Greetings! Surprise, no I did die. I unfortunately had some person matters to take care of that took a little longer than expected. I should be able to update more frequently now. To all the individuals that are braving the waters to read my work. I'm open to any suggestions and/or constructive criticism. It can only help so please don't be shy. I'm grateful to all that reviewed. This is a tiny spoiler alert for the fake Karakura arc.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Don't sue me I have no money to pay any legal bills. It would make me cry big fat tears in a corner. I'm not kidding I was reading information about plagiarism and copyright and turned the whole spectrum of the rainbow in a course of 30 seconds at the amount of money that is dished out. The Towa piggy bank was shaking in its hoofs.
*Thoughts*
*Regular talk*
Karin stared at the light smile on the beautiful woman's face. The panic and extreme pain that burdened her body seemed to melt away with a twitch of the women's lips. Karin felt quite odd for one look at this stranger and she felt she could trust her completely. That in itself made Karin anxiety after all she was die hard cynic.
"Well are you going to tell me what that mad man did to me or not." Karin's impatience was getting the best of her even in her calm state.
The woman smile saddened and a serious look overtook her face. The woman's silvery eyes looked to the quiet lapping waves on the shore. She took a deep breath and sighed shifting her sight to Karin opening delicate lips to speak.
"To understand what is going on I have to give you background knowledge. You see when one dies there are four options." The woman held of four long fingers for emphasis.
"What do you mean four? Don't
you just go to heaven or hell?" Karin eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"In a way that is true. Those are the ultimate destinations. Yes, there are those that were extremely evil or good earning them spots in there heaven and hell right away. An example is hardcore murderers and those with the purest of hearts respectively. Those are however not as common as you think. After all everybody is flawed in one way or another that's what makes you human. There are two more places you can end up. They are both in what most would call limbo. The first is place where that white haired child and friends are from. That is where the dead can be reborn or make their way to true heaven. The other limbo like place is for those that are hell bound is where your physical body resides now. The natives call this place the Huceo Mundo."
"One problem as far as I can figure is I'm not dead. And I really don't think I did anything to come to this place." Karin huffed blowing strands of hair out of her eyes.
"No you did not. It was one of the hollows that brought you to this place. Or do you not remember the man with emotionless green eyes?" she questioned.
Karin's eyes widened as she remember those eyes and the intense pressure that had led to passing out and ending up in this situation. How could she have forgotten something so important? Karin strained to call the events that passed. Dark eyes widened at the realization that everything before this conversation started was getting fuzzy.
"I almost forgot. What about this place makes me forget such things?" Karin asked.
"That is part of my story as I told you before. You must concentrate on the things I'm telling you. Otherwise you will forget. You are not dead therefore you should not be able to see or hear me yet. We were not scheduled to meet for millennia from now. Unfortunately because of your current situation I had to force a meeting." The woman sighed lightly guiding her hand to the sand.
"If I couldn't hear you before and I'm not dead how could you force the meeting?' Karin questioned hands twisting the fabric of her dress.
"I found the place you were most comfortable in your mind and met you halfway. Usually the first meeting is done under different circumstances involving many years and trials. Meeting me is supposed to a trying and almost life threatening experience. Again we don't have the time nor are you dead. After all after you're dead that all you have is time. The only other forced meeting with a Zanpakuto was with your brother and even that was under extreme circumstances." The woman stated.
"What exactly is a Zanpakuto?" Karin curiously asked.
The woman smiled before replying, "Well I'm one; yours to be exact. You know the sword your brother has in his shinigami form? That is a Zanpakuto and I like your brothers am the spirit that resides within it. The purpose is to guide you and give you strength when you need it."
"Then where were you when I got into this whole mess?" Karin's cheeks puffed out childlike.
"The powers I have can only be accessed with your death. That is one of the reasons you were brought to this place. You may not feel it now but you have a special gift and great power." She poked Karin lightly in the forehead.
"Really that's real great except I can't access any of it until I do die." Karin huffed rubbing her temple.
"Yes under normal circumstances that would be true. However because that horrid man your body is changing as we speak to accommodate the liquid that now runs through your veins." The woman whispered running her hand down Karin's bare arm.
All the panic that she had experienced during this nightmare seemed to surface all at once. Karin twitched at the light contact the woman gave. Her fingertips gave off a cooling sensation during the brief venture causing a calming effect on the panic bubbling up her chest. Karin's eyes shifted from the woman's hand to her vast eyes when the panic at been effectively stomped down.
"So how is you been a Zanpakuto and shinigami related to that nut job injected in me?" Karin questioned itching at her arm.
"Everything unfortunately, well that liquid was made to make you be able to handle the strain of the power that you would require with death and time in a short time frame. To balance out the amount of energy the mixture contained hollow and shinigami blood to even out the transfer. So in while you are still human you now contain the properties of the dead. Of course this preparation was for the handling of the spirit of the Zanpakuto." She spoke eyes wandering over the ocean again.
"Why would they want to prepare me for you? I have a hard to believing you would help them. Atleast I hope not." Karin stared that the woman a glint of suspicion in her eyes.
"Ah that is where the problem lies. I was not the spirit they wish to see. They have prepared you for another. She is a force they are foolish to mess with." The woman silvery gaze hardened as she continued to stare at the ocean.
"How can that be aren't there suppose to be one Zanpakuto for every soul? How can I have another? Or force another into me? Arhh. This is so frustrating." Karin pulled at her dark locks.
"Yes, that is how its suppose to work. One thing that is not common knowledge to the shinigami is that much like they have trials to acquire us. We spirits to have such a process. The spirit chooses the partner however it is a battle to get them. You see for every shingami there are two spirits. Generally there isn't that big of a problem but the more pure the soul the more of a fight there is. My dear when echoes of you came about long before your birth there was a massive fight between myself and another. She is the one that are preparing you for." The woman ran a hand through her weightless red mane.
"Why would they do want her in particular? Does she know the leader of these people that captured me...Does Aizen know her? Can he control her is that why he wants this one? Well ofcourse you know her? The two of you fought over me because I'm supposed to be 'powerful' one day. This is nuts. Who is she anyway?" Karin babbled.
"There special ones among are kind we call them the Old Ones in your Old Ones are the ones that were powerful enough to give form without a medium such as the Zanbakuto. They didn't require any help to use their powers either. The Old Ones had materialized on your plane of existence before. You may be familiar with them; the humans gave them names like Zeus, Venus, Ra, and Amaterasu. Just to name a few. The spirit they prepared she too made her way to your world. Her time there was short but destructive as most of the spirits tended to be. A group of human shamans and mystics banished her back to her plane when she got to out of hand. In fact that is why there aren't any traces of old ones anymore. They were banished much like her because of one act or another. That's also why there aren't many mystics anymore. They always died sealing them. Such a shame." The woman uttered.
How many myths and legends were actually true? This was a lot to take in at one time. However it did make sense why all the goddesses and gods seemed to disappear from history at the same time. The women shifted slightly bring Karin's attention back.
"The horrible leader, Aizen will use this spirit to cause chaos and destroy all that get in his way. You must prepare. Once you wake he will do many horrible things to make you ready for her arrival. Unfortunately with that liquid that is now in you I will not be able to help you that much. Not yet anyway. The silver lining is that the man doesn't realize that with the crazy doctor's potion released some of the sealed power within you more than planned." The woman paused.
"If you can handle the outside for a little, I can train you in this place when you sleep to defend yourself and eventually leave this place. I'm sorry to say it won't before the ritual to bring her to this plane happens. She already has a connection to you from the fight to be your Zanpakuto it easier to transition to your body. " She sighed again.
"Wait she won't be a Zanpakuto then?" Karin questioned.
"No, since you're not dead they will put her directly into your body. She will reside in your subconscious until you can't keep her back anymore." Silvery eyes closed in sorrow.
"Now listen closely I will tell you all about her. You have to concentrate. If you don't concentrate you will forget." The woman warned.
The woman held Karin's gaze as told her the next set of information. As the woman's red stained lips moved Karin sat silent body shaking. The woman's words were not hope filling. The spirit she described was beyond words. A bewildered look dawned Karin's face. Karin was speechless for the first time she started this conversation
The young girl maneuvered herself to sit face to face with the beautiful woman beside her. Many emotions played across her face as she seemed to contemplate what she was about to do. A couple of seconds passed before she moved. Karin raised her hand as to touch the woman but curled her fingers and retracted the hand back before she could invade the woman's space. Putting her hands together she softly questioned the woman.
"What am I suppose to do? After what you told me about her…there is no way I can…My brother is the supernatural handler of the family not me. Now some psycho wants me for powers I don't have and I'm going to be possessed by some super powerful destructive former 'goddess'. This is just great." Karin voice held defeated sarcasms.
"Karin…You will have to fight her to keep her from doing the things I told you. This is one of the reasons I contacted you in the first place to prepare you for her. I will protect you until the last of my energy is gone. However it will be up to you ultimately to tame her. Otherwise she will take over you completely." The woman stated cupping her check.
"How am I going to fight that? You said she is extremely powerful. Even if I manage to hold her back how are we going to get rid of her?" Karin eyes dropped to the sand surrounding her fear filling her body.
The woman looked down at the small girl next to her bring long feminine fingers to the top of Karin's silky head. She slowly pulled the fragile looking girl into pale arms. She wrapped them tightly around the girl emitting the same calming warm feeling she had the first second she laid eyes on the girl. Waiting for the girl to relax in her arms she slowly let go of her precious cargo. Taking the hand that had reached for her not to long ago she brought it to her chest.
"You are me and I am you. We are a team. We are the same in here." She smiled cradling Karin's hand on her chest right on top of her heart before mimicking the same gesture with her own hand to Karin's chest.
"No matter where we are, we have our hearts. You see they beat in tandem. We are extensions of each other. This is how we are going to beat her. Together we will keep at bay until we can find a way to seal her much like those before us did." Tilting her head slightly she stared directly into Karin's eyes.
"Now, you are going to have to fight her with everything you got. If you don't you cease to exist." She patted the hand that was over Karin's heart with a sad smile adorning her pale features.
"How am I supposed to fight her? After all Aizen and her were planned before I was even a thought to my parents. How am I supposed to stop someone that is has every little step planned out?" Karin sighed dropping her hand from her companion's heart.
"You have to think about all those you fight for. Focus on them and you will be able to achieve many great things. She will cause the end if she is free. So let's fight together." The woman spoke seriously.
"The end of just my life right?" Karin eyes dulled.
"No. Everything… No just your life, all of human race and anything else. She will bring about Aizen's plans along with what you would be familiar with as Armageddon. That man and his plans will bring everything to ash. With or without realizing it that foolish man will be singular upset the balance of nature by releasing her. After all no one can truly control her. That why those decided to seal her away in the first place among all the other things." The woman's face had a frown.
A depression spread through Karin's body like wildfire. It licked at her heat and made her bones ache. Drawing upon the images of her friend and family again the sight of her honey color twin caused a new emotion swelled in Karin's chest. The very thought of her family being hurt drenched the fire with water. A cooling sensation made its way through her body.
The once dull eyes sparked to life. The moment of self pity party has to stop. Damn my cynical nature always thinking the worse of situation. I need to put my other annoying trait into place. My brother is beyond stubborn. I should use mine too in this situation. I can't be afraid anymore. I hate being afraid. I refuse to be afraid anymore. These morons aren't going to know what hit them. Suddenly that gap between Ichigo and me so big anymore. Watch out Aizen there is a new Kurosaki in the game and she is pissed.
"Alright let's kick this bitch's ass back to wherever it came from. I handle whatever Aizen throws at me. Just make sure your ready when I come back. I want to get out of here as fast as possible. What first?" Karin stated determined look crossed her face
"Well for starters you must call out my name." the woman smiled silvery eyes glinted proudly as she rose to full height.
"Can you call it out for me again?" Karin pleaded standing as well.
The woman smiled wider before opening those red stained lips and spoke Karin's face lit up as she smiled.
"That's a beautiful name I won't forget it." Karin spoke softly eyes drifting closed.
The girl in the white dress faded from the beach leaving only the redhead woman. The woman's smile slid off her face as she looked out to the ocean once again.
"I hope so. We are running out of time little one." Her eyes scanning the horizon.
Her eyes stopped on something close to the sun of Karin's mindscape. A frown made its way to her face. Turning back to the inland she starts to walk toward the trees fading from view. On the horizon the sun shining brightly looking closely at the blue sky to the right. A tiny crack makes its way up the blue sky slowly but stead. A bluish green mist slowly crept through the crack.
Karin's dark eyes snapped open to stare at an unfamiliar ceiling; a portal snaps shut in the same second taking with it a certain boy with orange hair. A couple moments of silence passes a Karin blinks at the strength of the light beating down on her. Five seconds after that another portal cracks open and a three figures walk through. One smiles as the sound of the portal crack closed behind him.
"Check." The man uttered moving his smiling face to stare at his now crumbling palace.
*Preview for next time*
Karin's fragile image of her life and future shattered to pieces in the instant those words left that horrible man's mouth. For the first time since she had gotten to this horrible place she felt all hope she had evaporate. She could never be the same old Karin again. This bastard had made sure of that. She rushed to the other side of the room with uneven steps not use to the changes her body had undergone. Karin reached her destination grasping on to the small glass mirror that rested on the desk shaking hands lifted said mirror to her face. One look at herself and she threw the offensive object at the equally offensive man behind her. The man caught the mirror with no problems the act only seem to give him more pleasure. Smiling the man set the mirror down facing her on the little table next to him.
Walking slowly to the door the man spoke, "I'll leave you alone to sort your thoughts out my dear."
Chapter 4 down. A little shorter than the last chance but I promise for a nice longer chapter next time. I get back into the swing of things. Hopefully ;)
WingsoftheTowa