Jewelz and Jonah Bluewind are two of your average North Florida college students…that is until five of Soul Society's highest ranking Soul Reapers show up out of the blue to tell them that their mother, long since gone, turned out to be a Japanese liaison for the Soul Society. This is where we begin our story for our troubled Students…
Chapter 1 – Two Worlds
"What a great song," I murmured to myself. "I wish that Mom were around to listen to it."
"Jewelz! Dinner!"
I groaned and rolled off my bed. After turning my small stereo off, I made my way downstairs to the kitchen. Shortly after Jonah was born, Mom disappeared to who knows where, leaving Dad to take care of a one year old toddler and a newborn. I yawned, stretched and stopped at the kitchen sink to wash my hands. My brother was already cooking the chicken in the oven, so I went to the pantry and pulled out the canned green beans and carrots. I went to look for the can opener and, not finding it in its proper drawer, turned to Dad.
"Where's the can opener, Dad?"
"In its drawer. Why?"
"It's not in there. Unless you want only chicken tonight for dinner, you might as well tell me where it really is."
Jonah tapped me on the shoulder. I looked over my shoulder at him to see that he was spinning the object of my desire in his fingers. I took it from him before he could drop and break it.
Thanks, I signed. Dad's no help any more.
Jonah's deaf, so I've been signing for as long as I can remember. He made a quick reply before turning back to the poultry in the oven. He may be deaf, but he's not stupid and I love him for the way he makes me laugh. I opened the cans and made to dump them into a pot when I realized that I didn't have a pot to dump them in. I nudged my younger brother's foot with my toes.
Where's the pot for the veggies?
On the stove, sister, he answered. Where else would it be? The chicken is almost done anyways.
I looked and, sure enough, sitting on the back burner of the stove, was the pot that was always used for our fresh and canned vegetables. I dumped the beans and carrots in simultaneously before turning the right knob. After a few minutes, Jonah motioned for me to get out of the way for him to open the oven and retrieve our main entrée. I sidestepped to my left, taking the cooked vegetables with me.
"Dinner is ready, Dad. Could you set the table please? Jonah and I have homework to finish after we get done cleaning up the kitchen."
He stood, shuffled around with the silverware from the drawer next to the refrigerator and pulled three plates down from the cabinet next to the stove hood.
An hour and a half later, I was lying on my stomach on my bed with my calculus book propped open on my pillow. I still didn't understand what the professor wanted us to do, so I exasperatedly shut my book and shifted both it and my notes to my bedside table. I flipped over onto my back and stared at my ceiling while I listened to Phil Collins's greatest hits blaring out of my stereo. A few minutes later, my lights flickered. I raised my head just enough to see Jonah standing in my doorway. I sat up and patted the bed at the end of my feet.
What's up, baby? I asked when he sat down.
I met some people at school today, sister, he replied. They were saying things that were sort of…I don't know…disturbing. They were talking about a place called S-o-u-l S-o-c-e-i-t-y and people called S-o-u-l R-e-a-p-e-r-s. What do you think about it, sister?
I tapped my chin for a second in thought. I can't be sure about any of it, baby. Do you want Nathaniel and Carrie to come over?
His face brightened and he nodded. I picked up my phone and dialed Nathaniel first. I told him to try to get a hold of Carrie and to come over as soon as possible. I hung up and turned back to my younger brother.
Did you get anything else from them, baby?
They had foreign names. I asked the bald one to write their names down. They're Japanese. I have the paper with me. He pulled out a folded sheet of notebook paper. He wrote their names in Japanese characters. The short one went behind him and wrote everything out in English.
I looked at the names. I know two of them from my C-a-l-c-u-l-u-s class and the other three from my English Literature class. Did the short on have white hair and green eyes?
Yes. The bald one had what looked like red eye-shadow on.
What about the redhead with the tattoos?
Yeah. His hair looks like a pineapple in the ponytail.
The guy with the feather?
Yeah. Why would anyone want to attach feathers to their face?
The blonde with the authority issues?
Especially him. Shorty, Baldy, and Blondie are in my Political Science class. Red and Feathers are in my Humanities class.
I smiled at his nicknames for them. Tell me what you can about Feathers.
He took a deep breath, a thoughtful look on his smooth features. He went to launch into what he could about the person in question when the lights flickered again. I held up my hand to stop Jonah from turning around.
"Your friends are here, Jewelz."
"Thanks, Dad. Tell them to come on up."
"There are also some other kids with them that claim to be in a couple of your classes."
Speak of the devil, I told my brother. Our school friends are here, too. Come on.
I swung my legs off and over the edge of my bed, Jonah following my lead. I smiled at my father as I pushed past him, making for the stairs. I slid down the railing. I turned just in time to catch Jonah before he landed on his head, breaking his neck. He signed a quick thanks as we both turned to the rather large group standing the foyer. Sure enough, Nathaniel and Carrie were standing there with the Japanese kids, segregating themselves into two separate groups.
"Hey, guys! Now tell me something. Why all the animosity towards each other?"
"Their feel is different from everyone else in town, Jewelz," Nathaniel answered. "I don't trust them if you ask me."
"I agree," Carrie said. "Why they're here is what I'd like to know."
"Would you care to elaborate on why they feel different, Nathaniel?"
"Well, first and foremost," he started, "no one around here is shorter than five-foot-six, has white hair and gives everyone the cold shoulder. To add insult to injury, he looks more like an elementary aged kid rather than a college student. Second of all, who in the living bloody hell attaches feathers to their eyebrow and eyelash? He looks like he's about to compete with every peacock at the Zoo. And, dude, what's with the red eye-shadow? You look as gay as your feathered friend. Lastly…there is no lastly, really. Red is cool and Blondie needs to learn to stand up for himself."
The short white haired kid was twitching, Feathers was being held back by Baldy, and the other two were just standing there. Red was tugging on his left earlobe and staring at the ceiling. Blondie was shuffling his feet and wringing his hands.
"Who's who here?"
"Toshiro Hitsugaya." Shorty.
"Renji Abarai." Red.
"Yumichika Ayasegawa." Feathers.
"Ikkaku Madarame." Baldy.
"Izuru Kira." Blondie.
"Good. You obviously know us so what do you want with me and my little brother?"
"You both are leaking reiatsu, or spiritual pressure. It's almost overwhelming being this close to it. Fill them in, Renji."
"But, Captain. Why me? Why not get Kira to do it? Yumichika and Ikkaku won't do it, will they?"
"Kira tends to babble and those two Eleventh idiots get sidetracked with their own arguments. That's why I chose you, you stupid Pineapple Head."
Renji's shoulders slumped as he turned away from the short white haired Captain.
"Do you want me and Jonah alone or can Nathaniel and Carrie sit in?"
"Just you and Jonah, Jewelz. Oi! Yumichika! Ikkaku! Entertain them for a while."
Go with them, guys, I told my two friends. Come on, Jonah. I want to finish my homework before classes tomorrow. "Kitchen or dining room?"
"Kitchen. I know that Jonah can read lips but you will have to translate what he says to me. I take it your other friend, the girl, also has a hearing problem?"
"Yeah. And yes, Jonah can read lips. He prefers actual hand signs to the spoken word though. Right, baby?"
Yes. Teach him. If not for me, then at least for Carrie. It'll be fun to watch him struggle.
I translated all but the last sentence, a confused look on the red-head's face. He sat down in the chair closest to the garage, Jonah claiming the chair across from him. I leaned up against the counter next to the fridge. I knew that I would be distracted if I sat down so I stood there and stared at him until he started fidgeting with the glasses on his head.
"Well, Renji. Are you going to talk or not? Like I said a few minutes ago, I have homework I want to finish before my classes tomorrow."
"I wish Rukia were here. She's better at explaining this than I am. I'll explain what I can in layman's terms."
He sighed heavily and told me what he was and how it affected me and Jonah. Then he went on and on about the Soul Reaper Academy.
"Wait. We have to go to school to learn how to become a Soul Reaper?"
Jewelz. What does he mean he mean by S-o-u-l R-e-a-p-e-r A-c-d-e-m-y? Going to college is hard enough, sister.
I know, baby. "Care to elaborate on what the Academy does specifically, Red?"
"It basically specializes in four main areas. Zanjutsu is more or less swordsmanship. Hakuda is hand to hand combat. Kido is an offensive kind of magic if you will. And Hoho are more or less a defensive sort of flash step. Zanjutsu and Kido are the only two classes that I was ever any good at."
We might get hurt if we take part in the Z-a-n-j-u-t-s-u class, sister. Besides you know how clumsy I am with a blade.
Yeah, I know, I answered. "Jonah is a bit of a klutz when it comes down to using a blade of any kind. I have a scar on my lower back to prove it. Anything else you care to tell us while we're here, Red?"
He thought for a second. "The Gotei Thirteen. All thirteen squads are headed by a Captain. They are helped, or not, by their Lieutenants. My oh-so-mighty Captain is Byakuya Kuchiki. Hitsugaya is the captain of the Tenth Division. His ditzy Lieutenant is Rangiku Matusmoto. Kira is the Acting Captain, a substitute really, of the Third Division. Madarame is the Third Seat of the Eleventh Division and the only living one to have a Bankai, or secondary release, for his Zanpaku-to. Ayasegawa is the Fifth Seat of the Eleventh and close to achieving Bankai himself. The Eleventh Division is headed by Captain Kenpachi Zaraki and Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi. I used to be among their ranks until I was offered the position of Sixth Division's Lieutenant. I was also Kira's year mate at the Academy. Any more questions?"
Jonah and I looked at each other for a minute. I was about to answer when Kira burst in, breathing like he had just sprinted a mile…and he was wearing a black uniform of some kind.
"Renji! Hollows! Five hundred meters out. Ikkaku and Toshiro are holding them off. Ayasegawa can't be found anywhere."
"Damn," Red muttered. "You two are coming. Pop these."
I almost questioned him about what he was asking me to swallow but he glared at me and I did as I was told. I felt a slight tug as my body lurched forward and sprawled across the table, followed shortly by Jonah's seemingly inanimate form. I noticed that my consciousness had stayed where I was standing by the fridge. The same thing must have happened to Jonah because he tugged on my loose black sleeve. I looked down to see that I was dressed exactly like Kira as was Jonah. There was an extremely long sword strapped to my back and I had pouches at my hips with multiple throwing daggers. Jonah's sword was strapped at his waist and he had what looked like a medical first aid pack on his back.
"Great," Renji mumbled. "Just what we need. A stealth force operative and a deaf medic. Kira! Look for that coward Ayasegawa. Jewelz and Jonah are going to meet their first Hollow."
The look the red head gave me sent chills down my spine as he stood and popped a pill. The electricity that surrounded him set my hair on edge. His tattoos stood out less because of the black of his uniform which only drew attention to his dark red hair. He made to move toward the front door when he stopped, a horrified look briefly crossing his features. A second or two later, I felt something more potent than fear crawl up my back and a scream sound in my ears. Jonah must have felt it too because his hand clenched in my sleeve.
What was that, sister?
"That was the feel of a Hollow's reiatsu and the sound of a screaming soul. Let's move out."
I followed the pineapple's lead through the front door, Jonah close behind me. Before we had gone a few hundred meters, Renji stopped and looked up. I followed his upward gaze. I stumbled back a few steps and, my feet tangling in the loose part of my bottoms, fell flat on my ass. The two…no three things I noticed about the monstrosity I was looking at were the bleached bone mask, the hole in its chest where the heart would normally be, and it was easily two or three times the size of my bedroom if not bigger. Jonah tugged on my sleeve again.
Not now, baby. "What do you have to do to get rid of something like that, Red?"
"Watch and learn, Jewelz, watch and learn."
Renji practically disappeared from my line of sight before my eyes caught him again, this time behind the monster on the roof of a nearby building. Two black clad figures flashed by me and my brother to join the Sixth Division Lieutenant. I pulled Jonah close, yanked out a dagger from a hip pouch and threw it at the Hollow's mask. My dagger hit the monster in the forehead. It gave a long agonized screech before seemingly dissolving into nothing, my small insignificant dagger clattering on the hard concrete roof.
"Nice shot, Jewelz. None of us could get past that things damned reiatsu shield."
"Can we go home now? Dad's probably going crazy with our limp bodies lying around the kitchen like noodles. Please?"
Toshiro whipped around to glare at the red-headed man that towered over him. "You didn't explain the concept of Soul Candy to them? You stupid red-headed pineapple! I don't care if there are FIFTY Hollows with a five thousand meter radius! Next time, you had better explain everything before I start pulling strings with your Captain to have you removed as Lieutenant!"
Someone cleared their throat behind me followed by a soft chuckle making me jump almost a foot in the air. I turned to see Kira and Ayasegawa standing there, the former looking frightened about being on the receiving end of Toshiro's anger and the latter smiling almost idiotically at the exchange between the short white-haired Captain and the taller red-headed Lieutenant. I felt Jonah relax a little as he leaned into me. The tension between the Tenth Captain and the Sixth Lieutenant made me want to knock their heads together just to get them to keep from exchanging blows with their swords. I knew it was a bad idea, so I just left them alone with their anger, knowing that they would eventually get over it. I stayed where I was, pulling Jonah closer to me. He nudged me in the ribs.
What is it, baby?
I want to go home, sister. I still have my Humanities paper to write and I have to finish answering those questions from my Political Science class.
"Um, guys? Jonah and I have to get home, you know. We still have homework to finish before our classes tomorrow. Or have you forgotten that little fact while you were fighting?"
Toshiro closed his eye and snorted, a vein working in his left temple and his arms crossed over his chest. Kira still looked frightened that he might have gotten on Toshiro's last nerve, Renji was still glaring at the four-and-a-half-foot tall Captain, and Ikkaku and Ayasegawa were hanging all over each other, laughing silently to themselves. I rolled my eyes, let go of my brother and slapped Ikkaku's bald head on my past him and tugging on Ayasegawa's feathers in the process. I could hear both men grumbling about how abusive I was as they both started following me and Jonah.
Upon arriving home, my animated body jumped me and started yammering about worried it was about me. I pried its arms from around my neck as Jonah's body started doing the same thing, only in sign language. Renji pulled a red fingerless glove out of the folds of his top, yanked it onto his right hand and slapped the back of our bodies' heads in an almost aggravated manner. The "Soul Candy" that he had us swallow earlier came out as small yellowish pills and nodded that we could put claim to our bodies again. I slipped into my now limp form and almost immediately felt like I had been wrapped in chains, head to foot.
"That one's almost worst that Chappy when Rukia goes Soul Reaper," Renji stated. "I'll have to talk to Kisuke about that in a few days when I order more Soul Candy. Now where's mine?"
"Renji-kun! Can I get out of this body now? It feels funny."
"Come here, you," the red-head growled. "I hate it when you say that being in my gigai feels funny, so you can bite your tongue."
"But it does, Red."
Renji forced himself into his body, the small yellow orb popping out of his mouth. A few seconds later, Kira, Toshiro, Ikkaku and Ayasegawa walked in the front door, their bodies their own once more. The blonde substitute Captain gave me the once over to make sure it was me and not the foreign soul he was looking at.
"See something you like, Blondie?"
"Maybe," he mumbled, looking to his fellow Soul Reapers for help.
Toshiro was leaning against the door frame, arms crossed and looking at the distantly setting moon and stars. Ikkaku and Ayasegawa were arguing at the kitchen table while Renji rummaged through the refrigerator for something to eat. That's when I saw it. They were dressed in whatever they thought would pass for acceptable here in the States.
Toshiro was in a button down dark green camper shirt and dark blue bell bottoms that would look good on a teeny bopper. Renji had on a multi-pocketed khaki vest over a loud tie-dye t-shirt and a pair of loose fitting stone washed jeans. Kira was wearing a tight blue top with a Hello Kitty head on the chest and black skinny jeans that should be forever outlawed around me. Ikkaku had on a small tight pink shirt, I'm not short…I'm fun-sized printed on it, and tight blue jeans that looked about three inches too short. Ayasegawa had on a shirt covered in hibiscus flowers and a pair of light blue bell bottoms with a dragon stitched on them to look like it was crawling out of the left pocket.
Jonah tugged on my sleeve, a concerned look on his thin features. Under that concern was something that I thought was lost forever after we started college. It was a look of laughter.
"What's wrong, baby?"
I just noticed how they're all dressed, sister, he answered. Everything happened too fast earlier for me to notice. And Ikkaku looks like he went through your closet about eight years ago. Everyone else looks almost normal.
"Jonah!" He is a guest in this house and you have no right to criticize my clothing from more than five years ago. Besides that used to be one of my favorite shirts.
My peripheral vision caught everyone's jump of shock when I loudly scolded my brother. Everyone except Toshiro, who was sitting in the front doorway by this point. He merely glanced over his shoulder at us before turning his teal gaze back to the setting moon. Jonah was grinning evilly at this point. I pointed upstairs from where I stood by the dishwasher, giving my younger brother the ultimate death glare. He pouted and pushed his chair back, the legs scrapping across the tiles. Before he could get two steps, he stumbled and nearly fell face first onto the hardwood floor of the front foyer had it not been for Toshiro catching him around the shoulders. I raced over to my younger brother to see that he was silently screaming in pain and attempting to scratch at his eardrums.
"What's wrong with him, Jewelz?"
"I don't know. Dad! Call Doctor Manifred right away. Something's wrong with Jonah. Help me move him, Toshiro. We have to get him to calm down before we take him to the hospital."