City of Emptiness Chapter One

[madimpossibledreamer]

Notes: How's the title?  I might change it...

Main Points:
Bleach AU
Chapter Summary: Someone wakes up to an empty city.
Word Count: 884
Rating: K

When he woke up, his mind was as empty as the streets around him.

He pushed himself up, but lost motivation halfway through.  He decided instead to roll onto his back, staring at the almost endless blue sky above.  It was-should have been-beautiful.  The kind of day anyone would rejoice to have.

Something was just a little off about it.  Or maybe something was off about him.  He wasn't sure how to tell the difference.  How was he supposed to tell, anyhow?  Not like anyone had bothered to tell him.  Or if they had, he'd forgotten.

He swore under his breath, laying out on his back, hands behind his head, attempting not to fall asleep.  The temperature was rather warm, despite a slight chill in the air.  "What the hell's wrong with me?" he asked the few stray, nervous clouds skittering across the sky, anxious to be anywhere but here.  "I'm beginning to agree with you guys," he informed them.  Unfortunately, they proved to be entirely disappointing conversationalists, and had absolutely nothing to say to him.

"Well, you're no fun," he informed them, amused by the fact that he was talking to clouds.  Though now that he thought about it, he noticed something else important.  "It's not like there's anyone else to talk to around."  That fact increased the odd feeling, but he tried to ignore it, since he didn't have any logical reason for feeling that way.  At least, none that he knew yet.  Maybe he'd get the facts eventually, but for now...

"Where am I?"  Something in his head was telling him he should recognize the place, and he'd feel like he'd remember a place like this.  The architecture wasn't anything to write home about, not that he knew where to address a postcard anyway.  Quaint was the word, he thought.  "Boring," he snorted.  Yet despite his dismissive words, he felt something familiar, something comforting about the place.  True, the feeling was a little more like a familiar sort of irritation, but that only made it more likely that it was a home or something, right?  In which case, he should probably wander around.  He finally summoned the energy to get to his feet, a smooth motion probably a little more athletic than most.  For some reason, that pleased him more than it should have.

At least the day was beautiful.  His mind probably gravitated more towards rain, clouds, and storms, but he actually found himself not minding, even basking a little in the sunlight, allowing it to lift his mood a little.

Why he was feeling a little depressed, even he wasn't sure.  Yeah, sure, he had the small problem of not being able to remember a single freaking thing, but strangely enough that wasn't a big deal.  Maybe something had happened that he'd wanted to forget, and he knew that instinctively.

Instinct was doing pretty well for him so far.

He could move pretty fast through those deserted streets.  Circular seemed to be a theme here, as he confirmed when he climbed on top of a roof and surveyed what he could see of the...did they have 'city-states' anymore?  Did that even apply?  Well, it probably didn't when no one was around to do small things like rule and follow and make food and stuff.  Things that would actually sustain a civilization.

The feeling of utter isolation was beginning to get to him.  Like not only weren't there people, the city itself was dead.  Not that he really cared that no one seemed to be around.  Just...why weren't there any people?  If some kind of huge monster had come and eaten everyone, well, that was one thing.  He'd been itching for a fight.  That was one of the weird things bugging him from earlier.  Not all of them.  Obviously, from the fact that several weird feelings he couldn't identify were still knocking around in his chest.

But if it was something else.  Like some kind of disease or poison or something.  But that wasn't right either.  At the very least, he'd see corpses.

Unless something like spontaneous combustion existed or something.  Possible, if kind of a stupid thought.  But then again, was it a stupid thought if it might save his life?
He sped toward the center.  It'd probably be the most important place, with a few answers.  As he stared up for a straight stretch, he found himself slowing.  That huge plateau over there...he'd seen it before, though he couldn't sort out much of the memory of it.

A few important, business-like buildings stood in the center, but he ignored those, preferring to go up to the top of the plateau.  Something was urging him on.  Something important was up there, and if he didn't hurry, he'd lose it forever.  He wasn't about to argue with the vague instinct-logic.

Once he reached the top, he saw a place where a huge wooden construction was missing.  And a huge phoenix, no second chances, no life beyond, just a fire consuming, hungry, devouring everything in sight, burning everything away until nothing was left...

He fell to his knees, holding his head, trying to keep the thoughts, the memories out.  They wouldn't stay away.  He shook his head, screaming, a scream that echoed throughout the empty city.  Empty like his own heart.