Chapter 2: A Soul in Pain
Okay people, it's chapter two of Spirits of the Past! I hope this chapter appeals to your tastes, so, why don't we get started with the disclaimer?
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach period nor Shizuku. Credit goes to LyokoWarrior1994 who is also co-working with me on this project
Enjoy!
"Good morning… Karen!" exclaimed my uncle
Unfortunately for him, he dived headfirst, into my fist.
"Are you insane? What kind of sick and twisted uncle attacks his own niece when she's in bed, huh?" I exclaimed
"You are getting good. It looks like there's almost nothing left for me to teach you." Said my uncle
Then I remembered the events of the night before.
"Hold it! What happened to your injuries? And Aunt Homura, is she alright?" I asked
"Injuries? Is Homura okay? What are you talking about?" asked my uncle
The hole from last night was still there! But the blood stains on Aunt Homura's Kendo sword, well, they were gone.
"It's a miracle! A truck plows right into our house and none of us get a single scratch!" exclaimed my uncle
"What's amazing is that we all didn't wake up from it." Said my aunt
I don't get it. Their wounds are gone, and they think a truck did this? Did that boy Shizuku have anything to do with it?
"Karen, you have about 10 minutes to eat breakfast before heading to school." Said my aunt
I then looked at the watch I forgot to take off the night before, and she was right!
"AH! I'm late! Aunt Homura, toast some toast or something! I'll have to eat on the way to school! It's my turn to set up for class!" I exclaimed
I wonder if he went back to that place he was talking about. The Soul Society.
Later…
"Karen, you okay? I heard that a truck crashed into your place last night." Said Tatsuki
"Yeah, the good news is, we escaped unscathed." I said
"So, is it all cleaned up?" asked Orihime
"You kidding? It's gonna take forever to clean!" I exclaimed
"Need any help?" asked a male voice
I looked to my left, and I saw Sado looming over me.
"It's okay Chad." I said
"Yeah, I mean, if you're not careful, you could bring the house down." Said Tatsuki
"Funny thing is, the same thing happened with Ichigo's place." Said Sado
"Seriously? No way." I said
"Hey, you're Karen Tsukimori, right?" asked a male voice behind me
I turned around, and it was Shizuku! What was he doing here?
"I'll be sitting next to you from now on. My name is Shizuku." Said Shizuku
"Ah! I-it's you!" I exclaimed
"Karen, what's wrong? Do you two know each other?" asked Tatsuki
"Of course not. We've never met before, isn't that right Karen?" asked Shizuku
"Shizuku's a brand new transfer student. Nice to meet you." Said Orihime
"It's a pleasure." Said Shizuku
He extended his hand in a gesture of a handshake, but on his hand were the words, 'Make a scene and you are so dead!' Oh snap!
Later…
"Alright you little delinquent, what in the world do you think you're doing?" I exclaimed
"Oh my, how scary. You're not going to hurt me, are you?" asked Shizuku
"Can the 'nice guy' act already, will ya?" I asked
"Well, I thought it was pretty good, considering I learned it overnight." Said Shizuku
"Oh to hell with it. Why are you here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be back in your Soul Society place?" I asked
"I can't go back to the Soul Society, not like this with half of my powers missing. My captain will kill me once he finds out. Thanks to you, for the time being, I'm stuck in this ridiculous Gigai." Said Shizuku
"What's a Gigai?" I asked
"It's a temporary body that serves as a vessel in an emergency. If a Soul Reaper is drastically weakened, they reside inside of a Gigai until their powers come back." Said Shizuku
"So that's how Orihime, Tatsuki, and Chad were able to see you. Because of that Gigai, right?" I asked
"Bingo, and so, until the rest of my powers come back, it's up to you Karen to assist me to perform the duties of a Soul Reaper. It's only natural, you now possess the strength of a Soul Reaper. You don't have…" started Shizuku
"Get out of town!" I exclaimed as I made an 'X' with my hands
"What?" asked Shizuku
"My days as a Soul Reaper began and ended when that Hollow attacked my family. I'm not becoming your partner in anything." I said
"Don't be ridiculous Karen, you did just fine yesterday." Said Shizuku
"That was only because my Aunt Homura was about to become Soul Food. I don't risk my neck to save people I don't know without a good reason. Sorry to disappoint." I said
I then began to walk away.
"Well, I guess I have no choice. Hey!" exclaimed Shizuku
"Huh?" I wondered
I turned around, and I saw Shizuku push me, and the funny thing is, well, I was staring at my unconscious body as I was standing!
"Holy crap! What did you do to my body?" I exclaimed
"Follow me once I get out of this Gigai." Said Shizuku
Not like I had much of a choice. I followed him to the dojo I used to go to until I became a black belt in martial arts.
"Where are we going?" I asked
"We're getting close." Said Shizuku
"Close to what?" I asked
"Our latest order from the Soul Society. It looks like the spirit of a girl who dwells here near this dojo is likely to come under attack soon." Said Shizuku
"This place…" I started
"You've been here before?" asked Shizuku
"When I was a kid, I used to take martial arts lessons. But, I was better than the others, considering the fact that I used to be blind until six years ago." I said
"How were you able to see again?" asked Shizuku
Before I was able to answer that question, we heard a scream. We saw a teenage girl with blond hair and green eyes running from a Hollow. She was about 5 foot 6 and wore a blue long-sleeved dress. I was about to draw my zanpakuto when Shizuku put his hand on my shoulder.
"What are you doing?" I asked
"I could be asking you the same thing. That girl is a person you don't know, right?" asked Shizuku
"So? I can't just stand by and let her get hurt! Do you expect me to watch her die?" I asked
"Don't be foolish! In the eyes of a Soul Reaper, all the spirits of this world are equal. Getting involved simply because spirits are nearby or they need help isn't how it works. Leave her be! If you intend to help this girl, then commit yourself to saving every spirit. You must be willing to go to any length, even to sacrifice your own life." Said Shizuku
I drew my zanpakuto, and I sliced off the legs of the overgrown centipede Hollow. It only disappeared, it wasn't purified yet.
"Have you made your decision Karen?" asked Shizuku
"Like hell I have. I haven't decided to do squat, but I can't just stand by and let innocent people get hurt. What about you? I seem to remember you putting your life on the line to save me last night. Were you truly thinking about your duty when you rushed to help me? Of course not, because that's the last thing on your mind when you save someone. At the very least, I choose to be different!" I exclaimed as I sliced the Hollow in half, which caused it to disappear permanently
The girl then looked back, and then at me.
"Are you okay?" I asked
"Yes, I'm fine." Said the girl
"Listen, if you don't want anything like that to happen to you again, then you should cross over to the other side. Whatever family you have, they're waiting for you." I said
I performed the Konso on her, and she was sent to the Soul Society.
"You handled that quite well." Said Shizuku
"Yeah, well, we're heading back. Don't want to cause a ruckus, now do we?" I asked
The weekend came by sooner than I hoped. I was in town buying groceries. I was wearing a sleeveless pink blouse with a dark pink Victorian-styled gothic skirt. I was also wearing black stockings, and pink heels. I wore the fingerless gloves I usually wore to hide my birthmark on my right hand. I then noticed Shizuku outside the bookstore! What was he doing?
"If I may trust the flattering truth of sleep, my dreams presage some joyful news at hand. My bosom's lord sits lightly in his throne, and all this day…" started Shizuku
"Geez, would you just shut up already?" I exclaimed
"What is your problem? I am studying contemporary language." Said Shizuku
"Newsflash, if the title of the book you're reading says 'Romeo and Juliet' and the author is William Shakespeare, then you're off by four centuries. Tell me, how long do you plan on following me, anyway?" I asked
"Until you answer your calling as a Soul Reaper." Said Shizuku
"Like hell that's gonna happen." I said
I then felt a strange spiritual pressure, and yet, at the same time, so familiar. But I've never sensed this one before.
'Oh, but you have Sakura. Try and remember your past.'
You again, huh? Just shut up and butt out of my life.
Later that evening…
"Hey Karen, you haven't seen my old pajamas, have you?" asked my uncle
"Why would I have a boy's pajamas? I'm a girl for god's sake." I said
"That's rude." Said my uncle
"Alright, alright, I haven't seen your old pajamas." I said
"That's weird. You know, one of my old outfits back in my college days when I met your aunt has gone missing too." Said my uncle
"Why do you feel the urge to tell me about every little thing that's happened to you lately?" I asked
"Well, sorry I asked! Good night!" exclaimed my uncle slamming my door
"Hey! You're welcome. Sheesh, talk about ungrateful." I said
I was about to finish the last chapter of my book, when I heard some kind of ringing. Did my uncle have a new ringtone to his cell phone? Just then, my closet door opened.
"Hey! Karen!" exclaimed Shizuku
"AH! What the heck? What are you doing in there? Are those my uncle's old pajamas you've got on?" I exclaimed
"I'll explain later. We got orders." Said Shizuku
"Orders?" I wondered
"We're not alone." Said Shizuku
"Hold it! What are you saying?" I exclaimed
"Get down!" exclaimed Shizuku as he pushed my soul out from my body
A Hollow appeared from behind where I was sitting. Man that was close!
"Why are you standing there? Do something!" exclaimed Shizuku
It attacked again, but Shizuku and I managed to dodge it safely.
"You have to aim for its head!" exclaimed Shizuku
I tried, but it would always block my zanpakuto with a part of its body.
"You need to focus! Don't just swing your sword around!" exclaimed Shizuku
"I know that!" I exclaimed
"Sakura! Stop fighting me! Come with me!" exclaimed the Hollow
Again with the name Sakura? For the last time, my name is Karen! I managed to fool it and got to its head, but the cut was too shallow! Half of the mask broke off, and somehow, I knew that face. He disappeared to wherever the Hollows go back to. I noticed the shocked look on Shizuku's face.
"He called you 'Sakura'. Is that your real name or something?" asked Shizuku
"No. My name isn't Sakura, but… I've been hearing a voice in my head lately calling me by that name. The problem is, I don't know why he called me by that name, and yet, I somehow know his face. Shizuku, you know that Hollow, don't you?" I asked
"Yes. He… was not only a member of Squad 3, like me, but he was also my best friend. His name was Ren Himiwari." Said Shizuku
"Ren… Himiwari? I… I know that name, somehow." I said
"But how? You're human aren't you? You wouldn't know him. Ren was nobility, and he never came to the World of the Living." Said Shizuku
"World of the what?" I wondered
"It's what we Soul Reapers call your world." Said Shizuku
"Oh. But still, I don't know how I know that name, but I know it, somehow." I said.
"We have to go after him anyhow. Hollows were once the souls of human beings, and soul reapers as well, no different than anyone else." Said Shizuku
"Y-you never told me that! But, what I just saw, it was a monster, wasn't it? Some being from the underworld that needed to be wiped out!" I exclaimed
"Correct. He is a monster now, and he must be destroyed." Said Shizuku
"But still, he was human once." I said
"It can't be helped. Souls that hold onto feelings of resentment or regret will sometimes resist Konso and linger on alone in this world. Should that happen, they either become Hollows on their own or they're devoured by other Hollows and become one of the fold." Said Shizuku
"But that's… I can't imagine the pain he went through when that happened to him." I said
Cliffhanger! I know, I'm cruel, right? Well, you'll be surprised when you see some of the future chapters. What are they going to be about? I'm not telling, yet. Please review, check out my poll, and until next time, I'm sakuraphoenix, saying I heart you, signing off for now. Kan dao ni!