oxo…oxo
"Karin" a feminine voice called out to me from above. I opened my eyes slowly before looking up and gasping at what I saw. It was a dragon, red and scaly with its skin on fire. But it wasn't burning. The flames looked like they were a part of the dragon, radiating out from its very core. It opened it mouth before letting out a rumble from its very being. "Karin" it repeated, moving its head towards me, its eyes meeting mine.
"Who are you?" I asked, my voice ringing in the blackness of this dream world.
"I am your Zampacto." She told me, her voice light and fluffy but beautiful as fire.
"What is your name?" I asked her with an excited curiosity. She cocked her head to look at me, her deep golden eyes warm despite her ferocious appearance.
"my name you ask?" she replied, her eyes boring into mine for a moment before she pulled away, letting out a animalistic screech to the heavens before spreading her wings wide and sending a flame of fire at me. I flinched slightly but the flames did not burn. I was covered in a warm layer of fire that licked comfortably at my skin. "My name." she said again. "Say my name."
And I suddenly knew what it was. Smiling slightly as exhilaration rushed through me, I opened my mouth and said her name.
"Seikaryuu."
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I woke with a start, immediately realising something was different. Shuffling around in my bed I gasped as my hand connected with something hard. Pulling of my covers I blinked as I saw the Zampacto that was lying quietly next to me. I picked it up in amazement, studying the orange and red decorated hilt and barren sheath. Drawing it, I ran my finger along the steel blade, feeing my heart beat a million miles an hour in anticipation.
Pulling on my uniform, I raced down to the dining hall, leaving Yume in bed, scoffed my breakfast and hurried into the classroom, my new Zampacto in my belt. Yoshiro looked up in surprise as I barged in, early as I was.
"What's the mater?" he asked, nothing the look on my face with furrowed eyebrows. I pulled out the Zampacto, fumbling with the sheath as I struggled to get it out in excitement.
"A Zampacto!" I told him, holding it up for the surprised teacher to see. He looked at it before holding his hand out to brush the blade.
"That was fast." He told me as he began to come back to his senses. I nodded.
"I had a dream last night about it and when I woke, here it was." I explained, acting like a little child in my excitement. I was finally getting somewhere. That lesson was spent in one of the many open air training grounds trying to get my Zampacto into shikai. I didn't manage it that time and it actually took me another three weeks to get there but when I did I was ecstatic.
My shikai was a fire type, the blade becoming engulfed in flames that only hurt what I was trying to attack. It also had a chain attached to the end of it that had a strange metal disk on the end that was also engulfed in flames. When I started practicing with it more I found I could shoot flame dragons out of the end of it and send them at the enemy. This little titbit caused Yoshiro to look at me with a new interest I didn't understand.
"Did you know that's almost the same as one of the captains?" Yuki replied me when I asked her about it. I frowned.
"No, which one." Yuki raised an eyebrow.
"Captain of tenf; Hitsugaya Toushiro." She told me, causing my eyes to widen. That was Toushiro's Zampacto? But I thought his was ice? I asked her and she nodded slightly, a frown on her face as she looked at me. "Yes, 'is is ice but it spouts dragons like yours." She explained. I got it I suppose but I wasn't completely sure what that meant.
It didn't crop up again for a long time and as I worked on practicing my Zampacto skills and kido I found myself leading more and more training exercises for first years. I found it was something I enjoyed and the sense of responsibility it gave me made me feel as if I was finally doing something worthwhile. I also enjoyed my trips to the barracks with Kira and one day, as I was sat in his office doing some paperwork, I heard a sharp voice that sounded so familiar to me I wondered how I could only have known it for a couple of days.
It felt so refreshing to hear a voice from my life and I felt my heart soar as the voice of Toushiro Hitsugaya came closer and closer, seemingly heading in this direction. Kira had heard it to and was looking up, watching the doorway in anticipation. After a shrill laugh from a hyper sounding girl that I figured was probably Matsumoto, the frowning captain entered the room, obviously not in a good enough mood to knock. His eyes flew straight to Kira, not giving me any particular attention as the lieutenant scrambled to his feet.
"Lieutenant Isuzu." Toushiro began, his eyes hard and voice weary. Kira nodded slightly
"Yes captain?" he replied, seemingly confused by the boys arrival. But then he wasn't a boy anymore; he had grown. He was taller, his features older and more mature. His voice had also become slightly deeper if that was possible and he looked so much more handsome than he had the last time I had seen him. I blinked. Where on earth had that thought come from?
"There's been some trouble in your part of the Rukongai. I need you to have a look as soon as possible." The captain replied, his eyes twitching as his lieutenant walked in to stand just behind him, a large grin spread on her face. Her eyes, however, wandered and they widened when she saw me. I gave her a small smile and she nodded at me, smiling back.
"Yes sir." Kira replied, catching my attention as both Matsumoto and I turned back to the two talking. The blondes eyes had wandered over to me and he was studying me with a look that made me suspect he was considering taking me with him. I smiled at the thought; that could be quite fun. I couldn't see Toushiro's face as his back was to me but I imagined he was frowning, not sure why Kira was looking past him. I imagined this because, not long after, he turned around; his eyes widening comically as he saw and recognised me. Tentatively I lifted a hand, waving it vaguely before gulping under his gaze and looking away.
"Karin?" he asked quietly and I looked back at him, my hand dropping back onto the desk with a small thud. Then I smiled.
"Hello Toushiro." I replied, my eyes closing as I cocked my head with a smile. When I opened them again he had composed himself and his expression was stoic. It was Matsumoto who broke the tense silence that followed.
"How did you manage to get to the soul society?" she asked, walking over to me with a smile. My eyes focused on her and I smiled grimly back.
"I died." I answered her simply and her smile disappeared, her back straightening as a guilty look came to her face. Toushiro's eyes had narrowed slightly as he had folded his arms. My smile widened at their expressions; I would have thought the news of my death would have spread further than this but then I looked at Kira's expression and I realised they had been trying to keep it quiet. I was thankful for that.
"I'm sorry." Matsumoto said quietly, obviously quite guilty at her question. I smirked slightly.
"Don't worry about it. It's not like you knew." I told her, brushing her apology off and grinning as she smiled.
"So you're in the academy? Then what brings you to Kira's office? I never saw you as the type to do paperwork." She joked, her chirpy voice back and a sparkle in her blue eyes. I opened my mouth to answer but Kira answered for me, causing everyone to look at him.
"She was put on a private course because she had sixth year skill in some things and first year skills in others. The head also thinks she will be given either a third seat position or even a lieutenant one so this is for her experience." He concluded, looking a little unsettled with us all looking at him. Then Toushiro sighed.
"We don't have time for this." He said heavily before waking to the door. I frowned slightly as he walked past me without looking at me but he stopped at the door before turning his aqua eyes to stare into my ocean blue ones. "It was nice to see you again Karin." He said before walking out of the door. I blinked before smiling; waving at the over enthusiastic Matsumoto as she hurried after her captain. Then I looked back at Kira who was looking at me with interest. Then he smiled; a nice, genuine smile that made me smile back.
"Let's go and investigate this 'trouble in the Rukongai' shall we?" he asked, causing me to grin as I finally got up from the desk I had been sat at and followed the blonde out of the door.
oxo…oxo
Ok, so this is slightly longer than some of the others but it all fit, I think. I hope people like this story and will continue to read it. ^_^ I also hope all the characters are in, well, character...
Please review!