Feel The Rhythm Like Rain On Your Hands

Feel The Rhythm Like Rain On Your Hands

So tell me, is it weird to move from place to place alone?

Is it weird to only rely on one person for so long, you only trust that one person?

Well, I guess I'm that weird kid then. Ever since there was large hallow attack in my hometown of Hagi: Jokamachi district, where my whole family was killed. My older brother, Sasaki age 19, my eldest sister, Chiyo age 17, my middle but still younger sister, Yoshimi age 3, and my baby sister, Chibuye age 2 months, every single one of them died that night and it was all because of a hollow. My Father, Hayato, was a Soul Reaper and was being hunted down by hallows for killing one named 'Demon Harmony' who was a Grand hollow or something to that effect. So about three hundred hallows formed around my father's dojo and attacked. I was with my mother that day, but every one else was with my father, and was murdered, no other family was alive at that time either.

Once my mother heard the news, she fell into a deep depression for years, not once even moving out of her room. So I was providing for her, a young six year old. I was practically useless to her, or at least that's what she said. "You stupid gaki, get away from me and let me die!" Every time I came to bring her some food, she would attack me with anything she could find. I was so scared of her, but I had to save her, it was my duty as a daughter of the once great Nozomi Kaoru. But I couldn't, and she commit suicide three years later on the day of my family's murder.

Now I was truly alone, I was nine, and traveling anywhere I could. From Matsue to Kanazawa to Nara and Kakunodate, but yet, I found nothing to fill the void left by my family. I had felt this void grow and grow everyday until I was almost swept inside it, until I saw a boy, about sixteen sitting alone on a swing set on a cold fall day. It was in Motsumoto, the snow had just started falling when I decided to join him. His name was Akane, and he too was alone. His family was killed by something invisible which later I found out it was actually a hollow, only leaving him to see the dead bodies of his family lying on the ground. His real name was Chiyoko, but he changed it to "deep red" once he saw the destruction. I grew quite close to Akane and him to me, but that all changed when child services took him away. They saw him as a threat to me, who was now eleven. They sent him to a jail in Kanazawa, far far away from where they sent me.

Karakura town is where they sent me, alone and lost. They could see that, they had to see that, it was the only thing I showed until I could see Akane again. He was the only person that mattered to me anymore, the only one that could fill the void that was swallowing me whole once more. December 6th was the day Akane broke out of jail, murdered two officers, and came to Karakura town to find me. I saw him and he saw me. What happened next is what hurt and shocked me the most. The cops pulled me away from him, and fired their guns one after another. I saw the bullets fly in and out of Akane. I screamed at them to stop, but it was too late. His bloody body fell to the ground and the cops let me go. I sat there with him for hours until the cops left me alone with him. I stood up about to leave him until something grabbed my foot.

I looked down to see Akane smiling up at me, wincing the whole time. He asked me to hold his hand and trust him no matter what. I held his hand tight and promised to never let go. There was a bright blinding light that knocked me to the hard cement. But when I looked up Akane was there in a samurai's outfit, the same one my Soul Reaper of a father had once worn. He smiled at me and helped me up. "Will you sit on the swings with me?" Those were the first things he said as he took my hand and led me to the swing set. "Do you know what a Soul Reaper is?" He asked swinging happily beside me. I nodded as he began to tell me what had happened. He was given the chance to protect society against the demons that had destroyed both of our families. "I'm going to have to leave you, but I will visit!" He promised me he'd come back and play every once in a while, and that's all I needed. As long as I had Akane I was going to be fine. He told me this right before he had to go, " If you ever need me for anything, just sing me a song." And he vanished. I smiled and went on my way to the nearest school. If I wanted him to come back to me, I needed to learn to read and write and sing.

My name is Nozomi Aikawa

I am currently 15 years old

I live in Karakura town.

My best friend is Toshiyo Akane

He is a Soul Reaper

And so am I.

…My story has just begun…