Disclaimers, etc.: See chapter one and/or Disclaimers Page.
Opening Theme: Hanabi by Ikimono Gakari
Ending Theme: Life by Yui
天国的白雪公主
Bleach: Cross
Across the Dimensions
Another Shinigami Part 1
White Princess Rebirth
By Eugena
Chapter Thirteen: Zangetsu’s Truth
天国的白雪公主
SOUL SOCIETY – YORUICHI’S AND KISUKE’S TRAINING GROUND
Kail held down her human body, looking accusingly at him. Yet even he would not deny that this was perhaps the most necessary of all. Zangetsu pulled out her soul form for the briefest of moments and time itself seemed to stop and began moving backwards.
The power of Shirahime—the woman she had been long ago—surrounded Sam’s body in an icy blue light. She had once felt immense pain, but now she was filled with warmth.
天国的白雪公主
ZANGETSU’S INNER BATTLEFIELD – A DESOLATE FIELD
Zangetsu had been sleeping for a long time. He had no desire to return to any Earth or Heaven. He remembered only the great war he fought in and the love he would never hold again.
“Zangetsu!” Prince Ichigo had called to him. “Zangetsu! Quickly, the Princess! She’s out there fighting.”
“If you want to save Rukia,” Yoruichi said to him, “You must master your zanpakuto. If you want to survive, you must hear his name.”
“Ichigo,” he said, “you said my name so many times then. But that was long ago. Do you have no more desire to fight?”
A warm light appeared. It was colorless, but familiar. Yes, there was once someone he fought for.
“I want to save Rukia.”
He has someone to fight for now. Even though that will never bring back the one he wronged.
I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to go anywhere.
Zangetsu had refused the cycle of reincarnation. After all, how would she return? Yet, he wasn’t alone. Somehow the prince’s younger brother and Zangetsu had both found themselves as subordinates of the reincarnated prince.
A man stood up across from him. He, too, had been asleep. He, too, had been pulled briefly into The Sideways Building.
“We weren’t king last time,” he said. “We will be this time.”
“I don’t care,” Zangetsu said. “It’s not Ichigo I want to be close to.”
“She’ll be here,” the other said. “The princess will return. I believe it.”
“Do you?”
“Yes, so for now, I’ll let Ichigo live. I’ll need him, after all.”
Zangetsu remembered every day and detail since the day Ichigo said his name again. He remembered every time they met in his inner battlefield. Gradually, he chose to stay there. A few times he had seen the other one, but usually he stayed in his own battlefield.
天国的白雪公主
KAIL’S INNER BATTLEFIELD – MEMORIAL TO SHIRAHIME
Kail knelt before a stone statue of Hyorinmaru. He bowed his head to the mat. His bones were covered in his flesh of long ago, his eyes the same as Ichigo’s. His prayers remained silent, but he had nothing else to say. The prayer was the same as it had always been. If he had a thousand lifetimes to live, every single life held this same prayer.
“Is this why you believe?” Zangetsu asked.
Kail got up and saw that his old sword master had again intruded upon his ritual. Tiny red lights swirled around Zangetsu, and he looked more like he did in the past life.
“I didn’t ask for this.”
“Did you ask to be the horse?”
He looked over accusingly at him. His sunglasses had faded away. “You still pray.”
“Hyorinmaru is here,” he said. “Shirahime’s picture is gone.”
“You let go of it?”
“No. My god has taken it. I gave up everything I am to become Ichigo’s shadow. Hyorinmaru has finally answered my prayer.”
“No prayer is answered that easily. Especially concerning her.”
“Shouldn’t you be happy, teacher? After all, you can’t hide the fact you still love her.”
“The princess is gone. And I—and you—are mere shadows of what we were. We exist now to fight with Ichigo.”
“I exist to reclaim my one. You can choose whatever you want.”
“We are the same now.”
“No. I am Shiroyuki,” he said returning to the statute. “She called me that once, and one day, I will hear her call me that again.”
“As you desire, S—.”
“Don’t let that name out of your mouth!” Kail whirled around and brandished White Zangetsu at him. “Don’t dare. That name is for Shirahime alone.”
“Very well, prince. I need your anger anyway. Ichigo is not ready—we must prepare him.”
Kail sheathed the zanpakuto and bowed to the likeness of Hyorinmaru. “I will do what you want, teacher, for today my heart filled with happiness. When she returns to me, Ichigo will no longer be my king. You should want the same.”
“When the time comes….”
天国的白雪公主
SHIRAHIME’S INNER BATTLEFIELD – ROYAL PALACE COURTYARD
In this place, the line between Sam’s consciousness and Shirahime’s blurred. Only with Shirahime’s power had Sam been able to, for the briefest of moments, separate her soul from her body. She had seen Zangetsu’s and Kail’s memories. She heard Zangetsu’s with perfect clarity, but she could not hear all of Kail’s. He had expended his energy holding her body down, so it did not concern her much that her vision of him was incomplete.
Zangetsu’s thoughts had been mostly of Ichigo, and because of that, Sam learned much of the boy who had sent her the watch.
“He channeled his spiritual energy into that,” Zangetsu said as he stood beside her. “Not that he meant to, but he wanted to protect you.”
“He was my husband. I remember now.” Sam tried to look beyond the courtyard but could see nothing except mist.
“You died out there,” he said.
“She did. I am still alive, for now. I suppose I have you and Kail to thank for that.”
She sat down on a cushioned bench and held her arms out to her side, examining the gown she wore. It was white as snow and glowed in the moonlight. There had been no moon in this place, but she looked aside to discover that Zangetsu was her moon in this place. Light emanated from him and reminded her of the vision of him dancing with her in the past life. She thought of the white-haired prince that asked her to dance.
“He loved me, too,” she said.
“He still loves you,” he said.
“Do you?”
“I will always love you.”
“Good,” she said, “because now I must send you back.”
谢谢你们的阅读。
Bleach: Cross: Another Shinigami
Part 1: White Princess Rebirth
Introduction & Chapter List
Cast List & Notes
Chapters
[01] [02] [03] [04] [05] [06] [07] [08] [09] [10]
[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]