Prologue- Never Knowing Is Always Best
Jump. I think, leaping over a fallen tree and landing near the edge of the river. I feel my silver paws hit the cool, fresh forest grass, and I look at the sky as the first signs of rain begin to show. "Rainstar!" My son Carmeltail yells to me, standing atop the rotting brown wood with his long claws sunk deep into the bark. I see his dark honey brown tabby pelt glimmer as the first drops of rain hit my fur. His yellow gaze pierced me, and I knew how powerful my son was beneath his soft appearance. "Can we go back to camp now? Bluefrost is dragging a rabbit back now."
I seem to smile at the name of my daughter, my quick-witted hunter. Maybe I did, but being a cat, I didn't know if it was possible to smile like the humans always did. I wished I was human sometimes, but no time to think about that. My nine lives were still all lined up waiting for the next battle. It would be awhile before I might get reincarnated. I shook out my silver tabby fur, and Carmeltail and I padded away into the camp underneath thicker trees.
"This is an amazing catch, Bluefrost!" Oakpelt, my dark brown tabby mate, compliments our daughter. Bluefrost purred in an embarrassed way, and I licked her blue-silver fur.
"Wow, Bluefrost!" Nightfeather licked her black paws and trotted over to her. "I wish I was that fast." Her brilliant golden gaze shone with pride for her clanmate and slight jealousy. Mintclaw had even complemented her; the nervous cat never talked to anyone except for Robinfeather and Carmeltail. He had silver ears and tail tip, and he flicked his tail across his mate Robinfeather's dark red pelt. I hopped up to the oak tree on the other side of the camp that the Clan leaders had always announced their news on. I addressed RoseClan with a mew that sang out like a dove's call; congratulating Bluefrost on a meal we'd only have a few times during leaf-bare. Then, jumping down, I retreated to my den for the night.
Smoke. I thought. I smell smoke coming from- I raced forward and stopped dead in my tracks, ripping up grass as I skid across the ground. There, in my camp, was a fire, ripping through the forest. Killing my Clan. I wailed in anguish as some humans doused water on the fire, and revealed the charred bodies of my Clan lying around, some burned completely to cinders. I saw the slow rise and fall of my son's chest as he took his last breaths. I ran over to him and licked him furiously. "C-Carmeltail, c-come on!" I panted.
"Rai-" He coughed. "Rainstar, please… just… you…" He gagged again. "You've got to… to find a mate! Restore RoseClan!" He reached up weakly and licked my muzzle. "You'll be able to become… hu-" He gulped for air, but that was the last time I saw his chest rise. It fell as he lie still, and I saw the light outline of his spirit drifting towards StarClan – the place where all of them went. Leaving me alone in my anguish and fear in the center of the clearing while humans picked up the bodies of my Clan and took them away.
Prologue II- It's My Time, Too
I'm walking home.
That's right. It's me, Rainstar. Only human. I just live in an alleyway, but its…kind of warm. After my Clan died, they gave me my mission – to find a mate and restore RoseClan within ten years. Or else I'd die with them. But…I was sixteen in human years, so what could I worry about? Ten years. Twenty six. Yes, that's how old I would be if I couldn't find a mate. I would die young. I felt my son's spirit drift around me. "Rainstar," He whispered.
"I told you; in my human form you are to address me as Mia!" I snapped coldly, and then realizing my tone, I whispered, "Sorry." I rather like my name. I chose it myself. Mia Calevero. Middle name? Screw it. It's pointless. No one else has this name. It's all mine. Carmeltail drifted away, perhaps I'd hurt his feelings? I sighed, but my sigh turned into a scream as a man came around the corner and stabbed me through my chest. My shriek was cut off. I saw my body below me – my blue eyes open and lifeless, blood splattering my black skirt; the knife through the skull imprint on my shirt being pulled out as more blood flicked my pale face, and the way blood was leaking from my mouth. My long, straight purple hair splattered with scarlet also – sickening. I really was dead. I really did die young.
Chapter One- Rebirth
Oh, where am I? All I see is black… I don't know if my eyes are closed or not. I hear a voice… I swish my head back and forth, trying to pinpoint my location. Suddenly, blinding light. I blink a few more times. I hear mumbling at first, and the words I catch are from a man. "What is your name?"
"Mia…Calevero." I look around the room I'm in.
"Ah, Mia." He says, holding out a hand and helping me to my feet. "I am Sosuke Aizen. Welcome to the Espada."
"Hi, I'm Neliel. I'm supposed to show you to your rooms." A girl a little taller than me (by about an inch) held out a white-gloved hand.
"Uhm…" I eyed her seafoam hair, that red stripe across her face, the skull atop her head; I looked at it all with curious aqua eyes. "Rooms?" Neliel explained each concept as she led me to my own mini palace. With a kitchen. I loved cooking. I looked in the mirror sitting on the wall of my bedroom. "Waah! When did I get cat features? I never had these when I was human!" I patted the brown cat ears and flicked my tail, which had a pink bow with a bell tied to it. My pelt was silver when I was Rainstar… this was all so odd to me.
"Human?" A tall, lanky boy with long black hair peeked in from the doorway. "You remember being human?" I could see the 8 on his tongue. That must be his rank. I was number 5, and Neliel told me she was number 3. "What a memory you have, you Bakeneko you."
"You… don't?" I asked, shocked. I turned back to my reflection. I was wearing a white tube top that just covered the tops and underside of my breasts, nothing more. It was white, and had a black stripe around the edges, and then a black line running halfway down from the top and taking a sharp diagonal curve left where the zipper was. I felt like a slut. The skirt only had a black edge at the bottom of it where it stopped halfway to my knees. The rest was white. I had arm warmers that went up to my elbows and had black stripes around the edges. And of course, I had a big white bow stuck to the top of the backside of my skirt that had so much extra ribbon on it, it nearly dragged on the ground when I walked. I'd tied up my purple hair into a bao style, liking it much better. My boots were all black except for the white stripes running along it the same way every Arrancar's shoes did. It was…stylish? Maybe?
"Nnoitra, get out of here!" Neliel hissed angrily, snapping my mind back to reality.
"You can't boss me around in someone else's room, Neliel." He scoffed, giving her a smirk filled with teeth. I flicked my ears in annoyance. "Lord Aizen says that the three of us have a mission to find the Vasto Lorde."
Neliel groaned. "Really? Again? Well, Mia, this will be good training for you. Come on."
I followed Neliel down the hall, taking in all the sights while I was at it. Eventually we ended up in the white dunes of Hueco Mundo, where hollows were swarming around us. "Mia!" Nnoitra called to me. "Why don't you go search?"
"Yes sir," I said, walking forward towards the nests where the hollows were probably lurking. Nnoitra stepped in front of me suddenly, blocking my path, his half moon shaped weapon slung over his shoulder.
"You're taking commands from an Espada three ranks under you, Mia?" He noted with a smirk.
"Nnoitra, go search those nests!" I said commandingly, whipping out my arm and pointing in the direction I was originally headed.
He smiled, then replied, "Yes ma'am." With that he had run off. I went in another direction to search on my own. I skirted a few nests in the area as I continued my search. "Ugh, what does this thing even look like?" I yelled to myself. "How do I even find it?"
I searched for awhile, wandering far from the dome of Las Noches. "Crap, I better go back." I mumbled before being attacked by an army of over 100 hollows. Perfect! I screamed inside my head. I've never fought a battle before. I'm screwed. I jumped up as one of the bulkier hollows tried to grab me and most likely rip my head off. I skidded to a halt farther back and looked for my zanpakuto, which, quite frankly, I didn't know where it was. "Tap the bow, Mia." A feminine voice whispered to me. No time to question who it was. I tapped my index finger against one of the gold bells hanging onto the pink bow and a glowing pink light formed the silhouette of a zanpakuto. The pink light broke away as a sword with a green hilt and a rose for a guard appeared in my hand. I brought it forward, aiming the tip at the hollows with an intent expression on my face. They all came at me at once, and as if I'd fought hundreds of battles in my lifetime, I ran forward and began slashing madly at them, watching their rough-skinned, bulky, revolting bodies dissipate and fade away. I smiled smugly as I watched all of them die before my hands. I'd forgotten about that girl's voice inside my head.
I began to walk back to Las Noches when Neliel excitedly approached me. "Wow! Mia, for your first fight, that wasn't bad!"
"Are you guys stalking me?" I pressed, seeing Nnoitra come out from behind a big rock.
"No. And guess what? Neliel didn't even help out with the search!" Nnoitra yelled, pointing a finger at Neliel.
"You wouldn't know unless you were stalking me!" Neliel spat.
"I could see you sitting on that little rock reading the whole time!"
"Both of you, stop bickering before I chop you both in half!" I pushed my hands into their faces and separated them, flicking my tail as my sword turned back into the pink light and swam through the air into the ribbon on my tail. The bells jingled as I left the two standing there, stupid expressions on their faces.