Bleach:Zangetsu

"A king is not bound by emotions hybrid."

The sound of footsteps, heavy yet elegant, drew his attention from the river's current. Ichigo's eyes narrowed slightly as a figure approached, tall and regal in appearance, draped in black denim jacket and jeans, that shimmered even in the fading light of day. The man seemed to float, as if the environment bent around him.

The stranger stopped a few feet away, casting a long shadow over Ichigo's small form. His Crimson gaze was sharp and piercing yet the orange haired boy ignored him.

The sun hung low in the sky, casting a pale orange glow across the rippling surface of the river. The wind whispered softly through the trees, but the boy sitting by the water paid it no mind. His eyes were distant, locked on the flow of the river, no matter how hard he tried, all he saw was his mother's blooded body.

Everything played in slow motion for him... The rain.  The Girl... and... It.

His small hands gripped his knees tightly, his body hunched against the weight of the loss that had been with him for a month now. There was a burning feeling in chest... it was hot whenever he thought It.

The man stood above him with his ever-cocky smirk, The two of them stood in silence as the wind blew by. Ichigo simply stared ahead as the echo in his heart grew more bitter with each passing second. "You mourn the loss of a single woman, child and for what?" He said as he a small white stone appeared in golden partials in his hands. With a flick of his wrist. The stone bounced across the riverbank." How utterly worthless such a notion is...don't you agree" 

Ichigo glared at the Golden-haired man with utter hatred. "She. was. my. mom."he spoke in a cold tone. If looks could kill, the man would be 7 feet under already...

The man snickered at the statement at such a notion, it was amusing... really, to see an Ant stand up to a Giant "So. what?" he said with his ever-cocky smile. He waved his hand dismissively toward the boys feelings, the pain off loss was of little consequence.

Ichigo's eyes twitched as his face went red with anger ever since he met this goldarn haired bast-" You claim to love her, yet you bring shame to her death by moping over her corpse. move on." The man's words where like sharp swords that penetrated his soul." I-"

but the man cut the boy off "Do you think a king has the right to weep when the world calls upon them to stand tall? Do you think a king can afford such weakness?" The man slit red eyes bored down on the boys being like cruel judge. The second stone bounced further this time.

"Such weakness will lead to your death boy." He said with a light smile. Ichigo finally turned his gaze upward, his golden-brown eyes filled with confusion and a quiet rage. "What the hell do you know about kings!?" he looked down in pain " "My mother... she-"

"Died an honorable death." The man once again cut the boy of as he threw another white stone made of marble. "Accept it... Learn from it and move on." He said as threw a third one across the river.

"Such is the course of life"

"What do you know about losing Something that meant your whole world too?" Ichigo whispered, his voice strained with the hurt he was trying to contain.

 The man's lips curved into the faintest smile, a smile that carried neither mockery nor warmth. It was just… there. "More than you think, child. I know the burden of responsibility. The weight of being someone others depend on. I know the cost."

"Loss, sorrow, grief—they are temporary for someone who is strong. You will learn, in time, that to lead, you must rise above such things."

Ichigo finally looked up at him once more, his eyes red-rimmed from the tears he refused to shed. "Rise...above? She's dead." The boy spat bitterly; his orange hair covered his eyes." And no matter how strong I try to be, nothing changes that. Nothing will bring her back."

The Man's crimson eyes softened, but only for a brief moment. He crouched down before Ichigo, lowering himself to the boy's level. "Correct. Nothing can bring her back. Nothing will undo the past. But that is where your true challenge lies. You can weep forever over what is gone, or you can choose to stand. To build something stronger from the ruins. That is what a king does."

The wind picked up slightly, the river's current quickening as if to mirror the man's words. Ichigo shook his head, staring at the water, unable to hold the man's gaze any longer. The Man rose back to his feet and gave one look to the boy with a silent contemplation before he walked off, hands in pockets.

He turned, glancing over his shoulder with a final, piercing look. "The path you walk is dangerous, child, be warned: It is not for the faint of heart." I sense you are not one to shy away from it.… and perhaps, one day, you will understand These words.

" It can destroy you, or it can drive you to something greater. But only if you learn to wield it. You are a king in the making, whether you accept it or not."

---

"Where am I?" The words were soft, barely a murmur, lost in the vast emptiness of the ocean's depths. Her eyes fluttered open slowly, but the water stung them, making her vision blurry and distorted. As she sank deeper into the abyss, an eerie calm washed over her, both foreign and familiar. "What happened?"

She floated aimlessly, her long green hair trailing behind her like a flowing seaweed, moving with the water's currents. Everything was still. Too still. The world around her was a stretch of endless ruins. To her right, shattered blue buildings drifted like forgotten fragments of a long-lost civilization, their broken forms barely holding onto the remnants of their original shapes. The ocean's depths seemed infinite, far-reaching, and suffocating, but strangely peaceful.

Neliel didn't know how she had arrived here. She didn't know why she was here. But as her gaze shifted downward to see a massive bottomless hole in the Centre of the world, her mind felt oddly calm, as if this place—this cold, submerged world—was something she should have been familiar with. There was a faint, almost imperceptible feeling of decay in the water, a strange resonance, reminding her of Hueco Mundo. 

A gentle tug on her senses reached her, a whisper from the dark corners of her mind. But before she could fully focus, a shadow appeared above her.

A Hooded figure, cloaked in black, hovered silently in the depths. Its form was vague and indistinct, its features hidden beneath the hood that cloaked its face. The only thing that stood out was the sword it carried. The sword's presence struck Neliel like a sudden memory—sharp, heavy, undeniable.

It was Tensa Zangetsu.

The sight of the blade made her heart thud in her chest. She didn't know why, but it felt... significant. Familiar. But not in a comforting way. This blade, belong to Ichigo, who had been the source of so many battles, so much pain, so much power. Why was it here, now, in this strange, cold place?

The figure said nothing, merely floating toward her, moving with a slow, deliberate grace. There was an emptiness in its silence, an unsettling weight in the air as the distance between them closed. She tried to speak, tried to ask, tried to understand, but her voice faltered, caught in the grip of something deep inside her—a rising sense of dread.

"Who... are you?" Her voice was a whisper, but the figure didn't respond. It simply raised its sword, the dark blade gleaming with an ominous light. The air felt thick, almost suffocating, and Neliel's pulse quickened as the figure moved closer. "No...!" she gasped, but before she could react, the sword struck.

The pain was overwhelming. It was sharp, searing—like fire cutting through water. The blade pierced her chest with a single, fluid motion, and the darkness surged forward, swallowing her whole.

Everything went silent. Everything went black.

(Author thoughts: well? :) )