Author's note: Thanks for reading! This is my first time writing a fanfic, so it might be kind of bad for a while, so please leave reviews and help me out. Thanks again! :)
Update as of 4/6/11: I have edited this chapter and it really makes me laugh, how I used to write.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor its characters; they are the property of the creator, Tite Kubo, and the respective agencies/companies involved in producing the movies/anime/manga/etc. This fanfiction is mine, however, and so are the OC's I incorporate in them.
Chapter 1
I've always been a loner. Even in my high school, I've never had anyone talk to me from themselves unless they had to. The only thing I've got over them is that I'm in senior high instead of junior high, where people my age normally are. I don't even have any distinguishing features: I'm only 5'1 tall and weigh about 90 pounds. Plain dark brown hair, glasses, typical geeky girl. Having a difficult-to remember-and-spell first name doesn't help either: Sayuri. I've never even been considered worth bullying. People pass by me as if I do not exist.
So I was pretty surprised when a girl sat in the permanently empty seat next to me and introduced herself on the first day of my second term in high school. Her name was Alexandra, Alex for short, and she was 16 years old. I envied her; with braided russet hair and freckles on her tall nose, she was beautiful. Even with our differences, we instantly became good friends and exchanged contact information. We decided to make Friday our official day to hang out. Of course, my parents were happy to hear that I had finally made a friend.
I eagerly awaited Friday and when it came, I zoomed through my homework and assignments, aced an English quiz everyone had been dreading (earning a "good job!" sticker from our teacher, who treated everyone like elementary kids) and ran out the door as soon as the bell rang. Alex and I met outside the school doors and we began making plans.
"Hey Sayuri! Where do you want to go?"
"There's that little cafe that just opened two blocks away. It's got bubble tea and frozen yogurt."
"Hey, I love bubble tea. Let's go!"
At the said cafe, we sat down and ordered one plain frozen yogurt for me and a blueberry bubble tea for Alex. Naturally, the subject of hobbies came up.
"So, do you watch TV?"
"Um, sort of. I accidentally started watching this anime on my computer that's called Bleach though, and I'm kind of hooked. I didn't tell my parents since they don't approve of anything with even a little bit of blood. My older brother would probably freak if he saw it too."
"Bleach? I always watch that! Don't you just love when..."
And Bleach quickly became the main subject of our discussions. We had sleepovers, hung out, and chatted all the time whenever we could.
Then one day, we were heading towards my house on a Thursday to work on a joint project for biology class. Just as we were on the sidewalk next to my house, we both suddenly
heard a huge yet familiar ROAR.
We both stopped and looked up in shock to see a giant, dark green muscular creature with a white mask resembling the skull of an ox. It was huge and incredibly ugly. Alex screamed as I bit my lip and we both froze. Of course we knew what it was: a Hollow. We'd always imagined how we would bravely and easily defeat Hollows if the Bleach world were real, but this was crazy and we weren't Shinigami anyway!
"Are we hallucinating?"
"I don't think so, because people don't hallucinate at the same time!"
"Right, but then what's happening?" We stared in bewilderment at each other, and I attempted to shake off the cold fear immobilizing my body.
The Hollow roared—or screamed, I don't know what to call it—and I suddenly realized where it was heading. My house!
"My family! What if they can't see the Hollow?"
We looked at each other and ran towards the huge creature that was slowly and ponderously crushing the pavement with each mighty step.
"How can other people not notice all this happening? And if Hollows exist, then aren't Shinigami supposed to be defeating this creature?" I panted out.
"Yeah, but I don't see any here. Darn! What do we do?"
Quickly, I ran into my house, unlocking the bolt in a hurry. My parents, who were both on the couch watching TV, saw my face and anxiously asked what happened.
"No time to explain! Just come outside! You have to all run!"
"Run from what? Calm down and explain!"
Panic-stricken, Alex said, "There's a Hollow outside and it's coming this way! It can kill us!"
"A what? Are you two girls crazy?"
My brother, Kamenosuke, ran down the staircase and quizzically asked, "I heard a strange noise outside. Is that what you're calling a Hollow?"
"If you can hear it, maybe you can see it," I proceeded to drag him out by the sleeve and pointed.
"There!" His jaw dropped. "What the hell is that thing?"
The Hollow was very near, almost at the black steel fence around the front yard, and it took another step that crushed the fence. All in a sudden, I found myself facing it only a few feet away. Kamenosuke picked up a flower pot and threw it. The flowerpot bounced off the Hollow's chest and my parents, who'd thought we had all gone crazy, were shocked to see the pot shatter against something
invisible. Alex and I backed up and everyone pressed against each other. I continued staring at the Hollow in a kind of fascination. I wasn't really scared of it any more, but the knowledge that I was so helpless and that we would have to die from this stupid monster made me both furious and terrified.
I closed my eyes to prevent shards from getting in my eyes as glass shattered and bricks crumbled over us. I could feel it getting closer...it was toying with us, enjoying its control. The Hollow spoke in what could be considered a female voice.
"Humans! I shall feast well. You three have particularly interesting spiritual pressure. And very tasty! I shall enjoy devouring your souls! The other two are small fry. I shall eat them first, and save you three as the main course!"
As I listened to that mocking voice, I felt something rising in my chest, as always whenever I got seriously mad. My fists clenched when the Hollow mentioned my parents and I was unable to continue controlling my anger. But instead of yelling and throwing things, which I usually did, I suddenly felt a new sensation. My anger felt like it was pouring out of me in an endless stream, and there was no bottom to the reservoir of energy I felt. I opened my eyes and they instantly widened. There was pitch black-I don't know what to call it-pure ENERGY of some kind swirling around me, tearing up the pavement around me in a kind of windstorm.
Shocked, I moved away so no one would get caught in the storm, and tried to figure out what was going on. I'd seen it happen in Bleach, of course, but I wasn't even in soul form, and I most definitely was not a Shinigami. What was going on? And if this was my reiatsu, why was it pitch black? Though I was getting even more frightened, I firmly told myself I didn't have time to get scared.
The Hollow, seemingly surprised, took a step back, and I tried to channel the energy flowing from me into my hand. I focused as hard as I could and was rewarded by a black swirling ball in the palm of my hand. Taking a deep breath, I ran to the Hollow and smashed my palm as hard as I could into its leg or whatever it was. Though the ball splintered into shards upon contact, it prevented my skin from being harmed and the Hollow screamed in agony. I stared as blood started flowing from the gash in its leg.
"Little girl, I will kill you first!"
Suddenly it opened its mouth wide from under the mask and white gas of some sort began flowing out. Thinking it was poisonous, I pushed everyone out of the way using the added weight of my reiatsu, which was still surrounding me. The gas didn't vaporize into the air like I thought it would, though, and we were all surrounded by an impenetrable mist. Upon contact with the mist, my reiatsu vanished, but that wasn't important at the moment. I groped about blindly and found a hand I identified as Alex's, due to the braided bracelet she wore on her wrist, and held it tightly. To make it worse, an incredibly high-pitched noise began emitting from the mist.
Crap! What is this sound? And what is this mist?
Losing my balance, I staggered back, bumping into someone I supposed was my brother, and suddenly heard a scream over the noise.
"Mom! Dad!"
I heard another yell, and something knocked me hard directly in the back of my head. Wincing in pain, I knew I was falling unconscious as black swirled and surrounded my already blurry vision, and I struggled to stay awake as someone in a black robe with a red-no, shiny dark crimson-sheath in it appeared. The person jumped impossibly high into the air and sliced the Hollow into two with one slash, and the monster crumbled away into the air and the mist disappeared completely. The person was walking toward us-no, stay away, get away from my family!-and I fell unconscious, unable to hold out any longer.