Feral Defiance

Author's Note

Hello friends! I am so sorry about the late update. I have been up to my eyeballs in school work and extra curricular activities I feel like I'm going to explode! Since I have been so busy, I have been getting distracted from what I wanted to do with this story. I have done this next chapter several different ways but I decided this would probably be the best way to introduce the heroine of this fanfiction. I have also decided to go back and do a joint P.O.V for this story alternating between my OC and Komamura. I hope I don't disappoint! Please read and enjoy! Reviews are nice as well!

In the dark of the night

Yoake

" I'll see you tomorrow!" I called out from over my shoulder to my co-workers as I walked out the door from the restaurant where I worked. I heard a few voices attempt to speak up a quick "Bye Yoake" but it was quickly blocked out by the door closing behind me. It was a cool summer evening in Karakura Town and the moon was shining brightly in the sky adding a silvery glow to the world around me. It was breathtaking how a simple rock in the sky could make everything so beautiful. Tonight would perfect.

I stopped at a bench and set down the backpack I had brought with me to work that day. Unzipping it, I pulled out my running gear. I should have changed at the bathroom at the restaurant but I'm sure my boss wouldn't have appreciated it. I slipped off the boots I had worn to work and dug into my back. I pulled out my clothes but frowned as I spent the next five minutes hunting for my shoes. I swore under my breath realizing that I must have left them at home.

I walked into a public restroom and changed quickly into a pair of shorts and a sleeve-less shirt before walking back out into the night. I already knew that tonight was going to be terrible but I needed the exercise if I actually planned on sleeping tonight. After several restless nights, it was starting to take toll on my body. I talked to a few people at work and they said if I ran home instead of taking a bus then that would probably make me tired enough to were I would sleep. I tried to tell them it wouldn't work but they would have it. So I kindly took their advice and started running home. However... it only made it worse.

Truth be told... the reason why I haven't been sleeping is because of the endless wails and cries of strange beasts in the night. I haven't lived in Karakura for very long but since the first nights those few months ago the screams have filled the night. I should have known something like that was going to happen when I researched the town and learned of its' strange accidents, explosions, and supernatural history. Supernatural is one of my areas of expertise you could say. Every since I was little I could see what others couldn't see. Hear what others were deaf too. Spirits had a bad habit of coming to me when I least wanted them. Something important was always going when they came banging at my door. Not literally of course.

I call them the bond spirits. Mainly for the chain connected to their chest. I have no clue what the chain is for or what it represents but I have seen it in a variety of forms. Broken. Still attached to something. And decaying. The last one being the most rare and by far my least favorite. Numerous times when they learned that I could see them have they me something about a 'soul reaper'. The term was unfamiliar to me and apparently unfamiliar to the internet as well. Aside from the few bands that called themselves 'Soul Reaper', there was absolutely nothing about them. I tried asking the bond spirits about them but most didn't even know themselves. All they knew is that they had to find them before something bad happened. My gut lead me to believe it was the source of the cries in the night they were talking about. Possibly the decayed chain being another.

Supposedly I'm something special. Most of the people who can see the bonded spirits are supposedly only able to see and hear them according to the spirits. I on the other-hand can not only hear and see them, but feel and smell them. I haven't tried to taste somebody's ghost. That would be kinda awkward. Most who try to pass through me kinda like how they do with walls and what not end up getting smacked onto the ground. Not by my hand but from the unexpected crashing into a solid form. Most are in awe to be able to feel another person again but there is always that one guy who seems to make the worst out of everything. That is a different story for another time.

After walking a blocks to warm up and stretch, I took to the empty streets in a light jog. I could go faster. Heck, I could even sprint to my house and make it. Now does that mean I wanted to? Of course not. I want to be able to get to sleep. Not die on the side of the road from exhaustion. Is that even possible? I wasn't planning on finding out nay time soon.

I tried to keep myself distracted as I jogged down the roads thankful for their deserted streets. It was pure silent aside from the occasional dog barking off in the distance for reasons unknown. Probably wants to chase the neighborhood cat. I tried to focus on my steps and my breathing like every good runner should. In through my nose and out through my mouth. In through my nose and out through my mouth. Or was it in through my mouth and out my nose? Like spraying milk after a funny joke? I'm so confused. It was difficult to make my steps silent while wearing my boots. Thump thump thump. My steps were loud but it was expected. All I know is that it was really annoying. What if there was some cute guy on the side of the road looking for a friend to talk to and he heard my steps? He would hide thinking I was a few hundred pounds heavier then I actually was. I really need to get putting myself down. I should embrace my loud boots!

I ran for a few more minutes listening to each and every one of the steps I took. The wind that blew though the empty streets was the only sounds aside from my boots and my breathing. It was almost like a ghost town. Now in the daytime, it felt like a mad house but it only made the empty night that much more... ominous. I shook my head to rid the negative thoughts out of my head and hummed to myself. Thump thump thump

It never occurred to me just exactly how far I lived until now. I lived in a small apartment a little whiles away from where I worked. It was cute, tiny, and simple. Perfect for a girl just getting out on her own recently. The building was clean and the other residents were kind and friendly. I had only two neighbors that I was aware off. There was an older gentlemen across the hall from me. I believed his first name was Urufu but I couldn't recall. In about his either late 40's or early 50's, he seemed to look like he was in his late 20's had not been for the natural salt and pepper coloring of his hair and small beard. Big and scary looking, he had a heart of gold. When I first moved in, Urufu came over with a plate of fresh cookies. My mouth water just at the memory of those blessed things. Mmmmm... Urufu's cookies.

I had another neighbor whose named was Seinaru but she went by the name of Hana instead. Considering her dark and mischievous nature, I could see why she wasn't fond of being called Seinaru. An amazon of a woman with killer looks and an attitude to match, Hana was the type who made you go out and buy child safety locks just to make sure she didn't hurt herself. About as graceful as a newborn, Seinaru could trip over any flat surface. Numerous times I had awoken to the sound of something crashing to the ground followed by a small 'Ow'. The thought of seeing my neighbors seemed to make me run a little bit faster. I wondered if they were even awake. I knew Urufu was an archery teacher somewhere in town and I know Hana was a security guard or something. They were still kinda new to me.

I continued to jog for a few more minutes wishing this wasn't as boring. I didn't mind it but nothing special ever seemed to happen. I think that made me more tired then anything. Not that it really helped out all that much in the long run anyway. I continued on and watched as the buildings around me escaped my lien of sight as I ran past time. What I would do for at least some music. I didn't even care for the genre I was that desperate for the silence to end. I almost busted into song to prevent my sanity from self-destructing until I heard a faint sob coming from an alley way I passed by. As if driving a car and applying the brakes, I stopped running and skid a few feet. I quickly turned around and headed into the alley way to find the source of the faint sob. It could have been my imagination but I didn't want tot take the chance of someone needing my help.

" Hello? Is someone there?" I called out standing in the light of a light-pole just at the edge of the alley. I felt kinda stupid. I mean what was gonna happen? Was someone gonna reply "No."? I mean come on. I know my hair color may be blonde but I'm not stupid. I listened to make sure I wasn't hearing things and sure enough I heard another sob. I continued down through the alley making it out of the light and into the darkness of the alleyway. " It is okay. I'm not going to hurt you." I said honestly as I slowly made my way through. I made sure my posture and tone showed that I meant no harm if they were watching me form a hiding spot. I think to outside the box. I paused when I saw a figure move from behind a trash can. It was small but shrouded in the shadows so I couldn't make out who or what it was.

" You aren't one of those bad people who want to hurt me right?" a small voice said from the direction where I had noticed the figure. I quickly identified it as a young boy. What was a child doing out at the time at night? My question was answered when I heard the faint jingling of a chain. I shook my head though unsure if they could see it. " No... I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help you. Who are these bad people you speak of?" I asked stopping where I was. I didn't need to be a genius to know that you had to let the child come to you if you wanted to earn their trust. "Can you tell me your name, young man? My name is Yoake." I asked feeling a lot older then I actually was. The figure shifted a bit.

" I... I'm Moku." the boy said smally. I couldn't help but to let a smile spread upon my face. "Moku... that is a very nice name. I envy you for having such an amazing name. Can you tell me who is trying to get you?" I asked hoping to get him to answer my previous question. One step at a time, I thought to myself. The figure crept forward and I managed to make out a bare feet and the end of some raggity pants. "The bad ones..." he said obviously scared of whatever these 'bad ones' were. I brushed some hair out of my face. " It is okay. I'm not a bad one. I'm here to help you." I said with an inviting smile. "Are you a soul reaper? The others said I needed to find a soul reaper so I can reunite with my mommy." Moku said with a sniffle. I shook my head though it made me sad to know I wasn't the help he needed.

" I'm sorry but I am no soul reaper. I'm a simple human who wishes to help you. Maybe I can help you find this 'soul reaper' and reunite you with your mother." I said reassuringly. That seemed to get the boy's attention because next thing I knew there was a small boy hugging me. Big brown eyes looked up into my icy blues. A boy with short black hair and very light skin gave me the biggest smile I had ever seen. " Really? You can help me get to my mommy?" The nod I gave me nearly made him burst with joy. I looked down further and confirmed my suspicions. A broken chain was connected to the small child in the center of his chest. A bond spirit. Er... an unbound spirit since the chain connected to nothing.

" Yes, Moku. I will help you find your mommy." It was the truth. There was no telling how long this child was out here. I had a feeling that I was his only real human connection since he passed. The loneliness would be enough to make me go insane. And I live alone! With a smile on my face, I reached down and took his hand in mine. I cocked my head towards the street and he seemed to understand. So we walked out of the alley and back into the empty roads. I could tell based by how much his grip hurt my hand and by how close he was to me that he was nervous. Extremely. It was either that or scared. I tried to call forth my undeveloped motherly powers to comfort him. A small squeeze of his hand and a smile. "It's okay, Moku. I'll keep you safe from whatever the bad ones are." I said confidently and reassuringly. He seemed to believe me so he relaxed a bit. Then a thought embedded itself within my mind.

" How are we supposed to find your mommy, Moku?" I asked curiously as we walked down the street passing up the road I would have taken to get to my home. The small boy shrugged sadly. " I don't know... All the other ghosts I ever spoke with said to find a soul reaper and avoid the bad ones." he said with doubt and sadness on his face. He probably thought he would never see his mommy again. It made me feel bad but also gave me more determination to find this accursed soul reaper. I wonder if they were hiring. Because I seemed to be helping more spirits then they seemed to be. Hmmm...

We continued to walk through the darkness of the night in silence. I wanted to ask the boy some questions but I wasn't sure which questions were and weren't appropriate for a spirit of a little boy. You couldn't ask him what he wanted to be when he grew up because he was never going to grow up ever. Tell me about your family was a question I didn't hesitate on before giving it a big NO. Luckily it didn't take very long until a question popped into my head. "So what are these 'soul reapers'? I never heard of them." I asked as we strolled along looking for some kind of sign.

" I don't know much about them. The others said that soul reapers help us and fight the bad ones." Moku said perking up a bit. Perhaps he was finally warming up to me. I nodded and pondered over his words a little bit. I loved all things supernatural so I spent many nights in my younger years searching the internet as well as the local libraries learning as much as I could about the paranormal and the mystic creatures of mythology and what not. A soul reaper was something I had never encountered before in any of the text I had studied. Granted, I only studied when my busy scheduled allowed it but still. Based on how he described them, they sounded like masters of death so to speak. Perhaps even death gods.

The walk remained silent once more. Aside from my boots hitting the ground and the rattling of Moku's chain all was quiet. It was the ominous quiet though. The silence that happens in the scary movies just before the hot chick opens the door and gets killed. I found myself looking over my shoulder as we walked. My gut was trying to tell me something but I had no idea what exactly what it was. I've had these feelings before and I learned quickly to trust them. The spirit who held onto my hand tightly seemed to feel it too because he looked around frequently. Most would blame that on a typical child's curiosity but I wasn't that kinda person.

A few moments passed without anything happening until we started hearing some strange noise coming from one of the alleyways. It didn't sound like trouble. In fact, it sounded rather inviting. My gut telling me it was a bad idea, I remained where I was trying to figure out what it was. Then it occurred to me. That wasn't strange noises. It was singing. Beautiful singing that only a master voice could accomplish. It was so amazing and perfect. I could feel it drawing me closer. A rumbling in my stomach caused me to snap out of whatever trance I was falling under and realize what was going on. I went to squeeze Moku's hand only to notice air in my hand. He was gone.

" Moku!" I cried out before running in the direction of the singing. I knew it was a trap but I couldn't let that poor boy get hurt. A spirit or not, he was my responsibility and I intended to watch over him and keep him safe. The singing came from an alley a few blocks ahead. I turned in to see a sight that would have made any other person run screaming in terror. Luckily, I was to focused on the mission at hand to be disturbed by what I saw.

A web. A massive spider-web like thing was attached to the walls of the alley making it impossible to cross to the other side without running into it. Rested in the web itself was the terror itself. I couldn't describe what it was. Basically, it seemed like a demonic version of a giant spider. A hole near its spinnerets and a mask as white as bone. It was entirely white aside from the terrifying red eyes that peered towards me. Actually, it wasn't focused upon me. It was gazing upon little Moku as he slowly made his way over towards. it. "MOKU! Get the hell away from that thing!" I cried out. Most times I didn't turn to foul language but there are just those times where there is no other choice. The spirit continued to ignore me as if the only thing in the world was him and that thing. I actually opened up my ears so to speak and listened in on what exactly was happening.

" Come to me child... Momma is here to help you." the spider-demon thing said in such a beautiful voice. How something so grotesque and horrendous could have such a beautiful voice was beyond me. It sent shivers down my spine. Moku continued to inch closer and closer to it. " Mother? Is that really you?" he said in a small voice. Was it really her? Could this thing be his mother but in a different form? I almost believed it. "Yes child... Mommy is here to save you. Come now... Embrace your mommy..." it said in its sickly sweet voice. Then it dawned on me. If this was his mother... why didn't anything happened when I yelled at 'her' son. If I knew anything about mothers it was that no one yelled at heir kid except for them. It wasn't much to go with but I was willing to take a misunderstanding over a dead child anyday.

" You stay away from him!" I cried out before reaching over to one of the trash cans. I searched fanatically for a weapon until I came across an old baseball bat. It wasn't much but it sure beat using my fists. I grabbed it and pulled it out of the trash can. I took off toward the spider beast. Why I was about to lock into combat with some nightmare I wasn't sure. It wasn't exactly on my to-do list for the day but I couldn't complain. The spider must have been so focused upon Moku that when I struck it in its gross bug face it cried out in agony. The bat splintered in my hands from the force of the impact. My eyes widened when its screams let loose into the air. IT was the screams that haunted me at night. This was a 'bad one' that he was telling me about. Obviously, the spider was preforming some kind of charm upon the small child because as soon as I struck he shook his head and blinked as if just waking up form a quick nap. He cried out in fear when he saw his 'mother' for what she truly was. A monster.

A smile spread upon my face as I looked at him but I let myself lose focus at what was happening so I ended up getting backhanded by one of the legs and crashing against the wall. I hit the ground with a thud and let out a groan. I tried to get back to my feet but it hurt too much. The creature was really strong. I'm surprised why that didn't kill me. Moku looked at me in shock and ran over to me. "Oh no are you okay, Ms. Yoake?" he asked squatting down looking at me. I gave him a reassuring smile before returning my attention to the problem at hand. The spider did not seem very happy with me.

" How dare you!" It cried out in a different voice. It was like nails on chalk board it was so much different from the voice I had heard earlier. I managed to lift myself up off the ground but I couldn't get up from my sitting position I still hurt that bad. " You just cost me a taste little soul. It just seems that now I will have to eat both you and the boy to make up for the energy I'm about to lose killing you!" it exclaimed before jabbing one of its legs towards me. I thought for sure that the end was about to come until I heard a small bark and growl and a light color blur. One moment I see a spider leg about to impale me against the brick wall behind me then the next I see the most bizarre sight ever. A dog, obviously mixed breed, hanging from the spider's leg. It growled, tore, and scratched at the monster's limb until it too was tossed to the side.

" Gah!" it screamed out. "Yet another pest disturbs me meal! You too shall die with them!" the spider called out raising it's leg to finish off the dog. The sound of a sword being drawn from it's scabbard reached my ears. " I wouldn't be so sure of that, hollow." A deep, baritone like voice said in a growling like manner. I couldn't see where it was coming form but it was obvious the beast did. All of it's eyes widened in horror. " I am a little surprised that I couldn't detect you but it is clear that obviously your web kept your spiritual pressure hidden." the voice said displeased. I had no idea what he was saying but I had it in my mind that maybe I would be able to make it home and partake in Urufu's cookies once more. The spider went to say something but was interrupted by the voice. " Roar, Tenken." it sounded out before a dark red phantasmal hand came out of nowhere armed with the largest sword I had ever seen in my life. The dark one let out one last cry of agony as it split into it causing it to dissolve into nothingness.

I looked over at Moku to see he was all right but he wasn't even looking at me. He was looking at whatever was the source of the voice. I tried to see as well but it was blocked from my view. Something told me though that by the wide grin on the spirit's face that it was not another foe but indeed an friend. An ally. A soul reaper.

Author's Note

Wooh! Chapter 2 is finally done and thus starts our story. I'm sorry about the end. I could have written it better but I guess I was in a hurry to finish the chapter. Now there is a select few of my readers who will probably recognize at least one of the beings I introduced within the chapter.

Well I'm done for now. I'll try to update as soon as possible now that I know what I'm doing again. Please review and what not.