A little girl dressed in ragged clothes, with unkempt, icy blue hair ran desperately for her life. She could hear the flurry of footsteps following her closely. She was in no position to think of what might be her next set of actions. She needed to get away quickly and maybe, hide - if she was lucky enough.
The people who were after her were dressed in black hakamas with sheathed katanas hanging by the side of their waists. They were a familiar bunch. The child had seen a lot of them patrolling around the area she and her brother was living at, in the past.
She knew that they were there to secure the safety of the people living in Rukongai. However, she was skeptical and a little curious as to why they were chasing after her. She did not do anything to cause them trouble, did she?
'Brother,' she thought, as she remembered a certain memory of her brother smiling brightly at her and reassuring her that everything would be alright. Tears welled up in her eyes as she willed her legs to run faster than it already were. She ignored the burning sensation as she ran. When she finally spotted a place where to hide from her pursuers, which is the bushes, the little girl quickly jumped out of the way and made sure she doesn't make a noise.
The same, old scenario had happened just yesterday. She was lucky enough to be able to get away from them although she did have a hard time because their strength was completely different than hers. The good thing was, they seemed like ordinary shinigamis and not the ones who seemed to visit rarely, wearing white haori. Those people just have an intimidating air around them and they seemed to be strong.
A sudden, sharp pain in her head made her keel over the patches of grass. She could hear voices getting nearby her hiding place, as she writhed in pain while clutching her head. A quiet whimper managed to escape her lips. However, she tried to keep it down, still conscious of the fact that the shinigamis were still on her tail.
"Let me tell you my name, child."
She heard a voice speaking in her mind. It was a voice of a woman; soft and melodious. It was as if water flowing in a river or like the gentle sound of the waves of the sea and ocean on a calm day-not that she have had the chance to see nor hear what it was like.
The young girl moaned loudly, not being able to bear any longer the pain in her head. The loud sound she made immediately caught the attention of a few shinigamis nearby where she was currently situated at. The poor girl was clutching onto her head tightly, trying to take steady breaths.
"She's here!" Someone called out from the group. The girl felt arms wrapping around her frail form and felt herself being carried away by someone. Her small hands clutched onto the person's garment tightly, as she willed herself to get away from his grip.
"LET GO OF ME!" The child screamed, struggling from the grasp of the person who is responsible for her capture. The person holding onto her nearly dropped her. Suddenly, there was a heavy spiritual pressure, making the people around the two to stumble and kneel on the ground.
The young girl was glowing in a light blue shade of spiritual energy, as their surroundings were suddenly covered in mist. Her eyes were glaring as she unsteadily scampered away from the group of five shinigamis, where one lost consciousness and the rest stared at her in fear, sweating profusely.
-.-.-.-.-
In the Gotei, captains and lieutenants hurried to their designated conference rooms. One after another, shinigamis dressed in white haoris stood in two lines, facing each other. An old man holding a staff walked to the center, in between of the captains standing. He had long, white beard and his eyes were closed, forming slits.
The tension was so thick that it seemed like it could be sliced through. No one dared to talk. Not until the oldest among them had decided that it was the right time for him to speak.
"Everyone did feel that, right?" The captain-commander of the Gotei 13 opened an eye as he looked at his subordinates' faces. Some looked uneasily at him while others just seriously and patiently waited for him to continue.
"Has everyone read the report already?" He asked once more. A chorus of 'yes' sounded in the room. A man wearing a gaudy, pink lady's kimono raised his hand. His straw hat slightly covering his face.
"My subordinates are the ones patrolling in that area right now, Yama-jii..." The captain of the eighth division, Kyouraku Shunsui trailed off, before continuing after a few moments later.
"Should I head over there to see the situation?" Captain-Commander Yamamoto stroked his long, white beard as he pondered over Kyouraku's suggestion before finally nodding his head and concluding the meeting.
-.-.-.-.-
"Kyouraku-taichou, are you sure we should be heading there?" Yadomaru Lisa, the eighth division's lieutenant, pushed up her glasses with her hand as she followed behind her captain who was starting to walk quickly.
"Well, it's Yama-jii's order. If it gets dangerous though, I'll make you head back." He smiled slightly at her subordinate, which she returned with an offended frown.
"I won't." She simply responded as the both of them used shunpo to quickly reach their destination. It was only a few minutes before they reached the northern part of Rukongai. The spiritual pressure from earlier was now gone, but there were still traces.
What they found lying on the ground when they reached the supposed place, were a group of shinigamis from their respective division and a young, frail-looking girl. Kyouraku took notice of her messy, light-colored hair. She was covered in dirt and mud and was wearing slightly tattered clothing.
"Taichou, we should call for the fourth division for medical assistance..." Lisa quipped as she quickly came to the side of the young girl and cradled her small figure in her arms. The female lieutenant was reminded of how she lived when she was younger, except Lisa was now living quite comfortably.
It seemed like the little girl came from a not-so-well-off family too. There is no doubt about that since the part of Rukongai they were currently at is known for having poor families living here.
"Send a hell butterfly to the fourth division so that they could quickly treat the others, Lisa-chan." Kyouraku ordered and crouched down to get a better look at the appearance of the young girl in his lieutenant's arms.
-.-.-.-.-
"Call my name, child..." The same voice of the woman who had spoken to her earlier, could be heard once more in her mind. The young girl stared at the blurry form before her. She could barely make out the figure of the person. It was obviously a woman's.
However, she did not exactly look familiar to her at all. It was impossible that she could meet someone who seemed to be wealthy and had a good upbringing in life. Her eyebrows immediately furrowed, as she was deep in thought.
Her eyes looked around the area, suddenly noticing that they were submerged in water. Panic filled her, as she tried to swim her way up but it was as if the distance was not getting any shorter - instead, it seemed as if it was getting farther away even.
"...Who are you?" The child finally asked, after giving up from swimming upwards. She had noticed that she wasn't drowning or that she was actually able to breath underwater, which was clearly absurd if she wasn't dreaming.
"I'm-" She could not hear the rest of it because the woman's voice was suddenly muffled and she felt herself sinking deeper into the water. Her vision slowly turning black as she lost consciousness.
-.-.-.-.-
A groan escaped her lips as her eyes fluttered open, revealing a pair of bluish gray orbs-the color of a foreboding storm. The child let her eyes roam, taking in the vast difference of her surroundings.
There was practically nothing but white walls. However, there was a small circular window by the right wall which helped illuminate the room further despite having lights inside. Even then, she wasn't able to see clearly what was outside.
The child tried to sit up, immediately holding her head when it instantly ached at the sudden movement. She flopped back on the bed she was lying on. The room smelled like antiseptic and it made her feel slightly nauseous.
As much as she wanted to get out of the said place, the girl realized that there's a low probability she would be able to get out so easily. She probably wouldn't have reached the hallways yet and she'd be thrown back in the room she's currently confined in.
So, she decided to just lay there quietly without any fuss. She figured that there would be someone visiting her sooner or later, as she had deducted that she might have been captured by the comrades of the shinigamis who were after her. She just hoped that it won't be anyone who's out to get her. Otherwise, she will definitely kick up a fuss in this place she figured as a hospital.
It was none too soon when the wooden door to the room the little girl was in, slid open, making her head turn towards the direction of the door. It revealed a man in a flamboyant, pink, flower-patterned kimono over his white haori and black hakama. The said man was also wearing a straw hat with a pointed top and a wide brim which slightly hid his facial features except for the noticeable stubble on his chin.
Behind him, a spectacle-wearing woman stood. She had raven, medium-length hair which was braided into two and her fringe framed her face. She also had a blank expression on as she pushed up her glasses, which was sitting on her nose-bridge.
"Oh? Are you finally awake?" The young girl heard the man spoke. His tone was light-almost amused. Bluish gray eyes cautiously studied the man for any suspicious movements.
"Isn't it obvious?" The child snapped back, getting impatient for being holed up in a room she was unaccustomed with. Also, she was not sure if they were good or bad people. She sat up, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head.
"My, how feisty~" He cooed, approaching the side of the makeshift bed. Instantly, she scrambled to get off of it, making her end up in a heap on the hard, wooden floor. She stood up quickly, still wary of her visitors.
The child was all the more anxious as she thought of various things that could happen to her, especially when she was cornered like this with nowhere to run to. The only exit from the room was blocked since the woman stood in front of it, as if she were guarding it in case she tried to escape.
"Don't come closer!" She warned the both of them, noticing the slight shift of weight of the flashy-looking man. The child was starting to get agitated and it wasn't a good sign. She was reminded how she always end up hurting other people when she hadn't done anything to physically harm them. And lately, it was happening too often, that she was getting frightened for the life of the person she's interacting with instead of her own.
The man noticed the sudden change of the child's spiritual pressure, confirming his suspicions that she has high spiritual power. He had brought her in the fourth division's barracks after seeing her collapsed on the ground with his subordinates. Also, it was their way to make sure that she was not a harmful entity for Soul Society. He had already reported to the captain-commander earlier and they would gauge her later on after she was feeling a bit better.
"Taichou," the bespectacled woman called out to the man in a soft tone. The gaudy-looking man tilted his head a bit to look at his subordinate, knowing full well what they came for. The child was still staring at them suspiciously.
"What is your name, chibi-chan?" Her eyes trailed towards his form, her icy blue hair unkempt than ever. Stray strands of it hang over her now clean face. Her slightly pale lips twitched in annoyance at the way he addressed her and she stared at him, long enough for her to judge if he was someone whom she could trust or not.
After a slight pause, the little girl finally responded back with one word. Her name. However, it doesn't mean that she already completely trusts them.
"...Youko."
Ocean child.
Author's Note:
Hey guys! TheWhimsicalNoirette is back at it again. LOL. /slapped
This time, I decided to create a story for Bleach featuring Hitsugaya Toshirou along with Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia (because I freaking ship those two. Like, could you two please get together already?).
Anyway, hopefully everyone will give this story lots of love and support like my previous ones!
I'm looking forward to see you guys around! Do leave a comment. I'd really appreciate it to hear from you guys.
Lots of love! ( ^ 3 ^ )
