This is a prompt I got a few weeks ago, that refused to leave me alone. So. Like any other good person, I've decided to try and share this with you, the readers. Feedback is most welcome, also please do correct me if I make blunders while writing this, as I'm not from an English speaking country and lack a beta-reader.
The story more than loosely follows the events of the manga, starting from the Soul Society arc. I do not know yet how long this fanfiction will be, so I'm unable to tell you how much of the original story I'll (loosely) cover. Frankly, I still have no idea really where I'm headed with this fic –cough-.
Now then; All characters and general content belong to Tite Kubo, although I do claim ownership for Amai Shiho and any other noncanon characters, fights or locations I decide to create. The story will be rated M for language, graphic violence and other adult scenes that may or may not take place in the future. –wriggles brows-
Last, but not least, I have included non-english words before every chapter with their respective meanings.
Kendo - a Japanese form of fencing with two-handed bamboo swords, originally developed as a safe form of sword training for samurai.
Kenpo – a martial art with a primary focus on self-defence. Its techniques are almost entirely counters and almost exclusively a stand-up martial art, using various hand strikes, kicks, elbows, knees, throws, and joint locks in some cases.
Haori - a traditional Japanese sort of hip- or thigh-length kimono-like jacket.
Katana - a long, single-edged sword used by Japanese samurai.
Chapter One
The end, the beginning
.
Everything happened so fast. In fact, it was so fast, time seemed to slow down. You figure this only happens in movies, manga, imagination – take your pick. Time slowing down before your inevitable end – spectacular. If this is the moment you are supposed to glimpse through your life, no thanks. No really, I have no want to think of the stupid things I did, that resulted in this particular event.
As the pavement was inching closer in record time, I took my last shaky breath.
Pain.
And then there was nothing.
Just darkness.
Alright, so I suppose you are curious as to what happened, so I'll give you a quick summary.
My name is Amai Shiho, call me Shi. No honorifics please. I am.. was an 18 year old girl. Rather short for my age, as I barely reach 160 cm. I have short, ruffled black hair, purple eyes and my skin is rather pale. I'm not particularly fond of my looks(ahem, height), but at least I have curves in all the right places; not too little, not too much. It's not all bad, really.
My struggles began 4 years prior, when my parents passed away in an accident. Or that's what the official report states anyway – not like they can say, 'oh hey, they got murdered slash eaten by a weird abomination with a mask'. I started seeing after it happened. Their lifeless bodies on the ground, blood splattered everywhere and that heinous creature right in front of me. That's when I blacked out. I survived, as you might assume, not sure how entirely, but my guess is someone took care of the thing before it managed to do me in as well.
After that everything went to hell. I was hospitalized for 3 weeks, not really due to my injuries, but because once I regained consciousness, I went into shock and then, in my not so stable state, spouted things about monsters and ghosts. I should consider myself lucky they didn't put me in an asylum. Thankfully I had the mind to shut up quickly enough, when I realised no one else sees them and once they declared me safe of mind, I was released.
But now I was 14 without parents. Without any relatives, actually. It's not like I was going to starve, coming from a decently wealthy family I had a house and enough money to put me through life and school for quite a few years if I used it right, but I was left all alone. Loneliness can be scary.
So, I adopted a routine to keep myself together.
Wake up.
School.
Kendo and/or kenpō.
Homework.
Sleep.
I was miserable, but I was managing. I had my martial arts, some friends and it helped me pull through life. Once I was 16 I also got myself a part-time job in a cute little tea house. Alright, I might've said my life went to hell after my parents' passing, but that's not actually what lead to my death. It was cause I started work at that blasted tea house. And that blasted guy. The son of my employer. That little shit of a murderer. Weaseling up to me for 2 years, making me fall in love with him. No, not him, the 'image' of him, that would be correct. And I fell for it, just like any normal teenager would, blindly fell for him. But I guess not blindly enough, as I refused to let him in on the cash. God knows where he even got that information. Honestly, it's not like I was an heiress to a million dollar fortune or anything. Why did I have to die such a stupid, pointless death?
So how it happened? He invited me over for a romantic dinner at his apartment. That's where he brought up the topic of money. And an argument started, a heated one. He got angry, really angry. Violent even. We were standing next to his ground-to-ceiling window at that moment and he pushed me, unintentionally I could tell, but nonetheless. And I fell right through the window, plummeting down 16 floors towards the ground.
Bam.
That's my pathetic story.
And that brings us to now after I 'woke up'. Me, furious and confused, slouched over my dead body and watching in a soul form how the ambulance pulled in and tried to unsuccessfully bring me back to life.
I was dead. I could see that. As dead as dead gets. But I was still here and I didn't like it one bit. Even though I had seen souls for years, I didn't expect to still be here after I died. I mean, this can't be it, right?
Tearing my eyes off of the listless body, I ran. I didn't want to be anywhere near it, nor him. In fact, I never wanted to see his face again. I would wish him dead, but then he'd be with the rest of the souls, wondering, and that is unacceptable. That piece of filth deserves to go to hell, nothing less.
After running for what felt like hours, I finally came to a stop near a river at the edge of the town. It was peaceful here, not a soul in sight. And that's when the reality came crashing down. I felt the hot tears burn trails on my cheeks as sobs wrecked my body. I kneeled on the ground, hugged myself and cried my heart out.
I was dead.
I was dead.
I WAS DEAD.
All gone, everything. There was nothing left.. I cried until no more tears came, until all I was left with was a dull emptiness.
I don't know how much time had passed. A day? A week? Month? I had just been sitting on the riverbank, staring blankly at the water when someone approached me. I didn't pay it much mind at first, since a lot of people passed through here, none being able to see. But when the said person had stood by me, quietly looking at me for a while, I turned to face him. It was a male, mid-thirties, sporting a black robe? A haori? He also carried a katana on his right hip.
"Hello there miss." The man smiled.
When the girl just kept blankly staring at him, giving him no response, he continued:
"My name is Himura Akio. Are you alright?"
That, however, got a response.
"Does it look like I'm alright? I'm dead. That's the furthest thing from 'alright'" The girl snapped angrily.
The man smiled at her sadly, knowing look in his eyes.
"Would you like me to help you?" The man asked after a momentary silence.
The girl looked at him quizzically, but said nothing. Akio sighed.
"I can help you cross over, I'd rather you not spend more time here. Frankly that would be for the best, it's not safe here for you."
"I.. I don't have to.. be stuck here forever?" The girl asked hesitantly, trying to ignore her triatorous feelings, which made her hope.
"No." Akio gave her a smile and before she could say another word, the back of his katana's hilt was against her forehead and she felt herself being consumed by something gentle, warm..
To be continued.