NOTE: This story takes place in the same Bleach universe, but in a different time period and with different main characters.
This is my second fanfiction. I wasn't too happy with how my previous one turned out, so I decided to make a new one – one that will be hopefully more engaged and detailed as well as a pleasure to read. Feedback is always appreciated.
TWO WORLDS
a Bleach fanfiction by Blacktide
Midnight. Karakura Town, Japan.
"No! Leave me alone!"
Had it been the middle of the afternoon, or maybe early evening – these cries might have been heard by someone passing by. But, unfortunately, the denizens of this town were mostly sleeping, and those who weren't were most likely too busy with their own concerns to hear the ominous screaming that broke the silence of the night.
"'Fraid not, princess. You're ours now, and I think tonight is gonna be a lot o' fun. What'dya think, boys?"
All of the dark silhouettes in the alleyway chuckled and voiced their approval. A particulary tall – and, by the looks of it, muscular – man led the crowd, holding a helpless woman in his grip.
The woman reached towards her purse to get her pepper spray, only to find out that her purse had already been stolen by one of the gang members. Seeing this act of desperation, the burly man smiled.
"Now, now, there's no need for violence. Cooperate and we might not leave you scarred for life," the man stated as he turned around and nodded to the group of men behind him. They all began to leave the alley, while the woman tried to break the vise grip over her mouth and scream for help. After an effort that nearly left her unconscious in itself, she succeeded.
"Help me! Please! Somebody!" she screamed.
Surprised but not beaten, the burly man hesitated and then simply grabbed her mouth again. "Ain't nobody gonna help you now, girl," he muttered into her ear.
The group had almost made it out of the alleyway when another silhouette blocked their path. Whatever it was, it was the size and shape of an average man. After taking a look around at the scene, he shouted in a commanding voice, "I suggest you put her down and step away."
The crowd of men was surprised and muttered among themselves, until their leader, with the girl in his hands, stepped out in front.
"And who the hell are you?" he asked the stranger, though it really didn't sound like much of a question, more of a demand for an answer.
"Oh, just somebody that was walking by and happened to hear a couple of cries for help. I don't suppose the one screaming like a small schoolgirl was you?"
The group of men laughed silently, but then their leader turned around to them and yelled "Shut up!" They immediately obeyed. The leader turned around again and pointed a finger at the stranger.
"Now listen here, you cocky little bastard. I'll let that one slide, provided you get your ass out of the way before we have to break every bone in your body," he said. The tone in his voice suggested he could've broken every bone in the stranger's body right then and there.
"No can do. And, judging by your attitude, I'm guessing you didn't hear my earlier suggestion. I normally don't approve of repeating myself to scum like you, but I suppose I'll do it this once; I suggest you put her down and step away."
That was the final straw for the leader. He didn't even hesitate; he yelled and began to run towards the stranger, pulling out his pocketknife and flipping it open. He lunged in to stab the man in the chest, but the stranger grabbed his wrist and twisted until a large snap echoed throughout the alley. The leader roared in pain at his broken wrist and dropped his knife. He tried to throw a punch with his other hand, but the stranger simply caught it before it got close and brought his knee up to connect with the leader's chin, effectively knocking him out. The rest of the men were completely surprised at the failure of their leader, but they recovered quickly and each began to pull out pistols they had been hiding under their coats. The woman, who by now had been grabbed by another member of the gang, broke free of his grasp and yelled, "Run! Don't sacrifice yourself for me, please!"
Then, in a movement so fast that the woman couldn't even see it, the stranger knocked out the man holding her with a quick blow to the abdomen. As if he hadn't even heard the woman, the stranger simply muttered, "Get behind me." She was too stunned to move, but somehow managed to crawl behind her protector. She looked up and saw the man drawing a katana. The woman had expected to see the entire gang burst out laughing – after all, what man can fight that many people armed with guns with just a sword? – but they didn't. They simply stood there as if nothing had happened. They all aimed and fired, and she waited for a cry of pain and the man to collapse in death, but what she saw next absolutely stunned her.
The man raised his sword and blocked every single one of the bullets. He angled his sword in a way that made the bullets ricochet off in the direction of the gang members, effectively turning their own bullets against them. Within seconds, the entire gang was laying on the ground. None were dead thanks to careful work by the stranger to only wound them, but they weren't getting up anytime soon.
The stranger sheathed his sword and turned around to the woman. "Come with me," was all he said, and she figured that it would be a wise choice to do so, but she didn't get the chance to obey; she lost consciousness, with her last sight being the stranger walking toward her.
