disclaimer: i do not own bleach or any of its characters. i only own my oc, naoko.
this story follows my original character, naoko kojima. it's told in a drabble format so not every chapter is connected in a flowed fashion. there will be a ship between an original character and canon character, but it's not the main focus. i've worked very hard on miss naoko here, i'm very excited to be doing this! so, please enjoy! :)
fulmination
chapter one: the smell of lilies in the rain
a single drop of rain water runs down the side of the face of a young woman. it resembles a tear, trailing down her cheek. her features are soft, dainty aside from the dark scowl etched into her features. russet eyes glance upwards at the gray, rumbling skies above her, large drops of water falling down almost in slow motion. she takes a step forward, fingers brushing against the carmine spider lilies that reach to her mid thigh.
spider lilies. she briefly looks around her, taking in the enormous flower field she stands in. the red coloring of the thin petals stand out against the bleak hue of the sky. it's beautiful, she supposes, continuing to walk forward to where she can see a clearing. in the square clearing, she can make out a table and a woman sitting with her back to her. she can see the woman's skin where the top of her kimono fell loose around her shoulders, revealing black and red ink on her pale skin. the tension between her eyebrows slackens as her glare fades into a more neutral look of vague interest. she wonders what the image is on the unknown woman's back.
her bare feet carry her closer to the opening in the field, the heavenly scent of the lilies following her path. it's like being surrounded by perfume from the best stall in the first rukongai district. expensive, yet she assumes it would be worth it.
she's made it to the edge of the clearing, her toes digging into the damp, dark earth the flowers live in. there's a noticeable line separating the dirt and the white sand of the clearing. now that she's closer to the woman, the tattoo is clearer and much more astounding up close. it's a chinese dragon, or at least the head as she can't see the rest under the kimono, in shaded black ink. she can tell that it's big, it most likely takes up the entire span of this woman's back. there are two dark red spider lilies near the dragon's head and she'd bet that the flowers surround the entirety of the dragon.
she's beginning to notice a pattern here with the flowers and she can't tell if she's impressed.
the stranger sits upon a simple looking crimson cushion, her body positioned in a casual manner, her feet tucked under her. the black kimono, designed expertly with (surprise!) spider lilies sewn into the fabric, dark against her pale skin. inky black hair is pinned up with extravagant bira-bira prongs, the sticks black and the silver metal strips hanging from the end sway in the breeze, a soft tinkling surrounding the area in an echo.
from behind, she seems relaxed and lazily poised, her shoulders slouched. but there's a tenseness to the firm muscles, like she's waiting. or anticipating something to happen.
perhaps she should— "child," a stern, distorted voice says. the girl jolts at the sudden sound, having grown used to the rumbling in the distance and the soft patter of rain hitting ground. it was distinctly feminine and mature, a rough edge to it that wasn't entirely expected. and it had come from the woman before her, she notes as a clicking sound rang through the clearing, as if something had been set upon the table.
"do you hear me?" the voice drawls. "or shall i face you and speak? as if that would even work," the last part was muttered with scoff and immediately the girl takes offense.
"do i know you?" she asks, a defiant tone to her much softer voice, a sweet and high lilt. the woman tenses and thunder growls closer to them as the girl stands her ground.
silence stretches long and thin after that question, she anxiously begins to shift from foot to foot, dirtying her skin.
"i know you," the woman answers gruffly, "naoko is your name, is it not, child?" naoko stiffens, full lips curling into vexed sneer.
how does she know my name, she shouldn't know my name, i don't know her.
a short cackle resonates directly from the woman, her shoulders shaking. the kimono falls slightly, revealing more of the intricate tattoo, but naoko thinks it's ugly now. the sneer stays in place as her temper rises and the thunder clouds grow closer. from above, the rain begins to fall harder, smaller but faster drops pelting down from the gloomy clouds.
"you are angry, i know." the way she says this, implies that she knows what the girl is feeling. but she doesn't, she shouldn't. because naoko doesn't know her. "i am angry too, but for different reasons."
naoko hasn't moved from her spot, her toes gripping the loose earth beneath her, knuckles gone white. "that's nice," she grits out, voice coming out in a quiet growl. "why should i care?"
the woman's face turns faintly towards naoko, giving a vague view to a sharp jaw and pronounced cheekbones. she can't see the woman's eyes, black tresses fall in front of her face. naoko can't explain why this bothers her, can't explain why seeing the woman's eyes is so important to her.
an indelicate snort erupts from the stranger; it sounds irritated, a touch sarcastic. "i am angry with you, child." this brings naoko to freeze in her spot, prompting her to stop shifting in her stance. she's about to demand why, when the woman cuts her off, "you don't know my name and frankly, that pisses me off."
immediately, the words cause something to click within naoko, words and information sinking in. oh. oh. she remembers learning about this in one of her classes, hoshino was very adamant and informative of this.
all zanpakutō are nameless until you are worthy of knowing their name, he had intoned wisely to her class, and if you are worthy of knowing their name, then you are worthy to wield them and bond with them.
"you're my zanpakutō," naoko says flatly, a tired timbre coloring her voice. "and this is my… inner world."
"tch!" her zanpakutō clicks her tongue in displeasure and naoko fights the urge to roll her eyes. "you're more oblivious to this than i had originally thought." a sharp breeze pushes the woman's hair back away from her face, revealing a sharp, deep blue eyes staring directly at naoko. she tenses, audibly gulping as a heavy reiatsu settles around her. "no. this is my inner world."
the words, for now, lingers in the air.
naoko chances a step forward, moving her small foot from brown dirt to ivory sand. the moment the pad of her foot touches the grainy texture, thunder booms directly overhead and a bright flash of red cracks in the sky. more startled than scared, she jumps backwards, nearly tripping over herself. the spirit rolls her shoulder, an electric hum buzzing in the atmosphere.
the sapphire blue eye glints dangerously at her. "try it again, and i won't hesitate to decimate you." it's not a threat, more of a weighted promise.
"so, what," naoko starts, her jaw set and a tightness to her voice, "are we just gonna dance around each other until i learn your name?"
because that's how this works. it's similar to a game, an intricate little performance done by the shinigami to prove themself to their zanpakutō. the only way to achieve shikai, is by learning the name of your weapon, your closest ally. and to learn, you have to be worthy.
and right now, naoko feels worthless. of anything and everything.
"until you earn the right to know my name." there's a mean sneer to the spirit's side profile and naoko's stomach plummets, to her own dismay. "judging by your face, you're not even close." cheeks which were once burning with indignation have paled significantly, a poorly disguised look of shame crossing naoko's features.
the sky darkens, the rain pelting down harshly and unforgiving. a weary groan sounds from the spirit, her head tilting back, water droplets running against her exposed skin. naoko's hair clings to her face and the back of her neck, looking eerily like black veins against her skin. the rain almost hurts against her skin, water causing the thick cloth of her sleep clothes to cling to her form. droplets form on her eyelashes like tears. she thanks the rain that hides the real tears building in her eyes. tears are not for those who wish to be strong, not to her.
it begins to violently storm and her zanpakutō scoffs with scorn, the spirit turn away, now ignoring the girl. no, she's not worthy. and her eyes open to her bedroom ceiling, a singular tear making its way slowly down the side of her face. weakness.
a year has passed, time shifting and flying by swiftly with a blink of an eye. naoko has passed her final tests at the academy, captain shinji welcoming her with encouraging words.
ya gotta be more open with yourself naoko-chan, he had spoken to her, years of experience etched into his stern words, or your zanpakutō will never be open with you.
she hates his stupid grin and she's learned he's exceedingly frustrating, but the weight and seriousness behind his words gives her motive to take them to heart.
russet eyes stare with intense purpose at the spider lily field spread around her. she rolls her shoulders before standing with her spine straight and back muscles tense. slowly, ever so slowly, she makes her way to the all too familiar clearing. throughout the last year, naoko had been making sporadic visits to her inner world. at the beginning it was all the same; threatening and aggressive storms, her zanpakutō either ignoring her or verbally attacking her with cruel words. it soon changed one day, the skies had cleared up upon her entering the red field. gray clouds still lingered above her head, a slight drizzle caused her hair to frizz at the ends.
she hadn't been prepared for her spirit to be facing her head on when she had made it to the sandy clearing. the woman's face was exceedingly stern and seemed to be permanently stuck in an extremely sour glare. thin lips painted a blood red, a delicate nose and two entirely different colored eyes greeted her. she had seen the blue eye before, the dirty look naoko would occasionally get upon mouthing off granted her that, but she hadn't been expecting the dark red left eye. it was intimidating, the red was similar to blood; dark and menacing. naoko was almost afraid to look her zanpakutō in the eye, but she was too stubborn and focused on her plan to even allow herself do so.
the unfriendly expression on the spirit's face does cause naoko to stumble on her walk to the clearing but she would never admit to that.
she had stopped at the edge - as she had many times before - her toes digging into the ground the only sign of her nerves. clearing her throat, naoko crossed her arms over her chest, her back muscles tense.
"i'm learning your name today," she stated, tilting her head high. "and i'm not leaving until i do."
the spirit raised a thin eyebrow at the declaration, a thinly veiled look of surprise crossing her features. "you'll be here for a while then, brat." despite the gruffly spoken words, a telltale sign of an amused smirk twitches at the corner of her red mouth.
naoko set her shoulders back, clenching her jaw as she narrowed her eyes at her zanpakutō. no, she won't let the sharp words get to her, not today.
with a wary look to the cloudy but blue sky, naoko let one foot go forward and land in the sand. when no thunder or storm rumbled ahead, she let out a shaky puff of air she wasn't aware she was holding. a new type of confidence bloomed in her chest, different than the normal self assuredness she normally held within herself. this confidence was cool and collected as opposed to her hot headed cockiness; it's new and with a quirk to her lips, she decided she liked it.
the spirit merely watched her take shaky, newborn deer steps toward the table. she was sitting at the opposite side of the dark wood, leaving her original spot open and naoko wondered briefly, if it was left open like that on purpose. if anything, it caused her to surge forward onto the wooden platform.
standing in front of the red cushion and dark table (she had no time to examine the exquisite golden details of the cushion), she pauses. her throat moves with the somewhat timid gulp she gives as she can now feel the reiatsu flowing off the zanpakutō spirit.
she wanted to say it was overwhelming, the energy rolling off the woman in waves similar to thunder, but it wasn't. it was heavy, for certain, and powerful. but not overwhelming.
it was deafening. a crackling sound buzzed around the table, a wet metallic scent floating in the air, mingling with the floral scent of the spider lilies. it wasn't violent despite the noise, it was in fact rather calm. like the stillness of the sky before a terrible storm.
clenching her fists until blunt nails dig into the calloused skin of her palm, naoko takes her seat on the cushion. with a startled jump, she noticed the katana resting on the dark brown tabletop, her zanpakutō's sealed form. russet eyes flicker up to see red and blue staring back and she looks back to the sword.
a tanned hand reached for the sheathed weapon, the dark red hilt of the sword calling to her. naoko kept her movements slow, in fear of angering the spirit before her, the presence of the woman intimidating even without the loud buzz of her reiatsu. the spirit doesn't move, but the miss matched eyes narrow as naoko grabbed the hilt.
the black hairs on the back of naoko's neck stand on end as a cold burst of energy shoots up her arm, the feeling leaving a tingling sensation under her skin like electricity. her hand tightened its hold on the hilt and she knows that any other day, she would have let go.
not today.
with her entire arm shaking and a growing buzz igniting in her chest, naoko raised her head to stare at her zanpakutō with a satisfied smirk.
"hello, manjushage raitei." the name morphed itself into the space between shinigami and spirit, a power brought to life once spoken aloud.
spider lily lightning storm. it's fitting.
a wicked sneer grew on manjushage's features, the spirit brandishing a twin of the katana in naoko's hand.
"finally."
they did fight in the field that day, blades clashing brutally as the swords transformed into deadly halberds. electric red lightning sparked from the weapon upon each hit and it roared and echoed around them.
naoko lost the fight almost instantaneously, a phantom pain blossoming on her right arm from her forearm to her collarbone, a wound given to her by the spirit. but instead of defeat, she had felt something different, a feeling that for a very long time she had thought she would never feel when leaving manjushage's inner world.
pride. pride not just from herself but from her zanpakutō.
a surprisingly light laugh erupts from her mouth, chest moving with the giggles as she covers her mouth with her hand.
distantly, she catches the faintest smell of spider lilies and a rough chuckle echoes around her mind.
thank you for reading! reviews are welcomed!