Disclaimers, etc.: see chapter one
Opening Theme: Jue Ai by Faye
Ending Theme: TBA

Chapter 06 written 11/04/2022

Bleach: Cross
Red Gemini
by Eugena

Rated M

Chapter Six: Belief of Princess

天国的白雪公主

SOUL SOCIETY - FIFTH DIVISION

"It would seem one question is answered," Nemu said.

"We seem to be missing something," Chad remarked.

"Aizen is your friend?" Momo asked. "Your friend?"

Hime turned away. "No, of course not. He was just nice to me. He just pitied me. He wasn't my friend at all. Don't worry. He isn't tainted by a nobody like me."

"She didn't mean it that way," Unohana said. "We are just surprised to hear he had a friend. Not that it was bad he was yours."

"Really?" Hime asked. "Well, maybe I wasn't a friend to him. I mean he's too good for that. But to me, he was my only friend. Though, please don't tell him I said that. I don't want to humiliate him. I do that to Suzunami Taicho enough. I - I promise I won't call him my friend anymore. Now that he's leading his own division, it would just bring him down. I can't be a burden to him."

"How can you talk about him like he's a good person?" Rukia asked.

Soi Fon looked at Yoruichi. "Lady Yoruichi, this is the part where you tell me not to jump to conclusions. Because I'm jumping to one right now."

"And what would that be?" Yoruichi said.

"I'm not going to say it around my niece," she said, looking to Yachiru. She saw Nemu. "I mean my nieces."

"I don't get it," Rangiku said.

"You don't need to," Jushiro said.

"You knew already?" Soi Fon asked.

"When did you figure that one out?" Kenpachi asked him.

"Figure what out, Kenny?" Yachiru asked.

"Oh, um, they're having a special adult secret talk," Hanataro volunteered.

"You know, too?" Kenpachi asked.

"Aizen could be good when it suited him," Momo said. "But, let's not get lost. Hime, we need to help your children."

"Fujimaru's here, too?" Hime asked.

She fell to her knees again.

"Please, Unohana, please. Spare Matsuri and Fujimaru. They don't deserve to pay for my stupidity."

Unohana froze. She couldn't bear to hear those names, to hear her beg.

"Kurotsuchi," Kenpachi said to him, "the more Unohana hears those names, the less she'll have her head to help them. So, it's up to you. Wanna kiss that princess again? You'd best find a way to help her. And get her off her knees. Damn. I never saw her ever do that. Even if this isn't exactly her, I can't take it."

"You mean she never -?" Rangiku asked,

"My gods, is everything about that to you?" Kenpachi interrupted. "Good thing you don't have kids. Your priorities aren't straight at all."

Mayuri filed that away for later. He'd analyze it when he was alone.

He went over to Hime. She drew back from him, falling backwards.

Rukia helped her to her feet.

"Unohana Taicho, Kurotsuchi Taicho," Rukia began, "are you done with her now? Can you do the rest without her? It would be best if you could."

"And why would you care what happens to my wife?" Ichigo asked. "You didn't before."

"I'm not her, you fake Ichigo. And I am Shira - Hime's friend. Her friend, Ichigo. Not her dead husband trying to drag her away to the king's realm."

"King?" Hime repeated. "King? No. No. I'm not going there. I belong to Lord Seigen now. He saved me. I belong to him. I can't go back."

"You belong to him?" Kenpachi repeated.

"Hime," Kurotsuchi said, fighting back all urges to start calling her by titles, "let me help you with your children. Let's look at them, shall we? Here, take a look. Your daughter."

He turned her around to face Raiko.

"This isn't my daughter," she said.

"Why, yes, it is," he corrected. "She's a twin. You hid her to keep her safe. We need your help separating her from her brother."

"You have the wrong person," she said.

Mayuri stole a glance at Retsu who still seemed frozen.

"It would please Lord Seigen, that good husband of yours, to help us out." He didn't believe any of it, but if it got her cooperation, who cares?

"Oh. So, Lord Seigen picked a new wife?" she asked. "I'm so pleased. Someone worthy of him. Yes, let me help you then I'll go retire."

"Retire?" Kisuke repeated.

She looked to him. "Oh, Urahara Taicho! How good to see you." Then she saw Yoruichi and Soi Fon. "And Shihoin Taicho! Oh, Soi Fon Fukutaicho, I see you've been promoted. Congratulations.

"And thank you, thank you for helping Seigen's children. I'm in your debt. Whatever you wish." Then she looked shyly to Urahara. "Now that Seigen is remarried, or that our marriage is annulled, whichever, then I can be at your -."

"Please, don't finish that sentence," Urahara begged. "Like, ever."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I guess you like the paid kind better. They are prettier."

"Kisuke Urahara, why is she referring to - and how come she knows us?" Yoruichi asked.

"So, he can sleep around on you, but he couldn't accept your own child?" Soi Fon asked Yoruichi. "Why are you so enamored with him?"

"Oh, we met," Hime said. "But, of course, you would not remember. You're three very important people, and I'm no one. I'm Yukihime Suzunami. Well, I guess I don't have a last name anymore since Seigen remarried. So, just Yukihime. My friend called me Hime."

"How come we didn't know who you are?" Yoruichi asked.

"I'm a nobody. Why should you know me?" she asked.

"But you're the Imperial Princess, aren't you?" Uryu asked. "You do know that means you're higher in rank than anyone here, right?"

Yukihime wrung her hands. "Imperial Princess? What's that mean?"

"Shira," Ichigo said, "look at me."

Yukihime looked anywhere but at him.

"My name is Ichigo," he explained. "I am your husband. I'm the son of the emperor. Do you remember now?"

"No," she said. "No. The days of the emperor, the days of the gods, they are long over. Please, let me be. Even if I live the rest of my life alone, I'd rather do that than go back. I don't want to go back."

"No one said anything about you going back," Kenpachi said. "Just ignore him."

"Lord Seigen saved me. I owe him everything. He's the only person who loves me - even though I'm unworthy. But finally, he got a new wife. I begged him for years. Now, he's done it. I'm so happy for him."

"I really would like to kill him now," Kenpachi said.

"I think we should question him first," Uryu said.

"I think killing is a better idea," Kenpachi said.

"I didn't say we couldn't do that after we find our answers," Uryu said.

"Okay, deal," Kenpachi agreed. "Just don't be nice when you question him."

"He can't really be the only person who loves you," Momo said. "There's the children you mentioned." As much as it was going to hurt her, she had to say this next thing. "And there's Aizen, isn't there? I can tell he loves you very much."

"Did she just say Aizen loves someone?" Rangiku whispered.

"She's actually right," Nemu responded.

"But?" Rangiku asked.

"Believe me," Kenpachi said, "not that I want to admit it, but Shirahime, her incarnations, and the kids, they are the only people he loves."

"But he doesn't seem fond of Yachiru," Rangiku said.

"I think he meant specific other children," Chad volunteered.

"Yeah," Kenpachi admitted. "So, keep your mouths shut about all this."

"I didn't think the day could get any worse," Uryu admitted.

"But I still don't understand -?" Rangiku began.

"Good," Kenpachi interrupted, "because you'll blab it everywhere. You don't know when to keep quiet. Don't bother trying to understand. I don't want you to. The last thing I'll want you to do is to be blabbing that to all those shinigami you're sleeping around with. The word's gotten around that you're incredibly easy to fess up during those times. Believe me, I know a lot more about your private life than I ever wanted to."

"What are you talking about, Kenny?" Yachiru asked.

"Something very dangerous to your brother and sister," he answered.

Yachiru looked at Rangiku and flared her reiatsu. "Whatever it is, if you say it, I'll kill you. Nobody hurts my little brother and sister."

"It's important no one else find out about this," Jushiro said.

"Finally snapped out of it?" Kenpachi asked.

"I can't believe Matsuri and Fujimaru were here. Why didn't we remember them? And she thought they were as old as Raiko. That means they were reincarnated again. And now -."

"You mean you've met them before?" Uryu asked.

"It was a long time ago," he said. "At the time, they were maybe three years old by human standards."

"Now they've grown," Uryu remarked.

"No," Jushiro said. "The day I met them was the day they died."

Yachiru knew they were gone. But she tried to remain strong for her siblings who were still here.

"Died?" Uryu repeated.

Jushiro felt himself leave the present, his mind returning to the past.

"The day they were executed," he said.

"What?" Uryu asked.

"But they were children," Chad said. "How could anyone do that?"

"Because," Jushiro explained, "it will always be the only way to control her. In the end, they didn't get what they wanted. Because then she -."

"That's enough," Zaraki hissed. He didn't need to say the rest of it. Not in front of Yachiru. "This Yukihime is here now, and she needs our help. Shirahime had a better chance with zero division, but with how this Seigen apparently treated Yukihime, I don't even want to imagine how she would handle it. Besides, didn't Shirahime say they were coming? I bet she did something to hold them back a little longer for us. We've got to get this Yukihime to realize who and what she is."

"She said the time of the gods were over," Jushiro said.

"She doesn't realize how wrong she is," Zaraki said.

谢谢你们的阅读。