Here's my first fanfic in the Bleach fandom. I'm not sure if I'm the only one who has this same idea or not. If I'm not please let me know, or direct me to a similar plot so I can edit my story if need be. I don't want to seem like a copy cat or plagiarize someone's work unknowingly.
Thanks go to: hillary84. Roleplaying with her helped me realize how much I like this scenario, so I had to delve deeper and write it XD She also helped me realize how much I love Remi 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. I do however own Remi and Saori.
The cup of tea in her hand was a warm comfort on a chilly morning. Despite the sunny start to the day, the cold was creeping into the air, and a sweater was all Saori had on to keep the cold out. Pulling it a little tighter around her as a small gust of wind ruffled her hair she took a drink of her tea. Her gold eye's watching the people walking towards her along the street. Some were in a hurry, others were just enjoying the morning, while others were running errands. A few of them were familiar as she saw them sometimes on her way to work, and the others were new faces.
Her morning walks to work were never dull. Saori always managed to find a good thing on her morning walks, be it the smile from the cashier at the tea shop she frequented, or a random act of kindness either from her or a stranger. They made her get through her day with some meaning. She loved her job as a graphic designer for the community newspaper, but it was stressful. She couldn't imagine quitting though, not when it had been her dream. Saori had wanted to be a graphic designer for some popular magazines, but hadn't declined the job for a community newspaper. It was a way into the industry and a nice starting point.
The temperature changed as she walked along the bridge. Being amongst the buildings trapped the temperature, while being out in the moving air made it colder. The breeze picked up and her slate grey hair whipped around her face. Saori pulled her limbs closer to herself and walked a little faster. She wasn't very fond of the cold, preferring the spring and summer.
Hearing the screeching of tires behind her, Saori turned around to see a car heading towards her. She had no time to react as the car hit her in the side, sending her over the edge of the railing. All Saori registered was the blinding pain in her side, and a cold wetness enveloping her before her world went black.
Bright green eye's peeked out from a tuft of white as they looked at the time. Groaning Remi rolled to her back, and stretched. The stuffed penguin she had been holding rolled off her bed roll and onto the wooden floor of her quarters. Sitting up, she blinked the sleep from her eyes as her red hair stuck out at odd angles from her head. Awake enough to register her surroundings she slowly stood up, making her way to where her shihakusho and zanpakuto were stored.
After pulling her sheer gloves all the way up to her elbows, and attached her zanpakuto to her left hip, Remi looked at herself in the mirror to the right of her clock. She wore the typical shihakusho, except her sleeves were missing and in place of those were the sheer gloves, and her obi was lavender and tied in the back. She frowned and grabbed a strand of her hair it was starting to get to an annoying length; she'd have to cut it back up to her shoulders again.
Making a mental note to have her hair cut on her next day off, Remi walked out of her quarters. The morning was chilly, but it was warming up and the sky was cloud free. She had a feeling that the day would be a good but eventful day, but was unsure why she felt that. Mentally shrugging it off she took it to be lingering sleep.
Remi had just stepped through the door to the office when she was confronted by both of her lieutenants saying their captain wanted to speak to her. She blinked in confusion. There was nothing she had done that could warrant her an audience with her captain. At least not anything she knew of. Her lieutenants assured her it was nothing bad, and she followed them to her captain's residence.
Nervousness hit her as they opened the door to Captain Ukitake's home. Remi had only met him twice before, once when she had been accepted into squad 13 and once during a festival that all the squads had a share in. She had helped him run a dart game stall, and he had had waaay to much fun with it. She had heard rumors that he had younger siblings and therefore enjoyed trivial matters such as kid's games a little too much than most. He was a good and fair captain and that was why she was proud to be in squad 13, but that wasn't why she was nervous. She was visiting him in his own home, and was unsure of how he acted outside of work, and therefore unsure of how to act around him.
Her lieutenants opened the door to Captain Ukitake's room, and she followed them in. Knowing to stand behind them and wait until she was introduced or acknowledged first before she spoke. As she suspected it didn't take her captain long to speak.
"I'm sorry to pull you away from your work, but I need you for an important assignment." Captain Ukitake said as he turned to face Remi.
Remi looked a little confused, "An assignment? What could I be needed for that doesn't require a lieutenant?"
"The alarm wasn't sounded as Captain Kurotsuchi deemed this case as strange, but there is an intruder in the Seireitei. As of the last report the intruder hasn't been spotted and it is unsure of as to if it is even here, but Captain Kurotsuchi is insistent that this being is here." Captain Ukitake started, "You are needed for this assignment as I believe you will be very useful." He raised his hand before Remi could speak, "I'm not sure why you will I just have this feeling."
She wanted to question some more but found that it really wouldn't be helpful to her, "My job for this assignment is to report in to whom?" With an intruder every soul reaper was the lookout so being assigned to something meant she was either reporting to someone, was in charge of something, or was assigned with someone. She assumed it was the first.
"Captain Kuchiki." Captain Ukitake answered still looking at Remi.
She mentally groaned. The captain of squad 6 may have been respected not just because he was a noble but also because he was a captain and had the talents to back it up, but Remi didn't like him. He rubbed her the wrong way and it wasn't because she thought he was trying to take over the Seireitei or anything, she figured it was because her personality clashed with people who had a personality like his. Knowing that she had no way out of her assignment, she would remember to hold her tongue around the 6th squad captain in case she said something without thinking.
Taking her silence for an answer Captain Ukitake added, "The lieutenants of the rest of the squads, minus my own, have already reported in. You should get going as well Tamazaki-san."
"Yes sir." Remi acknowledge before she lightly bowed her head, and swiftly made her way out of his home to find the 6th squad captain.
It was cold and her body felt weird. Saori slowly opened her eyes and she wasn't in any place she recognized. The room was not the bright, sterile white of a hospital room, but the dark and shadows of a basement. It felt like a basement to her, although she couldn't smell the soil surrounding the walls. The room also had the eerie glow of a few computers and some tubes of bubbling liquid. She tried to sit up but was strapped down to an examination table.
Suddenly she felt as though she shouldn't be here, and it was scaring her. She tried to scream but found there was a lump in her throat, from what she couldn't be sure, but being strapped down didn't help the fact that she shouldn't be in the room. It felt like she was in danger, and every sense was telling her to run. Saori started to cry since she couldn't scream, wondering where she was and why. The place didn't feel right and it further solidified in her mind that she needed to run.
Hearing some voices she started to struggle against the straps, hoping that she could work them loose, but they weren't budging. The tears kept streaming down her face and the sniffs turned into sobs. Suddenly she fell to the floor, unsure of how or why, but she took the chance and ran for the door. Saori ran out the door and followed the hallway, not bothering to see who was behind her as she felt the presence of two people. One gave a shout but she didn't stop, just kept running. She wouldn't stop until she was outside. Then she would decide what to do next.
It took her a while to find the exit but she found it. Whenever she felt someone she ran the opposite direction, which was one reason why it took her so long to find the exit. Once she was out in the sunlight she realized that this place wasn't familiar to her, but she couldn't figure out why. Saori's hand went to her head as she winced in pain. The pain retreated after a while, and Saori caught her breath not quite sure in which direction to go, but she decided to pick one that felt right.
All the buildings looked the same and it was like a maze, as Saori went running through the Seireitei. It was beginning to be a little discouraging as she couldn't seem to find an exit to the maze, but the one thing she could count on was the fact she could sense those trying to capture her. She didn't know how but she knew they were after her, and she wasn't sure why they were, but a small part of her was scared of why they were hunting her.
After flash stepping her way to the squad 6 office, Remi knocked on the door to the office and introduced herself, "Tamazaki Remi of squad 13 reporting in sir."
Byakuya Kuchiki was compiling all the reports that had been given so far when he felt an unfamiliar spiritual pressure. He wasn't alarmed however as he had been forewarned by Captain Ukitake that he had assigned an unseated soul reaper to report in to him. He deduced that this unfamiliar presence was that soul reaper. That soon proved true as he heard a knock and the soul reaper introduced herself.
"You may come in." He said, brush moving across paper as he continued his report.
The door opened and a young woman with grass green eyes and dark red shoulder length hair walked a few steps into the office and bowed her head in respect.
"As I have not heard from squad 13 yet, I am to assume that you have not been briefed on the deadlines of your reports, or what this intruder looks like."
Remi nodded her head, "Yes sir you are correct."
"You will report in every two hours until the intruder is captured or killed." Captain Kuchiki looked at Remi who nodded her head that she understood her orders and then he continued, "The intruder is a woman with grey hair and gold eyes. We have no other information on her except that she is adept at avoiding soul reapers. If you come across her you are to capture her. Your comrades in this assignment are the lieutenants of the rest of the squads. They are aware that you are in place of your two lieutenants, and will treat you as if you are one, and you are to do the same. You are to share the information you gather with them if need be. You are also to help them out if you are asked to do so or feel the need to."
Somehow Captain Kuchiki's explanation seemed to be a bit out of character for him and Remi threw a confused look on her face before she realized he had finished speaking and she was to give him her acknowledgement. Nodding her head she was dismissed and flash stepped her way to the location that she was given to search for the intruder.
As Remi made her way there she couldn't help but think something was off about this intruder and what information had been given to her captain and Captain Kuchiki. She smelled a trap, not so much a traitor but a trap, and she didn't like it, but she would follow her orders and if new information came to light she would act accordingly.
Soon she felt the spiritual pressure of a lieutenant and looking over her shoulder she spotted Shuuhei Hisagi, lieutenant of squad 9. Remi stopped, waiting for him to catch up; she had seen him once before but only in passing at the Soul Academy, and she had remembered him. His physical appearance was still the same as back then, even though he now had a scar and another tattoo across the bridge of his nose.
"You must be Tamazaki-san from squad 13." He said as he stopped a few feet in front of her.
Remi nodded her head, "I am. Anything I can do for you Hisagi-san?"
"Nothing. Just spotted you on my rounds and wanted to make sure you were ok."
"Oh yeah I'm doing ok." Remi replied with a smile.
Hisagi opened his mouth to speak, but he and Remi felt a weird spiritual pressure coming from the direction Remi had been heading. Giving him a nod they both took off for the spiritual pressure. Hoping they got to it in time to capture her, because the game of cat and mouse was getting old fast.
The longer she wandered the Seireitei and kept avoiding the soul reapers, the more discouraged and panicked Saori became. The tears were flowing back down her cheeks, and she thought several times about letting herself get caught, but something was nagging at the back of her mind. She needed to find something and the pull was strong, and that kept her wandering the Seireitei and avoiding its inhabitants.
Stopping to catch her breath she decided to look around her. The buildings were set wide apart and big, and the walkways were wide and accommodating to large crowds, of course each turn looked a lot like each other, further adding to her panic. Saori had yet to reach a wall that had no right or left hand turn. Otherwise she would have followed it all the way to the exit. It made sense, follow a wall that had no turns and you find a perimeter wall. A perimeter wall would lead her to an exit.
Determined to find this wall, she started running again. She was going to find the wall and the exit and find what it was that she was searching for. What the heavy pull on her body was telling her to search for. The pain in Saori's head came back and she stopped, holding her head. She took several steady breaths, but the pain didn't go away. Opening her eye's she could see through her legs, her body was transparent.
Saori knew that her body being transparent wasn't normal and not sure how to react the first instinct her body gave was a terrified scream as she stumbled back into the wall behind her and sank to her knees crying. She no longer comprehended that she was being hunted; all her brain could focus on was that she could see through her body and that was in no way normal.
The overwhelming spiritual pressures of a lieutenant and an unseated soul reaper didn't even register in Saori's brain and she knelt on the ground the tears staining her cheeks, as she tried to understand why she was transparent and what she was looking for and why she was in this unfamiliar place. The pain lanced through her head again and she screamed out in pain, no longer aware that she could be heard. Her current world revolved around pain and the confusion as to why she was transparent.
Hisagi and Remi knew they were on the right track when they heard two screams. Looking at each other they both nodded and followed the sound of the screams. It didn't take them long to find the person the screams belonged to. They both came to a stop in front of the woman, Remi watched her carefully and Hisagi remained alert with his hand on his zanpakuto.
Saori wasn't a soul reaper nor was she dressed as one, a dead giveaway that she was the intruder they were looking for. Remi could feel the pain, sadness and confusion emanating from the woman in front of her and she knelt down, not making a move to touch her but wanting to be on the same level as her. She just watched the crying woman trying to read her enough to determine what she should do.
Saori was shaking as the tears continued to flow and the pain in her head started to go away. She didn't even notice the two soul reapers in front of her. Soon the pain in her head was gone and she looked up to see the green eyes of Remi. She tried to scoot back and get distance from the red haired woman in front of her, but the wall stopped her.
"Get away from me!" Saori yelled, feeling cornered but knowing she had no chance of fighting, or rather she knew she couldn't fight the woman in front of her.
The pain Saori was feeling made Remi want to cry and she willed herself not to although she couldn't keep it from her body language. Remi knew that the woman wasn't a threat, she was scared, confused and in pain. She couldn't bring herself to be rough to the woman; she wanted Saori to be ok and smiling.
"Tamazaki-san?" Hisagi asked, finally realizing that Saori wasn't a threat, but seemed to be bothering his comrade.
Remi looked to Hisagi tears at the edges of her eyes, "She's in pain Hisagi-san. She's not a threat to us and never was. I just know it."
Looking between Saori and Remi he sensed the truth and with a sigh said, "Alright. Let's see if we can calm her down and then we'll talk to Captain Kuchiki."
Giving him a light smile in answer Remi turned back to Saori, "We aren't going to hurt you."
Saori startled at seeing Hisagi, but after seeing the interaction between the two she set her eyes on Remi who had spoken to her. Her gold eyes searching Remi's for a sign of malice. Seeing none she slowly calmed down.
"Who are you?" She asked quietly.
"I'm Remi Tamazaki, and he's Shuuhei Hisagi, what about you?" Remi replied.
"Saori."
"Is that your given name or family name?"
"My given name….I don't…I can't remember my family name."
"Do you know where you are?" Hisagi asked, when Remi couldn't think of a quick answer.
Saori's eyes grew distant, she remembered waking up and walking to work that morning but this place was foreign to her. She shook her head lightly, "I don't. I don't recognize this place either."
"You're in the Soul Society. It's were souls go when their bodies die in the world of the living." Hisagi continued, now kneeling in front of Saori with Remi.
Tears started streaming down Saori's face and she hid her face in her arms. Remi gave a sharp look to Hisagi before touching Saori's arm. Hisagi made a move to stop Remi, but knew it was useless. Backing off he let the two women speak.
"I can't be dead, I feel different. I have to find something." Saori said before she tumbled into random mutterings.
Remi and Hisagi exchanged a confused look. Neither one had been told before that being dead felt different. Something was definitely off about Saori and this whole situation. Hisagi waited alongside Remi hoping more answers would be revealed or enough to take to Captain Kuchiki and see about giving Saori some sort of protection.
For my first escapade into the Bleach fandom what do you all think? I'll add more of the important information next chapter. I'm still not sure where I'll end up with this story. The end I currently have thought up could completely change, and I'm a little skeptical about Kuchiki being paired with an OC as I hate him. Seeing as I've roleplayed this scenario out before the girl with the missing memories is always paired with Hitsugaya, I wanted someone different. So I'll see where I go with this. I hope you're willing to stick with me through it.
Chapter 2 will be up soon.
Zaltanna
