Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.
Note: With this story you need to have an open mind. It is definitely AU, will have OCs, character pairings, and most probably OOCness. Keep an open mind about things. You have been warned.
Time: Probably after the Arrancar?
Bleach
Meeting for the First Time
Chapter One
Nightmares
A young girl who looked to be fifteen in age tossed and turned in her bed, her exceedingly long, orange-blonde hair spilling over her shoulder. She did not live within the Squad 6 barracks like most of the others on their squad. She lived within a large compound, one of the four noble clans of the Seireitei. This particular compound, large with white walls and paper doors, belonged to none other than the Tsukino Clan, though she herself was not a member of the clan. Her name was Hisako Kurosawa. Tears streamed down her terror-paled cheeks as she tossed and turned, her usually excited and kind orange eyes were now clamped tightly shut in distress as her memories, now turned into nightmares, blurred together as one…
A dark haired man stood on his knees, defeated. Her five year old, orange-blonde haired twin sobbed as he pleaded for them to return her. The old, white bearded man showed no compassion as he said, "Every man who breaks the law must someday be punished…"
The doors of the Senkaimon open into the Soul Society, and she was escorted to the old man's office. He turned to the five year old girl once the doors were shut, "Give up." He said coldly, "Give up on ever seeing your family. You will never see them again. The only thing you can do is give in and accept your new life…"
"SEIKI!!" She screamed as the Hollow landed upon her classmates, crushing them beneath its feet with a laugh. Blood. Blood. Blood spilled from the bodies. The blood…Oh the blood! It was everywhere, spilling from the dead bodies of her classmates as they were devoured, their blood splattering on them…
The white masks closed in around her. Her body shook with fear, covered in the blood of her own classmates, their bodies littering the area. They pressed in all around, cold and merciless, hungry as they felt the energy inside of her and what remained of her classmates, laughing cruelly as their eyes gleamed, ready to swallow them…
"It's okay." The white haired boy spoke softly to the ten year old girl. She was swinging something in her hands, trying to fend off those awful masks. Her orange eyes connected with turquoise. The girl sobbed as the katana fell from her hands. She shook uncontrollably, screaming and sobbing louder, images of the monsters that devoured them all she could see, her eyes wide. He collected the tiny girl in his arms as she continued to scream, unable to shake the images, clutching her head as her mind began to break. "It's alright." He told the tiny girl, "You did beautifully, Hisako."
Her sobbing brother…the blood…Seiki…the Hollows…
Present day Hisako gasped as she abruptly sat up, her heart pounding in her chest. That dream…She had had that dream again. A hand went to her heart, clutching at it as tears fell from her eyes. She quaked in her bed, peering through the darkness of her room as if she expected a Hollow to come forth and attack her. Tears fell from her eyes as she attempted to force the memories away, but the images only continued to bombard her. "Go away…" She whispered, closing her eyes tightly, "Just go away…please…Just go away…"
"Hisako, are you done yet?" A girl who looked around eighteen shouted through the paper door the bath. Her silky black hair, though it was already short, was pulled out of her face by two red ribbons. She wore the uniform of a Shinigami, her katana strapped about her waist like most everyone else.
"Y-Yes, Manami." Hisako shouted back through the paper doors, attempting to hide the quivering that was still in her voice. The Tsukino clan home was out of white stones and polished wood. The bathroom, like everything else, was large and elegant. The bathtub was like a hot tub, set into the floor with nozzles for the water as well as several different bubble baths.
"Honestly, I don't know why you're taking a shower now." Manami said back through the doors, leaning against the wall, "You took one last night, didn't you?"
Hisako didn't answer, diving her head under the warm waters to rid herself of her tears. She remained underwater for as long as she could, relaxing into the lavender that she had added to the bath. When she resurfaced, the tremors that had racked her body the previous night had disappeared, and her large orange eyes had returned to their usual kind and gentle stare, curiosity glinting in them. As she stood from the water she pulled the plug at the bottom to drain the bath, walking over to the glass shower to rinse the soap and bubbles from her body and hair.
Hisako Kurosawa was a fifteen year old girl, and unlike the others who lived in this house, was a girl who was born in the Material World. Her orange-blonde hair was long, reaching to the small of her back. She was slim, and her skin was naturally ever so slightly tanned. She went to the towel rack and quickly dried herself with a white towel. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail, though her thick, silky hair still spilled across her back. She placed a hair ornament into the right side of her hair, a large pink lily with a red string. Instead of dressing in the usual Shinigami uniform, instead she dressed in a vibrant, floral yellow-orange kimono decorated with bright yellow and red flowers of various shades. The under layer was a reddish-orange, while even the obi was brightly decorated with flowers and was tied back into a large, butterfly bow.
"Hisa, what are you wearing?!" Manami demanded as the younger girl stepped out of the bathroom.
Hisako gave her a puzzled expression, "But I always wear this on my off day."
Manami sighed, "But we're going to go see Byakuya now. You can't wear that when you're going to go see a captain in his office!"
Hisako pouted, "Then maybe you should've set the meeting up for when I'm actually on duty, Third Seat Manami Tsukino of the 6th Division!"
Manami sighed exasperatedly, "Alright, fine. Can we just go now?"
Hisako nodded, giggling as Manami started towards the front door of the house. They quickly left the large compound and headed towards the Sixth Division's barracks, making their way upstairs until they found the door leading into the Captain and Lieutenant office. Manami quickly knocked on the large door, waiting for someone to say something from inside.
"Come in." Byakuya's solemn voice came to them.
Manami walked inside, Hisako trailing behind her. Her orange eyes briefly glanced towards Renji's desk, but was disappointed to find that her Lieutenant was not there. Hisako bowed to the man seated at his desk, "Good morning, Captain Kuchiki."
Byakuya nodded at the girl to show that he had acknowledged her presence. Manami walked over to the front of his desk and said, "Shouldn't we be departing now?"
"Mm. I'm almost finished." Was the reply.
"Departing?" Hisako wondered, "May I inquire as to where you are going, Captain?"
"We," Manami gestured in a way that encircled all three of them, "Are going to the Material World to assist Lieutenant Abarai. Right, Byakuya?"
When her captain nodded at her caretaker's words, Hisako felt a combination of emotions. Her heart jumped at the mention of her Lieutenant, but at the same time she felt nervousness overtake her. Why was she going to the Material World with them? Why did Renji need help? What were they doing? How long did they have to do it? Was this an official assignment? And most importantly, why was she going to the Material World?!
"Come," Byakuya said softly to the young girl as he stood from his desk. He beckoned for her to follow him and Manami as they departed from his office. Quietly, Hisako followed, her questions still zooming around in her air, but neither of the two that walked in front of her gave any explanation at all. The departed to world of the living through the usual method, the Senkaimon, though the memory of her first time through one still gave her shivers.
Hisako soon found herself, as well as her captain and caretaker, on a quiet neighborhood street. The oddly peaceful setting only served to cause more confusion. The older shinigami, however, made no conscious effort to explain anything, only continued on down the street. Hisako wanted to ask all of her questions, but was silenced by her own shyness. She felt as if it weren't her place to ask such questions. She should be honored, after all, to be given a mission such as this. She should be honored that they thought her strong enough to assist Renji as backup. Hisako felt herself pause, the very thought of her lieutenant needing backup scaring her.
She suddenly ran forward, seizing the back of Byakuya's sleeve in a fashion she had done since she was young, though it surprised the two nonetheless, "Lieutenant Abarai!" She cried, "What happened to Lieutenant Abarai?"
To Be Continued…
Okay so yeah, that was chapter one. I know it's pretty short. I hope you like it! Please review, and I hope I'll get the second chapter up soon!!!
