Tails of the Fallen Angel: Owner of the Blade
She opened her eyes curiously, looking around. She had been daydreaming again, about that very same image. A man with long black hair with red highlights, that and the sword was all she could make out, as everything else blurred into the background. That sword. It was a very beautiful blade. A long slender black blade with the edges specially designed as a dull white color, providing perfect contrast between each side of the katana. It had no guard, but that just added to it's wondrous design. The handle was white, with wraps wrung around it over and over again, coming off into two long tails of white bandage, or perhaps ribbon. These ribbons ended with two beautiful silver bells, they jingled gently, sounding ever so peaceful. The girl shook her head out of it. She was falling back into that day dreaming state again. She pounded her head to pull herself out of it and stood up. She had been seeing this sword, and that man, for the past month or two. But it was only around this area, this area that she seemed to be drawn to, like a delicate little moth is drawn to that horridly dangerous light. It was an abandoned warehouse. Odd that it be here, in the middle of nowhere. She tried to recall her family, or even her past. But still, nothing, this was the only familiar place there was. She was perfectly content with staying here. But today was different, today she wanted to go inside and see what it was that was in there. She slowly walked over to the door and played with the handle. Part of her hoped that it would not open, she was perhaps only about 6 or 7, and she was terrified and yet oh so curious as well. The door's handle turned easily and it began to pull inwards quickly, pulling her inside. She let out a quick gasp as she saw what was in there. Blood. Everywhere. Bodies. Dismembered parts. All of them bearing similar clothing, what looked like a black hakama. They all had katanas, but most lay broken and shattered on the ground. One thing in the room stood in one piece, with no blood on it. The figure in the middle. It was peculiar, it had similar clothing to the others, only the sleeves were torn off of the outfit. It's face was covered as well with an odd mask. There was no color, it took the girl a moment to realize it was a statue. All of a sudden she wanted to touch this statue so horribly bad. She suddenly felt as if she could leave this world if she touched that object. She slowly stepped into the room and grimaced as she heard a small little splash, she had stepped in blood, or perhaps something else. She ran as fast as she could over to the statue and stopped before it and just stared. It was a very nicely designed statue. But what she was so interested in was its looks. Even with the stone and the mask she immediately recognized it. The long hair designed delicately and to the key, the hakama was not a hakama, but a martial arts vest with a sash, he had been turned sideways so all you could see was one leg, he was actually wearing pants. She looked up at the mask and noticed the eyes. The only thing with color still. A deep glazed yellow, as if it were asleep. Yes, in a deep, tranquil sleep. She slowly reached up and touched the cheek of the mask. A flash of light, she had no time to react. She heard a loud thud and realized she had hit a wall. Everything went black.
She opened her eyes and immediately realized she was not in the same place. It was a forest, but like none she had ever seen, it showed signs of civilization long ago, but the trees had grown around and through all of this. It was oddly dark and foggy. A red harvest moon hung over the sky in permanence. She began to slowly walk around and then turned to a rustling sound.
"Who are you?" She asked in shock. It was the man from her daydreams.
"Who I am is not important… My name is not important… What is important is what I am and who you are…" He spoke profoundly, as if he already knew everything. He spoke like that of what a god might speak.
"Then… what are you?" She asked curiously.
"I am the nine sins of a fallen angel of death. I am… Was one of more powerful angels of death…" He spoke with little to no emotion, but he still seemed uncomfortable when he said he was.
"So… You're dead?" She asked again.
"Something like that, does it scare you young child?" He smiled.
"I don't know, I never knew what being dead was like. What is it?" She asked quietly.
"What an innocent little girl, you still have not realized you're dead?" He asked gently, chuckling.
"I'm… dead?" She asked, shocked.
"Yes, but you are a rare one, a rare one indeed. You see, you died in an odd way… an odd way indeed" He chuckled to himself again, as if he knew something that she never would. Which was probably right.
"Who… am I?" She asked in an almost hollow voice. No emotion could come out, she was too confused to show emotion or intelligence.
"Who you were before isn't what is important, what you become is… very much so" He gently rustled her hair.
"Who will I become?" She asked this time, apparently understanding what he had said.
"You will become Aname Mariko… An angel of death…" He chuckled again and began to walk away. "Follow young girl"
"I will become… an angel of death?" she asked, showing some form of shock.
"Don't think of it as a bad thing, it's not all that bad. It's dangerous though. Now come." He continued to walk. They came to a clearing with nothing in it for a good 200 feet. In the middle, something stuck out of the ground. The girl suddenly regained her senses. It was the sword! But so many thoughts rushed through her head, that was not yet important.
"But wait! I saw you just a moment ago! As a statue! And you had this horribly disfigured mask on, and everyone around you, the smell of blood…" She felt woozy and fell to her knees, breathing in and out deeply.
"That was a terrible accident, that was my final, fatal sin, and perhaps my biggest regret" He muttered distantly. "But you must take the sword, now, use it as your peacemaker, become an angel of death…" He vanished into thin air.
She walked over and stared at the blade. In a few seconds, it would be hers, her own sword. That pretty sword with the two tails. She wanted it, and yet she hesitated, what would happen? She slowly touched the blade and felt a feeling of familiarity, and grabbed it and began to pull. It slid out easily. Just then, the ground beneath her shattered and she fell into blackness.
She came to in the warehouse again. She looked around, there was fresh blood, the creature was attacking new people, they looked similar. She looked down at her left hand and saw the sword. She knew what she needed to do. She slowly got up and began walking towards the creature. It stood in one spot as it held the last living one in it's hands by the throat. It was speaking to him, telling him he'd die. She came up to the creature and tapped it's leg. It began to turn, eyeing the little kid and laughing. She jabbed the sword forward in what seemed like slow motion, the creature noticed, but it did nothing except widen it's eyes in shock, the blade went straight into it's chest. It fell, quickly onto the ground, dying. The mask disappeared from the face and the man she had seen just a few moments ago lay there dead. The man in the hakama stared at her in shock and suddenly got up and looked at her gravely. This small girl had just killed an extremely powerful angel of death whom had been corrupted by the powers of the Hollow, with an unreleased sword. It had let her to, that was what was the scariest part. The creature could've torn her apart quite easily, and yet, it let her pierce straight through it. Even that was scary, a hollow's skin couldn't be cut by a sword that's not even released yet! That would require the reiatsu of a captain level. Perhaps even more!
"Who… are you young child?" He stammered quickly when her quiet eyes turned to him as she glanced from the body to the bloodied sword to him and then back to the body.
"I'm… Aname Mirako… That's right… That's what he told me… I'm Aname Mirako; an angel of death…" She slowly tilted forwards and collapse onto the ground. This feeling, it was familiar. A warm blanketing feeling, it was so inviting. She let it consume her without any struggle. The man stared at the girl for some time before going to get help. She was definitely something he'd never seen before. This child, how had she acquired a Zanpaktou? And how could he not feel any reiatsu from her? It was obvious that she was a soul, and therefore could in fact have reiatsu, but how had she acquired a Zanpaktou, on Earth? Was that even possible? He wondered what this girl might become in the future and began to worry more.