Akt 0 – Prologue

Once upon a time, there was a man who died. He was a writer with a peculiar ability-the power to make stories come to life. Many of his town's nobility came to him and asked for a story to be written with the promise to pay handsomely. The man wrote their stories as they asked, but soon the people became terrified as they watched the stories they requested come true. They thought him a monster and worried of what he could do with such a power literally at his fingertips. The townspeople sought counsel with the Book Men, elders in the town who possessed knowledge of such supernatural powers. Upon hearing of that horrid power making its dreaded appearance as it did over a century ago. The elders knew what must be done.

They found him in a copse, sitting alone and writing another perilous story. "Herr Drosselmeyer..."

The man, without facing them, stopped writing for a moment and raised his head slightly. "What is it? Can't you see that I'm busy?"

The leader of the Book Men stepped forward, brandishing an axe from his cloak. "We have come to stop those abominations you call your hands," said he.

He turned to them, one white brow raised as his red eyes looked them over curiously. "'Abominations' you say? Tell me, what makes you think your methods aren't just as abominable?" Waving his hand in a shooing gesture, he said to them, "Now, leave me. I have to finish my work."

"We are doing this for the good of the people. You have no say in the matter." A few other Book Men were holding their axes as well, having followed suit with their leader. All began to surround the old man. Soon, he found his arms being forcibly grabbed.

"I demand you unhand me at once!" he exclaimed, struggling to free himself from their grip.

Gesturing a few of the others to bring the chopping block forward, his adversary stated, "We shall do no such thing. Instead, we shall end this before it gets out of hand. Put his arms there!"

They placed his arms on the blood stained wood and held them steady as their commander raised his axe high above his head. "You and your wretched hands shall never hurt anyone with those stories..." The axe came down, separating

The old man let out a scream as blood gushed from his wrists, which is where his hands were only moments before. "My hands! My hands! You bastards!" He glanced at the freshly chopped off hand that had landed beside the unfinished story. "...But I will have the last laugh!" To their horror, his unattached hand began to act of its own accord and, grabbing the quill pen lying beside it, began writing furiously in his own blood the words: Unbeknownst to them, their fight would rage for all of eternity, even spilling over into the world outside the story-with their creator watching from a place where time stood still, manipulating the events. This time, however, he would watch them from afar as his greatest story came to life in his own hometown, laughing and praising his own genius as the people unknowingly became players in the story...

Despite his haggard breathing, Drosselmeyer managed to let out a brief maniacal laugh, "Now my story will live on long after I am dead! And, as punishment for this act, all of your descendants-and those of the townspeople-are cursed to be a part of my greatest tragedy!" He gasped and collapsed suddenly, having finally succumbed to the chill of death.

The people of the town rejoiced, for the dreaded hands and their master were no more. Yet, as they celebrated, they neglected to hear the man's scornful laughter from beyond the grave...

(Prologue based off of episode openings from Princess Tutu)

DISCLAIMERS & NOTES

This work contains violence and some coarse language. It also contains a few dark themes that may be "disturbing" for some readers.

Contains spoilers from both Princess Tutu and BLEACH.

Read at your own discretion.

I apologize for the length of these notes, but I didn't wish to bore you.

Japanese honorifics are used in this work including titles such as "taichou" and "fukutaichou." Among the honorifics, "baby talk" or "childish" ones are used as well. (Ex. Nii-tama=Onii-sama; Rangiku-chama=Rangiku-chan/Rangiku-sama)

Names are written as they are in the "Japanese format." (Surname then given name. Ex. Kurosaki Ichigo instead of Ichigo Kurosaki.)

Also, names and words with long sounds are written in romanized form (at least until I can find an easier way to write letters with a macron over them). (ex. Toushirou in place of Tōshirō, and yes, they're both correct.)

This work contains a few original characters. Three will be noted here:

Akashio Kenjirou (赤潮 健児郎): Youngest son of the Akashio family. Physical age: 12-14. Zanpakutou: Shirobara (Rose Fortress), a plant-type. Height: 4'11". Hair: Pink-orange. Eyes: Light Green.

Miyamoto Yuzuki (宮元 優月): Kenjirou's half-sister, daughter of Miyamoto Akio. Physical age: 17-18. Zanpakutou: Kappa no Kodomo (Water Imp's Child), a water-type. Height: 5'6". Hair: Dirty Blond. Eyes: Blue.

Fukamori Ookami (深森 オオカミ): Unseated officer in the 10th Division. Physical age: 15-16. Zanpakutou: Kyoufu Kougai (Fear Epitome), a poison type. Height: 5'8.5". Hair: Dark Red. Eyes: Amber

I will have terms listed at the end of each chapter, so don't worry if you don't know what a word means.

Chapters are labeled in a format similar to parts in a play or ballet. This is a tribute to how episodes were labeled in Princess Tutu.

Characters will be kept in character to the best of my ability.

I do not own the two anime/manga associated with this fanfic. Princess Tutu is a creation of Ikuko Itoh and BLEACH belongs to Tite Kubo.

If I left something out of this list of notes, I'll simply add them to later chapters.