Guess who?

.Uh, no…No it's not bee expert Richard Gere…

THAT'S RIGHT, it's me! YAY!

Oooh, chapter three, how awesome is that? I think it's pretty FREAKING' awesome, but that's just me. So, I've been sitting around, trying to put together this thing for the past how long…and I've been watching Family Guy.

Don't judge me…

Anywho – just another note, this will reflect and be tied in with the manga of Bleach, with just a few things changed to match what I think I can write better about. So…yeah…let's do this thing.

Fate will Find itself
Destiny will Right itself
and Love with have her Way…

Begin Chapter Three:


Would she know me? Why was I even trying to find her? How would I get into the Seiretei? The last question caught me off guard, and I hesitated in my steps.

How would I get in? It's not like I could just waltz up and demand entrance into the Seiretei! They probably had security and only Shinigami were allowed inside, they would never let me in!

"Dammit!" I cursed, and felt awkward. I usually never swore…but, I liked it, it felt familiar….

My train of thought ended as I realized that the sun would be setting soon; I had been walking around for hours and I didn't even know where exactly the entrance was, other than it was in the center of the districts.

"Ah, shut up! There are more important things to be thinking about!" My yell drew a little bit of gazes, but I just glared them off. What did they care anyway? I was just another face among the millions that they would never see again.

"Wow, when did you get so cynical? It can't be good for you..."

I snapped my head up, attempting to glare at myself, knowing that that was probably not going to work out too well for me. People just continued to pass by me, ignoring my angry eyes, and it seemed as if none of them had heard anything…Rien was a voice that only I could hear…I understood that, and before it had never bothered me, but now it felt a little strange.

"I'm going insane," I moaned into my hands, despairing over the feeling that waged war inside of me.

'Okay...let's try to think about this logically...I'm currently sitting on the side of an over-populated road in another dimension that's dedicated to the housing of people that had died from all over the world, that was ruled by magical samurai-like beings that called themselves 'God's of death'...

Oh, and I'm also hearing strange voices in my head that make fun of my cynicism...'

I screamed into my hands, trying to muffle the sound as best as I could. But, my pent up frustration and confusion seemed to be rearing their ugly heads just at this moment, and I couldn't' stop my little temper tantrum very easily. After a few long minutes of fighting my anger, I managed to calm down enough to realize that the streets were no longer full of people. In fact, there were none at all...how strange...

Was my screaming that loud, that it sent everyone running for the freaking hills?

"Go forward."

"Huh?" I yelped, spinning around to respond to her, even though I knew she wasn't there. "Forward?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Rien…" I thought about the comfort her words always gave to me; the second I had woken up to this world, it had been her words that kept me sane. She told me things and helped me…How could I not trust her after everything she had done? But at the same time – everything seemed strange and unfitting, this world was something that I did not understand, so therefore, I really didn't know who I could and couldn't trust. Some part of me screamed that trusting this voice was going to get me killed, and I understood that well. But, then there was also the louder part – the part of me that felt at ease that felt like Rien's presence was the only thing in this world I could trust.

"Just…tell me one thing…" I asked quietly, "Who are you?"

"I am a part of you. A piece of your soul, living deep within your inner world. That's all I can say for now."

So, she was a part of me. But, could I believe her words? Would she ever lie to me?

"Then, of course I trust you…I may not understand everything that's happening…but I do understand that you are they only person who I can trust completely." Yes, it was true. In this world, I was alone - save for the voice in my head. I really had no choice.

"Then keep walking forward, you will reach the White Gate, and there you will be tested."

"Oh hell no!" I yelled, and I visualized my own eyes popping out of my head.

"Oh hell yes..." she said again, sounding very, very smug.

I hadn't known what 'testing' meant, but I received a vision of a sword, meaning only one thing. I would have to fight. Calmly, as calmly as I could, considering I hadn't fought in my life, I fell to a sitting position, and assumed a fetal stance.

"This isn't happening; I'm just dreaming...there's no way that this could be happening. I'm not dead, I'm not in another plane of existence and I am not hearing voices in my head that tell me to kill people." I continued this for about ten more minutes, rocking back and forth on my backside.

After a while, though, everything seemed quiet, and I sneaked a glance up, taking in the empty streets and ghostly shops.

Nothing.

"Did it work?" I asked nobody in particular.

...

"Hmm...Nope" Came the cheeky reply.

"God Dammit!"


Looking very much like a third-rate burglar, I made my way through the alleyways and back roads of, what I know knew, was called Rukongai. Everything still remained quiet and calm, but I had the feeling that there was something more under-handing going on. There was a degree of...evil in the air, and screw it if I was going to get messed up in it. I was going to go find these elusive Shinigami, and...Um...what else was I going to do?

"You're going to become a Shinigami, dumbass."

Right, I was going to become a Shinigami.

"I am not going to become a Shinigami," I insisted yet again, ducking into another shadow. My voice was low, and hissed, though I still didn't know why I was acting like this.

The air was thicker, I had noticed, as I got closer to the area that was home to the Shinigami. Like there was something else in the air...something heavier than oxygen.

"Hey, is there even oxygen in this air?" I asked, realizing that ever since I had started on this journey my mind had become less and less empty…I had started wondering about new things, which apparently meant that I was becoming like how I was before I died. Well, that was Rien said at least.

There was a long heavy sigh, and I got the mental image of a woman rubbing her temples in aggravation.

"No, there is no oxygen in the Soul Society. Why would a dead person even need oxygen? Think about it..."

I ignored her snooty attitude, and continued my musings,

"So...If there's no oxygen, then what am I breathing in?" I took a thick breath in, testing the feeling again.

It certainly felt like I was breathing in oxygen...

"Look, you're not dying, so why do you even care about what you're breathing in?"

"Ummm...I dunno..." I considered my reasons for wanting to understand how everything worked in the Soul Society.

Hmm...I had no reasons...Interesting...Suddenly, I stopped short, my thoughts coming to a hasty close. I had arrived...and the walls were freaking huge!

"What the hell! How the hell do I get in there?"

For the first time since I had died, I felt a sheen of sweet form on my skin, and the cool flush of my face as fear washed over me. I felt very sick. Sicker than I could ever remember feeling.

'What's wrong with me?'

There was a sudden weight in my chest, and I was brought back to a day that was shrouded in darkness…the day that….I died. I was sure; I had felt this pressure before, and it was on the day of my death that I felt it…This weight...this fear, it was the same feeling that I had when the monster tried to eat my soul. A small image flew into my head; the image of a monster with black skin and a white mask. It felt like my stomach was being pulled to the ground. My knees buckled, and I swayed, but managed to stay standing, though it took quite the mental strength.

"What's happening to me?" My voice was strangled and barely a hoarse whisper.

I felt the 'Other presence' shift inside me, a little unnerved by how accustomed I had become too it's...no...her presence. I got the distinct feeling it was a woman's voice who spoke to me.

"It's a spiritual energy. This level is one that belongs to a Taichio."

I considered it. Spiritual Energy? Though I didn't understand what spiritual energy was...I understood that it was something that was vital in knowing. And...what was a Taichio?

"Spiritual Energy is related to the power that is inside every soul. Some have low spiritual energy, which is just a result of nature, and others who have low spiritual energy just haven't been able to develop it."

The streets were still eerily empty, so I decided to take a small rest, and try to understand more about this strange place. As I sat and breathed deeply, I felt the heaviness in my chest lessen, the crushing feeling leaving as suddenly as it had come.

"So..." I didn't really care that I was talking to myself, it's not like there was an abundance of people watching me... "Do living people have Spiritual Energy?"

"Yes, it's possible, and that usually means that they have a large amount of it that becomes more evident when they die."

How odd. I leaned back, and examined the sky for the billionth time since I had arrived. It looked exactly like the sky in the Living World. And at this moment, the sun was setting in the exact same place it would be setting back home. Briefly, I wondered about home. Were my parents still mourning over me? Was I buried yet? My sister had been flying in from the States for the weekend….

Oh right! That's where I had been going before I lost control of the car. My brows furrowed, and I wondered to myself how I could have forgotten that?

"Human memories fade after a while. But, in your case, your memories were taken from you. I think it has to do with the day you died being connected to something else in your life."

Something else? Hmm…I still couldn't remember much, just the odd things that popped into my head. I had a pet fish in grade two that I named Jake. He died three weeks later. And the day I died…I only remember the face of that horrific monster…that…that…

"Damn! It's on the tip of my tongue, and I just can't remember it! Rien, can you help me out here?"

She was silent, and I sighed in irritation, knowing that she wouldn't give me any answers to this one. Rien was only all-knowing when it came to matters that didn't have anything to do with my personal life.

Right Rien?

"Right; glad you're getting the hang of it."

"Yeah right. Let's forget this! I'm right outside the gate, what the hell do I do now?" Since I was now in a horrible mood, I briefly put a hold on my questions about the Soul Society. The walls were now suspiciously ominous, looming above my head. There was still nobody around, I briefly wondered why, before focusing on the wall again.

"So, is there some kind of gate thingy? Or...do I have to bust my way in?" I stepped forward to throw a mock punch at the wall, but before I could, a huge shadow loomed over me from behind.

I spun back, prepared to either fight or flight, depending on who it was, but I was arrogant enough to believe that in that moment there was nobody I would have to run from.

Hmm...Maybe I should have payed more attention in those flight classes...

'Damn.'

He was freakin' huge. Larger than the largest guy on any football team, wrestling team, or sumo man I had ever seen. He was taller than the buildings of downtown Seattle, New York, Tokyo...it was impossible. I prepared to make a run for it, but the highly annoying and apparently suicidal voice in my head willed me to stay.

"Just wait...I promise, nothing bad will come of this."

'Sure, easy for you to say...you're a figment of my imagination, you can't get beaten to a pulp'

Looking into the giants face, his...wow, he looked like an ape...but, more like a...a cross between King Kong and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

...

Wow did I really just think that? And...I had to laugh. I was losing my memories about my own life, yet these things I still remembered as clear as ever.. Suddenly, the monstrosity bent down to me, but in a way that made the impression that he was trying not to scare me.

"Hello there, strange Shinigami!" He said in a rough, loud voice that shook the earth, "I am Jindanbo, the West Gate Keeper."

Stunned, I robotically choked out; "I'm not a Shinigami," before taking a step back as his face got extremely close to mine.

He studied me for a moment, probably trying to decide if I was telling the truth or not.

"Hmm," He grunted after a moment, "It seems as if you're not. That explains why you do not have a permit. Tell me, girl, what are you doing staring at the Seireimon?"

'What the hell's a Seireimon?' I thought, but before I could ask him, a voice whispered in my ear;

"The Seireimon is the Spirit Gate, the gate that separates Rukongai from the Seiretei. It's that gate that you must go through."

Right...I totally knew that...

"Ahem," I cleared my throat, "Uh, well, see...I have to get into the Seiretei...sooo, if you could just...open up the gate that would be fantastic!"

I smiled, making sure to appear as innocent as I could, but it seemed that what I had said was a giant joke, because he began to laugh loud, earth moving heckles that hurt my ears.

"You can't enter the Seiretei, only Shinigami are allowed to enter!" He continued to laugh, which sent my blood into a boil.

I opened my mouth to cuss him out, but she stopped me.

"Tell him that you're hungry, and that you need to enter the Academy!"

That stopped me for a second.

"What the hell does that even mean!" I hissed, glaring at the ground, "What the hell does it matter if I'm hungry or not!"

With a low growl, my stomach proceeded to inform me that I was actually hungry, which, again, I thought was odd, considering I was dead and all.

"Just do it!"

"But!-"

"Hey...," Jindanbo said, and I realized that he had heard me arguing with...well, myself.

"Who're you talking to?" His eyebrows raised in inquire, and he leaned back down towards my face.

"Ummm...nobody! Listen I'm...well, I'm starving here pal! I need to get into the Seiretei to enter the...umm," "Academy, you idiot!", "Academy!" I wondered if he noticed my sketchy eyes, my high-pitched voice, or my utter fail at trying to remain casual, but I decided not to dwell on it. There were more important things to worry about, say...not being squished, perhaps?

He stared at me openly for a few moments, before grinning wildly.

"Why didn't you say so?" He demanded, and before I could react, he plucked me from the ground and set me on his broad shoulder.

"Hang on a second, and I'll let you in!"

Though I was scared stiff, I managed a quick, "Well, thanks!"

I clung to his clothing, and watched in awe as he bent down and...okay what the hell was he-

"Oh my God!" I yelped, as he lifted- yes, lifted- the wall up. The piece, which I now assumed was the gate, shifted easily from the rest of the wall, as he grunted and huffed until it was safely above his head.

I was officially impressed.

And then, like any other gentlemen, the giant, monkey-faced Jindanbo, gently plucked me from his shoulder, and placed me, light as a feather, onto the ground.

"There ya' go girly, good luck in there! Farewell!"

He smiled, and I waved back, as the billion-ton walls of the Seiretei came crashing down.

Astounded, I stared at the white walls, committing his face to memory, before turning to unravel the mystery of the place known as Seiretei.

'Thank you...'

"Thank you..."


End Chapter Three

Bonus:


The skies were melting together.

It reminded me of the way people seemed to melt together – their colours coming together in unique, stunning skies that we all seemed to exist in.

"Kisuke…"

I turned, and found Yoruichi seating herself beside me, wearing one of the sets of clothes that I had kept for her in her room.

"Not bothering to be in your other form today?"

She shook her head, her long violet locks swimming together in the air, "its only fun around people who don't know the truth," she grinned, "And, Kisuke?"

I peered at her though the corner of my eye.

"Where the hell is all my stuff?"

Laughing, I took off my hat, laying it beside me, running a hand through my hair.

"I didn't think you'd mind if I moved it to a different room. It's bigger; with a much larger window…I know how you like dozing in the sun."

The looks he gave me was incredibly amusing, but I refrained from commentating. I was used to her looks now-a-days. The only thing was that when she was a cat, I could never tell me her smiles were sarcastic or real…but there was always something in her eyes that tipped me off.

"Hmmm," she leaned back, "Sounds like a nice room. I bet it also has panelled hardwood floors, a large king-sized bed, and a surprisingly large closet, considering who its original occupant was."

I laughed, feigning nervousness, though I was silently very entertained at our little game.

"So, you've figured it out?"

She gave me that look again, but then grinned, "Oh yes – it was incredibly kind of you to move out of your room and give it to me."

"Yoruichi!"

"What?" she blinked innocently, her golden eyes glittering with mischief.

She opened her mouth to say something again, but a few blocks from Kurosaki's house two spiritual energies appeared – the two energies of a Taichio and a Fuku-Taichio that I knew very well.

We were both silent – the sky continued to melt, revealing not the equally beautiful night sky, but the grey, angry clouds belonging to that of a storm.

It would rain tonight. Breaking the silence, I sighed, grabbing my hat and put it back on my head, and rolled my shoulders – the easygoing vibes of the night suddenly tense and anxious.

"They're here."