A/N: So, here's chapter two and the plot is starting to roll in this chapter. Also, this story will NOT follow Deathly Hallows; I just don't really see the point.
Speaking of plot, if you have a pairing preference, please let me know! I need to decide soon if I'm going to be able to work it into the story. Possible choices are: Hitsugaya, Byakuya, and Urahara, since they were the most popular. Any of the Karakura or HP males are off limits.
Warnings: None, except for the typical female!Harry warning.
Disclaimer: I do not own either Bleach nor Harry Potter. Each are the property of their creators Kubo Tite and JK Rowling and their affiliates.
Chapter 2:
He rolled the golden thread in his fingers, staring down at the one ragged spot on the otherwise smooth string; even as he watched, two smaller frayed ends of the previously split thread reconnected, twining together and becoming intact once more. It was only a matter of time before the thread would be whole…
"And then the Games will begin again…" he whispered aloud to the seemingly empty air, letting the thread drop and dissipate.
Amaya jumped in surprise, banging her head on the underside of the shelf she was currently crawling through in search of some cleaning supplies. 'Ow,' she thought with a hiss, cupping a hand to her now aching head, and heard a chuckle in response. Climbing out of the hole she'd made between the rags and the bottles of bleach, she looked around, trying to find the speaker she'd just heard.
She blinked in confusion when she spotted no one.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Amaya called out, peeking around the corner of the shelves in the storeroom- still, there was not a soul. "Maybe I was more shaken up by whatever happened than I thought…" she murmured to herself, feeling slightly unsettled.
They hadn't determined anything was wrong during her stay in the hospital, a majority of her memories even returning- though, whatever had caused her blackout hadn't come back, and she still worried over it.
Biting her lip, she resolved to go speak with her Captain after her shift was over.
Sitting on the front porch of the house he lived in, Kuroitazura Meiyo whistled to himself as he whittled a small wooden dog. The sun was out and bright light washed down on him, turning his already sun-dark skin darker. Hearing a familiar tread of feet, he looked up from his current project to see an old woman making her way towards him.
"Ohayo, Aoiwashi-san!" he greeted.
"Meiyo-kun," the woman replied, her voice containing the rough scratchiness of a long-time smoker, and she sat down next to him on the edge of the porch.
They sat in silence for a while, watching as people walked by; after knowing each other for over ten years, usually no words were needed between them. The old woman pulled out her tobacco pipe, tamping a few leaves into the bowl before lighting it up. The rich smell of smoke filled the air, and it was only then that Aoiwashi turned to the man beside her.
"Are you going to tell her?" she asked, knowing it was a futile question when Meiyo sighed.
"And what am I to say, Chishiki-baasan?"
Aoiwashi Chishiki eyed the man beside her, her shrewd manner intimidating for any who didn't know her well. She was an old soul, having lived in Soul Society for nearly a thousand years, and she knew what to look for in people- which was why, nearly twenty years ago, she'd taken in a little girl until the child had left to become a shinigami. A few years after her adopted granddaughter had left, this young man had come stumbling out of the lower sectors of the Rukongai, and after they had gotten to know one another, she'd taken it upon herself to watch over another unfortunate soul.
"You should tell her something before you forget." This was a prudent reminder, as everyone forgets their life after a time. She, herself, remembers nothing anymore.
"What if there are some things I don't want to remember?"
"You owe them to her, Meiyo-kun. She was such a fragile child when I found her, and she deserves to know why that was."
Meiyo sighed, watching as a fight broke out in the street over a bushel of fruit."Thank you for being here today," the old man at the front of the room stated, a wan smile on his wrinkled face. "I know we have been unable to meet for quite some time, but it was of quite some importance that we did. I have managed to gain some news of Tom's plans."
Noise broke out from the assembled party, and Albus Dumbledore raised a hand for quiet.
"Our spies have informed me that Tom is planning to attack a major city in Scotland. We must not let the attack be carried out; the loss of lives would be devastating."
Nods slowly spread around the table, and Albus could only hope that they did not fail.
Retsu had to resist the urge to cover her mouth and laugh, but she couldn't help the small smile that spread across her lips as she watched the nervous young woman in front of her. The girl's worried words petered off when she saw the smile, and Retsu took the time to ask a few questions to clarify. She'd been a little surprised and concerned when she'd heard that Amaya wished to speak with her, but now felt reassured.
"So, you think you're hearing voices?"
"Yes, taichou." Amaya replied, looking anxiously toward the tatami mats on which they sat.
Unohana leaned forward, placing a soothing hand on the girl's own, and asked, "Now tell me, do the voices sound familiar? Do they give you a sense of déjà vu?"
The young woman paused as she opened her mouth to reply, eyes going hazy as she thought back. Her head began to nod, even before she said, "Yes… it- he does seem familiar…"
Settling back on her heels once again, Retsu felt a sense of pride and satisfaction for the young woman. "What is happening is nothing serious." Seeing Amaya focus back on her, she smiled reassuringly. "Your bond with your zanpakuto is most likely maturing. What you are hearing is the voice of your zanpakuto speaking to you, and the more you listen, the sooner you'll be able to learn its name."
Amaya's mouth opened and closed in disbelief, before replying, "But it's too early! I mean, I only graduated a few years ago… I don't have the power-"
Unohana held up her hand, causing the young woman to fall silent. "The ability to unlock one's zanpakuto is not reliant on power alone, Amaya-chan. It requires a certain sense of self-awareness, that even some of the most powerful shinigami don't have; just look at Zaraki-taichou."
"Are you sure it's not just a complication from what happened, taichou?" The girl sounded like she almost would have preferred it that way, but Retsu knew that it was just surprise.
"Yes, I'm sure, Amaya-chan." She gave a confident smile, watching the younger shinigami try to take it all in. "Perhaps," she began, "you should take some time off. Go and visit your grandmother in the Rukongai, take some time to relax and digest everything that has happened, hm?"
"Uh, yes, you're probably right, taichou." Amaya conceded, looking at the floor once more- this time her expression was a bit more dazed.
"Well, then, you have the next week to spend with your grandmother. I'll arrange for passes through the gate, while you should go and pack." Unohana stated, standing from where she had been kneeling.
"Yes, thank you, taichou." Was the reply as she left.
The room he sat in was dark and empty aside from him.
He hadn't heard any news since he'd felt the connection break- not that it mattered anymore, he had no need for it. In fact, it would be rather interesting to see what would happen now.
Perhaps, he would finally let them out to play…
A smirk spread across his face.
Cold. It was so cold. He shivered, curling tighter into a ball and resisted the urge to change as the memories nagged at the back of his mind.
The sound of booted feet on the floor announced the passing of a group of people.
'Is it that time already?' He asked himself.
Muted whispers began to be heard, and he ignored them- at least, until a sudden loud call caused him to jump.
"Sir! Minister, sir!" The sound of running feet could be heard.
"What is it?" Fudge sounded terse, stressed from his annual duty of touring the worst prison on the face of the earth- Azkaban.
"Bad news, sir! Something terrible has happened!"
'Well, what is it?" Panic tinged his tone.
'Just what is going on?'
"Sir, it's- it's Iris Potter. She's dead."
Inside his cell, Sirius Black felt as if he'd been hit with a heart-splitting curse as his whole world came tumbling down around him.
Severus Snape watched apathetically as a fellow Death Eater was punished for one failure or another. Ever since the death of the little Potter brat, he hadn't really felt anything anymore.
He'd went to the funeral, which had been organized by Dumbledore, seeing that if the Minister had been the one to arrange it, there would have been mass publicity. When he saw the small child in the casket, eyes closed, skin unbelievably pale, not a single breath stirring her chest, he'd realized he had failed. He had failed to protect the one thing that the one person he had loved had died for, and he felt shame once more.
He only had one purpose anymore, and that was to see to the fall of his so-called 'master.' It was what She would have wanted.
"Severus!"
The call of his name snapped him out of his reverie, and he held his chin up as he strode forward; years of practice enabling him to hide the loathing he felt as he knelt and kissed the hem of the man's robes. "Yes, my Lord?"
"What news do you have for me?"
Closing his eyes, he thought of the words he had been instructed to say, and told the man everything.Amaya smiled as the small carriage pulled up in front of the house. She felt something in her relax when the screen door slid open, revealing the aged features of her grandmother- she was still here.
"Amaya-chan!" the elderly woman exclaimed.
The young woman clambered out of the carriage, moving quickly to huge the old woman. "Obaachan."
"What are you doing here, young lady?" An amused voice asked from behind her, and she turned to smile at her grandmother's neighbor.
"Ohayo, Meiyo-san."
The older man opened his mouth to greet her in reply, but was cut-off when Chishiki broke in, "Move on, move on. Let's not make a spectacle of ourselves!" And ushered them quickly into the house, Meiyo quickly grabbing her bags from the back of the carriage. It was only then that she realized that the other people had been staring at her.
Once everything was settled into her old room, the three of them sat at the table in the kitchen with some tea. It was then that the interrogation continued.
"So, to what do I owe this lovely visit from my beloved granddaughter?" Chishiki asked as she lit her pipe once more.
"Am I not allowed to visit anymore, obaachan?" Amaya asked in an amused voice.
The old woman waved her hand dismissively. "After you became a shinigami, I haven't been able to see you as much as I'd like."
Meiyo chuckled, then both gave her a pointed look and she sighed.
"Well…" she began, avoiding their direct stares. "I was in the hospital for a short time, recently, and I guess the stress of worrying over what happened and other things has just frazzled my nerves. So, Taichou recommended that I come home to relax."
"What happened?" Meiyo asked, slight concern in his voice.
The young woman shrugged, gazing into her tea as she replied, "I don't know. We don't know."
"What were those other things that happened, then?"
At this, they were surprised to see a small, strange smile appear on her face; it looked to be a mixture of pleased, bemused, and apprehensive… maybe even a touch smug.
"Taichou says that my bond with my zanpakuto is maturing." She looked up at them with excited eyes. "If I listen, hopefully I'll be able to release it soon!"
"Really?" Meiyo asked, amazed.
"Yes!" Joy spread across her face as she looked at them. "I was so surprised when she told me! I just didn't think it could be true, but now that I've thought about it more, it's like I can feel something there in the back of my mind." Her exuberance dimmed slightly as she bit her lip. "I just hope that I'm able to release it soon. I can't wait to find out what kind of powers it has."
"Well, that's good news, Amaya-chan," Chishiki said, puffing on her pipe. When she was sure the young woman wasn't looking, she gave the man beside her a pointed glance, only to feel disappointment when he ignored it.
"So, how long are you going to be here, Amaya-chan?" Meiyo asked instead.
"Taichou gave me the week off to stay here." Was the reply.
"Is that so?" the old woman murmured. "That's good, you can help me clean out the chicken coop."
"Chishiki-obaasan! Don't you think that the poor girl needs a break?"
"And you!" The elderly woman pointed at the man who just spoke, "You can help us by fixing the broken tiles on the roof!"
The two younger spirits looked at each other and groaned.
A/N: One last note, neither Meiyo or Chishiki are OCs. Okay?
