A New Life
[A lot had changed since then. Since that time of life, and a time of simplicity. Now everything was different, but they had already become accustomed to this new way of life. It has been six years, a long time to most, but hardly a dent in these young heroes lives. There were many more years to come, ones filled with joy, others filled with desire, then those of depression and hatred. Each has a great impact on this story, and each tie a knot in the rope of time. They all leave their mark. The boy driven by anger, the boy who lives off courage, the girl that doesn't know when to give up, and then the boy of hope and destiny. The Four Heroes. The ones to either save the Multiverse, or bring about its destruction.]
It was a bright summer morning filled with birdsong, laughter, and… Was that shouting? Yes, shouting, and then that telltale sounds of metal clashing against metal. This wasn't much of a surprise to anyone at the Squad 11 Barracks. This sort of thing was just daily routine. The only time they became worried was when their Captain and Lieutenant were going at it. Those two hated each other to no limit. The Lieutenant was a hothead, and was quick to lose his temper. His name? Wonrei Yamamura. He had only been a Shinigami for eight years, his fights with the Captain caused him to soar through the ranks rather quickly.
Wonrei's reasons for this long-lasting dispute was as such: "I just hate the stupid guy! Him and his stupid white hair. Who even has white hair at his age?! What the hell?! I hate him! I want to kill the bastard!" Makes sense, right? No… Not in the slightest, but everyone just goes with it. Who would want to mess with him anyways? He's a 6 and a half feet tall, 3-foot-wide giant. Tongue twister, right? Let's not even get started on his hair. He has the spikiest hair anyone has ever seen, and to make it all worse… it's the color of blood. Yeah that's right. Spiky blood-red hair that goes down to the small of his back. His greatest aspect is his bright golden-yellow eyes, and when he gets mad enough red lightning will dance around them. There's a reason people get scared when him and the Captain go at it, and it's not because the Captain is involved.
Now when most people think of giants, they think of big slow creatures. That's not quite what Wonrei is. He may be big, but he's still human. Well for the most part at least. Sure, he has biceps the size of a normal person's torso, but he was still human. He's not even anywhere near slow. When he graduated from the academy he was almost placed into the Stealth Force, but then they took into consideration his knack for getting into fights. Good thing too, he would have destroyed everyone in Squad 2. No one would have wanted that. There's also the fact that he wasn't very stealthy. When he used his version of the Flash Step it caused a thunderous boom that sounded like… Well it sounded like thunder, but was faster than any known Flash Step.
This hothead wasn't always angry though. He had his days where that's all he would be, but then there were the days that he wasn't. These were his favorites, so let's talk about the most important one. The day his destiny as a Shinigami truly began. This is the day his knot in the long rope of time was tied. The day he met the love of his life, Hana Jagger.
It was a cold winter evening, about six years after Hana and Keno's mortal deaths. There was snow falling from the light grey sky, and it had no intentions of stopping anytime soon. It gathered on the ground and stacked continuously until the whole Seireitei was one giant snow globe. Hana loved the snow, in fact she never felt the cold that came with snow. It always felt like Spring to her, and she never understood why people put on extra clothes around this time of year. Every day was like a trip to the beach, except for when she had to wear her Shihakusho. She hated those moments. She preferred to show off her skin, even if she was paler than the moon. Well not literally, but she was rather light skinned compared to most.
She didn't really have a reason for being outside, except for the sheer entertainment of watching the snow fall. Everyone that she passed always looked at her with surprise. Any sane person would. She was wearing a blue miniskirt, with a laced short sleeved shirt embroidered with various flower designs. Her hair was pulled back into a French braid held in place by two blue iris pins that Keno had given her. She hadn't seen Keno in a few months. Since they were in different squads they hardly saw each other. He was part of Squad 6, and she was a member of Squad 10.
Keno was a Third Seat, and Hana was only a Fifth Seat. This upset her at times, but then she thought about the snow and became happy again. Hana was lost in thought when she ran straight into the biggest guy she had ever seen. She may have been a Shinigami for two years now, but she hardly knew the names of anyone outside her Squad. So of course, she had no idea who she had just bumped into. Bumped? No that's not the right word. She hit the guy with enough force to put him on his back. She was surprisingly strong for her fragile looking frame.
Wonrei had to think for a second about how he ended up on the ground. He too had been lost in thought, but he couldn't even remember what he was thinking about. He pushed himself on his feet in a single movement, and was staring down at the girl in front of him. Suddenly it all came back to him. She just bumped right into him. A girl knocked him on his back. "A GIRL?!" He shouted this out without realizing it.
Hana looked terrified, even more so when the giant unsheathed his Zanpakuto. He held his sword in his left hand, and that's when Hana noticed the Lieutenants Sash on his arm. Her face went white, well if that was even possible. She was struggling to think. Should she fight him? Her hand dropped down to where the hilt of her Zanpakuto should be, but then she remembered, she left it back at the Squad 10 Barracks. She was screwed.
The spiritual pressure released when Wonrei drew his sword caught the attention of a lot of people. There was already a crowd gathering. He knew he shouldn't fight this girl, but he accidently drew his sword, and he never backed out of a fight. He would be disgracing his Squad if he backed away now, so he was going to fight this girl. All he was waiting on was for her to draw her Zanpakuto. Oh. She doesn't have one on her. What was he going to do now? Eh oh well. She doesn't look important.
Wonrei raised his sword, and prepared to strike at the girl that defiled his pride. He saw the blood drain from her face, and her body beginning to shake. His desire to fight kicked in, and there was no turning back. He loved the look of a terrified foe. It made him feel invincible, and nothing could take that away from him. Well so he thought…
The air shook with his spiritual pressure, and in one swoop he brought his sword down on top of Hana. The dust cloud was enormous, and it took a minute or two to clear away. He smiled and laughed. "What an easy victory." He whispered this to himself. Yes, he whispered. He was capable of other things besides just yelling. The dust finally settled, and his face turned into one of surprise more than one of victory. The girl was still alive, he was sure he had hit her. There was even a crater in the ground where his sword has hit. "How in the worl-" A foot hit him in the stomach, and sent him flying backwards. He crashed into a wall and fell unconscious. It would be hours before he woke, but he would remember the girl that alluded him.
It wasn't Hana that kicked him. Though in the future she would have wished she had. The person responsible was standing in front of Hana. The first thing she noticed was that her rescuer was wearing a white Haori with the number 4 on the back. This was the only thing she noticed at first of her rescuer. Why would a Captain waste their time saving her? It made no sense, but then it did.
The Captain of Squad 4 turned around and looked at the young girl sitting on the ground, and smiled. The look on Hana's face was of pure and utter joy. She jumped up and tackled the Captain in a hug, and held on for a good minute. The Captain returned the hug, and both refused to let go. Hana looked so happy, the happiest she had ever been in her entire life. She had been reunited with her best friend in the whole universe. "Kazumi, I've missed you so much…"