Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters in the manga and anime belong to Tite Kubo. I do not, in any way, claim rights to any of the characters, movies, songs, or other franchises that may appear in this work of fan fiction.
Author's Note: Reflections is a collection of Ichigo-centric stories set in an alternate world where Ichigo died along with his mother and became a Hollow. Yes, this is one of those stories. Well, actually, I was hoping to do things a little differently, but this is my fic and I'm definitely biased!
This story will be told in chronological order, unless stated otherwise, and will have long chapters, as well as short, drabble-sized ones, others will connect in an overarching plot, while some will be standalone pieces. All chapters are part of the same story. Any necessary warnings will be posted before the main body of the chapter, but there won't be anything more graphic than what you see in the manga or anime- however, if necessary, the rating of the fic will go up to M.
Some other things- I'm British, so there will be British spelling, and I will be using the Japanese name and honorifics system, as well as the Rōmaji, Spanish, and German for specific techniques and other Bleach-related paraphernalia. Translations will be in the End Note. Aaand I swear none of my other Author's Notes will be this long.
Any feedback is welcomed, please enjoy!
Reflections
Prologue - Mama
Mama wasn't moving.
Ichigo was cold, and wet, and crying- Okā-san, get up!
But Mama wasn't moving.
There was a broken chain coming out of his chest, and every few minutes it hurt so badly that he had to bury his face in Mama's red, red back.
But Mama wasn't moving.
Ichigo was scared, and he knew that it was his fault that Mama had fallen down, and, with every second that went by, he realised just how hungry he was. But none of that really mattered because even when he shouted and pleaded and pulled at her arms, Mama still wouldn't open her eyes.
She wasn't moving.
As he stared at her cold, unmoving body, the chain links in his chest ran out with a chink chink chink, and Ichigo finally admitted to himself what he had known from the second he had woken up-
Mama was dead.
And then there was nothing but pain, then darkness, and fear, and hunger, in an endless sea of pure white sand.
End Note: Okā-san (お母さん): Mother/mum/mom etc., used by children to address their own mothers. If someone was talking about someone else's mother, they would use a different word.
