Nocturne of Shadows
Introduction:
Meaning of a Name
It's pouring rain.
It feels so cold.
Why do I feel so cold?
Her eyes, dazed and filled with confusion, stared up at as the sky plummeted bitter drops of rain that stung when they connected to her skin. The tips of her hair clung to her neck, a steady stream of water ran down her bare spine. Her small hands dug deeper into the floor, which had turned to mud from the relentless rain. The wind made her shiver, yet her mind did not register the torture her body was suffering.
Instead, she was feeling a different kind of torture.
Her neck ached, she had no idea how long she had been sitting there. For some reason, the dark sky with swirling mists of clouds fascinated her. Her hand, numb from the cold, rose up and attempted to touch the tempting colors above her.
A disappointed look appeared in her large, jewel-eyes while her hand returned to the lush earth beneath her. Her gaze did not flatter, her eyes remained open even as the rain grew impatient with her constant staring and began to warn her with even harsher rain fall. Her lips were slightly opened, confused and curious of the sky above her. When the ache in her neck finally became too much to ignore, she gave her neck satisfaction by dropping her head down.
The earth was the next victim of her relentless stare. It did not entertain her as much as the sky above her, not until something began to make its way out from the slushy ground beneath her.
Something pink appeared, a slimy looking thing she could not place a name upon. Any other being would be able to tell the thing was a worm and would disregarded its existence. Yet, her mind was a unique one. Her finger tips brushed against the rough and slimy bug before grabbed it in-between her chubby fingers. She brought it to her face, for some reason its weak and chaotic wiggling brought a smile to her face.
Her eyes darkened before she dug her blunt nails into the struggling thing.
The worm did not last long before it fell to the ground. Now severed. A bored expression returned to her face so she decided to look back up to the sky.
What am I?
She was both too young and naïve to know why the question was in her mind. Yet, it repeated itself in a way that it began to annoy her. Her eyes narrowed up to the brooding sky, her small fingers finding solace in squeezing the cold mud.
In the distance, she heard a voice. A tender one that could be barely be considered a whisper. She ignored it. The sky was far too interesting than the mere voice. The sounds of the floor being stepped upon was what made her turn. In the shadows, she saw something she did not know the name of.
Foolish people would call it a human.
Those suffering from its cruelties would call it a demon disguised in human skin.
From the shadow, she could make out a smile. One that, though was very interesting, was still no match for the crying sky. The glasses he wore showed her the reflection of another thing that was a bit similar to the man. Both had two legs, two arms, one main part, and a head.
Yet they were completely different. The one in the reflection looked small, a glimmer compared to the man. The hair on its head was long, the rain darkening it from the natural color it held. His eyes remained hidden, enabling her from comparing the large violet eyes to his.
It took her a moment to come to terms that the image of the smaller being was herself. She looked at her reflection, trying to convince herself that the weak looking being in the reflection was not her. She rose a hand, as if trying to reach out to the man, and huffed as the being in the reflection mimicked her actions. She brought her hand back to her body as if it had touched the surface of the sun and lowered her head.
"Did you hear me?"
The voice brought her gaze back to the man. He was smiling tenderly to her and she noticed that he grew closer to her. Unlike some, she did not flinch away when he kneeled down before her. She felt something drape over her small body, feeling something battling the bitter cold feeling she had grown accustom to. Though it did stop the numbness in her body from taking over, she felt a bit disconnected from the beauty of the harsh and cold sky above her.
"What is your name, poor child?"
Child? Is that what I am?
Her lips remained sealed, too preoccupied by the eyes that were finally revealed to her. She noticed how soft they seemed to be compared to the thick glasses hiding them from view. His face seemed so genuine, a weak and worried smile on the man's face. Her finger tips brushed against his cheeks, she found the skin beneath her fingers were soft and warm.
The man seemed unfazed by the sudden reaction. He only smiled as he brought his hand to the top of her head.
"My, what a poor child. You're shivering like a leaf. Tell me, do you know what your name is?"
His voice, deep yet soothing, echoed around them faintly. She blinked, unable to pull her hand away from the soft feeling of his skin. She could only shake her head.
"You're an orphan."
Orphan? If I am a child and a orphan… No, what am I? I can't be both, can I? I'm so confused… What am I?
"What am I?"
The voice that had made a sudden appearance shocked her. She looked around, searching for the source of the voice. It took a concerned look from the man to realize that the voice had come from her. Her fingers left his cheek and ventured to her lips, gently she whispered the question that had been in her mind.
"What am I?"
Her eyes seemed to have been staring at the man's chin, but in all honestly she was lost in her thoughts once again. The hand on her head touched her cheek and she was truly able to feel the warmth it was emitting. She rubbed her cheek into the welcoming hand, her hand brought the item of clothing closer to her body.
"You don't have a name, do you?"
What's a name?
She shook her head, yet only a bit so she would not lose the warmth the man was giving her. She saw his smile widen, somehow untouched by the rain.
"Do you know what a name is?"
Again, she shook her head no and nuzzled closer to the flesh.
"A name is what identifies us. Give us a deeper meaning in this life. Represents us. It is who we are, what we are, as a human."
A name is what we are? So once I have that, I'll know what I am? But… I don't think I have a name.
She felt his arms surround her body, enjoyed the warmth that seemed to have touched her bones. Yet, she raised her head to feel more of the coldness coming from the lovely rain. She missed the feeling it gave her, yet would not deny she also enjoyed the tender feeling she was receiving from the man that lifted her off the ground.
What a contradiction she was.
Her chin rested itself on her shoulder, her eyes dully looked at the woods just behind the man. She felt him move, she saw the indent that her body had formed into the soggy earth fill with water.
"How can such a small and sweet child be out here in this ruthless and heartless rain? You seemed to have brighten up the field being out there. Made the rain seem less vindictive. You were like a ray of light."
She barely paid attention as the man continued to speak. Her fingers played with the loose locks of hair that barely met his shoulder. His scent made her feel a strange hint of familiarity as it passed through her nose.
"I heard a Latin word not too long ago that meant 'light'.* Hmm, I can't quite remember its exact name, but it sounded like…"
She, for some reason, wanted the man to get to the point of his rambling. She found the way her spoke made her curiosity spike. Impatiently, she huffed and dug her chin deeper into his shoulder.
"Ah, I now know what it sounded like. I believe the name will fit you perfectly. From now on, will you allow me to call you by the name that I have chosen for you?"
His hand gently cradled her head and she closed her eyes as she pondered on the idea. The hand on her head stroked her gently and she found peace at the soothing touches. She could only nod once, closing her eyes as she allowed the man to continue.
"From this day on, your name will be-"
The rain poured harder, his voice barely heard under the harsh musical of the rain. Yet, she was able to hear the name and she opened her eyes, but only a bit, to stare at the rainfall.
Huh? So that's my name? That's what I am?
I am Rukia.
Hello readers! You're probably wondering why I am writing this when I have so many other things promised for you! Well, awhile ago I got a message from someone on this site that I believe to be a pretty good person to have as a friend. Her stories may be on the smutty side, but she is one of the few people bold enough to write out her things without a care of what people may think in hopes of bringing joy to people. Also, she and her sisters cheered me up when I got flamed.
Who is the person I am speaking about? She is Lemony from LemonyWickedAwesome.
She gave me the basic idea for this plot and asked if I could write this. So, as a way to return the favor, I am writing this and putting on hold some of my current works in-progress(I.E: Fics I have yet to publish). No need to worry, my current fics will still be updated. So, thank her for the plot idea. Again, I am just a bit of a messenger.
I hope LWA and everyone else enjoyed the beginning of this fic.
*"...I heard a Latin word not too long ago that meant 'light'..."- When the creator of Bleach(Tite Kubo) was plotting this, he basically heard a word that meant light in Latin and changed it into "Rukia". He sees her as Ichigo's ray of light and decided to give her that name. I'm just explaining this so no one gets confused by what I made Aizen say.