I Shall Roam the Summer Fields, Chapter 7 [Bleach]
Title: I Shall Roam the Summer Fields ( Master Post)
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Ensemble, and while this is primarily gen, a number of pairings (mostly but not entirely het) figure in the background. See master post for more details (updated 9 December).
Word Count: Novel-length overall, c. 1,100 in this chapter.
Rating: R, mostly for language. Also, see warnings.
Warnings/Possible Triggers: Character death. Mentions and some description of pregnancy complications and miscarriage/stillbirth.
Notes: This story is an AU that takes place ten years after Chapter 422, i.e. the end of the Deicide arc. The story diverges from canon just after that last battle in terms of the fates of several major characters (for good or for ill).
Rukia knew this nightmare too well. She had been expecting it.
She was back in Hueco Mundo again. The sky flickered in and out of existence above her. Cold blue. Stark white. It was both and neither at the same time. She didn't know where anyone else was.
"Hello, Kuchiki."
The voice was familiar. Familiar and wrong. Rukia didn't move, but the Arrancar was standing in front of her. It was there between blinks, and it had always been there although it hadn't been a moment ago.
She reached for her zanpakutou, but she could no longer remember its name. She knew it was white. White, white, snow-bone-white. As white as the long mask on the monster in front of her.
"Follow me," Aaroniero said, and she did. They left the cover of the broad, nothing sky. They walked through a twisty corridor and down a narrowing stair (smooth cement became rough stone became wood and earth and a gentle, mossy slope) until they came out onto a hillside over a lake. The shoreline was a concrete embankment she knew from Karakura, but the lake was the one just down the hill from the Thirteenth Division.
Aaroniero led the way down, and Rukia followed even though she knew it was a bad idea.
She always followed. She always would.
The hill was much steeper than it first looked and grew steeper still until she was more sliding than walking. Still, she followed. Aaroniero's collar was tall enough to hide the back of his head, but in her dream she could see that his hair was the color of flame even though she also knew it was black, black, deep raven black.
"Who are you?" she called out.
"It's me, Rukia." Aaroniero did not turn around. The hillside was flat and heavily wooded, and the lake was gone. Soon, the rain would start to fall.
"Wait! Wait for me!" Rukia now had to run to catch up, and she did so even though she knew what would happen next. "Who are you?"
"It's me. You know who I am."
But she didn't. Just like she didn't know the name of her beautiful, white-ribboned sword. The name was close by, but it melted away every time she reached for it.
They stopped in a patch of forest so thick there was no sky. She heard rain pattering on the leaves up above. She knew this place. She had killed in this place. Aaroniero was in front of her. No matter where she turned, he was in front of her. She could not look away.
"Do you know who I am?"
Yes. But she still couldn't say, just as she still couldn't say her sword's name. The words were finally there, but they wouldn't come out, they didn't make sense, they trickled away like snow-melt when she opened her mouth.
"No, you don't."
Aaroniero's mask was gone, just like that. Raven hair spilled out long and glossy, and Miyako-dono leaned in so close her face was all Rukia could see, so kind, so gentle.
"It's you!" Rukia cried out in delight. She finally had her answer. An answer she should have known, just as she should have known her sword's name. It was okay. Everything was okay. She was home. She was safe.
"I love you, Kuchiki," Miyako-dono said. She plunged her sword into Rukia's chest.
Rukia wept because Sode no Shirayuki was now buried in Miyako-dono's chest. She didn't remember stabbing Miyako-dono and didn't know why she had. She only knew she had no choice. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she sobbed, "I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean it, I didn't know..."
Miyako-dono laughed, but it was the wrong laughter, a high, cackling laughter from some(one)where else. It was all wrong. It was all Rukia's fault.
"Kuchiki!" Miyako-dono rasped. Flecks of blood stained the corner of her mouth.
Rukia tried to speak, but nothing came out. She couldn't breathe.
"Kuchiki!"
She snapped awake with a gasp that was half squeak.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Ukitake-taichou was kneeling next to her futon. His white hair stood out stark in the early morning gray of her room, but she could barely make out his face. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Bad dream?"
Rukia nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She sat up slowly, one hand flat on her chest. Her heart thrummed wildly. She hated waking up in the middle of a dream, especially a nightmare. The details of the dream would be forgotten in an hour or two, but the feeling of wrongness would cling to her like sweat-soaked cloth all day long.
"It felt so real," she finally said. Aaroniero had worn any number of faces over the years. Kaien-dono, of course. Ichigo, sometimes. Renji. Her brother. Her captain. A face that looked like her own, but wasn't. This was the first time he had been Shiba Miyako. It was also the first time the dream had ended with her stabbing Aaroniero and not just with him stabbing her. Maybe that was why the dream was still so unsettling and so vivid that she wondered if it really would fade into vague memory and lingering unease.
"Are you all right?" Ukitake-taichou sounded hoarse and winded, just as he always did these days, and his concern for her prickled her with guilt.
"Yes, taichou. I'm fine. Just... not sure I'm awake yet. What did you need?" If he was waking her before sunrise, he had to need something. "Are you feeling all right?"
He let out an irritated huff. "I am fine, Kuchiki. Your brother came by a little while ago with some news."
"At this time of night? Er, morning." She stood up, holding her sleeping yukata closed over her chest. Her heart was still racing. "I suppose that means it's bad news, whatever it is."
He looked up at her. Her eyes had adjusted to where she could see his features clearly enough, but she could not read his expression. The faint smile held too many meanings for her to pick out the true one. He held out a hand so she could help him to his feet.
"I can't say for sure. It's strange news, certainly, but I think that maybe it is--that it could be--very good news."
Chapter Eight: In which Hinamori Momo is reunited with her friends.
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Ensemble, and while this is primarily gen, a number of pairings (mostly but not entirely het) figure in the background. See master post for more details (updated 9 December).
Word Count: Novel-length overall, c. 1,100 in this chapter.
Rating: R, mostly for language. Also, see warnings.
Warnings/Possible Triggers: Character death. Mentions and some description of pregnancy complications and miscarriage/stillbirth.
Notes: This story is an AU that takes place ten years after Chapter 422, i.e. the end of the Deicide arc. The story diverges from canon just after that last battle in terms of the fates of several major characters (for good or for ill).
Rukia knew this nightmare too well. She had been expecting it.
She was back in Hueco Mundo again. The sky flickered in and out of existence above her. Cold blue. Stark white. It was both and neither at the same time. She didn't know where anyone else was.
"Hello, Kuchiki."
The voice was familiar. Familiar and wrong. Rukia didn't move, but the Arrancar was standing in front of her. It was there between blinks, and it had always been there although it hadn't been a moment ago.
She reached for her zanpakutou, but she could no longer remember its name. She knew it was white. White, white, snow-bone-white. As white as the long mask on the monster in front of her.
"Follow me," Aaroniero said, and she did. They left the cover of the broad, nothing sky. They walked through a twisty corridor and down a narrowing stair (smooth cement became rough stone became wood and earth and a gentle, mossy slope) until they came out onto a hillside over a lake. The shoreline was a concrete embankment she knew from Karakura, but the lake was the one just down the hill from the Thirteenth Division.
Aaroniero led the way down, and Rukia followed even though she knew it was a bad idea.
She always followed. She always would.
The hill was much steeper than it first looked and grew steeper still until she was more sliding than walking. Still, she followed. Aaroniero's collar was tall enough to hide the back of his head, but in her dream she could see that his hair was the color of flame even though she also knew it was black, black, deep raven black.
"Who are you?" she called out.
"It's me, Rukia." Aaroniero did not turn around. The hillside was flat and heavily wooded, and the lake was gone. Soon, the rain would start to fall.
"Wait! Wait for me!" Rukia now had to run to catch up, and she did so even though she knew what would happen next. "Who are you?"
"It's me. You know who I am."
But she didn't. Just like she didn't know the name of her beautiful, white-ribboned sword. The name was close by, but it melted away every time she reached for it.
They stopped in a patch of forest so thick there was no sky. She heard rain pattering on the leaves up above. She knew this place. She had killed in this place. Aaroniero was in front of her. No matter where she turned, he was in front of her. She could not look away.
"Do you know who I am?"
Yes. But she still couldn't say, just as she still couldn't say her sword's name. The words were finally there, but they wouldn't come out, they didn't make sense, they trickled away like snow-melt when she opened her mouth.
"No, you don't."
Aaroniero's mask was gone, just like that. Raven hair spilled out long and glossy, and Miyako-dono leaned in so close her face was all Rukia could see, so kind, so gentle.
"It's you!" Rukia cried out in delight. She finally had her answer. An answer she should have known, just as she should have known her sword's name. It was okay. Everything was okay. She was home. She was safe.
"I love you, Kuchiki," Miyako-dono said. She plunged her sword into Rukia's chest.
Rukia wept because Sode no Shirayuki was now buried in Miyako-dono's chest. She didn't remember stabbing Miyako-dono and didn't know why she had. She only knew she had no choice. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she sobbed, "I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean it, I didn't know..."
Miyako-dono laughed, but it was the wrong laughter, a high, cackling laughter from some(one)where else. It was all wrong. It was all Rukia's fault.
"Kuchiki!" Miyako-dono rasped. Flecks of blood stained the corner of her mouth.
Rukia tried to speak, but nothing came out. She couldn't breathe.
"Kuchiki!"
She snapped awake with a gasp that was half squeak.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." Ukitake-taichou was kneeling next to her futon. His white hair stood out stark in the early morning gray of her room, but she could barely make out his face. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Bad dream?"
Rukia nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She sat up slowly, one hand flat on her chest. Her heart thrummed wildly. She hated waking up in the middle of a dream, especially a nightmare. The details of the dream would be forgotten in an hour or two, but the feeling of wrongness would cling to her like sweat-soaked cloth all day long.
"It felt so real," she finally said. Aaroniero had worn any number of faces over the years. Kaien-dono, of course. Ichigo, sometimes. Renji. Her brother. Her captain. A face that looked like her own, but wasn't. This was the first time he had been Shiba Miyako. It was also the first time the dream had ended with her stabbing Aaroniero and not just with him stabbing her. Maybe that was why the dream was still so unsettling and so vivid that she wondered if it really would fade into vague memory and lingering unease.
"Are you all right?" Ukitake-taichou sounded hoarse and winded, just as he always did these days, and his concern for her prickled her with guilt.
"Yes, taichou. I'm fine. Just... not sure I'm awake yet. What did you need?" If he was waking her before sunrise, he had to need something. "Are you feeling all right?"
He let out an irritated huff. "I am fine, Kuchiki. Your brother came by a little while ago with some news."
"At this time of night? Er, morning." She stood up, holding her sleeping yukata closed over her chest. Her heart was still racing. "I suppose that means it's bad news, whatever it is."
He looked up at her. Her eyes had adjusted to where she could see his features clearly enough, but she could not read his expression. The faint smile held too many meanings for her to pick out the true one. He held out a hand so she could help him to his feet.
"I can't say for sure. It's strange news, certainly, but I think that maybe it is--that it could be--very good news."
Chapter Eight: In which Hinamori Momo is reunited with her friends.