Maki Amaya
"Regular(emphasis) talking"
"Reading"
Thinking
Names
Disclaimer: Nothing in the Bleach Universe is owned by me, except for the OC's.
Somewhere, two people stood in a place shrouded in mystery. It was the dead of night, in front of a large doorway, with magic glistening from the cracks. It was the woman who spoke first.
"Ugh, why do I have to go back?" said a hooded woman to her companion.
"We have our orders, Karin. I know you don't wish to leave your brother's side, but you have a reason for going to Karakura town." replied
Karin removed her hooded cloak before handing it over to her companion, letting her jet-black hair flow freely with the wind.
"I know Uryū...but still..." sighed Karin, as she cast away her gaze.
"Besides, Rukia's shift here just ended. Your brother feels its the perfect opportunity to see what you can do."
Karin began fidgeting with her hands, twirling them around each other.
"But that's what im afraid of! What if I let them slip directly underneath me? I only recently gained Shinigami status. What if I forget to check for spiritual pressure? What if-"
"Karin, its okay to be nervous. But don't let this paralyze you, so you won't even do anything at all." said Uryū, cutting Karin off. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Karin turned to face him.
"That's not what's bothering me, Uryū." said Karin.
"Hm?"
"What if...I let him down? I mean, he IS the new captain-commander of the entire Gotei 13."
"You won't, Karin. He wouldn't have sent you if he didn't feel you were ready. Now, its time for you to go. You're already really strong." replied Uryū, as the large doorway began to open, revealing a city on the other side.
Karin moved herself in front of the passageway, a portal between dimensions.
"Well, at least its celebration day back home." Karin said to herself as she stepped into the portal, and began her descent unto Karakura town.
Fifteen years ago from this day, recently recognized as Celebration Day, a man known as Ichigo Kurosaki saved Karakura town. September 31st holds meaning to the citizens after residents of the Soul Society began making their presence known to the city's police force.
Members of the Soul Society conversed with the city's officials six years ago, and it was this day, Celebration Day became official. The day was preserved to remember the brave efforts of Ichigo, who fought with his life on the line to defeat Aizen Sosuke, who's plan was to kill all the residents of the city for his malicious plot.
The Soul King's decree now places four active Shinigami in the living world at a time, for a weak or so to protect the citizens from monsters that may slip in, to provide soul burial services for pluses, and to prevent another Celebration Day from even happening.
That goes without saying that they always keep to themselves. They try not to intervene with the daily lives of the citizens, although they will sometimes shop in the world of the living for food and other miscellaneous items. Several people know what they wear, and as such, can identify a Shinigami when they see them, provided they had enough spiritual energy to see them. All the same, the people of Karakura Town tend to stay away from the Shinigami, out of fear. One was like Aizen. What's to stop another from going rouge?
The four Shinigami that were active in Karakura town at the moment were separated tactically in order to protect the entire city. A new Shinigami descended in a rural area.
She rose from her kneeling position she landed in from her descent unto someone's rooftop.
Karin Kurosaki.
Now eighteen, she wears her jet-black hair still shoulder-length. She wears clear glasses, but not for reading. Her dark-gray eyes burn with strong will, similar to her brothers.
She carried around a bow on her back, armed with a quiver and glowing arrows.
"Hmm..." she mused as she let the fresh air sway her robes and hair, dangling about her frame as it would on this Friday Morning.
"Nothing here...so I guess I should le-"
Wait...what is this? I'm feeling spiritual pressure. Faintly, but its there...
Karin began looking around, unable to pinpoint the source of the power.
"Wait...don't tell me..." she said to herself as she looked down, finding the holder of the spiritual pressure...
"Mmm...did something fall on the roof?" a dark brown-haired woman said to herself as she stretched herself awake.
She yawned, and rose to a sitting position in her bed, wiping the drowsiness from her green eyes.
"Maki! Wake up honey, its seven a.m.! You have school in an hour and thirty minutes." called her mom from downstairs.
"Coming!" she shouted back, picking herself up from her bed. She went into her bathroom to straighten herself up. She first tied her hair into an upward pointing bun, leaving a curly strand over her right eye.
She then dampened a towel, and drained the water from it, wiping her fair-skinned face. Finally, after she set the towel near the sink, she grabbed her toothbrush and paste, and brushed her teeth. Wiping excess paste from her mouth with the towel she used earlier, she stood back from the mirror to look at herself.
She then got changed into her school uniform, from her Namie Amuro pajamas and her black spaghetti strap shirt. She un-buttoned her grey blazer and allowed her red tie to dangle freely from the neck of her white shirt, slightly to the right. She then returned to her room to grab her silver necklace, with a heart-shaped pendant and fastened it on her neck, under her tie. She grabbed her mp3 player, and placed it in her left blazer pocket, letting her headphones dangle from her neck.
After putting on her white socks, she returned to the bathroom one more time to look at herself in the mirror. She noted her height and weight, which was 5'5" and 104lbs respectively last time she checked.
When she finished eying herself, she gave herself a wink and a bright smile.
"Alright. Let's start the day, Maki Amaya." Maki said to herself as she popped her face with both hands to wake herself fully. She picked up her reading glasses and placed them on her head.
She proceeded downstairs, where her mother already had breakfast prepared. She slid the fusuma(door) open, closed it behind her, and took her seat in front of the designated dining area.
She looked at her mom, who was wearing a pink dress with a white undershirt, and a white apron. Maki's mom was slightly brighter than she was, and had hazel eyes. Her black hair extended beyond her shoulders, and touched her mid-back.
"You look good mom." said Maki.
"Thanks dear, but nowhere as good as my birthday daughter does. How does it feel being sixteen?" replied her mom.
"It's the best, thanks to you." said Maki, putting a smile on her mother.
Maki shifted her gaze from her mother to the food in front of her.
"Wow, mom! This looks great!" said Maki as she stared at the food her mom prepared. It was traditional for her to serve a bowl of rice accompanied with Miso, Sushi, and a Plume. But something about today's breakfast looked very appealing to Maki.
"Thank you. I tried a different seasoning for the rice this time. Tell me how it tastes." replied Maki's mom.
"Yes mam. Itadakimasu!" said Maki while bowing her head.
She first peeled the two chopsticks apart, then held both with her right hand. She picked up the bowl of rice with her left hand, and held it closely to her as she first sampled the rice, then began eating it after she tasted the difference, giving her 'hum' of approval.
"Wow, my mom's a professional cook!" said Maki in a complimentary tone.
"That has a ring to it. Masami Amaya. Professional." replied Masami.
"Hey, mom. Did you...hear anything out of the ordinary this morning?" asked Maki.
"No. what did you think it was?" Masami replied.
"I think something landed on the roof, but I'm not too sure anymore. Maybe it was my imagination." said Maki as she began downing the Miso after putting her empty rice bowl down.
"Check up there when you leave, honey. You can never be too sure nowadays."
Maki nodded as she was still eating. When she put the bowl of Miso down, she let out a breath she was holding in, wanting to savor the nice tastes she just had.
"OK Mom. I'm going to leave early. I gotta meet up with Shino-kun."
"OK. I love you Maki. Have a good day today." said Masami.
"I will. I love you too, and gochisosama." replied Maki.
After placing what she used to eat with and ate out of exactly where it was before she touched anything, she rose and walked over to her mother, who was setting a glass down. Masami turned to face her daughter, and was caught in a hug, which she replied with the same thing.
Masami leaned in and kissed her daughter on the forehead, as she was about three inches higher than Maki.
After they broke the embrace, Maki left for the Genkan(Entry-way). She found, and put on her black penny loafers and exited the house from the front fusuma.
As Maki stood near her front gate, she turned to look upon the roof of her two-story home to see...
"Nothing? But I was positive I heard...or at least felt something." said Maki to herself.
Shaking her notion to check the roof, she proceeded to leave her home, although she kept feeling as if she was being watched from somewhere, by someone.
When the coast was clear, a woman with jet-black hair re-appeared on the Amaya residence's roof.
"No way...if I haven't cloaked myself, this...teen pop star wold have seen me. I better keep an eye on her." whispered Karin to herself, as she quickly vanished from the roof, seemingly into nothing.
"Hey, Shino!" shouted Maki as soon as she became within eye sight of him.
He was leaning against a wall, presumably which was the gate leading towards his home.
Shino Hirako was a man whose appearance was enough to get ladies fawning over him, although he ignored their advances. He stood 5'11" and weighed about 165lbs, with an athletic body. He was fair skinned with a bit of a tan, and had spiky dark-brown hair, with a bang hanging partially over the left of his two blue eyes.
He wore the traditional Karakura High School outfit, except his blazer was open with his family heirloom hanging from his neck. It was a black-beaded necklace with a silver lion head that had diamonds for eyes. His ears were pierced with small diamond studs, and he wore a pocket chain, extending from his left pocket, to a belt loop above his left rear pocket.
The necklace was all he had of his family, as his mother was killed and his father couldn't support him. Since he was three, his grandmother has been taking care of Shino, giving him the heirloom for his thirteenth birthday. Around this time, Maka and Shino met each other.
Shino was surprised because Maka, unlike any other girl, was not fumbling over her speech to talk to Shino. She showed no attraction to him, besides wanting to be his friend. After, Maka spent the next three years gaining his trust, which was an act he truly appreciated. It wasn't revealed to them until Shino's sixteenth birthday that the two were cousins. Hearing this, Shino and Maka became the best of friends, on top of being family. Shino was now eighteen, and could only trust Maka, her mother, and his grandmother.
"Shino-kun, ready to go to school?" asked Maka as she was in front of Shino now.
"Of course, Maki-chan. But first, here. This is for you." replied Shino, as he unfolded his arms, revealing a wrapped gift.
"Wha...the Shino-kun bought the lowly Maki-chan a gift?" asked Maka jokingly. Shino smirked.
"Once in a lifetime. Don't get used to it." replied Shino.
Shino handed Maki her gift, and she opened it. It was a black iPod, but signed by Namie Amuro on the back in white, saying 'Happy birthday Maki! Yours truly, Namie Amuro' on the back.
"Oh my...Shino...how did you...but I...when..." stumbled Maki over her own words, causing Shino to chuckle.
"Take your time." said Shino, causing Maki to blush with embarrassment. She took a deep breath.
"Shino, this is sooooo awesome! You knew of my fan obsession with Namie, and somehow got this! I love you, cousin." said Maki as she handed Shino her old mp3 and placed the iPod where her mp3 was.
"Its already loaded with her music, with a couple of j-pop music also. There's one more gift in that iPod from Namie to you." said Shino.
She took back out the iPod and began scrolling through the music, until she found a song titled, 'Birthday Girl'.
She could have fainted on the spot, if Shino didn't stop her from falling.
"Shino...this is amazing. Have I said that I love you? Because I love you." said Maki with stars in her eyes.
Shino shook his head in amazement over Maki's reaction.
"I know. Now we should be go-" started Shino until something caught his attention.
"Shino?" said Maki as she stood on her own again, looking at Shino with worry.
"You can come out of hiding now." said Shino towards the left, in the direction of several tall cherry blossoms.
"Shino, are you sure someone is there? I didn't hear anything." replied Maki, stepping behind her cousin.
"He's right." replied a woman's voice from the direction Shino was looking, to Maki's shock.
From the shadows emerged Karin Kurosaki. She walked towards the two, and stopped when she was on the opposite side of the open gate to Shino's house. She folded her left arm, and placed her right hand on the lens of her glasses.
"I was surprised by Maki-san. But the two of you being able to see me is astounding." said Karin.
"You were following her since this morning." replied Shino in a matter-of-fact tone.
"And aren't you just perceptive?" said Karin with a smirk.
"Why? What do you want with me?" asked Maki to Karin.
"My name is Karin. And as far as what I want with you..." Karin began, while pointing at Maki when she said 'you', "...is nothing for the moment. But I have a feeling ill be needing to watch over you. You show some promise as does your cousin. But you..."
"What do you mean?" asked Maki.
"I can see it in your heart. You're one of pure soul. You aren't tainted by any evil, and your will can be strong when you least expect it." replied Karin.
"I...don't understand." said Maki.
Karin gave a soft smile, and folded her arms. "Don't let fear paralyze your confidence. Don't be afraid to protect those you hold dear to you."
"Why the riddles, Karin? We need to know more than that." said Shino.
"You will know sooner than Maki will, I can guarantee that. I'm just...intrigued with her. Shino, you already have experience with the darkness. I can tell. Your cousin is pure, so it will be interesting to see what she does." replied Karin.
Shino searched Karin's eyes for any signs of lies being told. He couldn't find any.
"She seems modest." said Shino to Maki.
"I guess so..." began Maki as she moved from behind Shino, and walked to be in front of Karin, greeting her with a bubbly smile, "...so lets start over. Hi, my name is Maki Amaya. Sophomore. I'm on the Kendo team, and I have a fan-girl crush on Namie Amuro. What about you?"
Maki extended her hand to Karin, who stood dumbfounded for a few seconds. She then returned the smile and handshake.
"My name is Karin Kurosaki. I'm a Shinigami."
"Wow, a real Shinigami? Thats...wait...where have I heard that name before..." Maki said to herself, mumbling the last bit.
"What was that?" asked Karin.
"Oh, it was nothing Karin. Nice to meet you!"
"Likewise...you know, I can't help but to like you, Maki."
"Thanks, Karin. Can we continue this conversation later though? I have to go to school now." said Maki, releasing Karin's hand.
"Of course. I have to be returning to my post too. I'll see you later."
And in an instant, Karin vanished into thin air, startling Maki and Shino.
"Who was she..." said Shino to no one in particular.
"I don't know...but we should be going. We can think about Karin later." replied Maki, turning to face Shino.
He nodded in response, and as the two were leaving, Karin reappeared in front of them again in the same fashion as she left them.
"Oh, and one more thing. Don't mention to anyone about me. Not too many people would believe you. Only spiritually aware people can actually see us if we don't want to be seen." said Karin to the pair.
They both nodded in response. Karin gave a smile, and she vanished again.
"I sooo wanna learn how to do that." said Maki.
"I'll admit, that does seem handy." replied Shino.
After this, the two went to a nearby train stop. They waited on a bench for thirty minutes until the train returned to the designated stop.
As the doors opened, Shino took Maki's hand, and followed her onto the train, looking out for her safety.
This morning was fun...lets see if I can get through this school day the same way.
The two were en route to Karakura High School.