still against her will, she thought Aizen would not hurt as much.

“I think maybe Suki will do something far more interesting than kill you.”

“It may be worth it, after all, if he gets tired of you, he may just take Orihime for his mate instead.  In that case, he won’t mind me.”

“Suki is far better than you.”

“We’ll see.  Wait until you really start to enjoy this.”

Mayuri continued to pull at his physical bindings, willing his wrists to be cut off if he could pull it off.  Then he would have the barrier to deal with.

He watched as Ichimaru removed his robe.  His anger grew stronger.

Shirahime struggled to keep her expression neutral, not wishing to betray any weakness.  “If you don’t care of about Suki, then remember who will mind this.  Rangiku will.

He backed off as if her words had literally struck him across the face.   His partial kido flickered out of existence, and Shirahime felt the full force of the pain return.

“You still love her.  Are you so eager to give up on her?”

“You don’t know what love means,” he sneered.  “I haven’t been with her since I left.  So my bed’s been lonely.  I am so honored, Heaven’s Princess, to be pleased by you.”

Mayuri felt his vision dimming, but from the sounds knew exactly what Ichimaru was doing.  In a different circumstance, he could imagine himself with a willing Shirahime.  He had to fight against whatever spell Aizen gave Ichimaru.

“You feel so much like a virgin,” Ichimaru taunted.  “So much like my Rangiku did long ago.  I’m surprised, didn’t you take so many of them to your bed?  Your beloved Suki was so angry then.  I suppose I understand now,” he said between gasping breaths.

“Aizen’s Queen,” he said, leaning to her ear again.  “I like taking what belongs to Aizen.”

Shiroyuki,” she muttered, “please.”

Mayuri heard her say her betrothed’s name.  Never before had he actually wanted the royal family to interfere.

Shiroyuki?” Ichimaru asked.  “You mean no Mayuri?  No little Toshiro?  How many shinigami lovers do you have?”

“Do you think you are better than them?” she countered.  “Aizen was better than you.  Kenpachi Zaraki is better than you.  And several royal guards are much better.”

Several royal guards?  Mayuri kept adding people to his kill list.  Starting with Aizen, wanting to rip him apart for both using her and giving Ichimaru something powerful enough to subdue him.  Yet today he saw red and wanted to see Ichimaru bleed dry.

The passing of time seemed frozen.  The scene in front of him didn’t change as Shirahime refused to make a sound.

Gin finished, his lips descending on her.  “I’ve missed that.  I’m going to keep you, princess.  Aizen doesn’t need you.  Such satisfaction is beneath a god.   Besides, I imagine he really enjoyed Hinamori.”

He climbed off her.

“He never touched her,” she said calmly.  “Suki had and only will have me.”

天国的白雪公主

SOUL SOCIETY – TENTH DIVISION – HITSUGAYA TAICHO’S ROOM

Toshiro Hitsugaya felt guilty indulging in another one of “those” dreams.  He had changed to his adult looking form as soon as he locked the door.  He didn’t usually lock the door, but he didn’t want someone walking in on him in his current state.

Not too long ago, he became educated in certain adult matters.  Certainly, that incident when the “Fifth Division” was “In the Red*” did that.  He went from simply being in love to wanting to have an intimate relationship with her.  Though he hated his “adult” self, that was secretly his real self, he knew he could not deny it much longer.  Shirahime would be close, but not as close as he wanted.  She already knew his secret.  He hoped it would be enough that she knew.  But it wasn’t.  Finally, she came to him.  Being his real self, he experienced something he would never forget.

In the present, Toshiro let himself go.  He tried to pretend the dream was real.

Suddenly Gin Ichimaru appeared to interrupt them.  He pushed Toshiro away and took his place in the dream.

Toshiro shot up in his bed.  His guilt melted into anxiety.

He took off to the eleventh division.

[* A pun on the actual title of this Bleach: Cross adventure.]

天国的白雪公主

HUECO MUNDO – AN INDOOR CHAMBER

Ichimaru picked up his zanpakuto, Shinzo.  “Time to be quiet.  I had hoped you would have enjoyed this, but no matter, I did.”  He unsheathed Shinzo and struck her across her face with its hilt.  She laughed weakly.

The crushing force of his lips against hers sickened her.

“I think we should go again,” he said.

She caught a weak thread of her power.  She harnessed it, that power she possessed in the previous life she had with Aizen.  Though right now she knew little, the violation was enough to spark that life to the surface.

“First Revival.”

Ice shot out from her bound hands.  It surrounded Ichimaru but flickered.  She didn’t have enough strength.

Enraged, Ichimaru thrust Shinzo through her already broken chest.

Mayuri screamed, finally breaking through enough restraints to stand to his feet.  He was still unable to move any closer.

Blood pooled at the sides of her mouth.

“Now, princess, you can be quiet.  You don’t need to feel any more pain if you play along.  But you don’t have to.  Orihime can heal you later.  I may have to finish this time quicker than I wanted.”

“You are really a fool,” she said through struggling gasps of breath.  “Orihime’s tricks never worked on me.

He stopped, stunned at her words.  Of course, he knew that, but he had been so angry he hadn’t thought of it before.

“Time to repent, Gin.”  She managed one final smile, catching the reiatsu of both that unknown past life and the one as Shirayukihime no Tenjou.  She called upon her bankai: “Kouten.”

The force knocked Ichimaru unconscious, and he flew backwards across the room, crashing into the opposite wall.  Mayuri fell to his knees.  Ichimaru’s barriers and spells broke, finally freeing Mayuri.

After the explosive force cleared, Mayuri rushed to Shirahime’s side.  Even though Shirahime’s two zanpakutos had been taken from her, just as Mayuri’s had, she could still summon the bankai of Yukihime.  After all, she was Yukihime.  Mayuri cradled Shirahime in his arms, tears forming at last.  He had never cried before.

“You show me your weakness after all.  You aren’t just a mad scientist.  And that’s your real strength.”

“Hush now,” he said.  “We are leaving.”

“I know.  That’s alright, but I’m too weak to leave anyway.  I won’t let you go alone.”  She looked into herself, at the saddened spirit of Shirayukihime.  She reached out for her, asking for her power once more.

Revive.  Last Revival, Yukihime no Tenjou.”  She reformed the Yukihime zanpakuto beside her.  Her breathing became more labored.

“Stop,” Mayuri begged.  “Please stop.”

Her eyesight began to fail.  “This is what it’s like to lose someone.”

Reform Kosetsu.”  Kosetsu Ryu, identical in appearance to the White Zangetsu, appeared next to Yukihime.

“No more.”

She nudged Yukihime closer to him.  “One more time.”  She reached up to his face, barely touching his skin.  “So, this is what it really feels like.  I knew there was a real you behind the mask.”  Time slowed for Mayuri as he felt her body grow lighter and her hand fall from his face.

“Final Revival, Revival of the Dead, Shirayukihime no Tenjou.”

天国的白雪公主

AUTHOR’S NOTE – DISCLAIMER:

This work is a transformative fanwork, written for entertainment purposes only and not for profit.  Canon characters and backstories are copyright to Tite Kubo and applicable others. Original characters and original backstories are created by Eugena.  The backstories of several canon characters and some canon elements have been significantly modified for the purposes of this fanwork.  These modified characters and modified elements should not be taken as canon from the original Bleach and may not necessarily reflect Bleach’s copyright holder’s original intentions.  Works rated M or MA are not intended to be read by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this work are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

The author hopes this work will help readers further enjoy the original Bleach.

谢谢你们的阅读。

THIS IS THE MA VERSION
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Bleach: Cross: Soul of Shirahime
Introduction & Chapter List MA VERSION

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Chapters [MA]
[01] [02] [03] [04]
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