Kimi, As in You.
Two – Another World
Kimi's facial expression was a mix of awe and fright as she stepped into Soul Society for the first time. To her surprise, though, it looked much like a normal village you would see in a rural area. Kimi had imagined a place more… heavenly, holy, a place where people respected their king as a God. After looking at the real Soul Society, she reflected back on her previous thoughts and deemed them foolish. How stupid. She reprimanded herself internally – after all, it wouldn't be good to let the whole world (especially this cold-hearted Captain) know about her embarrassing thoughts, would it?
For some reason, most people who caught sight of them had either went into their homes to hide, or glared angrily at them. Did the people here despise their leaders? Again, contrary to her previous opinion that the people would actually show respect to a person of such high status, they looked as if they detested the very people that brought them safety and maintained their very own lives.
"Hitsugaya-taicho!" An enormous hum – wait, was that thing even a human? – Giant greeted the white-haired boy respectfully, then he looked directly in Kimi's direction. "And this girl is…?" "I suppose there will be hell butterflies sent around regarding this matter afterwards, sorry, Jidanbou-san, this is urgent." Hitsugaya said in a hurried manner, but not in a way a superior would command his subordinate, but as a friend who needed a favor. "Jidanbou-san" nodded quickly and began to lift the impossibly heavy-looking gate.
"Arigato, Jidanbou-san." Hitsugaya nodded and motioned impatiently for me to follow him, after noticing that she was staring blankly at "Jidanbou-san". "Ah… hai." Kimi said as she quietly trailed behind him, trying to take in as much information as she could about this place. It seemed strangely familiar to her, as if she had been here before – but of course, that was impossible. She swore she had never seen this world… The scenery had completely changed – it was full of tall, upright buildings, it looked much more urban. Kimi guessed that this was probably the place people with higher status, like Hitsugaya, lived in. As they walked into the central area, curious stares were thrown towards them, and Kimi just kept her head low throughout the journey, not wanting to arouse too much attention. The people were wearing what looked like a standard uniform, which was kind of boring, she mused. She noticed that she had failed to keep up with the Captain, who had purposely slowed down enough just to allow her to catch up with him, wordlessly. "Sorry." She mumbled as she ran forward to join him once again.
Soon after, they had reached what seemed to be the headquarters of Soul Society, as Hitsugaya briefly explained the situation to the two guards standing outside a huge door with the Japanese character meaning 'one' on it.
She caught bits of what they were saying. "Sorry, the Captain Commander has instructed us to refuse anyone for these four weeks… something very important… does not wish to be disturbed at any point of time." One guard said monotonously, looking straight at Hitsugaya. "Are you sure? This is a Level A priority mission." He said again, his features forming a frown. "Yes, we're very sorry for the inconvenience, Hitsugaya-taicho." They said as they bowed. "No, that's alright." He replied and rubbed the area in between his eyebrows.
"You'll get wrinkles if you keep doing that." Kimi commented in a soft voice. Hitsugaya raised a eyebrow at her and his hand returned to its position beside his body.
"Let's go."
Kimi wanted to question him about where exactly they were going, now that they had supposedly been refused from meeting the "Captain Commander", but decided against it when she saw his stressful expression. What could possibly be tormenting this… little boy this way? When that nickname floated into her mind, she wondered if she should try calling him that sometime…
"We're here." His two words broke her train of thought as she looked up, and gasped. It was a Japanese-styled house – no, mansion would probably fit the image more. They walked on a trail of glistening pebbles, passing a huge fish pond filled with various animals on the way. He approached the main entrance of the mansion and he began to take off his outdoor shoes. "Ano… Hitsugaya-taicho, if you don't mind me asking, but what are we doing here?"
The white-haired Captain sighed yet again, and turned around to face her, "you'll be staying here with me until the Captain Commander decides to see us. You don't have anywhere to go either, do you?" Startled, she almost tripped and fell as she walked into the walkway of the mansion, "but wouldn't that—" "It's fine. I live alone, so there will be no one to disturb us. I would have preferred to live in a simple house of my own, but this was my grandfather's will, and therefore I intend to keep by it." He said, and then softly added, "It's the only thing I have left from him anyway." Kimi nodded solemnly, "I'm sorry, I brought up some uncomfortable things." He shook his head, but said nothing as he led her through the confusing walkways of the mansion. Her head was already threatening to explode with all the things that had happened in just a few hours – being brought to Soul Society to be judged for her mere existence, suddenly asked to live in the house of a total stranger…
"I hope you're fine with this." He said as he slid open an intricately decorated door with Sakura flowers adorning it. The room was simple, but it was as big enough for at least four people to sleep it, Kimi wondered how rich he actually was. A four-poster bed with silver rims was situated at the corner of the room, baby blue blankets with flower patterns neatly draped over the silky white bed sheets. There was a simple working table, and a comfortable-looking roller chair. For work, Kimi thought. Wardrobes were placed near the table, and there were also a few shelves stacked with informational books. A small, glass dining table and a sofa were also placed in the middle of the room, for relaxation. But what interested Kimi the most was the single wall scroll that was hung on the wall. She walked towards it and brushed her fingers across the edges of the wall scroll… "I'm sorry, it might be slightly dusty. No one has stayed in this room for quite a long time already." Hitsugaya commented, but seeing her absorbed by the wall scroll, he continued, "It was drawn personally by my grandmother, it's beautiful, isn't it? She had always had a flair for art." A distant smile appeared on his face as he said that. Kimi nodded absent-mindedly as she took in the full appearance of the piece of art. It dreamt of a land which was in the sky, surrounded by clouds and mist, where light showed down as a rainbow, where pure, white roses constantly dropped down from the tall, coniferous-shaped trees. An oasis, a personal paradise.
She tore her gaze away from the scroll and looked back at him, "Iie, I'm grateful that I have somewhere to stay for the time being." Before the day of my judgment, she mentally added. "Hmm… glad to see that you're fine with the room, then."
"One more thing – I think you'll probably like this, there are a few rooms which have this view and since they are all unoccupied, I figured that you would probably like to stay in one." He slid open another door on the other side of the room, to reveal a platform with a wooden swing. The swing seemed old but had an antique aura about it. Below the platform was yet another fish pond. But what amazed her more was the stunning scenery that she could see from there. It was sunset, and the orange and red light shone onto the water, as if highlighting a glorious moment of the day. In return, the water reflected it clearly, back into the sky, and also into the eyes of the human beings who had the chance of seeing it. Kimi secretly thought it resembled some kind of movie scene.
Seeing that Kimi was mostly comfortable in her temporary home, Hitsugaya reminded her, "you can take this time to settle down. Meet me at the dining room in about two hours for dinner. Until then, goodbye." "Goodbye." She bowed to his back view and sat down absent-mindedly on her bed. Her head hit the pillow and she decided to spend some time digesting everything that had happened so far. She had completely no idea of what the future held for her – if Soul Society would deem her as a threat and nullify her very existence, or that they would accept her as a normal soul, and allow her to lead a normal life, whether high status or low status. She decided that she would just let nature take its course, just as she had always done. Always… when was always…? That was the last thought that drifted across her mind before she slipped into another world.
"Kimi… Oi Kimi!" A voice was shouting at her, two pairs of hands were shaking her gently. What was happening? Her mind was clouded as she opened her tired eyes, only to see a familiar face looking at her with an annoyed expression. "Did you forget about dinner?"
"Shimatta!" She abruptly sat up, her forehead colliding with his in the process, "Ah, gomen, I fell asleep and then I didn't take note of the time and now I've injured your forehead." She lifted one hand and placed it against his forehead – it was warm, or was it just that her hand was cold?
Her hand rested on that exact spot for a few seconds. "It's okay, I'm fine." He pushed her hand away gently, walking to the small dining table and placing a tray of food there. "Your dinner. When you're done, just bring leave the tray near the area where your door is. They will be taken away later on by some servants. They come occasionally at points of time in the day to do various household chores, if you happen to meet one, don't mind them, they will just be doing their job – nothing more. Well then, have some more rest, we'll talk tomorrow."
"Wait!" She clasped his wrist, stopping him as he was walking away, "I'm fine with talking now."
He looked at her and sighed, giving in, "Alright."
"I thought you had already eaten." Kimi said sheepishly as they sat facing each other on her small dining table. "I don't really eat that much at night, sometimes I even skip dinner." He said as he nonchalantly consumed a piece of fresh, raw salmon. Well, that explains why you're so… petite, a secret thought flitted past her mind, and then she realized, she too, was around his height anyway – but that was acceptable, wasn't it? She was a girl and he was a boy, boys were supposed to be taller than girls…
"Tell me more about yourself." Hitsugaya started the conversation with a casual enquiry.
"Taicho-san, don't you think you should introduce yourself more elaborately before you ask me that question?" She gracefully lifted the tea cup and took a sip of the tea, an ironic action as she remarked defiantly. Hitsugaya mentally noted that her way of drinking tea was fairly sophisticated – a sign that she probably was not from a normal family before she landed in… this state. He cleared his throat and said, not at all fazed by her attitude and began, "As you already know, my name is Hitsugaya Toshiro, and mind you, I prefer people to address me properly by my title, and not by my name or by any given nickname." He paused at that point as he seemed to be remembering something, "I'm the Captain of the Tenth division, and as for my age… I doubt there's a need for you to know about that."
Kimi nodded thoughtfully as she decided to answer his question, satisfied with his reply. "Kimi, fourteen. Do not question me for my last name, I do not have one." Her expression hardened as she said that, but she simply brushed it off and ate yet again other piece of Kimchi – she seemed to take a liking to the dish. "I tend to like dark places more, which explains why I'm not going to light the candle in my room any time soon."
She shifted her gaze from the definitely delicious food to the apparently cold captain. Only to notice that he was nibbling away on a piece of watermelon – not only that, but his face carried an expression of… bliss?
Kimi's soft chuckles caused Hitsugaya to raise an eyebrow and look at her, "Is anything wrong?"
Kimi shook her head quickly, composing herself. "It's just that you look so happy just by eating a piece of watermelon. Just like…" she struggled to find the correct choice of words, "Just like a little kid."
Hitsugaya dropped his the piece of watermelon at that point, a vein popping on his head. "Do not call me a little kid." He spat, slowly and deliberately. Kimi nodded and raised both of her hands up as a sign of surrendering, and continued to eat her dinner.
"So, we might as well start the proper interrogation now. Why were you in that town killing hollows, and why do we have no record of you being a Shinigami at all?"
Kimi seemed as if she had suddenly lost her appetite and she put down her chopsticks, sighing. "I don't know." She seemed as if she had resigned to fate, "I… don't have any memories."
Hitsugaya looked at her, she looked slightly flustered. He knew she was hiding something – but he decided not to probe any further, the actual probing would probably be done by the Captain Commander himself, seeing that he had personally instructed him to go retrieve Kimi. For now, he would let it slide. He sighed, as he knew that every single human definitely had one or two things that they would like to keep to themselves – not that they always succeeded though. In this case, Hitsugaya thought it was highly unlikely that Kimi would get away without revealing what she was so reluctant to say – the Captain Commander was merciless, he cared for the safety of Soul Society as a whole, and a sole individual stood no chance to stop him from ensuring the sustainability of this world – even if it meant that that individual's existence had to be eradicated.
"About your Zanpakuto…" He said, easily changing the subject to make Kimi feel more at ease.
"Ah, you mean Kagerui." Kimi said, glad that they didn't need to talk about that subject anymore, "it's… hard to explain in exact terms, so why don't I show you instead?" She stood up and placed a hand on her Zanpakuto, "Hikari o kesu, Kagerui." The blade of the Zanpakuto transformed into black light, and actually up close, you could clearly see the black light swirling around the shape of the blade… like a black hole. The hilt of the Zanpakuto had turned black, with a sleek, black ribbon encrusted with black crystals hanging from it. A blue orb of light floated above her head, circling the area in which Kimi and Hitsugaya occupied. The Zanpakuto seemed to regard Hitsugaya as its opponent. He watched as the black light seeped into the ground, and then disappeared. Unexpectedly, the door which led to the platform was slid open, and Hitsugaya saw the black light moving towards them. "I controlled it such that it rose when there was no floor boarding above it – didn't want to destroy the house, you know." She told him, "It kills brutally, not that I will it to do so… In fact, I would much prefer a simpler, quicker, and less painful way off finishing off an enemy. The taking away of lives is a sin, even if that form of life is a Hollow. It is quite understood that Hollows did not willingly become the way they were, it was just a cruel string of Fate that brought them into their plight." She seemed almost sad as she uttered, "And therefore we have all sinned."
Hitsugaya was speechless – he did not know what to say to that statement, and decided that no answer was probably the best answer. "Anyway, that's how Rui works, she lurks in the darkness, making the enemy start to guess where she will surface once again… Sometimes it even drives the opponent to the point of insanity. She makes use of darkness, light, but most of all, the fear that exists in every soul." She finished the introduction of her Zanpakuto and it turned back into a normal sword again, she then sheathed it and asked him, "What about your Zanpakuto, Hitsugaya-taicho?"
"You will see in time, but not now." He said, because he knew he would probably be asked to fight the blue-haired Shinigami in order to test the level of her abilities when the Captain Commander was interrogating her. Kimi had a frustrated expression worn on her face as she sat down again, exasperated at the lack of answers she got in comparison to the abundance of answers she gave to him. "Well, then, I suppose I should get goi—" He turned his attention to her only to find her already asleep, a peaceful look on her place as her head was rested on the table. He sighed. This girl is impossible, who would be able to fall asleep in such a short span of a few seconds? Nevertheless, he walked over to her bed and took a pillow and the blanket, gently lifting her head onto it, and covering her with the blanket. The nights could get cold often in Soul Society. "Goodnight." He whispered to the air and carefully, silently leaving the room.
Haru ni saku hana
Natsu hirogaru sora yo
Kokoro no naka ni
Kizamarete kirameku
Asa ni furu ame
Mado o tozasu hi ni mo
Mune ni afureru hikari wa
Kumo no ue
Yorokobi kanashimi
Subete idaite aruite iru
Watashi no te to
Kimi no te o
Tsuyoku tsunagu mono
Aki wa mizube ni
Fuyu kozue ni hisomu
Sekai no oku no
Kagirinai yasashisa
Yoru ga kuru tabi
Inori o sasageyou
Ashita kuru hi o
Shizuka ni mukaeyou
Watashi o michibiku
Tooi tooi yobigoe yo
Hohoemu you ni
Utau you ni
Hibiku kaze no oto
Yorokobi kanashimi
Subete idaite aruite iru
Watashi no te to
Kimi no te o
Tsuyoku tsunagu mono
-End of Chapter Two, Another World
Omake
Note: What happens in Omakes do not actually happen in the story itself, it is just a form of entertainment for the author – and probably for you too.
Kimi shifted her gaze from the definitely delicious food to the apparently cold captain. Only to notice that he was nibbling away on a piece of watermelon – not only that, but his face carried an expression of… bliss?
And then the whole image was ruined when Hitsugaya started to spit out the seeds onto random parts of the floor like some sort of gun. The string of seeds seemed to be endless – and Kimi found herself wondering if the speed was actually within human limits.
"Hitsugaya-taicho! Stop littering! The fine for littering has recently been raised to $300! Do you know how much is that? Do you know? Moreover, you're doing harm to the environment and causing inconvenience to people when you litter. World statistics show that 90% of the people in the world blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah…"
Hitsugaya swore that after that day, he would never litter again… ever. Lest he face the wrath of the long-winded monster.
-End of Chapter Two: Omake
Definitions:
Arigato – thanks
Hai – yes
Iie – no
Gomen – sorry (informal)
Ano – similar meaning to 'eto…', it's like saying 'uhm…'
Shimatta – japanese version of 'oh crap!'
(The song lyrics above is from "Ashita kuru hi", which means "The Coming Day, Tomorrow" by Hanazawa Kana as Hanato Kobato. Taken from the anime, "Kobato.")
Author's Note:
Yoh! :D I'm really obsessed with the writing of this fanfiction, and that explains why the long chapter (to me it's long okay! I've never written such a long chapter before heehee.) along with an Omake. You'll probably realize that the story plot for this ff is like super similar to my ByaOC one, but that's because I've adapted the story plot from there to here, I'm probably not going to continue the other ff anymore. Also, yeah I feel kinda sad that there's only 1 review so far, but somehow I feel very happy writing the story itself, so I shall continue nonetheless!
Hope you have enjoyed this chapter! (: