The Truth of the Moon

Shineti no Getsuei

Disclaimer: While I am a writer and artist, I do not own any characters featured in Bleach that make their appearances here. Any other characters are taken from mythology and bear no copy right with any one person.

With that said, I hope you enjoy the show ladies and gents. Ah, this is AU, but doesn't actually start being AU till the fight with Aizen.. this chapter takes place at the start of the Hueco Mundo arc, as Ichigo is being told by the Sou-Taichou that Inoue Orihime is a traitor.

Prologue

In which the Sun and Moon converse

Thunder echoed out fiercely, crashing almost imperiously in the wake of angry flashes of lightning. Wind buffeted the tall buildings of the city, howling downwards, through curiously empty streets and then up again, racing up the sides of the many sky scrapers, whose windows offered no light, no hope of life. Amidst the storm, upon the tallest building, a man stood, watching the dark grey clouds with a blank face, though if one looked closely they could see the start of annoyance twitching upon the very edges of his lips.

"Stupid girl," the man sighed, reaching up to rub the stubble on his chin in annoyed resignation before he spoke again. "She should have tried harder to leave clues so that those fools can at least find her."

Around him lightning and thunder flashed and crashed, as though agreeing with the tall man. His coat, colored dark as a moonless night, fluttered in the harsh winds, dancing along invisible ropes pulling and tugging incessantly, but he made no move to bow to the whims of the wind.

"At least it isn't raining," he muttered. No sooner were those words out of his mouth did the lightning and thunder clash out angrily once again, but this time with more fervor, more fury. "What are they telling you," the man wondered as he stared up to the now black clouds with his apathetic eyes.

Behind him a form shimmered into being. Clothed in shimmering white and red silks of royalty that flowed and pooled like water at her feet, her face painted stark white, with beautiful deep red lines curving over her eyes and forehead, she gazed at the man with kind golden eyes that peered out from a shimmering veil of gold and silver gossamer. Her elegantly done up hair was black as night, but somehow seemed to produce a light of its own, in fact, her entire form seemed to glow.

"Tsukiyomi," she whispered in a voice far too melodious to be human, it was like the most beautiful voices of earth had conjoined into one, yet all spoke individually at the same time, forming an ethereal harmony.

The man turned, a frown now upon his lips. "That's not my name right now, and you know it," he stated, looking at the woman with narrowed eyes. "But the more pressing matter is, what are you doing here... Amaterasu no mikoto," the way he said her name, it was not contempt, but niether was it with awe. He drew out the syllables, as though he knew he stood on equal ground as the goddess of the Sun.

Upon her red lips a graceful smile formed. "The time has come, Tsukiyomi," she intoned softly, letting her words echo through the suddenly quiet skies. It was as though by her simply being there provided a calming balm to the world around her but it did nothing to soothe the man, his eyes hardening into a sharp gaze.

The man's eyebrows furrowed into a scowl. "He is too young yet, to place such responsibilities upon his shoulders now…it would be too cruel. To expect so much of someone is too much even for an adult. He is still a child, not even fully grown by human standards, much less in the eyes of the Court of Souls."

The smile remained upon her lips, and if Amaterasu was at all disappointed by the reply of the one she called Tsukiyomi, she did not show it. Instead she smiled her gracious smile, turned away from him and looked up to the grey skies, waving one hand at the surrounding area.

"I know you wish to protect the young Prince, but he cannot continue on without you by his side, Tsukiyomi," as she spoke, the world around them started to dissolve, and the man knew that the woman before him was shaping it to her liking. Gone were the towering, lifeless skyscrapers that relentlessly challenged the clouds, and instead now there were regal trees all around, whose canopy of verdant green offered a shady retreat from the suddenly bright sun.

If it were possible, his frown and scowl would have deepened further as he listened to her words. "I am by his side, always," he challenged vehemently. "My power is his to use as he will, never have I with held anything from him if it could help."

Amaterasu turned her golden eyes to him, her gaze questioning, reprimanding, and condescending all in one low blow. "Are you really with him, Tsukiyomi? Really, honestly, truly? You go by this fake name of yours, you use a power that is not real, you appear in disguise, so tightly wrapped in illusion that not even the soul you are bound to can tell that it is all a lie. The only thing true about you right now Tsukiyomi, is your heart. You know that the words you speak are true, but at the same time, you know that I too, am right. The little prince will soon require more power than either Zangetsu or his darkness can provide. That man, the one called Aizen, he is smart, he knows of the Rule of Three. He will wait until the three of us, Izanagi, Izanami, and myself, must step down, and when you do not step up he will situate himself upon the throne...You must stop this now brother, before the one who would be a God destroys all that we hold dear, the others all agree with me as well...Izanami agrees with me," she whispered in her too melodious voice, placing a delicate hand upon a black clad shoulder.

The man flinched away from her hand, both from the contact as well as the mention of the eldest goddess. Long moments passed before the one called Tsukiyomi offered a reply. "He will never agree to follow the rules of the Gods, much less Royalty," the man stated in a defeated sigh, shoulders sagging fractionally as he realized that his elder sister was right. "Especially not since his heart already belongs to another."

Amaterasu smiled brightly as her brother admitted defeat, and the wind around her picked up just slightly, almost happily. "That will be no problem, Inari has always been in place, just waiting, I imagine that she will reveal herself almost immediately after you do," here the goddess of the sun giggled as the normally apathetic man gazed in surprise at her. "You think so little of us meddling old ones. You would do well to remember that when you were upon the throne you too meddled in the affairs of others."

"Then...She is?" His voice was hopeful, though his face had been schooled back into a blank stare once again.

Nodding her head, Amaterasu offered a peaceful smile. "Be at peace Tsukiyomi, though the young Prince's life has not been easy, it had to be as such. He knew the love of a mother before she was called back to do her duty, and his father is still around to provide guidance when he is lost. When the truth of his blood is made known...yes his responsibilities will seem to increase tenfold, but it is better he learn now, while he is still quick to forgive such duplicity on our parts, than later, when he may feel even more betrayed than he will. But I know for a fact that our Prince will forgive us, once the stress and confusion have died down a tad. His heart is far too kind and pure to hold something like resentment against the one who has always been with him..."

Amaterasu looked up into the sky her golden eyes dimming as she studied the clear blue heavens, seeing something with her divine eyes that was invisible to the rest of the world. It was some time before she spoke again, filling the temporary forest with the sound of her harmonious voice, but this time her tone was sad, mournful even, "He is very young, so much so that it pains us to ask this of you two..."

The way that Amaterasu trailed off made the man realize that he was being selfish, not only for himself, but for his partner. Heaving a sigh he shook his head. "But it must be done, sacrifices must be made for the greater good," he muttered resentfully, lip curling marginally into a nearly unnoticeable sneer, but Amaterasu's sharp golden eyes caught it. "I understand, I may not like it, but I understand…He will know me when the time comes…only when my power is explicitly required, not a moment sooner."

The elder woman gave another of her brilliant smiles that seemed to warm a person to their very core. "That is all we ask," she said with a grateful bow. "I shall tell the others of you decision...I have no doubt that we will see you soon, Tsukiyomi no Mikoto, my dear little brother." With that said she slowly began to fade away.

The man grumbled something incoherent under his breath, but couldn't help a parting shot before the woman had completely disappeared. "I'm still Zangetsu until then," he retorted.

His only response was her beautiful laughter as she disappeared completely. With her went the forest, and once more, the man who was truly Tsukiyomi but preferred to be called Zangetsu found himself atop the tallest skyscraper, and almost as though the sky had been covered with a giant blue fog the true sky was revealed. Slowly the dark grey storm clouds emerged once again. Slowly the thunder and lightning began to clash in rage and anger once more. Slowly the wind began to build up, turning from a gentle breeze into fierce squalls that howled through empty streets.

The man, Zangetsu, was quiet for a time, contemplating the raging skies above him, before he groaned in realization, his partner was not going to like this. "Ichigo's going to kill me."

End of Prologue

That's the end of the prologue, but I'm working on the next part, so it should be out in a few hours if I work hard, at latest, a few days. Hope y'all enjoyed. Drop me a line in a review if you have something to say to me about it. I'm always eager to hear what my audience has to say.

--Beat