Disclaimers, etc.: see chapter one
Opening Theme: Rewrite by Asian Kung-Fu Generation
Ending Theme: Kyouka Suigetsu (Aizen Character Song)
Chapter 5 written 6/4/2022 & 11/2/2022
Author's Note:
I will be updating some of the previous content to make it compliant with the now complete Fifth Division in the Red (Part 1).
Bleach: Cross
Soul of Shirahime
by Eugena
Rated M Version
Chapter Five: Man of Another Name
天国的白雪公主
HUECO MUNDO - AIZEN'S ROOM
The voice he missed for so long came back to him.
Suki.
He could remember how she looked saying his name. How she would slightly smile every time she said it. It seemed only he would get that look.
That is, as long as he didn't remember for too long.
Suki.
Even now in his god quest, only one voice was who he wanted.
Here, hime, let me help you.
He could remember his arms touching hers.
Hold like this and move -.
He pushed his legs against hers.
There.
He looked one moment too long. She lips moved, and he was a done man.
His zanpakuto stirred.
Yes, if only he could recite it.
Her hands moved against his.
He felt the energy swell.
His fingers grasped at hers in anticipation.
Aizen's eyes shot open, a pleasant memory interrupted.
But there was no man standing near him.
There was no haori distracting him.
"Hime?" he called softly.
Why of all times did he have to remember this?
He knew Ichimaru had to be wearing her down. As soon as she was compliant enough, then maybe he'd help her remember.
They both wore the same haori this time. No other had come between them.
Perhaps Ichimaru had been smart enough to leave Kurotsuchi alive. That man had always been mad enough. Yes, the shinigami would believe he lost his mind over the beloved princess and took her life by his own hands.
This plan would be perfect.
Suki.
Soon she would call him that again and the shinigami would simply mourn her.
Suki. Please.
How he missed her.
Suki. Help me. Please. Suki.
Too real to be a memory.
Suki. Suki.
What exactly was Ichimaru doing?
天国的白雪公主
SOUL SOCIETY - TWELFTH DIVISION - FLASHBACK
(TIMELINE: AFTER IMMORTAL PRINCESS [MA ONLY])
Mayuri Kurotsuchi could hear the gasps of his division members all the way back to his workroom.
No alarms had sounded, but at the all too living alarms going on, Mayuri knew something big was about to happen.
That's when he saw her. The god made flesh. The god reincarnated again.
Shirahime Thorne - no, Shirayukihime Shinnouhi - he could call her nothing else - floated in the air above his division. Her massive snow-white dragon wings slowly beat as if taking a breath and not necessary for flying.
She recently returned to Soul Society after her resurrection. She took up the post Sou Taicho only ceremoniously gave to her. He never thought she'd actually be fifth division taicho.
Here she was, fifth division taicho, Imperial Princess, rightful wife of the next Soul King and elder god, in the twelfth division. Mayuri's predecessor was the reincarnation of her father. He hated her before, but now he vowed to make up for his treatment of her, begging her to acknowledge him as her father.
Was she here to destroy her father's former division?
Her eyes glowed blue, the deep blue a god's eyes always glowed.
She was looking at Mayuri.
So, he did the smartest thing he could think of.
"Shinnouhi," he said as he fell to his knees, "what causes you to grace us with your presence?"
Nemu looked sternly to the division members before she followed her father's example. Now, all members of the division knelt before the god princess.
She continued to say nothing, turning her head slightly to study him. Without a sound, she floated down to stand in front of him.
The division collectively gasped as she folded her dragon wings back inside of herself.
"How may I serve you, Shinnouhi?" he asked, his gaze to the floor.
He felt her fingers pat his hair - his actual hair. She merely touched the top of his head, but he felt it as if he was not wearing any of his costume.
He could not hide from her.
"There is something I want from you. You decide today if you give it or not."
She looked to the others assembled there. "Tell anyone I came here, and you all die."
天国的白雪公主
SOUL SOCIETY - FIFTH DIVISION - THORNE TAICHO'S OFFICE - FLASHBACK
(SHORTLY BEFORE SHIRAHIME VISITED THE TWELFTH DIVISION)
Mayuri felt a strange shift in his mind as he recalled that day. His mind detached from the reality of the day as he looked down at his hands.
They were not his hands.
They were her hands.
Shirahime ran her hand down the spine of a worn book on the shelf. She read the title with ease, a relief amongst the Japanese books sorted in the far ends of the shelf.
Someone had placed Chinese books in the area that would be most convenient for her.
It was a small comfort in this world.
Aside from perhaps in the twelfth division, there were no English language books in the Seireitei. There were not many Chinese ones, but Shirahime had quite the share of them now.
"Good morning, taicho."
She turned to see Shinjiro Kita, her fifth seated officer, in her doorway.
"Did you put these books here?" she asked.
"I hope they would be a comfort to you. At least you can read them."
"I'm not doing a very good job being your leader, am I?" she asked him.
"Not true, hime-sama - taicho. You are the best leader here."
"Even better than Zaraki?" she asked.
"He's not the Imperial Princess."
She laughed. "I'm sure our daughter could put him up to doing some dress up though."
Shinjiro nodded. "Anything for Yachiru. You know that."
"Why did you come here, Shinjiro? Most from the eleventh division would never want to go somewhere else. They would miss it."
"You left it."
"Shiro Taicho made a bet. He won."
"He tied," Shinjiro corrected.
She smirked. "And Kenny lets him believe otherwise."
"To get you away from Kurotsuchi. Considering your non relation to Kisuke Urahara, it was hard to tell what he would do."
"And who knows what he'd do now? Urahara still is not my father. Even if he says he is now."
"Of all things, don't you find that ironic? You told him he was your father, and he hated you for it. Now that you're back, he begs you to tell him that again."
"As we Americans would say, he's just a sperm donor. He's not my father."
"Besides him, no one – except maybe Yoruichi – would say otherwise now, princess."
She sighed. "Sometimes, I wish I hadn't come here. I mean I know the first time I had no choice, but I mean coming back now. I wish I could go home again."
"But you wouldn't leave your family here, would you? Is that the only reason you agreed to come back?"
She shook her head. "I showed Kenny and Jushiro. I showed them the truth about the king. Even if it kills me, that thing has got to go. And his puppets need to die. Funny that, one thing killing another thing."
"Don't say that about yourself."
"I will always be a thing. I will always be property. And the only reason I'm not the king's wife (though what is left of him?) is that I am to be the wife of his son, the next king. I am blessed Shiroyuki exists right now. I don't want to imagine otherwise. At least he was always kind to me. He's the only royal other than my own children I tolerate."
"I am honestly surprised they haven't come here to demand you back."
"Shiroyuki's doing. He was angry enough when he found out what happened when I was resurrected. No doubt a lot of lesser gods are now dead and even more of the non-god servants.
"But enough of this. I have a division to run and changes to make. Shinjiro, do you really wish to stay here? Not that I don't appreciate what you've done for the division - for me - already. But now you can feel relieved and go back to Kenpachi Zaraki if you want."
He shook his head. "Wherever you are, my princess, that is where I belong."
谢谢你们的阅读。