I'm just going to warn you guys- this is going to be one of those flashback arcs- however, this one is actually interesting! take it from me! (im the author, of course it's interesting to me). aaanyways, all your questions will be answered over the next chapters!
what is Seren's relationship to Urahara?
What exactly is she, some primitive form of the Hougyoku or hollowfication gone wrong?
why was her memory blocked?
and how else am i going to make someone kick Nnoitra's butt? (sorry to those of you that like that character, but he's chauvinistic perverted pig. I do NOT like him. sorry, guys)
Also, sorry for the long wait. Knock yourselves out.
Chapter Twenty Six:
Shady Lady- Or Guy?
Valencia ran, as fast as she could, hearing pursuit behind her. Her long red hair flared out behind her like a ring of fire as she ran, ran, ran. Her feet burned every time they touched the pavement. Her heart pumped painfully, and her legs burned.
They were behind her.
The children laughed and laughed as they chased her, enjoying her torment. The cobblestone streets echoed their footsteps, and their mocking jeers reverberated off the walls of the alleyways.
Valencia kept running.
Then she reached a dead end.
She turned around, terrified.
"Well, well, isn't our little Valencia trapped now?" Cried one of the boys.
"Yes, yes!" A crowd of children circled Seren, behind him.
"Yes, her little ability," said one of the girls. "I bet she thinks she's special."
"Really? This piece of trash? She is nothing. She is below us." Pronounced another.
"I think we ought to teach her a lesson. She was busy practicing with that little reiatsu of hers, fighting. Let's see how good she's gotten." One of the boys volunteered.
"No, I have a better idea," the leader said. "Wouldn't it be such a sad thing if your sister didn't come home from school one day?"
"Or perhaps," sneered another, "that something should happen to her house? A fire? A robbery? Then she'd have to move back into the lower Rukongai, where she and her no-good family belong."
Valencia clenched her fists. "You all are just jealous! Because you all will trapped in your wealthy circle, while I am at the shinigami academy, training to be a shinigami! That is something you can never do!" Her high pitched voice rang out, echoing on the alleyway walls.
SMACK. PLIP. A rock hit Valencia in the face. She froze, then touched her cheek. There was a bruise, and blood was gently spilling down her face.
She looked up, horrified.
A rain of rocks, pebbles, and jeers descended on her as the children around her threw them and attacked her. Smack. Crack. Rip.
Valencia covered her face in her hands and hunched over, feeling the rain like bullets. Cuts and bruises and scrapes appeared on her arms. She started crying, the tears slowly rolling down her face. But she mustn't let them know they got to her. They mustn't know. They mustn't know that she was actually terrified, crying, and hurt.
They mustn't know.
"Stop."
A pause. The hail of rocks stopped, and she heard the sounds of feet shuffling nervously. "Umm… what do you care about this…" "Leave, you rabble. You trash." It was a child's voice, about Valencia's age. She heard the hastening of bare feet as the other children raced away without a word.
She looked up, uncovering her head.
"You can stop that now." It was a kindly voice, leading to an equally kind hand. Valencia looked at it blankly.
"What?"
"C'mon, get up." The hand grabbed hers and pulled her roughly up. Seren looked up, shocked.
It was boy, with messy blonde hair and a dirty kimono. He had friendly eyes that peeked out of the shadows around his eyes. He was tall for his age, but his shoulders slumped over and he had a goofy smile on his face.
"Hi," he said. "My name's Kisuke Urahara."
"K-KI-KISUKE URAHARA?" Valencia blurted. She blinked, then covered her mouth, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. But why…?" Kisuke Urahara was the only child of the richest family in the district, which for 13 was pretty wealthy. The family wielded influence and power, and the other families bowed in deference to them. And totally mad.
"Aha! Because you're spunky." Kisuke winked. "I like that. Especially how you pulled that one from under them. Something you have that they don't. That was great, I almost split my ribs laughing. They weren't expecting that!" He started laughing as he told her, and held his sides in. "Ooh, it felt good to finally have someone tell them off!"
"You're weird." Valencia knew she should feel grateful, but she didn't. "You shouldn't treat me like a circus animal, Kisuke Urahara."
"Ah, ah!" He started laughing even harder. "You even forgot the all-important title, 'sama.' That's great. Called me by my first name, too. You are something else!"
Yup, definitely mad, Valencia deduced.
"I'm sorry- what was your name again?"
"Valencia."
"I'm sorry, Valencia, but my life is so dull. Everyone just calls me 'young master' and bows to me. It really gets quite old after a while. It's feels good to have someone tell me honestly what-for."
"Well then," Valencia pronounced, "if you want what-for, how about this? You're mad and rather shady looking and treating me like a circus attraction. I don't like you."
"Ha!" Kisuke said. "That almost hurt a little."
"Mm."
"Hey, you wanna hang out at my house sometime?" A delightful childish spark ignited in his eyes. "I want a real playmate for once. Not just other kids coming over for potential political alliances."
"Big words for a kid."
"I'm twelve."
"I'm eleven."
"Nice to meetcha."
The next day, Valencia heard a knock at the door. She opened it a crack, and shut the door loudly.
It was Kisuke!
"That's quite rude," she heard from behind the door.
She didn't say anything, only listened to the pounding of blood in her ears.
"Valencia? I'm not going to kill you! Please open the door!"
Valencia sighed then opened the door quickly. "What do you want?" She hissed, rudely.
"Do you want to come play with me at my house?"
Valencia blinked. "What?"
"C'mon, it'll be fun. Let's go!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
"Ack, ack, wait! I have to tell my parents. Mom, Dad, I'm going to Kisuke's!" She yelled through the doorway.
"Kisuke who?" They called.
"KISUKE URAHARA!" She yelled.
There was nothing but utter silence as she was dragged away, but she could have sworn she heard her father's tea cup falling on the floor and breaking.
"Umm, Kisuke, I'm not sure about this. Won't your family object?" Valencia asked nervously. His house was so nice.
It had vases on neat tables lining the hallways, decorated sliding paper screen doors, and golden straw mats. Tapestries adorned the walls; scrolls of elegant calligraphy hung from nails. Wide windows showed the beautiful garden outside. It showcased white roses, tulips, and periwinkle morning glories. The lush vegetation waved in the wind with the content of a well-cared for garden. It was beautiful.
Not to mention the house was huge. It was a mansion more than anything. A giant Japanese mansion, with a large garden in the back and a wide lawn full of lush green grass framed with several cherry blossom trees lining to pathway to the door.
"Nah. What they don't know won't hurt them!" Kisuke said.
"WHAT?" Valencia jerked her arm out of his hand. "They DON'T know?"
Kisuke looked around. "Nope. Is that so bad?"
"YES. Maybe not for you, their son, but for me, a member of the lower class, it is very bad. Your family has power and prestige; I need to watch my step."
"You sound like an adult."
"You need to grasp these ideas! You're even older than me!"
"Stop your lecture. You're being boring. Besides, they're never around anyways."
Valencia stopped. "What?"
"They're never around. I have nurses and maids to care for me." Kisuke shrugged his thin shoulders. "And I get to pretty much do what I want. I usually don't go out of the castle grounds, though. I like to stay in here, and think."
"What? About what?"
Kisuke smiled and beckoned with his hand. "Follow me, and I'll show you."
He led her into a large room. It was packed and messy!: with junk, toys, an unmade bed, blankets and clothes scattered in piles randomly around.
"This isn't what I would expect from a wealthy heir."
"Am I at all what you'd expect from a wealthy heir?" Kisuke pointed out.
"That's true," Valencia admitted.
"Nah, it's okay. The maids just haven't come in yet." Kisuke walked in the room, looking for something. He dug through several piles, then pulled out a paper.
"Look!" He eagerly thrust it in Valencia's face.
"Wha?" It was a list. It had several random thoughts, with doodles on the edges. Valencia turned it sideways.
"I don't get it. Holes?"
"You must not know that much about shinigami."
"I know a little!"
"Well anyways, you'll get it later. The way it works is, shinigami and hollows are all descended from the same souls, right?"
"Yeah."
"So then, what's the difference?"
"Umm… one wants to kill everyone and lacks a heart, the other is pretty normal, like you and me. Oh, and there's also humans. They do their human thing."
"No, I mean the physical difference!"
"A heart?" "Yes." Kisuke's eyes shone brightly. "Just think, if we could break that wall that separates shinigami and hollows- think about what we could do!"
"I don't understand."
"I mean, if you could create a being that combines hollows AND shinigami. Give the hollow a heart, the shinigami a mask- voila! Think about it! There would be nothing they couldn't do. The hollows wouldn't want to hurt them, because they were part hollow. And they would have a conscience, and work like a shinigami-"
"That's an absolutely mad idea, Kisuke."
"You don't think it'll work."
"Not unless you're a mad genius."
"Hmm… I can see that."
"Me too- that's the scary thing."
As they traversed the long corridors of his house, it was then that it struck Valencia just how big his house was.
Stupid little rich boy.
She bit the inside of her cheek with jealousy. And he was an only child, to boot!
"Here we are!" Kisuke opened a door. Valencia walked in, curious.
What she saw took her breath away.
It was a vast room, with delicate, lacy curtains hanging from the windows. Piles of dolls, baby clothes, bows, and pink objects.
"Whoa. But, Kisuke, this looks like a girl's room!"
Kisuke was silent. He suddenly looked shriveled.
"It was my little sister's."
Valencia blinked, shocked. She tried to cover her stumble. "Oh, I see."
"She died two years ago."
She didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry, Kisuke."
"That's what they all said." But in an instant, Kisuke straightened up and walked to the closet. He opened the door, revealing rows and rows of neatly hung kimonos and dresses.
It was all Valencia could do not to stare and drool.
"What are you doing with those?"
"Here, wear them." He threw a purple kimono at her. Valencia caught it, not understanding.
"Why are you giving them to me?"
"She was only a year younger than me, and she was nine… so I think they should fit you, anyways." Kisuke hurried, disguising his pause at the mention of his sister.
"Um, okay." Valencia looked it up and down.
It was silky, lustrous, and shiny.
"It matches your eyes," Kisuke said.
"What?" Valencia asked.
"They're both lavender."
