King, a bleach fanfic

Miageta yozora no hoshitachi no hikari
Mukashi no omoi negai ga jidai wo koe iro aseru koto naku todoku
Kirari hitomi ni utsuru dare ka no sakebi kaze ni omoi wo
Tsuki ni negai wo chikara aru kagiri ikiteku n da kyou mo
Bokura no omoi mo itsu ka dare ka no mune ni
Hikari tsuzukeyou ano hoshi no you ni

Hitotsu futatsu kane no oto wa hibiku kokoro no naka e to hiroku fukaku
Monogatari no you na hoshi no shizuku sono naka ni hosoi senrou wo kizuku
Jikan to tomo ni jidai wa ugoku nagareru hoshi wa shizuka ni ugoku
Me wo tojite mimi wo sumaseba GOOD BYE

Oozora ippai no shirokuro shashin nabiku mafuraa shiroi iki
Sukoshi demo chikazukitakute ano takadai made kakeashi de
Omotai bouenkyou tori dasu to
Renzu wa madashita sutaa dasuto
Jikan wo ubawareta jikan jidai wo kazoete kuru roman

Hanate hikari makezu ni shikkari ima toki wo kazoe
Dare ka ni todoku made eikou no hikari wa kono mukou ni kimi tachi to
Tsukutte iku sutoorii

Ubugoe ageta chiisa na hikari ooki na hikari
Jikuu wo koe deai
Subete no kagayaki ga hitotsu to nari tsukuri dasu monogatari
Ten to ten wo musubu seiza no you ni dare ka ni totte
Bokura mo kirei na e egaketetara ii ne
Miagete goran yo hora fuyu no daiyamondo
Yuruyaka na ama no gawa sugu yuuki tori modoseru kara

Hate hikari makezu ni shikkari ima
Toki wo kazoe dare ka ni todoku made
Eikou no hikari wa kono mukou ni
Kimi tachi to tsukutte iku sutoorii

Kono sora wa hitotsu doko made mo hiroku sou
Umi no mukou ima umareru ibuki taetareru inochi
Hoshi wa terasu megami no gotoku
Nagaku tsuzuku kuri kaesu shunkashuutou no
Isshun demo ii sukoshi de ii omoi wo kizamu
Tada hatenaku toki wo kazoe kagayaki dasu

Monogatari wa kokoro no naka de tsuzuite iru
Ano hi no kimi wa itsu ka yogisha ni notte

Hikari tsuzukeyou ano hoshi no you ni

Kurosaki Isshin waked solemnly into the hospital room. His wife, Masaki, was laying there, their new-born son in her arms. Upon hearing the door, Masaki looked up. "Isshin…" She said with tears in her eyes. He smiled warmly at her, as she relinquished her grasp on the boy.

"He looks like you." Isshin said, softly touching his nose with one finger, teasingly. "What are we going to name him?" He asked, after a pause.

Masaki looked pensively at the child. "I think…Ichigo; 'He who protects.' It's also very cute…"

Isshin had to chuckle. "Ichigo it is, then." And he kissed the newly christened Ichigo on the head before returning him to his mother. Just then, an old family friend walked in. "Kisuke…" Isshin acknowledged with a nod as Urahara approached Ichigo and Masaki.

"What's his name?" Urahara asked, wrinkling his nose at the blotchy pink blob before him.

"Ichigo. Kurosaki Ichigo."

Aizen expressed himself with an uncharacteristic burst of mental anger. That brat! How dare he! Aizen was supposed to be the strongest! He was supposed to rise unchallenged to become King! But no, his sister had had a brat…with a former captain of the Gotei 13, no less! He glared at the students in front of him, milling around the training area. He suddenly shunpo-ed away, slicing a hollow in two with perhaps more fervor than necessary. The three students he had saved stared at him in awe, and he smiled kindly at them, his face a pleasant mask, as always. The girl looked terrified, and, seeing his chance, he placed a hand on her head.

"It's alright. He's gone. You three did very well, I'm impressed…What are your names?"

"Kira Izuru, sir."

"Hisagi Shuuhei, taicho-sama."

Aizen nodded, making a note. "What about you?" He asked, lifting his hand from the girl and stepping back a pace.

"Hinamori Momo…"

"I am Aizen Sousuke, Fifth Division Captain. Should we return to Seireitei and have your wounds looked after?" He asked, leading them away, the newest phase of his plan formulating…

"Didn't your sensei ever teach that your sword is not a toy?" Hitsugaya Toushiro said, walking up to his colleague.

"Yes, Hitsugaya-taicho, can I help you? He said a crease in his brow. His hollow had gotten away from him…

"The Sou-taicho is on his way. So you'd better be prepared to explain why you missed the Captain's meeting this morning." He looked disapprovingly at the hollow fleeing through the Garagantua.

"Oh, my, he got away…"

"But you won't. Not when Sou-taicho is through with you. He's as mad as a hollow with a hernia.

"Well, I can't have that, can I?" He said, all innocent, as per usual.

"Aizen." Yamamoto said, standing in the doorway of the office.

"Oh, Sou-taicho…how nice to see you..." Aizen said, standing from his desk.

"Why weren't you at the meeting this morning?" Yamamoto asked, glaring at Aizen.

"Oh, Sou-taicho, I'm SO sorry…Why, I was in the real world, dealing with a hollow problem. You see, I was returning from the training session and sensed it. Since I was there, I thought I ought to attend to it before it could devour any wholes…"

"That's very convenient, Aizen, but as a taicho of the Gotei, you should have been in your place. There are other shinigami capable of dispatching a hollow." With that, the Sou-taicho glared reprimanding once more at Aizen, before leaving with Hitsugaya.

It was a cold winter day in Karakura. The sky was grey and overcast, and the ground was covered in snow. There were icicles hanging from every roof. And Kurosaki Ichigo, seven, now, was ecstastic. He woke up at seven fifteen, eager for another day of Karate. He had started six months ago, and had already made a new friend. They'd had a rocky start, her being her and Ichigo being Ichigo. She kept beating him, and he would cry. But, now, they had a sort of rivalry going on. Ichigo was determined to beat her one day. But today, she was going to play afterwards.

"Mom, mom, mom!" Ichigo said, running into his parent's bedroom. "C'mon, mom! It's today, it's today!" Masaki groaned and rolled over, burying her face in her husband's chest. Isshin was one for mornings, unlike Masaki.

"Masaki, your son is awake…"He didn't even open his eyes.

"Before sunrise he's your son…" Masaki said, though it came out muffled, which was fortunate for Ichigo, who had clambered onto the bed.

"Moooommm! I'm going to be late for Karate, let's go! Tatsuki's waiting!" He tugged at her arm vigorously.

Masaki rolled over. "Alright, Ichigo, I'm coming…" She said as she got out of bed and staggered towards the bathroom.

"Yay!" Ichigo shouted, running out to change into his Karate clothes.

Isshin walked out to the road with them, as Ichigo ran in circles around them. He watched with a proud smile as they walked away, waving as they went.

Ichigo's nerves had gotten the better of him. "Mom…what if I can't do it today? What if I lose again?" He asked worriedly, holding his mother's hand.

She stopped, placing a hand on his odd orange hair. "Well, if you don't, you just have to get better. Don't worry Ichigo; it won't come all at once. But practice, and someday, you'll do it. You'll be strong, I believe in you!" His eyes were watering.

"Oka-san…" He said, hugging her. "Thank you…"

"Now, you go and practice hard. I'll pick you and Tatsuki up later, so have fun." She said, kissing him on the head.

Urahara was drinking tea when a black cat came dashing in. He put down his cup as hit leapt on the table in front of him. "Yoruichi, you're back! And so soon, too!"

"Urahara. There are hollows on the move." He stood up quickly. "Well, we had better get moving then, hadn't we?

Ichigo was chattering excitedly to Tatsuki. "And while I was coming today, I saw this old place, and something was moving in it! My mom said it was abandoned a long time ago, and that no one went there anymore, not even mean people! It's supposed to be haunted!"

Tatsuki laughed. "Oh? And where is this so cool place?"

Ichigo ducked for a minute as the instructor passed within earshot. "Well, it's by the river…"

Tatsuki smirked. "What's so great about that? Everything is by the river." Ichigo scowled.

"Just come on! Let's go!"

A small cat followed behind the two children as they ran to the haunted warehouse. Neither one took notice of it as it walked leisurely down the street, muttering to himself. "Little brats…got to watch out for him…they'd better use their heads…"

"So where are we really going, Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked, tilting her head.

"A haunted warehouse!!! It's so cool!" Ichigo replied, bouncing around.

"Wow!"

"Yeah, I know! Isn't that neat?"

They continued to chatter on, but the little animal had heard part of the conversation. As far as he was concerned, they were going to see the river…boy, was he ever in for a surprise…

"Look at them together…so happy and full of life, the seeds of romance already blooming…" He cringed, though, when he saw Tatsuki bop his charge on the head. What a weakling…

"Tatsuki! Just you wait; I'm going to be stronger than you. I'm going to be the strongest person ever, so enemies beware!"

Tatsuki snorted. "I've never seen a number one who wouldn't take a dare."

He pouted, but brightened and continued. "I'm going to be the main event, like no champ could admit. I'm brushing up on looking down; I'm working on my hit!"

"Thus far, a rather pitiful thing."

"Oh, I just can't wait to be the king! No one saying, 'like this'!"

She rolled her eyes. "Now, when I said that…"

"No one saying, 'get up'." Ichigo ran ahead, turning to face her. "No one saying, 'stop that!'"

Tatsuki had never been good at defending herself with words. That's what she had fists for, right? "What I meant, was…what you don't realize…"

"No one saying, 'see here! Free to run around all day, free to do it all my way!"

By now, she'd been thoroughly set off guard. "I think it's time that you and I arranged a heart to heart."

Ichigo wrinkled his nose. "Champs don't need advice from little kids for a start."

"If this is where karate is headed, count me out! Out of practice, out of Japan, I wouldn't hang about! This kid is getting totally over-vamped!"

"Oh, I just can't wait to be champ! Everybody look left! Everybody look right! Everywhere you look I'm, standing in the spotlight!"

Being sarcastic, she couldn't help but try to burst his bubble. "Not yet!"

Behind them, the cat chuckled. They had no idea…"Let every innocent go for broke and shine, let's hear it in the crowd and on the vine, it's going to be King Ichigo's finest fling!"

"Oh, I just can't wait to be the king! Oh, I just can't wait…to be the king!"

Just for good measure, so he didn't get to big for his head, Tatsuki whacked him one. Again.

"Hey!"

They hadn't realized that while they'd been bantering, they'd come to their destination. It was awfully spooky, they could barely hear anything!

Tatsuki breathed out in awe. "Wow…"

They wandered among empty crates, both of them gaping at their surroundings. That's when they found the stair case. "Hey, Ichigo, I dare you to go up there!" He looked at her like she was crazy. Was she kidding?

"No, Tatsuki, you do it!" She wasn't dumb. She recognized that look. He was scared, backing out of his idea in the first place.

"Alright, fine."

The cat was struggling to catch up to them. They, though larger than her, could fit in the same gaps, as well as see where they were going. He didn't like this, he didn't like it one bit…

He felt the hollow before he saw them, and definitely before Ichigo, at least, realized they were there. He sprinted to where they were, quietly shifting form and dispatching of the hollow. As soon as he was done, he reverted back to his feline form.

"Meow." Both Ichigo and Tatsuki jumped and whirled.

"Look, Tatsuki, a kitty!" Ichigo crooned, bending down to pick it up.

"If it bites you, I'm going to laugh."

But instead, it leapt out of his arms, and run up a little ways, then stopped and looked back at them. It was Tatsuki who figured out what it wanted.

"I think…we should follow it!"

Ichigo cowed his head and walked silently behind his mother. Apparently they'd taken too long, and she'd been looking for him when she saw them coming home. The little cat twined about her ankles, purring.

"Yoruichi, please take Tatsuki home. Tatsuki, you do know the way, right?" The girl nodded, and began to walk. The cat followed along behind her, chasing her every now and then.

"Ichigo." She kept on walking, though he had paused for a minute. Once she reached the rail that overlooked the river by their home, she stopped and stared outward. "Ichigo," she said after a momentary silence, "I'm very disappointed in you."

Ichigo shrank back some more. "I know…I'm really, really, so-"

"You could've been killed, or kidnapped, or maybe even worse! And what about Tatsuki; you dragged her into it, too. Didn't I tell you that the warehouse was a bad place? You deliberately disobeyed me."

Ichigo was practically in tears. "I was just trying to be strong, like Tatsuki! I didn't want her to think I was weak…"

Masaki bent down and gathered him in a hug. "Brave people are only brave when they have to be. You don't go looking for trouble, because you'll get in over your head. Please, Ichigo…I don't want to lose you."

"Mom…I'm sorry…" They remained silent for a few more moments, before Masaki choose to lighten the mood, and started tickling Ichigo who laughed and squealed and squirmed. "Hahahaha….Mom! Hee-hee…" She ran ahead of him, and he chased her, trying to get his payback. They ran all the way home.

Fine!