The Hero of The Great War

"I-I'm sorry that I won't be able to fulfill my promise, honey. I'm truly sorry. Goodbye," I say it involuntarily.

I don't know why my eyes were watery. I don't know why my voice was cracking. I don't know why my whole body was trembling. I don't know why my heart was shattering into million pieces. All I knew was this was the last time I see her.

This is the end.

And then, the darkness has fallen.


My eyes immediately burst open as soon as the dream comes to an end. I'm strongly shivering, panting heavily and hugging myself tightly. I turn in bed facing wall. I feel as sweat covers my whole body uncomfortably. I shake my head, blink few times and take three deep breaths, trying to calm myself down.

That nightmare again.

It appears on irregular basis, but always leaves me disturbed. And it never changes.

In the dream, I'm suddenly standing in the air with a long black sword in my hand. It seems like I'm having some kind of uniform- black hakama with straw sandals. There are many people around me. Those who wear similar cloth to mine are paired up with someone. They seem to be fighting fiercely. Even though I can only see glimpses of their fast movements, I somehow can sense their presence. Everything- most probably war- happens in the sky. Karakura town looks so small beneath me, just few kilometers down.

I see a girl running to me, from corner of my eye. She desperately shouts something I cannot hear. I'm also not able to see her face. I'm hardly able to ignore her. My body moves on its own. I raise my sword with both bit shaking hands, up to the clouds and say some words I myself don't understand. Some small shiny participles start to swirl around me. A man who most probably is my opponent rushes towards me with his own blade, but it's too late to stop me. His insane eyes, glimmering in want to murder is just disgusting. I'm surprised myself that I can such details.

Then I look back last time at the girl and apologize. I feel as if these are my last seconds of my life. The worst thing is that I cannot control anything. There's nothing I can do.

Intensive heavy power rushes through my veins, up to the sword. Blast of light blinds me for a second and my vision darkens.

My face twists in pain. I try to forget the dream as it keeps on replying in my head. I sigh in relief as I finally breathe steadily and my heart's pace slows down after few minutes. With quick glance at the clock, I shake my head for the last time and start to prepare for school, even though I woke up an hour earlier than normally.


It is another normal day. My name is Kurosaki Ichigo and I am a student at Karakura High School, who just happens to have weird surrealistic dreams. But hey, isn't it normal for a teenager? As usually, after getting up I go downstairs, take my ready-to-go bento, try to get away from my little sister, who shouts angrily at me for not finishing up my breakfast (which was made by her) dodge my father's deadly kicks, glance last time at my sister's twin, who lazily rolls her eyes, and in the end I leave my house.

In few minutes I arrive at the high school building. I am greeted by my close friends in a hall. Shortly after the bell rings, we split and go to our classes. As always, the lessons are deadly boring, so I end up staring through the window.

However, today is not the same other.

Suddenly, I see a petite girl running towards a huge black creature with characteristic ivory mask. She swings her white as snow sword. Just as her weapon was about to hit the monster, they both disappear.

I straighten up, startled. After blinking few times I look around. Nothing seems to have changed. Students hardly avoid sleeping from boredom, only few actually make notes, the teacher continues with the monotonous lesson. I shake my head. "Hah, I must have some kind of illusions. I guess I should sleep more," I think.

When school finishes, I feel a strong urge to go the rooftop. "Seems like I need to get some fresh air after that nightmare," I say in my mind, but somehow it feels as if it was an excuse rather than true reason. As soon as I open the doors, a delicate breeze welcomes me. I don't know why but I walk towards the middle of the roof… and just stand there. Nervously my eyes shoot around as if searching for something. But nothing happens.

Just when I am about to turn around to go back home something bumps into me. In result I fall harshly on the ground, my face flat on the ground.

"Ouch…" I groan in pain trying to find the cause of the fall. I slowly rise, rubbing my aching cheek.

The very same black haired petite girl from the morning lies next to me, massaging her head with grimacing expression. She wears a bit dirty dark hakama and straw sandals- just like people in my dream.

"Impossible. But that was just an illusion in the morning, right? The clothes are… from the nightmare! How come? I don't understand!" I think, but my train of thoughts is stopped by her somehow familiar voice. Where did I hear it?

"Shit, why I'm getting clumsier with each passing day?" she moans and stands up, totally ignoring me.

"Hey! At least say sorry, you midget!" I shout and grab her creamy wrist.

The girl jumps in surprise and her violet eyes widen as if she saw a ghost.

"Huh..?" she whispers, "You… You can see me? Wait, why are you lying? Oh my goodness, could it be because I fell on you? B-but that's impossible."

"Of course I can see you and yes, you pushed me!" I reply and roll my eyes. What's wrong with this girl?

Our conversation is cut by a monster which suddenly jumps between us. The young woman sighs and with few quick swift with her blade, the black creature with an ivory mask shatters into pieces and vanishes.

The girl softly panting slowly turns around and looks at me, blinking.

"Can you repeat, please?" she asks in disbelief, her eyes widen… in fear?

I raise my eyebrow, but do as she wanted. She raises her right hand to her forehead, massages it as if deeply pondering, and shakes her head with closed eyes. Then she opens them, her orbs shoot around wildly.

"But that's impossible!" she repeats, her voice rising dramatically, "Y-you shouldn't see me, because it will only destroy your life. No, no, no, no, no! It cannot happen again. I have lost you too many times! You have to forget meeting me! Y-your life will be put into jeopardy if you don't!" her voice cracks, her eyes glimmer as tears start to streak down her flushed cheeks, "I cannot bear seeing you in pain anymore. I just can't Ichigo…"

I frown wondering how come she knew my name and what her words mean. "How come I should not be able to see her? Why she's wearing exact same clothes like in my nightmare? Why she is so depressed? Why she's crying? I don't know why my heart aches whenever another tear slides down her rosy cheeks. Really, what is happening?! I have to admit, that the monsters that she killed today- twice- is already ridiculous sight. Maybe because I hit the ground too strong, results in me hallucinating?" I ponder trying to be reasonable. There are so many thing that I don't understand!

Suddenly she starts off with full speed towards me. I'm caught off guard however, somehow I can predict what she is about to do and catch her both wrist on time and force them down. To my surprise, I feel as if she's hardly resisting me at all. Man, this woman is really confusing.

"W-why are you stopping me? I'm doing it for your safety, you dumbass!" she says and unsuccessfully struggles against me.

"First, let me know who the heck are you and what you just wanted to do! And how come you know my name?" I reply matching her tone.

As soon as I let go of her hand, she goes back one step and bows down as if she was exhausted. Maybe she was? The girl slowly takes a deep breath and answers between her sobs with more steady voice, "My name is Kurosaki Rukia and I'm your wife. Well, more theoretically, rather than practically. Technically I'm a widow. I was about to make you forget everything what you wasn't supposed to see today by a spell. Everything I do if for your safety. Please just let me do it."

After inhaling one more big gulp of oxygen, she finally looks up wither her big lavender orbs. Now her eyes don't seem to be frightened, but more like determined, strong.

"What? First of all, I'm not your husband, you must have mistaken me for someone-" I try to say.

"What do you think, how many super tall high schoolers with orange hair can you find in Karakura town, huh? If I remember correctly, only one," she interrupts me with her hands crossed on her chest. Well, she has point.

"Okay, let's assume that you are right and move to another question. How about my name? From where did u get it? From my friends?"

"I'm your wife, baka," she simply replies as if it was obvious. Maybe for her.

"Who exactly are you? More like, what are you? How you were able to kill, whatever that thing with a mask was?"

"First of all, it was a hollow. These are creatures are born from human souls, which somehow don't cross to Soul Society after death and stay in Human World for too long. Secondly, I'm a shinigami, one of the guardians of the souls and I'm inter alia responsible for purifying hollows, which cause nothing but evil," she answers tapping her small foot impatiently, "Any more questions?"

"Erm…"

There are so many things that I want to ask however, I just cannot spit it out.

"Please, let me do it…" she begs again, exhaustion written all over her face.

Suddenly, out of nowhere a tall red haired guy with weird tattoos on his forehead appears behind the girl. He lays his hand on her shoulder, pats it and says reassuring, "Rukia, it is about time for him to wake up. Taicho agreed already two times for delaying this. He is ready. The possibilities that he will get hurt from coming back to us are practically none now."

The petite woman sighs and slowly draws her sword, which starts to shine brightly.

And pushes it exactly through my heart.

"Welcome back, Ichigo," she says as circle of light beneath us shoots upwards.

When the light calms down, memories rush through my head. The whole history seems as if it last like few hundreds of year. It looks impossible, yet I know that this is all true. Everything becomes clear.

Then I look around, still bit dizzy from getting a mass of information at once. I see two people standing in front of me, waiting for my reaction.

I grin and finally say, "Rukia, Renji, I'm back."


"Ne, Rukia, what took you so long to wake me up?!" I groan as we head back to soul society, shunpoing. Renji left first, saying that he has some business with his taicho. It seems like everyone knows already that I have woken up, since I can sense turmoil ahead of us.

"You weren't r-ready!" she exclaims, her cheeks flush as she looks away pouting.

And I know immediately that this is not the main reason. She's so easy to read. Oh dear, the funniest thing is that she's like an open book only when she's alone with me. Whenever when we are with others, she becomes like a Kuchiki again- a woman with a mask, which is practically impossible to read through. My, what a wife.

"After your stupid sacrifice during The Great War, all I could do to save your sorry ass was to put your shinigami powers to coma and force your soul down to Earth. You know very well, that that was the only way."

"Yeah, I know," I sigh and grin, "But you still didn't answer to my question."

"I think you know the answer."

"However, I wanna hear it from your mouth. I want to hear you say that you were worried about me. What I have to do to get it out of you, hm?" I grab her wrist; encircle her waist with my other hand thus resulting in our body adhering, "Maybe it requires for example kissing you so much that you are out of breath?"

"I-Ichigo! You perv!" my wife replies and runs away with her cheeks red as roses.

Hah, it seems like this is going to be our another beginning together.


Thanks for reading till the very end! I hope you liked it

It's been so long since I have written anything~ I really missed it to be honest :)