A/N: Yay! I finally got off my lazy butt and decided to write it. Gah, so much homework! And then there's the exams that I probably should be studying for. But you don't want to know about that. So instead, in this chapter, Hitomi finally gets to meet Byakuya! (mischievous snicker)
(cough) Anyway, I apologize in advance for any unsatisfactory writing. Without any more mindless babbling, here's capítulo cuatro!
Chapter 4
"Hii-chan," I heard a familiar voice whisper close to my ear. "Hii-chan," the voice said again. This was feeling like déjà vu. "If you don't wake up, I'll kiss you," it whispered.
My eyes snapped opened to the grinning face of Saito. "See, I told you that would wake her up," he sang.
"What the hell were you thinking, Hitomi?" another familiar voice screeched. I tilted my head to see Kumiko standing next to Saito, a furious expression on her face. She sniffled and angrily wiped away a few stray tears.
"Where am I?" I croaked, looking down to find myself in a clean white kimono. "And how did I get in these clothes?" I glared at Saito. I noticed that he was dressed in a black hakama and kosode, with his katana strapped to his waist.
"Relax, you're in the Fourth Division Medical Relief Station. That's hurtful, you know. I'm not a pervert."
I glared at him again. "Okay, I'm not that much of a pervert," he confessed.
"You have some interesting friends, Hitomi," my sister said.
"Says the woman with a homicidal boyfriend, with a highly dangerous stolen weapon, that demolished a building, and tried to kill the said woman's sister," I retorted, listing them off on my fingers. Kumiko flinched and looked away, ashamed. "Speaking of sociopathic boyfriends, where is the bastard?"
Saito fidgeted nervously. "Um, you see-"
At that moment, the door banged open and someone walked in. I felt the air in the room grow cold and I felt a strong energy.
"Sakamato. You have disobeyed my orders," an icy voice said.
There, in the middle of the pristine hospital room, stood the most irritating man I had ever seen. He had emotionless grey eyes and some odd headpieces arranged perfectly in sleek black hair. Several strands hung in front of his face and I had to fight the urge to yank them out of his face. He was dressed in the same black attire as Saito, but wore spotless white haori over it emblazoned with a strange symbol. And he was wearing a scarf during summer for some reason. The aura of pure arrogance that emanated from him made me clench my fists in order to keep myself from lashing out. Yet, there was something familiar about the man, like I had met him before.
"I had specifically ordered you to bring back the Tebukuro no Shirayuri without bringing any attention to yourself. My reports have said that an entire block in the 79th District of Rukongai has been destroyed, along with the Egashira artifact. Not only that, but the display required me to personally come and attempt to salvage the mission," he said in the same tone, completely ignoring me and my sister.
"Yeah, what happened to the weird glove thing?" I asked and immediately regretted it when gray eyes glared daggers at me. But that suddenly made me angry. What was wrong with the guy? I had just met him and he was already resigned to hate me. I shot a glare back at him with equal ferocity and our gazes locked in a silent battle of wills. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as Kumiko backed away from the man and toward Saito.
Saito cleared his throat nervously and we simultaneously glared at him instead. "This is Hitomi Endo, taichou. She's technically the one responsible for the explosion and the destruction of the Tebukuro no Shirayuri," he explained.
"I what?"
"You see, after I attacked Yoh and thought I killed him, it turns out I didn't."
"I know that, genius. I remember jumping in front of the beam, but other than that…"
"Yes, you did take the attack. But something strange happened. You remember when I asked you if you got hungry and thirsty, right?"
"Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, only those with stronger spiritual power experience hunger."
"Me, with spiritual power?" I asked incredulously.
"Yes, you definitely have spiritual power. Your own reiatsu suddenly unleashed just before Yoh's attack reached you. It pushed back Yoh's attack and obliterated the surrounding area, along with Yoh."
"That's not p-" I began, but trailed off as the memory rushed back.
Just before the blinding beam of light had incinerated me, I felt the flame of energy again. But this time, it felt like a raging inferno that threatened to explode.
"Hitomi, say my name," a voice said in my head.
Suddenly, I found myself in a forest clearing. Sunlight shone down through green leaves, illuminating a sparkling river. On the other side of the riverbank was a woman. Or at least she seemed like a woman. She had ethereal elfin features—slanted eyes and pointed ears with long white hair that gleamed like starlight, almost touching the ground. She wore a dress made of some delicate white fabric that trailed across the ground. She gazed at me with melancholy silver eyes that penetrated my fear.
"Where am I?" I asked the woman, as she was the only other person around.
"You are in your inner world, Hitomi. In the real world outside, you are about to be consumed by the light of the Tebukuro no Shirayuri. But you can stop the attack."
"How?" I asked.
"Say my name, Hitomi."
"But I don't even know who you are!"
"I am a part of you, Hitomi. Look deep within yourself and find my name."
I tried to walk closer to the woman, but the river continued to grow. The woman sighed. "It is too early." She frowned. "Use my power—our power—and fight the enemy. Then, promise me…to find yourself and in turn, myself."
"What are you talking about?" I asked exasperatedly as the woman began to walk into the forest.
"The river," she said simply and disappeared.
I was about to ask again what in the world the strange woman was talking about, but the river began to grow, advancing toward me. It was now a raging torrent, not the serene trickling brook that I had seen before. I tried to back away, but the river moved too quickly and dragged me in.
But instead of drowning, I found myself back in the destroyed bar, with the white light from Yoh's glove beginning to singe the front of my clothes.
The pent up energy flowed forth from me, like the violent river that had engulfed me. It forced back the beam of light, but the energy continued to blast away at my surroundings. The explosive power leveled buildings, reducing the town to rubble. It took all of my willpower to try to keep the energy from destroying me as well.
I think I heard someone screaming, probably me. I fell to my knees and struggled to keep the power from incinerating my mind and body, but the current was too strong. Patches of black began to invade my sight. Just when I thought I would be completely consumed, the current suddenly stopped, as if shutting off a faucet. But my mind grew increasingly fuzzier, and I fell forward. Before my face smashed into the ground, though, I felt strong arms break my fall.
"Oh…I remember now," I muttered. "So I guess it's not normal to leak explosive spiritual power and demolish towns,"
"No, actually, your reiryoku—your spiritual power— is quite unique, Moriyama-san. It is fairly powerful, too," said a kindly-faced woman that just entered the room. "I am the captain of this division and the infirmary, Retsu Unohana." She wore the same uniform as the arrogant man, with a long-sleeved white haori. Her hair was braided in a long queue down the front of her neck. I couldn't help but scratch my neck; wasn't that braid itchy?
"I see you've regained consciousness. You were in quite a horrible state when Kuchiki-taichou brought you to the infirmary."
"Kuchiki?" I repeated, glancing at the man that Saito had referred to as captain. The name echoed in my brain and I felt some spark of recognition.
And then it hit me. "YOU!" I shouted. "The man enveloped in sakura," I mouthed under my breath. "You're the one that pulverized that monster that attacked my sister and me!"
When his face continued to remain impassive, I continued on. "When my sister and I died in the World of the Living, we continued to wander around our hometown as spirits. I remember…one day, we were cornered by a thing. It was massive, with a terrifying roar, and a white mask made of bone."
"Ah, what you encountered was a Hollow, Moriyama-san," the Unohana woman added encouragingly.
"Okay. The, um, Hollow attacked my sister first. It said that it wanted to consume our rei-something and…it laughed when I tried to protect her. With just my martial arts training, I knew I didn't stand a chance against that Hollow." I winced as I remembered my injuries. "I was just batted around like some rag doll. No matter what I did, none of my attacks seemed to have any effects. I was just slowly dying," I said, teeth clenched. "Again," I added in a whisper.
"Did my taichou come in a blaze of glory, heroically smash up the Hollow, and save the day?" Saito asked, motioning wildly.
"Um, not exactly. You may think I'm crazy, but just before I was about to be permanently beaten into a pulp, a weapon manifested in my hand," I said, making stupid swinging gestures.
The Unohana woman cocked an eyebrow. "You have said that a weapon of some sort suddenly appeared. And you have already proven that you have a powerful reiryoku. The weapon that manifested must be a zanpakuto."
"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. All I know is that this weird glowing staff suddenly appeared when I most needed it," I explained, but added, "It did help me beat the crap out of the Hollow, though."
It was now that the Kuchiki guy began to speak. "It is impossible for you to possess a zanpakuto without a blade. You most likely spewed some of barbaric reiatsu, similar to what occurred in the 79th District."
"I'm just telling you what happened," I snapped. This guy seemed to have "irritatingly impassive and condescending" as a default setting. "I was about to seriously kick Hollow ass until you showed up."
"My taichou has a point, though. Today, your reiatsu was wild and uncontrollable, so how were you able to manifest a zanpakuto-like object previously?" Saito interjected.
I ran through my hair. "I dunno. Maybe it would have exploded randomly like it did today. But before that happened, Kuchiki swooped in with a swarm of killer sakura blossoms and blew up the Hollow."
Though I said it nonchalantly, I dared not mention the awe that I felt on that day. I had watched in reverence as the man silently took down the monster that had almost grinded me to bits, with the most beautiful flurry of shimmering cherry blossoms. The attack was surprisingly elegant, like a noble dance. Most of all, remembered the beautiful, yet chilling expression on his face. I studied his face now, looking for the same haunting expression that I had never forgotten, but the coolness that burdened his countenance now was a different type of silent. It was not beautiful, but suffocating.
He noticed me gawking at him, so I quickly averted my gaze before another staring contest could begin. It suddenly felt awkward and tense in the room, so I cleared my throat.
"Yeah, and after, Kuchiki just introduced himself and said some spiel about 'shinigami-this' and 'Soul Society-that' and jabbed me in the head with the base of a sword. I think he did the same to my sister shortly after. And, poof, here we are now."
"That is an interesting story, Endo-san," Unohana-taichou said. How exactly did she know my name? "The fact still remains that you are a danger to the Soul Society."
I was about to object, but Kumiko, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up. "Hitomi wouldn't hurt anybody! She didn't do anything to harm the shinigami, either. In fact, she helped you guys by-"
"She single-handedly decimated a block in the 79th District and overwhelmed an extremely powerful weapon created by a noble family," Kuchiki said, cutting her off.
"So, in other words, Endo-san, we give you two options. Either you may become a shinigami and learn to control your reiryoku, or you will be properly punished for your crimes," Unohana explained, smiling at me.
I felt chills race up and down my spine as she smiled at me. It was just creepy for some odd reason. I gulped and weighed my "options". I was driven into a corner. But despite the infuriating injustice of the circumstances, I still felt a desire to master my power. The voice of the dismal elf-lady flashed through my head.
"Promise me to find yourself, and in turn…myself."
"Okay, fine, I promise not to be a danger to society and become a shinigami," I sighed.
Unohana-taichou smiled again and I noticed that everyone in the room was affected by the resulting wave of creepiness. Even Kuchiki was terrified, as he discreetly shut his eyes for a minute longer than necessary.
"That was a good decision. Now, may everyone exit the room so Endo-san can rest? But Kumiko-san may stay," Unohana said softly, but she might as well have ordered them. "And only Kumiko-san," she added as Saito began to protest.
Nobody needed to be told twice. Kuchiki curtly nodded to Unohana-taichou and left in a swish of his robes and scarf with Saito followed behind him. Just before he left, Saito turned to me and saluted. "See you soon, Hii-chan!" he sang and disappeared in a flash. Unohana smiled once again and left the room, closing the door quietly. Once everyone was gone, I exhaled in relief.
"How come every time I try to protect you, I get shoved into another, more dangerous world filled with even crazier people?" I asked my sister.
Kumiko shrugged and turned her back to me. "I never asked you to try to protect me, you know."
"Hah, that makes me sound like a guy," I said and chuckled.
My sister suddenly wheeled around. "Don't laugh!" she snapped, but promptly burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Hitomi. I'm supposed to be the older sibling, but you always get hurt for trying to protect me," she sobbed.
"Hey now! You're ranting about how you're the older sister, but you're the one bawling your head off like a baby! If you want to be the older sister, then act like it!" I said, scolding her.
This only made Kumiko cry harder, making me feel slightly guilty for being so harsh. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry for hurting myself. Now will you just stop crying?"
Kumiko looked at me, sniffling. "Only if you let me give you a hug." That manipulative girl.
"Fine, whatever. Just hurry up and get it over with. I hate it when people touch me!"
My sister flew at me, suffocating me with a rather awkwardly positioned embrace.
"Can't breathe! Can't breathe!" I hissed and Kumiko let go, beaming. "I think you're the reason why I hate hugs," I mumbled.
"Hey, do you think I could become a shinigami, too?" Kumiko asked. When I groaned, Kumiko shot me her characteristic smirk. "I can't let my baby sister beat me!" she exclaimed.
88888888
"Where am I going again?" I asked Saito groggily, rubbing my eyes. He was practically dragging me through the halls of the school.
"Jeez, you're not a morning person, are you?" he scoffed. His relentless cheer was getting on my nerves.
"Shut up. Anyone that wakes me up before I want to get out of bed has a serious death wish," I snarled, but the effect was ruined by a yawn.
"You're going to be part of the Special Accelerated Program at the Shino Academy! Ah, I remember those school days fondly." Saito sighed dramatically and I kicked his shin.
"Violent woman! How are you supposed to get a boyfriend when you're running around and biting people's heads off?"
"I told you to shut up already!" I snapped, feeling a blush creep up behind my cheeks, but I willed it back. Saito either didn't see the vicious glare that I sent him or he just didn't care. That idiot.
"I mean I understand you have an inferiority complex because your sister is smoking hot, but if you just clean up, maybe wear your hair down a little, and a bit of makeup, you'd be good competition. And for god's sake, stop scowling and smile once in a while!"
I grinned maliciously at him, doing my best to send my entire killing aura through the smile. It obviously had the desired effect, because Saito grimaced and said quickly, "Never mind. Don't do that. I swear you're almost as creepy as Unohana-taichou."
"If you think this is scary, then let me warn you beforehand: If you mess with Kumiko, I'll freaking rip out your intestines through your nose and strangle you with them."
"You're so mean, Hii-chan!" Saito wailed, flailing his arms around. I rolled my eyes; I was already used to Saito's crazy antics. Had I not seen him fight before, I would have no idea this guy was actually a powerful shinigami.
As we continued to walk down the hallways, bantering like brother and sister, the Shino Academy students began to stare at us. All of the watching eyes made me feel slightly panicky and I guess I must have started leaking reiatsu or something because Saito grabbed my arm and quickly steered me into an empty hallway.
"Sorry. Crowds make me kind of twitchy," I muttered.
Instead of giving some ridiculous response, Saito just gave me one of his goofy grins. "That's what friends are for," he mused. This time, I couldn't repress the stupid blush that spread across my face.
"Tsundere! Tsundere!" he teased.
"Oh, shut up!" I cried and punched him halfheartedly. We stopped in front of door similar to many we had passed on the way.
"Here we are, this will be your dorm. I'm so jealous, HIi-chan! You get to share bedrooms with cute Shino Academy girls!"
He reached for the door a bit too excitedly, so I slapped his hand and opened the door instead. "Sorry, no pretty girls having pillow fights in their underwear. Wait, how did you know where my bedroom is—this is a girl's dorm!"
When Saito didn't meet my eyes, I slapped him upside the head this time. "There's a limit to how perverted you can be!" I shouted.
"Endo-san?" a female voice said. We both turned to face a girl with honey-blonde hair tied in a bun. She glanced at us with expressive brown eyes, clasping her hands demurely. Even I had to admit she was quite pretty.
"Yeah, that's me. Then, I guess I'm your new roommate," I said awkwardly. Saito nudged me in the side, signaling for me to introduce him.
Instead, I elbowed him in the gut, causing him to double over. "If you didn't hear before, this weirdo is Saito Sakamoto," pointing to Saito, who was still clutching his abdomen.
"Is that how you treat friends, Hii-chan? You were supposed to introduce me as your super-handsome-and cool big brother-type character, who, might I add, is stunned by the beautiful young lady before him," he said, winking at the blonde-haired girl.
"Stop winking at her, you perv, or I'll poke your eyes out," I barked, but Saito merely stuck his tongue out at me.
Just then, a black butterfly flew out from seemingly nowhere. Saito sighed and held out his finger and it landed on him.
"Hmmm, I see. Tell Hanada-san to put the rice-cooker down and turn off the blowtorch, and for god's sake don't use kīdo to fix it. You know what the taichou did the last time we tried that," he said, speaking to the butterfly as if it were perfectly normal to be conversing with an insect. The butterfly flicked its antennae (out of annoyance?) and flew away, out through an open window.
He turned to face me, pouting. "Sorry, I have to go now. I think you and your lovely roommate can sort things out," Saito said apologetically.
He turned to leave, but stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot. Hii-chan, you have to meet with Kuchiki-taichou tomorrow. He'll send a messenger to take you to the estate. Good luck!" he hollered over his shoulder and disappeared in a flash again.
"What? Kuchiki! Why do I have to see that guy again? And what do you mean by 'good luck'? Hey, Saito, come back and explain, baka!" I cried, but he was already long gone.
"I'm going to kill that idiot the next time I see him!" I screeched, more out of frustration and confusion than anger. What the hell was that about?
A/N: Yeah, kind of a weird ending. I got lazy, forgive me.
So, Hitomi is finally going to begin training to become a shinigami at the Shino Academy and learn to control her volatile reiryoku. And it turns out that she has already met Byakuya before. I was wondering, is Hitomi coming off as too angry? She's kind of based on Ichigo. Tee hee!
I think I'm getting distracted with Saito, but he's so much fun to write about. He's such an adorably weird character.
Stay tuned for the next episode when our favorite protagonist begins her classes. But what's this about a meeting with Kuchiki? Find out about the epic encounter with Byakuya next week! (cue dramatic violin music)
Sorry, I'm in a goofy mood. Can you tell?
On a more serious note, I'd really appreciate any constructive criticism. In other words, please review!
-CodenameOokami