Hi, sorry for the wait but... somewanker stole my memory stick last week and I had to start this chapter again from scratch.
But it didn't end up too badly so all's well.
Memory25: Hi new reviewer of my story. Yes, I hope I'll recieve some more reviews soon but it's the reader's choice and I won't force anyone to do so... (looks stealthily from side to side). Anyway, sorry about the allignment but I've gotten used to having the words dead centre of the page and if I change it now it'll look wierd. And about the Yokai... this chapter should explain some more for you. It's about to get interesting.
Shaybo27: You know, I love reading your reviews. You explain precisely what you thinking, what you like and what you hate. It's great. Oh and the laughing thing? When I first got into reading fanfiction I didn't explain to my fmaily what it was I doing so they'd sometimes come across me giggling to myself in a corner or cursing at the computer screen... at times I even cried and the faces they'd pull whenever they'd pass where hilarious. They had no clue and they actually worried about me. Invisible Ichigo with the phone? Of course it would happen at some point and it had to happen in my fic... plus it would be kind of funny as hell. Could you image him talking to someone over the phone while he was fighting say Ulquiorra? I should really write that shouldn't I? I'm going to expand on the whole thing...
Oh one last thing. This chapter is a bit talkative. The next will have tonnes of action in it but there things that needed to be said here so...
Voila!
Sorry if the above was a bit rushed.
Disclaimer: I don't dare own Bleach.
Chapter 6:
There go my Halcyon Days
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step
Sometimes, taking the first step is the most difficult thing to do
Your destiny is in your hands
You must grasp it before it's too late
Lao-Tzu
It wasn't late. The afternoon sun still shone brightly enough to raise your hand against it; and I did. The breeze in the air provided the calm to the storm I'd been trying to subdue within me.
Leaving my friends at a corner near to the school made me feel somewhat like I was stepping into untouched territory. Realising I was headed off into the opposite direction of my home Kurosaki had glanced at me with that now weary scowl of his. He'd taken approximately five seconds try to think of why before mentally succumbing to his tiredness and failing. He'd looked darkly to his left at an obnoxiously happy Rukia Kuchiki before turning on his right foot and heading off towards home. But I could understand the confusion…
Normal school girls didn't trapeze off towards a grown mans store to discuss the inner workings of a town that I was beginning to perceive and refer to as a living organism.
It wasn't so much a shot in the dark as it seemed really. I'd once referred to the town's quality as an ocean of energy; thick with rich verve… only now it didn't feel quite as difficult to walk through as it did once before. In fact it felt lighter making it more tolerable. You could equate it to breathing; where it had once felt similar to trying to do so with a pillow pressed against my face, now it was just a simple fog.
So deep in my thoughts I almost missed the sliver of light to my left.
I'd rounded a corner a few minutes before reaching my destination point only to be distracted by this anomaly. Straight away I was enamoured by the silver like shimmer as it solidified and formed the one person I didn't think I'd see today.
"Hello." Seigi uttered quietly.
Blinking at him I took a step towards him. "Hello."
He smiled and I blinked again caught off guard by its depth. Remembering last night I recalled how he hadn't really smiled at all. And this smile… it told of a peace few find in their lives.
"I came to say thank you… and to say goodbye."
I nodded slowly realising this to mean that he'd finished whatever it was he'd set out to accomplish, but…
…To thank me?
What did I do to deserve thanks other than to make worse an already gruesome situation?
Watching me closely Seigi shook his head as if he knew exactly what it was I thinking. Still smiling he took a step closer to me and placed his hands deep into his pockets.
The wind carried with it its own song but it did nothing to alter him. His hair didn't blow and his shirt didn't flutter.
He looked like a living statue; grey and motionless.
"I reappeared just as the cops found my body." He began. "They called my parents and… I don't think they'll ever get over it but they got some closure. It's what I always wanted." Looking at me closely he indicated his head. "And you did that so… thank you."
Shuffling my feet I looked away from him. "I didn't really do anything…"
"You did enough."
My eyes flickered back to him in time to see his smile widen. Mystified at the look I was receiving; the expression that drew the picture of his obvious trust and admiration of me, made me tilt my head and frown. "You don't fear me?"
My disbelief was founded in the memory of my aggression. I can still hear the resounding crack of bone against brick as my brutal fingers made quick work of his skull. If Seigi had seen me last night there's no way he'd be comfortable around me. But here he was with no apparent qualms about being in my presence.
"No…" But then he looked down at the floor to my right. "…But I was."
"…What?"
His eyes flickered shyly back to mine. "I think it would have been pretty dim of me think that you were just a normal girl. But then you gave off this light and it felt like I was in the presence of something ancient."
"Ah… are you telling me you were afraid of me because I feel… old?"
Was this something I should feel insulted about?
He blinked and then laughed. "No that's not what I meant… At the moment that you were brightest I couldn't do anything to control the outcome of what you were about to do." He lifted his hands in a kind of helpless pose.
Something about that bothered me. What would Pei call him? Oh… such a guy. Did all guys hate a lack of control or was it something to do with their opposites holding the reigns?
Seeming to realise how he might have sounded he elaborated. "It's just that when you were like that… no matter how light you shone you were …entrenched… in darkness. It was kind of scary… and it was something I couldn't do anything about." He peered at me. "…You could have done anything to me at that one moment Mai. And you did. You sent me away." He said calmly without malice or fear.
I leaned backwards on one leg to look at him. "No. No that wasn't me, I didn't do that." I couldn't do that… I denied vehemently.
"It was you and you did." He replied smiling kindly.
"You said you reappeared? Where did I… send you to?"
He sighed. "You know I suppose this town should be grateful at how thoughtful you are." Staring off into the centre of Mitsumiya he cleared his throat. "…I don't remember much of what happened but I do remember the feeling it gave me. The place was alive… and I was surrounded by black. I was unable to understand where I was or what I was doing there… but I was safe. I knew that I was safe." Then he frowned and looked back at me. "Actually it felt a little bit like you."
Oh…Okay.
How does a person respond to something like that?
"…It did?" I settled for that.
He nodded.
If for just a moment I thought about what he'd said…
…Immediately I was surrounded by darkness, by an existence without description. Where the past met the present, where secrets were kept clandestine, and where nothing was anything and anything was nothing. A void. A place filled with untouched knowledge so profound and ancient that it couldn't possibly be comprehended by mere human intelligence… because it wasn't supposed to be. This place wasn't to be trespassed by any existence; it was a place meant to remain untouched. A dream.
And yet it wasn't just a dream; it was real…
…I'd travelled there in my sleep.
My minute of contemplation over I glanced back towards Seigi only to find him already talking. I bit my lip; how rude was I? I hoped he hadn't said anything profound while I was being a space case.
"…Anyway, I returned a few hours later and now all I feel is… calm. It's nice, different but nice."
I smiled for him. "That's good, I'm glad."
For a full minute I let him look at me. I could tell he was working through something in his mind otherwise I would have objected; being stared at for no reason can be pretty uncomfortable and I felt no inclination to challenge it with my own.
But then he did this little juvenile cough/smirk/nervous laugh/blush that shocked me. For some reason I hadn't expected to receive from him the kind of behaviour that suited his age.
As his cheeks coloured he lifted a hand to scratch at his neck. "Yeah, you know I don't even know why I feared you? I mean you're so…" He trailed off; a full blush covering his face and all I could do was frown in bemused stillness.
"…I'm what?" What was he referring to? And why was he blushing?
He looked at me fro a second and I swore his expression was akin to pity. Was I that inept?
His hand dropped and he shook his head. "It's doesn't matter?"
"Are you sure?" I asked uncertainly.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." He replied quickly.
Boys really are strange aren't they?
I nodded, hoping that I hadn't upset him somehow. "Alright. So… is this the part where you go into the light?"
"Yeah… yeah I think so."
He took a few steps forward and I mimicked him. Then he held out a hand. "So, I'll see you around?"
Smiling again I reached to grasp his hand with my own. "Maybe… one day."
As I completed the action I felt a heat; a powerful expansion in my chest that shot straight from the source and down my arm to my tingling fingertips and palm. When our hands connected the rush of energy exited my limb and entered Seigi's. Our hands began to glow… and then his whole being started to shine. The look on his face changed quickly from surprise to awe and then slowly melted into one of utter contentment. I was sending him somewhere again. As he began to fade away the grip he had on my fingers began to loose its traction before the solid feel of the limb beneath my fingers tips vanished completely.
All at once the boy disappeared into light.
I exhaled slowly.
Seigi Aisega had left the building.
The moment I reached the corner of the Urahara Shouten I paused. Not quite ready to enter the lot yet I trailed my fingers along the stone wall of an adjacent building. Knowing probably that what I was about to be told would change everything didn't help relieve my nerves. But I was also…
I was just so intrigued with this town anyway that I wasn't sure I if I should consider the possible dangers involved. If I thought too much I would never be able to take that step forwards.
Nodding to myself I mentally prepared for the next hour and was about to take a step around the place where I was hiding when an overly loud and extremely childish shout sent me stumbling back.
"No! Like this! This way! NOT LIKE THAT, LIKE THIS DUMMY!"
Who…?
Blinking I popped my head out from around the bend.
I saw two kids playing in front of the sliding doors. No wait, they were cleaning. Oh… okay then, I suppose that's…
I did a double take.
Cleaning!
Frowning I looked around the large empty space around the shop; there was no one else around. I looked back at the two…
They work here?
…They couldn't be older than about eleven years of age and yet there they were sweeping the ground outside the store. I'd made it here in record time, at a fast pace that went well with my cacophony of thoughts. But these kids must have either skipped the last hour of elementary school or the more likely option; they didn't go to school, instead they worked for Urahara.
I didn't even have a job yet, in fact most of the kids in my year at school didn't either… way to stay ahead of the curb.
Did that Kisuke Urahara was a complete idiot? It's a possibility.
…No the man was smart: Einstein smart, I just knew. And he wasn't the kind to use child labour; these kids were making their job fun for themselves. Or rather the red headed one chose to recite irritating sports trivia, re-enacting particular moments in sports history and… being kind of mean to the cute looking black haired girl beside him. She had black bangs that came down in two thin curtains in betweenher eyes giving them more atmosphere.
Pensive, I watched them for a moment.
He kept giving her noogies.
…It didn't matter what she did, whenever she said anything be it right or wrong, she was punished for it. For both wining and loosing.
I cocked my head to the side as I looked at the boy. Either he was completely moronic… and that's putting it nicely… or he held a little soft spot for the cutie. I'm not sure if I hope it's the latter. Anyway his broom bashing was about to end…
I promised to be fair; he was just a kid; how did he know how to treat a girl? I barely knew how to treat guys.
Nonetheless, sweet though it was to see young emotional overtures, you weren't supposed to repetitively and literally ram it into the head of the object of your affections. So I figured I'd just take his own broom away from; without a weapon he couldn't be as obnoxious.
Seriously though, whoever created the male and female psyche was profoundly drunk (on alcohol, power or their own success). And brainless… And a bit… spazzy. They probably thought it'd be great amusement for humans to have to go through so much bad stuff to get to the good stuff; to make us so difficult to understand emotionally/physically etcetera that boys resolved to bruising girls in response to misunderstood feelings.
God knows I've suffered because of this too.
I shook my head and moved out from my hiding place, walking over to them while they were otherwise engaged, keeping my footsteps quiet, watching them. The red head roughly prodded the girl with his broom and she cried out an objection as she tried to get him to focus back on his work.
…They were human… but they weren't normal.
I loomed behind them before the boy's broom almost hit me square in the face. Luckily my heightened reflexes allowed me to catch and snatch said broom away. But then, completely unexpectedly, the kid shouted 'HEY' as loud as he possibly could and turned in reaction to kick me in the shins. That little…
So before he could even lift his arms to block I brought the broom down swiftly onto his head.
There was a satisfying clunk of wood on bone sound. "OOOOWWWWWW!" He fell dramatically and started rolling on the floor as he clutched his wounded cranium.
…And for a small moment I felt in the wrong for reacting like that.
I had a feeling he wouldn't stay there long; he'd be in my face any moment now and I couldn't blame him. No one liked being hit in the head…
Sighing and waiting for the inevitable wrath of a tiny kid I turned to find the girl looking at me blankly. She didn't seem remotely bothered at the sight of her friend in pain. Her eyes held an oddness about them and I knew I had to be careful here.
I placed my hands in my pockets, pressed my lips together and smiled slightly at her.
She just tilted her head to the side.
"Hello." I said.
"…Hi." She muttered back.
"Ah… is Urahara in? He told me to come by today…" I paused for a moment as I looked at her. I heard whispering…
"Your name… Its Ururu isn't it? You're Ururu?"
The girl looked confusedly at me. "How did you…"
I smiled at her again and pointed down.
"…And is his name Jinta?" I asked politely.
Perplexed and without staring at the rolling boy she nodded timidly. "Um…yes those are our names… I'll get Mr Urahara now ok?" She ran off into the Shouten.
I watched her move further into the shop. Exhaling I combed a hand through the top of my platted hair and considered the situation.
"…I'm in trouble." I whispered.
I'd known her name. I knew the boy's. They hadn't been offered it to me. I might be somewhat clairvoyant but I wasn't psychic so… how? How could I know the names of the people I come across before they're even provided? It was as if by some instinctive nature I was given permission… But this wasn't right. Humans weren't supposed to be allowed unnatural subliminal access and dominion over others in any way… right?
I had about three seconds to wrap my head around this curve of strangeness before the hothead of a boy was in my face. It was surprising considering I was almost 2 feet taller than he was.
I blinked and sweatdropped at the energetic, overdramatic and indignant look in his eyes.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR ASSHOLE? AND HOW DID YOU KNOW OUR NAMES? WE DIDN'T GIVE THEM TO YOU!"
ASSHOLE?
Did he just…
I gazed at the kid utterly dumbfounded. "Whoa… you've got a potty mouth." Still shocked I slowly shook my head. "I wouldn't have dared said that when I was your age." Do kids really talk like that now?
He strained on his tip toes to further get in my face with his glare. Far from intimidating me I actually felt somewhat sympathetic about how hard he was trying to make me lean back. "SHUT UP! WHO USES THE PHRASE POTTY MOUTH NOW ANYWAY! YOU PROBABLY SUCKED WHEN YOU WERE MY AGE! I COULD HAVE EASILY KICKED YOUR ASS! I CAN KICK YOUR ASS NOW TOO; I DON'T NEED A BROOM!"
Blinking away the offensively loud shout I shrugged passively. "Sure you could." I raised my hands as he twitched. "Hey, I believe you. But I'm here for Urahara so don't feel insulted if I don't allow you to prove your boast."
That shut him up for a minute.
"I er… I… j-just give me back my broom!"
"Oh yeah. Sorry, here you go."
I passed it back to him without hesitation and he blinked in surprise. He probably thought I'd refuse so I gave him a small smile and raised a brow. He looked from me, to the broom then back at me working his hands down the rough finish of the handle.
His eyes lit up slightly. Wrong reaction…
"What?" I asked cautiously.
"Heh, I'm pretty tough you know… You think you can beat me even though I have a weapon and you don't?" Where was this going?
My eyebrows furrowed. "I never suggested I could or couldn't do anything." I looked towards the Shouten, Ururu wasn't back yet.
When I glanced back towards Jinta I found him already a good ten metres away from me stretching his limbs and swinging the broom around like a bat.
"Er, Jinta? What in gods name are you doing?" I said deadpan.
His feral grin challenging expression parallel to my wholly bemused expression, he took a charging stance.
"You'll see."
Then he shot off from the ground faster than any normal kid ever could and I felt my eyes widen. Bringing his broom behind his head with both hands, he jumped in the air and swung it down aiming at my head.
But I wasn't there anymore.
I'd dived to the side and rolled, startled, just a split second before he could have hit me. "What the hell Jinta?" The kid didn't pause, didn't miss a step as he twisted from the ground, bringing the broom from his left and up to my mid-drift.
In that moment as I watched his eyes narrow determined to get in a good and painful shot, the part of my mind that was shocked by this kid's actions, the very part that took into consideration the ethics of a) fighting a kid and b) fighting to cause pain… blacked out.
Everything seemed to slow as I watched with apathetic and calculating eyes the measured journey of the broom handle coming closer.
Without any kind of emotional awareness I spun clockwise on the ball of one foot as the other steadied me and enclosed the rough handle between my hands effectively trapping it. Before the kid could yell about it I broke the broom in two easily and kicked it away. His hands were quick to get at a piece but I batted them to the side and palmed directly into his chest sending him hurtling across the ground in the opposite direction.
The whole thing had been much swifter than I realised and I watched as he skidded across the gravel.
Cold. Calculated. Efficient.
How… unlike me.
With Rukia earlier I may have seemed calm but inside I'd hurt. This was so much more… silent than I was used to. Instead of feeling a rising furnace of aggression I'd felt an indifferent and well adjusted void; both responses were two halves of the same coin.
Jinta finally came to a shop and I blinked. "Oh no…" I whispered as I saw him shift to move slowly up off the floor, scrapes everywhere on his arms.
I rushed over to him feeling overwhelmingly guilty and worried. I don't believe I just beat up a kid… Well, kind of.
"Jinta! I am… God I'm so sorry, I didn't want to fight you I just reacted to the… er…" I trailed off at the expression on his face. His head had instantly turned towards mine in shock, anger and dare I say it: awe.
"What… WHAT WAS THAT? That's not fair! I thought you were a novice not a senpai! THAT'S IT! I'M TRAINING WITH YOU FIRST CHANCE I GET! THAT WAS AWESOME! I NEVER GET TO GO ALL OUT ON PEOPLE AND THIS IS MY CHANCE!" I let him continue in his spiel about fighting together till we drop; bewildered at his enthusiasm… Wasn't he bothered?
Realising in a somewhat astounded daze that I hadn't actually hurt him I let out a breath; the scrapes on his arms weren't scrapes they were dirt from hitting the ground.
It wasn't long before I raised a hand for pause and he stopped mid-flight. "Look… I'm happy you had fun but I have no idea what it is that I just did…"
"You listened to your instincts."
I whirled around and saw Urahara standing by the entrance to his shop and leaning against the sliding door. Ururu stood behind him, her hands gripping his kimono pants with wider eyes. I hadn't even noticed him arrive. The smile Urahara wore under his hat made me somewhat apprehensive; it was as if I'd just confirmed something for him.
"I wouldn't worry about Jinta Mai, as you can see he's just fine." He said with a reassuring tone.
I stood there contrite looking from him to the boy. "Still I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry about it. Blame Jinta for being an obstinate child, he started it after all!" He added cheerfully while Jinta glowered but said nothing. Well… it was half his fault I suppose.
There was a man I hadn't noticed before standing behind of Urahara… he was huge… Arnold Schwarzenegger move out of the way, there's a new kid in town. I raised an unsure hand at the man and received a polite and welcoming nod in return.
…Tessai… Tsukabishi…
Watching as Urahara gestured for us all to come inside I noticed the small group had a rhythm of their own. They knew where to stand and when.
What an odd group of people.
I'd probably fit right in.
Inside Tessai poured us all tea and I looked around, not quite as covertly as I wanted; Urahara's knowing eyes observed me from across the mat.
When we'd entered the room I'd caught Jinta furtively rubbing the area of his chest where I'd palmed him. I'd hurt him after all. Feeling that he'd create and have a major fit if I mentioned it I bit my lip and kept quiet, instead looking towards the shelves in the room.
"So Mai! Anything you'd like to ask first?"
I blinked up at him. "Ask?"
He shrugged. "Anything that's been bothering you? Something you might want to start with before I explain a few things?"
I pondered for a moment. "Well there was one thing…"
"Oh?" Urahara asked with raised brows.
"Why do you refer to Kurosaki in the familiar?"
His eyebrows fell from under his hat. "Out of everything that's what's been bothering you?"
It sounded so similar to what Kurosaki had said, well texted, that I shuffled, embarrassed, on the cushion I was sitting on. "…I was just curious…" I was always curious.
…you're also nosy, bottled up, maddening…
Was Kurosaki right about everything he said about me?
…Was I bottled up?
I shook myself out of it and continued. "It's just that you sound like you've already met him…"
Urahara tilted his head at me. "I haven't… yet. But I will soon, only a matter of time."
I sipped my tea and wondered, not for the first time if this guy was clairvoyant too. "Do you know a member of his family?"
And so smoothly he swallowed down the last of his tea, placed the empty cup on the low table in front of him and said, "No."
No indeed. Hmmm…
"You know…" He started with intrigue. "…When I wondered what you'd ask first I didn't think it would be about Ichigo and even if it was I thought it would be about how he received his Soul Reaper powers in the first place." He asked succinctly across the table.
Pressing my lips together I considered him for a moment. How much could I really trust this man with? He was a stranger… a stranger who'd healed me, helped me and treated me fairly instead of with fear.
I came to a decision. The truth was the best way. "I wonder about Kurosaki…" I said delicately. "And I don't need to ask how he received his powers; I got the story from a secondary source. Rukia told me the whole thing." I continued at the confused look he gave me.
He peered at me through the shadow under his hat. "How did that come to happen?"
Failing to hide a genuinely pleased smile I answered. "We had a fight."
"Oh…" He paused for a moment as if unsure of how to continue. "…How thrilled I am for you."
I shook my head at his straight face and thought about the earlier events of the day still swimming over my eyes. "She tried to substitute my memories. It got a little out of hand after that. But in the end I think we became friends…" I finished softly with an unheard prayer.
The man quirked a disbelieving smirk. "She tried to suppress your memories?"
I looked at him bemused and did a kind of half shrug that I was never really capable at pulling off. "She said she was protecting Kurosaki."
Silence rang out for a moment. By the small glance Urahara shared with Tessai I realized I was missing something. "…What's wrong?" I asked.
Urahara just shook his head. "Foolish." He muttered under breath.
"I beg your pardon?" I asked, concerned I'd done something wrong.
He scratched at the back of his neck resting his hand on the hair under the line of his hat.
"Mah… I told her not to do that."
I blinked. "You did?" When?
"Yes I did." He blew out some air. "It seems our Miss Kuchiki doesn't quite trust me yet."
Oh…
"…Be careful Mai. Urahara's generous but he has secrets. He probably knows more about you than you do by now."
"Why did you tell her not to…?" I asked carefully after a second.
He waved a hand around as if to dismiss it. "I just informed her that it wasn't necessary." He looked at me as I frowned. "Well was it?"
"…No." But he hadn't told me everything; he was simply too dismissive.
But the whole topic brought up another interesting question. "How did you find out about Kurosaki and Rukia anyway?" Did he sit in every tree around Karakura listening in and watching all the comings and goings?
Urahara moved to sit more comfortably. "I happened across the scene the night Ichigo received her powers; he was unconscious, Rukia was made spiritually destitute by what happened, his family were sleeping off the spiritual pressure and…" He shrugged nonchalantly. "I intervened."
I looked at him for a moment. "…You happened across the scene?"
"I take nightly walks." He replied simply with a flourish of his fan.
Leaning back on the pillow I took him in…
He reminded me of a bit of a puppeteer; the master manipulator of all the players secrets. I'd call him a bit of a wildcard but the man didn't strike me as someone who'd so easily stab a knife in my back after befriending me simply because it suited the 'plan'.
My eyes watched Urahara as he poured us another cup of tea (the cups were tiny). Noticing my stare he inclined his head towards me in the absence of his busy hands. "Go on, you have another query?"
I didn't say anything at first and only moved to accept the tea. There was something that had been gnawing at me in the back of my mind all day.
"…Rukia told me that she gave Kurosaki her soul reaper abilities to save his life and the lives of his family. But since the powers aren't his wouldn't that leave him weaker than a genuine soul reaper?" The idea of him hunting hollows at barely average strength didn't sit right with me however…
…The possibility of Kurosaki's weakness contradicted with the vast amount of energy I saw flowing through him last night.
Waiting, I raised my eyebrows at Urahara.
Looking at me with a perceptive and, strangely enough, slightly pleased shimmer in his eyes he responded with a deliberately short answer. "Yes it would."
I stared at him for a moment.
"Then why isn't it?" I asked simply. From what I could remember from the previous evening his energy looked to be desperately seeking some kind of release that screamed across the din of black to my own. Glancing back at the shop keeper I spoke in a somewhat hushed tone. "That's a lot of power there Urahara."
…For a human.
He tapped his fan against the concealed lower area of his face. "So you noticed that?"
The question confused me. "It was hard not to."
I almost jumped as the snap of Urahara's fan suddenly closing echoed throughout the room. Speaking always in that steady tone of his he offered a revelation. "In general human beings are unable to withstand spiritual intensity, it's genetically impossible for them carry with them the subliminal traits necessary for the capability of being a soul reaper without dying being a natural prerequisite."
I nodded. "I understand." Frowning down at my tea cup in my hands I thought for a moment. "So what am I missing?"
More than likely I considered the possibility that Kurosaki had even more secrets than I.
The scientist gestured his fan at me in point. "The spiritual matter transferred to Ichigo Kurosaki is already beginning to degrade. Far from being problematic the energy has by now begun to uncover the already present Soul Reaper powers lying dormant within his soul." He finished quietly as he looked at me.
Finally… The truth.
"Kurosaki… has soul reaper powers?" I asked bluntly, astounded at the idea of my friend already having death god powers all along.
"Yes."
"…How?"
He smiled slightly and said. "That's a story for another time."
I tried for a moment to picture Kurosaki looking like the Grim Reaper but it only resulted in an absurdly orange coloured skeleton skull wrapped in black and trying to wield a six foot cleaver sword on spindly skeleton legs. Suddenly this new picture had the previously intimidating image of Kurosaki hiding under the covers in fright at the idea of hollow hunting and wearing bunny slippers.
Taking a breath I brought up the tea cup. I considered the possibilities of what he'd told me but couldn't make any sense out of it.
Noticing how my thoughts had run away with me Urahara continued. "Ichigo's potential is so vast Mai. It's unequivocal. But he'll be alright; everyone finds their own way eventually."
Gulping down hot tea I refused to acknowledge that pain and hardship usually littered the way for unusual commodities such as Kurosaki…
I frowned at the thought.
If I were (as Pei would say) full of cheese and one of his fan-girls I'd proclaim Kurosaki was Karakura's very own knight in shinigami coloured armour.
…He was a teenager training for a war and he didn't even know it.
It wasn't exactly obvious but my dreams constantly presented me with feelings of divergence; of conflicts that were already occurring; of chaos needing an outlet proving that peace was just a fantasy for ignorant school kids. But… see no evil, hear no evil. There was never a specific cause to point to, no image of evil to prove the enemy real… disharmony was everywhere; it had spun out of control beneath the surface of what we see everyday and the result will be catastrophic. This same sensation told me without words to prepare for the evident inevitable as it would be futile to try to change my fate… Because that wasn't my duty, wasn't my destiny…
"Tell her about the Yokai already!"
Jinta's voice pulled me blinking from my thoughts. The child was still sitting but by the antsy way he kept moving his hands and fingers that could change at any moment.
Urahara, finishing his last cup of tea spoke in a lazy kind of drawl to his ward. "Ah… this isn't something that can be rushed Jinta…"
The boy shouted out again. "You keep going on about that strawberry guy! I thought we were going to talk about how to handle the demons."
I opened my mouth only to close it when no words came out; my brain was still trying to get around the 'strawberry' aspect of that statement.
Exhaling heavily Urahara scratched the back of his neck and peered at me.
"It is something we wanted to discuss…" He started to explain before he was cut off again.
"Why can she fight them and we can't?" Jinta butted in.
Wait, what did he just say?
Then, surprising me Ururu had a question too. "…How do they phase…?" Er… pardon?
But Jinta couldn't wait for a turn. "…She came in with blood on her and it was so cool! But you wouldn't let us look and she was unconscious but you didn't tell us why, you said they were untraceable, what did she-"
Woa, did he always talk like that? Idly Urahara waved his fan up and down in Jinta's face. "Alright, alright, stop shouting. You'll confuse her." He said as Jinta huffed and crossed his arms looking back and forth from the man to me and back again expectantly as if waiting to for something exciting to be revealed.
Sighing Urahara glanced up at me.
The look on his face made want to swallow; for the first time since my arrival at his store I felt the stirrings of trepidation.
He took a moment before speaking again.
"…We've run into a bit of a problem."
Ichigo
…Man, my house really is this far from school.
The sides of his face sweat slicked from his latest hollow run the substitute soul reaper walked tiredly and irritably towards his home.
It had been so easy before to ignore the distance between his priority of school and home when he was full of energy, sleep fulfilled, calm and, well semi-normal. But right now the distance equated to climbing the Himalayas.
Heh… his priorities…
Less than two weeks ago his main precedence had been evading the 'faculty' members at his school, coming home in time for the supper Yuzu made every single night and aiding the lonely souls who sought him out. Now… now his main worry was keeping the civilians of Karakura safe and ignorant from soul devouring fiends.
Oh yeah, his life was awesome.
Lethargically placing his forehead against the front door to his house he sighed, too tired to even frown in company with the weak scowl he wore. After leaving the school grounds he'd had to run interference on another hollow. Any energy he'd regained during his short but frequent moments of respite had all been spent on slaying it. Suppressing a yawn he moved a slow hand towards the door handle and twisted it open. Shutting it closed noisily and without remembering about certain familial dangers he took five sleepy steps towards the living room.
"You're late, again! In this house dinner is at 6:30 in the evening of every day, 365 days a year, 3650 days a decade! Or do I have to remind you to do what I say because you're my son and I OWN YOU?"
Thump THUMP THUMP THUMP!
Wu-uh… huh?
Ichigo's poor brain tried to register the machine gun speed of those words in tow with that voice but unfortunately the auditory data failed to compute…
And he was met by two large and smelly brown sock donned feet coming at him side on.
Crap…
He'd forgotten about his dad.
Flung to the floor on the far side of the hallway he laid there quietly and without moving. The inevitable shouting match would begin any moment now…
"AHHH DAD, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"
And there it is. Yuzu… he thought without caring much. Hm, usually it's Karin…
"I'M SORRY! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO DODGE! HE ALWAYS DODGES AND THEN HITS ME BACK IN THE MANLIEST OF WAYS! I DIDN'T EXPECT HIM TO JUST STAND THERE AND TAKE IT!"
Groaning inwardly the teen gritted his teeth at the headache that was already moving across his forehead… Just shut up…
"Geez dad, what did you do this time?"
Karin…
Need… sleep… He opened his eyes to the view in front of him. From his angle on the floor he could just make out his bedroom door up the stairs. Where his bed was… and a fresh change of clothes. He just wanted to sleep till sunrise and not dream a single dream… or be awakened by Rukia's freakin' hollow pager. His dad let out another obnoxious whine as his dark haired daughter, 'Karin', chewed him out for his idiocy.
I was so tired that I actually managed to forget that I lived with the eccentric loon.
…He's forty, but he has the predisposition of a pre-schooler and the brain capacity of a spandex glove.
I swear were not related.
His father had been in the business of physically bull-dozing him over the moment he comes home for the almost three years now. Ichigo had never been told why; his dad hadn't privileged him with the information.
Looking bleary eyed at his family he sweatdropped, or would have if what he was seeing wasn't the quintessential norm at his house. Yuzu was worrying and waving her hands in an anxious flurry about her face, his dad was spazzing and waving his hands around in an anxious flurry about his person and Karin was… well, standing there staring at the two of them as they squealed and wondering like Ichigo was how she was related to them.
His eyes closed and giving a resigned sigh he pushed himself up, sloth like, dragging his way towards the stairs.
"Ugh, I'm going to bed…" He didn't pause as he passed them.
Isshin Kurosaki snapped out of his drawn out soliloquy to whip around and look his son over.
Looking worriedly at her older brother, Yuzu stepped out from behind her father to call out to his retreating back. "But brother, what about your dinner?"
"…I'll eat later."
To his lament his dad started fluttering after him; he did his utmost to completely ignore him.
Watching him reservedly Karin quirked a brow in his direction. "Why so tired Ichigo?" She asked.
Sighing and growing increasingly annoyed Ichigo turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. "It's nothing, I just-"
"HE'S WORN OUT FROM TOO MUCH SEX!" His dad butted in.
"WHAT? DAD!"
LUNATIC!
Why is it always about sex with him?
And why is it always his first thought with me? It's like he's promoting underage pregnancy!
Can't he give it a rest?
(For the sake of the audience let me make this one thing abundantly clear. Ichigo is very aware that guys tend to think about sex… 24/7… he's just more of a gentleman about it. And the idea of talking to his dad about it is the equivalent to all hell freezing over… it would give him nightmares.)
Isshin popped up at his side and attempted to ascend the stairs with Ichigo all the while ignoring the increasingly antagonised expression on his face. "Come on son, admit it! That's why you're so tired isn't it! Oh-h!" He blinked, ecstatic at the trend of his own thoughts before beaming hugely at his son.
"You… YOU'VE FINALLY PASSED THE STEP TO MANHOOD ICHIGO! Who's the lucky girl? Is she pretty? She must be pretty energetic to exhaust you eh-OW?"
Even giving in to his irritation didn't make him feel better. Ichigo punched his father hard in the face making him land in a thud at the bottom of the stairs.
His forehead throbbed. "Dammit dad! Could you leave the pervy remarks for just one night?" He was only fifteen for God sakes… He closed his eyes; the energy climb from his anger was already fading. "…Such a lewd bastard…" He muttered.
Hearing this, his father made a scandalised gasp and flipped back over onto his feet at a speed of a buckshot.
"Ichigo! How can you say that at your age? Fifteen years old is where all men begin to discover the delights of the opposite sex!" Seeming to realise he had an audience Isshin looked quickly to his two daughters, both of whom appeared a little confused. He grabbed them and somehow covered their ears in a war between his hands and theirs. Then, in triumph, he whispered austerely back to Ichigo who couldn't help but sweatdropped at the sight of his sisters being manhandled in one of his dad's daily displays of adolescent behaviour.
The supposed grown up spoke in an overexcited whisper. "Son, you know as well as I do (or you should do by now; you're a Kurosaki!) that girls your age are far more mature than boys! It's a time of experimentation! Explore the world of hehe… carnal, culpable, and deviant acts!"
Mortified Ichigo took in a large breath and stared upwards, scowling at the ceiling. Jesus Christ and all his angels save me from my father.
His dad didn't pause. "Come on, what better way to learn how to please a woman than that?" His father lifted his eyebrows in a suggestive fashion. "So is it Tatsuki? Or that Orihime girl you mentioned? Tell me Ichigo, prove you're not gay!"
For a moment Ichigo continued to look up. Then after a long sigh (which sounded more like an aggrieved growl) he stared directly down at his father. Then, taking a breath and mentally preparing for his own colossal outburst Ichigo glowered grumpily at his father.
"Dad, I…" He stopped as a yawn broke free from him suddenly. Oh man…
Slumping resignedly he shoved a vexed hand through his hair. "I'm so not in the mood for you right now…" I don't care anymore. Rubbing his tired eyes he turned to continue his snail crawl up the stairs and muttered to himself along the way. "God… I shudder to think what he was like at my age…"
Hearing his dad break out a snigger made him pause in painful apprehension. "Well son, I was more-"
Slapping his hands against his ears Ichigo shouted. "Forget it! I don't want to know dad! Anything!" He shot a sharp glare at Isshin. "Now… I'm going to bed. To sleep. In peace! Seriously, no waking me up!"
And with that he stomped up the remaining flight of stairs left his dad standing there mincing his sisters heads together.
Dumb ass…
Shouldering his way into his room he let out a sigh and looked at his bed in longing; as if being in its presence gave him permission to finally let go. He staggered over to the inviting divan leaving a trail of school wear behind and clumsily pulled on a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt before flopping unceremoniously on the bed. He sighed deeply in satisfaction already feeling the tension leave him.
But the day wasn't over…
…Because, of course that's when Rukia would pop out of the cupboard like the tiniest house gremlin with a cell phone beeping in her hand.
"Ichigo!"
"Not… happening." He bit out irritably into his pillow.
"It's another hollow, we've got to go."
He opened one bleary eye to stare at her. "You've got to be kidding me. Rukia…" He pushed himself upwards. "…How am I supposed to slay hollows when I'm like this? I'll just get uskilled!" He stressed, wide eyed and freaking irritated.
Rukia didn't look up from her pager straight away; instead she read the message with furrowed brows and a concerned expression. Eventually she exhaled and glanced up at him apologetically.
"Who else is going to do it Ichigo?" She asked candidly but quietly.
And that right there was the kicker; he'd never be able to say no.
After she'd brought his substitute shinigami form out of his body Rukia watched, sweatdropping as he banged his shin on the side of his bed and cursed, hopping around the room like an idiot before he leapt out of the window and into the early evening vermillion sunset.
She didn't follow him immediately.
The communiqué she'd just received perplexed her. It wasn't the ordinary time space, place and additional statistic reading. Instead she'd received a list of potential areas in which they might locate a hollow. She'd wondered momentarily if her device had been tampered with. With the exception being the previous night hollows never accumulated in such a number; they were all on the south east side this time. Even more unusual she hadn't been supplied an exact number of them… or any number.
And the worst, the absolute worst, was the little degrading hand wave and peace sign at the bottom of the text.
Kisuke Urahara…
What was he doing?
He told me it would be problematic for him to go around causing trouble because of, I'm assuming, the wrath of the soul society, or more precisely central 46.
I wonder if this has anything to do with last night? I never did ask him about that and he probably knows exactly what happened.
A dark cloud accumulating above her head and an eye twitch later she jumped through the window after Ichigo who she found had already fallen asleep against a wall at the bottom of the street. Obnoxious snores were sounding from his mouth as he stood open mouthed, like an idiot, with Rukia looking up at him in disbelief.
Slapping a hand to her forehead she sighed and moved to wake him. If need be she'd drag him kicking and screaming all the way to the nearest hollow.
When she pulled on his arm he jerked awake and moaned; he sounded like a slapped cow. Looked like one too; extremely heavy with little brain a capacity.
Oh yes, Rukia thought tetchily as she half carried him, a confidence inspiring this situation was certainly was.
Urahara Shouten
I didn't believe in praying; not to God or any other over worked image of perfection. I've never prayed, not once in all my life. Some might think this foolish but the idea of believing in something abstract rather than relying on myself and my own power had always made me feel weak, uncertain and thoroughly disgusted.
And yet I felt like trying to right now.
I wasn't an atheist; God existed but what of it? I just didn't apply everything that occurred in my life to God and 'his mysterious ways'. But this… what I'd been told made me want to procure some sort of supernatural and god all-mighty shield against the unknown.
No… I mentally shook myself free of the rising anxiety.
To this day the one thing I did believe in was people.
And having faith in them. Having faith in whatever it is you apply your convictions to is what I trust, is what I garner strength from when all else fails.
Still…
The Yokai.
How do you apply faith to something like that; to faithless creatures?
Demonic beings not of this world.
Enslaved by their own darkness they aspire to cause nothing but chaos and pain.
From what Urahara told me these creatures have a caste system and horrifyingly enough the ones I fought barely touched it.
They were the lowest of the low.
They held the title: Yokai. They attacked unreservedly and indiscriminately. But apparently they were only cannon fodder.
The statement uttered so unconcernedly by Kisuke Urahara had left me momentarily devoid of mental competency. I'd made a sort of disbelieving nervous wreck noise that made me sound like some new foreign species of penguin. In fact both Jinta and Ururu looked around perplexedly for the appearance of such a species and only found me staring dumbly across the table at Urahara.
The man just smiled cheerily at me.
That's when he informed me, ever so nicely, of the existence of real Demons: all of which had differing levels of power.
"…True Demon's rarely manifest themselves physically in the human world." Urahara explained to my wide eyed self. "The Yokai however are quite wide in number and vary in shape and capability."
I nodded with a small swallow. "Oh… um, o.k."
"Too much?" He asked wryly.
"A little. But mainly it's just too… strange."
Urahara raised an eyebrow. "Strange?"
"Yes…" I breathed. Then with a pensive frown shook my head slowly. "…No. No, something about it seems very familiar but…" I looked back up at Urahara. "Hollows I can understand; you said they are born from spirits that literally loose their final links to their humanity. Well, I've seen spirits. I've seen hollows, but demons? What's their story? Their origin?"
It was true; Kisuke Urahara hadn't explained their foundation, what they were or how they even existed in the first place. These creatures were a blank slate.
Urahara scratched his chin. "I have no idea."
…Uh…
It wasn't quite the explanation I was expecting. I blinked at him doubtfully and hoped he was teasing me.
At my expression he smiled. "Unfortunately we don't have enough information on them to create an appropriate profile. The fact that they don't originate from the world of the living or any of its sub divisions doesn't help and I haven't managed to trace any relevant information about them from my files." He finished in the most indifferent tone of concern I've ever heard.
"…Can you tell me anything?" I asked hopefully.
Then I blinked as I came to a revelation.
Why was I so interested? I didn't come here to learn all I could about monsters that will probably end up causing some of my all time worst nightmares and that's saying something considering the glorious dreams already bestowed upon me on a nightly basis anyway.
"Well…" Urahara muttered. "…They do have a basis in the souls that are left behind."
I tilted my head. "I don't understand."
For a moment Urahara simply looked at me. Then, placing his fan down at his side he interlaced his fingers and leaned his elbows on the low table.
"Mai, have you ever heard of the Forsaken?"
Wondering at the sombre quality already present in his tone I shook my head.
He started slowly, frowning as he looked past me to something in his mind. "…Some spirits hold onto their more powerful of emotions, the ones that drove them during their time with the living and stayed with them as ghosts too." His eyes flickered to mine. "As a scientist I've investigated much. One day I discovered something about the spirits that are sent to the Soul Society."
"Soul Society?"
"Rukia's home." He said simply, waving a dismissive hand. "Mah, I'll explain later… that is if you can take any more…" He mumbled into his hands before continuing.
"Some of the souls sent to the Soul Society never made it there."
Thinking carefully I wrinkled my nose (something I never do) and asked possibly my dumbest question yet. "Is there a registration list or something for the dead on arrival?"
He stared at me for a moment. "Actually there is. And don't refer to spirits as the dead. After the body dies the soul moves on to wherever it wishes, but it doesn't die."
To wherever it wishes? How queer… I never considered life after death in such a way before.
I'd always perceived it to a transformation of sorts not a transfer…
Then I remembered what he said. "What do you mean some of the spirits never made it there?"
"They disappear before they arrive." He said straight to the point. "At some point they loose their way and venture towards a different existence." He raised a finger in point with a suspicious half smile. "I can only speculate what happens here but I believe the spirits are drawn there by the pull of more power, something that would enable them to carry out their wishes and vengeance. But their initial reasoning become clouded and they become slaves to the power they gain but could never truly comprehend."
"They go astray in the black." I murmured.
"Oh?" Urahara's eyebrow's raised and he picked up his fan and flourished it around. "The black? He questioned.
Taken aback I spoke the truth. "It seemed appropriate."
The black.
A place where nothing is understood is 'black' with depth.
"So, have you ever had to face a true demon?" I asked a few minutes later.
He mulled it over. "A couple of times over the years. They were not as active in the past as they are now." Looking at me directly in the eye he continued. "That's something I wanted to discuss with you…"
"You said you'd run into a bit of a problem?"
He nodded. "We have."
Then he stood up and began to leave the room. As I moved to stand (I can't help it; in bred manners and all) he gestured with his index finger for me to remain seated and swept out of the room
I looked left to Tessai for a clue as to what he was doing but he just shrugged. It almost made me laugh; the casual action looking a little strange on the big guy.
Just three seconds after this Urahara came back in the room carrying a large sheet of paper (probably) A2 and what looked to be an easel. Standing the object up on its tripod legs he clipped to it the rolled up document and keeping it there with his fingers he turned his head towards me.
"Are you ready for this?"
The seriousness of his tone forced me to consider the question with the same amount of gravity. I looked at him for a moment then nodded decidedly.
He smiled and dropped the slip to reveal…
"Holy…" I breathed.
The yokai was monstrous; too big, at least a foot and a half taller than me. Its large muscles rippled under dark skin and its shape and form, according to the casual scribble next to the depiction, differed depending on apparent skill set. Its claws, large and lethal looking sent a shudder down my spine and its eyes so drawn to detail could easily be seen as murky red. In my mind they shined with a yellow glow.
This was not the same yokai that I dallied with last night.
This one was far more insidious.
"What is that?" I asked quietly.
Seated now and observing every nuance of my reaction Urahara indicated towards the picture. "It's an assault class yokai. Though we have a hefty hole in our data on Demons we have been able to acquire a thorough knowledge of yokai attack patterns and characteristics. The demons still see them as the lowest of the low but for humans… they are trouble."
I nodded seemingly unable to take my eyes away from the drawing. "I can see why."
"Judging from your reaction it's more than likely that the yokai you faced where the pests. They have the ability to posses the dead and have been experimenting with it as they play with their kin."
…They can possess the dead?
I immediately flashed back to several snapshots within the past few weeks; people with hidden faces but glowing, inhuman eyes. It seemed I couldn't help but notice them and, on occasion, they noticed me back…
"…Play with their kin?" I asked without looking up from my memories.
"It didn't take long for us to realise that the yokai are, well, dim." Hearing his voice I noticed the slight amount of uncertainty that underlined it. The man was unused to hesitation of any kind. "They act solely upon their natural instincts and base desires. So… we assume from this that they follow the commands of a higher level yokai or lower level demon."
Glancing back up at him I frowned. "What are their natural instincts and base desires?"
"To kill."
"…Oh."
"Actually they have a penchant towards cannibalism." Urahara muttered as he moved to take down the scroll. Rolling it back up he continued to speak. "They attack indiscriminately and possess no understanding of the intrinsic nature of what's right and what's wrong." Placing the scroll beside him he offered me his full stare. "Creatures such as these live and breathe blood and violence in its worse form and are inclined towards sadistic measures. They like to play with their food." As he talked Urahara seemed to consider me and after a small pause he uttered these words. "They'd tear you to pieces without hesitation."
With darkened thoughts of feral shrieks and vicious intent I answered him. "I'm deeply aware of that."
"And yet here you sit."
His eyes gleamed with curiosity as he leaned on the table in front of him. The atmosphere in the room seemed to tingle and I realised that we must have finally trespassed upon the subject that they'd all been waiting to discuss. The crux of the evening. It was somewhat like standing in a slowly brightening spotlight; the uncomfortable feeling increasing the more Jinta stared at me, with the way Tessai's already stiff form seemed to focus even more and the steady and unrelenting stare of the store owner.
"I fought back." I said simply and without flare.
"Most wouldn't… or couldn't." Kisuke Urahara replied astutely. "Fear would prevent them from reacting at first and by the time they were released from the feeling it would be too late. The yokai don't wait for an opportune moment; they arrive, they kill, and then they leave. Trust me, on this I know."
A look of puzzlement crossed my expression. "Then why did they watch me?"
"What do you mean?" Urahara asked promptly.
"Last night I was surrounded by them but they didn't attack me straight away. It was as if they curious about something."
"Did they do anything else?"
"Not really…" I shook my head slowly. "But something seemed to trigger a reaction in them because started growling and screaming at me." I recalled trying not to shudder as I remembered quite vividly the noise they collectively created.
"Then what happened?"
"I fought back…?" Unsure, I repeated my previous statement.
"That's the first thing you did?" Urahara said and quirked a disbelieving brow. "You just stood there and said bring it on?"
Oh… right… "No, I ran away."
He nodded as he'd known that all along. "And they chased you?"
Perceptive. "Yes. I didn't get very far."
"…They cornered you?" Urahara did say he had a thorough understanding of their attack patterns.
"R-right."
"I see." Tapping his chin with the fan he eventually placed it down next to him. "Okay Mai, so what set you off?"
"I don't understand."
"I think you know what I mean." Positioning himself into a crouch he pushed up to stand. Jinta shuffled away enough to give the man some room to walk through whilst keeping himself close enough to me and the conversation. "By the blood on your hands I'd say you were in the fight of your life." Urahara came and stood directly at my side so that I had to crane my head back in order to look at him.
"I already know about what happened last night and the implication it carries." Penetrating eyes made somewhat sinister by shadow they lived under stared down at me and for a brief moment I felt like he was reading my history; reading it, chewing on it, spiting it back out and declaring that I'm nowhere near as frightening as he is. "I just need to make sure you understand the significance of your actions."
He crouched down next to me then and reached out with his left hand to the sleeve on my arm. He pushed it up past my elbow and pointed to my forearm with his right hand.
"Actions from which you're already completely healed."
Confused I shook my head at him, my eyes flickering from my arm to his face. "You told me you healed me this morning."
"I didn't help with these." He pointed at my arm and watched me.
It took me a moment to register the importance of what he'd just told me. When it did finally hit my eyes started to widen and my mouth opened but I didn't quite know what to say. Seeing my reaction Urahara dropped his hand and waited to see what I'd do.
I'd healed.
This morning when I had awoken in his store I'd believed that the reason why the claw marks on my arms were simple finger bruises was because he had healed them. Now the marks had vanished without a trace and he was telling me that he hadn't even healed me in the first place. That the reason why the wounds closed to become contusions that became a mere unpleasant memory just eight hours later was because I could in fact heal this quickly.
Looking at him now and his passive/serious expression as he leaned back on his heels next to me I could see the stunned if not abject realisation on my face reflected in his orbs.
"Why so fearful?" He asked tonelessly.
I didn't answer his question. "I was afraid of them. I know I was." I said emphatically. "But at the time all I could focus on was the sound of my blood pumping through me and the noise those creatures made. They were going to kill me." I rolled my sleeve back down. "…Then I fell into darkness and everything within me became so lucid. For the first time in my life I truly felt like… me." I didn't know what that meant but those were the words tumbling out of my mouth. Gazing back at Urahara I finished. "And then I tore them to pieces."
Remembering fully how the presence that hummed in my head had resounded so loudly the command to utterly annihilate I waited for the inevitable. I waited for the expression from Jinta's face to turn from awe inspired to disgusted, for Urahara to confirm how he knew that I was dangerous and Ururu to reveal to me why her eyes were like twin shields covering a weapon.
What I didn't expect to receive was the triumphant smirk on Kisuke Urahara's face.
"Thought so." He simply said.
Wha…?
I'd expected… okay. Let it be known that Mai Li will never again expect any response from Urahara that serves as typical by normal people. The man will never be typical in any way.
He straightened up and stood once more. "You did nothing wrong, you simply responded to weight of your instincts. How could you do anything other than bow down to such authority?"
"Er, authority?" I questioned still out of sorts by his reaction
"Power." He said smiling widely at me before stepping out of the room.
Blinking and feeling ever more like Alice I looked askance towards the two kids only for me to sweat drop when they shrugged in unison. Then I glanced at Tessai who just watched his boss's back.
Then Urahara shouted back at me from somewhere in his store. "Are you coming?"
"Yes! Sorry!" I stumbled and moved to clear out of the room.
…Follow the white rabbit Mai.
I found his retreating form in the surprisingly longish hallway. He didn't slow down as I chased after him but he did speak.
"You have to get used to power now Mai, and as always it has a price. You're strength lies within your instinct. With it you could do things most people couldn't dream of doing." He turned a corner into yet another hallway (this place was much larger than I thought).
"Doesn't everyone have instinct?" I shouted as I jumped over a box cluttering the floor.
Turning only his head back at me as his body moved around the cluttered hallway with perfect muscle memory he answered. "Yes they do but only as a biological/psychological reactive protocol and it doesn't always aid them. Your instinct is so present it's imbedded within the route of your powers, in fact it could be seen as an ability in and off itself."
He stopped suddenly and I almost careened after him in my haste. I realised we'd reached the front of his store.
"Here, you'll need this." Urahara said as he passed me the roll of paper with the yokai drawing on it. I hadn't even seen him pilfer it from the table.
"I will?"
"Do you honestly think you won't come across them again?" He asked dryly.
Though I wanted to deny him the true answer, that I felt the swift changes in the ambience surrounding Karakura indicating that I was now exposed to the layers of the town and all its secrets, I shook my head without hesitation.
He grinned and inclined his head. "Then you're learning."
And without any explanation he placed his hands on my shoulders and pushed me roughly out through the sliding doors at the entrance.
Stumbling I blinked back up at him. "I thought you said you wanted to discuss something with me?"
Looking far too cheery for his own good Urahara nodded at me and I noticed the forms of Jinta, Ururu and Tessai coming to a stop behind him. "I did and if you think really hard you'll find a question hidden underneath our conversation."
My cheek twitched. Did he just… patronise me?
"When you're ready to answer it call me." He pointed towards the roll in my fingers. "My number is on the back of that."
And before I can utter a word he slammed the sliding doors shut in my face.
Standing there with my mouth opening and closing in a swift cacophonic rhythm I looked a little silly. As if realising this my hands and feet moved of their own accord. I put the sheet of paper in my school bag and I moved to walk away as the expression on my face proved that I didn't have a clue what had just happened.
Trying to mentally catch up with everything I'd heard form Urahara I could only think one thing…
…I was tumbling down the rabbit hole.
"Mind job." I muttered with a shake of my head.
Inside the Shouten…
"Are you sure it's wise to just let her go Boss?" Tessai asked from behind the green kimono clad shop keeper.
Kisuke watched the girl as she walked away through the sliver between the doors. She looked a little overwhelmed. "It would be… counterproductive to explain everything all at once. If I overloaded her unnecessarily it would be too close to manipulation for my tastes and I want her to come to an answer herself…" He shrugged. "Then I'll tell her the rest."
After a minute he looked sideways to his friend. "Did you do it?"
"I did." Tessai nodded.
"Good!"
He moved towards a side room in the front half of the store as Ururu looked concernedly over the boy next to her. "What's wrong Jinta?"
He just huffed and crossed his arms over his chest.
Opening the door to the relevant room Kisuke smiled behind his fan at the boy. "Come now Jinta, jealousy is rather unbecoming in a boy your age! Especially over an older schoolgirl."
"I'M NOT JEALOUS!"
"Denial!" Urahara sang from inside the room.
"I'M NOT IN DENIAL!"
He shook his head indulgently at the boy's voice; he'd seen Jinta's face when Mai Li had explained how her instincts had taken on a life of its own. He'd been an inch away from demanding she prove her claim just so that he could have the possibility of seeing something 'cool'. Finding the device he'd been searching for he held it in his hand and switched it on. Then he moved out of the room, past the squabbling children and into the yard in front of the store where he stared down at the measuring tool… and waited.
Mai
…There was a hidden question underneath our conversation.
And there was also very good chance that I wouldn't sleep tonight.
We'd talked at length about the possible origins and features of yokai and demons but… I couldn't locate a question in there anywhere. He'd told me he'd wanted to talk about those creatures… but why with me.
Why did they seem to need me there?
My feet came to a stop.
What was I missing here? Receiving only pieces of data brought about new questions. He was right to be curious about why the yokai had been watching me. And I hadn't informed him of how I'd seen them at the fair or how my vision had altered to see the black and white world of an old photo.
I was sure it would mean something that I wasn't ready to hear just yet.
But why wasn't he speaking about this to Rukia and Kurosaki? The two were like the Karakura guardians; why keep this a secret from them? In fact it was as if Urahara was trying to tell me that this didn't even concern the two of them yet.
But how could it not?
Wait… did the two of them know about the yokai already? Had they seen them too?
…Maybe I should text Kurosaki about it.
Or maybe I should be really daring and actually phone him for a chat. Or if I was feeling psychotically bold I could just go to his house and ask him there…
No. No the memory of him freaking out at the idea of his father seeing him with a girl squashed that idea completely. Normally I wouldn't even consider going to his house but I was desperate for information…
Oh god… I'd actually thought about going to his house.
Was I really that stupid to think that I could just do that?
Slumping and sighing I stared up at the night sky; the sun had just set and the breeze was picking up.
Beautiful sky…
Life as it was so full of possibilities but I never imagined a world in which demons, hollows and soul reapers existed. Well, more appropriately a 15 year old substitute high school student who channelled spirits and fought hollows…
And I fought… I fought…
My pulse suddenly spiked and I felt my nerves tingle with the resounding chill from the spike of reitsu in the air. The hairs on my arms stood to attention.
Left…
…Right…
…In front of me…
…And behind…
The chaining of souls leaves such a specific mark. It resounds in the skull and murmurs in your ear that death stands just behind each and every living creature. And it demands that we accept this fate…
But not me.
I wasn't supposed to do that; fear was no longer a liable option.
Because I can hear them, crying for respite…
The howl of a hollow.
And there was more than one.
I stood near to the south end of Karakura Community Park and listened. Allowing the breeze and every other sound penetrate my skin I waited for it to come.
But then I heard another roar... and another... and again.
They were amassing and heading in my direction.
What was going on?
Pulsing out my energy I focused on locating the nearest Hollow several hundred metres away and immediately felt it fix its sights and senses on me. I opened my eyes and stared forwards towards the left of my position. The first would appear there...
...And moments later a hollow crashed into the side road where I was facing. Taking in its form I saw a muscular bodied, square headed hollow with intimidating razor like ridges on each side of its mask.
Quietly clenching my fists I froze as it looked at me.
Its head tilted to the side as if it were confused by something.
Before I could put a stop to it the core of my power throbbed and I inwardly grimaced. I was responding instinctively again to the threat in front of me but the play of power seemed to knock the hollow to its senses. My energy surrounded it and all of a sudden it and all of a sudden it wailed at me; its dark eyes staring hungry daggers straight into my soul.
And that's when I realised: hollows liked the way I smelt. They may not understand what it is they are sensing but they nevertheless wanted a taste.
I made to step backwards when two more hollows, one on each side, arrived to join the first. In unison they too stared at me for several seconds before roaring at me.
And then they charged.
The ground beneath my feet vibrated with every thundering step each of the creatures took.
But... I felt no fear.
None whatsoever.
In fact if I were to look at myself from the perspective of a third party I'd see myself calmly taking in each movement of each hollow. And there was a kind understanding in my eyes as the hollows made to grab and slash for me...
And all I did was moved slightly to the left.
The first hollow missed completely and ended up ramming itself into the stone wall behind me. The second made to sweep my legs out from under me but I simply twisted on my left foot while my right shot out to pound on the offending limb and came away leaving behind a broken stump.
The circulation of energy was flowing in a rapid descent down my limbs and I hummed with raw power...
...Well that's new.
And while that maybe the case I still wasn't sure what I could accomplish here. Though calm and steady I was no match for three hollows... not without a zanpacto. I didn't know what I could even do yet with my body.
Thinking about my family I wondered how Pei would handle this situation.
...She'd scream her head off in the old teenage girl standby that she abided to completely; when in trouble scream Bloody Mary until rescued by a handsome stranger.
Well that wouldn't work.
Jihi... yeah he'd probably stand there bold and proud in his old wrestling gear (an embarrassingly tight unitard covered in glittery spangles) and proclaim himself a challenge as he tried and failed to perform outrageous wrestling moves on the hollow at ungodly angles...
That wouldn't work either.
So... what would I do?
Thinking about it all the while dodging the third hollow and seeing with some distress now as a fourth and fifth hollow decided to enter the fray there really was only one thing I could do.
Sliding across the gravel after a close shave with a dense tail I pushed up with my fingers and with a flash of instinct leaped high into the air in a backwards flip to land several metres from where I stood. I heard a crack and looked up just in time to see that the first hollow with the head ridges pull its deadly shaped skull mask from the concrete floor.
It had tried to pulverise me.
Watching and feeling increasingly like I was in a no win situation as the surrounding hollows prepared for a team full charge leaving me nowhere to escape to... except perhaps through the park now behind me.
So I stood straight, cleared my throat...
...And pegged it in the opposite direction moving swiftly over a fence to sprint towards my goal.
I know... pathetically smooth.
I expected them to follow but at the speed they were chasing me I wouldn't make it far. They helped me somewhat however by falling over one another as they pushed and lunged their way towards their delicious soul treat. I had to wonder what it was about my scent that confused them whilst simultaneously provoking their hunger to aspire to new levels of desire.
Free running through the cluttered park I managed to push up off of a low partition onto an adjacent wall which I actually defied gravity to run upwards several steps before hauling myself up and over into the east end of the park. I paused for a moment...
But I really shouldn't have...
For a moment all I could make sense out of the situation as my world tilted on its axis was hard strike I'd received to my side. I was sent flying and had a momentary view of a tall speedy looking hollow with large but lithe limbs.
"Delicious."
This one could speak.
Hitting the ground hard I came up in a roll and knew it was already in front of me, above me poised to strike and tear its way through my flesh suit to the spirit that lay within.
Immediately the heat of my energy skyrocketed and my pulse thumped hard within my chest. Teeth exposed in an aggressive grind I felt the power in my body force itself into my eyes and I glanced down only see my body glowing that bright and slightly faint green rhythm. My arms and legs immediately moved into position on the floor so that I could strike before it did but before I'd even turned towards my quarry I heard a clang.
It was metallic and followed by an irritated roar.
...And I felt him. God, it was impossible to miss. His spiritual pressure shivered down my back and resonated in my mind.
Moving my head slowly I looked up behind me and stared stunned.
"...Mai?" He uttered in soft astonishment.
His name was out of my mouth before I could stop it.
"...Ichigo."