A/N I know that this is kinda late, but this event is truly horrific, and required -in my opinion- a tribute from myself.
ps this is during the first arc of BLEACH.
disclamer: BLEACH is the intelecuall proporty of Tite Kubo.
BLEACH - Fallen: a 9/11 tribute.
Byakuya Kuchiki and his Lieutenant Renji Abarai were assigned a routine hollow slaying mission in the city of New York. The day was beautiful, the sun shining off the two tallest buildings in the entire city. At that moment in time, Byakuya and Renji were at the North Cove Marina near the World Trade Center in New York City, the remains of the last hollow disintegrating as Renji sheathed Zabimaru.
"That was too easy," said Renji as he walked towards his Captain. "If we were just going to slay some small-fries, then why were we assigned here?"
"We were given orders to oversee New York City while Rukia is AWOL," said the stoic noble, his head turned towards the world famous Twin Towers.
"Those towers truly are a sight," said Renji as he started climbing an invisible staircase made from gathered reishi.
"It seems so," replied the clan head as he flash-stepped next to his lieutenant. "But also, these towers represent the pride of the nation that built them – the amount of money required to build such buildings is a symbol of the wealth of the nation that owns them."
"Are you saying that these people are boasting?"
"Not exactly. It's more akin to the scarf I'm wearing, or my captain's haori, or even your lieutenant's badge," explained Byakuya.
"So they're just displaying their power here?" asked Renji.
"Yes," was all Byakuya could manage to say, for as he finished that word, both of them heard a low droning whir of a commercial jet liner.
"Is there an airport nearby here?" asked Renji as he saw the low flying plane.
"Not in that direction!" said Byakuya, distress in his voice.
8:46 AM: AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 11 CRASHES INTO THE NORTH TOWER.
Renji and Byakuya were speechless. The plane had been practically swallowed by the building and the crash site was engulfed in flame.
"Shit, what the hell happened?" Renji asked, fear – the rarest emotion for a former 11th division member – laced in his eyes.
Byakuya's head lowered, the three strands on the left side of his face hanging loosely in front of his eyes. "An unfortunate accident."
"I guess we should konsō the deceased," said Renji, unsheathing his zanpakutō.
"Wait, the building's structure has been compromised. It could fall any minute now," said Byakuya as he put his arm in front of his lieutenant. "Wait until it has collapsed, then we'll go in," Byakuya then started praying for the poor souls on both the plane and in the building. 'The unexpectedness is reminiscent of Pearl Harbor, I truly hope my instinct is wrong, but this may in fact be an attack,' Byakuya thought, remembering the poor souls that he konsō-ed on that fateful day.
"This may be a long day. Should I call in some extra help?" asked Renji, literally smelling the fear and distress of those trapped in the building.
"Go ahead, we may need it," said Byakuya, his eyes never leaving the burning tower.
xoxox
9:03 AM: UNITED AIRLINES FLIGHT 175 CRASHES INTO THE SOUTH TOWER.
"Son of a bitch!" exclaimed Renji, his reaction delayed by 1 whole minute.
Byakuya eyes widened greatly. He now knew that this was a coordinated attack, and he didn't just look at it for what it was. He knew the symbolism – this wasn't just an attack on the city – no, this was an attack on the pride of the nation as a whole.
"Renji?"
"On it," replied Renji, now calling for more support.
The city's response was now so large, Renji and Byakuya could hear it over the chopping sound of the helicopters and resulting wind. The wailing and droning sirens of the emergency vehicles below sounded like the score to the chaos which they were responding to.
xoxox
As the minutes ticked on, the paper of the office buildings fell out, but that wasn't the only thing.
"Holy shit! Is that actually people falling?" asked Renji as he saw large human sized masses fall out of the buildings.
"Yes. Though unfortunately, these people have accepted that they are fated to die today, so they have chosen to die with the pride of their own free will," Byakuya explained, the noble respecting the choices of the falling men and women, and praying for the poor souls who lost their grip.
xoxox
9:57
"Captain, the extra assistance is here," said Renji.
"Good, tell them to-" Byakuya was interrupted by the coming of 9:58, and the collapse of the South Tower.
The people falling to their deaths were taken easily by Renji and Byakuya, due to them being shinigami, but this was unprecedented. Byakuya hadn't seen anything like this before. Seemingly without noise, it seemed the building itself had decided to end its own life, falling on its own footprint, creating a huge cloud of debris extending from Ground Zero.
"Holy shit," was the only thing Renji was able to say, and the unseated shinigami were beyond speechless, this moment forever engraving itself in their minds.
As the tower finished falling, the debris compromised the structural integrity of the surrounding buildings.
10:28 AM: NORTH TOWER COLAPSES.
Renji, Byakuya and the rest of the shinigami present bowed their heads in solemn respect, the long radio spire being the last thing seen by the shinigami. As the dust settled, the shinigami moved in, being responders of a different sort. While the paramedics and fire fighters were looking for survivors, the shinigami were looking for those not so fortunate.
When they had finished, the skies of NYC were filled with many hell butterflies, each set of black wings representing each of the 2,750 innocent people that died that day.
"I have to say, I've never seen such a sight," commented Renji.
"Yes, but I wish to never see so many innocent lives slaughtered once more." As Byakuya said this, he saw a lone fireman looking in the direction of the hell butterflies. 'I wonder, can he see the hell butterflies, or is he just at the sky?' Byakuya asked to himself.
A/N now, personally, 9/11 hit home when I found out about it, but not untill i got older did I under stand what happened, and when I chose Byakuya and Renji, I saw 9/11 in a deeper light, not just the toll of 2,750 innocent people in NYC alone, or the 59 people at the pentigon, or the heros who died in Shanksvill PA, but also its symbolisum, the atack on the Twin Towers was an atack on our finacial prowess, and the Pentigon being an atack on our millitary, and the one in Shanksvill was to be an atack on our Gov't.
so plese, review so I can try more tributes.