Edward was sent back to the World of the Living quicker than he was sent away, and put back into his life as if nothing had happened. He woke up at 8 like he usually does, had his regular breakfast and arrived at school totally… normally! He spent the majority of his time looking over his shoulder, expecting to see Kurotsuchi behind him with a surgical needle and that strange smile which had invaded many of Edward's nightmares. There had been no sign of the Soul Reapers watching, even though Hitsugaya had made sure Edward knew that they were around. Edward smirked as he remembered the events after Kurotsuchi's work.
Kurotsuchi had given his report to both Hitsugaya and someone he called the 'Captain-Commander' Yamamoto. He seemed important, as Edward was whisked away to see him soon after the readings were delivered. It was strange, a small black butterfly informed Matsumoto of the news. It seemed that this was how Soul Society communicated, but Edward only saw the higher-ups using it. Edward was taken to a large building in the middle of Seireitei, where he was bought into a room containing simply a desk and chair. An old man was sitting at the chair; he had several scars and a long white beard. Edward felt slightly scared of the man; he could feel a certain power emanating from him. Edward was stood next to Hitsugaya, who was filling Yamamoto in on his situation. He had kind of phased out for a few seconds, and forgotten most of what was said, but was bought back by an official sounding order.
"Hitsugaya, Edward will be assigned to your squad. I'm entrusting you with bringing out Edward's hidden powers." Hitsugaya groaned loudly, and dropped his head.
"Thanks for that Tosh" Edward sighed to himself
"My name is Captain Hitsugaya." He replied angrily "And while you are in my squad you will address me as such!"
Edward chuckled as he remembered Hitsugaya's evil looks.
"I guess he's my captain now" Edward thought "The question is: what now?" Edward looked at his window as he listened to the sounds of his class happily chatting. The sound was oddly comforting; it reminded him that all was normal. He comfort suddenly died down, and Edward looked around. His classroom had gone totally silent, and were all staring at the door.
"What are they all- Oh, dear god!" Standing in the doorway was a tall woman with large breasts and orange hair, smiling cutely in the doorway and making a peace sign with her right hand. Edward practically lunged out of his chair and tackled her into the corridor, shutting the door as he went. Matsumoto sat up whilst rubbing her head
"You're eager aren't you? If you wanted a hug you could've just asked!"
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Edward shouted desperately
"My Captain sent me to keep an eye on you, among other things…" Matsumoto answered
"What things?"
"It was supposed to be a surprise…" she whined
"What things?"
"Well, Edward Smith." Matsumoto said standing up "I will be your 'Shinigami Battle Buddy' until you unlock your own powers!"
"Did you come up with that yourself…?"
"I will personally take you to battle the strongest Hollows, and use my high Spiritual Pressure as your source of power!"
"Couldn't they have sent someone less annoying?"
"Edward, under my tutelage, you will become one of the greatest Soul Reapers in history!" Matsumoto cried, taking Edward's hands and jumping up.
"Wait, how could they see you? Normal people aren't supposed to see Shinigami, right?"
"This is a Gigai, a temporary body we Soul Reapers use." Matsumoto explained, modelling it slightly and fixing her uniform (and yes, she was wearing the school's uniform). Suddenly, Matsumoto's Soul Pager sounded, signalling a nearby Hollow. Matsumoto grinned excitedly
"Let's get started!" She pulled out a small green pill, took it and then donned a red glove.
"Hey what's that f-" Edward started, before being slapped by her.
Edward's soul was taken by Matsumoto to a nearby park, where a large Hollow was reaping havoc. Edward was sat on a nearby park bench as Matsumoto dealt with the beast. Although the spectacle should have been amazing, Edward couldn't help feeling slightly bored. Matsumoto was clearly showboating, with her flips and swordplay, but Edward was still uninterested. She saw this and sighed, deciding it was time to end this.
"Unare, Haineko!" she shouted, as her sword turned to ash. The ash quickly floated around the Hollow, and with a flick of her wrist the Hollow was cut open and defeated.
"What was that? You're sword turned to ash!" Edward asked, suddenly interested in the events. Matsumoto sheaved her sword and turned to face Edward.
"Ever Soul Reaper wields a Zanpakuto. They are not just weapons, they are spirits; they're alive. This is Haineko, and what you just witnessed was my 'Shikai'; her released form. Understand?"
"Uh… sure. So, where do you get a Zanpakuto? Is there a shop?"
"No, of course not!" Matsumoto laughed "Every Shinigami initiate is given a Zanpakuto they mould into their own."
"So when do I get mine?!" Edward grinned.
"You need to unlock your Shinigami powers first. Do you feel anything?" Edward paused, trying to see if he felt his power. There was nothing, not even an echo.
"…no, nothing…"
"I see... Well there's no point in dwelling on it! We've got class!" Matsumoto exclaimed happily
"You're not coming to class with me!"
Edward managed to avoid Matsumoto for most of the day. He knew she'd catch up eventually, but he didn't want to have to make a scene about it. It was the end of the day and Edward was about to make his way home when a memorable voice was heard from above him:
"Yoohoo! Edward!"
"Oh no…" Edward sighed, turning around and seeing Matsumoto in her black kimono. She jumped down and ran up to Edward, who was seriously considering running for his dear life.
"Rangiku! How are you?" Edward feigned, putting on his best grin.
"Great! You missed it; I just took on a Hollow; big one too! You could've watched, it might've helped"
"Yeah, shame I missed it. Next time I'll-. Oh…" Edward groaned and tried to hide his face slightly.
"What is it?"
"Those kids there. They're part of this group that enjoy picking on me." Matsumoto looked over to where Edward was pointing and saw four kids kicking over a rubbish bin. They turned and upon seeing Edward, snickered and walked over.
"Do you want me to-?"
"No, no. It's fine. They'll just make some silly jokes and leave. If I'm lucky that is…"
"Well now, if it isn't Frenchy!" a boy said. Edward groaned and rolled his head back
"For the last time, I'm English!" Edward sighed
"Don't act smart; while you're in our country you're under our rule!" another cried, shaking his fist
"Do you seriously believe-?" Edward began, before a blow to the stomach shut him up
"Don't talk back!" Matsumoto watched the events as her anger grew. She stepped up to Edward as the 'leader' of the group threw a punch. She grabbed his fist and threw in back as the boy gasped.
"How-how did you do that?!" he cried, looking around for a sign of the assailant. He shouted in terror as Matsumoto knocked out one of his friends and kicked another down to the ground.
"Run!" The group fled like the cowards they were, and Edward grinned as Matsumoto threw a stone at the most further back.
"Thanks for that. Don't worry about them, I'm used to it."
"Why didn't you do anything? You're much bigger than them!"
"I'm not like that. I've always been the quieter one. Think first, shoot later."
Edward returned home to his mother's house. He opted not to return to his father's, not wanting to deal with his nagging. His mother happily greeted him with his dinner, and Matsumoto disappeared to find her Gigai. Edward's mother was a kind woman, who often went out of her way to help others. Edward had only seen her shout once: when her husband left. Edward sat down to eat his food, but was interrupted by a loud shout:
"Eddy!" Edward grinned and turned around to see his little sister, Clarice, running down the stairs. Clarice was 9 and the sweetest girl Edward knew. If Edward was ever unhappy, he could rely on her to cheer him up. Clarice jumped the last two steps and ran over the Edward, hugging him quickly.
"Hello, Clarice! You seem happy!" Edward said, struggling to stay on the chair as Clarice jumped on him.
"I am! Teacher said my painting was the best in class!" Edward laughed and finished his dinner as he listened to his sister's day. Listening to such a normal story made him forget his troubles and powers.
Edward was sitting on his bed listening to some music and reading a book. He hadn't seen Matsumoto since she helped stop those bullies, so he finally had some time to himself. Clarice had been sent to bed after helping mom tidy up. Edward was happy relaxing when he was shook by a loud crash and a deep rumbling. Edward jumped on his bed and sprinted downstairs, where he was greeted by a horrific sight…
A large hole had been taken out from his house, and rubble was thrown all about the living room. Edward hastily looked around and suddenly heard a horrific scream.
"Mom!" Edward ran outside through the hole and saw his mother, in the hands of a Hollow. She saw Edward standing among the destruction, and reached out to him
"Edward! Run! Go, now!" Edward sped out towards the Hollow, not thinking straight or considering the consequences. He was about to engage the monster when he heard a voice from behind him:
"Eddy…?" Clarice was standing outside the house, crying in fear.
"Oh no…" Edward thought. Clarice screamed as the Hollow swiped at Edward. Edward heard the cry and spun around in time, ducking under the attack quickly. He looked up and saw the Hollow growl, tossing his mother aside. Edward dived to catch her, and managed to soften her fall. He leant her against the wall and turned back to continue his fight. He looked around to find a weapon, and managed to pick up a simple wooden sword. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with it, but maybe he could stall until Matsumoto got here. He turned to face the beast, and defiantly readied his sword.
A few moments later and Edward was left panting on the ground, covered in grazes and marks. The Hollow was left almost unscathed, and Clarice was now bawling her eyes outs.
"I'm not going to make it out of this alive. I've just got to get it away from Clarice and my mother, then I'm… ready to go." Edward thought, knowing when his time had come. He turned around and his heart dropped, as the Hollow made a grab for Clarice.
"No…" Edward thought in dread. He quickly sped to Clarice's aid, raising his word to block the Hollow's attack. As contact met, Edward was covered in a stunning white light. Clarice covered her eyes against the strong glow. When she looked back, Edward had changed. His school uniform had become a deep black kimono, and his dainty wooden sword had become a magnificent katana with a light blue hilt. His injuries had healed almost completely, and he stood with a newfound confidence and power. It was beautiful and… horrifying. Clarice couldn't stand up because of his vast Spiritual Energy and Pressure. Edward looked up as the Hollow, and pointed his sword towards the sky.
"Denryoku no nagare kara tachiagaru*, Tenkezunami!**" Edward's katana glowed white, and it quickly reformed. The straight and narrow blade lengthened and a crescent moon grew out from the hilt. A large chain grew from the base of the sword, which connected to a dagger which Edward held in his left hand. The dagger was long and intricately designed, with Japanese symbols cut into the metal. Edward skilfully threw the dagger at the Hollow, piercing through it chest easily and cutting it open. Its blood flew everywhere, but Edward didn't let up. He leapt into the air and bought his sword swiping down, defeating the Hollow and purifying its spirit. Edward marvelled at his handiwork for a few seconds, and then promptly passed out…
*'Rise up from the streams of power'
**'Heaven-cutting Waves'
(A now for the note I should have added a while ago! As you will probably know, Bleach is Japanese, and therefore is spoken is Japanese. This series will obviously be in English, but several things will remain in Japanese. Zanpakuto names, release commands and important nouns will remain in Japanese, and new ones will be written in Japanese too. I will translate any original nouns/verbs, and put them below the story. Ok! I've finished breaking the immersion!)
