A Falling Star's Last Wish

P R O L O G U E

I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather... Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.

I was walking in the rain. My entire kimono was soaked right through so the cold water would hit my skin. My hair was falling down, small pins dropping into the mud. The geta I wore were slipping in the same wet dirt. Okaa-san would not be happy with my make-up being ruined like such and washing down onto the silk design. It was not my fault that I had been held up at the tea shop with Tatsumaki-dono.

This time I did slip and fall. My fan and kanzashi were lost somewhere in the dark. I barely caught a glimpse of it as light flashed across the dark clouds. The rain came down harder. I wiped the mud from my eyes, ignoring the sting in them, and pulled myself back up. I was almost home.

Within minutes I was being forced into a hot bath and having to listen as my okaa-san nagged and nagged on how she was going to get the money to pay the lady on the corner to clean the mud out. I would have better liked it if she had pulled me into her arms, no matter how dirty I was, and whispered to me how glad she was that I was safe.

I continued to do my job as a geisha. With my cousins and me bringing in the money with a steady pace, my okaa-san forgot all about my ruined kimono and bought me a new one. The old one was still washed, but put away until farther use of it – if any.

Then I grew sick.

Okaa-san began to nag me again. Had I caught something from one of our clients? Was I sleeping around? Did I have a relationship going on behind their backs? I answered no to the last two, but the first I was uncertain. Maybe it was from that night where I got caught in the rain… I still had yet to find my fan or kanzashi. They were my favorite, too.

I didn't get better.

I stayed in my room for two weeks. Miji would always bring me something to eat. She was such a good little sister.

"Nee-san, what's going to happen to you?" she asked me one day. I had my bad resting against a pillow up against the wall as I quietly ate my lunch. I would cough every few minutes. My throat burned no matter how much cold water I drank.

I tried to smile at Miji, but it only turned into a grimace. I was still in so much pain.

"I don't know, Miji-chan. I could get better or…"

Or, I could die from this idiotic illness that has befallen me.

"Or…?" Miji may be young, but she was not lame.

"We will cross that bridge once we must. For the time being, let us enjoy what we can."

I died that night. Miji was not at my side, she was sound asleep right down the hall. I had been coughing for almost half an hour before I couldn't anymore. I had knocked the breath out of myself. I wheezed to try and get more into my lungs, but it was hopeless. I took one more breath, and my chest stopped.

The last thing I saw was a star falling… falling… disappearing into the night's horizon.

I remember roaming the town for a few days before I was finally pushed along through this bright light, and reborn again – in a world that I had never known; born as a hime of the Tenshiheisōban, the noble Shihōuin family.

I was from then known as Shihōuin Okitetsu.

As I grew over the next few decades, I noticed how souls did not age as quickly as humans did. I also noticed the growing hunger that ached in the depths of my stomach. Okaa-san gave me lessons everyday over how to correctly follow the law of a noble. I could remember bits and pieces of my life back as a human, so I evidently learned customs and traditions quickly. I was able to put on my own kimono by the time I was around the human age of ten.

The hunger became more.

Things – monsters commonly known Hollows – plagued my mind. Whenever I would close my eyes for rest, I would see a woman wielding a short katana striking at the pure-white masks of the beast. On her back was the kanji for 'ni'. I asked okaa-san about these dreams, but she only told me to forget of the nonsense and get back to my lessons. Whenever I had a moment with otou-san, I asked him the same.

He sighed, knowing something I didn't, and began to explain many things.

Why I was hungry, unlike the many others in the manor. Why many of the servants would come near me, when I was angry and some of them had somehow become unconscious. Why I had such dreams…

He spoke of something known as reiryoku and reiatsu, farther explaining of the katana (a kodachi as he called it) and what it was used for.

Many years later (more decades had passed), I was sat down in a room with a man, looking just as old as otou-san, and asked to do a few things. I created a ball of glowing dark violet. I had never done that before. Then I was asked to relax; fall asleep and yet still be conscious. I felt the enormous pressure that had always been in my chest go away. I swore I heard someone choke, though. After I was asked to show my ability with a weapon, otou-san seemed very hesitate but allowed it. I was able to swing it a few times, but my weak arms could not do much more. I was used to holding fans rather than swords. I continued to do small tests, mostly to do with that once glowing orb of dark violet and more with physical ability, until the man asked to speak with otou-san alone.

I sat with Maiko, my ninsapu, in the hall just outside the office. I couldn't hear what otou-san and the man were saying, though. After waiting for some time, he came out and we went home. Later that week I was packing my things, mostly a few yukata, hakama that I could wear when out at the market, and a few happi to wear with my hakama (all had the Shihōuin crest embroidered in them).

Maiko-chan gave me many kisses and hugs, quickly passing off a small gift into my hand before otou-san whisked me away. There was a short ceremony; all students were given their uniforms and a bokken. I was well aware that I would soon grow muscle – okaa-san would not be happy to see her only daughter become a warrior when she had taught me to be as elegant as a butterfly when walking. My fingers were still sore from practicing with the shamisen.

And from there… the shooting star's wish starts to come true.

Author's Note:

It feels so good to be writing a Bleach fanfic again. I should really be working on my One Piece fic, seeing as it is my most popular one, but I have seemed to hit a road block with that one. I know what I want to write, but I just can't seem to write it. So, I decided to try and work on Supernova… and this is where it got me.

The Prologue skips around quite a bit, but it's only setting the background story. Of course, Tale's name is Okitetsu here. In Supernova, I never got to tell that her real name wasn't Tale, just a nickname but everyone calls her that. It gets very tiring to say Okitetsu, and spell it, every other sentence.

I've also done a lot more research for the story, unlike Supernova. I have learned something new… Juushiro writes books! Ha! I couldn't help but snicker at that… Annndddd… I sorta-kind of-not-really-that-much-completely changed her zanpakutou too. And yes, that was foreshadowing you saw earlier; of course, duh.

There are a few words in here that some of you might not know, but I tried to fit in what it meant somewhere near it (I.E. putting in parenthesis, adding it somewhere in the next sentence, etc.) But of course, I can't always do that, so I'll put the meanings down here.

Geta – are a special type of shoe that only geisha wear

Kanzashi – hair pins

Otou-san – father

Okaa-san – mother

Ni – two

Kodachi – a Japanese sword too short to be a katana but too long to be a dagger; somewhat close to a wakizashi

Reiryoku - the amount of energy a being has stored within their body or soul
vs.
Reiatsu - the pressure that a person's Reiryoku exerts

Ninsapu – nanny, nurse, etc

Yukata – a kimono worn during the summer time or to small festivals

Happi – a jacket worn to show the crest of one's household or alliance

Shamisen – a three stringed instrument

That's all for now… Go read the first chapter. /grin.

Also, before I forget. At the top of the story, there's a tool bar. It has different ways that you can format the stories you read. Personally, I find it much easier to read if you make the story a ¾ format (or ½ is fine too) and not full. It actually looks better too. (And it makes it looks longer… Shhh, don't tell anyone I said that. /wink.)

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Ukitake Juushiro. No, I don't own a Zanpakutou. No, I don't own Bleach. Yes, I do own bleach, that you clean your clothes with, and I do own a plastic light-up sword, and I do own a plushie – but that's it. Okitetsu (Tale) is obviously mine and I'm damn proud of it. Anything else you see in here that isn't owned by Tite Kubo is owned by moi. Please feel free to use them whenever you like, as long as you get my permission. Please and Thank you! :)