Disclaimer- I do not own Bleach, but I do own the oc's. I hope you enjoy reading the first chapter and I put some pictures onto my profile for the characters. I don't own any of them though.
Chapter 1- Better Left Unsaid
Emiko's POV
-Flashback/Dream-
I sit alone in the streets wondering what I should do with myself now. My mother had just left me all alone to fend for myself. She told me I was a monster, but I don't understand how or why this was all happening.
"Why are you out here all alone?" I look up noticing a woman standing over me. She has dark brown hair, gold colored eyes, tan skin and is wearing a soul reaper robe with a white haori over it. She smiles down at me and reaches her hand out in front of me to take. "Come with me." She says and quickly takes my hand before I can give her an answer. She picks up my smaller body into her arms and quickly takes off running.
"Who are you?" I ask trying not to show any fear.
"My name's Chiyoko Shihoin."
"Where are we going?"
"To my place of course. I can't just leave a little girl like you alone in this kind of a place. Who knows what would happen to you."
"Umm t-thank you, but what if I hurt you like I did my mom?"
"You don't have to worry about me." She smiles, her voice is gentle and calming. "Here we are." She finally says, but continues to carry me. I wiggle in her arms wanting to walk on the ground normally. She smiles again understanding and lets me down. I look at the big building in front of us and see the symbol for the number ten on it.
"We're in the Seireitei!" My eyes widen and she laughs once more.
"Let's go inside." She takes my hand leading me into the building. I notice the other people as we walk by begin to look at us strangely.
"Good Morning Captain, I see you brought back someone from you little trip." A man says stopping in front of us. He looks at her and then back to me. Our eyes meet and he smiles. "What's your name sweetheart?"
"My name's Emiko Kimura." I introduce myself to the both of them.
"I found her alone in the Rukon District. Don't you feel it too Kenta?" She asks the man.
"Oh, yes I do. I have never met a child who radiates so much power and spiritual pressure." They both look at me more closely.
"You said you hurt your mother, how?" She asks and I remember I did mention that on the way here.
"My mother told me one morning that one day we'll all be paying for our sins and find no salvation because of me. I didn't know what she meant by that. Then a couple days later I started to have dreams about these two figures with wings calling out to me, but before I could reach them they disappeared. Finally a little while after those dreams started my mother went out one day to get some things and never came back home. Do you know what this all means?" I ask and they look at each other then she whispers something to him.
"I understand Captain." Kenta nods and then turns to leave.
"Where is he going?" I ask meeting Chiyoko's bright gold irises.
"He's going to enroll you into the Academy."
"What?" I exclaim in disbelief, why would they let someone like me to go to school here.
"You have the potential to become a very strong and powerful soul reaper. When you're older I would love to have you join squad ten." I look at her not sure what to say so I just run up to her and hug her tightly for giving someone like me such a great opportunity.
"Thank you Miss. Shihoin." I say as I feel her hug me back...Then I didn't know how dependent I'd become on her in the future.
Many Years Later-
"Come on Emiko, I know you can do better than that." Chiyoko says while I try to catch my breath and wipe away the sweat dripping down my face.
"Can we take a break, please?" I whine and start to lower my sword. She frowns at me then comes at me again with her two swords. I quickly block the one but the other one cuts my side causing me to stumble backwards.
"You'll never get stronger if you back down like this Emiko!" She yells. I nod my head and hold my sword up again.
"I'm sorry. I know lieutenants need to be strong and as yours I will keep getting stronger for you and the squad."
"That's what I like to hear." She says and continues to swing her swords towards me. Each swing missing just barely. As I move out of the way from one sword the other cuts my check causing some blood to drip down my face.
"Ascend, Tsumi to Sukui no Tenshi." I hold out my sword in front of me. The wings on my swords hilt disappear and a pair of black wings appears on my back.
"It sure has been a while since I've seen you use your shikai. I must have really pissed you off." She smirks causing me to also smile.
"Now it won't be as easy for you Captain." With that we continue practicing until we're interrupted by another member of our squad.
"Captain Shihoin and Lieutenant Kimura, the meeting is going to start soon. You better leave so you're not late this time."
"Thank you fifth seat Kita." Captain turns and dismisses them to leave. "I guess we better get going. If we're late again the head Captain will definitely kill us this time."
"What do you mean us, you're the reason we're always late." I smirk and she playfully punches my arm.
"Lieutenants shouldn't talk back to their captains."
When we finally make it to squad one's barracks I can hear the other captains talk about the new captain of squad twelve. One of the other lieutenants, Sosuke Aizen spoke up to ask about what had happened to the old captain of squad twelve, Captain Hikifune. I don't see why it should matter, especially to him. My Captain told me she moved up to the Royal Guard, but I don't see why it's so shocking or relevant to us lieutenants.
I yawn and stretch my arms hitting someone from behind. I turn back while opening my eyes to look at the person I had accidentally hit.
"Sorry Captain Shihoin." I apologize to the second divisions' captain. She smiles and then looks at my Captain.
"I see she finally became your lieutenant, Chiyoko." My Captain smiles at her then at me.
"Yes, it's been a while now. Maybe if you visited once in a while Yoruichi you would've known sooner."
"Or maybe if you two came here on time and didn't leave so fast after the meetings I would have known sooner." I could see my captains' eye twitched in annoyance at her retort.
"I heard that the new captain everyone's been talking about is someone from your squad." She changes the subject and Yoruichi nods. The rest of the captains continue to talk among each other and walk ahead of us lieutenants then go into the meeting room leaving us all alone with each other.
"Excuse me, so you're the new lieutenant of squad ten?" The guy from before, Lieutenant Aizen asks.
"Yeah, I've been the lieutenant for about five years now." I stretch my arms out again.
"This is the first time I've seen you face to face, but I have heard stories about your strength and abilities."
"Oh really, well I've heard nothing about you Lieutenant Aizen." I look right at him and smirk. "Or is that the way you like it?" I whispered to him. "To be seen, but not often heard."
"What do you mean?"
"You seem like the kind of person that keeps many secrets, but also wants to know about what's going on with everyone else. But I guess everyone is like that in some way. We all have things we want to keep private while also finding interest in the things that others hide." I shrug my shoulders. "Would you like to take a little walk with me? It's so boring waiting here." I ask to quickly change the subject and stop myself from saying too much about what I have observed from watching this man.
"I should wait for Captain Hirako."
"I don't think he'll mind and we can always tell him it's my fault you disappeared. Come on!" I pull on Aizen's arm forcing him to follow me. The other lieutenants look at us not sure of what was happening and I start quietly laughing to myself. It's been a while since I've gotten involved with or really spoken to someone who wasn't in my squad.
"Where are we going?" Aizen asks as we make it outside of the building and I finally let go of him.
"Hmm, I'm not sure. Let's talk a walk through the Districts." I start to walk off head of him.
We walk in silence until Aizen finally says something."What did Captain Shihoin mean when she said you finally became lieutenant?" He asks causing me to look at him, our eyes finally meeting.
"I met my Captain when I was a lot younger. She's the reason I'm here and dying alone on the streets of the Rukongai." He frowns at what I say, but then smile again.
"I'm glad she found you or else I wouldn't have been able to meet you."
"I'm glad too, that I have been able to meet someone like you. People like you, those I've met while living in the Seireitei and my Captain have given me hope and a reason to keep getting stronger. Because of Miss Chiyoko I have a reason to live, so that I can protect her and all the things she stands for. It is my way of thanking her for giving me this second chance. Maybe one day I can give someone whose lost meaning and purpose like she did for me." I explain to him with a smile the feelings I have that not even Chiyoko knows about.
We keep on walking until I stop after seeing a little girl sitting on a curb by herself. The look on her face reminded me of myself before Chiyoko found me; maybe this is that chance I had described early or maybe it's just a child waiting for their parents.
"Hello there, what's your name?" I ask walking over to her.
"My mommy said not to talk to strangers." She answers curtly.
"Where is your mommy?"
"I don't know." She says as I take her hand in mine.
"How about I help you find her." She quickly pulls her hand away and narrows her eyes.
"I don't trust you or that strange man behind you. My mommy told me about people like you that are out there. People who take other's children because they can't have any of their own." I can feel my face turn red after she says this.
"N-no. It's not like that at all, right Aizen?" I turn to him. He smiles and agrees.
"Not at all, Lieutenant Kimura and I aren't together like that." He smiles nervously.
"See it's all a misunderstanding. I just wanted to help you find your mother so nothing bad happens to you while you're here alone." I reach out my hand to her again.
"Well I don't know where she is!" She yells back and smacks my hand. For a little kid she was very stubborn and a little hostile.
"When was the last time you saw her." Aizen asks her, his voice gentle and trying to calm her.
"Ten days ago."
"Ten days ago? Are you hungry, where have you been staying?" I go on asking question after question.
"Why don't you come back with us?" Aizen asks.
"Why ask her now, in this situation her answer doesn't matter. She's coming with us no matter what." I say, picking up the little girl and throwing her over my shoulders. "Let's go Sosuke."
When we make it back to the Seireitei and back to squad ten, Aizen and I take the girl into my room. She had fallen asleep after kicking and screaming almost the whole way. I wanted to take a nap too after that whole ordeal. I lay the girl on my bed and take a seat on the couch.
"What should we do with her now Sosuke?" I ask but he doesn't answer. After five minutes of sitting in silence he walks over to where I am on the couch and hands me a note.
"This was on the door as we walked in." I take the note from him and read it carefully.
"Dear Emiko, I'm very sorry but I must leave squad ten. I couldn't tell you in person because I knew you'd make a big fuss about it and then beg to come with me. I want you to stay and keep getting stronger. I know one day we will meet and be reunited again." It was signed by Captain Chiyoko Shihoin at the bottom.
-End of Flashback/Dream-
I felt someone's hand softly brush against my forehead. I open my eyes slowly and see Sosuke standing over me.
"Are you all right Emiko?" He asks with a concerned look.
"Yeah, I guess so." I gently push his hand away. "It's not appropriate to refer to me like that when you're a lower rank and from a different squad." I say remembering how informal he was. "Be sure not to do that especially around others."
"Of course and I apologize Kimura-san."
"Where's Mayumi?" I ask looking around my room knowing she was here before I feel asleep.
"She's training with the other members of squad ten."
I get up from the couch and walk over to the kitchen. "Jeez, I'm still kind of tired." I mutter. It was hard to have a good rest with the kind of dreams I have. It's been twelve years since Chiyoko left and I still couldn't get over it. I've asked Yoruichi, but she couldn't tell me anything about the situation.
It hasn't ever been the same since then and I have the feeling that it never will be.