I was watching videos on Youtube and I stumbled across a song called "But Tonight We Dance" by Rise Against. I loved it so much I wanted to write a Song Fic about it, and it just seemed to fit with Bleach for some reason, so I wrote this. This is my first Song Fic, so be gentle in your reviews!
Breathe deep and easy, swallow this pride.
Stare at my shaking hands through bone-dry, blood shot eyes.
Ichigo stood numbly over Aizen's body, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that it was over. He'd been fighting against Aizen so long it was a bit of a shock that he didn't have to do it anymore. He stared at his hands. They were drenched in blood. Aizen's blood. It occurred to him that he had – for the first time in his life – killed a man.
He had taken a life. Killing Hollows didn't count – after all, they weren't really human, except maybe Ulqiorra, but he had been in full Hollow form then and he hadn't known what he was doing. Clock strip the hours, I count the miles.
Will you be there waiting, awake until sunrise.
The seconds seemed to stretch on uncomfortably. Ichigo recounted every step of his journey to this minute, still trying to convince himself it was over. It just…didn't seem real…
Ichigo was distracted by a ruby-red sun peeking over the horizon. They had fought through the night and now it was dawn. Slowly, it lightened and Ichigo was able to clearly see the carnage. Blood was everywhere, and several buildings had been utterly demolished. The casualties were horrifying…not even the civilians had escaped unscathed.
I have traveled in darkness, for what seems like days,
I come from the sinkholes, collapsed under this weight.
Ichigo fell to his knees, exhausted. It had been a long, difficult journey. He'd suffered through many things and had seen things that no teenage boy should have to see. He felt as if he were crawling out of the darkness for the first time in months, and the loss of everyone who died was feeling like a terrible, crushing weight.
I know not your sorrow, but I know mine,
So say you'll stay and dance with me tonight.
Vaguely, Ichigo felt a hand on his shoulder and heard his father assuring him it was okay, but he wasn't paying attention. He was trying to make sense of it all. He would do anything to forget it all…and yet he couldn't. If he did, everything he'd learned from what he'd suffered through would be forgotten. He had to move forward. He needed to keep the memories. In the glow of twilight, our world is finally calm.
I felt it complete me, when the stars give way to dawn.
Suddenly, Ichigo realized that he didn't need to worry anymore. It was OVER. Yes, it happened. But he couldn't let it eat away at him forever. He had to snap himself out of this funk. He stood, legs shaking slightly, and turned to his father.
A language universal, but I speak not its tongue.
Is this a night that spans forever, or a dawn that never comes.
"I can't believe it's over." Ichigo found himself saying. "It's just…I…"
"I understand." His father said. "That was a long, horrible nightmare, wasn't it? It seemed like there was going to be no end to it at all."
I have traveled in darkness, for what seems like days,
I come from the sinkholes, collapsed under this weight.
Ichigo nodded. "But it's over." He said softly. "We don't need to worry about it anymore. Karakura…no, the whole world is safe." He sighed. "I just hope we never have a repeat of that."
I know not your sorrow, but I know mine,
So say you'll stay and dance with me tonight.
"But we can't forget it." Ichigo continued. "If we forget, it will happen again. We need to learn from our mistakes. Horrible as they are, we need to embrace those memories."
Tomorrow we might wake in servitude and silence
I will give you everything if only you would have me
Isshin nodded. "Yeah. But before we focus on that, we need to concentrate on rebuilding Karakura."
Tomorrow we will sweat and toil,
Our hands will quiver caked with soil,
"That's right." Ichigo said. He surveyed the damage and winced. "It's going to be one heck of a job…but we can do it. I mean, it's going to seem easy compared to beating Aizen!"
Tomorrow we'll give it one last chance,
But tonight we dance,
But tonight we dance!
Isshin grinned. His son was growing up and maturing. "C'mon, let's get going back to our friends in the fake Karakura, they need to know we won."
Ichigo smiled. "There's going to be one heck of a celebration…" And for this, I travel in darkness, for what seems like days,
I come from the sinkholes, collapsed under this weight.
As they opened the Senkaimon, Ichigo found himself reflecting on the entire affair. He felt freer than he had in months. Aizen was gone, and everyone was safe. The burden of the lost ones was still there, but it had lightened considerably.
I know not your sorrow, but I know mine,
Just say you'll stay and dance with me tonight.
It happened. There was no avoiding that. But he could move on and embrace the memories as a reminder of all he had learned.
Ichigo felt like dancing.