This has been one of the hardest chapters for me to just sit down and write because after this, the story kind of just takes off completely. Things are gonna get mucho crazy up in here people so hang on to your pants. also, accept my apologies for taking the longest ever to update. I promise the rest of the story will definitely be finished and added in a timely fashion. look for updates weekly, i'm thinking. and also, as always, r & r!
m
Disclaimer: I do not own bleach or any of its characters/locations/etc. I only own this plotline and the OCs.
Thanks for the follows/alerts/favorites: TheTruthSeeker, DreamingofReading, TheDeavil.
And again, thank you to the guest who reviewed the story yesterday asking me to update. It kicked my ass and got me moving. Love you guys. Enjoy!
Chapter 20
I yawned, bending my head down toward my desk so Ms. Ochi wouldn't notice my lack of interest in whatever it was she was teaching. It was the middle of the morning and we were supposed to be having World History, but Ms. Ochi had begun to digress once we reached the American Civil War. I wasn't sure how food shopping had anything to do with it but, that's where we had come to. Looking around I spotted most of my friends looking as bored as I was. Rukia was staring out the windows, Orihime was doodling something that resembled a raccoon or maybe a goldfish, I couldn't tell; Chad looked…well, I never knew but today I would just assume he was bored as well. And Ichigo was asleep.
I grinned as a steady stream of drool began to puddle on his desk. Goof. From behind me I could hear the disinterested tapping of a pencil on a desk. Refusing to turn around and ask the tapper to stop, I just sat there, letting myself become more and more annoyed.
After the incident at Urahara's the other night, I had decided I no longer needed to speak to someone who would sell me out for brownie points with his boss.
The result: Renji and I had not spoken in days. Well, I hadn't spoken to him. He tried many times to slip in snarky comments but, seeing as I clearly was the bigger person, I let them simply roll off my shoulders. I didn't need his help. At all.
Whatever helps you sleep at night, Raiu chuckled quietly, only to me.
"It's true," I hissed back at her, though not as discretely as I thought.
"I'm so glad you agree, Miss Kobayashi," Ms. Ochi said suddenly. I looked up and there she was right next to my desk. Uh-oh. "Can you summarize all that for us in one concise statement please, since you feel so strongly on the subject?" She raised an eyebrow at me and I could tell she was waiting for me to admit I hadn't been paying attention. A blush heated my cheeks as I felt all eyes turn to me. I began to stutter nervously.
"Well, um, the whole idea is, er, really that, um-"
"United we stand and divided we fall," a voice finished. Ms. Ochi's eyes peeled away from me.
"Thank you, Mr. Abarai. Very well put. But in the future, I ask that you let your classmates succeed or fail on their own. Grades are not a joint effort." The bell rang to signal lunch and, after a disappointed glance back at me, Ms. Ochi turned away and shouted the homework assignment over the noise. Everyone was out of their seats and moving except me. And Renji. I hadn't heard him get up, and I could feel his eyes boring into the back of my head.
Near the door, Rukia, Orihime, Tatsuki and a few other girls had gathered. They called out my name and waved to me to come join them.
"You're welcome," Renji's voice grumbled. Turning my head only slightly to the side so he could hear me, I kept my eyes down on the floor. His foot was resting against the leg of my chair.
"I don't need your help," I spat. His foot slid to the ground.
Grabbing my bag from the hook on my desk, I swung it over my shoulder, feeling only slightly bad that it smacked Renji in the face. As I walked toward the door I could hear a boy nearby whistle.
"You really pissed her off, huh Renji?" A few others laughed. Almost too quiet for anyone to hear, Renji responded.
"I know." When I reached the others, I looked back just for a moment. Renji's chin was resting on his hand and he was staring out the window. I couldn't be too sure, but in that split second before Orihime started dragging me down the hall, I could have sworn the gold of his eyes dimmed sadly.
I spent most of lunch thinking about that, a guilty feeling nagging at the back of my mind. I wanted to be angry and hurt, but mostly I felt childish. A part of me understood exactly where Renji was coming from. He was doing his job, and why wouldn't the Soul Society want to know about powerful spiritual beings that haven't been active for thousands of years? But, another part of me felt betrayed. He could have told me what was going on from the beginning instead of sneaking around and spying on me. I thought we were close enough that he wouldn't have to hide things like that, but maybe I had been imagining it all along.
The rest of the day passed in the same miserable fashion. Renji didn't try to speak to me again and I acted like I didn't care either way. I kept my eyes trained on the blackboard, and began to let my thoughts wander to the Soul Society instead. What kind of place was it? Everyone made it seem like some austere, grand council, but I could only picture a faceless puppeteer pulling on the strings of life and death connected to everyone in existence. It was unfeeling and unseeing, blind to anyone else's problems but its own.
I dreamt of it that night, a large empty faced mass that held me tightly in its grip. Everyone watched as I danced around to chuckles from my master. Rukia shook her head in disappointment and Ichigo turned away. And Renji…his face was blank. Clear of all emotions, his eyes sunken and disapproving. I called out to him, suddenly terrified he was about to walk away and leave me alone. But I was so angry at him at the same time, what did I care if he left? It was like two different Sayuris battled inside my head, one screaming at Renji to leave and one screaming for him to stay. As he turned, I yelled his name and reached out, but recoiled suddenly. A face had appeared before my eyes. A laughing, evil face framed by black hair and lit up by two crimson eyes. My body felt hot, as if flames were licking at my skin. I couldn't pull away, couldn't escape the searing pain. I screamed for Renji again and my own eyes snapped open. I shot up in bed, aware that I had actually called out to Renji in my sleep. I still felt trapped in that moment of terror. I needed to get up. I needed to move.
But my body was wrapped in the sheet. In my frantic state, I thrashed around, yanking the sheet free from where it was tucked under the mattress. I clawed at the fabric, trying to get it off, its weight suffocating in my post-dream panic. My body slipped off the mattress and out of the sheet onto the floor.
I lay there, panting on the floor. My body was cold and clammy and I was shaking slightly. Why was I so frightened? I had nightmares about Katsu almost every night; it wasn't as if this was any different. But it was. This time it had felt real, as if he really had been right there in front of me. I could still hear his laugh ringing in my ears; still feel the heat of his gaze. And I had called out for Renji. The scream had sounded so desperate, so pained that my chest hurt when I thought about it. I rolled over onto my side and pulled my knees up to my chest, curling into a ball.
I felt like I was slowly beginning to lose my mind. It was as if, screw by screw, I was coming unhinged. Was this what Katsu wanted? Was this his plan? To drive me mad with fear until I broke? I was no longer able to decipher what it was I was really feeling or thinking. Dreams and reality was starting to mesh together and I was so frightened and confused that I was beginning to feel nauseous.
A shadow crossed the room from outside my window. I sat up, looking over my shoulder, expecting to see Rukia or Ichigo hovering outside. Someone's probably come to see why I was screaming, I thought, slightly embarrassed. I hope they didn't hear me say Renji's name. I hope he's not here tonight. Biting my lip, I slowly got to my knees and crawled over to the sill. Looking through the glass, I couldn't see any movement outside. All was still.
Except…for something fluttering on top of the house. As my eyes traveled across the grass I noticed that the shadow of the roof, which was usually very linear, had some sort of…thing right at the peak. It looked like whatever it was was wrapped in fabric that was blowing with the breeze. I squinted trying to make out what it could be, when it began to move. It was growing. Taller and taller it became until I could just make out the shape of a person.
I flipped the lock off the window panes and pushed them outward.
"I'm fine," I called out, figuring whoever was on duty for 'Sayuri Spying' tonight probably thought I wouldn't realize they were up there. "It was just a bad dream." I rested my chin on the window sill. The shadow rose up from its perch on the roof, and then began to descend, becoming absorbed into the surrounding black. I blinked in confusion.
"You must still be sleeping then," a haughty voice laughed from above me, "because the nightmare's not over just yet!"
I jumped back from the window just in time. Pressing myself against the wall beside it, I watched as a tunnel of air shot into my room and collided with the wall opposite. Closing my eyes, I shielded my face as things went flying all around me. My shelves were knocked from the walls, and pages were torn from the falling books. I felt some edges slice at my skin sharply.
"Missed you, huh?" mused the voice. "This time you won't be so lucky!" Someone flew into my room through the open window, their hands bent at the wrist so that their palms were pointing towards me. My body moved faster than my brain in the seconds before another wind tunnel almost flattened me against the wall. I threw myself out of the open window, tumbling neatly through the air, and landed hard on the grass below. As I felt my knees buckle beneath me all I could think was how I had to get my attacker out of the house and away from my parents who were sleeping soundly down the hall. Had they heard the noise? Were they coming to see if I was alright?
Pushing myself to my feet, I spun around to get a better look at the man now standing in my window.
He was a thin man with a high cheekboned, handsome face. His thick golden hair fell in locks just past his shoulders, and his thin mouth was pursed as he gazed down at me. His gray kimono had large billowing sleeves that completely covered his hands. They, and the hem of the robes, blew in a nonexistent breeze that seemed to surround only this man.
"Pretty quick aren't you," he sneered at me.
"Who are you!?" I shouted. The man laughed dryly. "You're a Shadow, right?" His face became serious.
"Why yes, I am. How ever did you figure that out?" The man's high pitched voice was taunting, as if he was speaking to a small child. He sat down upon the window sill. Not good, I thought. I need to get him away from my house. Where were my parents? Had the noise really not awoken them?
"Your spiritual pressure," I answered. "It was barely there. Like something floating just under the surface of water, but not close enough to see clearly." As I spoke, I began to take steps backwards, hoping he would follow. But he stayed put, only his eyes watching my now meaningless retreat
"Precisely. Because I did not want you to notice. I wanted you to remain asleep so I could kill you without any trouble, but you woke up."
Before I could stop myself I snorted back, "Well excuse me." The man pursed his lips again and his nostrils flared. He snapped his fingers and as I took another step backwards, I walked into something hard and solid. A dark evil feeling flooded my body. In my mind, in the place where all the spirit ribbons danced together, a black mangled piece of fabric appeared. A Hollow!
Slowly looking up, I took in its gargantuan appearance. A large spider-like creature with too many legs and eyes clicked its pincers menacingly.
"Yes, Master? You called, Master?" It croaked to the man in my window. "Is it time to eat yet, Master?" Its voice was pleading. The man simply waved his hand and grinned. Before I even had time to register what was happening, a large hairy leg had knocked me to the ground and pinned me to the grass, face down. Instinctively, I covered the back of my neck with my hands, waiting for the piercing pain of the Hollow's massive jaws.
"Noooooo!" It suddenly screeched, and a torrent of dark liquid rained down on me. Holding my breath against the putrid stench, I got to my feet as soon as the pressure on my back lifted and spun around. The Hollow was dissolving before my eyes, its huge body slashed in half so that I could see through to the other side.
Renji was standing there, the sword in his hand dripping black liquid. Someone suddenly appeared near the fence and I turned to see Rukia arriving, instantly followed by Yuroichi.
"The others are on their way," she announced, and the others nodded. I heard a haughty sniff from behind me and turned to face the man again.
"Who are you?" I asked again, wiping some Hollow blood from my cheek. "Answer me!"
"You think just because you killed one Hollow you can order me around?" He laughed derisively. It was an ugly laugh that was out of place coming from such a pretty face. So was the way he kept pursing his mouth, as if he believed every living thing that existed was beneath him.
"She asked you a question," a voice growled from behind me. Renji had come forward to stand beside me, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Rukia and Yuroichi close in as well. Seemingly disinterested, the man began picking at one of his nails. He sighed and then answered.
"My name is Sho. And I don't have to answer your questions just because Lord Katsu believes you to be of his blood," he added snippily, sounding like a rude child. "You're no princess of mine."
"Does that mean you're not here to drag me kicking and screaming back to him then?" I asked. "That's what your psycho 'Maiden of the Deep' wanted, until she got deep fried." I remembered my triumph over the water Shadow well. Sho's face suddenly twisted with rage.
"How dare you!" he screamed. "How dare you speak of Ren in such a distasteful, arrogant way! She, who was more beautiful than the deepest blues of the seas, does not deserve to have her name tarnished on the lips of a filthy half breed like you!" Instantly, Hollows sprang up all around us, some tall and skeletal and some short with many eyed heads. They just kept appearing, even when we could no longer see the ones farthest back in the horde. Sho laughed as we all moved closer together, our backs touching so that we each faced a different direction. "Impressive isn't it!? Shadows can control Hollows, didn't you know!? Such stupid lowly creatures. Much like humans. And you." He snapped his fingers and a few Hollows shot into the air just above us.
I pressed my eyes shut and felt my mind dive into that ball of electric heat deep within me. I willed myself to change, willed that half of me that blazed with Soul Reaper energy to come forth and take over. The sudden rustle around my ankles and weight at my waist felt oddly reassuring, and I knew it was done. As my hand closed around the handle of my zanpakutō, I couldn't help but think how strange it was that a tool designated for the action of killing would create a calmness within me. Did that mean I was beginning to condone it? Beginning to see that destroying other living beings was something acceptable? My stomach lurched, and I pushed the thoughts from my mind, focusing on the black masses hurtling back towards the ground and us.
Renji and Yuroichi leapt into the air, Zabimaru becoming serrated and segmented and Yuroichi's hands glowing with the power of her Shunkō. Rukia stood beside me muttering some Kido enchantments, her hands outstretched. Focusing, I readied myself. Let's do it, a sizzling voice in my head whispered excitedly.
Placing the palm of my hand on the flat side of my zanpakutō's blade, I concentrated all my energy into what I was about to do. Learning to release Raiu into her Shikai form had not been easy, requiring a lot more focus and spirit energy than I was used to. But, she believed we were ready to undertake it. I took a deep breath.
"Crash, Raiu!" Shouting the Kaigo, or release call, and then her name, I slid my palm down the length of the blade and it began to glow with a white heat. The steel morphed and changed right before my eyes, something I was still getting used to. It thinned in width and lengthened a bit, tapering off evenly to a sharp point at the very end. Good. Now, you remember what to do, Raiu coached in my ear, Do it exactly like we practiced.
"Oho," a cold, haughty voice chortled, breaking into my thoughts. Sho looked amused, "Learned some fancy new tricks have you? Then we shall have to test them out!" Snapping his fingers again, a large Hollow with many arms suddenly rushed at me with a howl that tore the night apart. I narrowed my eyes. Showtime.
Pointing my zanpakutō towards the creature, I rested my left wrist in a groove that was cut into the guard and bent it so that my palm was facing forward just like the tip of my blade. Summoning my strength and willing it into the steel, I could see a dark gray, spherical mass beginning to grow out of the point of the sword. It looked to be made entirely of clouds, all swirling rapidly around one another like those of a powerful thunderstorm. My left hand was sparking as small bolts jumped from my skin to the blade. They sped along it and into the cloudy mass, appearing every so often with a spark and a crackle. Like a mini thunderstorm, I thought, not for the first time. Let's hope it packs the same kind of punch.
I raised my eyes to the oncoming Hollow, and shouted "Crash!" again. The sphere erupted from the end of my zanpakutō and shot forward, growing in size with every inch it traveled. I willed it to the right ever so slightly, and it obeyed, fixing its course. As it finally collided with the Hollow's body, there was a ground shattering rumble as it exploded with the force of a few tons of dynamite. The lightning too struck with a raging ferocity, and the air was filled with the smell of singeing flesh. I turned my face away just a bit and squinted through the light and cloud that suddenly was cast outward from its point of contact. The Hollow howled in agony, and then its presence vanished.
"Whoa!" a voice shouted from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see Ichigo, Uryuu, and Urahara arriving. Ichigo was grinning at me. "You finally got your Shikai. Nice!" He ruffled my hair a bit, and I grinned back. Turning back, I faced Sho who was currently looking as if he had just smelled something particularly unpleasant. Pointing my blade at him, I smiled innocently.
"You're next." His eyebrows furrowed.
"Confidence is the most disgusting of human traits," he sniffed, his air of superiority evident all over his face. "It lures the believer into the false understanding that they cannot be defeated. But, as I am sure we both know, your 'half baked' abilities are nowhere near my own. For this reason, Lord Katsu welcomed me into his presence. Gave me a purpose and others like me. Because I am strong and more powerful than you will ever hope to be, tiny human." From the folds of his robes, he pulled two enormous metal rods. With the swiftest flick of his wrists, the rods snapped and opened into fans, gleaming in the light of the moon. "My abilities have been cultivated over centuries, and I have carefully-"
But what exactly Sho had done so carefully to become the most supreme fan dancer of all time, I never found out. He leapt up into the air and gracefully flipped over backwards to land on the spine of my roof. A flash of white and blue passed by, and Uryuu landed softly on the grass beside me. The bow that Uryuu used in battle, shined brightly in his right hand, while his left hand pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose.
"My apologies," he said to me. "I just couldn't stand listening to him prattle on any longer." I laughed.
"No objections there." I could see Sho scowling at us again.
"You insolent children. You understand nothing of the beauty of honing one's skills. Let me give you some lessons!" Sho shot down from the roof, the razor sharp edges from his fans hurtling towards us. Digging my heels into the ground, I pushed off, holding Raiu with both hands before me. We collided in midair, steel upon steel clanging in the quiet night. "Hmm, you are fast," Sho remarked to me. "Let's see just how fast then." And then he was gone.
I looked around for him, my body suspending in the air as if I was standing on an invisible platform a few feet up from the ground. He's hiding his spirit energy, Raiu hissed in my head, The coward! Look for his ribbon! Closing my eyes, I calmed my mind and searched for the place where the ribbons resided. Once there, I felt myself pushing through the many that filled the space that was Karakura Town. Crimson red ribbons marking the Soul Reapers, plain white ones marking the humans, black and rotted ones for the Hollows, and… There!
Reaching out, I focused hard on a ribbon that had suddenly appeared. It wasn't so much a ribbon as a mass of swirling winds like a very thin tornado. Latching onto it, I could see Sho's plan to come at me from above. Instinctively, my eyes still shut, I flung my zanpakutō upward. The resulting pressure that met it told me I had been right. Opening my clear silver eyes, I looked straight into Sho's dark gray, cloudy ones.
"I see you," I taunted. He leapt backwards and studied me. "I'm a Shadow too remember? Even if you hide your spirit energy from the others, it doesn't matter. I'll always find you." Before he could respond, I flew at him, slashing with my zanpakutō. But, it merely caught the hem of his robes. As his body soared backwards across the yard, he flicked the fans and two identical tunnels of wind spiraled towards me. I threw up my arms, and was immediately thrown back the moment they hit me
Slamming into the side of my house, I felt the walls give way. Siding and rock piled down on top of me, and a particularly large piece of rubble struck my shoulder. The whole structure groaned and I had a sudden sickening thought. My parents were still inside. Pushing away from the wall and holding my now aching shoulder, I threw myself back across the yard, turning around and praying the building did not collapse. For some reason, my parents were still unaware that this fight was even happening. They were blissfully asleep and therefore, extremely vulnerable. I have to keep his attacks away from the house, I thought. Then I had an idea.
Kneeling down, I tried my best to look shaken up and worn out, which wasn't too hard to do the more I focused on the throbbing pain in my shoulder. Blood trickled slowly over my fingers but not enough to be too alarming. I'd gotten beat up worse in training.
Sho slowly came closer, still keeping a fair amount of distance. Around us, my friends all battled with the Hollows, their shouts and grunts sounding muffled and far away.
"Is that all it takes to finish you off, child?" He looked down his long pointed nose at me, sniffing in haughty disgust.
"So who was she?" I said, making myself pant the words. At Sho's confused look, I continued, "Ren. Who was she to you?" His face twisted in a mixture of rage and sadness. Ugh, he actually liked that sea witch? Raiu hissed. I had to try really hard to suppress my grin.
"She was everything. We became Shadows around the same time and since that moment, have walked side by side throughout the twilight of our existence." His eyes became dreamy and moist, as he remembered her. "Ren was the first thing I saw when I awoke. Becoming a Shadow is a very long and arduous experience, after all. It leaves one most drained and weakened."
"What happens?" I asked, pretending to wince as I shifted my body around to kneel on my other leg. "I was born already a Shadow, so I don't really know." Sho considered me for a moment, as if wondering why I was suddenly so docile and curious. I let my eyes cloud over a bit and starting breathing heavily. Hopefully he would think our fight had taken all my strength and that I was close to losing consciousness. If I could just keep him talking, I could figure out how to get him away from the house. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to answer my questions since I was clearly so close to expiring, Sho responded.
"We are souls that wander this world, neither attached to it, nor prepared to leave it. We exist in the in-between spaces, the shadows between this world and the next. And if we exist there long enough, we begin to change. To become a part of the blackness. It is an essential part of the universe, you see. The void. It is there that we meld together with other elemental substances to strengthen our bodies. To rid ourselves of those wretched soul chains and become independent beings. It was after this awakening I met my beautiful, majestic Ren. She had just recently been reborn as well, and together we made our way through the ages. Everything about her was perfect and wonderful. Until we met him." Sho's eyes darkened, and I could only suspect who he was speaking of. "She became enamored by him, so willing to carry out his bidding that she never stopped to think of what cost it might require."
His eyes slid back into focus and settled on me. I couldn't help but think he was suddenly remembering that it was I who toasted his beloved in the river.
"Then he created you. And you destroyed her. So now, I will destroy you." His dark eyes clouded over and he held his fans out to both sides. Bringing them together in front of him, one massive wind tunnel shot towards me. Well situated on one knee, I leapt off of the ground and flipped over the tunnel, but as I did, I noticed a Hollow get thrown into the side of my house mere feet away from where I had made a dent.
As I landed, I watched as the whole building shuddered.
"Get away!" I shouted, momentarily forgetting Sho. I ran as fast as I could toward the house and brought my zanpakutō down, slashing through the body of the Hollow. A few more of the beasts hurried forward to avenge their fallen comrade. "Stay back!" I warned, waving my blade through the air and trying to keep them at bay.
"So," Sho's voice cut across the yard, "you do not like it when we destroy your home do you?" He smirked and then snapped his fingers again. Instantly, a dozen Hollows were airborne, soaring towards me and the back wall of my house. Without even having to think, I placed my left wrist upon the guard of my zanpakutō again. Lifting it to aim at the center of the oncoming group of Hollows, I began summoning all my powers to the point of the blade. The stormy sphere began to grow in size, and the bolts of lightning streaked down the side of the sword to flash within the clouds.
"Crash, Raiu!" I bellowed, releasing the energy. The thunder sphere shot towards the Hollows and made contact with the middlemost body. It exploded with great force, and the bolts of lightning shot outwards to strike each of the following Hollows as well. I panted for real this time as I watched them all disintegrate, defeated, before my eyes.
"What are you doing?" Urahara, who had been yards away from me finishing off a particularly tall and skinny Hollow that resembled a skeleton, suddenly landed soundlessly on the ground beside me. I turned to him, feeling the desperation in my face.
"My parents are still inside, and they're trying to bring down the house." His eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He nodded, and then disappeared. Where had he gone? Was he going to help or did he not care about the lives of two innocent humans against all these Hollows? Panicking, I looked up at my still open window. I have to get them out, I thought.
Backing up a bit, I ran forward and pushed myself hard off the ground, leaping at the ledge of my open window.
"Oh no you don't!" A Hollow was flying through the air alongside me, reaching out a large beefy hand. I threw a disc of lighting and it caught him right in the mouth, sending him back towards the ground. Giving my body and extra push, I felt my hand close on the window sill and I hoisted myself inside. I only had mere seconds before they began to tear the roof off.
Darting out of my now open door (had I left it open earlier?), I ran down the hallway towards my parents' room. I could see two large hunched figures inside.
"No!" I screamed, another disc of lightning already in my hand.
"Wait!" Urahara's voice came from the smaller of the dark figures and as I hurtled into the room, I saw him and Tessai (when had he arrived?) leaning over the motionless bodies of my parents. Paralyzed with fear, I wondered if I was too late.
"What happened? Why didn't they come to see what the noise was? They never got up-"
"They're fine." Urahara held up a hand to stop me. "A while ago, when we figured out the Shadows might be targeting you we put up some enchantments to keep them protected and unaware of our world. They won't wake up and see what's happening outside."
Bending towards Emiko, he took one of her arms and slung it over his shoulder. In the next instant, he had hoisted her up onto his back. Turning to look at me, he smiled reassuringly.
"We'll get them out. You focus on the talking tornado out there, kay?" He tipped his hat in farewell. Tessai had lifted Isamu onto his back, and turned to the window. He kicked it open and hopped out into the air, Urahara right behind him. I followed them, watching as my parents' lifeless bodies swayed over their carriers' backs.
I felt a sudden breeze heading my way, and turned just in time to raise my zanpakutō and cut through a rather vigorously spinning wind tunnel that had been aimed at Urahara and Tessai. It turned, and raged on toward the house. A hole was blasted through the roof, shingles flying off in every direction.
A white hot flash of rage tore through my body, one that I had never felt before. That swirl of wind could have knocked Isamu and Emiko to the ground, killing them. I glared at Sho, who was perched on the point where the two sides of my roof met. With his fans, he was sending tunnels of wind through every bit of my house he could reach laughing as he did so.
I landed on the opposite end of the roof, my eyes taking in nothing but his wretched smile and his dark cloudy eyes.
"Does it hurt," he barked, still laughing and sending some shingles flying, "to watch me tear apart your home that you love so dearly? You put in quite the effort earlier to protect it." He lifted his foot and brought it down so hard that a whole chunk of the building split off from the rest and slid to the ground.
I did not respond to his taunts. I could not. My jaw was clenched so hard to keep in a scream that was building up inside me from a place I never knew existed. A place that wanted to cause this man pain beyond anything he had ever felt. He had threatened Emiko and Isamu, gotten so very close to hurting them. My fear had quickly turned into anger.
"You know me so well don't you," I said very quietly, through gritted teeth. Sho laughed again, sounding triumphant.
"You humans are so easy to understand. You pine and mourn over material things that have no meaning."
"Do I? That's not the first time you've called me a human tonight." I closed my eyes, suddenly disgusted with Sho's boastful smile. Emiko and Isamu's faces erupted in my mind and all guards I had put up against my anger were shattered as I thought of losing them. "You seem to be forgetting something," I said, finally allowing the rage to course through my body. "I'm not human at all. I'm something very different." When I opened my eyes, there was an explosion of light all around me, from me. My whole body was suddenly glowing with a white heat that made everything else disappear.
I felt myself retreating inward, closer to the ball of energy that was always present in the deepest parts of me. The one from which I drew my Shadow powers. As I reached it, I felt its warmth envelope my being and a sense of clarity and understanding overtook me. Opening my eyes, I could see my surroundings had changed slightly. Sho and I still stood opposite one another, but in a different world. We were standing on flat ground made of reddish clay. There were sparse black trees around us and a black sun hung in the sky.
My body had no shape. The edges of my being fizzled in and out, like Raiu's did when I saw her manifestation. I was pure lightning. Pure energy. Pure life. And across from me, Sho swirled in a mass of dark gray clouds. This must be the place where Shadows truly reside. The Void, Sho had called it? Where we could see one another for what we truly, essentially were.
Reaching out, I could feel myself take hold of Sho's being. He froze at my touch, his body suddenly feeling weak and fragile.
"This is the second time your Katsu fan club has threatened people I care about. And this time, just as the first, you will regret that decision." The words poured out from me as if spoken by another person. I felt myself begin to apply pressure to Sho, as if my hand was around his throat and I was beginning to strangle him. He gasped in pain and I felt a surge of energy course through me. At the same time, I noticed that Sho seemed to diminish in size. I applied more pressure and he began to scream. Again his size decreased and mine grew, strengthening as well.
It felt amazing. The rush of the energy suddenly running through my being was euphoric. I felt so powerful that I knew I could crush Sho if I wished. I could crush him and the trees around us, and this entire place. I could crush the humans and Shadows and Soul Reapers and everyone in existence. The sound of the energy pouring into my body was so powerful that it was as if there was a great storm, and the wind was howling. As I listened harder, I soon realized that it was more like screaming.
Sho, back to his humanoid form was lying on the ground before me, clutching at his chest and face, shouting terribly.
"Please! My lord, please stop! It hurts so, my king! It hurts!" I could not understand what he was saying. Who was he speaking to? I was not his king. "Lord Katsu, I beg you to stop! Do not do this again! I will obey! I promise!"
With the sudden deflated feeling of a popped balloon, I released my hold on Sho. As I did so, I felt the course of energy through me lessen and lessen as my size decreased again. A horrifying, sickening thought shot through me, and I suddenly felt nauseous. Was I just…no, I couldn't have…only he can. But it felt…like I was…no…. My mind fought with itself so fiercely I thought my head was going to split in two. But as I watched Sho panting, his chest heaving in apparent pain, I realized the truth. I had been sucking away his spirit energy, his life, just as Katsu had done to that poor man all those weeks ago. My father.
I wrenched myself out of that place as forcibly as I could, willing my consciousness to return to my physical body. As I did, I expelled the remaining power I held within me, and as it flew outward I saw it strike Sho and he lay motionless on the ground.
With a thud, my knees hit the roof as I collapsed. My chest was heaving, and I really thought I was about to throw up. What had I just done? I had just taken another living being's life essence from them. For what purpose? Because it felt good? Because it gave me power beyond anything I had ever felt? Was that why Katsu did it? How did he live with the guilt I now felt swirling around inside me, threatening to heave all the contents of my stomach onto the roof instead.
"I was wrong," croaked a voice. Looking up through bedraggled strands of sweaty hair that now stuck to my face, I saw Sho lift his head ever so slightly. "You are not human after all. You are a demon, just like him. You will join him one day. You won't be able to help it. You will crave the power, just like your father." And for a moment, his eyes met mine and I felt a thrill of fear rush through my veins at his words. Then his head lowered and the light left his eyes.
I was still crouching there, staring at Sho's motionless body, when Renji vaulted onto the roof. He was shaking me, shouting something, but I couldn't hear him. A ringing had begun in both my ears as the shock of what I had just done really hit me. I felt myself lifted into the air and then settled back onto the ground a few moments later. It was softer here and there were lots of people around. Suddenly, something icy cold shot down my back and I yelped.
"What the hell!" I shook my head as water dripped from the ends of my hair. A few people laughed shakily.
"Well we had to do something," Yuroichi said, tossing a water pail off towards the fence. I felt the clouds that were fogging up my head clear as everything came back into focus. I was sitting in the grass near one of the overflowing flower beds. Yuroichi was standing next to me, as were Ichigo and Uryuu. Rukia was wrapping a bandage around her wrist over near the fence. Renji was crouched next to me, and I suddenly realized I was leaning back against him, weakly. My cheeks felt hot, and I pushed away from him standing up.
Wobbling a bit, I felt my legs give way, and Renji's strong arms held me up. I glared sideways at him, but he didn't let go. Just as I was about to snap at him, a crude laugh echoed around the yard. Everyone froze and then spun to face the house. Mikio was sitting in my window.
He began clapping. Renji, Ichigo, and Rukia all drew their zanpakutōs and moved closer to the house. Yuroichi and Uryuu's hands glowed fiercely as they moved closer one either side of me. I was the only one not surprised to see Mikio there apparently. In the split second before he made himself known, I had sensed his presence. Some more of that good ol' Shadow intuition for you. And there was the fact that he had the annoying habit of always showing up when you least wanted him around.
"Bra-vo," he said, stretching the word out. "That was certainly some show you all put on. Very entertaining. Especially you, kitty cat." He winked at me and wiggled his fingers a bit. "You simply stole the show up there. I mean, the way your eyes began to glow?" He shivered and ran his hands up and down his bare arms. "Gave me chills." A few of my friends looked at me confused. Their battles with the Hollows obviously didn't leave them any time to watch my fight with Sho.
"What do you want?" demanded Renji, anger boiling just beneath his annoyed tone. Mikio grinned at him.
"I just wanted to watch. It's not everyday someone goes and disobeys Lord Katsu's orders as blatantly as that idiot did."
"His orders?" Yuroichi said, her tone strained. Mikio nodded.
"Oh yes. You see," he stood up on thin air and began to slowly float towards the ground, "Lord Katsu told us all to stay away from the princess for now. We were told not to touch her," he gestured at me. I kept my face blank. "But Sho just couldn't help himself. I mean," he looked at me through his long lashes, his eyes becoming heavy, "You did kill his lover, darling."
I figured that had been the case so this statement did not surprise me as much as the others. From the way Sho had spoken about Ren, how could they have been anything else? But it had seemed, that at the end, she had fallen prey to Katsu and felt that in attempting to capture me, she could please him. Too bad she didn't realize he's not the kind of person you can ever please, I thought.
"Revenge can be so bittersweet, can't it? It cost Sho his life and he didn't even succeed. I wonder," he held his chin between two fingers and looked at me appraisingly. "I wonder if you will make the same sacrifice, princess." Breaking my blank stare, I looked back at him confused.
"Why exactly would I want revenge on Katsu, or any of you? Besides you being completely insane, what exactly have you done to me?" Mikio giggled and disappeared for a split second before reappearing just in front of me. He reached out and took a strand of my damp hair between his fingers.
"Nothing too naughty, I promise," he winked. Then he was gone, and Zabimaru's serrated blade was inches from my face, Renji's furious face at the other end of it. Mikio laughed and landed lightly on the roof of my house, looking around him with fake concern.
"Things seem to be quite broken now, don't they," he remarked sadly.
"That doesn't matter," I said, quietly. "The house isn't important." At that moment, Tessai and Urahara appeared in the yard.
"Your parents are safe, Miss Kobayashi," Tessai informed me with a slight bow of his head. The relief must have shown on my face, because Mikio suddenly made a noise of understanding.
"Aha, I see! It's the juicy filling that's more important than the chocolaty shell, is it?" I glared up at him. He sighed and picked at his nails a bit. "Are you sure you still don't want to join us, kitty cat?"
"You're on the losing side. Why would she want to join you?" Renji growled and Mikio shot him a disinterested look much like the one you give to a bug you've just stepped on. Turning his attention back to me, he continued.
"It'd be so much easier to just be yourself. You could learn all about your powers, especially that new one, instead of hiding them from your friends out of fear." His eyes shone with a knowing that could only mean he had seen me siphon Sho's life out of him. My face grew hot as everyone turned to look at me quizzically.
"I'm not hiding anything," I said, wishing my voice hadn't shaken so much. Mikio disappeared and reappeared before me again.
"Denial doesn't look good on you, sweetheart. If you came with us, I'd take much better care of you than that grumpy red porcupine." Renji flew to my side and grabbed my arm. He yanked me to him, telling Mikio that he could go do something very inappropriate. Mikio shrugged his shoulders and smile at the anxiety he seemed to be causing Renji, and then disappeared for good.
As everyone began speaking all at once about some of the things Mikio had said, I pulled out of Renji's grasp again and began to walk away, towards the garden pathway that led around the side of my house to the front. I needed a few moments alone to try and process the events of the night. I had just rounded the corner when I realized Renji was right behind me.
"Still following me? Shouldn't you be going to tell your bosses I killed a couple Hollows tonight? That they should lock down the town?" I asked, not really feeling half as annoyed as I sounded. Renji ignored my comments.
"You're lucky I was even here, or that spider Hollow would have chewed you up before you could even have zapped him." His tone was not angry or annoyed, but tired; as if this was an argument he had been a part of over and over again. And in a way, he had.
"Oh, I see. You were on spy duty tonight," I spat at him. His face looked hurt and when he spoke, it was in a soft voice that made me feel guilty for being so nasty.
"Look, Sayuri," and despite my frustration and anger towards him, I couldn't help the thrill of happiness that surged through me every time he said my name. "I haven't lied to you-"
"No," I cut him off, "you just haven't told me the whole truth. That's just as bad, you know."
"It is," he admitted, looking sincerely ashamed. "And I'm sorry. But what else can I do? It's my job. I'm just trying to protect people." I felt a flash of anger.
"From what? Me? You're spying on me and reporting back to them like I'm some kind of monster that needs to be kept under watch." I didn't want to talk about the Soul Society anymore. Every time I did, I felt sick. "Just leave me alone, Renji." I turned to go, but Renji reached out and grabbed my wrist. Pulling me back, he pushed me against the side of the house, placing both arms on either side of me so I couldn't get away.
"I can't leave you alone. Just listen," he said more forcibly as I started to protest. "I can see what's happening. You're jumping at every little sound and expecting your father to appear around every corner, or from every shadow. You're scared and anxious. You're not sleeping well. You're still having nightmares. I know. I hear you screaming almost every night." His face twisted into a look of pain, but his eyes were far away, as if remembering those moments before I would wake up when I was locked in the horrors of my own mind. "I hate seeing you like that, tossing and turning and stuck in a hell that I can't get you out of."
Every attempt I had been making to move Renji's arms stopped at those words. My own arms fell limply at my sides and I stared at him, my heart beating very fast now. "If my being here, if my being around you can help keep the bad things that are hurting you away, then I'd do it in a heartbeat. Can't you see that I'm just trying to protect you!?"
His eyes flashed and they were looking at me again. Looking into me more like, trying to make me hear his words and understand them. I couldn't tell if I was breathing anymore. His golden eyes were intense as he finally said what he had been keeping inside for a while now.
"Yes, I'm reporting back to the Soul Society, but I know you. I know you're not a monster and that you'd never become one. I don't care about all that." His voice lowered so that I had to strain to hear his next words. "I'm more worried they'll hurt you, or you'll hurt yourself. That's why I'm here. That's why I can't leave you alone." And with one last glare at me, he took his hands from the wall and walked back into the yard to the others.
I stood there, motionless, staring ahead for a while. I don't know when, but eventually I slid down the wall to sit on the cool, grass pathway. It was a while until my heartbeat slowed back down to normal again.