A/N: Well, I'm back. Been a few years. Those writers aren't kidding when they say college takes up a lot of time. Work does too. Anyways, lost my original idea with Because He's Evil, so I'm starting fresh. Twisted Love is an AU Bleach story that also incorporates another manga I read a while back. I thought the two would go well together. The main focus will by on Aizen but Ichigo plays a bigger role later on. I hope you enjoy it, please review.
Disclaimer: This will be the only one. All manga, characters and used quotes belong to their respective Authors.
It was perfect.
She stood at the entrance of what had to be paradise. It was night, but the light of the brilliant full moon and thousands of glimmering stars illuminated the tranquil scene before her. It was a beautiful garden, wonderfully decorated with gorgeous flowers, numerous trees and bushes, all set in the right places, everything complementing one another.
A foot path led her across a small pure white rock garden up to a deep maroon colored bridged that led over a small, clear pond. Reeds and beautiful white flowers lined the edges of it. The water was so clear she could see straight to the bottom, even in moonlight. The soft trill of crickets filled the air, with fireflies drifting about the garden, blinking their little lights. A small splash alerted her to the colorful koi swimming lazily within the pond.
Overlooking the pond was a massive cherry tree in full bloom. The moon lit up the flowers to the point of glowing, a pinkish haze surrounding it like an aura. She gazed in awe at the character and magnificence of the grand tree. It stood alone on a small, sloping hill, the crown jewel of the entire garden.
A movement at the base of the tree caught her attention, but when she looked there was nothing there. There was another movement further down. Looking down, she realized the movement hadn't come from the base of the tree, but rather in the water below.
She hurried over the bridge to the tree, to get a better look at what was in the water. Peering over the edge, at first she saw nothing aside from the rocks and dirt under the water. Then a movement caused her attention to shift instead the the reflections in the water. Standing next to her own reflection was a beautiful little boy.
He could have been an angel, he looked so sweet and innocent. His soft brown hair gently framed his face, matching his eyes gazing up at her through the water. He was beaming, absolutely beaming up at her, with adoration as if her mere presence was the greatest thing in existence.
The boy was dressed in an elegant kimono that served to emphasize not only his heavenly brilliance, but the splendor of this little patch of Heaven.
She reached into the water, hoping to pull the boy over to her side. Her hand only splashed into the water, the ripples distorting the reflection to a mass of blurred splotches of color. Alarm swept through her as she yanked her arm back, afraid she might have hurt the boy in some way, or sent him away. To her immense relief, he was still standing there when the water settled again. He then gave her a brilliant smile, which shocked her into awe.
Could there be anything more magnificent, more glorious than the pure, innocent happiness of a child's smile?
Yes. This child's smile.
Never before had something so simple as a smile filled her with such blissful contentment. For some reason, she somehow knew that he was smiling at her, for her, and only for her. The significance of that thought made her want to cry. It made her feel special, truly special, and she wanted to do everything that she could to thank him for this wonderful feeling.
Here eyes were drawn back to the water boy when he waved for her attention. Giving her another small smile, he pointed upwards to the sky. Looking up, she saw the brilliant moon above her surrounded by luminous stars, more than she'd ever seen in her life. It looked like a still picture of what could have been the ocean in Heaven. It was beautiful.
A blanket of peace and tranquility gently wrapped around her as she immersed herself into the garden's serenity. She slowly lowered herself onto the grass-bed alongside the water's edge, gazing upon the heavens, partially blocked by the cherry tree's branches, which only made its splendor all the more breathtaking.
Knowing the boy would remain, she allowed herself to be wrapped up in the deepest relaxation she had ever known.
Her eyes sleepily drifted on their own, sliding from the moon to the stars, to the flowers on the tree. A gentle wind blew some of the pink starflakes from their branches. Her gaze followed one in particular as it danced in its decent, until it landed in the center of the moon's reflection in the water.
Turning her head to face the water, her attention shifted to the bobbing little white flowers along the pond's edge. She identified the little bell shaped flowers as Lilly of the Valley's. Smiling lazily, she brought her hand up to touch the flora. Their plastic feel surprised her, and she had to puncture a leaf with her nail to make sure it wasn't fake. While she pondered the odd little plant, the first negative thought she had since entering this Eden snaked its way into her mind.
Lilly of the Valley…weren't they supposed to be poisonous?
Amy Tompkins could have been struck by lightning, that's how much the 'thump' on her back startled her. She jerked from her sleeping position on her desk, heart slamming into her throat while her blood momentarily thundered in her ears.
"W-what?" was all she got out, still disoriented.
"Did you really sleep through the bell?" a voice came from behind her. Turning, she saw Ichigo gazing at her with concerned eyes. "You slept through three periods today. Didn't you get any sleep last night? I thought you promised not to push yourself so hard." he accused.
Amy blinked several times, still dazed. "Mmm...yeah. Sorry 'bout that. Had to finish that report, you know?" Rubbing the sleep out of her blue eyes and stretching, she gave an enormous yawn. Then comprehension slammed on top of her like a wave and she struggled to get out of her desk. "Bell!? When'd the bell ring?! What time is it!?" Se only had twenty minutes to get to work and it was a ten minute jog just to get there!
Ichigo put a hand on her head and pushed her back down into her seat. "Thursday." was all he said.
Thursday? Yes, it was Thursday. Sweet, blessed Thursday of no work (and no money). Relief washed over her as she relaxed into her seat. "Right, that was why I stayed up late. Thank freaking God. Scared the crap out of me, Ichigo." She glared at him.
His only response was to grin and tap the side of his mouth. "You got a little drool right there."
"Ooof course I do." she drawled flatly, rubbing both sides of her mouth just in case. A small laugh came from beside her as Mizuiro and Keigo made their way up to them.
"Relax amy, we wouldn't let you be late for work." Mizuiro stated calmly, as if she were being silly. Keigo bounced right up beside him.
"If you ask me, she could afford to miss a day or two. All work and no play leaves no work for me!" he complained dramatically, making Amy chuckle. Keigo had been making moves on her since day one when she first transferred here a few years ago. After a while she found his antics cute and was getting ready to cave when she got hired for her job. It was a lot of work being both a waitress and a high school student. She rarely had time for herself, it would be unfair of her to get into a relationship that she couldn't at least partially dedicate her time to.
Keigo then leaned forward, grabbed her hand and began to nuzzle his face in it. "You should call in sick sometime. Then we could go out and watch some sexy action movies and then head over to your wonderfully private home and –ack!"
Ichigo had decided to firmly plant his foot into Keigo's side and kick him across the room before the idiot got any more lost in his daydreams. "Unlike you, Keigo, some of us have a sense of responsibility. It's an admirable quality, you should get some."
Amy only smiled at the two, by now used to their antics. Sure enough, Keigo was back on his feet within seconds, shaking his head vigorously.
"Uh-uh. No way! I refuse to conform to societies standards and become a mindless unquestioning zombie." Amy sniggered as she was close enough to hear Ichigo mutter 'Yes, we call those types of people stupid morons.'
Just as quickly, the attention was turned back to her, as Keigo pointed to her and said, "Even Amy refuses to be a complete brick in the wall. She sleeps through at least one class a day and hardly has any of her homework done on time, leeching off the brainiacs like a boss." The over excitable teenager gave her a big thumbs up. "Keigo Asano approves of your laziness." he stated proudly.
Amy dropped her head and whined. "It's not my fault. I try to get it all done on time, but work takes forever and the urge to sleep is just too strong. So I'm being honest when I tell my teachers I'm not going out and partying or anything, and I do feel bad that I have to copy so much." She heaved an exaggerated sigh.
Keigo excitedly pointed his forefinger into the air. "Exactly! Which is why tonight, we are all going out to party! Where we shall dance, get women and order alcohol!" he was practically bouncing with giddiness.
Amy blinked. "Party? What party?"
Ichigo shrugged. "Meh, it's not as big a deal as Keigo's making it sound."
Seeing her confused expression, Mizuiro smiled and explained. "A new club just opened up and we thought you needed a break. Nothing majors going on tomorrow, so we know you don't have any school work to finish up. And you're not allowed to say no, Inoue-san went to go tell everyone already, so it's too late to back out now." he informed her happily.
Amy was momentarily blindsided. "Not allowed to…you're just now telling me and-alright." She stated when what they were asking sunk in. "Yeah sure, whatever. So what's the plan?"
Ichigo glanced at her, packing the rest of his books into his bag. "Go home, get changed, meet at the park in an hour." he summarized nicely.
Amy nodded and thought for a moment. "So who's coming?"
"Us, Inoue, Chad and Uryuu. Tatsuki has practice tonight and Chizuru couldn't make it. Something about a TV special." The spiky redhead shrugged, gathering up his stuff.
Amy did the same and saw that Mizuiro and Keigo were already at the door.
"See you at the park, Amy-chan!" Keigo waved. Mizuiro smiled and nodded, leaving with the other.
Ichigo waited for Amy to get her things and left with her. "That was easy," he said when they got to the hallway. "Thought you'd put up more of a fuss when it came to relaxing and enjoying yourself. You work on weekdays and refuse to do anything but homework on the weekends." he shook his head in amazement. "Don't think I don't understand, but you've got to start living again. Everyone's been getting worried."
Amy appreciated how he'd skitted over that particular subject and nodded. "Yeah I know. It just gets hard. I didn't think I'd have to take this much responsibility so soon but…" she trailed off and shrugged.
Ichigo gave her a light smile. "That's what you've got us for. Just make sure to listen from time to time, alright?"
Amy smiled and nodded. The two continued to walk towards the school entrance in comfortable silence. When they reached the doors, she had to ask. "So who does Keigo think is buying the alcohol? Chad?"
Ichigo snorted. "He probably thinks no one would say no to the guy."
"He does look like he could pass for early twenties." she pointed out.
"Yeah, well don't get your hopes up. They card everyone that looks remotely under forty and none of us are even close to seventeen. Besides, you don't need to start drinking. With all that's been going on, leave it to you to turn into an alcoholic." he chided.
Amy just rolled her eyes. "I've got no time to be dealing with hangovers, trust me." They both laughed and waved as they parted ways.
Amy decided to take her time walking back to her house. She lived close enough to the park so she wouldn't have to rush. Her dull blonde hair swayed against her shoulders as she walked, taking in the familiar sights.
After three years, Amy had become pretty used to Japan by now, her mother having dragged her and her twin sister, Annie, with her from America so that they could start a new life here. At thirteen, it had been difficult to get used to things at first. Thankfully her sister, who was able to pick up on things much faster than Amy, was able to help her through the foreign transition.
Amy watched a couple walking along the sidewalk, swinging their little boy between them. She smiled as he giggled in delight whenever he was raised high into the air. Her face took on a more melancholic expression as she continued her way to her house. She really missed her mother.
As a nurse practitioner, Amy's mother had been doing well in her business and raising two daughters on her own. She even had enough to own a small house. But that all changed in Amy's first year of high school.
A patient under the influence of drugs had gotten a hold of some scissors and fatally stabbed her mother in the neck. The doctor's tried, but the wound was too severe. The doctor in charge of her mother, who also tried to save her life, had been the one to inform the two girls of their mother's death. The doctor's name was Ryuken Ishida.
It was during this time that Amy had made her first friends. Having heard the news from his father, Uryuu was very supportive, and through him she had met Ichigo and the rest. Ichigo was no stranger to having lost a mother in a devastating way, but he had actually been there when it happened. Amy would probably have needed to be medicated if she had been with her mother at the time.
All of them had offered support and comfort during this time. She was really glad for their company and all that they offered. Amy wasn't sure if she would have made it for what happened next.
Blinking, she realized that she was suddenly home. The house wasn't much. Plain white and only one floor, their mother had gotten the master bedroom while the sisters had shared the second bedroom. As she opened the door, where once there had been lots of simple but nice furniture, there was now a bare, empty hallway.
There were pictures hanging on the by pins, devoid of any frames. There was one chair against a small folding table in the kitchen. A small, constant dripping sound came from the leaky sink she'd never been able to fix. In the living room, Amy had kept the couch, but used a laptop for watching shows. Simple shelves held a few decorations she'd either found or made.
Not a single light was on in the house, but it was still light out so she could still see. She mainly used candles and oil lamps for nighttime work. Saved on the electric bill, plus it was really cheap to use, considering how often she was actually home.
Walking into her bedroom, which consisted of a small table for homework and a sleeping bag, Amy set down her schoolbag on the table and headed for her closet. Within was a nice selection of clothes she had gotten really cheap. Ten outfits total should be more than enough, right? Besides, she spent most of the week in school uniforms, all she really needed was some casual wear for when she wasn't working. Still, as she looked at the contents of her closet, she remembered all the girls at school talking about what they had or what they were going to get, she had to face the facts.
She was dirt poor.
Their mother had been waiting to become a full nurse before she bought insurance, including life. The Will stated the house and funds were for the two of them, but they had nothing else. Seeing as they were still minors, their father had been contacted, being the only remaining relative they had. He, however, had wanted nothing to do with them.
Amy pulled out what she figured were nice, practical clothes for a club. Something that made her look nice, but not stating that she was looking for a date. She walked into the bathroom and found her uniform for tomorrow had already dried on the hanging lines. She'd found a wonderful recipe online for making a soap to hand-wash clothes. It made large quantities too, so she didn't have to go shopping for more supplies for several months rather than every two weeks for the washing machine.
Though their father was rich, Amy and Annie had been born from the result of a fling. His relationship with their mother had ended as quickly as it had begun. The only reason he supported them at all was due to the bad publicity he would receive if the lawyers started making a bigger fuss than what they were already throwing.
Rodger Harrison was the owner of a small successful business. Though not a widespread, international business, he had bought the failing company from Mexico and moved it to the U.S. It was now doing very well for itself, and her father only wanted to make it better. And slowly, he was.
After dealing with him over so many legal issues, Amy realized he was married to his job. He lived for it, and wanted nothing to do with children or serious relationships. So he had readily agreed to her suggestion that they stay in Japan and support themselves if he would pay or their expenses. So the two sisters had been allowed to remain on their own, so long as bills were paid and they attended school.
Finished changing, Amy looked at herself in the mirror. Her blonde hair was a little on the dull side, but she thought it was pointless to dye her hair, even highlights meant she'd have to do more maintenance on her hair. She'd pulled it up into a ponytail, allowing her side bangs to frame her face.
The best thing she loved about herself was her eyes. They were a gorgeous clear blue, one of the few things she'd inherited from her father. They stood out even without the use of makeup. She wished she could get some, but being only sixteen Amy decided she could do without for a while. At least until she graduated and got a decent job.
She had on a pair of nice jeans, a red shirt and a tan short-sleeved jacket. With now jewelry or make up, she didn't really stand out, but this was supposed to be a fun hangout night with her friends, so she wasn't too worried.
Amy was no beauty queen, that she was dead sure of. Her face was a little long and her eyes were a bit wide, and her nose had a small bump to it instead of being a perfect slope. However, she did consider her features attractive. She was nice to look at, but she'd never turn any heads, which she was fine with. Beauty would be wasted on her anyways.
Satisfied with her looks, Amy grabbed her purse and shoved her cell phone in it, preparing to leave. She just wanted to stick her head in the backyard real fast to see if Kitty had decided to visit today.
And sure enough, the stray calico cat was already meowing at the back door, wanting her food. Sometimes Amy would get big enough tips that she was able to buy cat food for her little visitor. She wouldn't come inside, but Kitty would let Amy pet her while she ate and would snuggle with her when she read outside.
Setting the bowl down, Amy stroked the cat who purred in contentment. Looking around, she was grateful the cat hadn't decided to bring her any 'presents' today. Chuckling, Amy looked up to view her yard.
It was all bare, nothing but grass and dirt patches to decorate it. She needed to mow soon. It'd have been nice if there was at least a tree or two to add some shade and character to her backyard. Ones with flowers, so she'd have something to look forward to in the spring. Amy was also seriously considering digging a hole and adding rocks to it so that a miniature pond could build up. Gold fish were cheap enough to buy, and they'd make great additions, but she was afraid the cat would eat them.
Amy blinked.
For one moment, flashes of a beautiful garden and a mysterious person, whose face she couldn't remember, played within her mind's eye. She tried to reach for more, but they passed through before she could recollect anything. A dream? It felt like one. But instead of pondering on it, Amy finished petting the cat and got up. Her friends were waiting for her.
For years she wondered how her life would have turned out if she had just stayed home that night.
A/N: Well, there you have it. The first chapter. This was the explanation chapter, so sorry if it was a little boring. Just wanted to get the basics out of the way. Next chapter will have more to it. Hope you enjoyed it. Please review, if only to say you want more or to leave constructive criticism Anything I can do to make it better? Let me know!