Chapter 7: Greetings from a Stuffed Toy
Hey everyone! I'm back with the latest chapter of Spirits of the Past! Spring break is almost over, and I'm not happy about it. On the plus side, it means that I now have summer vacation to look forward to! Anyhow, disclaimer time!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I also do not own Shizuku. Credit goes to Lyokowarrior1994
Enjoy!
Right now, I was facing the Mod Soul right in front of me who hijacked my body. I learned the hard way that her punches are a force to be reckoned with. Maybe I should start working on my leg work too. She started going on the offensive, and I was just dodging the attacks.
"If I stay calm, I should be able to predict every move you got." I said
She kept throwing punches at me, but she left a wide opening in which she couldn't dodge. Eventually, I grabbed onto her/my arm, and flung her. She landed on her feet like a cat. She then ran off.
"Hold it you!" I exclaimed
"Karen, wait! We have an order." Said Shizuku
"What?-! You've gotta be kidding me!" I exclaimed
"We got a Hollow alert here. We have to leave now!" exclaimed Shizuku
"WHAT?-! Right now?-!" I exclaimed
"Let's move!" exclaimed Shizuku
Mod Soul's P.O.V. (A/N: You'll learn her name soon)
I was running away from that Soul Reaper, hoping that she wasn't following me. And that really stunk. I was enjoying the freedom I have, and those kids ruined it! That Soul Reaper didn't help either!
"Huh? It's a Hollow. It feels like it's going to that school I was just at. Who's it going to attack? Those kids?" I wondered
Karen's P.O.V.
Shizuku and I were running to find the hollow, but he then stopped.
"What is it now?" I asked
"My Soul Pager, there's something the matter with it." Said Shizuku
"What?-!" I exclaimed
"Is the battery dead?" wondered Shizuku
"You didn't recharge it?-! Next time, do that instead of wishing for Chappy the Rabbit!" I exclaimed
"Now I can't figure out where that Hollow is." Said Shizuku
"Just our luck!" I exclaimed
Mod Soul's P.O.V.
I was at the school, and I attacked one of the two Hollows that showed up. The other Mod Soul kicked the other hollow to the ground.
"It's that guy again! Hey, why'd you push us down?" asked a boy with glasses
"Hey! It's that high school student from earlier!" exclaimed a boy with a practically bald head
"Run! Get out of here!" I exclaimed
The first mod soul attacked the Hollow with a centipede-like body, but he was careless and got hurt. The second Hollow attacked me, but I kept using my fists as a shield to protect myself, but even human hands can get hurt.
"Did you see that?-!" exclaimed the boy with glasses
By this time, this body's knuckles were coated with blood. The boys soon ran away. I lured the Hollow to another location in order to fight it.
Karen's P.O.V.
Shizuku and I were running back the way we came, thanks to those Spirit Ribbons Shizuku always talked about. I then noticed something at the school we were just at.
"What's that?" I wondered
"There's the Hollow!" exclaimed Shizuku
"Yeah, I see it." I said
I then saw the substitute soul fighting the Hollow.
"She's there too." Said Shizuku
"That idiot!" I exclaimed
I then ran to get that Hollow.
"Hold it! Wait Karen! Don't go!" exclaimed Shizuku
Sorry Shizuku, but I need to make sure my body is okay. The Hollow was about to attack her, when I used my zanpaku-to to slice its tentacles into sushi!
"Hey, what the? Why are you helping me?" asked the mod soul
I grabbed her/me by the collar.
"Look you, those are my clothes and body that you're messing up! If you can't fight without getting hurt, then don't fight at all!" I exclaimed
"What is your problem?-! I had to fight him because you were late. If I had waited for you, those kids would've become this Hollow's lunch!" exclaimed the mod soul
"Shut up. Aren't you supposed to be some bad ass Mod Soul?" I asked
"I'll eat you both!" exclaimed the Hollow
The Hollow came charging at us, but the mod soul punched it in the face as I sliced it with the zanpaku-to
"Eat this!" I exclaimed
That effectively sliced the hollow in two, but the Mod Soul then punched it into the air just as it was about to disappear, and she was about to fall! I then grabbed her from the collar of my school uniform.
"You dumbass. Why the hell did you do that? Don't you know when you split a Hollow's head in two, it's as good as finished?-! So there was no point in you going to do that!" I exclaimed
I then noticed there were some people in the school yard playing games. So that's why she did that.
"Why did you save those people?" I asked
"It's a little hard to explain. If I hadn't helped those kids, they would've been killed. No one should have the right to kill anyone. After I was created, the Soul Society sent out an order. They made an announcement that all Mod Souls should be destroyed immediately, so the very day after I was born, I was given a death sentence. I waited, I trembled in fear inside that pill just waiting to die. Day after day I watched helplessly as the others were disposed of. Then I got lucky. I got shipped out with a load of goods by mistake, but I always expected to be discovered, and destroyed. I was alone for what seemed like years. I had quite a while to think about how things should be. And you know what I feel, I decided that no one has the right to take someone's life away. I exist and I should have the right to keep on existing to live my life as long as I want to! Like humans, I deserve that. So I refuse to take a life, that's the reason why I will never kill any living creature." Said the mod soul
I was just silent at the Mod Soul's confession. She hijacked my body and all, but she does have the right to keep living.
"Well, look who we have here. So finally we find you, and what a picture, you're all beat up and worn out, and all that trouble for nothing." Said the man who walked up to us
The man used his cane and somehow got the mod soul pill out of my body.
"Mission accomplished. We're done, let's go home." Said the man
"What?-! Come on! I came here to have a real fight and that's all I get?" asked the red-haired boy
"Hold it! What are you going to do with that mod soul now?" I asked
"No choice. I've gotta destroy her." Said the man
"Hold it, you can see me? How is that possible? Just who are you guys anyway?" I asked
"I'm not sure how to answer that question." Said the man
He tossed the mod soul pill up into the air, and Shizuku caught it.
"I believe that's mine. Thanks." Said Shizuku
"Listen, you can't have that." Said the man
"And why can't I have it Kisuke? Are you saying that it's your policy to seize goods that your customers have already paid for?" asked Shizuku
"Hey, I'll give you a full refund. How does that sound to you?" asked Kisuke
"That's okay. I'm completely satisfied with my purchase, besides, I know and you know that you're operating outside the law. And I also know it's not your job to recall this mod soul." Said Shizuku
"I just hope you know what you're getting involved in, so don't blame me if you get into trouble." Said Kisuke
"I won't. I already dealt with a lot of trouble since I've been here." Said Shizuku
Shizuku then walked over to me, and gave me the Mod Soul pill.
"Here. Come on, let's go." Said Shizuku
I stared at it for a while before going back into my body. It was really late now, and my hands were killing me! I don't think I can play a violin for a while!
"You're really feeling it." Said Shizuku
"Sure am. That Mod Soul really took my body for a pretty rough test drive." I said
I then pulled out the Mod Soul pill.
"You tried to turn me into road kill! Hey! Are you even listening to me?-!" I exclaimed
"I must say, you look awfully silly yelling at a pill in public." Said Shizuku
"I still want to tell her how I feel! Help me out here Shizuku! Is there a way I can give this damn Mod Soul what's coming to her?" I asked
"Yeah, but you need to insert her into a body, a dead body or one that doesn't have a soul." Said Shizuku
"Ah-ha, I get ya! I'm looking hard for a dead body, and I find it… bam! Oh she's gonna get it!" I exclaimed
"Just be quiet." Said Shizuku
"Hmm? Oh what do we have here? A Manaphy plushie. So let me get this straight, you're saying a non-living object could work for this, right?" I asked
"Hold on, that's not exactly how it works. Then again, I'm in a body that's not a real body." Said Shizuku
"Okay, point's aside, what do I do?" I asked
"I would imagine that you take the pill, and put it in her mouth." Said Shizuku
"You mean like this?" I asked
I then put the pill in its mouth.
"There." I said
After a while, nothing happened. I then held the plushie by the antenna, or whatever those things were called on a Manaphy.
"So you got any ideas that might actually work?" I asked
"That should've worked." Said Shizuku
I held it up, tossed it around a bit, and then spun her around on the antenna.
"Hey! That really hurts you nimrod!" exclaimed the mod soul
She bopped me on the head. That's it, she's really toast now. She then jumped out of my hand.
"Karen Tsukimori, I hereby challenge you to a no-holds-bar duel!" exclaimed the mod soul
"Count me in." I said
"Hey, wait a minute! When did you get so big?-! Or did I somehow shrink?-! Oh no! I'm in a super-cute plush toy with no legs and a huge head! I have no muscle, just cotton! Not fair!" exclaimed the mod soul
"Yo, mod soul, relax. It's time for some payback for what you did to my body earlier. Your little field trip could've taken me out completely. I need to make you understand." I said
"So what? I'll just have to mop the floor with you the way I am!" exclaimed the mod soul
She tried, and it was an epic fail. Oh well, at least I have the whole evening to think up a name for her.
The next day…
"Hey Karen, it's morning. Rise and shine! Don't try playing dead with me you lazy Soul Reaper wannabe!" exclaimed the mod soul
"Oh yeah! Take this!" I exclaimed as I threw her into the wall
That probably had to hurt.
"I can't have you starting the day getting all worked up. Make like a real plushie and shut up Mana." I said
"And just where did you come up with that name for me?" asked Mana
"Mana is the name of a character from the original Yu-Gi-Oh series, which I happen to be a fan of, and it's short for Manaphy, the name of the Pokémon plushie you're in." I said
"Hmm… Mana… I like it! It's kinda cute, and it has a nice ring to it." Said Mana
"Hey Karen, morning." Shizuku said as he exited out of the closet
"Hey Karen, are you up? I'm coming in." said Homura
Shizuku and Mana quickly hid in the closet, and I quickly closed it just to be safe.
"Karen, what are you doing?" asked Homura
"M-me? W-what am I doing? Oh you know, just doing some yoga. Great way to wake up." I said
"I think you need to get an alarm clock. By the way, Orihime and Tatsuki are downstairs waiting for you." Said Homura
"What?-! Wow! Look at what time it is! I gotta get going quick! Oh crap where are my gloves?-!" I exclaimed
"I toasted some toast and put some quiche in your bag for your lunch, so hurry up." Said Homura
By this time, I was buttoning the buttons on my school uniform and putting the bow on.
"Sorry about that you guys! I just woke up! I'll be right there!" I exclaimed
"It's okay, we'll see you in a minute." Said Orihime
"Yeah! Take your time, but hurry up! We don't want to be late." Said Tatsuki
"Okay!" I exclaimed
They were acting like nothing happened yesterday. I wonder why.
"Hey." I said
"What is it?" asked Shizuku
"I wonder why Orihime and Tatsuki are acting that nothing's happened." I said
"Oh. Probably the memory replacement device. We don't want them to remember what happened yesterday with Mana." Said Shizuku
"Good point. That's one day I wish I could forget. But… why do I feel like I've forgotten something?" I wondered out loud
I looked at my watch, and it was June 16th. Tomorrow, I wouldn't be in school.
"I'm leaving now Karen. I'll see you at school. Karen? What's wrong?" asked Shizuku
"It's none of your business." I said coldly
At school…
I was working on the art project that I was supposed to do, and I was finishing it up. On one side, I was in a white sleeveless concert dress with roses on the left side holding my violin, and on the other, I was in an attorney's outfit with glasses, which represents my sense of justice.
"Wow, hey yours is pretty good." said Orihime
"Thanks, I guess." I said
Ichigo then came into the classroom.
"Hey! Good morning Ichigo!" exclaimed Orihime
"Hmm? Hi Orihime. How's it going?" asked Ichigo
That's weird. Ichigo's never like that.
"Hey morning Karen." Said Ichigo
"I don't want to be bothered Strawberry." I said
"Hey! What have I told you about calling me that?-!" exclaimed Ichigo
"Take a hint! I said leave me alone!" I exclaimed
"You started it when you called me 'strawberry'!" exclaimed Ichigo
"Not my fault you got named a girl's name!" I exclaimed
"Okay you two, break it up!" exclaimed Shizuku
Ichigo and I glared at each other, and then turned our backs.
That evening…
"I'm home!" I exclaimed
"Karen!" exclaimed a female voice
I saw a flash of blue before I was knocked to the ground. Oh no. Is it their summer vacation already?
"Umi! Get off!" I exclaimed
"But it's been so long since I saw you Karen!" exclaimed Umi
"Umi, seriously. You don't want to suffocate her, do you?" asked a girl with red hair
"Tsubomi!" I exclaimed
"Long time no see Karen." Said Tsubomi
"It's that time of year again. Tomorrow marks the day they died, and I became temporarily blind." I said
"I know it's hard for you. You lost both of your parents when you were a kid. It's hard, we know. It's not like we lost mom and dad." Said Umi
"I know Umi, but if you were close to death yourself, you'd think different." I said
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. So Karen, do you have a boyfriend yet?" asked Tsubomi
My face turned red from embarrassment.
"T-T-Tsubomi!" I exclaimed
"If you girls are done, we need to get started on our family meeting for tomorrow. First order is to go over everyone's jobs for tomorrow, and as chairman, I have final say in all decisions!" exclaimed Kazuki
"Dream on Kurogawa." I said
"We are talking about your parents Karen, so show me a little respect!" exclaimed Kazuki
"Whatever." I said
"Alright, Karen, you're in charge of the food for tomorrow." Said Kazuki
"Sounds good." I said
"Tsubomi, Umi, you two will load our packs." Said Kazuki
"Okay." Said Tsubomi
"Sounds good to me." Said Umi
"And Homura and I will be in charge of chaperoning you three to the site!" exclaimed
After the meeting…
"That sounded like fun." Said Shizuku
"What do you mean?" I asked
"That family meeting you have with your uncle and those two friends of yours." Said Shizuku
"They're my cousins, not my friends, though I consider Tsubomi to be more than my cousin." I said
"I see. So instead of going to school tomorrow, you guys are having a family picnic. That sounds nice." Said Shizuku
"Hey Shizuku listen, I know I have serious responsibilities as a Substitute Soul Reaper, but… could I… have the day off tomorrow?" I asked
"Huh? Did you just ask me for a day off?-! Are you nuts?-! There is no way! You were acting strange all day! Heck, you started a fight in class that I had to break up! What is wrong with you?-!" exclaimed Shizuku
"It's the anniversary… of my parent's deaths. Or rather… the day they were murdered." I said
That evening as I lay in bed, I was thinking back to the day my parents died. I was only four years old, so I never really knew the meaning of death. My parents and I were coming back from a concert the two were performing in, and dad crashed into something. I can't forget seeing all of that blood. I was somehow spared from it, but the only thing I saw after the crash was darkness, and that's all I saw for many years. Even the spiritual energies I sensed couldn't see through the darkness that I was forced to see. But… on the day they died, six years ago, something broke the darkness.
Done and done! Whew, this one took me a while to write, but above and all, I'm finally done! Please review, check out my poll, and until next time, I'm sakuraphoenix, saying I heart you, signing off for now. Kan dao ni!