Hey guys welcome to the second chapter of Magic of the Soul! I think that this chapter came out very well, especially since there is are actually Bleach characters in this chapter! I hope I didn't make them too OOC. I'll let y'all be the judges. Lol. One last thing before we start, I noticed that when I was writing OMAA, that I didn't do a very good job keeping the time. To be honest, I couldn't tell you if everything happened in a month or if it happened in a year. To remedy this, I will be adding how long it has been since Elijah unsealed his powers. I have dubbed this the Awakening. Anyways, there haven't been any reviews as of yet so let jump straight into the story!
One doesn't become a soldier in a week - it takes training, study and discipline. There is no question that the finest Army in the world is found in the United States.
Daniel Inouye
Chapter 2
Elijah's POV
(1 day since Awakening)
I carried my body from the shrine. The last thing I needed was for my body to be inaccessible in a hospital somewhere. I made it back to town and wandered from alley to alley. I walked for some time, but managed to keep out of sight. After all, it would seem strange if someone saw an unconscious body being dragged by an invisible force.
"Well, it's not every day that ya see a shinigami dragging his gigia around in the alleys. It's quite humorous actually." a young man said from behind me.
I spun around to see a tall, blond haired man standing in the alley entrance. He wore a tan ascot hat, a yellow collared shirt, and khaki pants. His brown eyes studied me, and his mouth curved upwards a little showing his perfectly white teeth.
"Who are you?" I asked placing my body on the ground and drawing my sword.
"Oh please, ya can't cut me with that flimsy thing. Though, I have to admit that it is an interesting Zanpakuto. I haven't seen one that had a black blade in its sealed state." the strange man replied.
"You haven't answered my question. Who are you?" I asked, my eyes narrowing as the man walked closer.
"Yer walking in my alley, and yer asking me who I am? Sorry, but it doesn't work that way."
"Your alley? What are you talking about? You sleep here or something?" I retorted.
"No, I don't sleep here ya twit. This is the alley that leads to my place." the man frowned.
"I don't care. Just leave me be and I'll be on my way."
"Sorry, but I can't have some weak shinigami telling his superiors where I am."
The man took out a pill and popped it into his mouth. A loud crack resounded through the area as his body fell to the ground. However, he was still standing. I gaped at him for several seconds as he pulled out a sword of his own.
"This isn't personal, mind you. However, I can't let you live. The Soul Society must not ever know our whereabouts."
I took my sword in both hands and readied myself. I had never fought with a sword before, but somehow I felt like I knew what I was doing. The man chuckled and shook his head.
"Ya really don't get it, do ya?" Suddenly, I felt like I weighed a hundred tons. The sudden wait of my body forced me to a single knee. "Interesting, the look on yer face tells me that ya have never felt like this before."
"What is going on? What did you do?" I asked frantically.
"Don't ya know? This crushing feeling is the feeling of yer demise. The Soul Society must be slipping." the man said.
"I'm not from the Soul Society." I muttered as I was forced to my hands and knees.
"What? Yer a shinigami; how can ya not be from the Soul Society?" the man looked at me again and smiled. "I see, yer a substitute shinigami. I wonder how ya got past our watch. We have been looking out for souls like ya. Tell me, are ya friends with Ichigo Kurosaki?"
"No, I don't even know who that is."
"That's a shame. He was the one that we were watching. Ya remind me of him." he said as he placed his sword back in its sheath. "Come with me."
"I'm not going anywhere." I shouted.
"I figured that you were smart. I guess not."
My grip tightened around the hilt of my Zanpakuto. The man only sighed and shook his head. Then, he disappeared. I looked everywhere but didn't see him anywhere.
"Try looking in front of ya."
I snapped my head around to find the man staring directly into my eyes. I swung my vertically in order to cut into his side. To my surprise, he didn't even flinch. In fact, the blade didn't even cut his skin.
"Let me show ya the difference between you and me."
I didn't see it coming. I didn't even see him pull out his blade. The only thing I saw was a flash as the upper half of my blade went spinning into the air.
"What did you do? I didn't see a thing." I mumbled as I stared at my sword.
"Come, we have much to talk about." he said as he turned and headed toward a large warehouse. I stood back for extra seconds, unable to decide what to do. "Come on. Wouldn't want me to kick your butt in gear. You'd probably reach the moon."
Christa's POV
"How are you feeling?" my dad asked as he sat next to my bed.
"Fine, I guess." I replied. "Did you find anything out about Elijah?"
Dad shook his head. "No, but that doesn't mean much considering."
"Oh, I hope he is ok. I wonder what he is feeling right now."
Dad smiled as he stood up. He paced around the room a few times, obviously thinking deeply about something. He looked at me than began shaking his head.
"Christa, I want know exactly what your brother said to you. Did he mention why he was leaving?"
"Yeah, he said that he was going to bring Mom back." I replied.
"That's what I was afraid of. Christa, I'm going to fill out the forms to get you discharged. I have something that you need to see."
Elijah's POV
"The name is Shinji Hirako, by the way." the man said as he casually walked through the seemingly abandoned factory.
"Elijah Parks." I replied. I was still angry about what Shinji had done to my Zanpakuto.
"American huh. It's rare to find an American that can see spirits, but it's even more rare to have an American shinigami." Shinji commented.
"Shut up." I muttered.
"I wasn't making fun. I was just stating a fact. The jureichi hasn't been in America for over three hundred years."
"Dude, I don't know what the crap that is. Heck, I don't even know how to get in and out of my body!" I yelled.
"All in due time. Wait here, while I get the others." Shinji left me alone in the warehouse while he descended down a hidden staircase in the floor. Knowing that the man had easily destroyed my sword, I did as I was told.
"Hey you! What is a stupid shinigami doing here?" someone from behind me yelled.
I turned to see a blond girl about Christa's age standing a few feet away. She was dressed in a red jogging suit and a white t-shirt. Her hair was held up in pigtails. The one thing I noticed the most however was the single canine that poked through the her lips.
"Who are you?" I asked, stunned by the sudden appearance of the girl.
"What are you, a parrot; dumb ass?"
"Hiyori, calm down. I let him come. He won't be a problem, and he won't be causing any trouble."
"Shinji, you dumb ass, you can't bring shinigami in here! The Soul Society will be coming as soon as that idiot leaves here!" Hiyori yelled out of frustration.
"Like I said he won't be a problem. I guess those large ears don't help you hear." Shinji quipped, though, all he got for his effort was a sandal thrown at his face.
"I don't have large ears, ya dumb ass! You shouldn't be taking the chance!"
"So you hate the soul reapers too, huh. I guess that this is the place that the shadow man told me about."
"Who is the shadow man, dumb ass? And they're not called soul reapers they are called shinigami!" Hiyori said gruffly.
"I think he's my sword, and I don't care what they are called, but I guess I'll keep calling them soul reapers if it is going to tick you off." I replied with a smirk.
"Why you! You are so weak it's laughable! You shouldn't be able to imprint on your Zanpakuto! How could you have seen your manifested Zanpakuto?" a fuming Hiyori shot back. All I could do was shrug.
"See, Hiyori? He is interesting to say the least."
"Shut up ya idiot!" Hiyori huffed as she marched down the staircase.
"Come on, Elijah. The others are waiting to meet you." Shinji said as he followed Hiyori's lead.
Christa's POV
"Dad, where are we going?" I asked as we drove from the hospital. Both my legs were still in casts and my head was still wrapped up.
"I have a friend that is going to meet us at the cabin." Dad answered cryptically.
"We haven't been there in like five years. Why would we meet somebody there? And, how am I going to get up those stairs?"
"I can help you up the stairs Christa. I am your father after all." Dad replied, completely ignoring my first question.
"Who are we meeting at the cabin, Dad." I pushed one more time.
Dad sighed and shot me a quick glance. "Your new teacher, Christa. We are meeting your new teacher."
"What are you talking about?"
"You are going to bring your brother back. He must not be allowed to go to the Soul Society." Dad replied. "My friend and I are going to train you to be a Quincy."
"But Dad! I can't train! I have two broken legs and three contusions! Not to mention a concussion!"
"Christa, those wounds will be nothing in a little while. You will forget that you ever had them."
I gaped at my father. I couldn't think of anything to say. My world had been turned upside down and there was no way for me to argue any point my father made because I lacked the knowledge that he had. All I could do was sigh and stare out the window.
Elijah's POV
They stared at me like I was some sort of freak. The eight of them were just staring. I shuffled slightly feeling as though I would be crushed by their stares.
"You think he could be an asset? He is extremely weak. He I can barely sense anything from him." a woman in a sailor outfit with black hair and glass said with a snort.
"Everyone, I know that he may not look it, but I think he has potential. We all started out weak. We all started from the bottom and worked our way up. He is no different. Come on, when have I ever been wrong?" Shinji said with a small smirk.
"All the damn time, ya dumb ass." Hiyori yelled. Shinji's smirk turned into a small frown.
"Guys, he is a substitute shinigami, like Kurosaki. Ya know what that could mean?"
"You could be right Shinji. I think he should stay." a man in a blue jogging suit and sunglasses said. Slowly, all but Hiyori agreed.
"I don't know whether to be scared or happy." I muttered.
"It doesn't matter what you feel, kid." another man in a tank top replied.
"Elijah, these are my friends. Kensei Muguruma, Mashiro Kuna, Love Aikawa, Rose Otoribashi, Hachigen Ushoda, and Lisa Yadomaru. Ya already know me and Hiyori. We are the Vizard."
"I'm Elijah Parks. Just your average high schooler that just turned into a ghost, has a sword, and apparently has super powers as well." I said sarcastically, mostly to piss off Hiyori.
She took the bait and started to charge at me. The muscular man, Kensei, and the man with the shades and strange hair, Love, held her back as she shouted random curses at me.
"Hachi, I need ya to go out and capture some low level hollows for me. Elijah, we are going to begin your training." Shinji said.
"Yes, Shinji, but are you sure this is wise? The boy does not know how to fight." Hachi said as he began to leave.
"I believe it is best for everyone to learn as they go. It helps develop creativity." Shinji replied with a slight smile. "Alright, Elijah, Lisa and Kensei are going to show ya the basics for a few minutes. I would pay attention if I were you."
"Thanks Shinji, I owe you one." I said graciously.
"Trust me, I'll be using the favor soon." he chuckled as he sat on a small pile of rocks.
"Ok, kid. I don't know how you do things in the States, but I can guarantee that you have never had anything like this. Draw your Zanpakuto." Kensei said.
"But my sword is broken! Shinji made sure of that."
"I said to draw it! If you want to get strong; scratch that, if you want to survive out there than you will do as I say!" the man yelled. I shuddered and quickly unsheathed my broken blade. "Good, now, you see Lisa over there?"
"The one with glasses, reading a, uh, magazine?" I asked, not wanting to see what she was actually reading.
"Yes, your first task is to slash her magazine. You do that, you are well on the way to knowing how to survive."
"I don't think that is a good idea." I muttered. I began to say more but Kensei's gritted teeth and smoldering eyes told me to forget what I had planned to say.
Kensei's POV
"You realize that you just put the kid to death, right?" Love said as he watched Elijah begin to shuffle over toward Lisa.
"Maybe so, but it is the one thing Shinji, Urahara, and I agree on. You must learn or die. Survival of the fittest." I replied.
"Ah come on! You're so mean Kensei! Why do you have to be so mean to him, you grouch!"
"Mashiro, shut up! I am too busy for your incessant stupidity!" I growled.
"Ah poo. You meanie! Why can't you lighten up?"
"Mashiro!" I growled louder this time. I was about to say something else, but something flew into me, knocking me to the ground.
"That's what you get for trashing my magazine, ya freak!" she yelled. That's when I realized that it was Elijah who had hit me. "Kensei! You will pay dearly for this. I swear that I will put you six feet under!"
"Lisa, calm down. I know what I was doing. I already got you a replacement." I replied pulling a new magazine from my back pocket.
Lisa, who had bent over me the entire time she had been yelling, straightened up after swiping the magazine from me. "Well at least you did that right." she turned away and sat back in the lawn chair she was in earlier. "Oh, kid. That was pretty sneaky of you. Do it again and I will kill you."
"I understand." I heard Elijah mutter faintly.
"Well kid, I guess you manage to do what I asked.
"You people are nuts." Elijah replied.
Christa's POV
"You wait here will I go see if Ryuken is here. He should be, the man is never late." Dad muttered as he climbed out of the truck.
"Gee, it's not like I can walk or anything." I said with a roll of my eyes.
"Very funny."
"Your daughter is quick witted. More than can say about you, Conrad, or should I call you Conner?"
"You know that I left all of that behind, my name included, Ryuken." Dad replied as he turned to face the man.
The man was about average height with white hair. He seemed to be about the same age as my dad which was around forty. He wore a light gray suit with a blue tie and a pair of rimless glasses. The tie looked to have some kind of cross on it that I couldn't name. Despite the man's sudden appearance, there was only one question on my mind.
"Your real name is Conrad? Why did you change it?" I asked completely shocked.
"In marrying your mother, your father gave up his name, powers, and the ability to pass down the heritage of the Quincy. Of course, the last one he wants my help in reversing."
"Is there anything else I should know?" I asked irately.
"Your mother's real name was Aina not Ana." Dad muttered uncomfortably.
"Is my last name even Parks?" I demanded. Dad smile apologetically. "Never mind, I don't want to know."
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I know it is a lot to take in and I will tell you everything, but first we must bring your brother home safely."
"Alright, what do I need to do?" I sighed.
Elijah's POV
"You knew that she would try to kill me, didn't you?" I yelled.
Kensei didn't even flinch. That was the most annoying part. Anyone who had seen me get angry for the first time usually flinched, except for my parents. I continued to yell for a little bit, but I quickly grew tired. That struck me as odd because when I yelled and screamed I normally could go on for hours. Soon I grew so tired that I had to stop and catch my breathe. Even though I had stopped yelling, breathing was still hard; if anything, it was getting harder. I fell to my knees and tried to suck in as much air as I could. Something was wrong, it was almost like I was breathing in a room where the air was escaping. My body began to feel like lead, causing me to collapse into a heap. I gasped, trying to suck in as much air as I could, but it was like a carrot on a stick. It was there, but I couldn't reach it.
"Are you done yet?" Kensei asked, his voice having no emotion in it whatsoever. His stoic expression made him impossible to read.
"What… did you… do?" I gasped. "I can't… breathe."
"The reason you can't breathe is simple. My spiritual pressure is having a physical toll on your body. Now shut up and listen. The only reason you are here is because Shinji thinks you have potential. He wants me to teach you because I am the best Zanjutsu expert here."
"Then… why did you...guh!" I began but a sudden spike slammed my body into the ground.
"Don't interrupt me you idiot!" Kensei yelled. He quickly regained his composure and looked me straight in the eyes. "I teach by one single philosophy; survival of the fittest. If you can't survive a challenge, you die. It is the best way to teach because it is an all or nothing method. Now, do you think you have what it takes to train under me and the other Vizard, even if it means you may die?"
The pressure lifted allowing me to climb to my feet. "What doesn't kill you makes you strange, right?"
Kensei smirked. "I take that as a yes."
Christa's POV
Dad had gotten the wheelchair out and helped me into it. He then pushed me into the cabin and into the living room. Wood overwhelmed my sight. Like most cabins, wood was the main décor. The walls, ceiling, and floor was all made of polished pine. The chairs and tables were made of wood as well, however they were made out of logs and branches, making them very uncomfortable to sit in even with the light blue cushions that padded on them.
"What are we doing?" I asked curiously.
"We are waiting for Ryuken to finish setting up the unsealing ritual. Though the seal on you has weakened significantly, it hasn't been broken. In order for you to claim your heritage, we must break the seal that your mother and I placed on you." Dad explained. He looked me in the eyes and continued. "Christa, I want you to know right now that when the seal breaks, it will be excruciatingly painful."
"It can't be any more painful than having your legs crushed by a school bus, and told that I may never walk again. I assume that becoming a Quincy will help with that. If it didn't, you wouldn't have asked." I replied as cheerily as I could as a sort of reassurance.
"It will help after the initial release of your spiritual pressure. After that, you will heal like any other human. It is basically the same as what happened to your brother." my Dad confirmed.
"Conrad, I finished the preparations. I still don't know why I am doing this for you. If your son wreaks havoc in the Seireitei, that is your problem. You should have taught your son better." Ryuken said snidely.
"Coming from the man who condemned your son's desire to be a Quincy." Dad scoffed.
"Saving the dead doesn't make you money in this world." Ryuken rebuked coolly
"Maybe he wants to do it because it is the right thing to do." Dad argued.
"As if you are one to talk." Ryuken scoffed before he continued. "Being a Quincy does not give one an education or a job or a..."
"Let's get this ritual started." I interrupted.
"Yes. Let's." Ryuken replied as he shot an icy glare at my father.
Dad wheeled me to the back porch and from there carried me into the woods. I was fine with it since there was no way for us to get the wheelchair through the forest. We walked a little ways from the house and into the small pasture that separated to different woodlands.
"Why couldn't we do this in the house?" I asked as we moved. The constant jostling of my legs made them cry out in pain. The morphine muffled the cries, but I could still feel them calling out.
"If we did the ritual in the house, we would have destroyed it. The reaction that will happen will cause a large implosion of reishi. That reishi will bombard the seal until it breaks. The seal will protect you until it breaks. Because of that, it is critical that we stop the bombardment within seconds. If we don't, your body will be ripped apart." Ryuken explained, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"That just made everything sound a whole lot more dangerous." I muttered.
"Sorry, sweetheart, but that is the name of the game. Going after your brother will be extremely dangerous. There are forces that will seek to control his Zanpakuto. It is very powerful. Some would consider it more powerful than the head captain of the thirteen court guard squads. I don't believe that to be the case, but that doesn't subtract from the threat."
"Are you ready? Unlike you Americans I do not have all day." Ryuken asked impatiently.
"Right, because you actually work hard. We both know that you live to make everyone feel beneath you." Dad jabbed back.
"Guys, I'm ready." I said before Ryuken could respond. Ryuken bit back his next comment and nodded.
"As I so quaintly sugarcoated how this ritual could go wrong, do you still wish to continue?"
"That was sugarcoating it? You basically said that if it went wrong I would die an agonizing death!" I yelled.
"Is that a no?"
"No it's not a no! I am going to get my brother. Nothing you can say or do will stop me from trying!" I yelled at the irritating man.
He smiled conceitedly. "Good, you will need that indomitable spirit if you are going to survive. Conrad, place your daughter in the center of the Zeichen."
"This… this isn't Sprenger, is it?" Dad asked worriedly.
"It is a variant yes, but it does not have nearly any of the power a real Sprenger would have. This one, I have designed to release the power on the outside. Once the energy has been released, it will collapse in on itself – implode – destroying the seal in the process."
"You sure you want to do this? This is really dangerous."
"Dad, quit getting cold feet. I'll be fine; you'll see." I replied with a smile.
"Alright Ryuken, let's get this over with." Dad sighed.
Ryuken nodded, then set his gaze on me. He placed his right hand on the ground and stabbed what looked to be a stake in the ground with his left hand. He moved a little ways then repeated this. He did it a total of five times. The "stakes" glowed when the final one was driven into the ground. Ryuken then pulled out a silver vial. He opened it and a drop of pure blue fell from the inside. It landed on one of the stakes with a light splash.
Third Person's POV
Two lone figures walked through the streets of Karakura. Rain trickled down from gray clouds, but didn't seem to touch the two. Where everyone was trying to find shelter the two continued forward as if not even noticing the light shower.
The taller of the figures was a man in his mid thirties. He wore a brown trench coat with a brown fedora. Underneath the coat, he had on a brown suit that was crisp and proper. He also wore a pair of polished brown loafers that clicked every time he took a step. He did not wear any jewelry aside from a single gold watch on his left wrist. His face was hidden from view by his hat but one could just make out the well combed brown hair.
The other figure was a girl not much older than nineteen. She also wore a coat, though the rain did not seem to touch it. She had long honey gold hair that fell past her shoulders. She wore a long black dress that was very modest. Even being modest, it was still easy to tell that she was a beautiful girl. She did not wear any makeup nor did she wear anything that enhanced her natural splendor.
The two figures continued to walk in the rain until the came across a small crowd of people. Everyone was shoving and moving, trying to get to out of the rain or to their cars. During the push of the crowds, a small child had gotten separated from his mother. The crowds continued pushing toward a crosswalk while the little boy was left on the side walk.
His mother, noticing that he wasn't with her anymore begun calling his name. The boy saw his mother and took off toward her just as the lights had turned green. The boy not noticing the danger continued toward the other side of the straight. The mother screamed as a truck blared its horn.
"Aquatic barrier." the young woman in black spoke softly as a wall of water separated the boy and the truck. She then picked up the boy and carried him across the street to his mother. "Watch him better next time."
The mother only nodded in shock as she took the child. The girl turned and returned to her companion's side.
"You still have a soft spot for the children." the man said in slight amusement.
"I don't think we should forget what we started out as." the girl said simply.
"Soon we will be able to reach our past. The Eclipse wielder has found the Vizard. We will wait a few weeks before recruitment, but it won't be long before the voice will send him our way."
"I almost feel sorry for him." the girl replied.
"Alas, it was his destiny to be ripped from his normal life." the man replied as they continued walking down the side walk.
I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter. I truly hope that I didn't screw up on all of the personalities that I had to write. The magazine part was more of a spoof moment than anything else. I thought that it would be pretty fun if we saw something like that happen with Ichigo, but I don't think we ever did. If y'all have anything to say, be sure to leave a review or PM me. If y'all are enjoying the story so far, be sure to smash that favorite/follow button! This is shieldliger001 signing off!
