Authors note) Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo (damned failed time machine)
The first chapter of a new bleach story, my first fan fic. Hope you like it
The first chapter is based around Nel and an imaginatively named OC and well read on.
Nel was scared and excited about leaving the asylum, while she hated the place it had become her home in the past month. Her carer was taking her to what would become her new home for the next year. It was a small apartment in a safe but slightly rundown section of Karakura town. What most scared Nel was that she was going to have a roommate. The asylum claimed this was in order to make her integration back into society easier but Nel suspected it was just so that their job was easier as they could keep two patients under observation in one location.
As they arrived at the apartment complex, Nel couldn't help but think that it didn't look like much. At least it was in a new town away from her past, she thought with a shudder as the dark thoughts that had consumed her before tried to break free from their cage. With each step toward the apartment the fear within Nel grew, until finally when they reached the door of apartment number 3, she could barely breath she was so nervous. The carers knock upon the door seemed to be deafening and the silence that followed seemed to stretch until it was almost unbearable. Finally a voice rang out saying that the door was open. The carer shoved the door wide and stepped in confidently as Nel meekly followed behind her. Inside sat a lean blonde haired man, who rose gracefully and offered his hand to Nel. As Nel shook his hand she couldn't help but think that it was strange that even in the swelteringly hot summer he was still wearing a plain blue hoodie and also she noticed pyjama trousers. This thought though was rapidly forced to the back of her mind by the realization that her new roommate was a man. How could they have done this to her after what she had been through. She withdrew her hand as if stung and cradled it. Her new roommate grinned uncomfortably and scratched the back of his head until suddenly realization hit him as he saw the depth of pain contained within Nels eyes and his own eyes widened with shock.
He rounded on the carer "come on you can't seriously expect this to work can you".
The carer meanwhile just ignored him and turned to Nel and smiled what was meant to be a reassuring smile but instead just made Nel more nervous. "Don't worry he's no threat to you at all, anyway this is the only accommodation available so you can either stay here or return to the home." this wasn't even a choice for Nel she couldn't spend any more time in the 'home'. Her new roommate grinned at the carer "the home that's seriously what you're calling the nuthouse"
The carer glared at him and spoke to Nel instead "look Nel there is nothing that can be done at the moment so I will leave you to get settled and don't worry Chris isn't any threat to you"
Nel looked blankly at her before the realization set in that her new roommate must be Chris. Chris smiled with a slight sigh at her "shall we start over again. Hi I'm Chris Hunt and I've heard all the jokes and you are?"
Nel took his hand hesitantly and forced a smile "sorry I'm Neliel tu Oderschvank"
Chris chuckled "that's one hell of a name do you mind me calling you Nel, you can call me Chunt or Chris either works"
Nel grinned " Yeah I know it's silly isn't it everyone calls me Nel anyway"
The carer at this grinned "see you're getting along already, I'll leave you two alone" and with that she left the room pausing only to close the door behind her on the way out. Chris snorted "their really not much help are they. I suppose I'd better show you your room." he ambled over to one of the doors and opened it and with a wry smile he gestured into the room "sorry it's not much but at least you're not locked in at night." Nel couldn't help but chuckle at that as she entered the room which while being small was at the same time comforting as she realized that for the first time in what seemed an eternity but in reality was just over a month she had a room that was all hers to do with as she liked. Chris put her bags just inside the door, before smiling at her "well I'll be in the other room if you need anything" he said closing the door. Nel was left alone in her new room, as she sat on the bed the shock of finally being out of the asylum suddenly hit her and she hugged her knees to herself and began to rock gently back and forth. It was sometime before she moved from that position and took the opportunity to look around the room. In many ways it reminded her of her cell at the asylum. it had the same bare white walls and bed sheets, but at least there were no bars on the window and more importantly she could do whatever she wanted while she was here, all that was need was some way of getting over the issue of having a male roommate as while Chris seemed okay he was still a male.
In retrospect the asylum had probably put her with him on purpose so that her first encounter with a male came in a controlled environment, and the prolonged exposure to him would force her to get used to the constant presence of males. She smiled as she thought just how much pressure she was putting on Chris in her eyes as he was acting as an envoy for all male kind to her. Nel suddenly couldn't help laughing at the sheer lunacy of the thought that the asylum would come up with such a complicated scheme. The reality probably was in fact that this was the only accommodation available and it was just unfortunate that she had to share with Chris. At this thought her mind turned to wondering why Chris had been put into the asylum.
She was startled out of this train of thought though by a sudden knock at the door and Chris' voice "Hey Nel are you okay in there, I just thought that you might want something to eat". Now that he had mentioned it Nel realized that she was in fact starving, she therefore decided that it was time to force herself to interact with her roommate. Her heart fluttered with apprehension though at the prospect of this, finally she forced herself to the door, where she stood to gather her nerves and took a deep breath before opening the door and smiling at Chris, who grinned back at her. "Hey" he said "do you want something to eat" oddly after saying this he looked momentarily uncomfortable before continuing with a chuckle "sorry but I'm not the best of cooks, I can just about make sandwiches". Nel laughed in response "well that makes two of us then so I guess its microwave meals and sandwiches from here on out" Chris laughed in turn "and here I was hoping for a Michelin starred chef". Nel just snorted, inside though she couldn't help but smile, this might not be too bad after all, Chris seemed alright even though she wasn't willing to stand too close to him yet in case he tried to grab her, it was an added bonus that her inability to cook wouldn't be the cause of problems between them. Nel finally responded "so who's making them then?" she grinned "I warn you there is a risk of food poisoning with me" Chris burst out laughing before collecting himself and smiling at her it. it then seemed almost as if he plucked her thoughts from out of her mind "hell this might not be too bad after all at least there's no-one to laugh at my cooking ability or rather my lack of cooking ability." Nel looked shocked at him, which in turn caused him to grin uncomfortably "what" he exclaimed "you're looking at me weirdly" Nel quickly collected herself "sorry it's just I was thinking the same thing". Chris frowned "huh you shouldn't do much of that you wouldn't like what I think most of the time" and with that he turned around and headed to the kitchen, briefly pausing to tell her to go and sit down.
Nel decided that it was probably best not read too much into what he had said and so instead she just sat down on the sofa and turned on the TV and began flicking through the channels. She settled upon a movie channel that was about to start showing the Lion King and with a massive grin she curled up on the sofa. Chris walked in just as it was starting and put a plate of sandwiches in front of her before sitting down and glancing at the screen, he turned to her with a raised eyebrow before shrugging and leaning back in the chair with a sandwich. They ended up sitting in silence for the whole of the film, when the film had finished Nel glanced at Chris and noticed that he was looking at her weirdly with a grin on his face, "you do realize that you were singing along with all the songs". Nel in response smiled "sorry about that I just love that movie", Chris just shrugged "ah hakuna matata I actually thought it was quite sweet". Nel couldn't help herself snorting in laughter with a slight blush coloring her cheeks at that "really, that's lucky for me, does that mean I can sing whenever I want?". Chris smiled at her quickly "I wouldn't say that but it's fine to sing along with a classic like the Lion King", Nel looked surprised at him "are you saying that you like the Lion King", Chris just grinned in response "who doesn't like the Lion King". Nel smiled "weirdoes", Chris grinned "in that case surely we shouldn't like it then". Nel laughed gently "don't you know we're not weirdo's we're fit to return to society" and with that she stuck her tongue out at him. Chris grinned at her "oh by the way that reminds me you have to be ready to start school in a week's time, sorry".
Nel just stared at him open mouth for what must have been at least at minute, before she finally snapped it shut and gathered the cognitive capacity to respond "but I thought that there was over a month before school started" with that she trailed away as she realized that she'd forgotten to count the time that was spent in the asylum, "your joking aren't you really?" she said this in desperate hope rather than with any real expectation that he was, Chris confirmed her own thoughts by shaking his head "sorry I know it's not easy hell it took me months to get used to the idea of returning to society, admittedly my circumstances were different but I do understand how hard it is for you. take it from me it's easier to just get on with it and not worry about it, that's why tomorrow we have to go shopping for your uniform and the supplies, and every day after that we are doing something in public, that way you get some experience interacting with people other than me it'll mean that way you aren't as likely to have a panic attack in front of people you've got to spend all year around. If you get scared while shopping it'll be around people you don't have to see regularly at least." with that he got up and headed to the door, that must lead to his room "well goodnight Nel get some rest tomorrows going to be a difficult day" he left her then sitting rigidly on the couch as he closed the door behind him.
After he left everything seemed to go blank for her and it wasn't until at least an hour later that she became aware of her surroundings again, she found herself lying curled up in a ball on the couch, her eyes were red raw from crying and the cushion beneath her was wet from her tears. She at first seemed unable to move and when she finally did manage movement her whole body shook like a leaf in high winds. She still felt numb all over as she stumbled her way towards her room and collapsed on the bed. As she lay there she wished ferverently for sleep in the hope that it would take her problems away with it, but it eluded her as she lay there dreading what was coming tomorrow, she just knew that she wouldn't be able to do it she'd collapse and they'd have to put her back in the asylum. Nel finally fell asleep at about 4 in the morning when the tiredness of her body finally overpowered the worries in her mind that had been keeping it awake. Nel awoke with a start at around half 7 and had a long moment of panic as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings, before the events of yesterday came back to her, this though rather than calming her actually increased the panic as she remembered that today she had to go out into town in order to shop. She had just about got her panic under control when there was a knock at the door and Chris' voice came through it "hey Nel are you up, the earlier we go the quieter it'll be I'd have thought." Nel realized that this was something that she had to do however much she loathed the idea of it, but with a monumental amount of willpower she was able to force herself up from the bed and find a towel to shower with, and with a final breath she opened the door. Chris was in the kitchen putting bread in the toaster, but when he heard her door open he turned to her "I thought that might get you up in a hurry, I'm guessing you didn't get much sleep last night" Nel in response just glared at him and headed to the shower. While Nel was in the shower Chris reflected upon the events of the previous day, he had to admit that he was surprised by himself when he looked back; she seemed to have a strange effect on him as while normally he was uncomfortable around people with her he wasn't comfortable per se but he wasn't as bad as usual. He could almost hold a normal conversation with her, it was probably due to the fact that she knew he was damaged and she herself was damaged and so he felt less of a need to hide how fucked up he was from her. He had to admit that he was impressed by her willpower in being able to communicate with him almost normally even though she couldn't completely hide the fear with which she looked at him, but if what he suspected had happened to her then she was doing incredibly well, just to be in the same room as him. Just then the shower door opened and Nel stepped out wearing only her towel and without looking at him almost as if she was forcing herself to believe that he didn't exist she rushed to her room. Chris couldn't help but grin as he thought that if nothing else she did provide some excellent eye candy.
Nel couldn't believe her stupidity how could she have forgotten a change of clothes when she went to the shower. When she reached her room after her mad dash through the lounge she sank down against the door and a heavy rattling breath escaped from her as she buried her head in her hands in horror at what she had just forced herself to do, at the same time there was also a glimmer of pride that she had been able to accomplish that dash rather than just cowering in the bathroom. Thus it was with a renewed sense of belief that Nel rose up off the floor of her room, she refused to let him win by cowering in her room, she had the strength to go out and lead a normal life. She knew she'd struggle to get there but she was determined to return to the same level of normalcy that she had before the asylum. It was with this desire coursing through her veins that she stepped out into the main room and for probably the first time made direct eye contact with Chris, if only for the briefest of moments. Chris held the door open for her and they headed down the stairs and to the shops, which unbeknownst to Nel Chris was slightly apprehensive about as he wasn't good in crowds, he though couldn't contain a grin at that as he thought what a useless pairing they made. The streets were luckily fairly deserted as it was a weekday so most people were at work. Nel was very apprehensive about the buying of the school uniform due to the necessary nudity in a public place that was involved, she though was distracted throughout the walk though by Chris' singing Space oddity and Eye of the Tiger under his breath. Just as they reached the Mall Chris turned to her looking embarrassed "You do know your singing to yourself Nel, people might think you're crazy". Nel couldn't help but stare at him in shock and he just shrugged and entered the Mall leaving her shaking her head at the fact he hadn't realized she was just singing along.
Chris was waiting for her just inside the door and just gestured around with a shrug making it clear it was up to her where to go first. The Mall stretched off into the distance and was far more crowded than Nel would have liked, she decided to get the worst out of the way first and headed towards the least crowded area in the hope there was somewhere to get her uniform from. Chris just coughed lightly and pointed towards a uniform shop at the end of the way, and was rewarded with a grin from Nel as she hurried along towards with the shop, with Chris following casually behind her his eyes constantly darting from either side as if searching for something.
As they entered the shop Nel was overjoyed to discover that they were the only ones in the store and she quickly scurried over to where the uniforms for her new school were kept and began searching for some that would fit her, a task that was made rather difficult by her voluptuous but slim figure. Chris meanwhile seemed to have disappeared, so she was left completely on her own, a situation that she was fairly happy about, her happiness was short-lived though as a voice suddenly spoke behind her "Hi". Nel screeched from fright and leapt forwards away from the voice before turning around, Nel swore that she heard a snort of laughter from somewhere in the store. The girl who'd spoken' green eyes had widened at Nels' response, as she laughed "are you alright?, sorry for scaring you, it's just I haven't seen you around before, have you just moved here". Nel nibbled her lip nervously before responding while looking down at the floor "Yeah sorry you startled me, I was trying to find a uniform that fit me". The girl just grinned wide at that "yeah I know what you mean" she said gesturing downwards. Nel took her first chance to really look at the girl opposite her, she was wearing a tight pair of jeans along with a dark blouse that had the top two buttons undone which revealed a staggering pair of breasts that rivaled Nels' own, they coupled with her thin waist and long legs made Nel realize that she must have the same problems with finding clothes as she did. The most noticeable feature though about her was the combination of her tanned skin with her bright blonde hair and eyebrows and lashes, a fact that was further highlighted by two lightning bolt tattoos that drew attention to her soulful green eyes and her vibrant eyelashes.
Chris at this point had glanced in when he had heard Nel shout just to check she was alright, when he saw that she was he had left her alone as, she needed to meet new people anyway and so was now spending his time imagining sexy pillow fights and naked mud wrestling between the two girls.
A light cough from the girl opposite her alerted Nel that perhaps she'd been looking at her for a bit too long, and she instantly flushed with embarrassment and started mumbling out an apology, before being rapidly cut off by the other girls laughter. The girl choked out between her laughs "sorry it's just your face", Nel giggled lightly with a wide grin before responding "yeah sorry it's just I don't meet many people who look like you, I'm Nel by the way". The girl cut off her laughter smiling at Nel "I'll take that as a compliment, I'm Tia Hallibel, just Nel" she looked questioningly at Nel clearly wondering what her full name was. Nel just sighed "Neliel tu Oderschvank", Tia only response was to blankly at her for a second before gathering herself "really" she questioned, Nel just nodded "yeah it's stupid I know" Tia shrugged before smiling and gesturing behind Nel to the clothes "let's see if I can help you then Nel" she said placing an emphasis on her usage of Nel making it clear that she was going to call her that. Tia moved past Nel and quickly pulled out a few uniforms "here these might fit" and with that Tia dragged her to the changing rooms to try them on.
Nel hesitantly stepped into the changing room making doubly sure the door was closed and locked before considering trying on the uniforms. She removed her clothes and replaced them with the uniform before quickly changing back once she'd discerned that it fit her even if a bit too tightly, but she wasn't willing to change in public again so they'd have to do. Once she was safely back in her own baggy clothes she final felt able to breathe again, she quickly gathered together the uniforms and moved to the cash register to pay for them, briefly stopping to grab a baggy school jumper on her way, so she had something to wear over the top of the school blouse. After paying she moved to the front of the shop before stopping and gently nibbled at her lip as she realized that not only should she wait for Tia but also she couldn't see Chris anywhere. She had just decided to go back towards the changing rooms to try and find Tia, when Tia herself appeared next to her with a smile "Hey I thought you'd done a runner". Nel could only bring herself to laugh uncomfortably at that but was saved from further conversation by the buzzing of Tia's phone, she yanked it out angrily before giving an exasperated sigh "dammit, sorry I've got to get to work I'll see you at school next Monday though" and with that and a final smile she rushed off, leaving Nel alone again.
She was torn between remaining in the comparative safety of the shop and looking for Chris outside. She had just decided to look for him in the shop again even though she knew he wasn't there when he walked through the door carrying a load of bags and wearing a confused expression on his face, probably in part due to the fierce glare that she had leveled upon him "Why do I get the impression that I did something wrong" he inquired while scratching the back of his head nervously. Nel held her glare upon him for a long moment before responding bitingly "You left me on my own". His eyes meanwhile were roving searchingly around the store, finally coming to rest upon hers before her answered "um wasn't there some other girl here helping you out" he then raised the bags in a shielding gesture against her glare that continued unabated "I only went to get the rest of the stuff you needed for school sorry, I thought It'd speed things up" the final words were mumbled out apologetically as his gaze shifted away from her and down towards the hard wood floor of the store. Nel's gaze quickly joined his on the floor as she in turn mumbled out an apology of her own regretfully as he had gone out of his way to be nice to her before bringing her own eyes up to look at Chris and being greeted by a shrug. He smiled at her in turn "Sorry I should of said something but hey I think I got everything so we can head back, that is unless you fancy spending more time here", Nel couldn't think of anything that she would enjoy less, so she just responded by rolling her eyes and rushing towards exit. She had to admit that she felt more comfortable around Chris than she first expected, probably due to his slightly child like nature and obvious insanity which he was clearly demonstrating now by singing 'I can see clearly now' under his breath as they walked back towards their apartment.
End Note) Sorry if the end seems abrupt, hope you liked it sorry about the laboured dialogue, review appreciated but be gently. The next chapter will be centred around Gin and Rangiku, I think not certain next, there are a few prequel chapters before they get to school and the real story kicks off. The chapters after this will probably be a bit shorter and I'll attempt to update as often as possible.