Bleach: Kingdoms and Princesses

Truth Between Worlds

"What the hell? This wasn't what I was expecting," Ichigo exclaimed as he stepped through the portal.

As the doorway sealed behind him he looked around saw was almost appeared as the Dangai, but infinitely more confusing. The walkway was paved with cobblestones and there was a sky overhead. It was a starry night sky but with worlds and galaxies speeding overhead, casting odd shadows and bursts of light. The walls melted like in the regular Dangai, but at times the ilk would fall away to reveal doors or archways leading to strange places. The walls would then throw themselves back up again and the sights would be lost to Ichigo.

Bob took Ichigo down the road and to a bridge that stretched over pitch blackness. The bridge widened as it jutted away from the Dangai-like slime until it met another wall of the sticky mass. Ichigo wasn't sure how to regard this odd world, if was even that.

"Okay buddy, before I take another step, you're going to tell me where are," Ichigo said.

"We are in the Dangai, but not on any road that you have taken," Bob explained. "The Dangai as you know is a world on the edge and one that connects different realms. As such, if you stretch to its furthest reaches of reason and possibility you come to an edge where your known universes touches the fringes of infinite possibilities and worlds."

"I've never heard of such a place as this in the Dangai," Ichigo replied hotly. "The Dangai's normally dark and creepy with the threat of imminent death if you stay too long! This is something more like an acid trip."

The cloaked stranger laughed and replied, "You haven't seen anything just yet! But that is the truth Ichigo. The next logical question I guess would be why did I bring you here?"

"It crossed my mind," Ichigo muttered.

"I've brought you here for some very important training and for answers. In a place like this, you can learn the truth of all things. At least all things that right now concern you."

Ichigo gave the man a flat stare and finally said, "Sounds like we'll be here for hours."

"And here in the Dangai we'll barely lose any time," Bob said happily. "Now then, confession time! Ichigo, you might want to sit down a little bit for this next part. You'll be able to release your rage soon."

Ichigo opened his mouth to ask what the hell the guy meant when his knees buckled and he found himself falling into a sitting position.

"Huh? How did you do that?"

"Ichigo, I need your attention here," Bob said, gesturing to his red eyes. Once the teen gave it to him he continued, "Ichigo, I have been watching you story from afar, from another world entirely!"

He pulled from one of his pockets, a manga volume, and he tossed it at Ichigo. Ichigo picked it up and perused the pages. He was shocked to see that it was his story of meeting Rukia. He touched his face and wondered if he had ever looked that way. As he flipped through the pages, Bob didn't say anything. It was like he didn't need to. Memories flooded back to Ichigo, remembering his shock at first seeing Rukia. He chuckled about kicking her, and scowled when she bound him with kido. The pages rendered everything in such detail.

"How do you know about this stuff," Ichigo finally asked.

Bob threw out dozens of more manga volumes and laughed, "Because in my world you are just a story! But don not worry-"

"Don't worry!?" Ichigo roared. "How cannot I not suddenly feel worried. These are written by some guy, Tite Kubo. Never heard of him, but he knows everything that happened when I first met Rukia! How? Nobody could have known that besides us, and I know we didn't broadcast every detail to the world! Does this mean... Does this mean I'm not real?"