Bleached Honor
A Honorverse/Bleach crossover by GraysonPaladin
Rated: T
Disclaimer: I GP do not own the rights to the Honorverse and Bleach. Those belong to David Weber and Tite Kubo, respectively.
Summary: Honor Harrington has died but is not 'dead'. Even in death she will not back down from defending her home and people, even in death she still is Admiral Lady Dame Honor Alexander-Harrington, the Salamander herself. And Human or Hollow will ever change her mind.
Just shy of her 250th birthday Admiral Lady Dame Honor Stephanie Alexander-Harrington (ret.), Duchess and Steadholder Dowager Harrington, Countess Dowager White Haven, hero of Battles of Manticore, Mesa, and Sol, a woman who staged an escape from Hell, passed away peacefully in her sleep. All across the Diaspora people mourned her passing, from Manticore to Haven to Grayson to New Berlin, Earth, and beyond. They will remember a woman who fought against incredible odds to victory to her people and swift death to her enemies, a woman who never faltered in her duty. They however will not remember a woman who cried herself asleep remembering all the lives lost in war, or her three loves. When she passed on she left behind a legacy unmatched by anyone who has lived or will live.
Unknown to all, Honor Harrington remained earthbound even after her death seemingly bound to Harrington City on Grayson by a chain attached to her chest. For months she watched her people go about their daily business, in a way she sadden by this, that they no longer can see her but also happy to know that they will continue living.
It was a rainy day inside and outside the great dome of Harrington City when the beast came. The citizens of the city went about their lives under umbrellas when Honor heard an inhuman roar, she turns to see a large beast, out of place under the crystoplast dome. The beast looked like a large hexapuma with a bone-white mask for a face, and large hole in the middle of its chest. It roars again as it spots her, then charges her.
Even dead Honor is still a Sphinxen with the strength and agility that it entails she was able to dodge the beast. Unfortunately she wasn't able to dodge its second attack as it swung a massive clawed paw at her. Honor is knocked into a nearby building, and as she tries to get up the beast spoke in a deep male voice.
"I found you Harrington, I finally found you after so many years. Now I'm going to take great pleasure in finishing you," the beast said with malicious glee holding a long length of chain in its grip.
Honor pales when she notices that the chain the beast is holding is the same chain connected to her chest. She might not know what the chain does, but knows that it is very important. In an instant the beast pull on the chain, snapping it between it paws. Honor holds back a scream as pain races through her body, she feels like her entire soul is being ripped to shreds. When the pain subsides she blacks out.
When Honor opened her eyes she sees that she is no longer in the domed city of Harrington but now in the Crown Oak forests of her home world of Sphinx, with the light of twin suns filtering through the leaves. As she looked around something struck her as odd, there was no sound. No wind blowing through the canopies, no animals barking out their calls, to Honor it felt like she back in open space.
"Welcome Honor Harrington," a voice said from behind Honor.
The aforementioned woman turns to see another women stepping in the clearing with cat like grace. The newcomer is dressed in the black and gold uniform of a Captain-of-the-List for the Royal Manticoran Navy, and perched on her head is the white beret of starship commander. The woman walks into the clearing with bear feet. Some movement caught Honor's eye and she spots a long, flexing tail behind the new woman. Seeing the tail caused Honor to take a second look at the woman, moving up from the tail Honor sees a second set of arms clasped behind her back, her grass-green eyes are slits like a cat's, and on either side of the white beret among the short cream-and-gray hair are two pointed ears. The woman looks like a Sphinxen Treecat took human form.
"Who or what are you," Honor asks.
The woman smiles revealing the long, pointed canines of a treecat, "oh I'm sure you already know my name Honor Harrington since I have always been with you. As to what I am, that is complicated. In a sense I am you Honor Harrington and yet I am me."
Honor narrows her eyes at still unnamed woman, "you still haven't answered my question! Who are you and were am I?"
The woman's smile shifted into a full blown smirk as she starts to walk around Honor with her upper pair of arms tucked into her pockets. "I already said that you know who I am, you've known that ever since you set foot on the Island and became a vanguard for the Crown." She then tilts her head in confusion as she passes in front of Honor, "and I'm surprised that you don't recognize your own home world," she said in mock despair.
"This can't be Sphinx; I was on Grayson before coming here! I can't one moment be in Harrington City and the next be out in the Copper Walls."
The still unnamed woman continues to smirk, so she is starting to lose it. Soon she can hear my name.
"No sense of humor, well I guess I should be straight with you then. This is my home, my domain, a special place in your soul where I can reside. And since in a way I'm you, it would be a place you yourself would be comfortable."
As she spoke the weather of this inner world took a turn for the worst, clouds soon darken the sky, the wind kicked upped, and rain started to fall. And it was getting worst by the second.
"What's going on," Honor shouted over the howling wind.
For the first time the unnamed woman looks scared, "no it's too soon." She turns to Honor with concern in her grass green eyes. "Did that beast do anything to your Chain of Fate?"
"You mean the chain on my chest then yes. It took a couple links off before I ended up here."
The woman grew even more scared, she walks up to Honor and places her hands on Honor's shoulders. "Listen to me Honor Harrington, when that Hollow broke the Chain it also sped up the process of you becoming a Hollow like it."
"A what?"
"A Hollow is a soul that has remained earthbound for too long and has become a monster that devours the souls of the dead and living. And you Honor Harrington are becoming one!"
Honor pales, "is there any way to stop it?"
Grass-green gazed into Chocolate-brown, "call out my name Honor Harrington, and do it quick."
The wind and rain around them came harder; it was like they are in the heart of a hurricane. Honor can hear sounds of falling trees nearby; she sees the world around her starting to come apart. Then a memory appears in her mind. It is a name that she has always known, a name of someone who was always with her even in the darkest of time. The name flowed off her lips silently, yet the woman smiles as she heard it over the sounds of wind and rain.
"About time Honor Harrington, may our enemies tremble at of might, and may our allies never fear us," the now named woman said as the world goes black.
Outside of Honor's mind the newly christened Hollow approached the building Honor was knocked into. It stopped suddenly as it felt a buildup of immense power coming from the fallen Steadholder. A burst of light surrounded the fallen woman causing the Hollow to stagger backwards. A lone figure walked out of the wreaked building as the light subsided. Clad in a deep-black Grayson gown, with dark hunter-green vest, and a crimson sash holding a rapier to the figure's side. She walks with the grace of a dance on bear feet over the rubble covered street; her face is hidden behind a bone-white samurai mask. A slim, pale hand reaches up to the mask, and in one deft motion pulls it off her face. The Hollow felt fear as it saw the look in Lady Dame Honor Harrington's eyes, a looks that her enemies knew full well, a look that promised one thing and one thing only, imminent death.
"What are you," the Hollow shouted.
"I am Death," Honor said simply while unsheathing her sword, No my Zanpakutō, she thought.
"No! I will not die while you live,"it shouted running towards her.
"Proposition accepted," Honor replied as swung out her blade.
She swung the blade up towards the Hollow's mask as hard as her Sphinxen breed muscles will let her. The tip of the blade struck the mask, but hit shallow and doesn't pierce flesh. The Hollow grasps its head and staggers away howling in pain. Honor watches as pieces of the Hollow's mask fall to the ground, revealing human face, a face of a man Honor killed over two centuries ago.
"Lord Burdette," she growled out.
William Allen Hillman Fitzclarence, former Steadholder Burdette growls at the woman who ended his life in 1907 Post Diaspora by the blade. Over the centuries the hate he had for her grew, and grew until it consumed his soul and became a Hollow. He took his new form as punishment from God for not killing Honor in their Duel in 1907, and waited for this day, the day that proves that he is the righteous Hand of God and not her.
"Yes it is me you thrice damned Whore!" He spat, hatred oozing off every syllable. "I've waited so many long years for this moment bitch, and now I will finish God's will!"
He howls as the mask reforms, "prepare to go to Hell, Handmaiden of Satan."
If Honor was fazed by the outburst she didn't show it. "Remember what I said when we dueled last time, 'Your Grace do you wish the Man to be crippled or dead', this time I will make sure to finish the duel," Honor said as shifted her stance and placed her sword in a two handed low-guard. Power stared to come off her, kicking up the wind around her.
The Hollow formally known as Lord Burdette recognized that stance, it is the same stance that ended his life.
"No, I will end you this time," he howls out right before charging you.
Honor closed her eyes as the Hollow charged her, "May God Preserve the Righteous," she whispered. She then snapped her eyes open and brought forth her newly found power, "Dancing on the Clouds Always Unconquered, Victorious and Fearless with a Hawk's Wing and Wayfarer's Dream: Toiseach Corona Quercus!"
The Zanpakutō in her hand seemed to flexed and flowed as the blade lengthened and broaden from a rapier to a Grayson-style katana. The hilt lengthened and gained a jeweled, cup shaped guard. When the Hollow got close enough she swung the blade diagonally crossed his chest with all the might of her Sphinxen breed muscles in a stunning reenactment of the duel between her and Burdette back on the floor of the Conclave of Steadholders. The razor sharp edge seemingly parted the Hollow's flesh from hip to shoulder before Honor twisted the blade and slashed to the left, separating the Hollow's head from his body.
Honor fell to one knee being propped up by her blade as a great dark-light burst from the Hollow's wounds. She looks up to see a huge stone door way suddenly appear, the doorway is more or less plain with two skeletons, one on each door, and thick rope holding to doors together. The doors soon open and a large trident came out of it and pierced to head and two halves of the Hollow's body. The trident is drag back through the doorway by a large tattooed hand, the only other hints that the hands was attached are the large glowing eyes and the deep laughter that chilled Honor to the bone. Once the Hollow was fully dragged into the doorway, it closed and crumbled away as quickly as it appeared, the only clue that the door was ever there is the faint smell of brimstone.
"He… How ironic that the man who claimed to do God's Work is burning in the deepest pits of Hell," Honor mused with an amused grin.
As the adrenaline subsides and exhaustion took its place Honor started to fell her true age. But a small smile came to her lips; despite being dead she hasn't felt more alive in decades. Honor then felt a hand on her shoulder. Thinking that it is an enemy she spun around with Toiseach to strike, only to be blocked by what appears to be a giant cleaver.
"Whoa there Miss we don't mean any trouble," a man said.
Honor looks up to see the cleaver in the hands of a young man with strangely colored orange hair. He is dressed in black variation of a kimono with a white coat, his golden-brown eyes gazes at her with concern even though he is wearing a scowl. Then the word 'we' registered and Honor looks behind the man to see two young women. One of the companions is a good deal shorter than herself with black hair done up in a bun and brown eyes. The other women stands out, with her teal hair hidden underneath a broken skull mask, a red tattoo under her hazel eyes and across the bridge of her nose, and a large scar stretching from her forehead to the tip of her nose. The two women are wearing a black kimono also, but without the coat.
"I see," Honor said as she started to stand up, at her full height she towers over the three newcomers. She hefts up her blade and points at them, "so who are you?"
"If you put away your Zanpakutō perhaps we will answer you," the man replied. Without taking her eyes of the three, Honor somehow changes her blade back into a rapier before sheathing her. "Ok then, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, Taicho of Fifth Division of Gotei Thirteen, and this is my Fukutaicho Momo Hinamori and Third Seat Nel Tu," he said point to the brown haired woman then to the teal haired one.
Honor for one few times that she can remember is confused. Most of the words that this Ichigo said, she doesn't understand and yet she does. She looks at each of them, trying to gauge their strength until she gets to Nel. Honor's hand flies to her blade ready to draw to, believing that Nel is a Hollow. Ichigo sees this and stops her.
"Nel why don't you go scouting, see if there are any more."
"Right away Itsygo-Taicho," the teal haired woman said with a lisp before jumping away.
"Momo see if you can heal her injuries," Ichigo ordered the second woman.
"Of course Taicho," Momo replied.
The black haired woman kneeled next to Honor before reciting a sentence in another language. Momo's hands start to glow green and begin healing Honor wounds.
"So Mr. Kurosaki what are you," Honor asks after a brief moment.
"I'm a Shinigami, Miss…"
Honor blushed at her mistake, "sorry I guess I should have introduced myself. In life I was Lady Dame Honor Alexander-Harrington, Duchess and Steadholder Harrington," Honor replied with practiced ease. "If you don't mind me asking, what is a Shinigami?"
"Not a problem Lady Harrington, I tend to get asked that question a lot," Ichigo said with a small chuckle. "A Shinigami can also be called a Soul Reaper in English, we help to guide lost souls to the Soul Society and fight Hollows. Before you ask, yes Nel is a Hollow but she's on our side, and she been that way for over two-thousand years."
Two-thousand year, Honor thought, dear God that before the Diaspora! "Where is this Soul Society?"
Momo answers before Ichigo could have the chance, "the Soul Society is where souls go to rest and wait to be reborn. Some call it Nirvana, others call it Heaven, and we call it Home."
As Honor listened her thoughts to Hamish and Emily, her husband and wife, and to her lost friends and family, "if that is where we go when we die would I be able to see my husband and wife, or my parents?"
Ichigo shakes his head, "I'm sorry Lady Harrington, but it is very unlikely that you would see them. Families tend to get separated, and by now they may have been reincarnated."
"And we call it Heaven," Honor said.
"Well we never said it was perfect," Ichigo replied with a shrug.
At this time Nel bounded back, "Taicho area is clean there was only one low-level Hollow in the area."
"Ah thanks Nel," Ichigo said moving his eyes off Honor. "Well then I think it's time for us to get going, Momo is she healed?"
"Yep she is Taicho," Momo said with a smile.
"Good, alright everyone pack your gear let head home."
He waves his hand and a door way appears by them, a group of black butterflies float through the doorway. Nel and Momo enter the doorway; Ichigo hesitates and glances over to Honor.
"Well are you coming?"
Honor opens her mouth before snapping it closed, she starts to think about answering. "I'm not sure; I'm mean this city has been my home for over two hundred years. I feel that I must continue to watch over it."
"Honor," Ichigo said softly, "your time has passed, and while you can fight Hollows are still not trained to do so. You were damn lucky to have killed that one. Come with us and we will train you, that way you can protect them."
Honor closes her eyes for a moment, when she opens them she sees a living man walk down the street. He was tall for a Grayson, with blue eyes and brown hair. Honor watches as he walks by, and Ichigo notices.
"I'm guessing you know him?"
"Yes, he's my grandson, the current Steadholder Harrington." She glances over to Ichigo, "maybe you're right, and perhaps it's time to let the next generation to protect this world."
The Shinigami nods and put his arm out. Honor grasps his hand and he leads her through the doorway in to the Soul Society and to her new life.
Paladin's Notes:
Well this has to be one of the more strange crossovers for the Honorverse. It came to me when I was thinking about Honor somehow becoming a Shinigami, and the thought amused me to no end so I just went with it. Oh and about the phrase Honor used for her Shikai release (Dancing on the Clouds Always Unconquered, Victorious and Fearless with a Hawk's Wing and Wayfarer's Dream: Toiseach Corona Quercus), the first part "Dancing on the Clouds" is Honor's Treecat name, the next part are all the hyperspace capable ships she commanded in her career, HMS Unconquered, Nike, Fearless, Hawkwing, Wayfarer. The next part, the actual name of the Zanpakutō, is Latin and Scottish Gaelic, which translate out to be Vanguard of the Crown Oaks, which seems appropriate for an officer from Sphinx were the Crown Oaks are native to.
To Bleach Fans: The Honorverse is a sci-fi/space opera book series by David Weber. In total there are 12 main novels, 4 side books, and 4 anthologies. It is set in the 1900's Post Diaspora, year 0 PD is when the first colony ship left Earth (AD 2104). This a question I have for you, How would the Soul Society police over tens of hundreds of worlds for Hollows, and how will they deal with the possibility of millions of souls having to pass over (the population of the Diaspora is measured in the trillions and in a period of a few hours over 12 million people were killed). For more info go to the Honorverse Wikia page
To Honorverse Fans: Bleach is an Anime/Manga series by Tite Kubo. Like the Honorverse this series is still ongoing in Japan. It has a Anime and Manga series, a couple movies, and many video games. It takes place in current times. For more info go to the Bleach Wikia