The reason I write rough then final drafts is so that I have a fresh chance to look at it again so I can fix errors and add new things. Though you can't see it, the rough draft was in need of a lot of changes.
Review Corner:
-Barrett M107: Thanks! I'm happy you enjoyed the battle scenes!
-ZxZ Fic Hunter: I don't believe that just because a Zanpakuto dislikes its user, doesn't mean he's weaker because of it. He just has poor communication with his Zanpakuto. I'm glad you enjoyed my portrayal of your OC and thanks for letting me alter his Shikai a bit.
-BMACBOO: For Chotaro, I did believe he and Kido were a perfect fit because he's not very athletic. I never thought Yushi could be a lieutenant, but it's quite an intriguing idea. For Suda, it's not going to be easy for him because his Zanpakuto think's he's weak, so he must do something about it.
-Ten Commandments: I don't recall asking for reviews, but I don't think it's entirely a bad thing to ask for them. I've also considered your views and I believe you're right, as most OC fics like these tend not to even get past the tenth chapter, so the readers probably want to see if I'll actually continue it or not. But I stop accepting OCs by the time the tenth chapter is published, so they don't have much time.
-Fix This Stand: Thanks! I didn't notice those errors when I was re-checking my work.
Ch. 6 Beginnings: The Two Ladies
Opening: "Rocks" by Hound Dog
It's been about two weeks since Captain Zaizen got Captain Frederick, Captain Saeko, and Lieutenant Mizaki to train me (Suda Tsubaki) and my two friends Chotaro Naramichi and Yushi Yanagi. Since then, we've made some progress...
Chotaro's a lot better at Kido. His Byakurai has gotten a lot better than mine; It's much more concentrated, fast, and it hurts a lot (from first-hand experience). Not only that, but he's in the process of learning more Kido spells, like Hado #31, Shakkaho. In fact, I'm scared to be near him sometimes because his spells are so deadly and he can use them so fast.
Yushi's been training to master his current Shikai in order to truly achieve it's second form. I've always thought Yushi was a genius with his weapon, but for it to not have achieve it's limit is amazing. I haven't seen it yet because he wants to keep it a surprise, but he seems very excited and lively now that he has something to work towards.
Unlike those two, I haven't made any progress in my training. The only words I hear from my Zanpakuto is, "You're weak." I don't understand what that means, but it won't say another word. Am I weak physically, mentally, or is there something I lack? What's so wrong about me that my Zanpakuto won't tell me it's name?
"SUDA TSUBAKI!" The roar of the captain Keruno echoed through the 8th Company buildings. "COME HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Suda's eyes shot open and he groaned, removing the comic book off his head. He got up from his resting place: the roof of the tallest building in the 8th Company. Before he could even take a step to run, Keruno used his Shunpo to appear next to him. The captain picked him up by the hair, causing Suda to yelp in pain.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Keruno snapped. "You've skipped out from your sweeping duties for three weeks now! Maybe this is why your Zanpakuto won't tell you it's name! Because you're too damn lazy!"
"Mm-hmm..." Suda nodded, having heard all this before.
"Looks like it's time for a mission," Keruno threatened.
"Alright, alright. Tell me the Hollow's whereabouts and I'll hunt it down." Suda replied.
"You aren't fighting a Hollow this time," Keruno said, prompting a groan from Suda. "A Gikon (artificial soul) has escaped from the 12th Company research facilities to the living world. You are to find it and bring it back."
"Can I go with someone?" Suda asked.
"NO!"
Suda used the Senkaimon to travel to the town of Japoni's park like he always did. Upon arrival, he was surprised to have spotted the Gikon through the use of the special Mod Scanner that the 12th Company provided. He found it inhabiting the body of a young teenage boy with spiky black hair and brown eyes with the same-colored skin. He wore a white shirt with tanned cargo pants. It's pale skin led Suda to conclude that it was a corpse controlled by this Gikon, so the soul must be either in the living world or Soul Society. The Gikon was currently playing in the playground with some children.
"I've found you, Gikon!" Suda yelled, putting the soul glove on. "I'm gonna get you and bring you back to the Seireitei, where you belong!"
"Oh crap!" The Gikon inhabiting the body yelped. "Sorry kids! I've gotta get out of here!"
"Wait, mister!" The kids yelled.
Suda barely scraped the guy with his fingers before the Gikon took off running. He was shocked to see that the Gikon had literally disappeared from his sight due to it's incredible speed.
"Holy snap! That guy runs faster than what my Shunpo is capable of!" Suda cried, landing on the ground and giving chase. "Hold on!"
After a few minutes, Suda was exhausted and gave up. The Gikon screeched to a halt, turned and winked, then bolted away. Suda stretched his arm out in a futile attempt to get it, then fell down due to wobbly legs.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Suda groaned, leaning against a nearby tree. "How am I supposed to find that?"
"So, those are living humans?"
"Yes, my lady."
"Oh my! They are so precious!"
"Hmm?" Suda blinked upon hearing the voices of two ladies that sounded similar to his age. He turned and peeked his head from the tree he was relaxing on... and promptly dropped his jaw at the sight of them.
The first one he noticed was the one more beautiful (in his opinion). She was a pale-skinned young woman with quite a fine figure, and she was slightly shorter than him as well. She had long, wavy, black hair that went down her waist and cloudy, gray eyes. She wore the traditional shinigami shihakusho, but hers had a split running down her right leg. Unfortunately for Suda, she kept her leg hidden. The unique thing about her uniform was the pink, see-through kimono with the flower patterns on it that made Suda think of Captain Kyoraku from Bleach. The addition of such a thing was common around higher-class Shinigami, so Suda assumed she was from a wealthy family.
The other one was more cute than beautiful (again, in his opinion). She was slightly more tanned than her pale-skinned friend, but not by much, and she also had a curvy figure. Her brunette hair was wrapped into two braids that looped around the sides of her head. Her shihakusho was sleeveless and also had a split running down the right leg, but she wasn't afraid to show off her leg unlike her friend. Her uniform resembled a chinese cheongsam from what Suda has seen before.
"Whoa..." Suda whispered, his heart beating more than ever. "W-Who are they?"
"Hmm? Jia Li, that person is wearing the same uniform as us," The beautiful woman said, pointing to Suda. "Is he a Shinigami also?"
"Yes, my lady," The person known as Jia Li replied. "He's probably on a mission in the living world to defeat a Hollow."
Suda's heart felt like it would instantly stop (though, he is dead) as soon as he heard them talking about him. Not wanting to miss this chance, he steadily walked towards them as to not lose his footing from his quaking body. "H-H-Hello..."
"Hello, Shinigami-san," The woman with the haori said. "What's your name?"
"Um... I-I-I'm S-Suda," Suda stuttered. "S-S-Suda Tsu-Tsubaki. I'm part of the 8th Squad. S-Seat 20..."
"Seat 20 of the 8th Squad?" Jia Li asked. "I've heard some rumors about the 8th Squad. Nothing good. I've heard that they are the most unclean, weak squad of the Gotei 13. Bar none."
"Don't be so rude, Jia Li!" The other young woman scolded. Her face softened upon turning to Suda, who's face was blazing red. "My name is Haruka Souma. I am of the 6th Squad, Seat 7."
"Souma..." Suda murmured, then gasped upon realizing, "You're of the Noble Souma House! One of the four Noble Houses!"
"Don't yell at her like that, you low-ranked Shinigami!" Jia Li snapped.
"W-Whoa!" Suda yelled, backing away.
"This is Jia Li, a Shinigami of the 2nd Squad, Seat 4, and she's my personal bodyguard and my best friend since childhood," Haruka explained. "She's not very friendly to you now, but if you get to know her, she's very kind."
'A Chinese?' Suda thought.
"So, what are you doing here, Shinigami?" Jia Li inquired. "Have you found your target? Have you exterminated the Hollow?"
"Uh... actually, that's not why I am here..." Suda muttered. "I'm... uh... actually here to retrieve... a Gikon..."
He whispered the last two words, but Jia Li heard them and bursted out laughing. "A Gikon! Hahaha! Are you some kind of dog retriever, Shinigami?! I see the 8th Squad has a lot of house chores to deal with!"
'Man! This girl is a j-e-r-k!' Suda thought. 'I like the Japanese girl better!'
"Be quiet, Jia Li! That's very rude!" Haruka scolded, prompting Jia Li to stop laughing. "If you would like, Jia Li and I would be happy to assist you in your search for this Gikon."
Suda's mouth curved into a wide smile while Jia Li gasped. "But, my lady! With this tra-"
"Is it okay with you?" She politely asked.
"S-Sure!" Suda replied, nodding his head up and down like a retard. "I'd love for you to come with me!" He completely shut out Jia Li, who was cracking her knuckles, when he said that.
"Great! Let's go!"
After a few minutes walk through Japoni (a pointless topic to write about because it consisted of Jia Li glaring at Suda oogling at Haruka), they heard a loud roar erupting from a nearby area. They returned back to the playground to see the same group of kids, but this time Suda noticed the chain on their stomachs, a sign that they were dead. He looked to what they were facing and his eyes widened in shock.
What stood before them was a Hollow about four times Suda's height towering over the children. It was black, white, and had the appearance of a bear. Suda figured that it was a Panda Hollow.
"Look! Doesn't that man fit the description of the Gikon you were looking for?" Haruka asked.
Sure enough, standing in front of the children with his arms wide open to protect them was the same man with whom the Gikon was possessing.
"Oh no..." Suda groaned. "Is that Gikon doing what I think it's doing...?"
"You aren't going to hurt these kids!" The Gikon snapped. "I won't let you!"
He ran up to the Hollow and kicked it. Much to the surprise of everyone, the Panda Hollow was sent flying into the trees. But it got back up and unleashed an earth-shaking roar that caused everyone to jump into the air.
"Ha... you don't scare me..." The Gikon muttered.
"Help us, mister!" The kids cried as the Panda Hollow got back up.
"What are you doing, Shinigami?!" Jia Li snapped. "It's your duty to retrieve the Gikon, right? Go and kill the Hollow first!"
"Ah... Ah! Right!" Suda replied, drawing his Zanpakuto. Haruka and Jia Li both blinked in surprise, seeing that his Zanpakuto had two blades instead of one.
Suda leapt towards the Panda Hollow and let out a battle cry, but was promptly swatted away like a fly by the Hollow's arm. Even the Gikon and the souls of the children laughed at him as he flew and crashed into a building.
"Wow... that was, uh... ahahahaha!" Jia Li couldn't contain herself and cracked up.
"Jia Li, we have more concerning things at hand," Haruka said.
The Panda Hollow did not think what happened was funny and slashed at the Gikon. Unwilling to move, he blocked the strike from reaching the kids and let him get cut. Blood splashed from his body, but he didn't react like he was harmed. Some sweat poured from his forehead and he winced a little, but he wasn't willing to give up.
"I'm going to defeat it," Haruka suddenly said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! I won't let you risk your body getting scratched by a filthy Hollow," Jia Li said, getting in front of her. "I'll beat it up."
Jia Li immediately used Shunpo to appear in front of the Hollow, much to the Gikon and kids' surprise. She punched it once to get its attention, and before the Panda Hollow could retaliate, she unleashed a barrage of punches to stun it. Then she grabbed the fur of its chest, threw it up into the air as far as she could, then kicked it really hard. It was sent flying into the same building that Suda flew into, causing him to jump away before he was squished into a Suda sandwich.
"My lady, I have left the final blow to you," Jia Li announced.
"Thank you, Jia Li," Haruka gracefully accepted the finishing blow, pointing her hand at the Hollow and saying, "Hado #32, Okasen!" An orb of yellow Reiatsu appeared in front of her hand, which she unleashed in the form of a powerful blast at the Hollow. It struggled to get out of the way, but it was firmly planted into the building because of Jia Li's devastating kick and screamed as it dissolved into nothing.
"Wow!" The Gikon cried in joy. "That was awe-"
"Bakudo #4, Hainawa!"
The Gikon was cut short as a rope of yellow Reishi came from an unknown direction and wrapped around it. It turned around to see Suda, a smirk on his face, and it realized that it had been captured by the Shinigami.
"D-Dammit," The Gikon muttered.
"Finally gotcha..." Suda said.
"No! Let him go, you meanie!" One kid cried.
"You're a big, fat jerk!" Another kid said.
"Shut up, kids!" Suda responded.
"Now, now, boys and girls," Haruka began, patting the head of two children. "This Shinigami will send you to the Soul Society, where you will never be hunted by scary creatures and you'll always have a lot to eat and you'll never have to worry about anything."
The kids blinked in surprise and happiness. "Really?"
'Really?' Suda wondered. 'That's not what happened to me when I was in the Rukong-' He shut his mouth after seeing Jia Li glare at him, as if saying she doesn't care if she's lying or not.
"May we?" Haruka asked the restrained Gikon.
The Gikon looked down and pondered it for a bit before looking up with a relieved face. "Sure. As long as those kids are safe..."
"Hmm?" Suda blinked in surprise.
"Alright. Let's perform the Konso, Jia Li," Haruka said.
After performing the Soul Burial to send the children to the Soul Society, Haruka and (hesitantly) Jia Li bode him well. Jia Li opened the Senkaimon and allowed Haruka to go in first. But before she went in herself...
"Look, Shinigami," Jia Li suddenly said, much to the surprise of the Gikon and Suda. "Your Zanpakuto in its sealed state looks unique, but you've got nothing to offer. You aren't talented in... anything! If you really want to impress Lady Haruka, you have no chance among the dozens of suitors, whether they be rich nobles, high-ranked members of the Gotei 13, or soldiers in the Royal Guard. I assume you don't even know your Zanpakuto's name! If you think you have a chance... you'd probably be better off digging the dirt for buried treasure."
And with that, she left.
"Oh dang. I think I'm gonna cry," Suda said, with his face drooping down. "Wahhh!"
"Hey man! Don't be a baby! How will you impress that girl if you're a baby!" The Gikon confidentally said.
"Shut up! I don't need sympathy from a Gikon," Suda said. "Anyways, I'm to send you back to the 12th Company because you ran away. So come along."
"Why?"
"WHY?!" Suda shrieked, hardly believing it himself. "You've caused me enough trouble by running away! I was having a good nap, but then I was sent after you! Look, it's already sunset! Why'd you run away, anyway?!"
"'Cause I was gonna die."
"And- what?"
"They were going to kill me. Fact was, I'm what they call an 'imperfect' Mod," It said. "The only thing I've got for me are my legs. But every other body part I can control is not enhanced in the least, due to a mistake. Mods like me were created to rip stubborn souls from their corpses, but the 12th Division has upgraded their technology to make Gikons as useful hunters of Hollows. Thus, imperfection was not allowed in the 12th Company. Especially with the former 12th Captain."
"Uh... huh," Suda nodded. "I vaguely remember the former 12th Captain wanting nothing but perfection from his experiments."
"I managed to escape through the use of their experimental synthetic Senkaimon," The Gikon continued. "Though, most of my brethren were jealous of my freedom and told on me, from what I've heard from the local Shinigami representative."
Suda nodded to that as well. "Yeah, the other Shinigami besides me (Chotaro) really doesn't matter about what he does."
"So I decided to run away from it all. I've been hiding very well for the past month, I should say," The Gikon complemented itself. "But, I guess I've been caught. Aw well. Bring it on! I'm not afraid of disappearing forever!"
"Nahh. I don't care anymore. You're free," Suda blatantly said, releasing his Hainawa.
"W-What?" The Gikon stood there, shocked.
"I hate work, but I'll do it if I have to," Suda explained. "But I hate injustice a lot more. I'll just go tell my superior that I killed you or something. And I'm sure the other representative won't care, either."
"Are... Are you sure?" The Gikon asked. "You could die-"
"Meh. I'm just a lowly Shinigami, right?" Suda asked, grinning. "They probably won't care what happened anyway."
"I don't want to be responsible for anything," The Gikon warned him.
"You know my motto? My life is a work of fiction," Suda replied. "Everything will work out. It's worked out for Ichigo Kurosaki, right?"
The Gikon frowned in confusion, but couldn't reply as Suda activated the Senkaimon right between them. He waved good-bye and walked right in.
"What a strange fellow," The Gikon chuckled. "'My life is a work of fiction.' Interesting."
"SUDA TSUBAKI!" Captain Keruno's voice echoed through the office buildings, despite being in his office. Suda could only grab on his desk and hang on to keep from flying away from the sheer force of his shout. "YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO KILL THE GIKON, DUMBASS! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?"
Suda shrugged.
"That's it. Your sweeping duties have now been tripled for the next two weeks!" Keruno continued.
Suda shrugged again.
Keruno scowled, then walked past him to leave. But before he did, he slightly nudged Suda to get his attention. Suda blinked and looked at the captain, surprised to see him showing a thumbs-up.
"Still, you did what I would've done," Keruno said, then left.
Suda looked at his captain's departing figure and smiled.
Ending: "Homework ga Owaranai" by Matsuko Mawatari
This chapter wasn't very action-oriented or detailed, though my writing style was really different here. Some things were mentioned that foreshadowed some future arc(s). You may not pick up on it now because I haven't very showy with it, but you'll see in future chapters.
In any case, this is where the Beginnings Arc takes a short break to a different sub-arc with a different protagonist. Don't worry; the Beginnings Arc will end at the tenth chapter. It's just that for the next three chapters, this will be it's own arc with no OCs from anyone other than I. Not only will this set up some backstory for a future arc, but it will keep more OCs in surprise. I still hope you read it despite not seeing any familiar OCs.
On a personal note, I've finally chosen a university to go to! I'm excited for the future! My summer vacation will be longer too; instead of two and a half months, I'll get four. So I'll have time to get a job, have fun with friends, and write this!