The foolishness of Her Highness is wiser than us.
The weakness of Her Majesty is stronger than us.
She is the reason for death.
The reason for our traumatic existence,
But still we bow in her honor.
Our benevolent…
Our cruel…
No, Our Human Goddess.
-Celestial Testament 1:2
The Human Goddess
Chapter one-Freedom
"Dammit!" Ichigo swore as he sucked lightly on his pinkie. Yet again he cut himself while turning the large steel lever.
"Ichigo?!" Rukia sighed, exasperated, "Not again…" She took a quick look around. Then she stopped turning her lever and ran over to him.
"Do you need a band-aid?"
"I'm fine."
"You should maybe at least put alcohol on it…"
"I'm fine."
"You don't want it to get infecte-!"
"I said I'M FINE!"
Ichigo angrily turned away from her and began continuing his work. Rukia stood behind him quietly.
"Get to work!" Ichigo demanded, "If a Joushi sees you, you're in trouble." Rukia nodded slowly and went back to her lever.
"Dammit!" Not even two seconds later, Ichigo cut his other finger. "That's IT! I won't do this anymore!" His co-workers looked at him with a bored expression. This wasn't the first time he refused to work.
"Am I the only one who thinks this is stupid?" He questioned. Ishida opened his mouth as though to say something, but then quickly closed it as a Joushi began to near them.
"Is there something wrong, 1436?" The Joushi's voice was emotionless as he called Ichigo by his number. His dark armored suit moved as softly as a feather for it made no sound as he neared the orange-haired nuisance.
"Yes, there is." Ichigo said, "There's something wrong with this whole situation!"
The Joushi didn't change his stone-like expression, "This is what the goddess wants."
"Screw the Goddess!"
A long silence overcame the factory. In each chamber levers came to a halt.
"Those who curse the name of Celeste are put to instant death. May hell have mercy on your soul! " The Joushi was angry now, his eyes flaring inside his pale sockets.
Ichigo made no signs of fear, "I'd rather go to hell than to our 'benevolent' goddess. She's the reason for these six years of suffering! Since when did life amount to the turing of a lever?!" The Joushi began to open his mouth, but Ichigo was on a roll, "Am I the only one who remembers when the sun used to signal day? Not like the artificial light that comes on in our cells! That's right, cells!" He looked directly at the Joushi as he said this, "Those places we live in now are hardly worth being called a home." Ichigo turned away and lightly touched the lever, "I can remember…I can remember my Zanpakutou. I can remember how many lives I saved and how many I had to take…" Everyone watched him stare at the lever. They knew he wasn't really seeing it, but beyond it. Beyond into the world he left behind The one the Goddess destroyed.
Suddenly, the Joushi grabbed Ichigo by his collar and had him bend over in front of the lever. With his foot on Ichigo's back, the Joushi lifted the orange hair so Ichigo looked directly at the lever.
"Do you see that?" The Joushi asked. Without waiting for a response, he continued, "That is your life now. That is all your worth. You are a Shuujin. A prisoner. To the goddess, you are nothing. Absolutely nothing." With that said, the Joushi took out his thorn-ridden whip and lashed at Ichigo. Even as the steel made contact with his flesh, Ichigo didn't wince once.
"Today, you're lucky." The Joushi put his whip away, "But go against the word of Her Highness again and you will be killed."
As the Joushi walked down the chambers, the levers began whirring again. Once again, life was reduced to a simple turn.
"Ichigo," Ishida began disapprovingly, "This happens every time. Just forget it. There's nothing we can do now."
Ichigo looked up at him with wide eyes, "You can't really believe that, can you?" Ishida was silent. "Can you?!" This time, the question was directed to the entire chamber. Orihime ignored the question and continued to turn her lever.
"Stop that!" Ichigo commanded.
Orihime stopped…then started again, mechanically. She only knew how to turn...how to turn and breathe.
Ichigo sighed heavily, "If not today, tomorrow, I'm leaving. I can't stay here any longer."
Now Sado spoke up, "The last time you tried that, you were nearly killed by the Nazukego."
Ichigo rolled his eyes, "I'm always near death. I don't even care anymore! Life is the worse thing that's happening to me, and it's the only thing I got!" He spat on the ground to emphazize his point, "Besides, it was the Nazukego that put this stupid Goddess notion in everyone's head. If we didn't appease to him, this would have never happened!"
Once again, nobody spoke. Ichigo took this as betrayal, "Fine! You guys stay if you want, but I'm not going to stick around!"
"You don't mean that."
Ichigo turned to Rukia. She looked at him with hurt eyes.
"You don't mean that…" she repeated, "You know you wouldn't leave your friends in danger…you're not that kind of person…"
Ichigo became angry. She was right. She was always right.
"Different situations call for different personalities." He responded seethingly, "I'm going, and that's final."
Knowing how stubborn he could be, everyone turned back to their levers and began turning. Everyone except Ichigo and Rukia. Ichigo turned away from Rukia and stared deeply into space. Rukia looked at the welts on his back. They criss-crossed each other in numerous patterns. It was hard to tell when one started and one ended. The fresh, red ones did not make it any easier.
"Ichigo." She asked quietly.
"What?"
"Where would you go…if you leave?"
Silence. Besides the whirring of machines, between the two was utter silence.
Finally Ichigo spoke, "I don't know."
………………………………………………………………….
Click.
The light turned on over Ishida's bed. Morning time.
He sat up and looked across the small room. The bed on the other side was empty. His roommate was gone.
"Ichigo…" he said with urgency in his voice, "You didn't…"
He got up and walked to the other bed. He lifted the sheets, overturned the pillow, he even bent over and looked underneath the mattress, but Ichigo was nowhere to be seen.
"Dammit, Ichigo!" Ishida swore. He ran his hand through his hair nervously. If a Joushi sees that he's missing, Ishida will be the one punished. Then Ichigo will be tracked and killed on site.
"1435!"
Ishida froze as a Joushi called his number.
"1435, where is your roommate?" Ishida could feel the Joushi standing in the doorway.
Ishida shrugged, his back turned to the Joushi.
"Really?" The Joushi said this with sarcasm, "Then can you tell me why his bed is empty? He surely is not in the mess hall."
Ishida felt his body begin to slightly shake. After swallowing the lump in his throat, he finally said, "He went to the bathroom."
The Joshi smirked, "Really? I'll go check. If I find out your lying, you will be meeting the Goddess soon...that is, if you've been good."
Ishida's heart thumped in rhythm with the Joushi's footsteps. This one was not as silent as the one from yesterday.
As soon as the door closed, Ishida quickly ran to the wall near his bed. "Knock once, pause, twice, pause, once." He whispered quickly as he knocked on the thin wall. This was the secret knock between Inoue and Rukia's room and theirs. Ishida's fears grew as the knock wasn't returned.
"Rukia?!" He said frantically. He walked to his door and opened it. He stuck his head out slowly and looked to make sure no Joushi's were around. Then he walked to the door next to him and knocked. Orihime opened the door. She looked scared.
"Inoue!" Ishida said happily, "Where's Rukia?"
Orihime shrugged, "I don't know. But the Joushi will be back soon. If he finds out I was lying…he'll…he'll…" Tears sprang in her eyes.
"We have to get out of here" Ishida knew there was no other way.
"Where will we go?"
"I don't know!" That was the last thing spoken as Ishida grabbed her arm. Then they opened the window and leaped out into the nearby forest, not even stopping to see if any Joushi's were present. Only fear was driving them now.
………………………………………………………………
"Ishida's room is quiet…" Sado spoke quietly to himself.
"What's that?" A man sat in the corner of the room. Despite the dress code, he wore a green and white striped hat over his blonde hair.
"Ishida and Ichigo's room is quiet." Sado repeated.
The man stretched. "That boy is hard-headed. I mean Ichigo, not Ishida. I didn't expect for Ishida to run."
Sado turned to the man, "What makes you think they left?"
"It's either that or their dead."
"Urahara!" Sado said incredulously, "That's not funny."
"It wasn't meant to be." Urahara stood up and yawned. "Ururu, are you up?"
A little girl with large bangs nodded. She sat in the opposite corner of the room on a sleeping bag. Due to Urahara's constant arguing, he was able to get Ururu to share a room with Sado and himself.
"We should go, too." Urahara concluded.
Sado sighed, "We have no idea where to go."
Urahara smiled, "Perfect."
Sado watched as he casually opened the door and strolled down the hallway, not even caring if a Joushi happened to walk by. Ururu stayed close behind him. She was practically attached. Sado, after battling with himself, finally followed after them.
………………………………………………….
Following the path of another is ordinary.
You are not above the rest, yet you do not sink underneath.
You are a head on the same level shoulder as everyone else.
You are everybody else.
To create one's own path, you are extraordinary.
You are above the rest, and you never succumb to limits.
One day someone will follow you, and another after that.
And a new breed of 'everybody' will begin.
-Kuroi Testament Chapter Unknown
"Ichigo!"
A voice carried along the winds followed Ichigo. He turned to see Rukia running behind him.
"Rukia?" Ichigo was stunned. He didn't think anyone would follow him.
"I guess…some people are subject to change…" Rukia was on her knees breathing heavily as she spoke. Ichigo bent over and reached into a satchel. He pulled out a bottle of water and gave it to Rukia. She drank it gratefully.
"Did Orihime come?" Ichigo looked behind her.
Rukia shook her head, "No….I see Ishida did not come…"
Rukia felt Ichigo tense up. His heartbeat quickened and his eyes watered.
As soon as he had tensed, he softened. Then he stood up. "Idiots! They should have followed."
Rukia could tell he didn't mean that , but she decided to keep it to herself. "What do you intend to do, now that you're free?" she asked, changing the subject.
Ichigo looked deeply into her eyes. Rukia began to blush as she became lost in his.
"I'm going to kill myself."
The blush quickly left Rukia's face as the realization of what he said sunk in.
"What?!" She stood up and slapped him hard across the face. "What the fuck do you mean, kill yourself?! You just left that hellhole and now you want to die?!" She tried not to cry as she yelled at him, but soon fugitive tears went down her cheek, "You're and idiot! A fucking idiot!"
Ichigo just stood there, lightly touching the red mark on his cheek. He waited for Rukia to calm down before he spoke, "I'm going to see the Goddess…and I'm going to make things right."
Rukia still didn't get it, " Do you really believe killing yourself will send you to the goddess, you aren't exactly a saint."
Ichigo shrugged, "Nazukego said the Goddess accepts anyone who repents. I've done that on several occasions."
"Yes, but only so you can mooch your way into heaven! Besides if you kill yourself, you're going to hell!"
"Why?"
Rukia stood straight up, the way she was taught to in the factory, "The Celestial Testaments 2:7, The one who takes his life is selfish. His greed is spread to others causing plight in our humble land. His ability to only think of himself and his needs is that of a great sin and he will be severely punished."
"We didn't even know this Goddess existed until six years ago?! Like hell I'm going to belie the Celestial testament bullshit! I'm going to heaven and fixing this!"
"Why don't you just consult the Nazukego?! He's the one running the show!" Rukia yelled.
"Then why is everything the way the 'goddess' wants it?"
"Because..." She took a long pause, "Because the Nazukego is her messenger..." She didn't truly believe that, but it was what they've been taught.
Ichigo sighed, "One of the main questions humans ask is how we got here, right?"
"Yes."
"Well, since the Nazukego is so sure and descriptive of his origin in heaven, i'm going to see for myself." "But Ichigo!" Rukia struggled to find a way to convince him otherwise, "If you kill yourself….then what about me?"
"You'll be free. The goddess will make everything as it once was."
"But….but Ichigo…" She didn't have many ideas. She looked up at the sky for some help.
"There's nothing up there to help you." Ichigo said angrily, "Just a ignorant goddess, if anything at all."
"If you're not even sure if the goddess is real, why do this?"
"Because….I don't have a purpose here anymore. This world is in shambles and I'm too scared to fix it. The only thing I can do is…go. Besides," He casts his eyes down, "Even if the goddess is real, I don't think she intended for this."
Rukia saw her chances of convincing him was slim. Never has Ichigo been this stubborn...or stupid. She was looking for something, ANYTHING, to make him change his mind. Her time was running out as she watched him pull out a dagger.
"Ichigo, don't you dare!!!" She lunged forward and tried to wrestle the knife from him. Ichigo tugged on the other side, accidentally ripping Rukia's shirt.
"Ah!" Rukia stopped holding the knife and covered herself. Ichigo took this as his chance.
"Ichigo!" Rukia threw away her modesty and went for the dagger again……..
…………………………………………………………………………….
A melody played on the wind this morning
The calm before the storm
For behind the shadows waits a nearby killer
Waiting to complete his purpose
After all, we're all just living to die.
To balance life one must experience death.
-Kuroi Testament Chapter Unknown.
Ishida bent over and touched the damp grass. Orihime stood close besides him, "What's wrong?"
Ishida rubbed the red substance between his fingers, "Blood."
Orihime shook as she saw the dotted trail of blood leading deeper into the forest.
"We should follow." Ishida suggested.
Gulping, Orihime agreed.
They trudged farther into the woods, paying close attention to the blood pattern. Suddenly, they heard faint breathing.
"Look!" Orihime parted the low trees so they could see a limp body laying on a stone. The light shone on it, making it almost seem to be among the living.
Ishida shuddered as he recognized the body, "Rukia."
Orihime almost cried out, when suddenly they saw a figure walk up to the body. His orange hair glinted in the sun as he wiped the remainder of his tears. Then he got on his knees and gazed over Rukia.
"This wasn't meant to happen…" He said softly.
Neither Ishida nor Orihime moved. The scene had them frozen.
"I bet the Goddess had this in mind…" He said, a little crazily. Then he calmed down "No…it was me…….I have to make this better…"
The bloody dagger became visible as he raised it into the light.
"This is the final time I ruin another life."
Nothing prepared them for what they saw next, as the floor became tinted with blood.
My first shot at a romance, dark story. I didn't want to leave off there, but still tell me what you think.