Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or any of the cannon (or studio created) material therein. I own my original characters only.
That voice that pierces deep in my heart, is just like cheers that will not end. - Tite Kubo
"Nee-san, it's time to go back."
Narue froze, polishing cloth stopping mid stroke along the length of her shimmering white tanto. She swallowed, perhaps nervously, before snorting with derision and returning to caring for her sword. "We only got here a week ago, Nii-san. I haven't even been able to find a job yet."
"…that's not what I mean." Yuji whispered quietly, gazing out of the window of kitchen of the tiny one bedroom apartment they shared. It was raining that night, the droplets gradually coming down harder and harder, and he seemed transfixed by the pattern and noise the rain made falling against the window pane. The lights and activity from the night market below them was much less noticeable than usual, most likely due to the weather.
Gently laying her sword on the table in front of her, Narue rose and walked over to her brother, softly gripping his shoulder from behind. She felt him tense; the tension making his lean muscles as hard as rock. His frequency of his panic attacks had begun to be more frequent over the past couple of months, not so coincidentally, she noticed, the closer they moved towards Tokyo. Still, she never questioned her brother's sixth sense.
"How do you know, Yuji?" She asked, and although phrased as a question, it wasn't challenging, merely wanting to know. His premonitions were frighteningly accurate came in multiple ways; through dreams, gut instinct, even things as happenstance as an offhand comment from a total stranger. She knew is most fervent and vivid ones had always happened during jinzen, but he hadn't dared attempt that in nearly a century.
Yuji was silent for a long while, Narue simply looking out the window with him. She knew silence was comforting for her brother, who was normally skittish at the best of times. Although, she knew, he had always had reason to be.
When Yuji finally spoke, his voice was pained and hushed, as if he was terrified of his own words. His hands gripped the handle of his calligraphy brush so tightly, Narue was afraid he would splinter the wood. "It spoke to me…. "
Narue's eyes went wide, and she fought to keep the bile from rising in her throat as she spoke, forcing a calm quality to be evident in her voice. "Yuji, it's been one hundred and twenty seven years since you last communicated. What in the world would he say now that would make you want to go back?"
Yuji shuddered and dropped his calligraphy brush on the table, splattering ink and ruining his current project. He swallowed and began shaking his head so violently, Narue began to worry. "No…" he moaned, eyes squeezed shut, "I don't want to go back. I don't want to be like him…!"
The petite girl grabbed his shoulders, giving him a stern shake, and forced him to come back to reality. "Now listen to me, you stubborn baka; you are nothing like him. You never were like him, and you will never be like him." She hissed in frustration, sharp teeth bared. "Now tell me, what did he say to you? You need to tell me. I can't protect you if you don't tell me what he said to you!"
Narue's heart nearly shattered in two as Yuji raised his head to hear, and opened his eyes. His gaze was filled with such despair and defeat, it caused her confidence to waver, even if just momentarily. He swallowed, and took a deep breath, before answering her very quietly.
"Aizen Sosuke is dead."
Author's Note: Welcome to "Beyond the Pale". Like alot of people out there, I often think of original characters for an already established universe, and this is my first attempt to bring them to life in a more actual for than in my imagination. Thank you, Kubo Tite, for creating the canvas that inspires me.
While the story follows what is happening in other parts of the Bleach anime universe, it takes place during the Arrancar: The Hueco Mundo Sneak Entry arc, Arrancar: The Fierce Fight arc, the Arrancar vs. Shinigami arc, and the Arrancar: Decisive Battle of Karakura arc (assuming The New Captain Shūsuke Amagai arc never happened). It has been a while since I watched the episodes all the way through (subbed, of course) so if there are glaring errors, please let me know. I may fix them, I may not. That is the beauty of fanfiction, I can do whatever I like with the universe so long as I acknowledge that the appropriate elements are not mine.
I always enjoy when writers actually reply to the questions and concerns of their readers, so if something is posed to me in a review that warrants a response, I will reply to it in the next chapter. Thanks so much for reading, and please, tell me what you think!