Disclaimer: Bleach not mine.
So here we are =] Chapter 2. I wrote this at college and uploaded it at home.
Have fun reading.
At some point during the shopkeepers super run, I passed out. My body felt empty and I couldn't keep my eyes open to watch the buildings blur by me. I entered a dreamless sleep. Oh well, at least I couldn't feel the pain that had worked its way into every joint on my body.
I awoke in an empty room, laying on thin sheet that was meant to keep me comfortable on the wooden floor. It wasn't working. I put my palms flat on the ground and pushed myself up, testing my body for any aches or pains. There were none, I guess a goodnights sleep really did cure all. I pulled the thin sheet off my body and sat up fully, looking around the bare room for a sign to tell me where I was.
A door slid open and light broke in. I raised my arm up, covering my eyes. It was definitely the morning again, meaning I'd slept a while. But surely it didn't take my eyes this long to adjust. The door slid closed again and I lowered my arm. Standing there was that shopkeeper, what was his name again? Oh right, Urahara.
"Ah, good morning, Hatake-Kun." He spoke warmly taking a seat in front of me on the floor.
I stared at him for a moment, trying to figure him out. What were his motives? As far as I could tell, he knew me when I didn't know him. He saved me from a monster and now he was letting me rest at his house. Just what did this guy want?
"Yeah, morning. Look, I just wanna kn- …" He cut me off when he raised his hand.
"I know what you want, Hatake-Kun and I shall answer your questions. But there are some things I promised you I wouldn't say. So please, ask whatever question you think is most important."
He promised me? What the hell did that mean? I don't remember asking him to pinky swear to anything. Was he apart of my blurry memories? I shuffled forwards a little, leaning in so I could see his eyes under the shadow of his hat.
"How do you know me?"
"You are a customer of mine. You came here a year ago, looking for help." Urahara answered and so far, I couldn't detect deception in his voice.
"What help did I need?"
"That is one of the things I cannot tell you." I scowled. Why did I have to make him promise? I probably had a good reason but damn it, I shouldn't be keeping things from myself.
I rocked back and forth slightly, trying to recall information from last night. I'd ask about the monster last, since I wanted to pretend that it was a dream just a little longer.
"Oh! Last night, you mentioned a 'Gigai', what is that?"
"Ah, well, a Gigai is what Shinigami use to hide their reitsu and travel amongst humans as one of them." He was answering so honestly, did he trust me?
Wait … Did he just say Shinigami? I narrowed my eyes and stared at him incredulously, trying to spot the signs of lying. Shinigami weren't real, they were tales told to old people who were getting spiritual. Then again, I didn't believe in monsters either until last night.
"But you said I was in a Gigai, does that mean I'm a … Shinigami?" I felt stupid just asking it.
"Oh no, no you are something different." Different? I hated that word, it usually meant worse.
"Then, what am I?"
"An Arrancar."
The word was like a lightning bolt hitting my brain and turning on the power to full. I clutched my head as a wave of pictures and sounds came crashing down on me, threatening to make my head explode. I saw sand, lots of it. People wearing white clothes, hollows. Monsters everywhere. Men in black clothes. So many swords. Power levels that would kill a human. What the hell was I?
"I-I … If I am this … Creature, that you say I am. Then why, why did you help me?"
"Because, you were harmless. You came to me as a soul tired of fighting. Even creatures deserve peace." He was hiding something, I knew it. But he wouldn't tell me.
I stared down at my hands, then touched my wrist. I felt real. If this was a Gigai, then it was an amazing creation because I couldn't feel more human. I knew now what I was, a creature made from a monster like the one that chased me last night. Not human, not monster, something in between. My life before then I could still not see, nor could I see my life after then. My mind felt like a comic book with pages torn out.
I didn't know how long I had been quite for, but it was obviously long enough to make things uncomfortable enough for Urahara to speak again, "The Gigai you are in is failing though. I am making you another one. Shouldn't be too long."
Another one? I didn't want another one. I wanted this one, the one I knew, the one my friends knew, the one my family … My family. I had no family. Those pictures were just lies, monsters didn't have kin. I clenched my fists and pain shot up my arm. He was right, this body was failing. Every movement now was causing pain.
"How do I get out of this one?" I asked softly, finding it hard to lift my voice up above a whisper.
Urahaha gave me one of his clean smiles and lifted his stick. Before I could stop him, he jammed it through my head and I felt like my body was being stretched. I fell backwards and hit my head on the floor, but felt no pain from it. I sat up to yell at Urahaha, stopping when I saw my old body sitting in front of me, staring lifelessly at the shopkeeper.
I stared down at my hands once again, which were now a strange grey colour, like the wall of a church. I ran a finger across my forearm, feeling the smoothness of my satin skin. This couldn't be my true form.
"There's a mirror in the other room." Urahaha told me, his eyes showing he was pleased with my reaction. Before he could point the way, I ran into the room on my right.
I stopped in front of the full length mirror and my brown eyes -No, wait, they were now yellow- grew wide from the shock of it. My face was exactly the same as my Gigai's, so it was modelled after me. The only difference there was the change in skin colour. My deep yellow eyes had two yellow marks just below them. My black hair now grew just past my shoulders and on my forehead was a large broken piece of mask. My memory reminded me it was from my days as a monster. It was a pearl white colour and it stretched the length of my forehead. A long, thick bump stretched the length of the mask horizontally. I gave it a tug but it was stuck there like a second layer of skin.
My eyes travelled down to my torso, which was now ripped. I'd never been ripped before. My hands glided over my solid abs, poking and prodding them, making sure they were real. They were spoiled a little by the hole that went through my entire body, in the spot where my belly button used to be. A sleeveless white jacket that covered half my torso was all that covered my upper half, my lower half was covered by white pants.
My hands then found their way to the blade at my side. The hilt was made from wood, with two green pieces of string attached to the end. It was so cool, finally my Kendo classes would pay off.
After my inspection, I'd completely forgotten my sadness at losing my old body. Who cared when I looked like this? Sure, I was pale, but damn I looked good. I walked back into Urahaha, my cheeks hurting from the grin on my face. My Gigai was no longer there, had he moved it so quickly?
"I take it you are pleased with your new body?" He asked and I replied with an enthusiastic nod, "Good, well then go test it out."
"What?" Was this like buying a car? Did I have to road test it first?
"Well, all that power has its perks. Surely you've felt it?" I hadn't until he mentioned it.
I could feel the new power that surged through my body. It was much greater than that monsters, it was enough to level a town. Not that I wanted to, I just liked knowing I had that option open. I wanted to test it out, see what it could do. If I could jump fifteen feet in a Gigai, how far could an Arrancar body jump? Automatically I put a cap on it though, I didn't want my power leaking everywhere.
"I will be working on your Gigai. So, take your time. But please try not to get caught. I'd hate to explain this to the Shinigami." They were real? I guess I wasn't surprised. I wasn't scared either, not with the new power I had.
I headed for the front door, pausing with one foot out. I turned my head and asked the question that had just found its way to the front of my brain, "Hey, shopkeeper. That monster last night-"
"-The Hollow."
"Yeah, that. Well, was it chasing me because of this power inside of me?"
"Most likely." Good, I thought to myself. I was hoping another one came to try and take a bite. I was itching for a fight and killing a soul eating monster was as good as it got.
I exited the shop, sliding the door closed behind me and I instantly felt a new side to my power. I could feel every person in the town, everyone of their powers I could see, like little fireflies at night. Not only that, but I could hear every sound, inhale every smell and see every movement. I felt like I was everywhere at once. It was incredible.
I took a few steps forward, turned that into a jog, then broke into a sprint. In seconds, I was running down the street faster than any car. I could've loved to see what I looked like to the people I passed by. Then, just when I thought my speed had hit its max, I disappeared, reappearing twenty yards away. Had I … Teleported? Just when I thought my body couldn't do more, it surprised me.
I leaped onto the roof of a nearby building, a surprisingly easy task, and focused my sights on the building next to it. I took a step forward and woosh I'd teleported across buildings. This was gonna be a fun day.
An hour flew by quicker than I had thought possible. I had been having too much fun outrunning Italian sports cars, teleporting to the tops of tall buildings and lifting up stationary trains. I felt like my body could do anything, there were no more limits for me now.
I was about ready to return, being super powered was fun, but after looking at the clock tower at the town square, I realised school was in an hour. Damn, it was pretty early. I wanted to finish school. I was an Arrancar but I was also a human. I didn't want to lose that tie. I didn't know why I wanted to become human in the first place, but it was me, so the reason had to be good.
I took back towards Urahara's shop, timing myself on how long it took me to run six miles. When, from up above, a Hollow roar broke out across the sky, disturbing the peace. My eyes shot up to the hollow. This one was different from last night, its body was green and it had wings, looking like a monster bird from a low budget horror movie. It hadn't looked at me, did my power scare it?
My hands clenched into fists. This thing, this monster that I was once brethren with, the sight of it angered me. Not only had one tried to kill me, but these things killed humans, ate souls. I couldn't allow that. It was time to test out the fighting skills my body possessed.
I pulled out my blade swiftly, ignoring my kendo lessons. I didn't have time to get into a stance. I leapt in the air, climbing higher and higher until I came within arms reach of the Hollow. I swung. My blade sliced through it wing easily, nothing could stop my blade. The hollow cried out and began descending, I wasn't gonna let it reach the ground.
I landed on its back, raising my blade high in the air, before bring it crashing down into the Hollows mask. It cracked open and the Hollow began to disintegrate into nothing. I landed gracefully onto the nearest building, sliding my blade back into its sheath. The Hollow was too easy for me to feel any pride about taking its life. I was happy, though. It was only one, but thinking that I might've saved some poor soul was a pretty cool feeling.
I headed back to Urahara's without further incident. I paused at the entrance, feeling someone inside. A power level that was clearly suppressed. I had no clue how I knew that, I just did. I cautiously stepped in and my eyes were greeted with the sight of an orange-haired Shinigami talking to Urahara. Wait … Wasn't that a kid who went to my school?
"I'm telling you, I felt an Arrancar here!" The orange-haired boy snapped at the smiling shopkeeper.
Urahara looked over at me and the boys eyes followed. Those eyes, I definitely knew him. Now what was his name?
"Kurosaki-Kun!" Urahara spoke. That was his name, Kurosaki.
He had pulled out his huge sword and had it pointed at me. Instinctively, my hand went to my blade. I wasn't gonna let this guy chop me up, even though I knew that was a Shinigami's job.
"Kurosaki-San, there is more to this story than you know. Please, allow me to explain." Urahara spoke softly, placing a hand onto the boys shoulder. He must've had a lot of trust in the shopkeeper, as he slowly backed into the other room. His eyes never leaving me, his sword never dropping.
"What's his problem?" I growled, moving my hand away from my blade.
"Ah, nothing, I'm sure. Your new Gigai is ready," He gestured into another room, "Please, try it on. I will explain all to Kurosaki-Kun." And with that, he followed the orange-haired boy and closed the door.
I wanted to sneak up and listen in so badly. I knew what they were talking about; Me. More importantly, the stuff I couldn't remember. Still, if that Kurosaki could feel me from miles away, he'd definitely feel me pressed against the door. I went against what I wanted and headed into the other room.
Standing in the centre of what looked like a stock room, was me. Well, my Gigai. It looked exactly like my old one. The scene kid hair, tight jeans, loose hoody. Even that little scar on my chin. Looking at it made me feel nostalgic. It made me miss being a human. Being super strong was great, but being normal felt better.
I walked over to the Gigai and poked its cheek, trying to figure out how to use it. How did I get in? I circled it a few times, pausing on the fourth circle at the back. Maybe I stepped in? Like a robot suit? I took a step forward and placed my hands onto its shoulders. I closed my eyes and moved in, hoping it worked or I'd be dry humping my human self.
When my opens opened back up, there was nothing in front of me. I turned, nothing behind me. I looked at my hands and smiled at their familiar pinkness. I was back to my human self. I stretched a little, making sure it fit right, like a new t-shirt. When I was satisfied, I walked out the room, just as Urahara and Kurosaki came out of theirs.
"Ah it looks great, Hatake-Kun." Urahara said. I was about to reply, when the orange-haired scowled came over to me. I was taller, that was a secret win for me.
"Listen, I'll allow you to live. But you stay in that Gigai at all times. If you don't, I have no hesitation to end your life, Arrancar." What a jerk. I wanted to retort back at him, hit him, do anything. But causing trouble didn't seem smart. I gave him a half-hearted salute and he left.
What gave him the right to say if I lived or not? I would've lived even without his approval. I wasn't a monster, I wasn't gonna let anybody treat me like one. I flipped him off when he left, then headed over to Urahara.
"What did you say to him?" I asked, since whatever it was had saved me a fight. And possible my life.
"I told him why you are here. Why you are human."
"And you still won't tell me?"
"Nope."
I sighed. It seemed it was useless to argue, this guy probably had years of practice with keeping secrets. One kid wasn't going to break that. I turned, wanting to leave. I hoped this Gigai would last longer, so I wouldn't have to come back to this shop for another one.
"Wait." Urahara said and I turned back around. He handed me a cylinder container with the head of a duck. How old did he think I was? "This is Soul Candy. It will separate your Arrancar self from your human self instantly." He answered before I could ask.
"Right, but didn't the Orange guy with the attitude problem say, I couldn't do that?"
"Oh, of course. And you must listen. This is just for emergencies." I had a feeling he knew exactly what emergency I would need the candies for. I stuffed them into my back pocked and grabbed Urahara before he could turn.
"Wait," Something had been bugging me and only then did I realise how much, "My memories. What happened to them?"
There was something in Urahara's eyes that told me he was thinking. Was he thinking up a lie or whether or not to tell me the truth? I could never fully tell with this guy.
"When you came to me the first time, you asked the Gigai be built to wipe your memories. After that, I filled in a few gaps. Family, school, money." I scratched the back of my neck. Whatever I wanted to forget must've been big. If I couldn't know what it was, then who could?
"I see. Well I wanna keep my memories now. I have to know what I was running from." Urahara gave me a nod, he understood. We both turned and I left the store, heading for school.
Compared to earlier events, the day was boring. Classes seemed to go by quick, with me absorbing only half of what the teacher said. Then came lunch and that was filled with my friends telling me their plans for the weekend. I got a few invites but I didn't feel like going anywhere. The beach did sound kinda fun though.
The only eventful part of my day was at break. I was sat in class doodling, hiding from Kenji who was trying to get tips on how to pick up girls. Sitting in the class too was that Kurosaki kid and a few of his friends. I had the weirdest feeling they all hated me. Every time I glanced up, at least one of them was glaring at me. I eventually got annoyed and stood up to speak, but the bell rang and they left. Pricks.
The last task of the day was Kendo class. I walked there with Kenji, got changed and sat in a circle around our sensei. He asked for a volunteer to demonstrate with. My hand shot up. I didn't know why, but I was feeling strangely confident.
I stood opposite my sensei, we bowed our heads, then clashed weapons. My new Gigai felt alive with traces of my Arrancar self. I grinned. In one swift movement, I swiped my teachers legs with my Kendo blade, knocking him down. The class cheered, the sensei sent me home early. I was better than him anyway, I didn't need it. I did miss the feel of a real blade in my hand, though.
My walk home felt strange. The streets were empty, void of even cars. I couldn't feel even the smallest power level with a ten yard radius. This was weird. I quickened my pace a little, getting home sooner seemed like a real nice idea.
A pain shot down my right arm. I leaped to the left, clutching my arm. There was nothing wrong with it, not cuts or bruises. I scowled, my eyes darting everywhere for any sign of life. No one could hide their Reitsu this well … Right?
"Looking for me?" My head snapped around to the sound of a voice.
Floating a foot off the ground, only a few feet away, was an Arrancar. His fragment of mask stretched past his left eye and covered his cheek. He had cold, yellow eyes like mine and his hole was located on his left pectoral. What the hell was he doing here? Surely he wasn't foolish enough to attack me in a town populated by Shinigami? No, whatever this guy wanted, it had to do with me.
"Who the hell are you?" I asked, keeping him occupied as my hand inched towards my back pocket. This was looking like a Soul Candy emergency.
"My name is Dellqrou." He responded, his cocky grin already pissing me off. His left hand rested on his Zanpaktou, ready for a quick draw.
"What do you want from me?" I could handle a fight. Probably.
"So it's true, you lost your memories?" He chuckled lowly to himself, "Very well, I want to help you regain them." What a liar.
I scowled, he didn't even know I'd lost them, so he definitely wasn't here to help get them back. Still, if he knew me, then he had answers. Answers Urahara hid from me.
"How do you know me?"
"I would've thought it'd be obvious." Dellqrou spoke, opening his arms, like he wanted to embrace me in a hug, "I'm your brother."
A/N: Thanks for reading again =] I hope you enjoyed it, if you did, please review. If you didn't, review anyway C:
Who is this strange Arrancar who claims he is Sasori's brother?
Next chapter will have a lot of action and I'll introduce Sasori's love interest [Hint: She's a canon]
