Chapter 14

AN- I'M BACK BABY! *Cough cough* Anyway, I have finally decided to update this story! (Firework display randomly shows up in the background) Sorry for the longer than usual waiting time, I was updating my One Piece story.

Disclaimer: Are we all thick or something? Would any of us be writing or reading the crap on this website if we actually owned Bleach, Naruto or One Piece? DAMN LAWYERS! GET IT IN YOUR THICK HEADS!

I woke up with a piercing headache. I felt like a group of racially condemned street dancers decided to do a full three hour performance in my head or something. I groaned and rubbed the back of my head to see what deadly injury has given me head trauma this time! Not even a bump, thus I must go with option two. I began to think back to see what shit I was drinking last night.

"Moron! There was no drinking last night!"

"... How about drugs... I could have taken drugs."

"Are you high or something?"

"Am I high or something?"

"Nope don't think so."

"There we go. My question is answered."

"What the hell happened?" I said out loud.

"M..M...Marc! Are you okay? Any pain, aches, migraines?" Said a voice. I turned to the left to see my favourite busty nurse, Kasumi.

"Hey Kasumi, no nothing like that. Just a bloody headache. Seriously, what stupid thing did I do this time?"

"Umm... well... you tried to do a Level 70 Kido... It failed miserably." straight to the point I suppose. Why was I doing a level 70 Kido? I suddenly remembered. Oh yeah! The tournament, the Shikai's, the moustaches and that last match with Akimi. Bloody hell that gal's tough!

Flashback

I began to chant.

"The wind of truth rushes through the sky, the winds of deception through the murky seas and the wind of purification strikes through the ground..."

"WHAT TH HELL ARE YOU DOING!" Akimi yelled. She knew I had been working on this technique. She dashed forwards with a series of weapons attempting to stop my chant. Sword, spear, knife gun, they all failed. I continued to chant.

"The sword of the gods may plummet from the clouds above, yet thy mortals shall continue to send their ambitions to the stars! Hado No 74: Sora Yaketsuku Yona Arashi No Ken!" (Sky Searing Storm Sword)

The white green blade of wind appeared in my hand and began to roar. Akimi jumped back on the off chance that it worked. "YYAAARRGGHHH!" I shouted and the sword expanded.

The blade quickly expanded until it reached at least 2 metres long and had the appearance of a longsword.

"YYYAAAAARRRGGGHHHHH!" I yelled again. It needed to be larger! It needed to be more stabilised! If I could not get control soon the technique would disperse, if it did not expand more the energy will build up and expand. DAMN THING!

I forced my Reiryoku to stabilise more. My palms were beginning to sting. CRAP! I concentrated dramatically. The audience watched in silence as I continued to struggle. I now focused on increasing the size. Larger, larger, LARGER!

BBOOOOOOMMMM! The blade cracked and fractured, the pent up energy released and I was thrown back and fell unconscious nearly immediately.

"Akimi won did she?"

"Ummm... ye... yes! She did! bu... but you did very well too!" She started to blush.

"Its been a while hasn't it?"

"Yes it has. Anyw... anyway well done on getting so far! Even if you... .didn't win, I well... I thought you were pretty cool." her face when scarlet again. What is so damn embarrassing?

"What were my wounds?"

"All of your rib bones were destroyed, you suffered head trauma when landed, your hands were badly damaged and you tore one of your leg muscles."
Ouch.

"Indeed. Very stupid idea doing that."

"YOU TOLD ME TO DO IT!"

"...So?"

Me and Kasumi remained in silence for a while. She still resembled a tomato.

"How are you?" I finally asked to relieve us of our awkward silence.
"Me? Well I am doing... well. Captain is pleased with my work, I am doing well on learning Bankai."
"Wait a minute! You, cute and shy Kasumi... is learning Bankai? The super awesome final technique which usually involves blowing stuff up?"
"Uuuummmm... yes."

"Cool." It was. Cute chicks with weapons of mass destruction, can't get any better than that.

"Tell me about it. A nice addition to the Harem."
"ENOUGH WITH THE CHUFFING HAREM!"

"Y..yes! Nice to know its... cool." We went back into silence while Kasumi still blushed like a second sun!

"Still, you should tell me how you're doing with that some time. Me and my friends go to a small bar in East Rukon 1 called "The Dancing Drunkard" every Friday evening. Show up sometime if you want, we'll be happy to have some new company." I told her.

"Oooooh! Marc's asking a girl out on a date!"
"No I'm not."

"Yes you are."
"No I am not!"

"Yes you are!"

"Shut up, just because I can get a girlfriend."

"... you can be so harsh at times Marc."

"Ummm... su.. su... sure, why not?"

"I'll see you there then."

"O..okay!" She looked at me and blushed. AGAIN!

"Why the hell do you keep blushing!"

"You... you may want to put some clothes on." Blood trickled out her nose and she ran off. I looked under the covers and saw I was stark naked.

"Sounds like she's a pervert."

"The only pervert here is you."

I saw some fresh clothes so I put them on. I felt no pain so I must have been out for a long time. Captain Unohana came in to check up on me later.

"Marc, that was very foolish. It was impressive that you did not blow up sooner... still foolish."

She proceeded to check my wounds for any signs of agrivations.

"Three weeks you have been out. That Kido not only destroyed your body but also your Reiatsu receptors. You only just started producing regular Reiatsu."

OOOUUUCCCHHH!

"Tell me about it."

"Okay then, I will. I got blown up because YOU told me to."

"If I told you to jump off a cliff, would you?"

"No."

"Exactly my point. I am an adviser."

"A bad adviser."

"YES! A BAD adviser, but still only an adviser. I can tell you to do something stuoid but it is up to you whether you actually do it or not."

Unohana left the room when she said something rather awkward.

"I apologise for your clothes being confiscated every time you check in here. Kasumi was the one who insisted it. Hell this time you could have actually kept your clothes on. I think Kasumi just prefers you with less on." She smiled and left. I was now blushing.

"Pervert."

Pervert." we both said together.

XXXXXXXXXX

I left later that week. At Squad Five Aizen was not angry with me for losing. Instead he congratulated me and apologised for not giving me that Kido sooner so I could have had more time to learn it. In fact, due to our performances Hayato was boosted up to a 15th seat, me a 14th seat. ("No higher Marc until you get Shikai" says the evil genius)

Kasumi kept her promise. When I went to the usual pub to get stinking drunk I found Kasumi already there.

"Heey! Marc, where did you get this fine lady?" Daichi sneaked close to my ear and said "Geez! Have you seen that ass and the boobs? Cor blimey, I need you around me more often to atract birds!"

"He... hel... hello everyone. My Name is Kasumi Kiyono. Marc invited me here to drink with everyone. I hope you all accept me." She did one of those cute bows.

"Hell yeah!" shouted Daichi. "Anyone as fine as you can stick with Uncle Daichi as long you like!"

"Suppose so." Said Hayato casually. Well I never. He must like her an awful lot.

"I guess." Grumbled Akimi.

"Aaaah! Looks like Akimi is jealous... again!"

"Well then, now that introductions are out the way lets do what a wise philosopher once said "Well then, enough with poetic crap today. Lets just get pissed eh?""

And pissed we were by half 11. After three drinks Kasumi was already part of the gang. She had a tendency to force everyone to drink twice as much. The bartender was loving it.

"KASUMI! GO OUT WITH ME!" Yelled a drunk Daichi.

"FU... FU... FUCK NO!" Yelled an even drunker blonde nurse. She even stammered when drunk. What a shame her voice amplifies the more she drinks.

By two even Akimi was liking her. By now the evening was passing by in a blur. In the future I will remember tonight for another reason. Daichi said another important sentence which would be vital when all the major, major, MAJOR shit goes down.

"LESS REESE AAH GLASS! TWO KASUMI! HECK, shez practically one of da Wolves already!"

"YEAH! Taa Kasumi something or another!" Said Akami. "The Unofficial fifth wolf!"

"CCHHHEEEERRRRSSS!"

We all drank the extra, extra, extra strong alcohol the bartender kept specifically for when drunkards were boring him, so he could shut us all up quickly by forcing us to sleep.

Next morning was very, very, VERY awkward. When I woke up Kasumi had removed her top for some reason and was currently lying on top of me. Her boobs presses down on me. Thank god she had a bra on or she would kill me.

Most teenagers would be buzzing right now. I wasn't. I. WAS. SO. DEAD! Kasumi, no, she would be fine, if not embarrassed about the whole thing. NO! The one who would neuter me was Akimi. Thank god she was dead to the world.

With great difficulty and reluctance I pulled myself away from Kasumi.

Hayato was up. His smug face was back.*Sigh*. Too early in the morning for this shit. In retaliation I showed him a picture of Daichi in a compromising position with the table leg. He held up three fingers. I passed him three, plus two spare and we called it quits.

I put Kasumi on the slightly less uncomfortable table and found her shirt. I awkwardly put in top of her. This was going to be a fun day.

XXXXXXXXXX

Five months passed and the going was good. A test on Reiatsu levels gave Aizen enough confidence to promote me to 13th, Hayato got place numero 14. everyone else was doing well too.

Akimi had risen through the ranks even quicker than I had. Her victory in the tournament guaranteed her a long and successful career. She was now 10th seat.

Daichi had fought bloody hard and has been trying to master his Shikai. His Hoho has improved a lot as well. He managed to brawl his way up to the 15th seat.

Kasumi gradually made her way up the trust list. She truly lived up to her name as the fifth wolf. The five us always did stuff together.

Today was a Saturday and Hayato was sick of office work. It was our day off today and my friend decided to finally show where he would go every year.

Ever since the academy Hayato never told me much about himself. I knew he was an artist and liked reading but that was about it. Even Daichi, his best friend knew next to nothing about him.

Hayato led me to the North Rukon District. We shunpoed for an hour and reached North 24.

"This is where I stayed." He describes briefly.

North 24 was a relatively nice district. Nice houses and nice people, not rich but hardly living in shacks like the later districts. The town was located in the countryside. Large fields and hills surrounded the north and east sides while a river curved round the west side. Nice place really.

Hayato became more serious than before and started walking. He motioned for me to follow.

We walked out to the hills of the south. He led me to a particularly large hill. A huge cherry blossom tree stood at the top. It was massive and majestic and looked like it had been here for an age. The grass around it seemed to grow greener.

Hayato nodded. "Tree was planted 842 years ago." Very precise.

He went to the tree and sat a metre away from it on the ground. He looked at it for a while and took out a familiar sketch book and a pencil.

"I died about 60 years ago. Time in the living was not great."

He began to sketch the beautiful tree in front of him. His pencil strokes were the right shade length and colour. Not one line ever had to be erased.

"Why are you so god at art?"

He continued drawing. We sat together for a few more minutes soaking up the suns rays.

"I lived during WW2. It was hard, Japan at war. I grew up in America. From a young age I was skilled with drawing anything from memory."

"Anything?"

"Yes. Let me show you."

Hayato tour out a fresh sheet from his book, putting his cherry blossom tree picture to one side. He began to sketch. I only glanced back after a few minutes. What I saw shook me to to core.

"WHAT THE HELL!"

Hayato was drawing a body, a very familiar body. Mika. Hayato was there just after she died. He was there. HE WAS THERE! This picture, this BLOODY picture was identical to the one I received in an envelope all those years ago just before it happened. I went into my pocket and took out the picture I always keep folded up there. The pictures were identical.

"Are you Z?" I asked.

"Who?"

"Z! TELL ME! ARE YOU Z!"

"...No. Is it to do with the picture? Perhaps me drawing Akimi was the wrong choice."

"What about the other one! How the hell did you send it to me?"

"Send what?"

"THIS!" I showed him the second picture.

"Odd. This looks just like mine... very odd. When did you receive it?"

"The day of her death, through the mail."
Hayato pondered for a moment. He's smart, but even he could not keep a straight face over this. He can't be Z. He looks completely stumped. He is my friend. I have to believe he was not Z. Then again there are other factors which prove his innocence. Things like that weird armour and Z's strength also show Hayato could not be Z.

"I do not have an answer. I have a theory. Would you like to hear it?"
"YES! Yes!"

Hayato cleared his breath and began.

"Two theories, actually... three theories. Theory one, The Dangai. (Parsing World) Have you heard of it?"

"Yes."
"The Dangai, sums up as an in-between space between Soul Society and the Human World. It is separate to time and space so it is reasonable that perhaps the picture sent to you was the actual picture I just drew. Maybe you will one day loose that picture in the Dangai and then when the cleaner reaches it, perhaps instead of destruction it instead throws it out of the Dangai in a different time period."

Makes sense. I have watched Steins Gate, I can sure as hell understand this!

"Continue."

"Of course. After being sent back perhaps someone decides to warn you of Mika's death because they noticed the identity of the person. Theory 1-B. This picture is a paradox, meaning Mika must die to make me draw this picture so as to send it backwards in time and must then be sent to you so that you can make me draw it."

"MY HEAD HURTS!"
"What about theory two?" I asked, ignoring Javan.

"Simple. The killer, Z, knew how he was going to kill Mika and decided to draw a picture of what he was going to do so as to warn you for some reason."

"That makes no sense. The pictures are IDENTICAL!"

"Exactly, perhaps leading on from theory one, Z decided to kill Mika because he finds the picture and sends it to you to mock you."
"*Sigh* Anything else?"
"Theory two-B. I somehow have multiple personality disorder and a different super powerful alter ego calling himself Z decided to kill Mika and draws a picture of what he is going to do. He later makes me subconsciously draw the same picture now to freak you out."
"VERY unlikely. You could NEVER kick my ass so thoroughly."
"True. That means theory three and four could have been true."
"SINCE WHEN WERE THERE FOUR THEORIES?"

"Since 10 seconds ago. Three- you are Z, you killed Mika because you received that picture, from the future or other. You just hallucinated your meeting with him."
"Nope. Four."

"I don't really like four. No real evidence can back it up."
"So? May as well tell me it."
"Very well then... Have you ever heard of Morphic Fields?"

"What? No. what the hell is it?"

"Basically a while back I read a science book imported from the human world. It mentioned a strange theory. This theory included the idea that human consciousness is not in the body. This consciousness and the knowledge they hold all link together to create an undetectable field. This suggests some people could potentially have resonance and could maybe access the field."
"So what? I can access some bogus field?"

"Only an idea. Not necessarily the exact same thing but perhaps something similar. Perhaps you accessed the knowledge of Z somehow before he Killed and drew the picture and sent it to yourself. Maybe I accessed the "Field" and drew the same thing. You could have even just gained knowledge of the future."

"So what is it then? What the hell is going on?"

"Fuck knows. This out of our leagues. We should tell someone."

My scowl destroyed that idea.

"Thanks anyway." I folded both pictures up and placed them in my pocket.

"No problem. I'll keep things quiet if we are both honest to each other. Deal?"

"Deal." We shook hands. Partners in crime now.

We sat for a while, thinking our own thoughts.

"Could you finish that story of yours, about your life.

"... Fine!" he explained angrily. He began to draw again.

"I grew up in America. I had great artistic ability from a young age. I was so good at drawing from memory that the police often took me on raids so I could see faces of criminals or off get away cars or something. Life was good. I lived with my dad... he was... difficult." His artistic masterpiece continued to be drawn.

"Go on."

"My dad was an alcoholic. We never really talked. That's how I became... quiet."

That's one word for it. Unsociable was another.

"WW2 started when I was young. Eventually the USA decided to get rid of possible spies. They were unable to throw out the German community so they threw us out. Me and my dad were forced to move back to our home city of Hiroshima."
"Hiroshima? You mean...?"
"Yes. I was killed by the Atomic Bomb that the Americans dropped on us. It was painful. Very painful. Next thing I know, I am a spirit. I wind up in the North Rukon District. I stayed here, in North 24. An old man...he looked after me."
I waited for him to continue.

"He died. Hollow attack. I went to the Academy after that. Then I met Daichi... then you."

"Have you told Daichi this?"

"Some... only you could be trusted not to laugh."

"Daichi wouldn't laugh... much."

"You." He asked. I pointed to his picture. The cherry blossom tree was perfect, as brilliant as all he ever draws.

"Died quite recently, I think. Lived in England. My Dad was a Fireman. He spent his time saving lives. When I was eight he died. A shop shooting went wrong. He only tried to help. The bastards shot him... A man who only ever helped others."

I shrugged. "Not much else to it really. Amnesia sucks."
We sat together. The sun was starting to go down.

Hayato finally spoke. "I suppose we both lost our fathers. Yours to a gun, mine to alcohol."

"Yeah mate." I stood up and offered him a hand. "We should go now. Aizen will be pissed."

Hayato sat back down.

"Why don't you like Aizen? Every time he is near us he gives only kindness. Why do you tense up when he appears? Why are you always weary of him?"

I looked to Javan for logical support. His reply was a shrug. I looked inside myself and looked for the door labelled "Common Sense" and "Logic". I knocked but no reply.

"Fine. I just don't like him. He is too... perfect. He is also crafty. He blackmailed me into joining his squad but is constantly Mr nice guy to everyone. I am wary because Aizen is up to something. I know it in my bones." I finished. I waited for the ridicule or perhaps "NOOOOO! NOT AIZEN TAICHO!". Instead I got this.

"I agree, somewhat."
"What?!"

"He is perfect. He is crafty. I agree that something does feel a bit off kilter off him. I don't HATE him but I am your partner for better or worse. I'll be weary of him."
"Good. We should go."

I pulled him up and we shunpoed back to Seireitei, as well as uncertainty, as the sun set behind us and my meeting with Ichigo draws closer.

AN- SOOOOOO SORRY! I apologise for the longer than usual waiting time for this chapter. I wrote like, 15000 words for my One Piece story. Anyway, I wrote this one for the most of the day so that it would come out at the same time as my other story.

I hope you like Hayato's past. It took me a while to come up with it. I also put LOADS of foreshadowing for the future. A large cookie goes to whoever can send me a PM with the correct answer to how the picture ended up in the past. (The answer is one of the theories I wrote down this chapter. You can mix the theories to form your own answer, either way closest answer wins!)

Also NO ONE has taken the time to fill out either of my two polls! COME ON! If you don't answer my OC pairing poll then I will have no choice but to choose a pairing myself! (final choice is ultimately mine. You can also review or PM an answer if you want)

Regular thanks, etcetera etcetera! Undying Soul Out!