Thank you so much for clicking on my fanfiction! I certainly hope this is something suited to your tastes!
I'd just like to pop in and say that I've begun revising little bits and pieces as of the publishing of Chapter 3.
I unfortunately don't own Bleach, but I do however own Ayaka and several of her friends who are to come in throughout the story. :)
Enjoy~
Prologue
The distant scream of a hollow pierced the air and a figure leapt across a gap. Sandalled feet made soundless contact with weathered shingles, coming to a skidding stop at the edge of one building as a hulking creature came into view in the clearing below. The soft click of a blade being unsheathed indicated it of the new presence. With sluggish movements, it made to look at the new arrival.
Pale eyes landed on the soft glow of red coming from behind the mask's vacant sockets, and steel glittered in the warm afternoon sun. The hollow raised one massive paw to take a swipe at the shinigami, only to slowly pass through the air, unscathing; the woman leapt up, rotating to where she could land on its arm and run along it. The beast was confused, a sound of lament escaping as its mask split in two. Before it could react or even make another sound, it disintegrated, and the shinigami was gone; only a soft rattle was left in their wake.
A ways away, a woman sighed, dragging a hand through messy black tresses. In the other was the blue-bound handle of a katana, which was quickly flicked and rid of the imaginary sludge that clung to the blade. A drawn out sigh passed chapped lips as it was returned to its resting place and she began moving, walking slowly towards the shade of a tree.
"So annoying, " she commented on the late hollow as she slumped against the wide trunk, eyes falling shut as she began to resume her interrupted nap.
Working in town was different. It had weird hours and made the young-looking woman want to cry, as it was just that boring. There were a few parks, some schools, and people. Yeah, plenty of those. And they were so stupid! Who would have thought that throwing a ball into a broken net would be a source of entertainment and so-called athletic prowess?
Karakura Town was bland, boring. A ruckus was stirred up once in every great while and only lasted for a moment. Though it was apparently an epicentre of massive spiritual ongoings and a concentration of those with 'abilities,' a glimpse of the modest town didn't quite indicate it.
Observing the odd creatures known as the human race was the only real pastime for Ayaka Tachibana of Division Thirteen. At least, it the only one that wouldn't put her to immediate sleep.
Really, she didn't know how the man she was filling in for, Ryūnosuke, could handle the tedious shift in Karakura Town. Time seemed to crawl by, the slow movements seemingly tangible to the black-haired woman – she could reach out and run her fingers through it–
And there it was.
A quiet "hey" drew her out of her thoughts, eyes growing wide. Her golden gaze slowly moved to settle on a young boy, no more than five years of age, standing not too far off. He had the most striking orange hair, Ayaka noted, shifting in her place. The boy seemed to be looking at her, rather than the usual looking through her. This caught her slightly off-guard, but she could only assume someone else was nearby.
After a marginal turn to glance out at the vast, very empty park behind her, Ayaka grew mildly concerned. Another quiet "hey!" and the muffled crunch of the crisp, spring grass drew ochre eyes back to the boy. He'd gotten closer, and stood with a hunch to peer at her with wide, chocolate eyes. Brow furrowing, she inched away, hand darting to the katana resting at her side. Slowly, she slid it out of sight.
"Hell-o..." she choked on her own words, hardly audible in her surprise. It nearly came out sounding like a question. It wouldn't matter if the kid really wasn't speaking to her, but still – she grew slightly self conscious. Ha! At a young boy, of all things. So much for being a big bad shinigami.
The perplexed look the boy wore changed into that of glee. He grinned ear-to-ear it seemed and his hands, once folded behind his back, came to fist the fabric of his shirt excitedly. "Hi, my name is Ichigo." he shared boldly, plopping himself down across from the young woman. Expression lightening, Ayaka fought the urge to chuckle.
"Why, hello there, Ichigo." she returned politely, giving the boy a smile he seemed to be searching for. "My name is Ayaka. You... really shouldn't be talking to strangers, you know." Concern flashed in her eyes, if only for a moment, but it lessened somewhat as the boy began speaking once more.
"Yeah, I know..." Ichigo trailed off, faltering. Pursing his lips, he continued, shifting nearer to her as he did so. "But we aren't strangers! I've seen you before!" The soul gaped at that, still slightly disbelieving. One, seeing isn't actually meeting – of course this was a little boy she was dealing with, that may not have occurred to him – and two, where were this kid's parents?
The triviality of the situation was awful.
Maybe it was just some screwed up daydream? Finally not being ignored...
As she began to ask how or perhaps when this sighting happened, she was cut off as young Ichigo commented, "You know, Miss Ayaka, you wear a really funny costume." He picked up a handful of fabric from dark hakama, tugging on it as he giggled, head tilting to one side.
'Okay. Not sure if that's a good funny or bad... but I'll take it.'
Smiling wryly, she allowed him to examine her 'costume,' gaze travelling away for a moment. Still, the park was vacant, save for a man who was walking his dog. Certainly he wouldn't notice a five year old talking to the air. Honey eyes flicked back to the young boy sitting in the grass and tugging at black fabric. Ayaka adjusted her attire briefly as Ichigo let go and sighed softly once more, resting back against the tree.
"Miss Ayaka, what do you do? Are you a cosplayer?" Ichigo asked excitedly, eyes growing wide once more. He eyed the woman with such mirth it almost caught Ayaka off guard; no one was ever that excited to see or meet her.
With a soft laugh, the woman responded, "..a cosplayer? Yeah, sure." She nodded down at the boy and began on a tangent. She explained a story of a world plagued with bad guys and the group of samurai who leapt to the defence of those left unsuspecting. However, the story went unfinished as a voice called distantly.
Ichigo.
The shinigami's eyes widened and she peered around the tree. There she saw a beautiful woman walking down the sidewalk, gaze flickering back and forth. She had two girls in a double-wide stroller in front of her, the large wheels crunching over fallen twigs as the two toddlers smiled tiny, toothy grins.
"Hey, I think your mother is here." she murmured to the boy, watching as he sat up from where he leaned against the tree also, wide oculars still set on the should-be invisible woman. He frowned slightly and pouted as she spoke, "You'd best go see her now."
As the boy began to protest and grow upset, Ayaka panicked. She placed her hands on the boy's shoulders and smiled warmly at him. "I'll finish my story next time I see you, okay? Just call for me if you see me out here." She knew, she shouldn't be setting up such obligations for herself. She didn't know how long she'd be stationed in Karakura, or when she would return. It was just a little boy, though – no harm done.
Though in the back of her mind, already, guilt swarmed. The idea of leaving the boy upset made her stomach twist. He nodded, and despite her inner turmoil she scooped up her sword and disappeared behind the tree.
In a moment's breadth, she'd flash-stepped away, and sat in a tree across the way. Distantly, Ayaka watched as the brown-haired woman picked up her son and smiled at him. Warmth spread in the shinigami's chest at the exchange.
Shifting in the tree's cover, she readjusted for a nap once more and exhaled. The voice of the young boy, excitedly going on as he and his mother resumed down the pavement with the stroller rolling along, reached her ears. A smile tugged her lips despite the odd sensation of bewilderment still making its impression.
Sssoooo. Finally dipping my feet in the Bleach pool again. This is set about ten or so years before the story itself will actually take place. I just wanted to give some backstory and junk before nosediving into the garbage I've been formulating over the past few days here. *v* Hopefully I'll get an update out soon.
Also, I have no beta, the title is working, and I apologise in advance. I'm just running headlong into this and hoping for the best. Lmao.
Cheers! - R