I'm sorry the last chapter was a cliffy, I couldn't resist! I have started 2008 off with a wonderful bout of procrastination...so those of you who didn't, consider yourselves lucky.
Me: Oh, uh...disclaimer time! Hmm. I don't know who has disclaimed my story so far...I need a list. -throws head back and bellows- Gunther-kun!!
Gunther: Yes, Kimsa Ki-Lurria?
Me: I need a list of the people that have disclaimed The Ivory Deity so far. Oh, and peoples of this-website-whose-name-I-suspiciously-cannot-type-down, this is my assistant, Gunther-kun!
Gunther: It's a pleasure to meet you.
Me: You can tell he's a pushover, huh?
Gunther: Kimsa...
Me: Gimme the list already!!!
Gunther: Alright, alright. Let's see...the people that have disclaimed your story so far are Byakuya, Ishida, Kurotsuchi, Yumichaka, Renji, Gin, and Toshirou.
Me: Toshirou? SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!
Gunther: Oh, God...
Me: Huh, so seven people have disclaimed so far. Dang, I have a lot more people to cover...eh, I don't feel like picking on some anime/manga character today. Gunther-kun, you disclaim my story!
Gunther: Nani?!
Me: Shut up and stop trying to be Asian! I imagine you to be a Tim Gunn look-alike.
Gunther: Okay...so I'm Gunther Gunn?
Me: ...Yeah! That's a great name! Disclaim my story, Gunther Gunn-kun!
Gunther: Er...okay. Kimsa Ki-Lurria does not own Bleach...and I think she took too many happy pills this morning.
Me: -grins and holds up THREE empty happy-pill bottles-
Gunther: -heaves a huge sigh- I thought so...
As you can tell, I was totally lazy when it came to this disclaimer and completely made Gunther Gunn up on a whimsical impulse. That'd be awesome if I really had an assistant Tim Gunn look-alike, though! But then again, who says I don't have one...? Gunther-kun is my present for 2008! Here, you can all have one! -gives all REVIEWERS Gunther-kuns-
Get my point?
Eight
How to Politely Introduce Oneself to Byakuya Kuchiki
"Oi, Byakuya! What's up?"
Byakuya gave a heaving, mental sigh as he heard Ichigo's voice call out from behind him and slowly turned around on the outside-hallway bordering his division. He was not feeling well at all, probably due to his lack of sleep the previous night, and every loud noise he heard rang painfully in his head, as if it was bouncing off the insides of his skull.
"Do you have to yell so loudly, Kurosaki?" he asked irritably.
Ichigo stopped a few feet away with a confused expression on his face. "What's with you?" he asked. "Got a hangover or something?"
Byakuya barely kept his mouth from tightening in irritation. "No," he said coldly. "I do not drink. Such indulgences are unhealthy and degrading."
"I know several people that would disagree with that claim," Ichigo said. "Your lieutenant being one of them."
"What about me?" Renji's voice yelled, and the red-haired shinigami turned around the corner into view with a ticked-off expression on his tattooed face. "Did you say I have a drinking problem, punk?"
"Well, yeah, but I can say it louder if you want," Ichigo replied snidely.
"I'm not an alcoholic — you want someone with a drinking problem, go talk to Matsumoto."
"Denial!" Ichigo sneered. "The red-haired pineapple-head is in denial!"
A vein jumped dangerously high in Renji's forehead, and that familiar pissed, crazy grin appeared on his face. "What was that, Kurosaki? You want to get your butt whipped?"
"By a wussy with a hairy baboon as his spirit power's form? Hah!" Ichigo folded his arms cockily and jutted his chin out. "Don't make me laugh!"
"Butcher-knife swinging bastard!"
"Loudmouth tattooed freak!"
The pair each attacked each other with their arms, thankfully not zanpakutous, and thus began a wrestling match. Byakuya watched emotionlessly for a second, then silently turned and walked away, leaving them behind. His head hurt and he was tired from the lack of a good night's sleep; anyone that looked hard enough would have seen the dark circles under his eyes, just barely noticeable on his pale skin.
Byakuya sighed, literally this time, and stopped walking, closing his eyes and breathing in slowly for a moment. Instant and unwanted, a jumbled collage of pictures rushed into his mind's eye, all of them from the dreams he'd had for the past four months…particularly the one he'd had the previous night.
The sixth division captain opened his eyes again and took another calming breath before continuing on through his division. He did not have any particular destination; he just felt like taking a walk to clear his mind and get away from the nightmares that he did not know were soon to seek him out…and find him.
"Who are you?" Mayuri demanded. "How did you get in here without being stopped?"
Yume stuck her lower lip out in a cute pout. "You don't remember me, Kurotsuchi-kun?"
"I've never seen you before in my life! And if you think you'll live much longer after calling me such a ridiculous name, think again."
"I can't call you Kurotsuchi-kun anymore?"
"You never could!" Mayuri was practically foaming at the mouth by now with anger. He placed the broken remains of his computer disks on the counter beside him with a mental grimace. The information on them had not been imperative, but their loss was indeed a minor irritation.
"Who are you?" he demanded again. "What squad are you from? I'll have your captain's head…my, how discipline has slipped these days…"
"I'm not from a squad!" Yume declared proudly, throwing her arms up in the air in glee. "I'm a rogue!"
Mayuri stared at her incredulously. The child's deranged! First she comes barging into my personal research room like she owns the place, then she calls me…Kurotsuchi-kun…and now she's claiming that she's not from a division?
While Mayuri silently fumed over her appearance, Yume turned to look over the silent Nemu, who had barely showed any surprise at her arrival.
"Hey, Nemu-chan!" Yume said brightly. "What's been going on in this torture chamber since I last visited, huh?"
Nemu stared at her uncertainly and slowly lowered her gaze to the floor. "Uhh…I'm sorry, I don't know you and I think you're confused," she said quietly. "But Kurotsuchi-sama seems to be very upset…perhaps it would be best if you left now."
Mayuri seemed to regain some semblance of self-control and smirked at Yume. "She's right, you know," he said smugly. "I can be very…threatening when I get angry. How about you get out of my division this instant, go see a mental institute to get some help, and I'll try to forget this ever happened, eh?"
"Hmm," Yume said with a furrowed brow. A slow smile bloomed into life over her face, and she tilted her head at Mayuri. "Okay, Kurotsuchi-kun!" she said airily.
Mayuri's eyes widened in outrage at the familiar term and he reached for his zanpakutou without thought, letting fury guide his actions. "Ignorant wench, I told you to stop calling me that! Rip, Ashisogi Jizou!"
Yume raised her eyebrows at him as Mayuri's deformed-trident blade sliced through the air towards her, an expression near contempt on her usually-cheerful face — and then she was gone.
Shock filled Mayuri's systems as he realized that the girl had shun-poed, and a look of almost comic confusion appeared on his face as he remained frozen in one place for a split second. Yume appeared next to Nemu, standing on top of the keyboards attached to the wall.
"Why do you always have to be so mean, Kuro-kun?" she asked innocently.
"Aaaaaahhhh!" Mayuri screamed in fury and swung his zanpakutou down where the girl was. Yume effortlessly shun-poed herself to safety again just before the blow fell on her, narrowing escaping death by Mayuri's blade. Ashisogi Jizou smashed into Mayuri's precious keyboards, and he screamed again in rage as sparks flew everywhere, forcing Nemu to back away for her safety.
Mayuri felt a light dab of pressure on his right shoulder, pressure that quickly grew until his shoulder threatened to overbalance him. He looked up to find Yume standing delicately on him right next to his head. She beamed down at him. "You might not remember me, Kurotsuchi-kun," she said in a friendly tone, "but I remember you! I remember a lot of things about you."
She shun-poed away for a final time, whisking herself out of his division before Mayuri had a chance to react to her sudden appearance. The twelfth division captain stood still for a moment as silence descended over the room, the quiet disturbed only by the snapping and spitting of the broken keyboard. But only for a moment.
"Nemu!" Mayuri snapped at his "daughter" after sheathing Ashisogi away. "Start repairing that keyboard! And if that girl comes back here again…kill her!"
"Yes, sir," Nemu replied quietly.
"I'm going to go find that girl," Mayuri snarled, more to himself than to Nemu. "I'm going to find her, and I'm going to kill her."
The hulking captain stormed out of the room without another word, his left eye twitching slightly in anger. His footsteps echoed heavily through the hallway as he stalked off in no particular direction, and Mayuri clenched his colorless hands into fists as he wandered in a rage about his division.
What am I getting so worked up about, anyway? He wondered. Sure, the kid insulted me by addressing me on such a familiar term when we've never met before, but I should be more controlled to let something like this get me so upset. I resorted to releasing shikai on her…that's how angry she got me. But still — how dare she talk to me so familiarly when I've never seen or heard of her before…? Never…seen…?
Mayuri froze in his tracks, his hands unclenching and his yellow-orange eyes widening as something pricked him in the dark recesses of his memory. I've seen her before. Not in person, but a picture of her…I remember it was filed as a document concerning a Hollow attack…it caught my attention, but I can't remember why. I have seen her before…
The ghoul-like captain shook his head and continued on through his division, roving in a random direction that just happened to lead to the sixth division. He would deal with that memory later. Right now, he wanted to find that girl. He wanted to find her…and find out what it was that struck him to be so familiar about her.
Yume couldn't keep it in any longer — she giggled.
She was shun-po'ing over rooftops in random directions, still celebrating the fact that she had been able to tweak Mayuri's strings so much.
It's so much fun to tease him! She thought giddily. I'd almost forgotten how much I enjoyed it…
What are you so happy about? Setsuna asked in a corner of Yume's mind. All you've managed to do is alert him to the fact that you're here, even if he doesn't remember who you are. That's not something to be happy about. It's something to worry about.
Well, I agree with Yume, Zazie suggested. I think it is fun to tease Kurotsuchi-san too.
Shut up, Zazie!
Yes, ma'am!
For any other normal girl, having two separate entities having a conversation in the back of her mind would have driven her insane; unless she wasn't already convinced that she was crazy. Yume had gotten used to it, though.
"It's okay, Setsuna," she said flippantly as she neared the seventh division. "Even if Kurotsuchi-kun does remember who I am and tries to make trouble over it, I can defend myself. Besides…that keyboard of his isn't going to work very well and let him into the document about me. Even if they do manage to fix it, when I landed on it I made sure to step on several very important keys. If he'd been paying attention to the screen, he would have seen that I blocked the document from his access."
Clever, Setsuna grumbled reluctantly, but why didn't you delete it? There's still a chance that he could find it.
"I don't know how to delete it," Yume admitted. "Only Kurotsuchi-kun knows how to; and besides, I didn't have time. It would have taken a couple minutes, it's such a complex file."
Huh! I still say you shouldn't have shown yourself to him.
"That's okay, too, Setsuna. Sometimes you worry too much."
I do not.
Sometimes you do, Setsuna…
Shut up, Zazie!
Yes ma'am!
Yume suddenly burst out into a loud, off-key version of "Lollipop, lollipop," to drown out the commotion in her head, but it only added to the din. So perhaps that was why she didn't hear Byakuya's wandering footsteps as she entered the sixth division, and didn't notice him until she shun-poed right in front of him.
Byakuya nearly jerked back in surprise as she appeared, barely managing to keep his facial expression in check. It slipped a little though, and he felt his eyes widen a fraction. This was the girl from his nightmares; the girl that had been chased by the Hollow and had nearly been killed. The one with the ivory phoenix. His dark grey eyes moved to her hip, where her zanpakutou was tied to her waist by an ivory sash. There was the phoenix, engraved delicately into the zanpakutou's ivory-colored hilt, looking almost life-like to his dazed eyes. Was this a dream? A hallucination, caused by the half-awake state of his tired brain? This was impossible, right? It was just his nightmares come back to haunt him.
Yume stopped when she saw Byakuya and looked all the way up his tall form to stare up at his face, her turquoise-blue eyes startled as she took in his long black hair, the "hairclips" that announced his noble lineage, and the extremely expensive scarf resting snugly around his neck. He was wearing a captain's uniform, and it would have given his rank away to any idiot, but Yume didn't need to see it to know who he was.
Byakuya Kuchiki.
Yume blinked as Setsuna spoke up in her head. Setsuna?
Let me out. Let me out! It's Byakuya — it's Kuchiki! Byakuya Kuchiki, Byakuya Kuchiki, Byakuya Kuchiki—! She kept uttering the same name over and over like a broken record. A broken, frantic record.
"I know it's Byakuya Kuchiki!" Yume whispered unconsciously. "What's wrong, Setsuna?"
Byakuya did jump this time, at the mention of his name. Could hallucinations talk? He thought so, but something told him this was not a hallucination created by his sleep-dazed mind. It was her. She was here, alive…well, probably not alive, but she was here, in Soul Society. And she was…talking to herself?
Yume felt her hand move up towards her neck to grasp Setsuna's bell against her will, the bell she had not rung yet in Soul Society. She began to panic. What's this? I don't want to ring Setsuna's bell! No — Setsuna, is this you doing this? Don't release yourself, Setsuna! What are you doing?!
Byakuya Kuchiki…must die.
What?!!
Yume rang the bell.
"Setsuna."
Turquoise-blue eyes burned violent green as the bell's note rang harshly into the air, filled with anger and cold edges and completely different from its two sister bells. Yume, or Setsuna as she now was, reached slowly for her zanpakutou and drew it without taking her eyes off Byakuya's startled, confused face.
I'm sorry, Yume, she apologized silently, but this is something I have to do…for your own good.
What are you doing, Setsuna? Let me out!
Setsuna's blade began to glow with a dull, lifeless-looking light that was somewhere between cream and white, an ivory color of sorts — Byakuya was drawing his own zanpakutou now, completely in charge of his emotions again. This girl from his nightmares was going to attack him? Let. her. try.
"Byakuya Kuchiki." Setsuna said coldly.
"That is my name," Byakuya replied in his monotone voice.
Setsuna smirked viciously. "Well, let me introduce myself to you, as we have just now met. I have my own way of introducing myself, so pardon me if it's a bit rough."
Byakuya had always thought his emotions were in check, that shock nor anger nor even fear would ever trespass onto his face. Setsuna's next words proved him wrong on all three aspects.
"Scatter…Senbonzakura."
To be continued…
A/N: Yeah, go ahead and hate my guts for ending it there, but now you get to see some of that Yume-mimicking-shinigami-power I promised you! Or...it's not Yume but Setsuna, whose identity you'll find out along with Zazie's in the next chapter...I love the next chapter but it's very decisive, so a lot is riding on this. Meaning, I have no idea when I'll next be able to update. So sorry if it's a long wait, I've got to get caught up on it.
In the meantime, those of you who read and haven't reviewed, specifically the people who've added my story to their Favorites/Alerts, please review! Even a little constructive criticism would be nice; mind, it has to be CONSTRUCTIVE. If you don't have anything to criticize (constructively), then just a little heads up that you read would be nice. Just comments would be nice, too. Wah, I get sad when people don't review! So please take the time...it motivates me to hurry up writing the next chapters.
Happy New Years, everybody! It's 2008! Woo-hooo!
