Game of Life
DISCLAIMER : I don't own anything except for this story LINE. ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY.
Warning : Opinionated. Race and body talk. I am speaking as I am. What I felt. Yes, I was overweight [I was obese before according to my BMI] and am doing my best to train my body to become the best possible vehicle for me to get me what I want. And I want to become the best version of me, so that I can do the best possible work for my plans to come to fruition to protect my family. Being healthy, beats laziness every time. I apologize to everyone that doesn't see me eye to eye, but this is my opinion and I am not pointing at you personally. The point is that, your body is yours, you get to shape it the way you see fit, just remember that it is a borrowed item that has limits and expiration date. So enjoy it. And remember to thank God for this gift.
5. Hyper parasites: These are a special type of parasites. They are parasites which live on another parasite. Ex: Bacteriophage viruses like tobacco mosaic virus lives on bacteria like E-coli.
CHAPTER 5: BIGGEST REGRETS IN LIFE
The two Kuchikis can be seen eating silently, under the dark night sky, beside the river bank, a few feet away from there temporary shelter, which is the bridge that was under construction.
Silence, reign over them, as they savor what little food they can afford with the money, Rukia had saved from the remains of the donations given to her, back at the police station.
[Living the life you want to live, not the one that's expected of you]
It had been 4 nights since they arrived in the world of the humans, and 3 days had they been struggling to survive as powerless, street rats.
Life for them had been very difficult. Or at least for Byakuya, the Prince of Kuchiki clan, one of the 4 greatest noble clans that ruled over Soul Society.
Rukia considered their situation at the moment, as less difficult in comparison to her life at the Rukon district, a life which she almost forgotten due to the luxury that was afforded to her by the Kuchiki clan.
[ Having the courage to express your feelings]
The two Kuchikis remained on their places, after they had finished eating their brunch-dinner for the day.
The cold night breeze passed through them, like a mischievous child.
Rukia shivered at the cold.
Byakuya having noticed it, he took off the choker, he had been wearing. That cloth was actually one of the garbage he found, that he had deemed useful for a time, despite being severely revolted at the idea of utilizing it himself.
Rukia was caught off guard when the brown man, which is Byakuya, gingerly put the green choker on her. She had the urge to refuse, but she bit her tongue instead. For she thought that, it is as rare as her bankai's appearance was Byakuya's affection towards her.
Then suddenly Byakuya asked.
"Did the Kuchiki clan. No. Have we, I, made your life difficult, Rukia?"
At that question, Rukia was stunned, unable to speak. Unable to deny that yes, they had made her life difficult, but not on the material side of things. But the fact that they made her feel isolated, unwanted, and a burden.
But that was all in the past, and life should move on.
"No" Rukia answered.
[Standing up for yourself in your early years]
Byakuya could not help but stare at the serene look on the blondes chubby face, specifically on her beautiful blue eyes. Eyes that express a different emotion than her words.
"I never knew what having a family really felt like. And that was all I had wished for, when I was younger" Rukia continues her answer.
Byakuya felt a string tug at his heart, a heart that he had numbed and put away a long, long time ago.
For when he was an infant, his mother died because of him, because he had to be born no matter what. And several tragic events that prevented him from experiencing how having a family really meant.
Despite all of that, he was expected to be strong. To not show weakness. To never show his emotion.
The emotions that had bullied him inside, and torn his heart apart.
Despite that, he stood up against every thing that was tearing him. He stood up and became the person that was expected of him, and more.
Much like the way, he had seen Rukia stood up to meet and exceed what the Kuchiki clan had expected of her.
[Settling for less than what we really want]
Also, the reason why he had to use his influence to hinder her progress, to protect her from the dangers of being a ranked shinigami of Gotei 13.
In order that he could keep his unspoken promise to his late wife. Rukia's older sister.
Day by day, he had been observing her from afar. And was amazed at the silent fire burning on her expressive eyes, despite how cold she appeared to be.
Rukia was so cold, and unfeeling, as though she was a living dead, perfectly mirroring what he should have been feeling inside. The dead coldness of his own gray eyes.
She almost appeared to be a true Kuchiki, the purest of them all, due to her aura of aristocracy, despite her flaws. So naturally hers.
At those times, he could not stop himself from comparing the two sisters.
Hisana was like his cherry blossoms in a way. Graceful and extremely beautiful, especially when she smiles.
And Rukia.
Rukia is like a blizzard of ice. Powerful, and extremely cold and distant. An accurate representation of it, was her very own zanpaktu.
And so, he was at lost.
How can he deal with his newly acquired sister? When they are both awkward and distant, closed off individuals.
And so he did, what he could. Be a distant brother, the way how noble men are with their own family members. To appear cold and unfeeling. Exuding a strong and powerful image.
And protect her.
[Not taking action when you know it's the right thing to do]
But, despite all his efforts to keep her away from harm. She had gone and put herself on trial again.
And put him in a very difficult situation.
The event in which his beliefs, principles, and values were put in a test. Rukia's execution at the Sokyuko hill.
He could still remember those moments like it was yesterday. How he had almost lost her, due to his inaction and opposition.
He knew that he should be protecting her, as promised. But chose not to.
[ Not taking more risks]
He had thought back then, after he had weigh down his two most important promises.
Rukia is an honorable shinigami. And the Kuchiki clan had never failed to educate her about the laws and obligations as a citizen of Soul Society.
And despite all that, she broke the one most crucial law of all.
"Never to give the power of shinigami to any humans, no matter what"
This law was put in place for the protection of all. Humans should be humans. And shinigami should be the one to protect the humans. These races must not mix together, for the sake of balance. For the sake of the worlds.
Before Rukia, there were shinigamis who selfishly do so, and in return, the benefit extremely out-weight by the chaos of such action. It caused many deaths and casualties among the worlds, and imbalance the harmony of the souls.
A grave crime indeed, that should be punished severely in order that everyone should follow the law, unselfishly.
And so he did, he put the law above himself, to protect everyone from such reckless behavior.
Rukia is a shinigami and a Kuchiki, she should face her crimes with dignity. For it was her choice. And so he had chosen.
He had chosen to not take a risk to save her, and protect her from the law of the land, from her punishment.
Not to risk, the possibility of their people to revolt under their rule, just because he put himself above the law for personal reasons.
Forgive me Hisana, I can no longer protect your sister.
[ Not taking better care of yourself]
At that thought, Byakuya had come to his senses when Rukia stood up.
"Please excuse me, Nii-sama. I am going to sleep" Rukia said after sometime. For some reason she wasn't feeling well. Maybe because her current body was a little bit feverish.
"Achoo!" Rukia could not help but sneeze loudly in front of Byakuya of all people.
"Please forgive me Nii-sama!" she exclaimed worriedly.
"You should take care of yourself, Rukia. These human bodies are unlike our original ones. They are weak and fragile" Byakuya commented stoically, masking the concern that he was feeling inside.
"Hai" Rukia answered as she walks away toward their makeshift shelter under the bridge. Her bed was set up a few meters away from Byakuya, and was separated with cartoon boxes as walls, and trash bags, that she had thoroughly cleaned.
She sighed. She would never want to let Byakuya stay in a place like this, but unfortunately, this is their only option. Their money, can only afford them food once a day, in order for it to last them until next week. Hopefully by that time, she could find a decent job, that would pay fairly.
[Get more done]
Because Byakuya, is an excon, employers are wary of hiring him, despite his qualifications as a laborer.
They say "Criminals are always going to be criminals. People don't change just like their color"
"Patience Rukia. Patience. Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow will be better " Rukia said to herself like a mantra, just like before, before she was a Kuchiki. As she fell asleep, she vaguely sensed someone looking down at her.
"Forgive me, Rukia" Byakuya said as he left her makeshift bedroom.
Byakuya returns to his makeshift bedroom- that he personally despised, not to sleep, but to take the pieces of paper which he put his notes on. And a map.
For the past 2 days that he had been roaming around the district to find a job that will be able to feed them, and hopefully allow them to rent an apartment for a better shelter. But every time he apply, even for the lowest job, such as a labor or even a clean-up personnel. People look at him in a different way, especially when they see his ID card.
Despite all the rejection, he did not lose his composure, as he walk along the alleys, he observed everything and everyone. Through the map he had bought with the money Rukia gave him as allowance yesterday, he put notes on it, according to his analysis of the area.
Being the head of the richest clan in all Soul society, he mastered the ways to make money, a lot of them. A skill that was taught to him as a child, though he did not really cared for it, except at this moment.
One last time, Byakuya stared down at Rukia- that was sleeping peacefully. A melancholic smile dawned on his thick pale brownish-pink lips.
"I have to go, Rukia. Please take care of yourself" he said as he disappeared into the night, wholly prepared to do what needs to be done.
[Allowing old friendships to fade away]
Rukia scowled in her dream.
Or her nightmare.
She sees the faces of her fellow orphans in the orphanage, faces of her dead childhood friends at Rukon, Renji, her squad members, Ichigo and the others, and her friends at Gotei who she had learned to be open with, basically her friends.
Captain Ukitake, and Mai.
All her friends were fading away. Fading away into nothingness.
Rukia sat so abruptly that her blanket was thrown away. Sweat covered her body. Her breathing was ragged.
The severity of her current situation is finally sinking in to the depths of her soul.
If she can't find a way to return back to soul society, or find Ichigo and the others in the world of the humans, she might never be able to see them ever again.
There is no proven possibility that, if they die as a human, that they will end up back in soul society.
Especially since they are technically exiled souls.
And that's how far she knew about the Kuchiki's forbidden book.
[Not making peace with yourself and others]
How could I be so complacent?!
Rukia thought to herself, as she hugged herself for comfort, remembering that it had been days since she had spoken to her confidant and best friend, her zanpaktu.
Shirayuki.
Missing the cold and icy dessert of her inner world. The place where she can be at peace with her self and others.
The place where she can be truly truthful with herself.
As she looked at her current body, she saw a very unfamiliar body.
Yes, she was not Kuchiki Rukia anymore, the vice captain of 13th squad.
She is plainly just Rukia Kuchiki. A blonde chubby girl, who can't even defend herself from a mere dog, or even find a decent work.
Ah. She now understood the weight of her reality: she isn't physically fit, and so her ability are limited to her size. And she wasn't deaf and blind either, to not notice how people treat her.
Though she does not care about people's opinions of her, she does care about factual feedbacks.
It disgust her though, how people in this place only judge other people by their appearance. How shallow.
But then again, nothing will change until I change. Waiting for other people to accept me as I am, is as pointless as waiting for the pigs to fly.
If I want to be better, I should go and get better.
It's not about them, it's about myself, and how far I will go to get what I want.
And right now, I have to find a way to survive and go back to soul society. And to do that I need all the resources I have that I can optimize.
And all I have now, is my current human body. A body that isn't fit to survive and get me what I want.
Just bite the bullet, they say.
[Not traveling more]
As she got up from her bed, she noticed that the sun have not risen yet, a perfect opportunity to meditate about the extent of her situation and how to deal with everything. Sort out her thoughts and plans.
Through the light shining from the lamp at the side of the bridge, she took out her pen and paper, and started writing down her thoughts.
At the far side of the district, Byakuya had traversed several kilometers away from their shelter, to continue mapping the district.
[Not following or making time for your passion]
He was evaluating the neighborhood, to find deals. Specifically, to piece together all his options to kill three birds in one stone.
Find the death gods assigned in this area, prospecting for real estate deals, and learn how to speak the language.
As a Kuchiki, the top skill he was taught as a rich heir, was how to find underpriced valuable assets. And as captain of squad 6, he has mastered how to spot opportunities and talent if he sees one.
Money is inconsequential, as long as you have skills and time.
Byakuya actually enjoyed the thrill of having nothing, of being nothing. The freedom of building yourself from scratch. To do anything without causing severe complications, even as simple as smiling or talking a little bit more. To maintain a perfect image.
[ Working so much at the expense of family and friends]
All his life, he had the burden to perfect and maintain a flawless and powerful image, as the head of the noble Kuchiki clan and captain of squad 6.
Friendships were out of the picture.
Admittedly, even during his marriage to his late wife, work took a precedence over his personal life.
The one thing he regretted the most.
He regretted not spending time with his wife before she passed away.
To an extent that he just wanted to break down, if it weren't for his grandfather and his upbringing, he would have destroyed himself.
Regretted it to the point that it was too painful to even look at Rukia, on those few early years of her adoption.
At this thought, he stopped running abruptly.
[Taking yourself too seriously & worrying what other people think]
When he look back at his life, he realizes that he had taken himself too seriously, and worried what other people think, despite not respecting their opinions.
Suddenly, an image of young Rukia appears on his memory.
She was a bloody mess. She looked colder and emotionally dead than he had ever seen her.
The time she killed her nakama, lieutenant Shiba Kaien.
"We should not shed tears for that will serve as a defeat of our bodies to our hearts. It is then nothing more than proof for it to be said that our hearts are things beyond our ability to control" he had said to her back then.
Looking back, it was him that actually made Rukia colder, a living dead for decades.
But he could not bring himself to regret it. For, he realized that, that was probably the kindest word he could have given her.
To make her stronger.
[Not living a more meaningful life]
Seeing her with Kurosaki back then, when they were ordered to arrest her for her crimes.
He remembered the look of life on her previously lifeless eyes.
She had finally regained meaning to her life.
And I stomped at it arrogantly with ignorance.
I have gone too far. And that, I regretted doing.
I had hurt her, again and again. For her own good, I had thought.
[Not learning how to deal with regrets early enough]
I was broken, and I broke her as well.
Cause her to lose her will to live. To accept her ending.
If I wrote all the things I regret in my life, a thousand life would not be able to compensate for it.
But ultimately, she brought back meaning to my life.
My pride.
Rukia.
"I found out their identity. It's positive. They are the people we are after" a baritone voice spoke with certain.
"Hmm. Taylor Young... Tracy Riles"
On the table, one could see the two mugshot photos of wanted criminals.
Update: as soon as I finish writing and analyzing Elon Musk's biography, as my inspiration
SHOUT OUT TO ICHIRUKI FANS OUT THERE... I am watching a kdrama at the moment while my employers went out to the beach...
AND I AM DYING! because SECRET Garden is killing my sore heart.. T_T... So beautiful.. Ha ji-won is like Rukia Kuchiki too much... Ahh... I am dying... Good bye.