Tite Kubo © Bleach

Beyond the Beyond

Chapter 2

by GaleSynch

I glanced down at the hastily drawn map Hitsugaya-taicho had given me. From the tenth division to this other division. It was quite far and since there was little space to draw in further detail, I had to make do and keep squinting at the small landmarks.

Right. I already past that willow tree and pond. I should be heading east now.

It was useless. I had already circled this place at least twice. I think it's time to stop someone and ask for help. I looked around before deciding to stop the bald Shinigami. "Excuse me, but can you tell me how to get here?" I spoke out of reflex. Who knows, maybe one of them had the ability to speak multiple languages?

"Hah?" The bald Soul Reaper glared at me. "What the heck do ya want?"

I pointed at the small map. "Here. This place. How to get there, sir?"

"What the heck is she saying?" hissed the bald man's companion.

"No idea... Wait, I think she's trying to ask us how to get there."

"Which division are you from?"

I stared blankly at them. I tapped my destination insistently. "Please?"

"Okay, girl, head right," said a short-haired Shinigami. Fortunately, he pointed as he directed me.

I tossed him a grin. "Thanks!" I made it to the other division rather quickly. I'm actually rather surprised that Hitsugaya allowed me to wander around unsupervised. It had been three days since Unohana assigned me to Hitsugaya and just last night, there had been a captain meeting. I wondered if they'd discussed about my situation.

I guess, to them, I was just a new Soul with unusually strong Reiryoku. I think this is a good think. It means that they wouldn't try to dissect me even though I speak a completely different language.

I sighed. This would also be bad because I would not be able to get help then. I pursed my lips in thought as I strode down the hallway.

If I'm going to be stuck here for awhile, with no help until my family and friends back home realized I was gone and launched a search (through spiritual means I hope because I doubt science can help so much now), I might also need to learn their language to make things easier for both parties.

It would definitely be useful to communicate—especially since I'd need help asking for directions.

"Thank you," I told the baffled Soul Reaper who had been willing to point and mime directions to this captain's office. I turned around the corner, spotting the aforementioned door. I lit up when I finally reached it. I knocked enthusiastically. "Hey, I—"

The door clicked open. I jerked back, surprised. Purple-black hair in a bun and warm brown eyes, pale skin and slender stature. I peered past her and saw a brown-haired, brown-eyed man with glasses perched on his nose. He raised his eyes to look at me.

To those whose eardrums I destroyed, I apologize: I was just running from a serious threat. He was a demonic man, I had to make an escape; I didn't care how crazy I looked when I took off screaming my head off after throwing the stack of paperwork I was carrying into Momo's face.

~X~

The sun had fully set by the time Hitsugaya found me. I doubted he would look for me if he wasn't making sure I wasn't up to something fishy and potentially dangerous to his beloved Soul Society.

"What're you doing?"

I'm assuming he was asking what I was doing. How often do you find someone hiding in a warehouse full of extra Shinigami clothes? "Hiding," I answered.

Hitsugaya made an impatient sound. "I sent you to the Fifth Division and what did you do? You're as useless as Matsumoto. Honestly." He facepalmed, shaking his head, I could tell he was disappointed in me for some reason or other. "Why were you screaming? What scared you?"

He waited for a few seconds that took him to realize I didn't understand what he was saying. I stretched my stiff legs in front of me. I had been hiding here for a few hours I think.

It was so easy to lose track of time when I'm thinking of the life I was forced to leave behind. I wanted so badly to speak their language, to be able to get help from them. I was sure there had to be a solution to this. Mom always said that 'when there's a will, there's a way'—corny but it's all I can hold on to.

"Hey, you... are you crying?"

I looked up, detecting the change in tone. His face had softened slightly. "Was it something I said?" He crouched beside me. His arm rose but spasmed and fell, as if he was unsure about doing anything. I stared at him. He pointed at his eyes, miming the action of wiping tears.

"Miss my family." I missed my mother mostly. I pointed at my stomach and waved. "My mom. You know—the woman who gave birth to me?"

I think I got something across because his face had look of dawning realization. "You're pregnant?!" He seized my shoulders and pulled me to my feet. I was weak-kneed from sitting in one spot and wallowing in self-pity and fear for so long. He didn't seem to notice, he hauled me out of the warehouse and started running.

"Hey!"

"I'll get you to Unohana!" He threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, ignoring my indignant cry. In a split second, the world blurred. I seized his haori, feeling violently ill at abrupt and quick movement. The journey lasted only a few minutes at most but it might've been hours to me.

"Put me down," I groaned weakly.

He dropped me but grabbed my arm and started dragging me to where I vaguely recalled Unohana's office was located. She often worked in the infirmary so I suppose he was bring me there. Though I wonder why he was so adamant in making me meet her. Maybe he mistook my red eyes for conjunctivitis?

"Unohana!" cried Hitsugaya, throwing the doors open. "It's Arisu—she says she's pregnant—at her age—it's simply dis—"

"Hitsugaya-taicho, will you please explain who Arisu is first?" I glanced over and saw Isane's baffled expression. I wiggled my fingers at her. "She's Arisu? Er... then what did you mean by pregnant?" She dropped the plate she was holding. "No wa—"

"Come here, Arisu," Unohana's calm voice cut through the babbles of nonsense from both sides and held out her hands for me to take. Her hand glowed a soft green hue as she moved her right hand over my chest to my abdomen. I gazed at her quizzically.

"Boy or girl?" Isane's tone told me she was asking something and she sounded anxious. I think she misunderstood something.

Unohana cleared her throat, amused smile tilting her lips. "She's not pregnant. You must've misinterpreted what she was trying to say." She patted my head, chuckling a the sighs of relief from the other two. "Perhaps she's trying to tell you that she can eat a lot now that she's ravenous."

"Right," drawled Hitsugaya, a slight blush to his cheeks. I saw Isane spotting the same embarrassed expression and wondered what had happened. "Come on, Arisu."

"Hitsugaya-taicho," called Unohana as we turned to leave, I trotted obediently to Hitsugaya. "I would recommend you teach her our language along with the four combat skills of the Shinigami. Good night." She smiled as we closed the door in her face.

"What happened?" I wondered aloud even though he didn't understand.

"Honestly, don't make such easily misunderstood actions," Hitsugaya told me, his tone admonishing. He sighed heavily, turning away. "Why did the Chief stick you with me? I'm always landed with the most troublesome jobs..." He glanced at me. "Still," he murmured, voice so soft I almost didn't hear him. "It's nice to have someone smaller than me in the same room."

It sounded like a nice thing to say.

I tilted my head to the side and examined him, smiling.

~X~

"Arisu!"

I glanced up at the call of my name—even though they still pronounced it oddly. "Yes?" It had been over a week since I appeared in this world and I was starting to get used to life with Rangiku and Hitsugaya.

Speaking of which, the latter of the two was glaring at me. "Are you listening?"

I admire his determination, honestly. Being a teacher to someone who you can't understand is troublesome. If I were assigned to teach a kid who couldn't speak my language, I would've ended up killing the kid long ago. Especially when it was so obvious that the student wasn't paying attention.

I stared at Hitsugaya, grinning and he sighed, closing the book. "Right, that's it for today. You're finishing page three to five, I want it tomorrow." He gave me three seconds to digest this information, I nodded even though I was uncertain about what he wanted me to do. "Come on, let's go to the dojo now. We're having Hakuda lessons today."

He had a pleasant voice even though I didn't know what he was saying all of the time.

He motioned for me to follow him. When Rangiku made to follow, he pinned her down with a glare. "I want the paperwork done by the time we get back." I could guess from his stern tone and Rangiku's groan that he had just ordered her to finish their share of paperwork.

"Hakuda," said Hitsugaya the moment we were in the empty dojo. The rest of the Soul Reaper had cleared out pretty quickly when Hitsugaya ordered them to, most of them shooting him terrified looks. Other than the brief hardening of his expression, he showed no other reaction to that. I don't know why they're so scared, they hadn't done anything wrong if they're training.

I refocused my attention on Hitsugaya, studying his expression and his tone of voice to decipher what he wanted. "—is a close-combat style of fighting, in which one is unarmed and uses only one's body, and is one of the four basic fighting styles of the Shinigami. Captain Suì-Fēng of the 2nd Division excels in this style. High-speed Taijutsu attacks are used to overwhelm the opponent."

I recognized the word Hakuda and knew, basically, what Hitsugaya-taicho was talking about. I nodded to show my understanding.

He motioned me forward. "Attack me." He slid into a stance I recognized to be that of self-defense.

Wait. He wanted me to just attack him and strike him with not prior instruction? After a few seconds of pondering, I suppose this would be the smartest course of action as explaining it would be useless since I wouldn't understand.

I lunged. He deflected most of my strikes. I took up karate and taekwondo but I eventually dropped out and stopped practicing so I was quite rusty.

I showed him three subtle feints and he committed hard to the third when I slid close enough; I twisted sideways and struck the back of his knee. He staggered; I knew he had not used those Shinigami speed to spar which was how I'd landed a hit. I slammed both palms onto the ground and twisted my whole body, legs kicking.

Hitsugaya jumped out of the way but I didn't mind. I was testing this body's speed, agility and strength. Hm, this body was considerably fitter than my previous body. I somersaulted backward, delighted, I hadn't been able to do this in a long time ever since I, er, put on weight.

I darted toward him again, feinting only occasionally. He attacked suddenly, retaliating with quick and precise blows, pushing me back as I ducked, sidestepped and twisted out of the way. Thrice I felt the breeze from the force of his swinging fist brush my cheek. I deflected the third blow and stepped in, trying to deliver a counterattack to his ribs but he defended and hopped away.

I knew I had to keep playing on the offensive.

With a sigh, I lunged again.

~X~

"You're doing good, but you'd still be defeated in a purely Hakuda fight because of your slow speed. Hoho is the next most essential thing you should learn." Hitsugaya paused, sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "How do I teach you that? You don't understand anything."

"Hoho," I repeated the only comprehensible word he was speaking. "Hoho? What about it?"

"Hoho," said Hitsugaya and he blurred, disappearing from his original spot. "Gather Reishi beneath the soles of your feet and push off."

He disappeared again, his form blurring as he moved at a speed too fast for the ordinary human eye. I crouched, closing my eyes and trying to concentrate on summoning the Spiritual Particles toward me. Tiny blue bubbles, petals, forming beneath my feet.

I felt goosebumps rising, the hair on the back of my neck stood. Trembling slightly, I pushed off. Someone grabbed my arm and stopped me—for which I was grateful for—as I was about to super-speed right into the wall.

"Okay, so you understand." His eyes narrowed slightly, a calculating look in them. "But not too quick. Try again." When I didn't move, he steered me away from the wall and disappeared to the other side of the dojo. He made a 'come here' motion.

I glanced down at my feet, trying to summon the Spiritual Particles again. It took me a few tries as it kept slipping away but once I managed it, I darted toward him.

For the next few hours, I Flash-Stepped around the dojo. The reason why I escaped so many bruises and broken bones was because Hitsugaya was there to stop me before I ran into the wall. Once I managed to stop myself from crashing on my own, Hitsugaya demonstrated the combined use of Hakuda and Hoho.

I didn't do too well.

Hoho was hard to master and more often than not, I ended up barreling into the snow-haired captain or tripped and fell. It was like skating on ice, except that I barely need to move my feet to kiss the ground.

For the thirtieth time that hour, I pushed myself up, groaning as I rubbed my sore nose. If there was one thing I learned, it was that this body was extremely durable. Even though tears of pain did well up and I even sniffled like a baby twice, that did not count—this body was the crybaby, not me.

"Alright," said Hitsugaya, sighing. I looked up at him to see his lips twisted into a wry smile. I blinked and it was gone. "Stand up. We're going back to the barracks."

He extended a hand. I stared at it. He made an impatient sound. Laughing nervously, I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet.

Someday, we'd understand one another. This language barrier would be broken down soon.

~X~

While Hitsugaya did his paperwork, I alternated between learning katanaka and helping Rangiku stamp approvals to one thing or another. The amount of paperwork assigned to the captain and his lieutenant was ridiculous. Where's the secretary when you need one?

Absentmindedly, I tightened the laces around my arms. They held up my Shinigami uniform. Rangiku had one custom made for me, my chains were now dangling in front of me instead of being stuffed inside my kimono. But this meant large slits in my sleeves down the forearm that the other Shinigami didn't have.

Black laces wouldn't have stood out as much but Rangiku insisted on laces that match my eyes, which, I just learned, were amethyst. Yep. Definitely not normal, definitely not my body. Rangiku suggested a skirt kimono like Nemu Kurotsuchi's, but I shot down that idea and insisted I wear the hakama they all wear, which meant that the chains around my ankles were causing some mild discomfort down there but it was worth it.

Besides, it was cooling.

"By the way, taicho," said Rangiku and I looked up. She waved me away, making it clear she wasn't talking to me and I turned my attention back to the characters, ears pricked and still hearing. You couldn't blame me for hoping I'd suddenly develop an ability to understand them. "How are you going to teach her Kido spells?"

"I'm leaving that to you."

"EH? I don't have the patience for that!"

"Tough luck," grumbled Hitsugaya.

"Er, how about this? I'd finish your share of paperwork if you teach her."

"I thought you liked her?

"But I don't like teaching! I don't even know whether she's listening to me or not!"

"And you think she understands what I'm saying?" Hitsugaya retorted, a vein popping.

Suddenly, Rangiku slammed her fists on the wooden table. I jumped away from her, startled. "What the—"

"I got it!" cried Rangiku, seizing my arm and hauling me out of there before I could so much as protest.

~X~

Five minutes later, Rangiku and I were in the dojo. I felt uncomfortable under the stares and whispers of the other 10th Division's Soul Reapers. Rangiku was setting up dummies for target practice, since she was going to teach me Kido. I was quit excited to learn.

This body could probably do it since I already accomplished Shunpo—as jerky and stiff my movements were. I glanced down at the paper, she had me reading. It was an incantation. "Arisu!" barked Rangiku and I looked up, acknowledging her call with a hum. She grinned at me. "Watch."

She whipped around, hand outstretched, palm upwards. "Kunrinsha yo! Chiniku no kamen, banshō, habataki, hito no na o kansu mono yo! Shinri to sessei, tsumi shirame yume no kabe ni wazuka ni tsume o tate yo!" A ball of blue energy I recognized as — "Hado No. 33: Shokatsui!"

A wave of blue blinded me momentarily; it connected with the dummy and it disintegrated. "That's awesome!" I cried, clapping along with the other Soul Reapers.

Rangiku pointed at me. "Now it's your turn." She tapped the paper. "Just recite it. Your accent's odd but as long as you get it right, it should be no problem."

I nodded. I'm sure she's asking me to try but even though she didn't specifically ask for that, I want to try. I slipped into the stance she assumed minutes ago, I glanced at her uncertainly and she nodded. I raised my palm. I wouldn't be able to pronounce the Japanese incantation if my life depended on it.

But, I do know of its English version.

"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws. Way of Destruction No. 33: Blue Fire, Crash Down!"

I would've been embarrassed by the stares and murmurs—which I assume was because of the foreign words I was speaking. But I was too concentrated on the blue energy gathering on my palm. Fascinated, I raised it to my face, examining it.

Rangiku shouted in alarm, tackling me. She grabbed my arm and forcefully turned it, making me direct it upward. "Why are you pointing it in your face? Do you want to die so much? Release it!" I tried to release the spell but nothing happened, it kept growing in size and power; it seemed to be superglued to my palm and I started panicking, flailing my arms wildly.

"Help!"

Imagine a spring, hissed a voice inside my head.

I blinked. What?

A spring—tighter, pull the energy in and coil— I braced myself, trying to imagine caging the energy in. It seemed to work because it stopped growing in size. But it was growing steadily hotter, burning into my skin. Now unleash it, it works like a spring, pull it in and it bounces out—

True to the voice's words, the moment I let loose, the spell exploded outward, bursting through the roof and sending me crashing onto the floor.

I was dazed, tired.

The last thought I entertained before I passed out was that I hope they don't make me pay for the collateral damage.

~X~

I was in that world again. My mindscape but there was a huge difference. In the middle of the lake where he once stood, the boy sat on a grand boat made entirely out of crystal, it glowed pink, purple and blue. It was arguably one of the most beautiful boat I've ever seen (which didn't say much as I rarely saw boats).

The boy waved at me, grinning. "Get on!"

Seeing as I have no other option, I did as told. I was anxious to talk to him anyway; he spoke English and I was desperate for someone to understand me.

"You're my Zanpakuto, right?"

He nodded, eyes flickering. "Yeah, my name's Hikaru!"

"Really?" I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. "Why are you so willing to give me your name? All the Zanpakuto's I saw in the series act all high and mighty and play hard to get."

Hikaru wasn't offended. He laughed good-naturedly. "Well, I'm a different case." He sounded a tad wistful when he said it and I wondered if it was my imagination. "You just don't see enough Zanpakuto to tell there're different kinds. Some might have no names to offer because they don't think you're worthy, while some are as willing as me."

"I think it's odd," I murmured. "I mean, Zanpakuto's are part of the soul—"

"Not really," Hikaru cut in, not rudely. "Take that Hitsugaya and Kusaka, they have the same Zanpakuto. Did that mean they share the same soul? No. Like I said, we're all different. There are some special cases that have yet to be exposed."

"Care to share?"

Hikaru smiled cryptically. "Sorry, no. That's not my secret to tell."

I huffed. But I decided not to pursue that topic. I didn't care. I had my mind on more important things. "How do we get home?" I blurted out, not in the mood for small talk.

"No idea," said Hikaru, sounding too happy for someone in a dilemma.

"Excuse me?" Here was someone who finally understood me and he was acting nonchalant about it. I was tempted to throttle him. "There has to be a way!"

"Not now, no," Hikaru said consolingly, perhaps sensing my crushing despair. "I'm thinking of it. And maybe you can formulate your own hypothesis. Or if we go to the Human world and you can get your hands on a cellphone, you can call your mom's phone number." He sounded like he doubt it would work.

I understood what he meant. "Well, then—" I paused, hearing something squeaking incessantly. "What's that?" I asked.

Hikaru winced as if I'd just insulted him. Sighing, he shifted, revealing that he was sitting on something... someone. "You sat on a kid?" I deadpanned. I wasn't too worried though, whatever existed here wasn't real, just a spirit and I knew the toddler wasn't exactly a baby.

The toddler squealed, pushing himself up into a sitting position. His cheeks were flushed from being deprived of air for so long (maybe) and he looked quite cute with hair so black it was purple peeking out from his nightcap and amber eyes large and long-lashes brushed his cheekbones plumped with baby fat. His shirt was too large and his sleeves covered his hands entirely.

"Who's he?"

Hikaru sighed, annoyed. "He's Arisa's Zanpakuto."

"Arisa?" I wondered.

"You know, the original form of that body." He was looking at me.

"Original form?" I was growing increasingly confused.

"You do know that everyone in Soul Society are souls, right?" I nodded to show my understanding. Hikaru continued, "Well, Arisa is a soul and so are you, when you're transported here. Your soul has no form when you came here so, seeking to survive, you latched onto her, another soul. That's why your spiritual energy is twice of the ordinary. You assumed Arisa's appearance with little changes but her conscienceless was eradicated. You lost your appearance, she lost her mind."

"Is she still here?" I wondered.

Hikaru shrugged. "Since I'm—forced—to share this world with him, I'm assuming so." He sounded miserable. Was that toddler spirit so bad?

"About the chains—"

"Right," said Hikaru, clearing his throat. "That's me. When your soul went through dimensions to get here, it... well, cracked. The small shard that fell away was me, because you already merged with Arisa, I only latched onto the outer shell of the soul, I became the chains. That is your Zanpakuto's released state: in Shakai mode already. We don't have a Sealed state. We're not Asauchi since we're not forged by Oetsu Nimaiya. Arisa's Zanpakuto is abnormally well-defined," he added.

"What's your special ability?" I asked, curious.

"I'm a support-type Zanpakuto," answered Hikaru sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "I can heal and distract an opponent, but only for awhile."

"That's good," I said. "Healing is a good ability. Like, it's used to save people who save people!"

"It's useless if you can't exactly fight," Hikaru cut in negatively, looking uncomfortable. "Those chains can only block so much. It's not cut out for fighting." He wasn't looking at me but I noticed how he was staring at Arisa's Zanpakuto.

"...Do you think I can—"

"I don't like sharing," said Hikaru disapprovingly. I looked at him and he sighed. "But for the sake of self-preservation, I'm willing to step aside. I'm warning you though, it's not advisable to use two Zanpakuto at a time. I don't know his name, he can't speak, only baby-talks and unless you understand that..."

"How's he going to tell me his name?"

"I don't think he can," said Hikaru carefully. "His powers were never meant for you. I'm not even sure if he's a Kido-type or one capable of offensive abilities."

"I see," I muttered, glancing at the toddler spirit that was currently doing cartwheels in the air. "Um—"

"If I got anything, I'll contact you, okay?"

And the world fell out from beneath me.

~X~

I woke with a strangled yell. Damn, for one moment, I thought I was choking on water. I looked around, noticing that I was once again, sleeping in the office's couch. "Rangiku?" I called, tired, throat parched for water.

It was already night. What was I thinking? She's probably gone.

"She's not here," answered a raspy voice. I sat up and turned.

"Taicho!" Hitsugaya looked tired. Judging from the pile of papers around him, Rangiku had slacked off. Again. I had been asleep for hours it seemed.

I flopped back onto the sofa, gazing at the ceiling. The room was dark. Dark... wait, didn't that mean the Captain was dozing off here?

I shifted and my chains clinked in response to that movement. I raised my arms, looking at the chains. It was troublesome and Hikaru didn't reveal how I can break it.

The words drew themselves out of my mouth before I properly registered them.

"O soothing light, shine—Hikaru!"

~X~

[A/N]: Don't worry, she won't be OP or anything. The number of weapons is meaningless if one doesn't have the skill but of course, Arisu won't be totally useless either. Just... wait and see.

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