A Fleeting Tale

Summary

Tsuki Mirra had a good life, a satisfying home and a loving companion to watch over her. She would have bet she had it all, but when she is stripped from her only home and thrown straight into the Bleach plot, she starts to find that she hadn't started living till that moment. A Tale about a girl chosen to be something she isn't. IchigoxOc

Chapter One- On New Soil

What if I told you it is dark in here? What if I were to say that it's freezing, damp, and unwelcoming? What if I proved to you that I was unhappy?

Would you believe me then?

Would you let me leave? Would you help me to escape? I might guess that you would be willing to after I were to say how horrible it is here. But, what if I told you that I wasn't mistreated? What if I said that where I am is actually quite beautiful? It's not as if everyday I'm deprived of my needs, nor am I sick or unhealthy, bound by chains, or tortured.

I bet you're curious now. I bet you're thinking why anyone would want to leave somewhere pleasant? And you would be right in assuming that most of my kind would not. It is not as if we live in a hell, where we are tormented from the break of dawn to sunset. No, that is not the case at all. But, I think I should explain myself before you jump to conclusions.

Imagine this. You're on the sands of a beach; this is the place you live. The place you call home, because this is the only home you have ever known. It is indeed nice here, there is always a calming sea salt breeze, a sunset that comes everyday that shines off of the sand and glows like gold, and even the ocean water stays cool year round.

But, are you truly happy here? I mean, you are alone… there really is no conversation that you have; I bet you can barely speak because you use language so little. Even if the birds chirp every morning and reach your ears, even if the sea water still numbs your feet, even when you can feel yourself breathing… you are not happy. You wonder what is beyond this place, on the outside world. And even though the place out there is your greatest fear, you can't help but relish in the thought of it.

Is it pretty on the other side maybe even gorgeous? Are there others there? Can those people leave as they wish? Are they free to do as they please? Do they have relationships? Loved ones even? The questions never end.

But, you shall never get to know the truth because this is the only life you can live. The only life that you know how to live. So, no… you are not mistreated. No, you are not starved to death. No, you are not shackled in a dark chilling cage. But yes, you are enslaved.

This is the life of a zanpakuto spirit.

For as long as time has existed, we have only served one purpose. We have been crafted to benefit our masters, let them use our powers, live inside their mind and become one with them. We are their servants.

And now, even as you read this, I am trapped inside the consciousness of someone who has no regard for the truth that is right in front of them. The truth being, that we do not choose this life of solitude… but that we are forced to live it.

Pant.

Pant.

Pant.

The breaths of the individual were heavy, unnatural and erratic. The eyes darted from path to path, trying to settle on something worthwhile. But as before, she was only met more turns and twists that led her deeper into this maze. Arms pumped up and down wildly as legs were synchronized with this motion. Even the beads of sweat that ran down her forehead seemed to coincide with each leap.

She whipped quickly around the next corner, her right foot skidding across the dirt. As another corner approached, the female dared to let her eyes peek behind her. In one swift motion she twisted her torso around to see the grey fence she had just past. No one was directly on her tail, but she could hear their voices, so they weren't that far behind.

"Damn, damn, damn" her voice quacked out in airy breaths.

One leap, another, and two more after that she finally had reached the corner. A wide bright grin crossed her lips as she was met with a clearing before her. If she hadn't been running for her life, she probably would have spared a moment to congratulate herself on eluding them for this long.

Beyond a short stretch of cobble stones was a mountain of a gate. Red in color, the gate had Japanese words inscribed on the each half of the wood, and the doors were even large enough that if they were to fall, everything around it would be crushed easily. She knew where it would lead, and even though that wasn't her desired destination, it surely was better than the alternative.

"Hey! Stop right there!" A manly voice was heard from behind the young women.

She didn't look back, no, she was too scared to. She simply pumped her arms faster to gain more speed. They were nearing her, only what seemed a hop away from tackling her to the ground. But, she only needed to make it a little further. If she could just reach the white light that beamed out of the tunnel.

Two figures guarded the gate, and after seeing the female darting towards them, they began to close the gargantuan opening. The white light began to dwindle to a tinier, than even tinier crack that could barely be seen through the already bright sun.

Blue hair twirled around the females face as she grew discomfort in her heart. With eyebrows indented upwards, and her teeth biting onto her lip, she was only a few leaps away. The thought of what might happen to her if she was captured was undeniably horrible.

'Come on… come on!' she pleaded in her mind.

The stampede of Shinigame behind her drew their swords as they were closing in only the lonely female. Each foot step seemed to move more sluggishly than the one before. The doors were almost completely shut, but the female had to only be 5 jumps away from squeezing through.

With eyes squeezed shut, and fists clasped tightly, she leapt once more and squeezed through the opening. The ground beneath her feet felt softer, and reluctantly she opened her eyes. A final relief of slight hope filled her chest as she had slipped through just in time. Behind her was the sliver of sunlight that slowly faded. A few tried to follow her in, but their shoulders were too broad to manage the trip.

She spared a moment to stop and catch her rapid breath. "SO LONG SUCKERS!" Her feminine voice screamed with satisfaction as she stuck out her tongue to those who yelled from beyond the barrier. Even though she would have liked to brag about her escaping further, she really didn't have time for that. They would open the gates once again to the Senkaimone and follow her in.

The female was hunched over. Her knees were supporting her hands as she panted for breath. Her face stared strenuously at the ground, almost as if it was tiring just to keep her eyes open. As her heart beat began to slow down and her racing mind calmed itself, she lifted her head to see where she had ended up. She had been chased so far and had to sprint so rapidly that she had not bothered to look where she was going.

She was on a street corner. In front of her was just a long narrow strip of black pavement, and on the sides of her were sidewalks and green oak and maple trees. The sun was shining above, as vividly as ever, not a sight of a cloud in the blue sky. It was what a typical day seemed like.

Pale hands pushed off her knees as she stood upright. Her blue eyes narrowed as she took a step forward, hoping to get somewhere it was safe from watching eyes.

"EH?!" The female lifted up her right foot while balancing on her left. "My… my… my shoe!"

She lost her balanced for a moment, tumbling backwards as she fell to her bottom immediately.

"Eep!" she squawked at the sudden fall. But, the short tumble to the black pavement wasn't in her interest. Ignoring the red bump she had received on her rear, she continued to inspect her foot. It was bare, as she seemed to just have recently noticed.

Her toes wiggling back and forth as the black and blue boot had somehow fallen off. Her head spun around to look behind her, but no boot was seen on the path she had just walked down.

But, what was more important was the object that she had kept inside of her boot. An object that she most certainly could not replace.

Her hands went to her pockets to make sure that she hadn't mistakenly put it in there. She looked down at her pockets and saw her almost balloon like pants.

Her bottoms were quite a sight for sore eyes, actually her whole attire was. Her pants were similar to what a joker or a jester would wear. It would go puff out at her thighs and then enclose back in at her knees where her pants stopped. The pants didn't end at her waist though, like most. It continued up towards her stomach and then opened up into two different parts. Almost like a hoodie for your waist. Vibrant stripes of orange and blue covered the attire and practically blinded anyone who looked her direction.

"W-w-where did it go?" The teenager female pushed herself up from the ground and began to hop around in a circle panicking about where her lovely boot had gone. Her pink lips drew into a worried frown. "Mmm…" she moaned in a tired huff. She would have to do a full out search for the object, although that was certainly not on her favorite things to do list. She reluctantly retraced her steps.

Hop after hop her eyes searched around her.

Something suddenly caught the eye of the blue haired female. In a fit of excitement and hope that her search was over she began to scurry over there, allowing her blue hair to bounce around freely. The object was enclosed around a green bush off to the side of the strip of black pavement. It looked to be something that could pass off as a boot, so she proudly accepted that fact.

An excited squeak peeped out of her. "My boot!" The female smiled joyously as she picked the black end of the boot up.

"MEEEEOOOOOWWWW!" something erupted suddenly from the boot. Blue eyes widened.

"EEP!" she almost dropped the object. The sudden noise caused a shock in her system as she noticed that whatever this creature was… it certainly wasn't her boot, not unless her boot was somehow trying to communicate.

"Meeeeeow!" the sound reoccurred, this time somewhat more calmly.

The fragile hands of the female noticed that her boot was now made out of fur and that there was an oblong object sticking out of the back that swayed back and forth in a continuous motion.

"What are you?" she asked the object. No response. "Maybe it's deaf…" Her face zoomed in on the gizmo and tried to speak again, in a louder tone hoping to get its attention.

"WHAT ARE YOU?" Her voice was as if talking to someone who spoke a different language. The oblong object sticking off of the body continued to move up and down.

"Meoow." The noise repeated itself. The female readjusted her hands on the object so that it was easier to hold and search it for a clue as to what it was.

Her hands lifted up the furry object in the air. The body spinning as she did so. Soon, the front was in full view. A chubby face appeared in her sight with green eyes staring down at her. The fat paws of the thing began to kick helplessly in the air.

"Woah…" the female brought the species closer to her face.

The face of the creature had cream colored fur that proceeded to darken all the way down its body till its butt was black. It had long whiskers that flowed off its cheeks and fuzz so thick that your hand disappeared when you pet it. Emerald eyes stayed wide open and cautious, although seeming to also have a detached feeling about the situation.

"What kind of alien are you?" The animal stared at her in response. "Oh… well sorry for taking you from your bush. That was my bad. The name is Tsuki by the way. Tsuki Mirra."

The alien stuck out its pink tongue just a hair so that it was barely visible.

"Not much of a talker, are ya?" Tsuki Mirra placed the animal down on the ground softly. The fuzzy paws limply fell to the floor. Once on the ground, it laid down immediately, not sparing a moment to move out of the sun. "Well… see you later. I have to get back to finding my boot."

"MEOW!" the thing screeched out as soon as Tsuki had turned around.

"What?" she spun back.

"Meoooow" it responded.

"You want to come with me?"

"Meow."

"Oh… well sure thing! You'll be my adventure buddy!" Tsuki walked back to the animal and picked it up by its belly and sunk it into her side.

Tsuki grinned at the being and then continued back tracing her steps. And after about five steps or so, she would check behind a bush, or a metal box, or a tree… but no luck had struck her yet.

"Hmmm… I wonder where it could be." She let her free hand go up to her chin in a puzzled motion. She nibbled on her thumb. "Where do you think it went, Mr…" a pause, "Oh, I forgot to ask for your name."

The cream colored fuzz ball had a stone face as it stared at Tsuki. The fuzz started to rub off on her vivid orange and blue half shirt.

"What's that?" she brought the creature up to her ear to listen to what it was saying. The tongue stuck out more and licked the side of the ear. "You don't have one? Oh… well that won't do." Tsuki spoke as she continued to walk.

"How about… mmmm… Mr. Chuckles?" no response was given. "No? Ok then… Ms. Pie? Oh no wait… I got it…" Tsuki raised her left hand and waved it across the sky as if giving a Broadway play title in lights. "Fuzzzzzzz." She smiled at the name. "Or… Fuzz for short. I know… it's perfect."

The being didn't respond this whole time, but Tsuki knew that no one could deny a heroic name like 'Fuzz'.

Tsuki passed another gate… this one though was open. Blue eyes peeked around the corner curiously. And displayed in front of her was some sort of building. It was grey, had three or four stories, blue tinted windows and a balcony atop of it. There was a small lawn of green grass that grew to the right of the sidewalk path that led to the front doors. Even a few trees were planted here and there… but it was actually quite a boring exterior. It was abandoned though… no one was in sight, or at least… not outside.

"Hmmm… hey Fuzz. Do you think my boot fell in there?" Tsuki paused her walking to spin and face the building. "Maybe it was falling so fast when I was flash stepping that it went straight through the roof. Or maybe… someone stole it. They saw a spare boot, and BAM, took in there!" she used her hands to tell the story. "I say we go take a look. You know… to rat out those thieving busters."

As Tsuki walked towards the building, a bell suddenly sounded. It was booming strongly against Tsuki's eardrums and rang all throughout the cobble stoned courtyard. She jumped back.

The doors suddenly opened to the entrance of the grey structure. Forms started walking out in groups of crowds. Some carried paper bags with them as they scattered around the courtyard seeming to converse with each other. They varied in age, height, appearance, and gender, but they all seemed to be wearing some variety of the same uniform. A white polo shirt was accompanied by grey pant for the boys, and grey skirts for the girls. Some of the girls wore bright red bows that attached to their shirt, while some wore grey jackets as well.

"Mmm… you are right Fuzz." Tsuki spoke to the creature she held. "I probably should remain inconspicuous in case these people are evil and want all of us dead." She nodded her head in agreement.

Tsuki pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "AHA! I got an idea Fuzz." She picked up Fuzz from her curved side and held him out in front of her face. "You'll pose as me, ok?"

"Meow." It almost seemed to understand her this time.

Tsuki started walking casually forwards, occasionally peeking around the furry sides of Fuzz to see what lay in front of their journey.

"Gasp."

"Huh?"

"W-what… what?"

Several voices around Tsuki started to gawk at her. Their eyes were wide with either fear or astonishment. They began to whisper among their selves in confusion, their conversations being too low for Tsuki's ears to overhear. Some nudged each other's sides to alert the others of the new comer, some turned pale, and some forced laughter, thinking that it was a prank.

"Do… do you see that?" One spoke to another.

"Yeah… is that… a floating… cat?" the words past the student lips in a reluctant and unbelieving tone.

Soon, a small path was cleared for the two of them, allowing Tsuki to easily walk through to the entrance of the building. She kept a watching eye on the people as she opened the grey doors inward cautiously.

"I guess you have a way with crowds, Fuzz." Tsuki spoke. As soon as she cleared the door and it shut behind her, she pulled the 'cat' as they had called him, back to her side.

"Okay…" Tsuki peeked right to see an empty hall, and to the left to also be met with a clear pathway. "So, where do we start?" Tsuki referred the question to herself.

Room after room she had checked. Opening one sliding door that lead to mostly empty classrooms, then closing it and opening the next. But, there had been no sign of her boot. Or… more importantly what was inside of the boot. She breathed out a heavy breath. It was almost becoming a lost cause. I mean… how much longer could she search for it? It had at least been 10 minutes already.

And even worse, Fuzz kept getting all the attention from these humans. Tsuki felt like she should receive a gawk or a gasp every so often as well… it wasn't fair to her.

As a sigh escaped her lips she slid closed another door to the empty room. Walking along the path that the walls created she headed for the next door.

"Meow…" Fuzz made that noise again. His feet kicked back and forth sluggishly in the air, almost as if he wanted to walk on his own.

"You want to go check by yourself?" Tsuki tried to interpret his meaning. She shrugged as she placed him on the white tiled floor. His paws did the same as the time before when she had put him on the ground. His paws bent and soon he fell to the earth like a mighty wall. He rolled on his side and just stayed there, welcoming the cold surface of a floor as a soft cushiony pillow.

"What are you doing?" Tsuki crossed her arms and shook her head. "You're just being lazy. Fine… I'll find my boot by myself. You go ahead and be a lazy Fuzz while I do all the hard work!" Tsuki Mirra walked past the kitten to the next door.

"Page forty- nine clearly stated the fact that…" A muffled voice came from beyond the wooden barrier.

Tsuki ignore it and opened the door anyways and gladly let herself in. This classroom was different from the rest she had encountered on the floor beneath. This one was filled with people. Young humans sitting at desks with books and pencils and papers, seeming to listen to the grown human at the front of the class. It all seemed boring to Tsuki.

Tsuki noticed a few strange characters in this place. Such as the kid with glasses in the front row that seemed to stare into her soul, or the kid that was sleeping on his desk, or the kid with bright orange hair. These human's were strange to say the least.

At least half the humans looked up to see who had entered the classroom. But some gave her confused looks as she walked in casually. Tsuki immediately held up her hands in a defensive position preparing herself for the speech.

"Okay everybody, remain calm! I am only here to search you down." She made sure to use a voice that would reach all ears. "Don't mind me as I search behind your desks, or in your bags, and maybe even on your person. This is NOT a shakedown… I am simply trying to uncover which one of you snobs stole my boot! So if you could just…" Tsuki was rudely cut off.

"Who opened that door?" The woman at the front of the class asked herself. She walked over to the door, nearly running Tsuki over in the process.

"Hey… lady… let me finish my sen…" she interrupted once again.

"Must have been a stupid prank by one of these delinquents." The unknown female whispered to herself as she closed the door once again. "And now… if there is no more interruptions… let me continue my lecture."

"Wow… what am I? A brick wall? Gosh…" Tsuki stomped past the woman and went heading straight for the back of the classroom. She would have to start there with the creepy looking husky guy. He looked pretty shady. Probably stole her boot… maybe even something more important than that!

But, on her way, something suddenly caught her arm. She froze in her place and spun around to see who had done this act.

"Hey… what's your deal bub?" Tsuki asked the strange man that had his hand locked onto her forearm gripping it with roughness. It was the creepy fellow with the glasses.

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" His voice was dark and serious, almost chilling to the bone.

"Didn't I already announce that to the lot of you people?" Tsuki asked in an obvious tone.

"Tell me who you are and what you are doing here?" he frowned at her presence.

"Wow…" Tsuki took a step away from him. "Psycho alert. Don't start killing people on my account."

A number of other students arose from their desks to face Tsuki, most of their faces holding a deep concentrated frown and yet confusion all at the same time. Three that Tsuki could count. It was like they were about to gang up on her. Kill her, knock her down, tank her 'downtown', let the ice rot in the freezer, put a bumble bee on her dresser, or worse than that… check off the grocery list!

"Hey… what are you kids doing?" the rude women asked them in a confused tone.

"Eh…" Tsuki put her hands up. "I don't want any trouble guys. I just was…" Tsuki trailed off as sweat dropped from her forehead.

'Oh dang… this is the day I'm going to die. I know it. These freaks are going to take turns punching the lights out of me and stealing my lunch money. Unless… unless' She suddenly pointed to something behind them. "Hey, WHAT'S THAT?!" She screamed out. Then, in a dash she ran out the door hurriedly, bumping into desks and hitting walls as she did so.

She seemed to be doing quite a bit of running today. As she slammed the door closed behind her, she quickened her pace, hoping that those psychos's weren't on her tail. As she ran she crouched down if only for a moment to pick up her accomplice.

"Come on, Fuzz. We got to get out of here! Those freaks are onto us!" she held the fur ball in her hands as she dashed around corners at full speed. It wasn't like she had done anything wrong. Not unless looking for a boot was against the law?

She didn't hear anyone running after her, but she had to take drastic measures to make sure that no one would follow her.

Tsuki took a moment to peer out a passing window that was slightly open. She skidded to a halt as an idea burst into her head. She pushed the window open and let the draft from the second story building breeze across her face. Without a moment to spare she put her right foot over the edge and then her left.

"Okay Fuzz. Were going to have to do the jump. Be prepared for air rushing in your face, bugs flying down your throat, sticks that will cut through your skin… and vomiting." Tuski nodded her head as she jumped from the window and did what she knew best, to run.

"Meow." The tone of Fuzz seemed to sulk in its own pity.

The dark alley was secluded from any major streets, hidden behind an abandoned building and had a dumpster blocking the entrance from any unwanted guests. It was the best hiding place for the moment, if anyone could find her here… she would be amazed.

"I know Fuzz... I know. I smell it too." Tsuki petted the felines head. "It reeks of death in here..." She wiped her nose.

The sunset was coming from the right, leaving no light to reach behind the dumpster. It was dark from her point of view, cold, and damp in the place she sat. Even though there was litter scattered around her, including a Chinese take out box, used tissues and napkins, and even a pair of underwear, she would guess that it was better than being captured by strangers.

She had been here for about half an hour now… hiding from pursuers seemed to be her thing today.

She let out a heavy breath. Her side was feeling numb… her breathing becoming harder and harder to keep up, her eyes feeling heavy as well. She knew what these signs meant. But, what she didn't know was how long she could last like this.

"If I hadn't been so careless as to drop my dang boot… I bet I wouldn't be here right now." She hissed out. "Hehhh… well… it's not entirely my fault I mean, come on. Why can't these people love me? Am I just not a lovable person, Fuzz?"

"Meow."

"Exactly. Why can't they just look at me and say… 'oh, what a nice lady. I bet she is lovely. I better NOT chase her around like she is some kind of WILD animal!'." Tsuki frowned. "Why can't they just…"

A pause.

Pain.

Something seemed to hit her side. No… not like hit her, but like someone ripped out part of her. It burned like she was on fire, the pain on her side seeming to melt through her bone and go straight to her lungs.

"Tskkk…" She hissed in agony. Her hand clasped the area tightly, hoping to relive herself of the pain. She grunted and winced. Her eyes squeezed shut praying that it wouldn't last long. In all her misery she was able to contain herself from screaming.

When she released her fingers from her bare skin for a moment to see if blood was oozing out, she was met with a surprise. No, it was not blood that oozed out of her aching ribs, but rather glowing blue flames. It was her spiritual pressure.

A/N

Thank you for reading the first chapter! I hope it was was good enough for you to review me, or at want to see the next chapter. C: Till we meet again, my friends.