{Summary: How does one begin their own story? The Kurosaki family, composed of a father, two daughters, and a son, were as happy and merry as could be...well, relatively speaking. Unknown to anyone, even to themselves, their place in history would be forever set before their stories ever began. Kurosaki Guren, son of Kurosaki Isshin, with one voice, will stand in opposition to all manner of gods and demons, and change the face of existence.
One voice is enough to make sleeping giants wake up.
An Alternate Universe set in the universe of Bleach by Tite Kubo.
Story published under "MichaelVereaux" on AO3 and "Vereaux" on FanFictionNet.
I hope everyone enjoys reading!}
Chapter 1: The Crimson Lotus
"The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness." - Joseph Conrad
How does one begin their own story?
Before today, Guren knew.
Before today, he knew his place in the world: a student of Karakura High School, age 17, the brother of two sisters, and son of a wonderful father, all of whom meant the world to him, provided they didn't annoy the ever living fuck out of him.
Before today, he could see, talk, and interact with the spirits of the dead.
Now...the dead were the least of his concerns.
Where does one end their life story?
"GUUUUUURRRREEEEENNNNN!"
"OFG!" Guren swore as he gasped for breath, and doubled over in pain. An elbow had collided with his stomach, and brought stars to his eyes for perhaps the eighty-thousandth time in his life.
"YOU'RE LATE!" His father bellowed. Guren attempted to filter out the voice underneath the pain, but there was only so much one could accomplish against this...circumstance. "Breakfast is getting cold! Yuzu worked very hard to fix your favorite: TOAST AND BACON!"
"THAT'S YOUR FAVORITE, YOU DUMB ASS! AND I'VE BEEN AWAKE FOR OVER AN HOUR!" Guren roared as his mood soured quickly.
Let's set the scene: a fully dressed Guren had finished getting ready for school, but as he was about to leave, his who-so-compassionate father burst into his room, and...well, you can see the result. Locked into a forehead showdown, they glared at each other to a standstill (if electricity could fly, it would), and their voices reverberated throughout the house. His father, Kurosaki Isshin, might have been a doctor, but he had the physique of a forward in soccer, and the lungs of an opera singer. With this image, contemplate Guren, who has to not only match it, but exceed it, if he has any hope of standing his ground. These are only a few of the things he has to contend with when living with an eccentric father. Or in Karakura Town, for that matter. Why his family choose this place of western Tokyo, Guren will never know.
A head of light blond hair poked around the corner of the hallway, and her brown eyes pleaded for sanity.
"There's plenty for everyone, guys. I just finished making everything." Soft spoken, her voice was a sharp contrast to the voices of the two males.
"Come on, Yuzu. Leave the two macho-men be and we'll eat all the hot food. I'm starving!" Karin, another voice of reason, commented before she walked out of her room and walked past the drama that had ensued. After having finished her shower, with a towel on her head, her words stirred Yuzu to walk back with her, and away from the dilemma.
"See, Guren? You're holding up our quality time!"
"HOLD THE WALL THEN!" Both Yuzu and Karen flinched at the thud behind them. They gingerly glanced around the corner to see their father on the floor against the wall. Upside-down, all the man could see was the world spinning in swirls of color.
"Ah, my son has muscle, I see!" Guren snorted at his father's words, and shuffled out of the room, though not before he gave him a quick kick to the stationary head. Isshin grunted pathetically and groaned.
It was a morning like any other. Whether it's in the morning, or after the setting sun, his father would find ways to "toughen" his son. After Guren started taking martial arts and Kenjutsu classes, Isshin would try all sorts of machinations; karate chops, a head-locks, or doing what happened moments ago. It could be almost endearing, but most of the time, all Guren wanted to do was beat the living shit out of him. A glance at the hallway mirror made him pause and ponder his appearance. His hair had cascaded down his back; a chuckle escaped his mouth as he pulled out a spare hair-tie. The latest rough-housing was to blame, or maybe it was all Isshin's fault. Yeah, let's go with that idea. His father wanted him to have hair like his mother, but when you are born with a head full of crimson red hair, both could only utter complements as it paired with his violet eyes. With bangs on either side, his long hair reached to his waist, but he pulled the back into a ponytail. Curtsy of Yuzu, she always was good at cutting hair.
"Hey Karin." Guren greeted when he walked into the dinning room, and took a seat to eat. His sister's black hair was all he saw over the book in front of her, but he could hear the crunch of her chewing behind it. "Studying for that test tomorrow?" A grunt was her only reply, followed by more sounds of her chewing. 'Of course, she never did like tests. Can't blame her. Neither do I.' When it came to their studies, all of the kids were diligent, but tests were another issue altogether. They couldn't stand them. Maybe it was the pressure of needing to do well; maybe it was the imaginary bar set to measure people by; who knows. For Guren, it made his skin crawl.
In the steady silence, Isshin was treated by Yuzu with an ice pack on his head, as he muttered to himself about how he will have to do his "duty" of "toughening up" his children. Guren ignored him, and ate in the continued solace of peace and quiet.
"Onii-chan." Spoke too soon, as Yuzu's voice shattered his previous expectation. "Ikumi-san called this morning, saying she would be on vacation starting tomorrow, so you won't have work for a little while."
"Hmm?" Guren blinked. He contemplated what Yuzu was referring to, but nothing came to mind. What vacation? Oh, wait. "Oh, right, I almost forgot about that trip she's taking. Something about Kyoto or some city."
"The Kyoto Fireworks Festival, or are you blowing smoke again?" retorted Karin as she took another giant bite of toast. Guren's eye twitched in annoyance, but before he could open his mouth to speak, she rebutted. "You're six years my senior, Ren-nii; should know these things better."
"Karin-chan! That's cold!" Gasped Yuzu. Isshin gave an absentminded nod of agreement.
"Not as cold as his name."
They could all feel the stinging wind blow through their souls.
The rustle of Karakura High was uneventful, almost mundane today. Guren couldn't concentrate on anything; it was as if something was missing. It was on the tip of his tongue, the edge of his senses, but he figure it out for the life of him. Most of the time was spent staring out the window, and watch the occasional spirit pass by.
Guren has been able to see, talk to, and interact with the dead for as long as he could remember. It wasn't always so vivid, but over the past few months, he could see them all as clear and crisp as his fellow students and family. People would give him strange looks at times, because to a normal person, he talked to nothing but air. Sometimes he could tell right away if it was a spirit, but not all the time. The existence of them made him wonder if other people could see them too. Yuzu and Karin can to varying degrees, but Isshin was as blind as a bat.
When the moments came, Guren tried to help the dead. It felt like the only thing he could do.
"What the..." he whispered, and strained the see across the courtyard. A woman seemed to jump, no, really, jump into view, dressed in some type of black kimono, and...a katana? He blinked and rubbed his eyes vigorously, convinced he was seeing things. He peered through the window and frowned; one can never be too sure of these things, but he was not delusional. It was a katana. 'What is she doing here?' With black hair past her shoulders, she appeared to be out of place with the school, but this was obvious thing. Every student of Karakura High had to wear a uniform, so she wasn't a part of the student body, or faculty. Who was she? She scanned the area with purpose, as if looking for something.
"KUROSAKI!"
"AH!" Guren jumped out of his seat in surprise, unsure of who called his name. The teacher stared at him like a hawk, visibly annoyed with his lack of attention.
"Now that you're with the living, Kurosaki, answer the question on the board!" It took him a minute to remember they were still in Chemistry, so after he gave her a satisfactory answer, he took his seat back. With the living, huh? The teacher wasn't far off with her statement. He turned back to the window, but the woman had already disappeared.
"Of course." He sighed to himself. One minute a ghost was there, next minute it's gone. A typical end to his suffering. If one was lucky to see them, one was also lucky if they can keep track of them. In either case, this wasn't a normal siting. He'd never seen a ghost dress like her before. Who was she?
"You're late! Again!"
"To you, I'm always late!"
"Not true! Masaki was never late with dinner!"
"What does that have to do with me?!" Guren couldn't believe he was having this argument again with his dad! After Kenjutsu training, he stayed around to practice with some of his fellow students, but lost track of time in the midst of everything. His thoughts kept returning to the appearance of the woman earlier today, and wonder who she was, or why she was there. It wasn't like one sees someone carry a katana everyday, especially since they are illegal for the general public. Even their instructor had to have a permit to even have one, much less be out with it. Guren had rushed home when he realized the time, but it was still passed the 7 pm dinner time. Dinner: same time, every time. And what does Isshin do? Tried to dropkick him...again! "Next time, I'll kick you where the sun don't shine!" Isshin gasped in surprise, a look of horror on his face.
"You wouldn't dare!"
"Try me!"
"Challenge accepted!"
"This is not a challenge you're suppose to accept, damn it!" The following could only be described as a combination of stupidity and genius; a brawl between a father and son. Who would win? Who would be kissing the floor? And how long until Guren throws him through the window...again? As the scuffle continued, Yuzu could only cringe, but anticipated more injuries to follow this...this...this? Two grown men trying to beat each other up?
"Guys, food is getting cold again."
"Let them be, Yuzu. If they want to act like babies, let them. By the way, Ren-nii, you have another visitor." Karin's remark brought the two to attention as Guren glanced over his shoulder. Another ghost materialized into view, though appeared to be only half a body. The guy was gleeful enough as he floated through the air, too curious for his own good when he started to inspect the kitchen. He seemed like he was see-through too. Typical.
"I can never get rid of them fast enough! Exorcisms take a lot of work, damn it!" Guren spouted as he tried to shoo away the ghost...as if it was going to help him get rid of it. In frustration, he huffed, took his bowl of rice, and wandered off. "I'm going to bed." This day was going to the pits fast, and he couldn't understand why; it was as if this feeling had been draped over him the entire day. Yuzu protested his leaving, but it was a background noise to the thoughts in his mind. His room offered little more comfort to him when he entered it, even as he laid his school bag on his chair, took a seat on his bed, and ate. There was no rest for him.
'Maybe sleep will do me some good.' He reflected in melancholy. One can only hope the safety of dreams can calm the storm. He flicked off the lights, and didn't both to strip as he plopped onto the mattress.
Where did everything go wrong? Why did everything feel wrong? Did he forget something important he should remember? Or maybe his mind simply would not let him be. It mattered not anyway. The longer he lay, the longer the silence carried, until it was broken, not by Isshin, or by family, but in one of the most unusual of circumstances that would forever change his life.
Out of the corner of his eye, a black butterfly garnered his attention, and floated into view. He couldn't believe it initially as he straightened himself on the bed, having drawn his curiosity. His eyes widened in shock, for out of nowhere, the woman in the black appeared, as light as a feather, and stood firmly atop his work desk.
"What..." Guren muttered, baffled by this absurdity. "Hey!" With not a respond to his call, she surveyed the room, and her stern, violet eyes searched intensely. With a simple bend of the knee, she hopped from the desk to the floor, and gripped the hilt of her sword, as if meaning to draw it. "Hey!"
"It is near..."
"'It is near' my ass, retard!" The woman's face contorted into confusion and panic as Guren kicked her across the room, and she flopped onto the floor, unsure of what the hell happened.
"You-you kicked me?" She gasped in disbelief.
"Yes, yes, I kicked you!"
"And see me?" She spun her head around to look at him, with only a slight dawn of realization in her eyes.
"Nah, I can only hear, smell, taste, and touch; no shit I can see! Now, who the hell are you?! And why the hell are you in my room? And why were you at my school?"
"School?" She repeated, and ignored the first two questions as she righted herself, jolted to her feet, and took a long look at Guren. Though her gaze seemed half glazed over, she seemed to access what was happening. "You saw me before?"
"Yeah, you a ghost, as well as deaf?"
"Alright, so let me get this straight..." Guren stated as he muttered aloud from a cross legged position on the floor. His face was twisted into a look of frustration, but with firmly closed eyes. The woman was also seated, though in a more traditional position with her legs underneath her. "You are a Shinigami..." She nodded. "...from a place called Soul Society..." Again, she nodded. "...and your mission is to hunt down evil spirits..." Her nodding continued with increased anticipation. "Right...AS IF!" He shouted as he abruptly stood. Her expression turned to bewilderment as she too got to her feet.
"You can see ghosts, but you don't believe in Shinigami?" She questioned.
"I haven't seen a Shini-whatever since I could see the afterlife. If what you say is true, I would have seen a lot more of you around here. I'll give that you're not a ghost, but it's only just a nice story. How about something more believable, brat?" His hand landed on her head forcefully in a condescending manner, and ruffled her hair slightly. Her bewilderment soon reverted to anger.
"If that's how you want to do this..." She raised her hand, and with her first two fingers pointed at him, spoke aloud. "Bakudo #1: Sai!" A pulse of energy seemed to rock his body as his arms were twisted around his back and locked into position. He collapsed immediately in shock.
"I-I can't m-move!"
"This...is Kido." A smug look was plastered across the Shinigami's face. "You may think of it as magic. Only Shinigami brats could hope to use it." She raised her foot, and planted it hard against his side, earning a cringe of pain from him. "So, brat, what should I do with you, after your insult?" With a gentle tug of her katana, it was released from its sheath. He shivered at the alteration as it's blade end hovered above his neck. He became incredibly still, and acutely aware of what grazed him underneath his chin. "Normally, our laws forbid us from killing people we have not been ordered to take out." The chilling reality of his position came as a crash upon him.
'Is she...?' His mind weaved different panicked scenarios in his head, as he could only watch her flourish her blade in a defying move of grace.
"I will have to contend with your...sealed movements." Before he could react, her katana was driven to the floor, not with the blade, but by the hilt. Out of the corner of his eye, Guren could spy the ghost from earlier beside him, and she had struck him in the head with the end of her hilt. A kanji glowed when it lifted, and a soft light started to surround him.
"N-no, I-I-I don't want to go to-to-to hell..." The man stuttered, fearful, and tears were about to fall from his eyes.
"Do not fear. Hell is not your destination, but Soul Society." Before, her voice had carried the edge of a blade, ready to cut him to pieces. Now, her face appeared to shine, calm, and a portrait of serenity. "Unlike Hell, it is a peaceful place." In the low glow of blue light, the ghost was engulfed. He vanished a moment later, along with the light; only a black butterfly remained. It floated away absently before it disappeared out of the open window, and into the night.
"What...?" He struggled to maneuver to get a better look at where the ghost had been, but saw no remnants of...anything. "What just happened?"
"Konso." The Shinigami's matter-of-fact reply caused him to jerk back in her direction. His mind was trying to wrap itself around what she said.
"A funeral...for a soul? Wh-wha..." He understood the meaning of the word, but he wasn't sure where or how to express himself. The notion was bizarre. People have funerals. Animals have funerals. Souls?
"In your common tongue, I believe you would call it 'going to heaven.' It is one of the duties of a Shinigami. Do you believe me now, brat?" As quiet as he was, Guren was becoming more and more irritated by her remarks.
"You send...ghosts to Soul Society, right?" And as much as her comments may annoy him, he still had questions. He knew when to keep certain things to himself.
"Pluses, to be more accurate. I'll draw an illustration, so even a fool can understand." After she sheathed her blade, from beneath her kimono, she produced a pad and pen. "In this world, there exists two different types of souls." What followed could only be described as ridiculous. A two sided picture: one of a bunny with hearts around it, and another with lightning around it.
'What...the...hell...?'
"The first is a Plus, or ordinary spirit, like what we just saw. The second are Hollows, who attack both the living and dead, and eat their souls. These are the evil spirits we spoke of earlier. Any questions?" The method of how she dead-panned the question can not be understated.
"Yeah, what the fuck is up with the bunnies?" No sooner had he asked than did he see stars, like his father did earlier, when the Shinigami stomped his head briefly. She seemed neither concerned, nor worried, as she continued her explanation.
"Shinigami have two duties. The first is to send souls to Soul Society through Konso." Her illustrations followed her words, displaying a bunny going through a border to a place labeled Soul Society...with flowers? "The second is to purify any Hollows we come across." The second bunny with lightning had a giant red X through it, as if trying to wipe it out of existence.
'Why do her drawings continue to suck?' A sudden idea popped into Guren's head.
"Wait...does that mean the thing you said was near...is a Hollow?"
"Well, yes, that is part of my mission."
"Then go find it! You could have found it instead of wasting time drawing!" Guren yelled exasperatedly. He struggled to turn over, still under the effects of the Kido spell. The woman frowned and squinted her eyes in irritation, though not at his words. She stared off to the side, as if trying to see something that wasn't there.
"That's the problem. I've been searching, but I lost track of it. For some reason, it's like I'm trying to find something through a fog. It's very frustrating."
"That's all well and good but-" As he tried to expel his statement as quickly as possible, a loud roar shook his senses, body and soul. It was like hearing the voice of an animal scream in anguish and pain; but it wasn't entirely with sound. It made him sick to his stomach, as if the sound had shaken his core. How close was it? Where was it?
"A filter...or possibly a strong presence may interfere." She mused to herself, oblivious to what he heard and felt.
"Hey! Shinigami!"
"Hmm?"
"Didn't you hear that scream just now?! What was that?!"
"Scream? What are you-" In the next instant, she could hear it, her eyes wide with shock and horror. She turned to the door in disbelief. "What?" Worry glazed over her eyes as she tried to comprehend what happened.
'How could I have missed it?' she questioned. 'It is like through a filter, but what is this feeling?' She glanced at the red-head on the floor, who looked as concerned as she was. 'More over, how could he hear it before I could?' Her questions halted when another, different scream came; this one was far more personal.
"Yuzu! That was Yuzu!" His terrified scream reverberated in the room as the Shinigami ran for the door. When she opened it, Karin collapsed through the doorway, and the smell of blood permeated from the hallway. The weight of the air hung on the Shinigami, and with grim certainty, she grimaced.
'This is the Reiatsu of a Hollow. How could I not sense it before?!'
"...Gur...en..." Karin breathed, and tried to crawl toward him. Wherever she touched, blood smeared the ground. "You're...safe. Good...before it...gets here...run! Please...get away...from...here..." She struggled to speak; her words were broken between gasps for air and the pain that crossed her face.
"Karin!" He tried to move, but his body was weighed to the floor by the force of the spell. Yet...the only thing, the only thought that mattered, was but to get off the ground.
"Dad...went down...we could barely...see it...it attacked us...please...Guren...save yourself...save...save..." Her head dropped with a thud, and her body went limp.
"KARIN!" The Shinigami knelt beside her, and checked her vitals, with one hand pressed gently against the young one's cheek.
"She is alive, just unconscious. Soul is intact. This blood though...it isn't her's." Another weight of pressure seemed to drop onto her shoulders, and she turned to Guren...the source of the disturbance. On solid ground, on his feet, flakes of energy in twists of gold hummed around him, and his face was ravaged by some indescribable pain. Determination was written clearly across his face; it was seething in anger and endurance. It was unlike anything she had ever see before. "Stop! You cannot break the spell on your own! A human's soul would be ripped apart!" With the last word from her lips, it no longer mattered. A roar of defiance echoed from the lungs of anguish. She could clearly see him tear apart fabrics of her spell, and his gold energy broke through the cool blue sheen of hers, before it ended with a sharp snap. His arms were free, scattered specs of energy floating in the air, and he bolted through the house. "Wait!" Her words fell on deaf ears, before she ran after him.
'How?!' She mused, frantic in her thoughts as she followed. 'This should be impossible! How could a human dissolve a Kido spell?!'
Guren landed on the first floor, and could barely believe his eyes. The dinning room was trashed; debris everywhere, and he could see his dad lying on the floor. His back was soaked in blood, and Guren felt the color drain from his face. A giant hole in the wall revealed a black silhouette, a giant figure, and in its hand was Yuzu...screaming. The blood in his veins became as cold as ice.
"YUZU!" He grabbed a nearby baseball bat, and sprinted forward. He didn't care for the fear in his body. He didn't care if he was about to run straight toward a thing he didn't understand. He would beat it into submission until every bone in his body was broken. Unfortunately, his determination didn't have the power needed behind it. With a quick swing, the bat shattered into pieces when he hit its head. The head...was not like any head he had ever seen. It was a white mask of bone, and resembled a fish. It's eyes appeared...well...hollow, with such a mindlessness no one could begin to describe. A creature, no, a predator of instinct; and Guren walked straight into the lion's den. He barely rolled out of the way when its arm shot out, and nearly took him out with it.
'So...this is a Hollow...I can see why.' On his knee from the roll, he could see a bit more of the figure before him. Tall, clearing a pole light in height, but humanoid in shape, if only in general body structure. Fins on its back, and black scales in intermittent intervals throughout its body. Large hands, and a large mouth, there was a hole of considerable size in the center of its chest. It went straight through to the other side. In its right hand was Yuzu, who groaned in pain, but much alive. 'Yuzu...' How was he going to get around this one?
"I found...him."
'What?! It talks?!' Shinigami...Hollows...and they can all talk. One seemed normal and the other was a monster, one who was about to attack him again. It raised its right arm, the one with Yuzu, and swung it toward him before he could blink. In the same instant, the Shinigami leapt through the air, and sliced its forearm wide open. Blood spayed into the air as it roared in pain, and dropped Yuzu on reflex. Guren was able to spring forward in time to catch her.
"Yuzu, are you alright?! Speak to me. Yuzu!" His frantic words did not stir her, but while her eyes were closed, her breathing was steady. 'She's alive.' He breathed a sign of relief as he laid her on the ground. Movement ahead caught his eye, and the Shinigami stood between him, and the Hollow.
"Don't lose focus! Your family's souls are fine!"
"But that means..."
"Yes, your father is still alive." A weight seemed to lift off his shoulders. In all of the chaos, he had not checked on his dad. The Hollow howled toward the sky, and its voice still shook him to his core. Would it attack again? As if in answer, it stepped backwards, and disappeared through a distortion in the air, as if the wind wrapped around and enveloped it from sight.
"Is it gone?"
"For now. I would get inside before it comes back. It's not done yet."
"What do you mean 'not done'? What the hell is it after?!"
"You." With her katana kept forward as a precautionary measure, she turned her head to peer behind her with a sober demeanor. "Hollows go after individuals with high amounts of Reiryoku."
"Spiritual...power?"
"Yes."
"Then why did they attack my family?!"
"Because they could smell you on them." To Guren, the world spun on its end, and he didn't know when it would stop. Was it all his fault? Was his family attacked...because of him? "I've never seen a human who could break Kido, and if I had to guess, you're the reason I couldn't sense the Hollow in the first place. You can see Shinigami and Hollows as clear as day. There is not other possibility."
"So...I caused this...I almost...got my family killed..." The sorrow in his voice caused the Shinigami to waver, and a look of remorse crossed her face.
"That's not what I-" In her moment of weakness, an explosion of movement fell upon them. A limb slammed into the Shinigami, and sent her flying to crash through a nearby building. The Hollow had appeared through another distortion, and towered above Guren.
'Damn it! If I'm the target, then-' He bolted from his spot and into the street, hoping the movement would attract the Hollow's attention, and away from Yuzu. 'Try to catch me, you piece of-' He skidded to a stop when he realized what blocked his path. From out of the air, another distortion occurred, and a Hollow seeped out from the warps in space. Reminiscent of a lizard, it hissed and growled with such hunger, it made him shiver. 'There's...two of them?'
"Run all you like...we will find you." The Hollow mocked him as it slowly inching forward, and Guren stepped backwards on reflex.
"You are...surrounded." Guren spun around and was face to face with the giant fish Hollow, its breath mist in the air, and it stared at him with hunger in its eyes. It was as if it was already gnawing on his flesh, and all that was left was the ghost of who he was.
Where does one end their life story? Not being eaten, he had hoped.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!" A voice echoed on the wind, as a gust picked up, and he could feel his hair stand on end. Something in the pit of his stomach told him he better move, and quickly. The Hollows seemed confused, and tried to scan the area around them. "Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"
'Now!' He dived to the side, and in the nick of time.
"Hado #31: Shakkaho!" Columns of red flame erupted from the sky, engulfing the two Hollows in flame, and lit the night. They screamed with rage, but retreated quickly, disappearing back into the void from whence they came. The Shinigami flew through the air and landed nearby with a gaze toward the street. "Boy! Where are you?!" She bellowed, the embers in the air blocking her vision.
"I'm not a boy!" Guren shouted. Oh, he was pissed. Having stood and stomped toward the woman, he was two seconds away from driving his fist into her skull. He got his family hurt. He was almost eaten by two Hollows, and he still didn't have any clue what exactly they were. And he was almost blown up, even if it had saved his life. So if there was one thing he wasn't going to stand for, it was a bruised pride.
"You're an idiot then for running! You can't harm them!" Something about her voice spurred his senses back into focus, and he blinked. He wasn't sure how to respond. Shame was the closet emotion for what he felt at that moment, and he looked away out of embarrassment.
"Sorry..." he apologized. Maybe he was being over dramatic. He needed to rein in his emotions. With a sigh, he continued. "So what do we do now?" It was her turn to look uncertain, and she skimmed the surrounding area, as she tried to figure out a way out of this mess.
"They aren't relenting. I thought it was just the one, but if another showed up...this isn't some mindless hunt." Her gaze shifted back to Guren. Violet eyes observed him intently, stressed, worried, and he wondered what gears were turning behind those eyes. The flames of her spell had receded, but the glow of embers gave him enough light to notice: there was blood on the side of her head.
"You're hurt..."
"Ah." Her hand touched the side, and drips of blood slid through her fingers. "I'm-I'm fine."
"No, no you're not." The disregard for her condition spurred an emotion inside, but he wasn't sure what. Anger? It was a close second on any description. "If there are more coming, you need all the help you can get. So what can I do? No, what do I do?" The burst and display of confidence from Guren pulled the Shinigami out of whatever corner she was sunk in, and got the wheels turning once more.
"There...might be a way." A roar echoed from the distance, and both turned toward it. The tension slowly creep back into their bones, and he wondered how many more there were out there. "If they bring more, I won't be able to stop them all...before you get hurt. This won't be ideal...but it's our only option." With a swift flourish, she raised her blade and pointed it toward his chest. "You must become a Shinigami."
"What?" This wasn't what he expected when it came to options, especially with a sword pointed at him. A drop of sweat slide down the side of his face as he gulped from nervousness. "I'm human. How do I become a Shinigami?"
"If I pierce your chest, I will transfer half of my power. It will be temporary, but..." She gave a shy smile at the implication of what she stated. "...it will hurt."
"I kinda figured that," he laughed nervously, and glanced at the blade. He could hear more roars, but it came from multiple directions. From all around, distortions in the air appeared, one by one, until more than a handful were on the street, and on the roof tops above. Yet, he wasn't afraid; he was apprehensive. He didn't know where the future lay, but the only thing on his mind was how to protect the ones he loved: his family. "If this is going to work, better do this fast, Shinigami." With steady hands, he gripped the blade delicately, and glared at it with a grim expression.
"It's not Shinigami." The correction seemed nervous as he looked at her, and saw her face. She was worried...but for whom? Guren cracked a smile, and nodded. There was no worry in his eyes, no sorrow, no fear; an assurance she couldn't explain. Her own fear melted away in an instant. "My name...is Kuchiki Rukia."
"I see." The roars became louder, and movement stirred in the background. They weren't sure what was about to happen, but they didn't like it, and reacted accordingly. "I..." More than a dozen bolted, and some flew from the rooftops. "...am..." Their movements were swift, and they closed in for the feast.
"Kurosaki Guren."
The blade pierced his flesh, and a golden light became a hurricane, surged like the ocean, and tore apart all in its way. It became a sphere of gold as Rukia was thrown into a building and slumped to the ground. Dizzy and nauseated, she slowly came to from her daze, and steadied herself against the wall. Something wasn't right. She glanced down, and realized a startling dilemma. Her black garments became white and her katana had vanished from sight.
"This is impossible..." she swallowed her words in disbelief, and glanced toward the giant ball of gold light in front of her. It swirled with such voracity, it threw the other Hollows back into the surrounding buildings they touched it. Frustrated, they were perplexed by the change. "How could this-" She gasped in shock when the sphere of energy started to split apart, tearing at the seams, and unfolded to reveal the contents within.
Inside wasn't just a student. Inside wasn't just a brother of two sisters. Inside wasn't just a man who could see the afterlife.
Inside were seven figures...all in the same black garments she wore...and all wielding blades in their hands.
This is how one starts their story.
Guren raised his head and scanned the surroundings, taking note of each Hollow around them. His violet eyes pierced the darkness as the gold energy dissipated, and he chuckled out of amusement.
"If this is all you've got, we won't even break a sweat."
'What?' Such certainty flowed through their bodies, their movements...their...wait, there were seven of them? This revelation seeped into Rukia's mind as she watched. 'Wait...this whole time...back at their home...' The flashbacks came back to her as clear as day.
'How could he hear it before I could?'
"It's like I'm trying to find something through a fog."
'This should be impossible! How could a human dissolve a Kido spell?!'
Then it clicked.
"Hollows go after individuals with high amounts of Reiryoku."
'He's the reason. Never have I seen a human who could see Shinigami. Never have I seen a human break a Kido spell. And certainly, never have I seen a human...become seven Shinigami!'
The tension in the air could be cut with a knife as the Hollows stood their ground, their new enemies before them. Yet their enemies weren't concerned in the least. The Hollows didn't dare move yet.
"Oh come on! At least do something!" cried out one of the seven as she stepped forward. It was a red head, much like Guren, but taller, and wearing a high ponytail for hair reaching to her waist. And with a bust that...minded Rukia of a certain somebody. Over her shoulder, she wielded a nodachi with no handle guard, and the red hilt looked like one from a shikomizue, or sword cane. The sheath was held loosely by her left hand. Her brown eyes swept across her field of vision, but they dared not move. One foolishly did, with a roar of anger, and charged at her. The Hollow stopped dead as her blade pierced the center of its mask, and shattered it; it's body soon vanished in a whiff of smoke. "Now that's more like it!" So the frenzy begins.
"Must they be so willing to die?" Two Hollows were split into halves when they leaped toward the second individual. They didn't make it a yard toward him. Of a height even taller than the red head woman, his spiked, blonde hair stood up toward the sky, and was as bright as his cyan eyes. He twirled his kodachi between his fingers, thoroughly bored, but made minimal movement to dispatch any whom approached him.
"Death is unavoidable, but let's make sure it's not us." A woman landed beside the blonde, and sheathed her wakizashi behind her with a snap, horizontal to her waist. Three Hollows seemed to die almost immediately afterward without so much as a whimper of pain. It was likely they never felt it at all. At the same height as the red-head woman, her lime colored hair fell freely across her shoulders and back as it cascaded to her waist. Her gold eyes did not betray the seriousness of her tone as she glanced to her fellow Shinigami. "Try not to die now, if you would please."
"Speak for yourself!" This voice echoed from a shorter man than Guren, but he struck Hollows down as swiftly as the rest. With long brown hair braided into a single strand to his waist, his cobalt blue eyes reflected the shine off his katana as he spun it in one hand, causing his bangs to whirl in the wind. "Some people are working here!" With one side step, he dodged a tail attack from a Hollow, only to slice the tail, and the Hollow's head, in two. "But we all like to have a little fun, don't we?"
"Some more than must." A giant Hollow fell forward, and a woman with short, pale blue hair rode the back of its head to the ground, with her katana embedded in its skull. With a jerk, she withdrew her blade, and stepped off the corpse as it withered into the night. A white silk scarf covered her lower face, but it did not take away from the sharpness of her indigo eyes. "He hasn't stopped beating them into submission...yet." She remarked, and jabbed her thumb in the direction behind her.
"They're little tough fuckers!" The pounding of fist against bone could be heard repeatedly in the air as a tall man with spiked, brown hair beat the head of a Hollow. Forceful enough to crack the ground, it tried to move, but was driven deeper into the ground, cracking the mask further, and further. Several Hollows around him lay still, with their masks broken in, but not destroyed. One could hear their groans, as if a chorus of animals mourned their state. The predators had become the prey. Satisfied with his exertion, he straightened and briskly walked over to the scarf woman, with a wide smile on his face, and brown eyes bright. "I had plenty of fun," he uttered in amusement. If he had broken a sweat, it wasn't apparent with the red headband on his head. "Too bad they didn't last longer. It was over just like that." With a simple snap of his finger, the masks of the Hollows shattered to pieces, and their roars would continue no more. A look of recognition crossed the man's face, as he looked around briefly. "Speaking of fun, where's boss man?" Scarf woman, without turning, pointed toward the distance.
Among the fading Hollows who littered the ground, Guren strode calmly over limbs and bones, and with eyes firmly on one Hollow, not twenty feet away. The fish-bone Hollow took one step back, as if ready to bolt.
"No. There is no escape for you today." Its left arm was severed at the shoulder, and it cried in pain. With one hand over the wound, it noticed Guren behind him, and his katana dripped in blood. "First is for my sisters!" The deafening screech ripped the air as its other arm was torn from its body. It could not move, could not fight; could only watch as Guren took limbs, piece by piece. "Second is for my father!" One leg flew in the air as it was ripped apart from its body. The Hollow could only watch in horror as it fell forward, unable to support its own weight anymore. "And this...is for my pride!" Guren flourished his blade and gripped it with both hands, raised above his head.
"Die."
{As an AU, everyone can expect some changes from the main universe. For example, the main character is a man named Guren (sorry, Ichigo won't be in this one). With that being said, there are story elements to Bleach that are worth keeping. Others, I'm throwing to the way-side, and doing something different. In the spirit of this universe, I'll be following along the general Bleach storyline, but as everything unfolds, most plot lines will either be altered, or be radically different. Think of it as a "re-imagining" if you will. At the moment, I'm not sure how often I will be posting a chapter. I'm still writing the second, so it will probably come up once I finish. After a few chapters, I'll be able to give you a better idea of how often I'll post a new one.
At the end of every chapter, I will be answering any questions people pose to me. So I'll start with the most obvious I will be asked:
Q: Why was Ichigo replaced by Guren?
A: Besides creative control (I mean, who likes being told "Because I said so!"), I knew I wanted to create a fan fic around Guren; I just didn't know how to get him into the Bleach universe. I toyed around with the idea of Ichigo having a twin brother, but as I went down this line of thinking, I realized certain elements weren't going to mesh well with what I had in mind. If I wanted Guren to be the main focus of this AU, that meant Ichigo would have to be the second main character, and how does one do that with a character like him? So, I scrapped him, and had Guren be Isshin's son instead. Bit cold, I know, but I had to draw the line somewhere. I just hope everyone will grow to like Guren, and the others, just as much as I will!}