Bleach: Ordinary Life
The following story takes place 21 years after a certain event in the Soul Society arc. While the focus is on original characters, the word "Bleach" is in the title for a reason :)
Chapter 1
A television is turned on, tuned in to a news channel. The lone news anchor who sits behind his desk is prepared to move on to the next story.
"And now, for the local news. A search has commenced for two missing Karakura High School students, Reimi Shinohara and Ayase Kurosaki. The two went missing a day ago during a school trip to the Shibata district of Tokyo. Police are starting the search there, assuming the students have not traveled too far from the location. We've managed to get a few words from the police chief, and father of Ayase, Ichigo Kurosaki."
A tall older man with bright orange hair is displayed on screen, along with an interviewer attempting to shove a mic in the man's face.
"This is all unfortunate news, Chief Kurosaki. With the recent hit-and-run right here in Karakura, it'd be a real tragedy to see that death count go up to three in this month alone!"
"Don't sound so excited about news like this, you idiot," Chief Kurosaki replies harshly. "We have everything under control, so I encourage all citizens to keep calm until the search has concluded."
"Those kids are real precious to you. Did you not explicitly mention these two as your inspiration to become a police officer?" Chief Kurosaki looks into the camera with a sullen expression.
"...They will be found...now get the hell outta my face. This interview is over." Chief Kurosaki glides away from the camera's sight just before the news anchor once more appears on screen. He clears his throat nervously, taken aback by the police chief's abrupt interview.
"Honest, and brief words from Chief Kurosaki. As always, we encourage everyone young and elderly to be cautious. The perpetrator of last week's hit-and-run has yet to be found. Dark times have fallen on our once peaceful Karakura Town, we do not want to see things turn worse than they are now."
"Gah...oww, my head. What the hell happened to me?" A girl lies on her side, supporting herself with her left arm while clutching her head with the right. She gathers enough strength to stand upright and scan her surroundings. "There are people everywhere. Karakura's never looked this busy before."
"Jeez, so you're finally awake?"
"Hmm? Who's there?"
A boy's voice can suddenly be heard. Confident that the voice came from behind, the girl quickly turns around, and finds nothing, nobody. She glances in all directions in bewilderment before the boy speaks again.
"Ehh, don't waste your time looking for me. I was having trouble at first too...until I realized I woke up inside someone else's body."
"That's nonsense, are you saying you're inside of me?"
"Yes ma'am." The boy responds in a sarcastic tone, leaving the girl to contemplate her sanity.
"Trust me, I'm freaked out too man. I know I'm not everyone's cup of tea in Karakura, but if anyone has it out for me, this is going a bit. too. far."
"I doubt any normal person is capable of doing something like this...wait, you're from Karakura as well?"
"Huh, well, looks like we got something in common. But if we're both from Karakura...I think our problems just doubled." The girl begins to walk forward, reading nearby signs in what looked like a bustling shopping district. Looking closely, most of the signs shared the name of "Shibata."
"Shibata..."
"I took a few trips to Shibata district with my dad a long time ago. We're in Tokyo." The girl hangs her head and closes her eyes. Her right index finger and thumb rub against her eyebrows.
"Meaning we're nowhere near Karakura."
"Bingo." Recovering her composure almost immediately, the girl asks,
"Hmm...what's the last thing you can remember before waking up here?"
"Well...I think I was packing up to go somewhere, like I was going somewhere really important. I dunno, everything's kinda fuzzy to me right now."
"I see...I can't seem to remember much either. My head has been pounding since I woke up."
"Yeah, I've got some pain in my stomach. Must be nausea from, you know, diving into people's bodies." The girl sighs at his attempt to joke around at such a time. She begins to rummage through her pockets to retrieve her cellphone.
"I doubt he'll answer, but I'll call my father to see if he can pick us up-hmm?"
"What's wrong?"
"My phone. It's not in my pocket. In fact, these clothes clearly don't belong to me. Black coat, black pants, black tie. Such a formal outfit..." The girl reaches deep inside her coat and makes contact with a peculiar object.
"Whoa whoa whoa, is-is that a gun? Please don't tell me you're some kind of hitman?"
"I told you, I don't own any clothes like this, nor a gun." The girl quickly withdraws her hand and decides to ask a passerby to borrow a phone. "Excuse me, Miss? May I borrow your cellphone for a quick emergency call? Miss?" The woman passes by her, not noticing the girl's presence. "Sir? Can you please-Sir?" Again, another passerby effortlessly glides past her.
"I guess these idiots have better things to do than talk to us kids."
"No, something's wrong..."
"They can't see you," an elderly voice suddenly meets the girl's ears.
"Who was that?" the girl asks, glancing left and right.
"Yeah, okay, I'm sure that didn't come from inside you this time," says the boy. The girl turns around and notices an elderly man. Supporting himself with a cane and holding it with one palm over the other, the elder lets out a gentle smile while ignoring the people around him as they do the same to him.
"Were you talking to me, Sir?" asked the girl.
"Who else would I be talking to, young lady?" The girl questions his logic, seeing as they were surrounded by countless other people walking in all directions.
"What were you saying back there, old man? That they couldn't see us? That much is obvious," says the boy, slightly annoyed. The elder takes a step closer.
"They aren't ignoring you. On purpose at least. You don't actually exist to them."
"Exist? What are we, dead?" asks the boy, chuckling nervously. The elder can only respond with silence. The boy takes on a more serious tone. "Hey Gramps...seriously. What's the deal? We're having a pretty damn private conversation in this stuffy district. Or did everyone go blind and deaf?" More silence occurs as the elder turns his head away in dismay. The girl takes a step forward. Though the foot that is implanted on the ground did not belong to her. A flashed occurs and suddenly, a much taller boy, donning the same exact suit as the girl, save for a red glove on his left hand, appears in place of her. With a look of seething anger on his face, he gets down on all fours and cracks the concrete below him with his fist. "I...can't believe it..." The elder breaks his own silence.
"I'm so sorry, you are both very young. Something tragic must happened...hmm?" The elderly man finally notices the young boy. He takes on a higher tone in hopes to lighten up the mood. "What odd company I have in my midst. Do you happen to have schizophrenia?" The boy tilts his head up to look at the elder and squints his eyes condescendingly.
"That's...not how schizophrenia works, old man. We woke up like this." The boy notices an odd silence from the girl, who he assumed had switched places and was now residing inside of him. "Hey, you there? He said we were both dead, you know."
"I'm aware of that," the girl responds, surprisingly calm.
"Well, looks like someone already passed the denial phase..."
"I-I'm sorry. This might be an odd time, but I have a request to make," the elder interjects. The boy examines himself, and inspects his left hand by making his palm parallel to his face, and then turning it around to inspect the other side. He then responds without making eye contact with the elder.
"A request? What is it?"
"Have the young lady reveal herself to me again. I must get a closer look."
"What? Okay, fine. I...I need to take a break anyway. Hey, go ahead and uhh...switch," the boy says in a rather apathetic manner.
"And how exactly do I do that?"
"I dunno, just...concentrate."
"Alright then..." Another flash occurs seconds later, and the girl reappears in place of the boy.
"Ahh, very good," the elderly man scrutinizes the girl's face, standing awkwardly close to her.
"Is something wrong, Sir? You're a little close..." her body leans back ever so slightly.
"You have the same gentle face...but it's not genuine like hers. No, you're not her." The girl retreats a few steps back from the elder.
"What exactly do you mean-"
"Both of you have her clothes. Are you two related to her in some way?"
"I think I would remember someone dressed as formal as this. But who is this woman? What's her name?
"I'm sorry, I never managed to get her name. I'm not sure if she even had a name. She was only known as 'Death Agent.' A special soul able to send others to Soul Society."
"Soul Society?"
"The afterlife, essentially."
"Please, tell me more about her. She must have had something to do with our situation."
"That I highly doubt, young lady. She disappeared about sixteen years ago."
"Is that so..." the girl says in disappointment.
"Sixteen years ago, she came to this very district to send us all to Soul Society, including my son. Though before she reached me, she was called for something urgent and she whisked herself away to...Kakakura Town, I believe."
"Karakura..." the girl says under her breath.
"We'd better get going then, Karakura Town was our next destination anyway."
"She hasn't kept her promise of coming back here...she's disappeared, I know it."
"Disappeared or not, there are two teens from Karakura who are currently deceased, and I intend to find out why." She turns to leave the elderly man, but stops in her tracks when she feels a tight tug on the back of her coat...followed by a loud thud.
"Please, w-wait!" the elderly man exclaimed, now on the ground, with one arm reaching out to the girl. "If you have her clothes, you must have her gun...right? Please, I want you to shoot me."
"What?" says the girl, surprised. She reaches inside her jacket once again, and pulls out the holstered gun. It is a simple handgun, but upon closer examination, she notices a strange skull insignia on the grip. Her eyes widen slightly. "So...this is her tool of the trade."
"My son knelt down before the Death Agent, while she closed her eyes as if chanting some spell. A few seconds later, the barrel of the gun rested against his forehead, the trigger was pulled, and my son vanished. So please, before you go..." The girl kneels down in front of the elder.
"What is your name?"
"It's Shiro. Shiro Iwata."
"Iwata-san, please kneel down. I'd like to replicate exactly what that woman did." The old man scrambles to get his body upright and does exactly what he is told. He looks up at her and smiles, happy that he can finally rest in peace and be reunited with his son. The girl however, seemed to have different intentions. She positions the barrel of her gun against Shiro's forehead, and slowly closes her eyes.
"Thank you," Shiro says softly.
BANG
A loud gunshot is heard, and the girl reopens her eyes. Shiro had completely vanished.
"H-he's gone..." says the boy, who finally decided to speak up.
"I really do have her powers...are you feeling better now by the way?"
"Hmmmmmmmmmm...nope, not really. My memory's fogged up, apparently you're some kind of soul reaper, oh, and I'm also DEAD. It's a LOT to take in." The boy's sarcastic tone returns.
"I know...we should hurry back home but...this power. Am I some sort of replacement?"
"Look, I hope you're not thinking of playing 'Death Agent' with every soul we encounter. If that chick really did disappear sixteen years ago, there must be souls all over Japan waiting to be passed on."
"We could find more information about her along the way, so taking on this role couldn't hurt. Iwata-san said we both had that woman's clothing, correct?"
"Yeah, I've got a dumb fancy suit on too. I didn't feel a gun or anything, but I did have this weird red glove on my left hand."
"Clearly, she has something to do with this then."
"Alright alright. Then let's get going already. We should head to the nearest train station and find the best route to Karakura." The girl begins a slow jog. "What's your name anyway? I never thought about asking."
"Reimi Shinohara," the girl answers promptly.
"I'm Ayase Kurosaki."
"Kurosaki? Are you related to the police chief?"
"Umm, yeah. I'm his son. Have you been living under a rock? I thought everyone in town knew the Strawberry Kid."
"That's an...interesting nickname," says Reimi, laughing lightly.
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up, but you must have hit your head pretty hard if you don't remember that name. Actually, no, I'm glad you don't remember! Just...call me Ayase, like a normal person please..."
"Ahaha, very well, Ayase-kun."
Reimi and Ayase manage to catch a train heading to Chiruki Town. According to the train schedule, the two should need to take two trains before arriving in Karakura. Total approximate travel time: Over nine hours. The two had been traveling for over two hours so far without a seat to sit in. Ayase is in control of the body at the moment, pacing back and forth through the length of the very last car.
"Let's see...I get free train rides, I'm invisible...to the living at least, and I'm not craving for cigarettes anymore."
"Ayase-kun, what exactly are you mumbling to yourself?" asked Reimi.
"As for cons, I lack an individual body, any recollection of how this all happened is gone, and...I'm not craving for cigarettes anymore."
"Ayase-kun!" Reimi snaps at him, annoyed.
"Ahh, sorry. Just uhh, assessing the situation. Pros and cons are neck and neck. Think you can help the pros edge out a victory?"Ayase gave out a weak smile. He had definitely calmed down from before, but it was obvious he was still looking for some reassurance, a way to see the brighter side of death.
"We're simply going back home, I don't think our situation can get any worse...or better for that matter."
"Man, a little sugar-coating wouldn't hurt, Reimi." Ayase slumps his shoulders and sighs.
"Let me take over for now and look for some seats. There should be a few vacant ones because of that last stop." Reimi appears in place of Ayase, passing through several cars before finding a vacant aisle seat. Sitting on the window seat was a young woman, starting blankly at the scenery outside.
"We haven't found any new information so far," Reimi sighed.
"Well, it's only natural. How many poor saps did we see on our way over here besides that Shiro guy? Four? Five?
"Don't you think that's odd? Like you said before, if that woman disappeared sixteen years ago, souls would be roaming Japan in droves by now."
"Souls have their own two feet. If they were desperate enough, there's a chance they traveled to Karakura on their own, to meet that Death Agent chick half-way or something."
"Good point, that isn't out of the question. I hope she is still there..."Reimi rests her left elbow on the armrest of her seat, supporting her chin with her left palm. She goes into deep thought as her eyebrows furrow.
"Think any harder and you're gonna give me a headache. Just this once, let's change the subject and speak normally. Sound good?"
"Speak normally? What do you mean?"
"A normal conversation. What do you like to eat? How's your school life? Any boys you like?" Reimi's expression does not seem to change.
"Sorry, I'd rather take a nap at the moment. We've been standing for so long, it feels nice to finally sit down." She crosses her arms in front of her stomach, tilts her head back onto the soft material of the seat, and slowly closes her eyes.
"Reimi?...Heh, out like a light." Ayase sounds disappointed. This doesn't stop him from making conversation however. "Those souls, including Shiro, all said the same thing before you passed them on. They got a good look at your face, and said 'it's not genuine like hers.' What is that supposed to mean? Is there something you're not telling me, Reimi? I wish I could see your face-" Suddenly, a deafening screeching sound invades the ears of all the passengers on board, including Ayase and Reimi, who woke up instantly.
"Wh-what's going on?!" exclaimed Reimi as she jerked awake.
"Sounds like emergency brakes to me. The train is slowing down!"
"Reimi!...Reimi! You okay? C'mon, get up. I've got a bad feeling about this." Reimi awakens to the sound of Ayase's echoing and muffled voice. She opens her eyes to find herself in a field.
"Where are we?" Reimi groans.
"I have no idea, but look." Reimi stands upright and gasps. The train they were in had completely derailed. "What the hell are you waiting for? Let's go check for survivors!" Ayase said impatiently. Reimi's eyes narrow.
"And do what, Ayase-kun?" she asks angrily.
"What do you mean 'and do what-'" Ayase's words cut short. "Shit...but, we can at least help anyone who's already dead, right?"
"Ayase-kun, I thought you didn't want me to play 'Death Agent.'"
"Can't you see the destruction in front of us? They're gonna need our help, you're the only one who can pass on these poor souls!"
"Our objective is to investigate that woman and return home. We would be wasting our time with these people, so let's go."
"And who the hell made you Boss? Heads up, I'm taking over."
"You fool, Ayase-kun!" Ayase had switched back into control and sprinted toward the derailed train. As he got closer, figures began to pop out of the scattered cars. Were they survivors? Or souls of those already deceased? Either way, before Ayase could approach them, another, much bigger figure was coming down from above. Ayase's sprint came to a halt to observe what was coming down.
"What...is...that..." a giant, monster-like figure landed with its back turned towards Ayase.
"It's...it's a monster..." Reimi states quietly.
"Was this thing responsible for this?" The monster turned around, noticing Ayase's presence. He takes a step back as his eyes widen at the face, or mask rather, of the monster before them. "Can he see us?" A haunting roar spreads throughout the field of carnage. "Shit!"
WELP, I hope you enjoyed that first chapter! This is probably the 4th time I've written this darn chapter because this was originally supposed to be a fully voiced visual novel-style video series! Then I decided to drop the voices...then I was like F this, I'm just gonna fully write this out, so I had to revise a good amount of text to compensate for lack of visuals and voices.
Please look forward to the coming chapters! Who knows what happened in the Bleach world during this 21 year time gap? :3
review if you like and tell me what you think of Reimi and Ayase so far! :)