Near Wild Heaven: Rukia x Ichigo x Renji (Bleach)

[hallowd.livejournal.com]

Title: Near Wild Heaven: Rukia x Ichigo x Renji
Fandom: Bleach
Pairing: Kuchiki Rukia x Kurosaki Ichigo x Abarai Renji
Author: hallowd
Word Count: ~ 7500 words, whoops
Disclaimer: Bleach is copyright of Kubo Tite, Shounen Jump, Studio Pierrot et al. I own nothing. This is a fanwork for fun, not profit.
Warnings: het and slash

Thanks: Long ago, tenebris made me see this OT3. Much more recently, jaina heartily approved, raynos squeed at the right time, and kawree provided clever translations, pretty pictures, and inestimable support and was a true blue sine qua non. Fabulous acknowledgements, my ladies.

Notes: This manifesto follows manga canon, so it's peppered with spoilers up to the current arc (Fake Karakura). Names are given in the Japanese order, surname first. Dial-up users are kindly asked to exercise patience: this post is quite image-heavy. Please click on the thumbnails for full-sized images!

Quick-and-Dirty Glossary

bankai: lit. "full release"; the fully realised, strongest form of a zanpakutou's power; only a rare few shinigami ever achieve this level
Hollow: dead souls that have lost their humanity and become monsters that eat human souls
reiatsu: lit. "spirit pressure"; the spiritual power and vitality of a shinigami
shinigami: lit. "death god" ("Soul Reaper" in the Viz translation); guardians who guide the souls of the dead to the afterlife and keep watch for Hollows causing havoc
Soul Society: the beyond in the Bleachverse; the spirit world where souls go, and from which they are reborn into the living world. Shinigami reside in Soul Society.
zanpakutou: lit. "soul cutting sword" ("Soul Cutter"); the official weapon of the shinigami, and an extension of their spirit

( Near Wild Heaven )