Author's Note: This is the last of the anecdotes introducing our three OCs. I wonder who those shinigami are……hehe
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach
This Light I See
By annyenil
Utsukushii Taberu was the most ordinary soul there could ever be. She was relatively normal in her appearance, in her behaviour, and except for her slight tendency to overeat, she had no remarkable idiosyncrasies. There was a strange business with her though, she was born in the house of a noble clan, one of the greatest. But she herself bore no noble blood. Taberu was the daughter of a body guard in the clan. She was born to guard the future head of the clan.
The ironic part was that the head of clan, even in his relative youth, was much stronger than any of the guards, so the Guard Squad was often dispatched to do the chores of a servant, which was fine on Taberu's part.
During her free time, Taberu liked to wander about on the streets of Sereitei. Sometimes, she would meet her fellow guard-servants and they'd have a sake party. Sometimes she would see officers from a distance and tries to make herself inconspicuous. It was during one of those walks where she first met her best friend, Hana-chan. She never asked where he came from. And he never asked her either. They often sat side by side outside the clan house and whisper to each other about those tall, austere-looking officers. If they were lucky, they might even catch sight of a Ranked Officer or even better, a Taichou.
"Hana-chan, what do you want to be when you grow up?" She asked once.
"A shinigami, of course."
"What kind of shinigami?"
"The kind that helps people. Although I doubt I will be able to make it. I am quite mediocre, you know."
"I'm sure you will make a good shinigami, Hana-chan." Taberu said so and believed it. She, on the other hand, was not sure what would become of her. The selections for the Shinigami Academy was drawing near and after her years of service as a Guard-Servant, she was still uncertain of her reiatsu. It was fluctuating greatly and the unstability was not in her favour.
"Tabi-chan, I'm leaving next week." Hana-chan told her.
"I am so glad for you." Taberu smiled sincerely. At least her friend was going to become a shinigami.
"You will be all right, won't you? I will come by to see you."
"Sayonara, Hana-chan!"
"Sayonara, Tabi-chan!"
Although she was smiling, a tear trickled precariously at the corner of her eye. She lumbered back to the backhouse. On the way, she passed by the vast courtyard of the Clan Master House. It was empty except for the full Cherry blooms of May. "Ah! I will sure miss Hana-chan." She thought sadly. As though a corollary in the drama, a figure caught her attention. It was a boy not much older than she was. He was slashing about a sword along, at nobody.
She ventured closer. There were cherry petals everywhere, and he seemed to be at the centre of the confluence.
"Are you alright? Why are you slashing your sword at nobody? Are you angry?" Taberu asked, her eyes concerned.
"Imbeciles." He didn't look at her, but merely muttered the word and continued the gestures. A fellow guard-servant spotted her and quickly pulled her away, apologising profusely to the rude, callous boy.
"Taberu! How dared you address our master?" Her guard-servant senpai demanded.
"That boy is our master? I have never seen him before."
"Of course you haven't. You are not supposed to."
"Why was he slashing at the air? Is he mental?"
"Shush!"
"Why, senpai?"
"Because he is a shinigami. Now run along."
Taberu followed her orders to appease her agitated senpai, but she sneaked back to the courtyard everyday to gaze at the air-slashing boy.
"Shinigami..." Taberu glanced at her own hands. The glow of her reiatsu was lighter than those beautiful cherry petals gently carassing her. Her heart was full of adulation for the boy in the courtyard.
She might be weak and obsolete, but at least she dared dream.
"I want to be a shinigami." Taberu avowed amidst roars of laughter from the Guard Squad House.
