Going Back to 1912
*In honor of Titanic's 100th anniversary I have compiled a short story involving not one or even two but six pairings. I'm surprised no one has done a fic in honor of this event. There is one Titanic based Bleach fanfic you can check out "Titanic: As Told By Bleach" by KyraX. That's the only one I know of and it's just IchiRuki but still really good. I like to have variety in my stories people.
A quick historical fact about this ship: its maiden voyage was April 10th 1912 and sank in the early morning of April 15th 1912. So it was afloat for technically six days...before it split apart and sank killing hundreds.
So the pairings are: IchiRuki, RenTats, IshiNemu, UlqiHime, NaokoxYumichika and NaomixIkkaku. There will be cameos of other pairings as well so be on the lookout. Yes I had to include Naoko and Naomi; it just wouldn't be an EmpressSaix fic without them. And don't worry there is only a few OCs of mine in the entire thing so, shut up and deal with it.
So on with the show!
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Titanic, just a few measly OCs.
Please review and tell me what you think. I'll update depending on the reviews.*
An elderly woman dressed in a soft pastel kimono looked out the window of the helicopter she and her personal nurse Nanao Ise were in. She could see the boat that Shunsui Kyoraku was leading. The aged woman couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of how flabbergasted he sounded when she told him she knew Rukia Kuchiki or rather Rukia Kurosaki.
"Are you sure about doing this? You know your health hasn't really been all that well lately." Nanao reminded her gently.
"I'm quite sure. I know Rukia and the others wouldn't want their stories to go untold." She replied.
Down below on the ship two men were bickering. Ukitake was trying to get his best friend to see reason about meeting this woman.
"Shunsui I'm telling you I'm getting a bad feeling about this. What if this is just some scam to get money or publicity?" Ukitake reasoned. "Rukia Kuchiki died on the Titanic anyone who knew her back then would be over a hundred by now!"
"This woman will be one hundred this coming September." Kyoraku said cordially.
"Alright fine. I did a background check on her all the way back into the early twenties and she's a writer. A writer Shunsui! Think about it! She tells tall tales for a living! Come to think about it I think I read some of her books when I was in high school." The team leader's white haired friend said.
"Jushiro, calm down. Look anyone who knows about Rukia Kuchiki and the necklace is dead or on this ship but she knows!" Kyoraku shot back.
The helicopter landed and people scurried about unloading the woman's cargo. The crew helped the elder out and into her wheelchair and lent a hand to Nanao who Shunsui couldn't help but let a low whistle out. Ukitake rolled his eyes before smiling warmly and shaking the older woman's hand.
"Mrs. Naoko it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Jushiro Ukitake and this is my friend and the leader of this excavation Shunsui Kyoraku."
"A pleasure to meet you as well. This young lady here is my personal nurse Nanao Ise." Naoko said introducing the other woman.
"Well hello Miss Ise, may I call you Nanao-chan~?" Kyoraku said sweetly while taking Nanao's hand in his.
The nurse narrowed her eyes and snatched her hand away from his. "No you may not. Now can we please get the Madame inside?"
After getting Naoko settled they wheeled her into another room where all the small salvaged bits of relics were kept. She saw Nemu's black butterfly barrette, Ulquiorra's worn silver and green cufflinks, Orihime's blue flower hairpins and her very own blue and silver fascinator.
"King Louis XVI wore a fabulous stone that was called the Blue Diamond of the Crown, which disappeared in 1792 about the same time old Louis lost everything from the neck up. The theory goes that the crown diamond was chopped into a heart-like shape that became known as the "Heart of the Ocean". Today it would be worth more than the Hope Diamond." Ukitake explained.
"I remember Rukia complaining how heavy it was. I thought it was large and a bit gaudy." Naoko confessed.
"We traced it down through insurance records. An old claim was settled under terms of absolute secrecy. Can you tell me who made the claim?" The snowy haired man asked kindly.
"I imagine someone named Aizen." The old woman ventured.
"Sosuke Aizen that's right. The claim was for a diamond necklace he bought for his fiancée Rukia Kuchiki a week before he sailed Titanic. It was filed right after the sinking so the diamond had to have gone down with the ship." Ukitake turned to Nanao, "If Naoko really does know Rukia then she might know what happened to the necklace."
"And that makes you my new best friend." Kyoraku said happily as he patted Naoko's shoulder.
Kyoraku and his team then showed the two women a video of the ship hitting the iceberg and the process of sinking. A sea of memories filtered through Naoko's aged mind, those thoughts were as clear as day.
"That was a lovely presentation, but the personal experience was quite different." Naoko said.
"If you can...can you tell us about it?" Ukitake said slowly.
She closed her eyes and sifted through her memories. The sight of the new mahogany floors, the glittering windows and fresh crisp look the whole ship had. She could still hear faint notes of music being played by the band in the dining hall. She remembered the doors being opened for her and her friends. The sight of all those familiar but long gone faces beaming at her.
"This is too much for her, I'm taking her back." Nanao said moving up to reach for the wheelchair.
"No!" Naoko barked. "I'm fine." She calmed down and opened her blue eyes. "I will tell you my experience on that ship but...there are eleven others whose stories all intertwine with mine including Rukia's. If you are willing to be patient I'll tell you all I know."
She pulled out a worn sepia photograph. There were ten people all dressed for a wedding, two of them were easily seen as the bride and groom. The bride wore a large dark diamond necklace, the Heart of the Ocean.
Kyoraku and Ukitake's eyes went wide with disbelief. The bride was Rukia Kuchiki and one of the bridesmaids looked like a younger version of Naoko.
"Still think she's a liar?" Shunsui playfully challenged his friend.
"She's got my attention now." Jushiro agreed and he pulled out a voice recorder, "Whenever you're ready ma'am."
A wan smile graced her withered face. "It's been 84 years ...and I can still smell the fresh paint. The china had never been used. The sheets hadn't been slept in. Titanic was called "The Ship of Dreams".
When I was young I wasn't a fan of traveling by ship but best friend Naomi was insistent. Her grandfather was the captain of the ship and it was supposed to be his last ship to captain. I remember she dragging me across the gangplank and boarding the ship."
*A little different yes and perhaps confusing but things will make sense as they go on, I promise!*