FULL SHADOW ALCHEMIST'S BLEACH ONE-SHOT FANFIC CONTEST
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Dust in the Wind
By rohoxakai
Jinta & Yuzu. There'll be always a time or a day, an even or a happening that you're to meet a person that will remind you of some things that you need to learn in life.
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A/N: First contest in that I joined! And I am very happy! This is just a one-shot story (since it's what the contest provided). We've been assigned pairings from the best anime (so far), Bleach, and that will be the basis of our story. Mine was Jinta and Yuzu pairing. Slightly odd but very interesting to write something about. But also, hard to make a love story out of them, since they just children. Lol. It doesn't matter; I just aimed on presenting a story that will be hopefully, loved and favorite by many.
You might be wondering about the title. You'll know about it as soon as you got t read the story. And sorry for a little OOC (if any). Ü
Btw, voting system was through PM to the administrator of the contest, Full Shadow Alchemist.
Thanks y'all! Hope you'll gonna love this story. Enjoy reading! ^_^
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Early morning. Warm summertime.
The sun had already shone at the placid town of Karakura. Few town folks have been out of their houses; some were watering their plants, some leaving for work, some been sweeping their garages and so on, just the common events every morning at the whole town. And so was in the premises of Urahara shop. Though there's been a slight difference on this day.
The timid and the not-so-outspoken gal Ururu, one of Urahara's young protégé, was out of the shop, doing her daily chores of cleaning. There have been lots of fallen dried leaves in the garage today. During her cleaning time, she's usually accompanied by Jinta, another Urahara's young apprentice, who's most of the time boastful, plucky and futile, especially now. But now, he's nowhere to be found.
Jinta's gone for a filed trip. But how? Where? When?
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Flashback…
"Jinta! Jinta!" Ururu called during their cleaning time. She shouted once more.
This infuriated the currently idle Jinta, who was lying atop Urahara's shop, arms under his head, looking blankly at the blue and surreal sky.
He sat down a bit. "What!" He shouted back.
"Help me with the garbage. Please."
Jinta grimaced. He didn't respond. He laid himself again.
"Jinta!" Ururu called again.
"I've no mood on cleaning right now", he whispered to himself.
Ururu attempted to call him again, but he was interrupted by Urahara. He shook his head as if he's warning Ururu not to call him once more. Ururu tried to reason out but Urahara suddenly called Jinta himself.
This surprised Jinta and make him stood up from the roof.
"There you are." Urahara said.
Jinta was speechless. He thought Ururu will call him again but instead it was Urahara. He's not actually afraid at Urahara, just intimidated as Urahara's the owner of his domicile.
"What are doing there anyway? Why aren't you helping Ururu?" Urahara suddenly asked. Ururu looked at Jinta shyly.
Jinta descended. He cleared his throat. Then just shrugged on Urahara's inquiry.
"Indolence?"
Jinta shrugged again. He's serious though. "Probably." He spoke coldly.
"I see." Urahara said, then smiled at him; a smile that somewhat conveys a meaning.
Jinta, sensing that there's something behind such smile; that Urahara has something unexpected or unpleasant in store for him, shivered and choked. "What?!" He asked irritably.
"Maybe you need some vacation." Urahara replied. He smiled again. Ururu looked at him, confused.
Jinta's jaw opened wide in disbelief. He can't tell if he's supposed to be joyous or not.
Urahara added. "Mind you, it's not just a simple, one day vacation. Doesn't that sound so good, Jinta-kun?" He then laughed and winked at him.
Jinta was still dumbfounded. But he contemplated on the unusual and somehow shady offer.
"Look into the bright side." He talked to himself. "You'll be out here for quite a long time. You'll be able to enjoy yourself, without cleaning, doing other chores, obeying Urahara's order and so on. You might be somewhere secluded by hot babes. (whistles)"
"Where are you planning to take me to?" Jinta asked all of a sudden. His mind demands 'to the beach'.
"Let's see." Urahara said. He was picking something inside his pocket. A paper. "How about this?" He grinned and handed the said paper to Jinta.
Jinta unfolded the paper and read the contents aloud.
"Kurakura Town Citizen's Union Presents: The Third Children Community Outreach." His tone ascended upon finishing the first line of the paper.
Jinta was staggered again. His face reddened. Ururu giggled softly.
"W-WHAT?!" He queried angrily. "What the hell am I supposed to do in here?! With some bunch of KIDS?!"
"Just lending a simple help to our community. So that you won't be a useless brat here. Not to mention a 'dust in the wind'." Urahara joked.
The last few words echoed within Jinta. Dust in the wind. Dust in the wind…
"I'm not a dust in the wind!" He snapped.
"Then prove it." Urahara challenged.
"No. I don't have to prove that. I-I'm not going, and besides, I'm not a kid you know!" Jinta lied. "And I am expecting a trip to a beach." He then murmured.
"Dust in the winddd…" Urahara sung.
Jinta contemplated. "Once more, look into the bright side. Likewise, it's a freedom that you want. Whatever you'll going to do there, it won't be possibly hard. And, you don't want to be called dust in the wind, don't you? Think."
Without further ado, Jinta agreed fractionally. His expression, still a little coerced. "Fine!"
"Good. Here, take this." Urahara threw a red back pack at Jinta. The latter was surprised, and unexpectedly amazed at Urahara; he doesn't know when, where and how Urahara provided that back pack promptly.
"Is it today? Already? I haven't even made the preparation for registration." Jinta inquired thoughtlessly. He was wearing the back pack behind.
"I've done that all. Don't you worry anymore, Jinta-kun." Urahara responded.
Urahara walked closely at him. He positioned Jinta, facing the road. Then, unnoticed, he kicked Jinta outside the garage and compelled him to go to the meeting place immediately.
"What the hell is that for?!" Jinta asked while patting his aching buttocks.
"Would you like me to 'blow you out'? You're not a 'dust in the wind', aren't you?" Urahara joked yet again.
"Why you!" He was just about to approach Urahara for retaliation, but the gate closed automatically. He kicked the gate in disappointment. "Damn!".
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Present…
Meanwhile, at the Kurosaki residence…
"My little Yuzu. I'm going to miss you, my beautiful child. Don't forget to brush your teeth, eat well, and sleep early. Most importantly, don't talk to strangers, okay!" Isshin Kurosaki, the head of the Kurosaki family, reminded her daughter who will be attending the community outreach. He was brushing his face to Yuzu's as a sign of how she's going to miss her beloved daughter. Yuzu though was a bit annoyed of her father's unnecessary anxiety.
Karin, the other daughter, interrupted. "How is she supposed to do that? Not to talk to strangers, if the people she'll going to communicate with are all unknown to her."
Yuzu just laughed. "You have a point." Isshin agreed.
"And beside dad, it's not as if they're going to spend couple of days in the forest. It's only good for this whole day." Karin added.
Isshin was enlightened. "Yeah. Right!"
"Honestly, dad. How come you don't know that? You're the one who enlisted Yuzu-chan to the Union."
Isshin just laughed at his foolishness and ignored his daughter's inquisitive nature.
Yuzu was about to leave.
"So, I'm going to leave now. Take care. Karin-chan, take care of our dad and Nii-chan." Then she winked at her sister. Isshin was pretending to be crying. He has white napkin held in his hand.
Karin nodded. "Take care too, Yuzu-chan. Enjoy the day!"
Just before leaving, Yuzu was called by her sister. "Wait. Here, take this." She lent her favorite red baseball cap.
"Thanks!" Yuzu smiled, then wore the cap.
Karin smiled back.
They've accompanied her until to the gate of their house. Then, they waved goodbye.
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Outside of the Karakura Town Hall, many people, mostly children, mingled for preparation on the today's event. Yuzu arrived, looking for a friend who was also enlisted. Since she was small and a little isolate on the group of people, she had a hard time searching for her friend. Determined to find her friend, she unintentionally and unnoticeably banged into someone.
"Ouch!" A voice of a boy complained.
Yuzu looked back to see who she was probably hurt. She saw a red haired boy.
"Sorry. I'm very sorry." Yuzu said instinctively while bowing down.
Jinta was driven slightly mad from the incident. He looked at Yuzu darkly. "Better watch where you're going, cataract-san." Then he left the scene.
Yuzu blushed. "What?!" She was in disbelief and with bit anguish on how that guy called her. "Hmp. Such an arrogant boy."
She continued looking around, and finally, she found a petite, pink-haired gal, wearing a purple back pack and a white and pink baseball cap, beside a sakura. "Miho-chan!" She called out.
The girl saw her friend Yuzu approaching.
"Yuzu-chan!" She greeted. They hugged each other upon meeting.
"So, are you excited?" Miho asked.
Yuzu nodded. "Yes! I can't wait to visit the forest and plant some trees."
"Me too." Miho conceded. They both giggled.
Suddenly, someone from the Union called everyone's attention. She announced that the bus that they're going to ride had arrived and that the children should queue for entering. Some of the children bid their goodbyes to their parents.
One by one, children entered the bus. Yuzu and her friend were seated at the 5th row from front. While some of the children kept on coming, Yuzu noticed the red-haired guy from earlier. She looked at him intently. The latter was looking straight, not noticing the people from everywhere.
"That boy." Yuzu whispered.
Miho was curious. "Who?"
"Did you saw that red-haired boy?"
Miho looked back just to see the biy she mentioned. "Do you know him?"
"No. I just saw him earlier before I found you. He's arrogant, you know." Yuzu grumble.
"Really? How?"
And Yuzu narrated the earlier events.
On the other hand, Jinta chose to be seated at the very back. Someone was already seated beside the window. Such child was so happy to be there. Jinta though wanted that place.
"Hey kid, I want that place." Jinta said in an intimidating voice.
The joyous kid was changed into gloomy a one. He might have been terrified on the looks of Jinta.
Jinta grinned. He seated there comfortably until they've reached their destination.
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The bus arrived at the Nihon National Park and Wildlife. There were crews who were waiting outside for their arrival. They held banner that said 'Welcome Karakura Town'.
Yuzu and Miho looked at each other in excitement.
Jinta sighed when they arrived. "I can't believe I'm really here."
The kid earlier eyed him in puzzlingly.
Jinta noticed it. "What? You have a problem with me?" he asked in the same manner as before. And likewise, the kid was terrified so he hurriedly left his seat and went for the door.
The children were commanded to wear aprons and gloves for the event. Pink for girls and blue for guys. The girls, especially Yuzu and Miho loved the color. As for Jinta, as expected, disliked it.
"Blue is the color for babies. What the heck."
One of the crew overheard him. Then approached him. He's a tall, middle-aged and quite a skinny guy, black short haired, wearing the Park's visor cap and tee. His nametag bears the name Tamaki.
Jinta was baffled on his presence.
The crew asked him. "Any problem, little one?"
"Did he just say 'little one' to me?!" Jinta thought. "Get lost, bamboo-san! You don't want to be flown away by the wind with such feather-weighed body of yours. You don't want to be used as a fire wood when I managed to broke you apart, don't you." Afterward, Jinta walked away.
The crew for a while was horrified on how the kid had called him. One of his fellow crew, a lady, accosted to her frozen fella.
"Hey, Tamaki-kun, you'll alright? We have to assist the visitors."
Tamaki was still on the state of shock. "That kid," Pointing nervously at disappearing Jinta. "H-he's like a w-wolf!"
The girl looked at the direction of where he's pointing, and saw Jinta entering the gate leading to the empty land where they will be planting. "What are you saying? Come on, let's go."
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A short discussion about the agenda of the vent was undergone first, before the commencement of tree planting. The children wore nametags too.
After that, everybody's enjoying the tree planting. The crews were on guard to them; to guide and to help too.
Of course, Jinta was not that happy. It wasn't the fun that he wanted to be. He just kept on digging and planting.
Yuzu was delighted and so she was doing well, fortunately for her, she was praised by some crews who encountered her actions.
The thin crew from earlier who also supervises the area noticed that the portion where Jinta was working was empty, or at least there were suspicious humps on the soil, about three of them.
"Hmm. The wolf guy." he whispered. Because he was so alarmed in what Jinta was doing so far. "Where are your plants, Mr. Hanakari?"
He glared at the intervening guy. "It's you again. Can't you tell? I already planted them." He pointed the mysterious lumps.
The crew probably realized what possibly he had. "Wait. Did you just put all the plants inside the soil?" The crew asked nervously.
"That's how to do it, right?!" Jinta snapped. He's incredibly unaware on planting and similar stuffs.
The crew seemingly almost going to cry. "No. I-it c-can't b-be." The crew squatted before the soil and started digging.
Jinta was irritated. "Hey! What are you doing? You're ruining it!" He complained. His voice was so loud that the other people postponed what they're doing and checked out what's cooking.
"Nooo!" The crew cried. The plants planted by Jinta were actually buried. They'd all covered in soil and already deformed.
His fellow crew came near him and inquired about what had happened. Upon hearing what the crew stated, some laughed on what kind of naughtiness Jinta had done. Jita was still doubtful if ever he did something wrong. Some of the children who knew what had happened, laugh as well, especially Yuzu.
"I never thought that he's really a problem child after all."
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Tree planting was finished within two hours, just in time for lunch. The crew called out for the kids for lunch.
Yuzu and her friend were started walking when Yuzu's baseball cap was flown away by a sudden strong cold breeze. Miho was lucky enough to had grasped her cap before the same be happen.
"Oops. Just go ahead Miho. I'll be right back. I'm just going to get the cap."
"Okay. Come back immediately."
Yuzu saw easily where her cap landed, near a tall and huge mahogany tree. She managed to have her sister's cap in her possession again, safe and sound. She then complimented how huge the tree was.
"Wow. This is so huge. Its branches and leaves, they're life roofs. Amazing!" She was about to leave when precipitously, strong raindrops feel from the sky. Yuzu hurriedly ran back to the tree for temporary shelter.
"No way!" Her stomached then made a resounding noise. "I'm hungry." She sat beside the tree, arms locked around her bended thighs. "I hope this rain would not last very long." She sighed. Her brief serenity was interrupted when something or someone from above fell near her. She was surprised that made her stood up.
It's Jinta. He was staying or probably taking a nap from the tree's branch. He scooped his aching buttocks again and so was his head. "Ouch! That hurts!"
Yuzu chuckled.
Jinta detected such laugh. He sighted Yuzu with grim eyes.
Yuzu for a while, stopped laughing.
"You again!" Jinta exclaimed. "The girl who has deficiency on eye-sight." Jinta insulted.
"What?! what's your right for insulting me like that." The bashful Yuzu was almost on tears. "I've already apologized, didn't I? It's not like I've intended to bump into you." Her voice was gasping.
Jinta felt a little tinged of conscience for hurting someone's feeling. Ururu, whom he usually teased and argued with, never once cried over him. But with stranger like her, she's an exception to his reign. He tried to glance at her. Her face was sunken on her palms, while resting on the trunk of the huge tree.
"You don't have to cry over it, though." Jinta uttered. He hated to admit that he blamed himself this instance.
Still gasping, Yuzu countered. "Why don't you apologize to me, if you're guilty?"
"Who says I'm guilty? I just don't want to hear cries. It's irritating."
"How rude!" Yuzu held her tears. She wiped her eyes gently. She wanted to fought back. She found a tiny stone nearby and threw it at Jinta.
Jinta spotted the stone thrown at him. "Hey!"
"That's for your rudeness and for calling me a 'cataract-san' this morning. You think I'm a disease? No I'm obviously not! How could you associate me with such?!" Yuzu fought back.
Jinta recalled that he called her Ms. Cataract because of her failure to see him while walking. "That's because—"
"Whatever, Mr. John Trouble-ta! You're just naturally trouble maker!" Yuzu furthered, fearlessly. "Hmp!" Yuzu sat again beside the tree, awaiting for the halting of the rain, now that she's with an unlikeable person.
"Wow. She swiftly changed from a defenseless crybaby into a tigress! (rawr!)" Jinta thought. He doesn't want to aggravate the argument.
There was a moment of silence; the raindrops could only be heard.
Yuzu was praying for the rain to stop. Jinta on the other hand was trying to remember something; a particular person that reminded him of the girl, Yuzu.
"Stubborn, hair almost orange, eyes that are color… Wait a minute!" Jinta bellowed.
Yuzu was clueless on what might be his problem. "He's probably hallucinating or something." She breathed.
She was stunned again when Jinta was right in front of her.
"What-?!"
"Are you… by any chance… related to Ichigo Kurosaki?" Jinta asked as politely as he can.
Yuzu was perplexed. "You know my brother?"
"Brother?! Kurosaki was your brother?!" Jinta mused.
Yuzu nodded civilly. "So you knew my brother then? How?"
Jinta vaguely grinned. "Don't mess with that dickhead's sister." Jinta warned himself. "He's just a regular at our shop, the Urahara shop, have you heard about it?"
"No." Yuzu replied hastily.
Jinta returned to his place again.
At last, the rain stopped.
Yuzu stood up by the moment the rain disappeared. "Finally…"
Jinta showed no signs of leaving the place. Yuzu confounded. "Aren't you coming?"
"Nah!" He just replied.
"You're going to miss the delicious foods here."
"Who cares!" Jinta, in an arrogant mood again.
Yuzu sighed. "Okay then, I am leaving. See you around." She ran about a short distance when she quoted something to Jinta. "Hey! Don't just sit around doing nothing. And don't just let your mistakes unsolved. Practice planting. Try utilizing yourself abundantly and productively. Otherwise, you'll be a mere 'dust in the wind'. We must be young, but we can already do something beyond our age. Remember that." She ran again.
"That's what we realized when we lost our mother; to live independently, productively, contentedly and happily." Yuzu mouthed, upon saying such words to Jinta.
"That phrase again. Until here, I still have to 'catch' that 'un-catchy' phrase?! Honestly…" Jinta scanned the environment. He saw carriage with lots of unplanted plants. His throat was very dry and his mind is tired of thinking the words, but he was still being hunted. Try utilizing yourself abundantly and productively. Otherwise, you'll be a mere 'dust in the wind'. Dust in the wind.
We must be young, but we can already do something beyond our age.
"Oh how I hate this day!" He cried, and then he aroused and ran to the carriage.
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The next day…
Urahara and the others were awoken by an early sweeping sound. The sun has yet to set. He went outside to check who that might be. And beyond anybody's expectation, it was Jinta who was cleaning in such an early day. He even heard him, while sweeping, hooting the words, "Don't be dust in the wind…"
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A/N: That's it, end of a one-shot story. Quite short and not much of Jinta and Yuzu, though I initially intended to create something more interesting between the two. In the end, I was just provided moral implication or lesson that I hope can be inspiring to everyone. Ü I really want to expand it, if only I'll be having an opportunity. That opportunity will be determine on how readers will perceive my story; if they're going to like it or not. Nevertheless, I exerted lots of effort, time and energy in the accomplishment of this simple story.
About the John Trouble-ta, I actually heard it being said by one of Korean actors in a certain entertainment show. Good thing, I was able to made use of such word to add with the comedy (and I hoped it works.^_^)
So guys, I want to hear it from you. Please leave even just a short review. Thanks very much! ^_^V