Chapter 1
"Genesis"
It was the best day of my life… I could not forget what happened to me that day. Allow me to begin my story with the morning that reshaped my life.
All of my life, I have seen shadows and people in black kimonos. I was told that I could see spirits, people who have passed away without moving onto the afterlife. As I grew up, I delved into the world of ghosts and magic, which is when I met the first spirit who could speak and connect with me.
I was six years old at the time, and I was known to be a loyal puppy amoung everyone I knew. I knew no evil, spoke no evil, and heard no evil. As some say, I was as innocent as could be, just like a lamb. That was, untl this day.
With a friend, she and I attempted to preform a ritual in my backyard. We were collecting different species of plants and other such things of the nature, though I felt nervous and was reluctant to continue. I was not sure what caused that feeling until later. This was when I caught sight of a woman of gothic appearance, sporting a loose long-sleeve shirt that revealed her bare shoulders, whereas she wore a set of ebony cargos. As she peered down at me, I couldn't help but become mezmorized by her emerald gaze. Her voice was soft, low and seductive. I'm sure she could swoon any man with a voice like that… She didn't seem angry, just firm, as if standing her ground.
"You shouldn't do that, babe…"
I froze in place, both comforted by the sound of her voice and terrified of the woman I had just seen. I knew for a fact that she wasn't physically there, because in the blink of an eye, she had vanished into thin air. But, as the obedient child I was then, I heeded her warning and told my friend, Stephanie, that we needed to stop and leave things as they were.
She and I spoke much more after this occasion, and we became closer than friends could dream of. I almost called her a sister, almost. She was much more like a mother as I grew up, and she's always done funny things for me… She never left my home unless I went somewhere, and she always warned me about people she suspected, which has kept me out of trouble most of my life. Not to mention, she also taught me many tricks of her trade, up to this point. I now have a vast amount of energy that I can draw off of, and my senses have been well honed. Later on in my life, after having known her by the alias of Exemina, I learned her real name, when she found me worthy of such knowledge. The woman that I had managed to win the heart of was none other than Lucia Esther Elix, The Master Assassin and a reknowned Guardian. Or, at least, that is what she called herself.
Her domain was the World of the Living ; where she and I had met, and for good reason.
The second woman I met was the very reason that I became tied up in this mess… I still do not believe what people say about my relations with her, but it is too late to turn back now.
She was a woman of 5' 3'' height, weighing approximately 140 lbs. and she possessed a doll's face, though her scars resonated of something much more sinister. Irish red locks were straight and bangs were made shaggy at the ends, stands carefully swept aside to cover her right eye and the side of her face. On either side, a section was parted and trimmed to neck length. Upon the back of her neck, her hair was shagged as well, as if an amateur had cut it. Behind the shadows of her bangs, I found stormy grey eyes that held little of life's gleam, almost sorrowful as they gazed upon me. A scar ran from her left cheek to the right side of her forehead, crossing over the bridge of her nose. Whatever caused the scar must have been painful, because the scar was quite wide. She wore a sleeveless top, black in color with a low V-cut that exposed her cleavage and a scar to the right breast, probally a stab wound that she had obtained a long while back. Upon her backside, she had a katana that was wrapped in white, having black diamonds as decoration. It was kept within a sheath of similar color to the diamonds. The katana was neatly tucked into the white fabric of her hakama that also held the garment up. Her hakama though, as I later discovered, was a modified piece of clothing to have gaps along the sides, revealing bare hips. What I didn't see was the bandages that she wore upon her shins underneath said hakama.
Overall, she appeared to me to be a frightening woman, but she had good reason to be. When we met, I was in a museum, looking at some items from Fuedal Japan. Mainly, the items dated back to the Nara and Edo eras. Lucia was with me, as usual, following me around before a samurai's suit of armour caught her eye. The suit was in wonderful condition, almost pristine and kept from the sands of time, and was nearly complete.
The red-haired woman strided in, smiling warmly as she approached me almost nonchalantly. There was a bounce in her step and she seemed confident of something. I didn't know what, until now. Lucia turned her head towards the woman and I noticed that her eyes bugged out a little before her head dropped, bowing it low to the lady.
"Lady Kiyoko! Your highness, what brings you here?"
Lucia stood rigid, and for once, I could see that she was visably nervous, just as myself. The woman that Lucia had addressed as 'Lady Kiyoko' now turned her eyes to me, pointing one finger towards me as if to demand something. I felt my blood run cold and the color left my face as her hand dropped, stepping closer towards me.
"Your friend my dear… I have finally found her."
Now, standing just inches away from supposed royality, my body tensed and my lungs screamed for oxygen. My eyes found their way to her gaze, locking one they met. No matter how I begged to look away in order to relieve my fears, I just couldn't convince my muscles to move. Lucia, meanwhile, was just as stunned as I was. For a woman who was fearless, she didn't seem to know what to do. The sensation of hands, warm to the touch, brushed across my cheeks, followed by a sharp and sudden chain that pierced through my chest, as if I had been run through. The pain coaxed a hiss and a curse from my lips, my expressions twisting into a cringe and I felt my blood turn into fire before it ran cold again. My body now was locked in place, refusing to move once again, and a cough was made to try and relieve the pain. I didn't dare look down, so I settled with giving the Lady an icy glare of death. In the background, I could hear Lucia shrieking. Now, as to why she was so upset, I still do not understand. My attention was redirected by the Lady's voice once again, her voice toying with my will.
"Stop fighting, child. Save yourself the pain, just give in…"
Her words struck a subconscious chord in me, and I did just as she said. I gave up, gave in and relaxed. The pain that wracked my body began to fade away as weakness overcame me in one fell wave. That quickly faded though, to my dismay, and I realized quickly that something had changed. A certain strength had been given, something I had not possessed before. The obtainal itself nearly knocked me off balance, Lucia's shouts becoming distant as my eyes fluttered shut, unable to argue as I found myself falling into the Lady's arms. Their bickering continued for a few moments before I lost consciousness entirely.
"Lady Kiyoko, are you mad! She isn't ready!"
The sound of a chuckle barely entered my ears and the Lady spoke once more, before I slipped under.
"She'll be under the wing of Aisaki Kiyoko… No worries."
Lucia scoffed, and that was the last I heard until later that day.
Hey, it's the author! I'm so happy to have this finally finished!
Anyways, I just wanted to try my hand at a BLEACH fanfiction for once, and this was my introduction to 'Running with Royality', the fanfiction itself. This will get more interesting as I write, so please, hang tight and bear with me while it is written and I develop these plots!
Lucia Elix, Heather, Aisaki Kiyoko ® to Heather Latvis
BLEACH © to Tite Kubo