YouExist?

Beginning from Chapter 8 'Training' of the first story 'This Way Up'

After her hard fitness session, Yoichi feels a bit woozy when wobbling to the spring. With the strange spell of dizziness, she decides to lie down before going to bathe again. Swaying towards her bed, Yoichi's mind gives into darkness before she can reach it.

She feels as if her psyche is being forcibly tugged along with an irremovable grip to see her Zanpakutō earlier than planned, but when she keeps drifting and not arriving to her inner world, she knows instantly that something is wrong.

************THUS, A BIT OF TROUBLE STARTS*************

Yoruichi comes back to the cave early that night because she thought that she should monitor Hiō's sleeping patterns as it may tell her how to make her spiritual pressure not so hazardous. Stepping into the shack she expects to see the girl relaxing or sleeping but definitely not off the bed.

Hiō is kneeling on the ground barely wrapped in her long towel. Her head is resting on the bed and her arms are limp at her sides. Her weapons are scattered on the ground next to her dangling arms. Her face is vacant in her unconsciousness.

Alarmed by this Yoruichi assumes the worst; that Hiō might have lost what little memories she has gained during her time here and passed out again. What she does not know is that the situation is even worse than she expects.

Based on her friends positioning, Yoruichi guesses that she blacked out when she was getting her sword to go bathe as her hair is not wet. (She always carries it with her.) Transformingback into her human form Yoruichi easily lifts Hiō onto the bed and protects more of her patient's modesty with the beds sheet. Dragging a chair beside Hiō's bed Yoruichi goes back into her cat form and curls up on it to rest. Seeing that she can do nothing until the brunette wakes up, Yoruichi monitors the youth's spiritual pressure during the night.

Our dimension & time of 2018 with S

Writing her fan fiction story, Sumiko Shūnn drags her eyes to the bottom left hand side of her computer and groans. It is already 1am. She knows that she should not stay up so late typing, but there is so much she wants to get out of her head and not enough time during the day with uni, socialising and sport to get it down. She adjusts her red glasses to be on top of her head and leaves the numbing comfort of her swivel chair to get some hydration.

After gulping down a glass of water, Shūnn sits back down, leans back and continues to type the part where Yoichi has stopped training to go bathe. She feels the sting of fatigue niggling at the back of her eyes and rubs them with a yawn. Sumiko cracks her knuckles with satisfaction. (Probably not the best method of stretching my fingers.)

After finishing the paragraph, she closes her laptop and decides to rest her eyes for a moment. She has been looking at the computer screen for 5 hours straight, but by closing her eyes only for a minute, she did not realise that when she opens them again she will be in a place that she would not believe.

*************************************
Sumiko's eyes flutter open. She wakes with a start and a chill. She does not remember lying down or going to bed at all. What is worse is that she does not know how she came to be in a badly made wooden shack. She scrubs the gathered sleep from edges of her eyes and allows the adrenaline rush of fear rouse her completely. She sits up too fast and sees black speckle across her vision. She ignores the irritating affect and continues to frantically look around the room. She can see that this is a shitty single room with minimal furniture except for a small set of dusty wooden drawers at the end of the bed, the stiff lukewarm bed she is currently occupying and a chair on her left with a black toy cat on it.

(Why the hell am I so cold?) Starting to dread that she might have been kidnapped, Sumiko's panic rises exponentially when she notices that she has nothing covering her nudity apart from a towel and a sheet. Hyperventilating, she tries to get past the fact she has no clothes on and what might have happened while she was unconscious.

Sumiko covers herself more with the thin towel to not feel the chill in the atmosphere. (Was I drugged? The cup of water I had was simply from home. Surely no one has the patience to drug me from that? Anyone could have used that cup.) She runs her hand haphazardly through her short hair and lightly tugs at her curls to try to convince herself that this is not real.

She shuffles her positioning to look outside and possibly escape, but the bed creaks badly and wakes the previously assumed 'toy' cat. She holds her breath and freezes as she stares at the moving model. She now understands that the golden-eyed feline is not a toy as it seems to curiously yet intensely study her. (Very much alive then. And so cute~.) With the expressions the cat gives her, Sumiko worries that it may be her guard. (It is on the chair right next to me.)

Yoruichi tilts her fuzzy head as she studies the rapidly changing expressions on her patients face. The young woman's eyes went from scared to confused and to fondness all in but a moment. (What is going on? Has she lost more memories?)

As Sumiko moves her hand to try and pet the cat she nudges something smooth and stops short. She only just notices the dark blue sheathed Katana and Tanto linked together by a long glass chain beside her. A flowing feeling of nostalgia goes over her like a gigantic wave and then she receives hope from having it crash down and settle in her rational.

She knows where she is.

She hoarsely whispers, "No way, it can't be." (I-I just spoke Japanese. What the fuck. This is really weird. I really hope this to be true. If not I really hope I wasn't kidnapped or that I may be dreaming. Most likely not though. Nuh-uh it can't be either. I mean who the hell would make an exact replica of my Zanpakutō design and then leave the sword with me?)

She glances up from her thoughts into the cats yellow eyes but continues with her puzzled frown and looks back to her Zanpakutō. (And this sitch is way too realistic for a dream. Not to mention I cannot speak FUCKING FLUENT JAPANESE back in Australia. Somehow I was put in Yoichi's body. So fucking weird. Just to make 100% sure though, I might just play along for now. I mean it looks as if no one else is around to judge. But holy shit. I can speak Japanese now. Japa-fucking-nese.)

Trying to put the sleek felines assumed concerns to rest a flustered Sumiko quickly says, "Y-Yoruichi. I still remember this place, you and, what I've been doing here. Don't look so concerned. I must admit with whatever just happened I did, temporarily forget everything." She puts a hand to her forehead but remembers what she is wearing or the lack thereof and whips her hand back up to clutch at the sheets before they can fall. "Eeeeerrrr. I still…..don't remember anything about before I met you, but the positive is that I haven't lost any more memories." Sumiko ruffles the back of her head and smiles toothily, feeling a little foolish from talking to a cat and hoping that she was somewhat convincing all at the same time. (That was so much Japanese. So SO weird. So now the question is; why are my thoughts still in English.)

After an agonising pause the cat finally asks, "Are you sure? You looked very frightened and confused a second ago…." (What is up with her adopted accent? Maybe she has simply had a delayed lapse of memory?)

Sumiko's face is calm but her body is tense with shock. (Oh my goodness it really is her. Oh My Gosh. Oh My Gosh. Oh My Gosh. What should I dooooo? She's a fricken talking quean {female cat} with a man's voice.)

Even with the faraway look in her eyes, it does not completely cover Sumiko's excitement as they are sparkling with her confirmed suspicions. She is entranced by being amazed and fondly strokes her Zanpakutō. She then continues despite herself in order to reassure the feline. "Do not worry, it might just be 'cause I worked out a bit too much today." (My heart is beating a bloody mile a minute. This is incredible…. Or terrible.)

Nodding to the alarm clock on the dresser, Yoruichi says in a troubled voice, "I guess you would not know, but it's already morning. Your unconsciousness went all through the night." She sighs, shakes her head then in a scolding yet concerned tone says. "And here you tell me not to worry." (Of course she could have passed out then fallen asleep as well, but I don't know anymore.)

(Well then. That changed a bit from when my mind was transferred here.) "Oh…I know it seems bad, but maybe I fainted because of my harsh breathing and I was just so tired I slept the whole night through." Trying to change the subject Sumiko adds, "By the way, thanks for looking after me all night." (I am gonna try not to think that she saw me naked. This may be Yoichi's body but I wrote us to be physically identical.) "When did ch'ya get back? I thought it would be still too early for you to be back from Urahara's shop." (Maybe that was a bit too obvious.)

(Hmm, Avoidance of the topic of my worry, 'Hiō'? Her accent is becoming more prominent too. Doesn't sound completely Japanese anymore. Definitely a bit foreign. Can't place exactly where though.) "I had the idea to monitor your spiritual pressure to see if would change as you slept. So I came back earlier than planned." (Now that I think about it, it did dramatically fluctuate during the night. Interesting.) "But then I saw you lying off your bed, unconscious and I knew something went wrong. You sure did scare me. I thought you might have lost more of your memories. I mean you have already lost so much." While saying this Yoruichi looks as meaningfully as a cat can into Sumiko's eyes.

Feeling a little bad for the deceit, Shūnn does not meet Yoruichi's gaze, but she knows she will take it as if it was too painful of a realisation to make eye contact, instead of out of her shame for lying. "I guess I will be working with my Zanpakutō again today. I feel I have already missed so much time with the little incident yesterday. I didn't even meet him in a dream last night." (Mix my lies with truth. That's what they say isn't it? To make me sound a bit more convincing?)

"Even though we are in a rush to get your condition fixed, I think you'll remember most of what you have lost soon."

Sumiko looks up and smiles. "Thanks for the faith in me Yoruichi. I hope so too, but how are you so positive that I will? (Heh easy chitchat with the bloody Yoruichi Shihōin. Unbelievable.)

"Just a hunch. I mean you are in a much more stable and stress free environment and you know how to talk with your Zanpakutō easier than when you were wandering alone through the Rukongai. Also if you by some freak chance do lose more memory I will be here to help you remember."

"Yeh, I think you are right. I can only keep trying. I look forward to talking with him very soon, 'cause I think with the last faint yesterday he'll want to know if I'm OK." (Wonder how he'll take my presence.) Pause. "I'll meet you for breakfast upstairs after my soak and Jinzen, alright?"

"As long as you think you're up to it. I'll see you there, but afterwards I might as well go back to Urahara's with news of what has happened. Maybe he can tell us what this means." Turning her sleek back and leaving the shack, Yoruichi acts as if she did not notice the striking change in 'Hiō's' spiritual pressure or demeanour but she sure as hell thinks about it. (It seems a lot calmer and fulfilled then before. Almost like a completely different persons' compared to how it has been over my observations.) When far out of sight up the Ever-Long Stairs, Yoruichi lets herself become seriously suspicious of what has happened to Hiō, because the more she thinks about it, the more it seems like the person she talked to was not the girl she had known.

Following Yoruichi's form from the window with her eyes Shūnn breathes out in relief. "Hope she did not suspect me. I may have written her to be too smart for my own good. Now what the hell am I doing here? How the hell did I become to be in the Bleach world and how the fuck am I supposed to get back to my own fucking home?" Gripping her head in confusion and distress she ignores how her chest becomes fully exposed from releasing the cloth; there is no one around to see her nudity anyway.

Sumiko takes her time to try to clearly think about the implications and opportunities of being trapped in Yoichi's body and releases the death grip on her head.

(OK. Ok settle down. First I'll have to get clean like Yoichi had originally planned. It feels so gross sleeping in the towel when not having a wash right after the exercise. Before that though I have to wash my amazing clothes and put them in the direr. I can think more on my dilemmas in the spring.)

Getting a new towel Sumiko wraps the old one under her arms and around her body. She then proceeds to rush up the stairs to wash her clothes by hand. It goes a lot faster than using the machine. Afterwards she puts them into the drier and leaves the room running to get back down stairs to go think. Yoruichi eyes follow Sumiko as she waits patiently on the kitchen table for her to finish preparing.

When heading down the stairs Sumiko nearly falls due to the muscle soreness from Yoichi's exercise yesterday. When she stops stumbling to the bottom of the path she balances out again. (Ahhh oops haha. A bit too eager, it seems.)

She snatches her Zanpakutō from her bedroom, ditches her towel on the far side and jumps into the spa, splashing water everywhere. (I can't wait for the healing properties to take effect. I hate muscle soreness.)

Fiddling with chain on the end of her Zanpakutō and leaning on the edge of the hot spring, Sumiko wonders how or if she will ever get home.

(Would time stop in my world or have I just disappeared? Would my friends and family exist in this world too? I wouldn't even know where to start to try to get back home. Hell, I don't even know how I got here. It makes sense for time to continue in my …universe? ….Dimension? ….Whatever it is, but I can't be sure.)

Sighing, Sumiko stops her fiddling, closes her eyes and turns around to lean her back against the smooth rocks. She stretches her arms to rest on the edge of the spring and tilts her head back. Her hair has turned black from the water seeping into it and it sticks to her face in very short tendrils.

She shakes her head loose of droplets of water as if physically being able to clear her head of the steam which makes her sleepy. (It would probably be impossible to find familiar friends or family considering Yoichi came from rural Japan in the 15 to 1600's and I come from Australia in 2018. Since Yoichi's friends and family are definitely dead I'll never find them. The Soul Society is simply too massive. If I can't go back I'll never see anyone I know ever again, not even in this world.)

The impact of dread hits Sumiko hard. This is the first time she has considered the possibility that she may never see anyone she loves ever again.

Her usually pretty face turns to a deep scowl at her depressing thoughts. (NO. I'll not let my mind fall in that trap. I will find a way from this place back home. I've gotta remember that my friends and family are still alive in my universe and I will see them again.) She bangs her fist onto the edges rock in determination. The pain elevates some of her negativity and she is pleased with the effective distraction. "I really hope that time has stopped in my world otherwise my friends and family will panic and I will miss my uni work." Sigh. She holds her bruised hand in the healing water. "I really hope time there has stopped. If anyone can tell me if it has it, it would be Urahara, but I can't tell him where I'm from. Not yet. He would gain too much power over me if he got confirmation on that. Maybe I will tell Yoruichi and him a later on. Probably around when I have my Zanpakutō's powers. Then if anything goes wrong then I can defend myself at least somewhat. They'll help me get back." Sumiko leaves her Katana at the edge of the pool and doggy paddles around, enjoying how the soapy water feels slithering against her gradually cleansing skin.

Floating on her back, she continues to ponder more calmly. (Hmmmmmm I also wonder how my Zanpakutō will react to a parallel dimensional soul being in his mistress's body. I mean he's technically mine too. He probably won't react well. Ha ha. That should be a sight. Let's hope he doesn't react too violently. I don't even know if I can handle a sword if he decides to attack.)

Sick of the unhelpful feelings in her miniscule dramatic episode, Sumiko starts to grin like a mad woman and giggle from thinking about the powers that she will gain awfully soon. (With all the facts there's no point drawling on about the what-ifs. I've got to take this bull by its horns. I mean who the hell gets an opportunity like this- to be able to experience having magnificent powers and meeting their favourite characters in Bleach? That's right, nobody but me.)

She dunks herself under the water than uses the submerged ground and the edge of the pool to leap out of the spring. She rushes to get her towel and her dry clothes from upstairs. (Wow, no more muscle soreness or bruise. Thank you magic healing water. Although this doesn't mean I like travelling up and down these bloody stairs. Urahara sure knows how to exaggerate training spaces.) However in her hurry towards the laundry, Sumiko does not notice that Yoruichi is no longer waiting for her.

Back downstairs, once Sumiko is dry and had figured out how to dress in her strangely well-fitted clothes, she lies on her bed with her unsheathed Zanpakutō across her abdomen and closes her eyes to enter Jinzen. Feeling her mind drift through the vivid multicoloured space of her subconsciousness, Sumiko passes a person dressed head to toe in white floating in the distance. She does not have time or control over her path to get a closer look, but from what she can see, the person has a strong likeness to herself and is shaded in darkness in contrast to the multicolour's surrounding the rest of the fathomless space. Trapped.

Shivering at the thought that it may be Yoichi's bound awareness, Sumiko urges herself faster into her mindscape.

(At least if that was her then she wouldn't be messing anything up in my body back in my universe or completely eradicated from her body. Wait, if she isn't in my body and time continues normally I'll be in a coma and hospitalised. I really hope they don't pull the plug on me if I stay here for a long time. Gosh l miss my life there already. There is so much uncertainty here.)

She shakes her head and mentally slaps herself. (Perk up Sumiko you will discover so much in this world too. I can't fully dismiss the adventure aspects. Life is uncertain by nature. And this is no different.)

She arrives a little uneasy from her thoughts and lying down on an orange-tinted cloud with the fang-shaped mountains vertically beside her. The mountains on her left have the rapids rushing like a waterfall downwards through them and on her right the afternoon sun shines softly on her face. The weather is mostly pleasant but there is a nippy breeze. She fails to represses the chill and goose bumps of the cold slithering over her warm flesh. Sumiko assumes that the altered landscape and sweeping cold signifies her unusual and probably unwelcome presence. She sits up to the shing* of her Zanpakutō drawing his sword and Jaakuna hissing menacingly at his feet, readying to strike.

She scrambles backwards to stand and gives off wary body language with both hands held out in front of her in defenceless innocence. As if cautiously scolding a child Sumiko shakily says, "Now now my sweet Zanpakutō, don't be so touchy. I just wanna have a look around here."

The humanoid Zanpakutō bares his fangs and tightens his grip on his Katana. "You are not our mistress and we are not your Zanpakutō. Who are you and where is Yoichi?"

Sumiko, the 'not mistress' ignores both Zanpakutō's and slowly relaxes as she shuffles over to the edge of the cloud to gaze at the amazing landscape. (They won't hurt me without confirmation that it wouldn't kill Yoichi.) In awe of the sight, Sumiko forgets about the threatening pose of both Zanpakutō's and turns her back to them to admire the view. Still looking over the boundary she says to herself, "Well I guess it's so different because it's not Yoichi here right now." (I predict I'll be for a while yet too. Might as well test how I am in combat.)

With a playful sigh, (You boys are such a chore. If you won't back down let's give it a shot.) Sumiko reaches in front of her, sharply twists her hand to the left and grins as she successfully creates a replica of her Zanpakutō's sword, but with the Tanto attached. (I half expected that not to work, but hey I won't admit that aloud. Heh.) She detaches the chain from the sword and spins it with her right hand with her Katana in her left. She dashes towards them. "DON'T YA BOTH HAVE BETTER QUESTIONS FOR ME?" (Got to keep them on their toes. Well not Jaakuna of course, but….oh whatever. Let's see if I can fight.)

Reaching for the earless Zanpakutō, Sumiko throws her Tanto and chain at his face. With the bubbling momentum, Sumiko feels what she thinks may be her spiritual pressure rising and concentrates it to the balls of her feet. She releases the powerful tension built in her thighs and balls of her feet and somehow manages to flash step behind her Zanpakutō and attack with a violent swipe. (Whoa Shunpō is SO awesome. I should practice it before I train with Yoruichi. Maybe I can eventually impress the Queen of Shunpō.)

The Zanpakutō dodges the Tanto and its chain devastatingly easily and blocks the strike from behind all at the same time and all throughout the assault looking thoroughly unimpressed with her efforts.

With a voice that could chill anyone to the bone, the pissed raven haired man growls. "I will only ask one more time; what has happened to Yoichi?" (Why does this 'thing' have to have Yoichi's body? It's disturbing to fight my mistress as an enemy.)

Still behind her Zanpakutō, Sumiko sinisterly yet sweetly whispers next to his face, "Might have seen her in the void passing to get here, but I can't be sure what exactly happened. I myself have only just figured out where I am." At the end of her sentence, Sumiko leaps back and to the right, avoiding the deadly aggressive swipe from her Zanpakutō at her neck and the bite from the snake-dog directed at her ankles. In performing this technique of a sweeping rotation the Zanpakutō's are both facing Sumiko. "Now, now wouldn't want to accidently kill me. Then who knows what would happen to your precious mistress."

Losing his cool the Zanpakutō roars, leans forward and points his sword at Sumiko, "Why have you come here then?" He swings his sword downwards to emphasise his words. "To torment us with her disappearance? We have already lost so MUCH." (Where is my Yoichi-chan? Is she safe?)

Wincing at the suffering in his voice, Sumiko pleads innocence with a smidge of annoyance. "Please don't hate me. I've literally done nothing wrong. I only wanted to fight you a little. This world's so fantastically new to me. I just had to try it. Not like I can permanently hurt you in here anyway." Resting her stance, Sumiko sheaths her sword and drops it through the clouds. (He could cut me to ribbons if he so pleases. I don't see him being so fierce though. Right now he's way too curious. Not to mention I'm still occupying his mistresses body. Yay for unintentional hostages.) Needlessly dusting her hands off from holding her weapon, Sumiko scrutinizes her Zanpakutō's distrustful demeanour.

He eyes her sceptically and is still untrusting even though she has no means of defence or attack. 'Do not underestimate your enemy' is a well known motto which was taught to Yoichi by her Zanpakutō. Finally he says with lingering anger, "You seem insane to me. What is your purpose here in talking directly to me?"

"I had to let you know what I know."

Even with his curiosity peeking, suspicion and impatience fills his voice. "Get to the point. What do you know?"

With a playful childish voice and a wide gesture with her hands Sumiko singsongs, "I know you name. I know eeeeeeevvvvrythinggggg."

Still unconvinced the Zanpakutō becomes condescending. "Oh really. That is it? So what if you know my name? And you know everything? Yeh right. How did you come to occupy my mistress's body then?"

The snake hisses at his feet agreeing with his friend's doubts and line of questioning.

"Well …. I truly do know everything. Everything pertaining to this world and Yoichi. Though to be fair the only things I don't know are how I came to get here and how to leave." Eager to brush that small lack of her omniscience aside, Sumiko fakes offence and mockingly stresses. "But how rude. You haven't even asked me my name yet."

With a thoughtful glance at the Dake, the Zanpakutō starts to become convinced with how confident (although crazily) this woman is acting and lowers his sword. In an audible mumble he says, "Really? Everything?"(Maybe she can tell us about Yoichi-chan's past.) The snake-like Zanpakutō protests with a loud hiss and the humanoid Zanpakutō looks down at him in further confusion.

"Yes everything. Please ask my name. Pretty please?" Sumiko is too caught up in her own selfishness to notice their silent conversation. (Let's get this over and done with so with this information you can give me you powers.)

The Zanpakutō holds a clawed hand to his head in defeat and relaxes his stance. He feels more irritated from her begging than confused from Jaakuna's protest. "Fine, what is your true name Sumiko Shūnn?"

Sumiko grins like an enthralled child. "I say it loud and say it proud, here it is; I am the Creator." then points at her humanoid Zanpakutō. "And you are known as Sakerarenai Chi. So I think I will just call you Kera for short." Mumbling Sumiko says to herself, "Even though your name means ine-vita-ble blood. I could have it be Vita, buuuuuut I think I like Kera better…." (Why would she reference something in English?)

As a delayed second thought Sumiko lazily gestures to the snake at Kera's feet and mutters, "And of course you are known as Jaakuna Hebi no Inu…..and so you are a Dake. Dog snake." Sumiko crouches down and waves her hand in circles above the ground creating tiny whirls of cloud, presumably lost in thought. (I've always wanted to be able to play with the clouds and now I can stand on them. This I so exciting, soon I will be so powerful, as is my destiny.)

Still wary of The Creators seemingly unpredictable childish nature, Kera discreetly makes his stance defensive though he does not draw his weapon again. He stares her down trying to figure out if she is worth trusting or not. (This girl is a bit loony I think. So irritatingly unpredictable and distractible yet interesting all at once. What does she know?) "Tell me something then. Prove your omniscience."

Annoyed with herself, Sumiko petulantly replies, "Unfortunately I'm only omniscient of some peoples past and a lil' of the future which all surrounds Yoichi, but it depends. What ch'ya wanna know?" Curious to what Kera will ask, Sumiko stops her cloud whirl creations and stands attentive with a tilt of her head. (What could I possibly know about Yoichi that he doesn't already?)

"I-I want to know why Yoichi-chan has such bad amnesia after all this time. She developed it to be so much worse that it has even affected me now." Sumiko's surprise is evident and he looks at her reaction, perplexed. (I thought she 'knew everything'. She probably lied to gain my trust. So much for that.)

(In the original story, I'd written for both Kera and Jaakuna to already know of Yoichi's past. Maybe later on there'll be more dramatic changes in this story. That is concerning. I may not be as omniscient as I would have liked.)

Sumiko frowns at this new development. "Are you sure you want to know this information? It may harm you. I mean it might've been suppressed from you for a reason." (Not that I know why. Great now I even sound like Kera from my story. All concerned and whatnot. It's best for me not to become too attached to their personalities. They aren't real and leaving will only become harder in the end. Regrettably it will be difficult considering they are literally inescapable.) "Particularly if, even you, someone who is part of her very being doesn't have the answers. I mean, you are part of Yoichi's soul yet separate. In this situation you should already know what has happened." (Just as I had originally written it.)

Sumiko sees Jaakuna Hebi no Inu emit a disagreeable hiss without moving, but when Kera shakes his head to the Dake, she understands that he truly does want to know no matter the consequences. With new found determination and eagerness Kera confidently states and demands, "I am sure I want to know. Tell me."

"Ok. Here is a special sneak peak of your story;" (I hope this doesn't cause too much damage. I'll keep it brief for him. If he is too damaged it might hurt me as well and I may never see their powers.) "When travelling and discovering you since long ago, Yoichi knew how she ended up in the Soul Society. She knew how she had died, which was strange amongst itself, and had a strong desire to protect others, yet destroy whom she deemed criminals as well. So in finding stability of her powers 21 years from her arrival date through you, she travelled further into the lowest districts to accumulate more strength."

Kera tenses with Sumiko's latest words and his eyes search in front of him wide and unseeing. He starts to sweat.

Sumiko continues in her rapped story too keen on showing off to see his distress. "Unfortunately, in her search coming towards her 255th birthday, she became attached to others she wanted to protect and when she tragically couldn't, flashbacks from her days as a living being brought her to the condition of the pathetic specimen you had seen just yesterday. She simply couldn't deal with the knowledge." Only just noticing the affects of her words on Kera, Sumiko pauses. "You look a little pale. Are you alright Kera?" (Gosh now I really do sound like the written Kera. Heh. Pale.)

Sumiko quietly snorts at her small joke because Kera is always unnaturally pale, although she keeps on a mostly concerned face for his troubling state. Although this does not completely stop the giddiness she feels run through her from wishing to voice her humour.

Kera does not feel well at all. The Creators words cause a current of sickening nostalgia to lacerate across his mind and skin with its brutally pressured blunt knives. Looking at his hands in half a daze, dread encloses his psyche as he sees his skin begin to crack like the porcelain his complexion is so often compared to. Memories shatter through reason, fuelling his already blazing migraine. Screaming aloud he clutches his head, falls to his knees and causes the clouds to go dark grey and swirl into a tornado around the beings in the area. The crimson cracks oozing from his hands produce splitting gashes which continue to agonizingly travel across his raw flesh. Blood trickles down his arms mixing with the water from the surrounding vortex of mist.

Although Kera stays stable on invisible flooring with everyone in its eye, Sumiko can see him quickly losing control. The howling wind picks up to an almost sweeping pace dragging in clouds and more mist from the water fall on the right. From inside the twisting vortex the thickening debris, water and blackening clouds initiate blocking out the afternoon sun.

Through the grey clouds sweeping all round them and water flinging through the atmosphere, Sumiko cannot see Kera's form very well and as a result misses the extent of his increasingly vicious spreading wounds.

The drenched brunette is not usually one for hugs or affection considering she wishes not to become too attached to the 'fictitious' characters of this world, but not knowing how else to help Sumiko closes her eyes, breathes away her selfishness and when she opens them walks over to comfort him.

Before she can take more than a step, Jaakuna moves in between them and hisses defensively in her direction. To her surprise, she finds that she can understand him, unlike his previous hisses to Kera. "Get away. This isss your fault. You should never have told him thosssse things. Why do you think Hiō-chan was in such a state in the firssst place? Obviously, it is because Sssakerarenai Chi could not handle what happened back then with Hiō-chans memory lossss. Now leave usssssssss." The Dake slithers around Kera's torso and rests his head in the crook of his neck in a comforting and protective embrace licking his wounds, helpless in his friend's state of suffering.

Surprised, Sumiko shouts through the storm, "Are you saying you knew everything I had told Kera already?" (If so, it makes sense. He is even more separate from Yoichi than Kera.)

Sadness and irritation is clearly communicated to Sumiko through the Dake's flattened ears and threatening hisses, "Yes you idiot, I was protecting them from this and look what you have done. This could have detrimental effectsssss on both Sakerarenai Chi and Hiō-chan's psychological states. NOW LEAVE US."

The shock from seeing her information cause so much pain rather than joyous revelation forces the Creator to excuse herself from her mindscape and back to the real world. As she fades away from the distressing scene, she witnesses Kera tilt his cracking bloody face towards the sky and let out an animalistic roar of agony displaying his fangs and snake blue tongue with his gaping jaws.

(What have I done?)

Blinking awake the dimensional traveller sits up and digs at the corners of her eyes. She did not expect Kera to act so distraught from simply telling him about his past, but in truth, she did not really know how she was hoping he would react. She only wants to prove her omniscience to him so that he will provide her his powers.

(I hope he'll feel better soon. Not only so I can gain power, though that is a major factor, but also for his overall wellbeing. Even if he is fictitious I don't like seeing people being tortured unless I'm intentionally causing them harm.)

Her Zanpakutō rattles on her lap following a killer migraine which hits Sumiko like a train. With anger and irritation Sumiko falls back onto the bed and cries out, "AAgrrhhh." Dammit Kera. Keep the pain to yourself. Not as if I want your problems too." With the throbbing pain persisting, Sumiko clenches her teeth and presses her palms into her eyes sockets. "Argggggh. Stupid….information…..vortex of….death."

After not-so-patiently waiting out the drilling headache, Sumiko deems it bearable enough to think of activities coming in the near future once again. She feels that with her powers she will become incredible in this world. If she can only access them then she is sure that she will truly become an opponent worthy of battling the Seireitei's troops. (I'm a bit unsure if I can defeat them all. Especially if they gang up on me. However if that mod soul scientist….What's his name again? Kager…rōza In..naba. Right. That guy. If he can put up a really tough fight against the Seireitei then so can I. I must remember to consider that they do have literally a thousand and something years of experience over me. Even so I sure as hell am gonna fight my hardest. If Kurosaki can learn Kendo in 10 days I sure as hell can perfect the techniques in the months I have to train.)

Sumiko slowly rises out of her bed and sheathes her Katana and Tanto. She smiles crazily at the fact that soon she will be more powerful then the Soul Society is ready for. (Maybe with Kera's powers I will visit little ol'Espada in order to train even more, but only before the story becomes aware of Hueco Mundo's involvement of course. Wait a minute though. I'll have to wait for them to be created by Aizen. Geeehhhhh. Maybe I can even help him along and team up with Gin in order to make things go a bit faster. I don't wanna be here for too long just in case time is continuing in my universe. It all depends on if I can get back though. At least I hope I can. If I can't, it's possible that I'll have to escape the consequences of my actions here somehow. This sounds all good and logical now but getting back home is a real awkward problem. I really hope I'll be able to get home in the end. I will simply take this one day at a time. Enjoy myself while I am here and only think of this as and overpowered joyride to becoming the best in a world of sword wielding spiritually enhanced beings.)

Dashing upstairs with her Zanpakutō and Tanto once again tied to her side, she feels the headache of Kera's suffering raging inside of her coming back harsher. Kera trembles on her waist and the headache continues to worsen as she reaches the top of the stairs. (Stop it Kera. It seems Jaakuna can't calm him down.)

Sumiko pauses and sits at the top of the stairs to compose her thoughts. In her calmer state of mind she unfortunately has a terrible idea. (What if Yoruichi already knows I'm not Yoichi due to a change in spiritual energy. Damn, I should have thought of that, and knowing her, she has gone to Urahara to get back up. Damn. Damn. DAMN her for being so tricky. How long have I even been in Jinzen for? Ha. Brilliant, no clocks anywhere in this damned place and I really can't be bothered going downstairs again. Not with this headache.)

Sumiko supports herself with the rocky wall of the cave as she rises and takes deep breaths as the migraine once again subsides. Running towards the kitchen as she is feeling much better, a quick glance around concludes her suspicions; Yoruichi is nowhere in sight. Then her mind travels back to her original point. (Anyways it couldn't have been too long;) She glances outside at the caves entrance as she approaches the exit. (the suns still high up. My guess would be that it's around midday. Whatever, even if Yoruichi goes to Urahara it does not mean that I am an instant enemy to them. Let's hope at least. But there's no point becoming irrational with these thoughts. Once I leave this cave my spiritual pressure must be contained so I won't be detected by the Seireitei. I must convince them I am not a threat. At least not yet. So let's give it a go, shall we Kera?)

Shūnn laughs aloud at the thought of gaining so much power but she is cut short by her head pounding with the pressure. (And stop causing me these blasted headaches.)

Sumiko puts her hand to her head with her grimace. (It's getting worse again, not to mention on my nerves. Let's hope you don't cause me too much more pain otherwise I may have to force Jinzen to interfere.)

Looking around at the caves mouth Sumiko covers her eyes from the sun's rays on her face and takes a deep relaxing breath as she concentrates on reducing her energy. She feels her power buzzing inside of her and tries to imagine it in a physically tangible form surrounding her; like an aura. She uses a mental representation of her spiritual energy as a peaceful blue so to tuck it away into her core out of 'sight' of other souls in the vicinity. Assuming her control is in check, though still unsure if she is using it completely correct, Sumiko prepares to use her newly acquired Shunpō to get to the other side of the crevice.

She takes a look over the edge of the cliff and swallows the fear lumping in her throat. (That is a lot further down than I had initially thought.) She takes a breath to try and calm her heart which is beating so fast it is making her sick. (C'mon Sumiko. It's not too hard. Just do what you did in your mind. 'But that wasn't life or death.' Neither is this. 'It kinda is.' Shut up and do this. There will be a ton more things to be scared of than this little jump.)

She looks over the edge again but the rapids and rocks below just chant about a gruesomely bloody fate. She tries to psych herself up by jumping on the spot and shaking her hands. "C'mon, c'mon. Just focus and you can do THIS." She puts her pressure to concentrate into her legs and with one last shallow hop she pauses (Let's not look down anymore.), settles her stance and launches off her platform.

She lands but just barely on the other side's ledge. Her Reishi spikes at the adrenaline from stumbling backwards a little too close to the edge, but she sighs in relief when she gets her footing back and doesn't fall in to the crashing water below. (Woah that was close. My gosh, I look forward to being excellent at Shunpō.)

The newbie Shinigami practices her flash step when travelling to a safe area where she can open a Senkaimon so she can get into the world of the living, but stumbles at various moments when using the technique. She feels so much calmer practicing the technique on a stable platform rather than over a cliff. (Whoa and I thought this would be easy. I think for the most part I will have to rely on muscle memory like Yoichi originally did.) Her energy is released a little more each time but she keeps it at a fairly stable level. The technique cannot be rushed with power otherwise she may break an ankle.

Because she does not have a hell butterfly to guide her through the safety of the Senkaimon she will be forced to travel through the Dangai dimension. The Dangai is where a soul is redirected in case they do not have a hell butterfly and is hazardous because it is a place where time is distorted. So invaders do not exploit or explore the 2000 hour time delay the dimension has the cleaner (Kōtotsu) go through the Dangai every week to destroy any unwelcome invaders or Ryoka as they are known here.

Finding a suitably isolated place around the village that Yoichi was found in, Sumiko uses her Zanpakutō as a key to open the Dangai. She points her unsheathed Katana in front of her and inserts it into the spacial area she wants the portal to appear and turns it to the right. Her head abruptly throbs resulting in her Zanpakutō to quake and jump from her hand. The Senkaimon materialises in front of her in the form of two traditional Japanese doors and Sumiko, although in pain, bends down and picks up her rattling Zanpakutō.

(I must have done a lot of damage to you, didn't I Kera? Hope you get better soon.)

She sheaths her trembling weapon and when the doors open, bright white light flows over her. Trying desperately to ignore the pounding behind her eyes, even though it feels like a giant trying to get its golden goose back, she dives through and hits the purple clay-like ground running. (I know time goes slower in my mind then reality but come on Kera. You shouldn't need more than 25min to recover. In that time it would have already been around an hour in there.) Although now seriously worried about her Zanpakutō, Sumiko shakes her head in dismissal so she can focus on running for her life. Big mistake. Shaking her head made her pain worse and she winces with the fresh storm of irritability. Sumiko does not stop, seeing that she knows what will happen if she does.

The large tunnel she faces is deep purple but is very dark as there is no real lighting apart from a mysterious source which allows her to see the outline of the area. Although the walls are sticky and melting the ground is solid like earth. The thick dark lavender liquid flowing down the walls is called Kōryū which is used to trap unwanted guests and keep out enemies such as Hollows.

Running her fastest Sumiko does not dare use Shunpō, as she knows that the energy released from the technique would attract the Kōtotsu to kill her even faster and the Kōryū to launch its stickiness at her as well. Running at her highest speed she feels that the Kōtotsu will come for her at any moment. (I remember Ichigo getting chased by this thing. I hope I can be fast enough. Damn my powers for not working. This would be so much easier if you weren't being a psychotic mess Kera.)

Hearing an increasing hush from behind her Sumiko realises that with her thoughts she is running slower. (Shit. I cannot afford this.) Making a larger effort to dash away from the approaching giant train-like death sweeper, Sumiko hears it getting even closer. (Don't look back. Don't look back. Don't look back.) Long meter dash has never been a strong suit in her world.

By turning a bend in the tunnel Sumiko sees the Kōtotsu's beaming Cyclops light gaining in her peripheral vision. "AAAAaaaahhhhh." Sumiko shouts with a burst of energy as she sees the intense white portal at the end of the Dangai just ahead. Her legs are not burning but she is running so hard and if she stops now she knows that she will be double dead. One final scream and she leaps through the portals blinding daylight and into the world of the living free from the death dimension.