Chapter Seven - The Beginning

"I was born in Tokyo in 1943." She told him. "I'm sure of this because I'm one of the few souls in the entire Soul Society that remembers every single thing that happened to them in thier human lives. I had a happy family of a mom, dad and a little sister, all of which I adored. My little sisters name was Neko. She was so cute. She had the same hair as me, but her eyes were darker than mine. More purplish, unlike mine which are almost white."

Aira's face looked dreamy as she saw Neko behind her own eyes. She was remembering again.

"Neko was brilliant and shining." Aira sighed. "She was such a little dancer. She loved to dress up in costumes and just do random dances around the house... And me? I stayed in my room most of the time, playing piano and the guitar my grandfather gave me. But sometimes the whole family went on picnics and everybody in the neighborhood came. After all, the Shikyo rice cakes were the best around.

"And at school, everybody loved me. Appearantly I was nicer than most of the other people around, and funnier, too. Everybody was my friend, because I never excluded people. Boys loved me, girls wanted to be me...and I let that get to my head..."

Aira's face became a bit morose.

"And to cut into all this pretty glitter and amazing interest was only one fact. Those guys I saw jumping around outside my window at night, making ruckus and fighting some huge monster-looking things. I learned to ignore thier fighting by the time I was five and slept through it all. But sometimes Neko would come into my room and ask me if she could sleep with me because she was so scared of them.

"I yelled a couple of times at them and wondered why they hell they looked so confused." She giggled. "It was because I wasn't supposed to see them, of course. And one even told me to but out and go back to sleep."

She sneered. "I saw him later when I got into the Soul Society, but that's later."

Aira leaned her head on Nova's chest carefully as he wrapped his arms around her.

"It all started when that racket outside seemed to get louder and louder. I was going to go outside and tell those arrogant boys to hush up. I told Neko to wait in my room for me to come back, and I went outside. She was at the window, watching. It was huge, the Hollow. It was later that I learned that it was actually an higher class of the Menos. When I went outside, it directed it's attention from the Shinigami to me. It attacked me. The Shinigami tried to protect me, but it went straight through him and at me. I thought I was going to die right there but...There was this thing between us, the Hollow and me. It was a shield."

Aira held out her hand and concentrated her power into it. There was a blue ball of electricity suddenly floating in her hand.

"It was like this. Only wider and it surrounded me." She closed her hand and the electricity disappeared with it.

Nova's eyes were wide as he continued to stare at her hand. "Aira..."

"I was surprised and lost my concentration." She looked down. "It broke and the Hollow's cero hit me. I was just thrown back. I laid there for a while, and I could see my little sisters face in the window. I knew I was most likely going to die, so I hoped and prayed that she'd stay there and not come out. And then it hit me. The Hollow had gotten past the Shinigami and it's hand went through my stomach. I remember not being able to breathe, and wondering why this was happening to me. There was blood everywhere, all over the place. I looked up one last time and I saw the most frightened look in Neko's eyes. She turned and ran and I just prayed that she wasn't coming outside. Really, she had went to go get mom and dad..."

Aira felt Nova's hand touch her face and realized he had reached up to wipe away a stray tear. She took his hand and held it tightly.

"I died that night." She whispered. "The Shinigami defeated the Hollow and did a soul burial. I was in one of the districts of Rukongai that was closest to the 1st. I got to look at that place everyday and wonder about the walls on the other side. It took me ten years to work up the courage to enter the academy."

She laughed quietly to herself. "That's where the fun began."

Aira paused and stood to walk over to the window. She looked outside, up at the sky, the moon lighting her face. She felt Nova follow her and then his arms wrap around her waist. She leaned her head back on his chest.

"I went through Academy and ended up in the 6th year class when I was supposed to be in the 5th. I was special, they told me. I had a lot of power. I didn't really believe them. I really hadn't grown much as Shinigami then. But they were impressed because I could control the power of my Zanpaktou with my hands only, even as a human. Because a Zanpaktou is originally just your spirit or whatever, I had grasped it even without knowing it. When I learned this in the middle of my 6th year, I worked so hard. I practiced everyday. I was the one everybody wanted to test thier strength on, because I was the prodogy. I never got beat. There were a couple good battles where I thought I might lose, but never did I actually lose."

She smiled to herself. "I felt so powerful. When I got to the Soul Society, I immediantly went for the 11th Division. Because I was a fighter, and I loved to fight more than anything. The Captain then really wasn't much of anything. He was only there for a year or two when I was there. But...I took quite a liking to Captain Zaraki. Ikkaku and Yumichika got 3rd and 5th seat of course, but I fought Yumichika just to see if I could really be worthy of 4th seat. And I lost. For the first time in my life, I lost. I was pissed. Yumichika was arrogant, like the usual asshole he is, and when I had healed my injuries, I went and gave him a good punch in the face. Would've gotten further, too, if Ikkaku hadn't gotten in the way. I really had no intrest in fighting him, so I just walked away.

"That same week I was sent on a mission to assasinate a Hollow close to my old home. I took care of him without a problem. But...I saw my little sister on a swing in the park and stopped just to look at her for a second. She had grown up a lot. She was almost six-teen then. She looked so pretty just sitting there. And then he came out of the forest. That retched soul-sucking Bount Kariya. I ran for her, but I didn't make it in time. I tried to fight him but it was useless. I was near dead when he was done.

"I was transfered out of the 11th Division the following week. I had been in that damned Division for damned near 30 years and I was just thrown out. I went and yelled my guts out to Zaraki but he really wasn't listening to me. Fact was, he found out about my Zanpaktou. He knew it was Kido-based and didn't want cowardly fighters in his squad.

"So I left. I left with reiatsu pulsing around me, but I left and no one got in my way. I went straight to Captain Yamamoto and asked him where I was being transfered. And I was royally pissed when I found out it was Cap-...Tosen's Division. Head Captain-Commander asked me that day why I just didn't apply for a Captain, and I told him straight out. I told him, 'I have too much respect for these Captains to try and take away thier jobs.'

"He told me he was proud of me, that I had come this far. And that Tosen was waiting for me in the 9th Division.

"I left there and headed towards the Division, fuming." She laughed. "It was so funny how when I walked in, Hisagi and Tosen looked at me like I was insane. Probably because reiatsu was still pounding off my skin. Tosen had commented on my strength and welcomed me into the 9th Division. Then he left. I was left alone with Hisagi and we talked. He asked me why I was so pissed off. I told him that I really didn't want to be there, because I felt I belonged to the 11th Division. He just laughed and said 'obviously not.'

"So I stayed in that Division for a while. While in that Division, I trained hard every day to achieve Bankai. I worked like a dog, day and night for 48 hours. I was the first to achieve it in only two days. All the Captains were even impressed. But my goal was to make Zaraki wish he'd never kicked me out of his Division."

She looked with angry eyes up at the starry sky before they softened to a point.

"I made a lot of friends. I made amends with Yumichika and Ikkaku. Even became friends with Zaraki and Yachiru again. Well, as close to friends that you can get with that man. I was good friends with my Captain, Kaname Tosen. And I especially became friends with Gin Ichimaru."

Nova narrowed his eyes in the darkness and his grip got tighter on her waist.

"We would talk and he would always cheer me up when my temper got ahold of me. He was the first to congraduate me when I became 3rd seat officer two weeks after my entrance into the 9th Division. He was nice. I kinda liked him, but never had the guts to tell him. He confided in me a couple times, too...

"Everybody teased us, told us we were gonna get married or whatever. We just brushed it off and continued along, as if nothing was ever said. We talked the day before the Ryoka invasion. He told me that he would always protect me, from whatever happened. I didn't understand him, then.

"I was the second person to fight the Quincy, Ishida. He was strong, but I just ended up letting him go in the end. After all, he was there to save his friend. It was exactly what I would do...I wanted to save Rukia, then. I begged and pleaded with Byakuya to save her or to let me. But he told me if I attempted it, that he would have me executed as well. I hated him from then on. I still hate him today, if not a little less than back then. He's arrogant and...everything. But I still believe he has only the best intentions, even if those intentions are wrong.

"Back to the point. I was running towards the execution grounds when I saw the three yellow lights extending into the sky. I could see the Menos and I saw Aizen. I couldn't tell who the other two were..."

She shook her head. "I should've known though. The Captain and Gin had been acting wierd lately and I had suspected something was up, but never went through to find out what it was. I...When I learned it was them, I cried. I was so angry that I...I just wanted to hit something. Both of them had left without saying a word to me, and I felt so insignificant."

She ran a hand across her face to wipe away the tears that fell. "I was summoned into the Capain-Commanders office the day after the disaster. He offered me the position of 9th or 3rd Division Captain. Hisagi and Lieutenant Kira were both my friends already, so I really didn't care which one. I decided since I was more used to 9th Division than 3rd, so I went there. I was surprised how hard it was to be a Captain, but I adjusted. I made myself into the perfect, strong Captain with a will of iron. I vowed that one day, I would get my revenge on Gin and Tosen for what they did to me. Even if I die doing it, I will make them feel all the pain I did."

She stopped when she felt her legs grow weak. The tears were falling quicker now and she remembered why she hated doing this. Everytime she thought about this, everything inside of her seemed to turn to weightless air, and she was nothing.

Nova caught her when she fell. He held her as she cried on his shoulder.

"I hate them." She said as her watery eyes turned angry. "I hate them with everything I am. And I swear that I will kill them. Both of them. I never cared about Aizen, but they'll all three die for what they've done to the Soul Society. At least two of them hopefully by my hand."

"Shh..." Nova whispered to her.

His head whipped up suddenly and then he was out of her arms. The next time her eyes caught up with him, his mask was on again and the door was being opened. It was Urahara, his face morose.

"Kisuke?" Aira stood, not bothering to wipe away her tears. "What's wrong?"

"Orihime Inoue." He said as he looked down. "She's missing."

"What?" Aira gasped. "How?"

"She was on her way here from the Soul Society and was supposedly intercepted by an Arrancar." He explained. "No one has seen her since."

"Inoue..." Aira looked to the side. "Where's Ichigo?"

"He's heading to her house with the others."

"Right." Aira stood as she nodded. "I should go."

"Be quick." Urahara said before turning down the hall.

Aira let out a shakey sigh before wiping away her tears. She stood tall before walking over to where she had laid before to pick up her Zanpaktou. Nova stared at her as she did so.

She walked up to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm going with you." He said roughly.

"No." She shook her head. "There's nothing you can do. Nothing I can do. Orihime is most likely in Hueco Mundo. Ichigo will definatly go after her."

"I'm still going with you." He lifted his chin.

Aira touched his covered cheek softly.

"How about you walk me to Inoue's?" She smiled at him. "And I'll think about letting you go with me."

He nodded before she took his hand and lead him out the door.