The girl was afraid. Her entire body was peppered in sweat and her breaths were hard and apparent. She was standing but her legs were shaking uncontrollably, ready to give out from under her at any moment. Her arms were wrapped around her shoulders, her palms rubbing against them as if trying to warm her in a futile effort to cease her shaking. Her mouth was open but no words escaped. Only a soft whine through her trembling lips could be heard.
The girl was afraid and why wouldn't she be? Sitting across from her, the only other being in this black, lifeless void, was the Devil.
His blood-red skin pulsated as if he were just one giant disembodied muscle. His mighty horns, resembling that of an oryx, curled over his head like a giant helmet, the very tips almost merging with the inky blackness that surrounded their owner. His face was virtually none existent, two beady orbs of light being all that constituted the demon's eyes. He was crouched down as if hurt yet clearly was in more control of the situation than his standing guest whose fretful trembling only intensified as he spoke.
"Accept your sins, child!"
"N-No!" The girl whimpered. "Leave me alone!"
"Accept your sins, child!"
With no other idea as to what to do, the girl pressed her shaky hands together and started to pray. "Oh L-Lord! P-P-Please he-hel-"
"Your God cannot help you anymore, child!" The demon snarled. "If you want salvation, you must place your faith in me now!"
"No!" The girl cried defiantly. "Mama told me about you! You're the Father of Lies! I won't listen to you!"
"Your Mama?" The demon uttered a quiet chuckle. "You mean the same Mama that tried to kill you?"
The girl felt her entire body freeze up as the demon brought up that unpleasant memory. She tried to keep it from replaying in her head to no avail. Tears streamed down her face and she stepped back, what little resolve she was able to bring up with her earlier outburst lost.
"Accept what you've done, child! Only then can you save yourself!"
"No!"
"Accept what you've done!"
"Nooo!"
The girl was lying in her bed. It was daybreak, the Sun's warm and gentle rays illuminating her room. She was still peppered in sweat which had soaked both her blanket and nightclothes. She sat up and remained still for the next five minutes, allowing her body and mind to recover from that vivid nightmare.
"Again," She thought was clear enough for her to think. "I keep having that dream again and again! When will it end? When will-"
Her train of thought was interrupted by a pillow smacking her on the cheek in full force. She fell to her side, bumping her forehead against the wooden floor. Even though one ear was covered by the pillow and the other pressed against the wood, she could still hear the mocking laughter of her roommates from the doorway. More unpleasant memories invaded her mind and this time she didn't bother fighting them. She simply groaned, pulled the pillow out from her head, and got to her feet.
"Hey, sleeping beauty!" One of the girls standing by the doorway called out. She had short black hair and green eyes and she, as well as the other girls, were already dressed in their academy uniforms. "Get your lazy ass up already! We're gonna be late for class!"
"R-Right," The girl mumbled in agreement. The thought of being made a laughing stock as he struggled with her sword didn't thrill her in the least.
"Tsk! What a loser!" The girl led her posse away, leaving the girl to prepare for the day on her own. From her room, she could hear them babble on about her and her incompetence.
"I know Shino Academy is supposed to be open to everyone but they really must have low standards if they allow trash like her in here!"
"I know right? Dumb broad can't even perform a lousy Kido without fumbling her words. What a joke!"
"If you ask me, she should stop dragging the academy's name through the mud and just pack up and leave already. I hear the ranchers in the Rukongai need more pigs anyway."
That last comment resulted in an uproar of laughter that rang throughout the halls. The girl felt her face burn with both shame and anger and she held up the pillow in front of her.
"Flex!" She concentrated. "Flex!"
Nothing. The pillow remained intact and as the laughter down the halls faded with distance, the girl whined and threw the pillow against the wall. "Stop torturing yourself!" She whispered. "Face the facts. It's gone. Your power is gone and after what you did with it, it's only right." The girl sighed as she searched the room for her uniform. Yes, the incredible power that she had in life, the power that helped her stand up against her abusive mother, that allowed her to take revenge against those who wronged her, was gone and never coming back. She was back to square one, once again at the bottom of the social ladder with no way up and no way to defend herself.
"Just five more years," She told herself. "Then you'll be a Shinigami and things will get better! They have to!"
In actuality, she really didn't want to become a Shinigami. She had heard horror stories about the corruption that took place in the Seireitei, not to mention how dangerous fighting Hollows could be. But the way she saw it, it was really the only choice available to her. She had spent the better part of 30 years in the Rukongai and most of that time was spent trying to recover from the fact that everything her mother had taught her was wrong. No Heaven. No Jesus. Just the corrupt and unrestful Soul Society. Then again, considering that she would most likely be burning in Hell right now if her previous beliefs were true, she figured becoming a Shinigami might be a rather light sentence.
Once she found her uniform, she headed straight for the baths. By now, everyone was sure to be gone, and while she wouldn't have as much time to savor it as she would have liked, she still looked forward to those precious few moments of peace and quiet as the water gently caressed her skin. As she soaked in the warm water, she was plagued with more bad memories, this time of the first time her womanhood bled, something she now knew as a regular occurrence with women even in the Soul Society.
"Plug it up! Plug it up! Plug it up!"
Groaning, she shook her head in an effort to banish the memory of that day and the tragedy that it would ultimately lead to. "Stop it!" She told herself. "That was in the past! And it needs to stay there!" Once she was finished with her bath, she dried herself off, wrapped the towel around her body, and headed for the closest mirror. "Those days are behind you now and you need to keep moving forward. No looking back." She caught herself reaffirming the same mantra she spoke nearly every morning but decided to let herself continue. As far as she was concerned, it was thanks to remembering this mantra that she was able to make it as far in the academy as she had. "From now on, all you can do is move forward. Move forward in this new world to a new life. Cast off your old life and your old name for they are stained with blood. You are in training to be a Shinigami. You are here to help people."
She wiped the foggy condensation away from the mirror, allowing it to reflect her determined face.
"And your name is Carrietta Black!"
Bleach: Jigoku Files: BLOOD SPORT SIDE 1
Shuhei Hisagi sharply inhaled as he marched along the hallways of Shin'o Academy. It had been ages since the present lieutenant of Squad 9 had wandered these halls as a student. As he walked, he was overcome by an intense sense of nostalgia which was strange as he was certain the hallway he was currently walking down was a newer addition from after his time here. What did seem familiar to him were the blue and red uniforms the present students wore as they stopped and stared. Despite their best efforts, Shuhei could still hear their comments loud and clear in the otherwise completely silent hallway.
"No way! Is that Lieutenant Hisagi from Squad 9?"
"I hear he got rejected twice before they let him in. And now look at him!"
"Oh my! I heard he was cute but this is ridiculous!"
"Cute? He's hot as hell! Think he's looking for a girlfriend?"
"In your dreams!"
Shuhei realized he still had a breath inside of him and let it out as an elongated exhale. "Why me?" He thought back to about a week ago when his Captain called him into his office.
...
"Hellbound sir?"
"That's right," Squad 9 Captain, Kensei Muguruma, confirmed. "Ever since the debacle with Jason and Pamela Voorhees, there's been a lot of concern over souls that should have gone to Hell invading the Soul Society. We dubbed them Hellbound and believe they might be connected to the Surrassha phenomenon."
"You mean these hellbound souls have the potential to become beings like Freddy and Jason then?" Shuhei asked.
"Affirmative!" Kensei nodded. "To that end, it was decided that we needed to comb out any potential Hellbound from the Seireitei, both in the Gotei 13 and in the academy." He moved one of his hands from under his chin and pointed at Shuhei. "That's where you come in!"
"M-Me!? What do you want me to do?"
"As of today, we're starting an investigation initiative catered to the academy. Each of the lieutenants will be taking turns staying there for a few weeks. They'll also be given a few classes worth of students to interview in order to sniff out any Hellbound. Shuhei, you're going first."
"What!? W-Why me?" Shuhei fumbled. Normally, he didn't like talking back to his own Captain, especially considering that the man saved his life as a boy but this just seemed too crazy of an order. Possibly even a joke. From the stone-cold look in his captain's eyes, however, Shuhei knew he wasn't kidding.
"Because you haven't been making a whole lot of progress with your Bankai training lately, even with Lieutenant Kuna to help you. I figured this would be a good experience for you. After all, you write for the Seireitei bulletin do you not?"
"Um, yes sir!"
"Then it should be a breeze for you to interview those students. Just keep your eyes peeled for any sign of lying and if you feel even slightly suspicious of someone, apprehend them!"
Apprehend!? Y-You mean arrest?" Shuehi gulped. "What would happen to someone if I did do that!?"
"That's none of your concern," Kensei answered. "You just need to be worried about being slick because if you catch the attention of a Hellbound before they can be apprehended, there's no telling what kind of monster you'd be dealing with. I don't think I need to remind you of all the damage Freddy and Jason caused here, do I?"
"N-No sir," Shuhei sighed, admitting defeat without ever really trying to come up with a rebuttal.
"You'll leave in about a week." Kensei continued. "And remember, you're there as an investigator, not a celebrity on vacation. And don't be afraid of using dirty tricks if you think you've found a Hellbound!"
...
And so now, Shuhei was here, wandering the hallways of his old academy in search of a classroom he was also certain didn't exist during his years here. He did his best to avoid eye contact with the current student body or staff, lest he get roped into a distracting conversation. However, as time passed and Shuhei was still unable to locate the classroom he was looking for, he decided to ask for directions.
Um, excuse me?" He called out to a female student who happened to be in the same hallway. She had long raven black hair and tired-looking amber eyes. From her face, Shuhei could tell she was American. "Y-Yes?" She said uncertainly.
"I'm so sorry to bother you but I'm looking for Mr. Agashi's class," Shuhei said. "Do you by chance know where it is?"
"Do you mean Kenzo Agashi?" The girl asked before pointing down the hall. "His class is behind the last door to the left of that hallway. He should be teaching Kendo right about now."
"Thank you!" Shuhei offered a bow of gratitude before bolting down the hall, leaving the girl bewildered and somewhat flustered. "D-Did I just give a lieutenant directions?"
It didn't take long for Shuhei to find the door and upon opening it, he was greeted by the sight of a muscular bald man displaying an offensive Kendo stance to a large group of students. Most of the students were able to replicate the stance without any problem but a few stumbled. One girl in particular hardly moved her sword and stood still with her wooden weapon held in front of her, her eyes uneasy and fretful.
"Again!" The instructor brought the sword down as if on an opponent.
The students copied the technique once again and the girl fumbled once more, losing her grip on her sword as she brought it down and whimpering and flailing as she tried to reclaim it. A good portion of the other students burst into laughter at the sight, causing the poor girl to hide her blushing face behind the sword.
"Silence!" The instructor barked, his voice killing the laughter almost as quickly as it had started. "In this academy, we do not belittle our fellow students. Show some respect!" It was only then that the man noticed Shuhei standing in the doorway. He seemed taken aback but only for a moment. "Ah, you must be the lieutenant they said was coming." He turned to bow to Shuhei. "I'm sorry your first impression of this class had to be such a shameful display."
"N-No!" Shuhei, feeling awkward more than anything else waved his hands frantically. "I-It's quite alright!" He calmed down after a few seconds and coughed into his hand. "I presume you are Kenzo Agashi then?"
"Indeed," Kenzo nodded. "Please, come inside. Maybe your presence will spark a little more respect in these young punks." He gestured for the lieutenant to step in front of the class. Despite his earlier outburst, Shuhei recomposed himself as he stood before Kenzo's students. "Good morning! My name is Shuhei Hisagi and I am the lieutenant of Squad 9." He gulped as he was reluctant to continue on to the next part of his speech. "As you might have heard, there have been a series of upsets in the Soul Society related to beings called Surrassha. For the continued safety of the Seireitei and Soul Society as a whole, I have been sent to conduct an investigation of this class. No one is a suspect in anything yet and I have my doubts that any Surrassha might be in this class but we cannot afford to take chances. I apologize for the inconvenience and I hope to not cause any disturbance to your education during my stay here."
Shuhei finished his speech with a bow which the students uneasily returned before whispering to themselves.
"Surrasha? What the fuck's a Surrassha?"
"You know, One of those things that nearly destroyed the Seireitei a few weeks ago!"
"This is scary! Do you think there could be any Surrassha at the school?"
"So that's a lieutenant of the Gotei 13?"
"He's kinda cute but what's with that tattoo?"
The girl who had fumbled with her sword did not join in the hushed gossip. She simply looked down at the floor with sad tired eyes.
"Enough clucking!" Kenzo demanded. "For the next few weeks, Lieutenant Hisagi will be observing this class. You are to treat him with the utmost respect and to comply with any request that he makes!"
"Now hold on!" Shuhei got flustered again. "We don't need to go that far!"
"Do I make myself clear?" Kenzo growled, ignoring Shuhei completely.
"Yes, sir!" The students shouted back.
"Good," Kenzo turned back to Shuhei. "Is there anything in particular you wish to do first?"
"Um...well.." Once again, Shuhei coughed into his hand to recompose himself. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to conduct a one-on-one interview with everyone after class. I promise I'll keep them short and it'll really help me a lot."
"Very well," Kenzo nodded. "There's an old office room you can use for that." Kenzo crept closer to Shuhei and whispered in a hushed voice, "But if it's not too much trouble, just what type of questions are you planning on asking the students?"
"Mostly details pertaining to their previous lives," Shuhei confessed. "I need to evaluate the likelihood of any of them becoming Surrassha."
Kenzo sighed deeply and Shuhei felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry. I understand this must be frustrating to put up with, considering you're their teacher and all."
Kenzo held up his hand and shook his head. "I understand. The last thing I want is for another one of those damn monsters to show up. I can only pray your attempts to find one amongst my students are a wasted effort.
"Yeah," Shuhei agreed sadly as he looked back at the class. "Me too."
"Alright. I think we got everything in order here. Thank you so much for your cooperation!"
"You're welcome! See ya around?" The female student said with a wink as she got up and left the office. Shuhei gulped nervously and sighed as he placed the paper he recorded her answers on the giant stack to his left. Ever since Mr. Agashi's class had let out, he and the other staff had been sending his pupils to Shuhei one by one for their interviews. True to his word, Shuhei tried to keep them short and sweet, getting to the point even when it meant asking more personal questions. For the most part, the interviews went off without a hitch, at the most, only serving to fluster or depress some of the students. Despite this, however, due to the sheer amount of students in Agashi's class, it still took him until well into the evening to investigate every one of them.
And he still had one left.
He didn't have to wait long for her either. Within two minutes of the last girl's departure, she peered through the doorway like a curious child. Shuhei made the mistake of turning toward her too fast and frightened the poor thing back outside, a small squeak escaping her throat.
"Wait! I-I'm sorry!" Shuhei blubbered. "Please don't be scared!"
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, the girl peered in again, her olive green eyes studying the Squad 9 lieutenant closely.
"I-I'm sorry for startling you," Shuheu apologized as he gestured to the chair. "Please, have a seat."
A few more awkward seconds passed before the girl complied and entered the room. Shuhei quickly recognized her as the girl who struggled with the wooden sword earlier. Her hair was a mousy blonde and her skin pale with somewhat faded freckles adorning her face. She looked withdrawn and meek and as unfair as he personally found it, Shuhei couldn't help but guess that she wasn't a popular student. Yet, there was a sense of innocent beauty coming from her.
She sat down and bowed to Shuhei. "M-My name i-is Carrietta Bla-Black," She stammered without picking her head up. "It's n-nice to meet you."
"Um, yes. You too." Shuhei returned the bow rather curtly and brought out a fresh document for himself, sighing both his name and Carrieta's in the appropriate spaces. "So Carrietta, I understand you must be busy with your studies so we'll try to keep this short, okay?" He offered her a small smile in the hopes it would brighten her gloomy dispensation.
She looked up at him and nodded slowly, her forlorn expression not changing in the slightest.
Shuhei allowed his own smile to die out as he read through the document. "Question number one; Were you born in the Soul Society or the World of the Living?"
"Th-The World of the Living." The girl answered.
"I see." Shuhei lowered her gaze to the questions reserved for those (at risk of being Hellbound) born in the World of the Living. He swallowed, trying not to let Carrietta see his nervousness, and continued. "Going off from that, do you remember your life from the World of the Living? Do you remember how you died?"
Now it was Carrietta's turn to look nervous. Well, more nervous than she already looked anyway. "W-Well I was born in A-America in the 7-70s'." She answered. "I don't remember much more than that. I think I might have died in a car accident or something like that." Her gaze was shifting to her right and she held the fingertips of her right hand against her lips as if fighting the urge to gnaw on them.
"She's lying," Shuhei thought. "But why?"
(Could she be a Surrassha?)
Shuhei shook his head free from that disturbing thought and continued the interview. "Maybe she just died of something embarrassing and just doesn't want to say. Or maybe she really doesn't remember." Shuhei cleared his throat. "Next question, what did you do prior to attending Shin'o Academy?"
"Well, I-I spent most of my time in the Rukongai, 60th District, I think," Carrietta said, her eyes still avoiding direct contact with Shuhei. She started playing with her hair. "I mostly worked at a cafe. The owner let me eat what the customers didn't finish. He was nice. He's...He's the one who convinced me to become a Shinigami on account of still being hungry in Soul Society and all that." Her face turned slightly pink as she said this which served to put Shuhei at ease a little.
Hard to imagine a murderer of any kind could be so easily flustered.
"How long have you been at the academy?"
"About a year. Still have a long way to go."
"I see," Shuhei said. "Were you at the academy when Freddy Krueger attacked?"
Carrietta nodded. "I remember getting hit with those black and red flames. I-I really don't wanna talk about it." She still remembered that day vividly. The screams. The panic. The unbearable waking nightmares. Never so badly had she wanted her old powers back then at that moment. It was a memory she could do well without, second only to the prom.
"No! Don't think about the prom! Don't think about the prom!" Carrietta mentally commanded herself.
"I understand," Shuhei said. "I was affected as well." He once again shook his head free of those troublesome thoughts and picked up the paper, reviewing what he had written down so far. "Okay, Carrietta. Just one more question and we'll be done with the interview."
"Okay," Carrietta said in a quietly happier voice, the most cheerful that Shuhei had heard from her.
"Prior to coming to Soul Society, have you ever taken a life?"
Carrietta's smile died at once, her eyes widening with worry and fear. "W-What did you just say?"
"I've asked if you ever taken a life," Shuhei repeated calmly even as his face betrayed his inner unease. He already felt uncomfortable asking this question to the previous students and wasn't the least bit surprised by some of the more extreme reactions or outbursts. But those he could at least write off as them simply taking offense of his understandably unsavory question. This girl, however, seemed genuinely afraid and that put him on edge. His Captain's warning returned to him.
"Just keep your eyes peeled for any sign of lying and if you feel even slightly suspicious of someone, apprehend them!"
Carrietta grew silent, staring at Shuhei with the wide eyes of a cornered animal. It was as if she was seeing something he couldn't. Something only within her mind. Her lips were trembling and pretty soon, the rest of her body followed. None of this behavior served to put Shuhei at ease. Although he was better at hiding it, he too was engulfed in the miasma of fear that had dominated the room.
"Carrietta?"
"N-No!" She suddenly shouted in a shrill voice, startling Shuhei. "I've never killed anyone! Why would you ask something like that!?"
"I-It was-
"I have to go, Mr. Hisagi! Good day!"
"Wait!"
But Carrietta did not wait. She stood up and stormed out of the room as fast as possible, leaving the stunned Shuhei to listen in silence as her footsteps grew fainter and fainter down the hall. His hand was still outstretched toward the door, giving him the appearance of a rather amusing statue. "W-What just happened?"
She was in the void again, along with that great red devil. He continued to beckon her even as he sat curled up, his beady eyes shimmering like the pupils of a cat hunting in the night.
"Accept your sins, child. It's the only way."
"What do you want from me?" Carrietta whimpered. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
"Leave you alone?" The demon chuckled to himself. "I can't leave you alone any more than you can leave me alone for we are but one and the same."
"I am nothing like you!" Carrietta spat. "You hear me! Nothing!"
"Oh, but you are, child. You and I are but one and the same and the sooner you accept that, the better it will be for the both of us."
"No...No...No!" Carrietta shot up from her pillow with that final word of defiance. Her body, night clothes and blanket were all soaked in sweat. Without any windows to let in the moonlight, the room was almost as dark as the void she had just awakened from. Part of her expected the demon to still be sitting at her feet, curled up yet in control. But as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw that she was alone and sighed in relief...
...only to squeak in surprise when one of her roommates suddenly shouted at her.
"Wake me up with your stupid squawking again and I'll practice my Kendo on you! Understand!?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!"
"Good!" Carrietta listened as her roommate settled back under her covers while grumbling to herself. She could make out words like "Tramp" and "Headache" but not much else. Her cheeks burned in shame at the thought of someone overhearing her cries as she suffered her recurring nightmare. Uneasily, she settled back underneath her own blanket and rested her head on the pillow. It still felt wet due to her sweat but she didn't care. She wouldn't be able to sleep anyway. Not with the worry of what that Squad 9 lieutenant might tell his superiors How could she act so stupid?
"I get whatever I deserve," She whispered to herself as a single tear fell down her cheek. "But that doesn't make it any easier."
Shuhei spent the better part of the following day searching for Carrietta Black. He had to send in his interview notes first and so he missed her usual kendo class. As he once again wandered through the hallways, his mind was racing. "She's hiding something. That much is certain. Suspicious doesn't even begin to describe how she acted yesterday." He turned the corner into the next hallway. "And yet, there's something...pitiful about her. I can't put my finger on it but it feels as if, for how suspicious she is, she's not a bad person. She was scared alright but something tells me it wasn't because she was about to be found out as a Hellbound. There was something more profound about the fear on her face, much more personal. But what could it be? What could-
Shuhei's thoughts were interrupted by the shrill cry of a familiar voice followed by a cacophony of mocking laughter. It was coming from the hallway coming up to Shuhei's left. Without delay, he turned the corner and found a group of female students huddled over something. As he stepped closer, he saw that there were two more of them surrounded by the other girls. One had short black hair and was standing over the other girl who lay sprawled on the floor. Shuhei instantly recognized her as Carrietta.
"Mm..urk...Ple..." Carrietta tried to speak but the other girl's foot kept her face pinned to the floor, the heel digging into her scalp.
"I'm sorry! What was that?" The black-haired girl spoke in a mocking tone. "I'm afraid you'll have to speak up!" As she said this, the girl kicked Carrietta in the chin, forcing her to fall on her back. Blood trickled down from the newly created wound and Carrietta let out a low whine due to the pain.
"Did you really think you could wake me up in the middle of the night and not pay for it?" The other girl screeched. "Don't you know you have to take responsibility for your actions!"
Still whimpering, Carrietta curled up into a ball and began mumbling to herself, whispering the same word over and over again. "Flex...flex...flex..."
"Huh?" The girl said with her hand mockingly pressed to her ear. "What was that? Quit your mumbling and speak up!" She kicked Carrietta in the forehead, knocking her on her back as the uproar of laughter surrounding them intensified. The girl relished in her peer's amusement as she tapped her finger next to her cheek thoughtfully. "Now, how are we gonna punish you?"
"Make her stand with a bucket of water on her head!" One girl suggested.
"Let's strip her naked and leave her for the boys to find!" Another cackled.
"Maybe we should just keep kicking her ass until she gets the message, Ibara." A third one chimed.
The black-haired girl giggled at that suggestion. "You know, that's not a bad idea!" She raised her foot to stomp on Carrietta's stomach.
"Alright! That's enough!" Shuhei's voice startled Ibara, causing her to lose her balance and fall on her butt. Had the other girls not been just as shocked by the Squad 9 lieutenant's sudden and angry emergence, they most likely would have directed their cruel laughter to her. Shuhei, having just gotten over the initial shock of seeing a student treated in such a horrid manner, stomped toward the girl. "What's going on here?"
"We...We were just playing a joke..." One of the girls weakly offered with a small smile and scared eyes.
"Really? Because it looks like you were ganging up on one of your classmates for no reason." Shuhei challenged. "This is not how students of the Shin'o Academy should behave! Now get to class, all of you!"
Most of the girls complied with Shuhei's demands at once, running down either side of the hallways in terror. As they dispersed, Ibara picked herself up, grunting as she rubbed her injured backside, certain that a bruise was on its way to forming. She glared at Shuhei, only for her glare to weaken under his own. Humiliated and angry, she sharply turned to Carrietta who still remained on the floor, and said, "This isn't over, Black! Not by a long shot!" With this, Ibara stormed down the hall.
Shuhei watched along with Carrietta as Ibara vanished behind a turn. Once she was gone, Shuhei offered a hand to the downed Carrietta. "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice already leagues calmer than it was but a few moments ago.
"Y-Yeah." The blushing Carrietta shakily took Shuhei's hand which pulled her to her feet. She quickly averted her gaze, realized that her hair had been messed up in the fall, and started fixing it back in place. "Y-You didn't have to do that."
"Well I just couldn't look the other way either," Shuhei explained. "I'm not sure what all that was about but they had no right to do that to you."
"W-Well thanks Mr. Hisagi." Carrietta uttered, still keeping eye contact to an absolute minimum. "I-I should be going now. I don't want to be late for Kido class." She started to walk away, intending to sprint as soon as she was out of the hallway. "I know he's still suspicious of me since the interview yesterday." She thought. "Why wouldn't he be after the absolute fool I made of myself." Her blush brightened as she recalled her less-than-subtle leaving of his office. "I don't know what he's after but it can't be anything good! I have to get away from him. I have to-
"Hey!"
Carrietta had but nearly a single foot out of the hallway. With a gulp and the sensation of sweat beginning to form on her skin, she slowly turned her head toward the Squad 9 lieutenant.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to walk with you back to class." He said, looking somewhat flustered himself. "Just to make sure those girls don't bother you again."
"Oh, um, sure." Carrie felt her lips say even while her mind screamed a different tune. "What the heck's wrong with you?" It shouted. "You were almost free! Why didn't you just decline the offer!? Carrietta White, Black, whatever, you are the stupidest girl in all of Soul Society!"
"Great." Shuhei walked up to Carrietta and together they strode down the hallway toward her Kido class. It was a long and mostly silent walk with an intentional aversion to eye contact from both fronts. Neither Shuhei nor Carrietta knew it but the head of their traveling companion was just as heavy with worrisome thoughts as the other.
"It just doesn't make sense," Shuhei thought. "There's no way a girl like her could be a Hellbound. She didn't even bother trying to defend herself against those girls. Not to mention how bad her Kendo skills are. And yet," He glanced at her once more. "I can't ignore her behavior at the interview. She's hiding something. That much I'm certain and I can't leave until I know whether whatever it is poses a threat to Soul Society or not."
"This is bad," Carrietta thought around the same time. "I know he's just following me because he suspects me of being a killer. Oh God! What if he already knows!? What if they all know!? Maybe I really will go to Hell after all!" Carrietta trembled slightly at the thought. "No. No! Keep it together girl! You've come too far to just slip into despair now! Nothing's for sure yet so don't panic! Besides, maybe he really is trying to be helpful. Boys can be helpful." She glanced at Shuhei and found herself staring at the 69 tattooed on his face. Not wanting to be caught staring at it, she lowered her gaze toward his exposed arms, his light muscles visible right underneath his skin. Carrietta felt herself blushing again and turned away, hoping that Shuhei wouldn't notice.
"So um...Kido class is next huh?" Shuhei asked awkwardly, trying to start a casual conversation against his better judgment.
"Huh? Oh um, yeah." Carrietta answered. "I'm not that good but I do better with Kido than I do in Kendo." She bit her bottom lip and mentally cursed herself for replying to Shuhei.
"Yeah, I could see that." He answered almost eagerly, recalling the first time he saw her yesterday. His elation vanished as he saw Carrietta's face darken. It was as if a mini storm cloud had formed over her head as it slumped down in shame. "Crap! I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean anything by that!"
"It's ok," Carrietta whispered. "I know I'm awful at it. I-I don't know why but whenever I pick up a sword, whether it be a wooden one or my Zanpakuto, I just...I just freeze up...like my soul itself is screaming at me not to do it," She uttered a drawn-out sigh. "Maybe I'm just too scared."
"Scared?" Shuhei found himself thinking about his old Captain, the one who taught him what he knew and made him the man he was today, only to leave the Soul Society and-
He shook his head, not wanting to think back to that awful day. He was, however, left with an idea that could help him find out more about Carrietta and perhaps, assuming she really was innocent, help her along in the process.
"You know," Shuhei began. "I'm stationed here for the next few weeks at the least and that leaves me with a little too much free time on my hands. If you want, maybe I could give you some private Kendo lessons?" He smiled as he asked this, almost certain that she would agree to it on the spot. However, all he was answered with was a bright-red Carrietta uttering an embarrassed cry of shock and a good hard slap across the face.
"What is wrong with you, Mister!?' She snapped. "Do you take me for a fool!?"
"Wha?" Was all the dumbstruck Shuhei could think to say as he rubbed his reddened and throbbing cheek.
"I don't know what sort of nasty rumors those girls might have spread about me but I'm not that kind of girl!"
Now it was Shuhei's face who turned red as he realized what she was implying. Panicked about what kind of rumors she might spread, Shuhei waved his arms wildly as he attempted to explain himself. "W-What! Wait a minute! You got it all wrong! I'm not that kind of guy! I would never try to take advantage of a girl, especially a student of the academy! I just thought you might want some help managing your fear of the sword! You have to believe me!"
Carrietta's face was still stern even as it burned bright red, her arms crossed over her chest. Nevertheless, she considered Shuhei's words and after seeing such a dorky display of fright, realized that perhaps he was telling the truth after all. After all, what guy in their right mind would try something like this with a class loser like her? Shaking her head free of those upsetting thoughts for the time being, Carritta uttered yet another sigh and asked, "You mean it? No funny business?"
"Lieutenant's honor!" Shuhei declared, his eyes still wild and his chest still heaving from the excitement.
Carrietta mulled it over for a few seconds. "It's probably another ploy to investigate me further," She considered. "But it might make him even more suspicious if I don't go. Besides, training from an actual lieutenant might be just what I need to get over that fear. Maybe.." Carrietta smiled and nodded. "Alright. I'll take you up on your offer."
"Y-You will?" Shuhei smiled again, "That's great! How does tonight near the koi pond sound?"
Carrietta blushed yet again, unable to help but realize how much more this sounded like a date than a training exercise. "T-That's fine."
"Great!" Shuhei suddenly panicked as he realized how much time their conversation had taken. "Crap! You're gonna be late for Kido class!"
Carrietta cried out. "You're right! I gotta go!" Without another word, she raced off down the hall, quite literally leaving Shuhei in her dust.
"Huh." He thought. "That went well."
Later that night, as agreed upon, Carrietta met Shuhei near the koi pond. It was after school hours and virtually all the students that were not resting or asleep in their dorms were out with friends in the Rukongai. The staff had all left and Shuhei and Carrietta were all alone. This reality, of course, frightened the young girl who still had her doubts about Shuhei's intentions. These doubts were quieted once she that he had two wooden swords with him, although her fear remained for other reasons.
"There you are!" Shuhei called out as he lifted up the wooden swords with both hands. "I was afraid you weren't going to show up!" Without warning, he tossed one of the swords at Carrietta. She screamed as the wooden weapons flew toward her and flailed about trying to catch it, only for it to bonk her on the head and fall to the ground, leaving her a twitchy, teary mess.
"Oops!" Shuhei gulped. "I guess I should have given you fair warning huh?"
"Grrr.." Carrietta growled as she rubbed her aching head. She picked the sword off the ground and rushed toward Shuhei with every intention of paying her pain back to him. "You jerk!" She expected Shuhei to panic as she approached but to her surprise, he smiled and calmly held out his own sword. "Let's begin!" He shouted.
Still angry about her throbbing head, Carrietta howled in rage as she jumped up and brought her weapon down on Shuhei who parried it without any effort. This began an exchange of blows of sorts. Carrietta tried again and again to land a hit on Shuhei but the experienced Lieutenant blocked it every time. Eventually, he got tired of this and as he parried another blow, he summoned all his strength and pushed her back. Carrietta landed on her feet and charged again, feeling angered, annoyed, and somewhat humiliated. The dumb, somewhat cocky grin that Shuhei was wearing the entire time certainly didn't help matters.
"You bastard!" She screamed. "You think you can make a fool of me!? Do you think you can point and laugh at me? I'll show you! I'll show you what happens to people that-
THEY'RE ALL GONNA LAUGH AT YOU!
It was Carrietta who was shown what happened the last time people laughed at her. Vivid images of her last night in the World of the Living struck her brain like lighting. She could feel the heat of the flames she created, smell the pig's blood drenching her clothes, skin, and hair, and hear the terrified screams of the voices that only moments ago were mocking her yet again. For a few brief seconds, she was back at Prom and all she could think to do was scream at the top of her lungs.
"Carrietta!" Shuhei flash-stepped toward the dazed girl, blocked her sword one more time, and then hit it away from her hands. He grabbed her shoulders, made her sit on her knees, and held her close. "Are you alright? Speak to me!"
Carrietta trashed about for a bit, whimpering and crying to herself. It was only when she accidentally punched Shuhei in the jaw that she released herself from her episode and opened her eyes. She held her hand, which ached with pain from punching the lieutenant's jaw, and uneasily looked around. "S-Shuhei? What happened?"
"That's what I was hoping to ask you," Shuhei groaned as he rubbed his chin. "Are you alright? You had a massive freak out!"
"I-I did?" Then it started coming back to Carrietta and she fought the urge to scream. Instead, she held her head as if it hurt, trying to drive out those horrid mental images.
"Accept your sins, child."
"No!" Carrietta cried.
"Carrietta!" Shuhei groaned as he wanted to help but had no idea what to do. "Please, is there anything I can do to help? Anything at all?"
"I-I'm fine. I'm fine." Carrietta lied. "I just.." It was around that time that Carrietta finally noticed that she was sitting in Shuhei's lap, her head pressed against his chest. Her entire face lit up like a Christmas tree and for a few brief seconds, it appeared as if her facial features had vanished completely. "Um...Mr. Hisagi...C-Can you pl-please p-put me d-down?"
"What? Oh right! Sorry!" Shuhei carefully lifted Carrietta up along with himself, flashed-stepped to the nearby porch and sat her down alongside him. Her breathing was beginning to regulate again as was his and he sighed in relief. "Are you alright? What happened back there?"
"I..I don't know," She whispered. "I just...I just... I just don't want to hurt anyone!" She blurted out. She quickly covered her mouth as she realized she was an inch away from confessing her sins to Shuhei but it was too late. He had heard her and her outburst only left him more confused.
"Y-You don't want to hurt anyone? What are you talking about?"
"Shit!" Carrietta thought. "Nice going, dumbass! You better think of something fast or you're through!" She racked her brain trying to think of something, anything she could use to explain herself without telling Shuhei the truth. When she couldn't, she scanned the koi pond and the yard around it for anything that could help. That's when she noticed her wooden sword lying discarded on the grass and the answer became clear to her. The best part? She wouldn't even be lying.
"It's like I said earlier today while you were walking me to class," Carrietta said. "I'm just too scared to let myself learn the sword." She held her knees close to herself and turned to Shuhei. "Can I confess something? Something you promise not to tell anyone?"
"Yeah. I promise," Shuhei said without missing a beat. Perhaps now he would get the answers he'd been looking for.
"The truth is, I really don't wanna be a Shinigami." Carrietta admitted. "The only reason I'm here in this academy is because I feel like I have to be. The people at the Rukongai see, they made such a big fuss on you can only become a Shinigami if you have enough spiritual energy, and what an honor it was to fight and die for the good of Soul Society. But I...I always thought the afterlife was supposed to be peaceful. I..I'm not a violent person! I just don't wanna hurt nobody and I don't wanna be hurt." Tears streamed down Carrietta's face as her memories and sins weighed down on her. Despite the fact that she was deflecting the full story away from Shuhei, not a single word she spoke was a lie.
"Carrietta," Shuhei whispered.
"I-I'm sorry," She sobbed as she wiped her tears. "I don't know what the hell I'm thinking, crying to a lieutenant about my problems. A professional like you doesn't have time to put up with a crybaby who can't even handle a wooden sword. I don't deserve to wield a Zanpakuto!"
"You're wrong!" Shuhei suddenly shouted, startling the weeping student.
"Mr. Hisagi?"
Shuhei realized that he had scared her and took a moment to calm himself. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted like that." He matched his gaze to her, his eyes darkened and narrowed, the most serious Carrietta had ever seen them. "But I meant what I said. You're completely wrong about your fear."
"W-What do you mean?" She whimpered. "You're not making any sense!"
Shuhei turned away from Carrietta for a moment, his serious gaze now fixed on the discarded sword lying on the grass. "Carrietta, have you already learned about Zanpakuto spirits?"
"Spirits?" Carrietta asked, "You mean the beings we're supposed to communicate with so we can eventually learn our Zanpakuto's names right? I heard of them before. I've even tried to contact mine a few times," Carrietta looked down sadly. "Although I have yet to receive an answer."
"You're still a young student. It can take Shinigami years after they graduate to learn the name of their Zanpakuto." Shuhei explained. "And even then, you may find yourself at odds with them, even frightened of them."
Carrietta twisted back to Shuhei with her mouth agape and eyes wide. "Frightened!?"
Shuhei nodded. "My Zanpakuto's name is Kazeshini and to say he's a nasty piece of work would be an understatement. He's a bloodthirsty weapon whose only motive is to cut and kill as many enemies as possible. Every time I've talked with him, I could feel his desire for carnage emanating from him like spiritual pressure."
"Oh my," Carrietta whispered. She could actually see the fear in Shuhei's eyes as he spoke. He meant every word he was speaking. "How awful it must be to fear your own Zanpakuto," She thought, "Dear God! What if my Zanpakuto turns out like that?"
"I hate using Kazeshini and avoid it if at all possible. So I guess you can say, I'm afraid of wielding my own weapon as well." Shuhei finished.
"But...But you're a Shinigami! Even more than that, you're a lieutenant!" Carrietta shouted, eager to put her fears about her own Zanpakuto to the sidelines. "H-How can you possibly fight if you're afraid of your own weapon?"
Once again, thoughts of his former captain filled Shuhei's mind. "A wise man once told me that those who do not fear their own sword have no right to wield one in battle. One must be mindful of the power their weapon possesses to take life. He's gone now but I still carry those words in my heart." Shuhei lifted his gaze toward the Moon, letting the memory of his former captain flutter through his mind before turning back to Carrietta. "You say you can't wield a sword in battle because you're too afraid but I think that very fear is what makes you worthy of becoming a Shinigami, Carrietta."
"M-Mr. Hisagi?" Carrietta felt like crying but no tears came out. Not once since she entered the academy has anyone, teacher or fellow student, treated her with such kindness. All she could think to do was sniffle and the night air began to blow.
Shuhei flash-stepped away from the porch and returned with Carrie's wooden sword. "The role of a Shinigami is two-fold. To cleanse the sins of Hollows and guide lost souls back to Soul Society. As long as you remember this, you will always be worthy to fight by our side." Smiling, he offered the sword back to her. "So what do you say? Shall we try this again?"
Now the tears were beginning to fall. But they were tears of joy. For the first time since arriving in this strange and cruel afterlife, Carrietta felt as if she had finally found a true friend. All thoughts of her sin in the World of the Living and of the devil living in her dreams vanished as she took the wooden sword in her hand. "Thank you, Mr. Hisagi."
"Please," The Squad 9 lieutenant said as he lifted up his own sword. "Call me Shuhei!"
And thus blossomed the strange but enduring friendship between the lieutenant of Squad 9 and the worst student in Kenzo Agashi's class. Only as the weeks passed and Carrietta continued to train with Shuhei underneath the moonlight, this was no longer the case. She was still far from the top of the class but now she was able to keep up with the rest of the other students. Most of them, including her roommate Ibara, didn't really notice but others, including her teacher, did and were not shy about paying her compliments about her progress. Unused to flattery, Carrietta's initial response to this praise was to blush and turn away while blubbering a thanks. Regardless, her confidence continued to grow, seeping into her efforts in other classes and increasing her overall grade. She even worked up the nerve to attempt Jinzen again and try to call out to her Zanpakuto but to no avail. She was still bullied by Ibara and her cronies and continued to suffer her recurring dreams about the Devil, but despite these, grievances, Carrietta Black was the happiest she had been in both lifetimes.
It would come crashing down on her one Wednesday afternoon.
She was in Mr. Agashi's class again and she and her fellow students had just finished their usual practice drills. "Alright, students! Take some time to cool down and then we'll begin today's lesson!" Kenzo announced.
Carrietta felt her legs cave in almost at once and she allowed them to take her to the floor without a fuss. She was once again drenched in sweat and her entire body ached but overall, she was happy. She felt so accomplished in her training. It thrilled her to think she was pushing against her limits, even as her sore throat ached with each breath. And she had Shuhei to think for it.
"Shuhei," She thought longingly. Even at that moment, she could see him clearly in her head, his kind yet tough visage brightened by the light of the moon above. Without even realizing it, she let out a longing sigh as her cheeks went pink. One of her fellow female students noticed this and with a chuckle intermingled in her words, asked Carrietta if she was alright.
"Huh?" The question dragged her back to reality, her pink cheeks turning scarlet as she realized she had been caught daydreaming. "O-Oh I'm fine! J-Just tired from training!"
"Training huh?" The girl giggled. "You sure? Because it looked more to me like you were thinking about your crush."
"What!?" Carrie squeaked, the red of her cheeks now spread across her entire face. "I-I'm not...I don't..."
"Don't try to deny it! I have a knack for this sort of thing!" The girl chirped. "Come on! Tell me! Who is it? Is he in this class?"
"P-Please!" Carrietta stammered, her embarrassment growing as she realized more students were taking notice.
"Ok, ok." The girl held her hands up in surrender. "I get it. You don't wanna talk about here." Without warning, she suddenly leaned close to Carrietta's face and whispered. "But you gotta at least tell me if he's cute or not!"
C-Cute?" Carrietta imagined Shuhei underneath the moonlight again. His kind eyes. His rippling yet lean muscles. She sighed again and relented to the girl's final demand. "Yes. Yes, he is."
"Alright class. I want all of you to pay attention! All eyes on me pronto!"
The girl backed up to her spot on the floor and Carrietta fixed herself in hers. Her face still felt warm but it was beginning to cool and she was confident all trace of her blush would be gone by the time class was over, provided, of course, her new crush didn't creep his way into her mind again. She was sure she would be teased until the end of the school year for this but compared to the other kind of teasing she had been through at this academy, this would be a welcome change of pace.
"Now, I'm sure by now, you've all become acquainted with the ways of a sword. The stances you practice in this class could mean the difference between life and death on the battlefield. Of course, instead of wielding wooden swords, you'll be wielding a genuine Zanpakuto with the power to kill and the power to save. Today, we're gonna talk about the latter." Kenzo reached up above him and pulled down a slide displaying a bunch of poorly drawn bunnies and diagrams.
"Hey teach!" One of the boys shouted from the back. "What's with the shitty drawings? How are we supposed to understand anything?"
"Fool!" Kenzo roared. "This chart happens to have been donated to us by the prestigious Kuchiki clan! It was hand-drawn by Lieutenant Kuchiki herself so show some respect!"
There was murmuring among the students, most of it unflattering.
"That was drawn by a lieutenant? Good thing she didn't enroll in art school."
"Donate? More like dumped on!"
Carrietta giggled to herself. "I think it's cute." She said to herself.
"Enough blabbering!" Kenzo demanded. "The diagram itself is not important! What is important is what it represents. Students, today you will learn the art of Konso!"
"Konso? As in Soul Burial?"
"Sweet! Finally, we learn something interesting!"
"Konso," Carrietta repeated. She had heard Shuhei bring up the term every so often during their training sessions. Apparently, it was how Shinigami sent lost souls to this dimension. She vaguely remembered meeting a Shinigami upon her death but not much else after that. She readjusted herself and clenched her fist, ready to take in the new lesson by heart.
"Konso, or Soul Burial is the act of sending a lost Soul to Soul Society," Kenzo explained as he pulled out a stick and pointed it toward one of the drawings on the diagram. It displayed one rabbit hitting another with the back of a sword. "This process is fairly simple in practice. To send a soul to Soul Society, you simply press the butt of your sword against their forehead. You don't want to do this too hard or you run the risk of leaving them in pain but if you do it right, they should be on their way to Soul Society without a fuss."
"It's that simple huh?" Carrietta thought happily. She was already imagining herself as a full-fledged Shinigami liberating souls from their earthly shackles and the thought made her smile.
The girl next to her, the one who had teased Carrietta about her mystery crush earlier, raised her hand.
"Yes, Yumi," Kenzo asked as he pointed his stick at her.
"In Hollow biology, we were taught that Hollows actually used to be the souls of human beings. What happens after we kill them? Do we have to perform Konso on a bunch of souls at once then?"
"Kenso shook his head. "For a soul that's already a Hollow, Konso is useless. The only way to purify a Hollow is to slay it with your Zanpakuto. Only then will the sins it committed as a Hollow be purified and it will be granted access to Soul Society."
"So we don't actually kill them? That's lame!"
"Dude, you are so fucked up!"
Carrietta had another fantasy, this one of slaying a monstrous Hollow only for it to transform into a bunch of human souls who thanked her as they grew wings and flew off to Soul Society. Her smile grew wider and she felt like giggling.
And yet another girl raised her hand. "But what if the soul committed sins when they were still human?"
Carrietta's smile vanished.
Kenzo shook his head sadly. "That's an entirely different matter, I'm afraid. The Zanpakuto can only cleanse the sins committed by a Hollow in its afterlife. If the soul committed evil while it was alive, there's simply no way to save it. It is condemned to Hell."
Carrietta broke out in a cold sweat. The mental images of a moonlit Shuhei and her future heroics as a Shinigami were replaced by scorching hellfire and insidious laughter from all sides. She could practically feel the heat on her skin, causing her to sweat even more profusely.
Kenzo pointed to another drawing on the diagram, this was depicting a devil bunny standing over a large gate with what appeared to be skulls adorning the doors. "There's no procedure necessary for this event. Simply cutting the Hollow with your Zanpakuto will be enough to banish it to Hell."
Another student, a young boy, raised his hand." So is Hell like what they describe in the World of the Living? You know, devils and fire and shit?"
"Watch your mouth in my class!" Kenzo barked before clearing his throat. "But to answer your question, no one knows. No Shinigami, not even the Head Captain, has ever seen the inside of Hell. We have no idea how it works or what kind of beings dwell inside. All we know is that evil souls fall through its gates and never come back out again."
Carrietta was trembling now. The last night of her life replayed in her head over and over again, just as it did during her first training session with Shuhei. It was as if she was trapped in a nightmare that she could never wake up from.
THEY'RE ALL GONNA LAUGH AT YOU!
Shakily, she got to her feet which threatened to buckle beneath her.
THEY'RE ALL GONNA LAUGH AT YOU!
She felt her chest tighten and squeezed it with her right hand as she started to back away. There was a new fantasy playing in her head now, one in which she stood before the 13 Captains of the Court Squads, each and every one of their faces twisted in anger and hatred like judgemental, wrathful gods. "Carrie White!" The Head Captain bellowed in a demonic voice. "For the sins you have committed and the lives you've taken, you will be cast off to Hell!"
WITCH! GOT SATAN'S POWER!
PLUG IT UP! PLUG IT UP! PLUG IT UP!
THEY'RE ALL GONNA LAUGH AT YOU!
As Carrietta continued to back away, her heart pounding like a hammer and her breathing labored, the other students began to take notice. Some of them snickered which only served to tense Carrietta further. If she still had her powers, she was certain she would have already flung someone against the wall and the thought frightened her even more.
"Carrietta?" Kenzo asked. "What's wrong?"
The girl who had teased Carrietta earlier got up and grabbed the troubled girl by the shoulder. "Hey! Are you alright?
In Carrietta's distorted, tormented mind, however, she failed to see the genuine concern in the girl's voice. She only saw another face twisted in hateful rage, one of many she would see in Hell as they dispensed her punishment. Every single student wore the same expression in Carrietta's blood-red vision of her future in Hell.
And finally, after several moments of quietly trembling and sweating, Carrietta screamed.
She screamed louder than anyone in the class, Kenzo included, had heard before. The girl and a few others near her even covered their ears. Then, as quickly as it happened, the screaming stopped and Carrietta fell backward on the boy behind her. He managed to catch her in his arms and laid her down on the floor as the concerned students gathered around their now unconscious. The only ones who remained in their seats were Ibara and her friends who laughed at the debacle.
"Enough!" Kenzo barked. "Everyone back away! Give her some air! Yumi! Go get the nurse now!"
"Yes, sir!" The girl vanished out the door in a flash as the rest of the class reluctantly complied with their teacher's request.
"Dammit," Kenzo cursed himself. "I guess I got a little too carried away with my explanations." He shuddered as Carrietta's scream replayed in his mind. "I've had fainters in my class before but never with such an extreme reaction. What's wrong with that poor girl?" Kenzo reached for the tap under his diagram in order to pull it back up, only to find it on the floor.
In the excitement of Carrietta's episode, no one noticed the diagram rip itself away from the ceiling.
"No...No..." Carrietta sniffled. "Please just leave me alone."
"You know you can't hide who you are, child. Not even from the one called Shuhei. You must confess your sins before they tear at your soul!"
"No...I...I can't..." Carrietta cried. "It wasn't my fault! They...They laughed at me!"
"And you killed them. That's the truth. Accept it."
"No...I..." Carrietta gave up on using her words and started to weep instead. She pressed both hands over her face and sobbed. Sobbed over what she had done in the World of the Living, over her fate once they inevitably found out who she really was, and over what she would be leaving behind once she was gone. "It's not fair. I never asked for any of this. I...Shuhei..."
Carrietta then opened her eyes and found herself lying in the school infirmary. Her eyes were still thick with tears which she wiped away from her face so as to get a better look at her surroundings. It was a small white room with a curtain drawn between her and another patient, this one still sleeping.
"Oh good! You're awake!" Carrietta turned around to see the nurse, a short fat thing with a kind-looking voice and face, approaching her. "You gave us quite a scare back there, yes you did."
"W-What...What happened?"
"Why you fainted deary! Something about getting too worked up about the lesson in class." The nurse laid down a tray with a couple of cups on it and a container of water. "But I don't blame ya. I'd be frightened too if they just started bringing up Hell and Hollows out of the blue like that."
"Hell?" That's when Carrietta remembered her episode in Mr. Agashi's class and the disturbing mental images that accompanied it. If she still had the strength to do so, she probably would have screamed again. Instead, she felt a single tear roll down her cheek.
"Here." The nurse said as she placed a cup of water with a straw next to Carrietta's bed. "You just drink that and rest up and before you know it, you'll be right as rain!" The nurse patted Carrietta on the head and left her to her own devices. The exhausted girl watched as the nurse vanished from sight, another person whose kindness she didn't deserve.
Not after all that she had done.
The single tear she produced was joined by more as Carrietta wept silently to herself.
"The nurses's office?" Shuhei asked. To think that he picked today of all days to visit Carrietta early.
"Yes. It's the dammest thing, really." Kenzo explained. "We were having a class discussion on Konso and when the topic of Hell came up, she just freaked out and fainted. I've never seen anything like it."
"Hell?" Shuhei asked. "You didn't bring up the Surrassha, did you?"
Kenzo shook his head. "Most of the students already know about them and frankly, it makes explaining things all the more complicated."
"Where is the nurse's office?"
"Just down the hall to your right." Kenzo pointed. "I'm sure she's alright. Probably just nerves."
"Yeah, you're right. But I should check on her anyway. Thanks!" Shuhei rushed down the hallway, waiting until his face was out of Kenzo's sight before allowing it to twist in worry. Whatever was going on with Carrietta was not alright. He only needed to think back to her freakout a few weeks earlier to remember that. "It happened again," He thought. "And this time she fainted! Carrietta's hiding something and I'm afraid that whatever it is, it's slowly destroying her! I have to get to the bottom of this!"
Shuhei was reminded of when he had first entered the academy all those weeks ago. He wanted to know Carrietta then because he saw her as a suspicious person, a possible threat to Soul Society. But now, his only motivation to discover Carrietta's secret, whatever it may be, was to save her from herself.
Shuhei practically burst into the nurse's office, startling the little lady at the counter. "S-Sorry! Is Carrietta Black here?"
"Y-Yes!" The nurse quickly regained her composure upon the sight of the Squad 9 Lieutenant. "She came in just a few hours ago. Are you a friend of hers?"
"Y-Yes," Shuhei stammered, "I heard she fainted in class so I just wanted to check on her."
"Well, well. She must be some girl to have a lieutenant visiting her." She giggled.
"I-It's not like that!" Shuhei defended, a line of red appearing on his face. "I've just been giving her some kendo lessons!"
Now, now! I only tease!" The nurse hopped down from her seat behind the counter and led Shuhei to the room where she had left Carrietta resting. As she opened the door, she called out to her latest patient in a sing-songy voice. "All Carrietta! There's someone here to see yo- Oh my!"
"What's wrong!?" Shuhei asked as he peered inside the room. The question was answered for him as his gaze fell upon an empty bed. A few feet behind it, a window lay open as well.
"Oh dear! This is terrible!" The nurse cried. "Where could that girl have possibly gone!?"
"Dammit!" Shuhei cursed under his breath. "I was afraid of this." Shuhei turned and rushed out of the nurse's office, leaving the poor, bemused little lady to ponder just what the heck was going through that young girl's head.
"Oh dear. This isn't good. This isn't good at all!"
It took Shuhei an hour and a half to finally find Carrietta. He spent most of that time rushing through the hallways of the academy and asking what few students and staff he could find if they had seen her. As the minutes passed, more people began to leave for either the dorms or the Rukongai and before long, Shuhei felt as if he was wandering around an empty school. Every so often, he would force himself to stop and rest for a few minutes so as to catch his breath. These breaks never lasted longer than that. His racing mind wouldn't allow for it. "Dammit Carrietta! Where'd you go?" He thought as he passed the hallway next to the koi pond. It was only then that he heard another voice, a girl crying softly in the distance. His sprinting slowed to a jog and then finally a brisk walk as he neared the sound. It was Carrietta's voice alright and it was right outside the door.
"Of course," Shuhei slapped his palm against his face. "Why didn't I check here first!? I'm so stupid!" Deciding to kick himself for forgetting to check the koi pond later, he opened the door and stepped outside.
Sitting there on the exact same porch where Shuhei had consoled her last time, crying behind her knees as they lay nestled in her arms, was Carrietta. She didn't seem to hear Shuhei open the door for the only movement of her body was the trembling of her body as she wept.
"Carrietta! Shuhei called out as he walked toward her. "I've been looking for you forever!"
Carrietta finally picked her head up, her teary eyes widening in panic as she saw Shuhei approach. "Stay back!" She barked. "Leave me alone!"
"Carrietta!?" Shuhei did stop in his tracks, if only because of how bewildered he was with the girl's behavior. "What's wrong!?"
"Just go away!" Carrietta screeched before burying her face in her knees again. She uttered something else but it was muffled by the fabric of her uniform.
Shuhei stood still for a couple of minutes, watching as Carrietta quietly sobbed, unsure of what to do. Part of him wanted to give her the space she demanded but the rest of him was too concerned as to what would become of her if he did. Eventually, that part won out and instead of turning and walking away, he flash-stepped to Carrietta's side and sat.
She noticed his presence almost immediately and scooted away from him. As she moved, Shuhei was able to get a better look at her reddened exhausted face. She had been crying for hours. Once she scooted a comfortable distance away, Carrietta curled back up but didn't continue crying. She just sniffled and wiped her remaining tears away.
It would be a full 20 minutes before Shuhei would try to break the tense silence.
"A-Are you alright?" He asked awkwardly.
At first, no answer came and Shuhei wondered if it was pointless to talk to Carrietta in this state. Before he could come to the conclusion that maybe he really should just give her space, she answered with, "N-No. I don't think so."
"What's wrong? Why did you faint in class today?"
Carrietta lifted her head a little and Shuhei found himself staring at the eyes of a completely different person, one with a lifetime of pain and regret who was simply tired of it all and wanted to rest. They looked like they belonged more to a world-weary traveler than a young girl. Slowly, he lost sight of those eyes as she turned away from him. "Y-You wouldn't understand."
"Well, I can't try unless you let me!" Shuhei defended. "I want to help you Carrietta, but I can't unless you tell me what's going on!"
Carrietta stiffened.
"Does it have to do with that night we first practiced Kendo?"
She stiffened again, gripping her arms as if she was cold. "Why does that matter?" She asked in a low angered voice. "Besides, you can't help me."
"Why not!?"
"You just can't!"
"You're not making any sense!" Shuhei was starting to get frustrated. "We're friends, aren't we!? What makes you think I can't help you!?"
At that moment, Carrietta turned around to face Shuhei, her tears having returned with a vengeance. "Because you can't help a damned soul!" She broke into a sob much worse than last time, leaving Shuhei even more stunned and confused.
"Damned soul? Carrietta, what are you talking about?"
"It's like I just said. I'm a damned soul." Carrietta wept. "I-I'm a Surrassha!"
Shuhei felt his blood run cold. All his suspicions, all the things he found strange about the girl sobbing before him flooded back into his mind. Her reaction to the last question of her interview, her outburst on their first night of training. It all made sense Somewhere in his mind, he had suspected this to be the case but had let himself forget it as he grew closer to the young student. And now, reality had come back to rip into him as punishment for letting his guard down. "A Surrassha? Carrietta...does that mean..."
Carrietta wiped her tears as she nodded slowly. "My real surname is White. Carrie White. I was born in America in the 70's and the only family I ever known was my Mama. I used to go to a school like this one. Well, aside from the magic swords and stuff." Carrie allowed herself a small chuckle, her eyes still retaining their devastated gaze. "They used to bully me a lot too because I was different. More sheltered." She turned to Shuhei. "You see, Mama was a very religious person. Didn't let me see or do much. When we were home together, it was as if we were closed off from the rest of the world in our own little bubble, just the two of us."
"I-I see," Shuhei uttered. He didn't know too much about Western religion in the World of the Living aside from it involving angels and demons but he was vaguely aware of the stereotype of humans practicing that religion to be rather strict about it. Guess there was some truth to that stereotype, at least in Carrie's case.
"One day, after a...well an incident." Carrie's face flushed as she recalled her first period. "I-I discovered a strange power."
"A power?"
"Uh huh." Carrietta nodded. "It even had a name. Telekinesis. If I focused hard enough, I could move things with only my mind." She smiled, really smiled and Shuhei could tell that she was very fond of that power of hers.
"Telekinesis huh?" He thought. "Could she have been a Fullbringer?"
"Things started to look up for me after that." Carrie continued. "I was able to stand up to Mama. I even got asked to the prom!" She teared up again, this time with tears of joy and wiped them all the same. When Tommy and I stood up on that stage, the King and Queen of prom, I was the happiest I had ever felt in my life! It was like a fairy tale and I had finally found my happy ending!" Carrie's smile began to fade and fade fast as she looked down. "But then..."
"Then what?" Shuhei asked, although part of him already knew what was coming.
"There was a prank." Carrietta said bluntly. "I don't know who thought of it or how many people were in on it but they pulled a trick on me and a nasty one."
"What did they do?"
Carrie turned toward Shuhei, her eyes narrowed into angry slits. "They poured a whole bucket of animal blood on me."
"A-Animal blood!?" Shuhei repeated, grossed out. Sure, he had seen his fair share of blood in battle but it was quite a different story when it showed up at a dance meant for teenagers.
"I can still feel it even now," Carrietta whimpered as she once again rubbed her shoulders. "The smell. The c-cold. The bucket hitting Tommy on the head and killing him. And then...the...the laughter..."
"The laughter?"
"They were all laughing at me. Every single one of them. Even the teachers! Even the ones that were nice to me that evening! They were all laughing at me and I...I..." Carrietta was gripping her arms now, as if she was trying to pull them off herself. If it weren't for the fabric of her uniform, she might have cut into her flesh with her nails. Her eyes were wide in fear, her pupils little more than dots. Sweat fell over her body in droves and her teeth clenched as if she were in pain. Without warning, Carrietta let out a sharp scream and gripped her head, shaking violently and falling off the porch.
"Carrietta!" Shuhei quickly grabbed her off the ground and held her close. "Carrietta please! You have to snap out of it!"
But Carrietta couldn't hear him. She was trapped inside her own head, trapped in that night at prom in her ruined prom dress dripping crimson, surrounded by the ever-growing fires she herself had started, listening to the screams and cries of her former tormentors as they banged against the doors that by her command would never budge again, watching the corpse litter more and more of the floor.
(flex Flex FLEX!)
"They're all gonna laugh at me. They're all gonna laugh at me."
"Carrietta!" Shuhei screamed as loud as he could, finally freeing the girl from her self-inflicted spell. She gasped as if she had been underwater for the past several minutes, only now being allowed to breathe. The heat of the burning gymnasium was replaced with the cool chill of the night air. The screams faded as did the people making them and all that was left was the lieutenant of Squad 9 gripping her shoulders. "Carrietta please snap out of it!"
"S-Shuhei." She whispered as the tears started to form in her eyes again. "I...I killed them, Shuhei. I killed them all.."
"Carrietta,"
"I killed them all! Even the people who never did anything to me! And then when I went home...I...I killed Mama!" Carrietta broke into another sob and buried her face in Shuhei's chest "I killed Mama!"
Carrietta," Shuhei uneasily wrapped his arms around her in an effort to try and comfort her. "I'm so sorry."
"I...I was so horrified by what I had done that...I brought the house down on myself..." Carrietta whimpered. "And that's...that's when the Shinigami appeared. When I was sent to Soul Society. I...I lost my powers but...after what I did...I don't deserve them! Carrietta let out another sob. "I deserve to burn to Hell!"
"No, you don't!" Shuhei suddenly shouted, louder than any word Carrietta had screamed that night. The sudden outburst silenced her and she couldn't help but look dumbfounded at the Squad 9 lieutenant, even as the tears still fell from her eyes. "S-Shuhei?"
"Look, Carrietta. There's no denying what happened that night was awful and I'm not about to offer justification for what you did. You took lives in revenge and that's something you're going to have to live with."
Carrietta sniffled. Shuhei was unintentionally reminding her of the demon in her dreams and she didn't like that one bit.
"But you don't deserve to go to Hell!" He repeated.
"I-I don't? B-But why not?"
"Because I know you Carrietta!" Shuhei answered. "I've seen what kind of person you truly are. You're not evil and you're not bloodthirsty. You're just a girl who got caught up in a bad situation."
"T-That's nice of you to say, Shuhei," Carrietta sniffled. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm a Surrassha. I'm no different than those monsters Freddy and Jason."
"Don't be an idiot!" Shuhei barked, almost angrily. Had anyone of his friends back home seen him at that moment, they would have said he looked almost exactly like his Captain when he was angry. The visage was enough to scare Carrietta.
"S-Shuhei!?"
"I've seen those monsters firsthand!" Shuhei continued. "They were walking massacres! Agents of senseless destruction! You're nothing like that and I won't stand for you thinking so!"
"B-But Shuhei,"
"Carrietta, even as a lieutenant, it's not really my place to be judging whether or not a soul goes to Hell." He loosened the grip on Carrietta's shoulders but did not let go. "But the way I see it, the fact that you ended up here in Soul Society instead of Hell means that your soul isn't beyond salvation!"
"It...It isn't?"
Shuhei shook his head. "Tell me something, have you killed anyone since coming to Soul Society? For any reason at all?"
Carrietta shook her head.
"Are you trying to become a Shinigami so you can access more lives in the World of the Living?"
Carrietta shook her head again.
"You see?" Shuhei smiled. "You're not a bad person, Carrietta! You just made a mistake."
"A mistake that killed people."
"That's true..." Shuhei's smile vanished as he sweatdropped.
"Why are you trying to help me?" Carrietta asked. "I thought you were sent here to find Surrassha and dispose of them! Shouldn't you be trying to cast me into Hell now?"
"What!?" Shuhei practically squawked. "F-First of all, I'm supposed to just take Surrassha into custody! We don't even have a proper way to cast souls to Hell except for Konso!"
Carrietta felt herself blush. "Oh...S-Sorry."
Shuhei sighed heavily. "And second, the reason I wanna help you is...is...because I don't want to lose another friend to the path of evil."
"A-Another friend?" Carrietta blinked.
"Do you remember when I told you about being afraid of your sword? How a great man once told me the same advice I passed on to you?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Well that man was my former Captain, Kaname Tousen. He was a great leader, looked up to by all of us in Squad 9 and even some of his fellow captains." Shuhei looked down as his eyes darkened. "At least, that was until he betrayed the Soul Society with Aizen."
"Aizen!?" Carrietta gasped. "Y-You mean the same Aizen that created the Espada?" Carrietta had heard the horror stories of the man who defected from the Gotei 13 for the land of Hueco Mundo and used the stolen Hogyoku to create an army from the Hollows living there. A cold drop of sweat dripped down her head. "I-I had heard that he had some accomplices come with him, former captains but...I never thought it was true!"
"It is," Shuhei confirmed. "It's not discussed much because Central 46 likes to save face but it is. And one of those rogue captains was my own."
"But why?" Carrietta asked. "Why would he follow someone like Aizen?"
"Because..." Shuhei paused as he replayed Kaname's final moments in his mind. "Because he hated the Shinigami. He saw all the injustices of this world and wanted to create a new one where they didn't exist. I guess he thought he could achieve that by following Aizen. He gave up everything for that goal, even his existence as a Shinigami, and in the end..." Shuhei gritted his teeth as if the very memory of his failing to save his captain physically hurt him. "In the end, all he got for his troubles was a gruesome death."
"Oh...Oh my.." Carrietta started tearing up again, only this time, the tears were for someone besides herself. "S-Shuhei! I'm so sorry! I-I can't imagine what that must have been like..."
"If I had just seen the signs earlier...really got to know him...maybe things could have been different." Shuhei placed his hands on Carrietta's shoulders again. "And that's why I'm not gonna give up on you!"
"Shuhei!"
"My former captain walked down the wrong path but he wasn't evil and neither are you! The reason he started hating this world in the first place was because he lost his only friend to it. I failed to save him from himself but I...I won't fail with you..."
"But Shuhei...I...I've killed..."
"I know. And that's a burden you'll have to carry from now on. But it doesn't mean you have to condemn yourself to damnation! On the contrary, all it means is that you must seek atonement!"
"Atonement?" Carrietta asked as she wiped her tears away.
"Yes! If you really regret taking those lives that night, resolve to make up for it by becoming a Shinigami and protecting as many lives as possible! Use every skill, ability and power that you possess to save life rather than destroy it. I can't tell you that you can completely atone for the death you caused, as I said that's not my place to say, but the fact that you're here in the Soul Society means you have a real chance for salvation!"
"S-Salvation?" Carrietta repeated. Salvation. A word she hadn't heard spoken by human lips in God knows how long. For the past year, the only time she would hear that word, that single peaceful unattainable word was when the demon that haunted her dreams spoke it.
"Your God cannot help you now, child! If you want salvation, you must trust in me now!"
But now, she had a different option. A different path of salvation than the one offered by her mother or the demon, one offered up by the closest friend she's ever had. Tears of joy streamed down her face as her lips quivered upward to a half smile.
Seeing this, Shuhei smiled as well, stood back up and held his hand out to her. "So what do you say, Carrietta? Will you become a Shinigami and protect life with me?"
"I-I will," She sniffled as she took his hand and allowed him to lift her back to her feet. "On one condition."
"Oh?" Shuhei playfully cocked an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"
Carrietta wiped her tears away for the final time that night. "From now on, call me Carrie."
The night was unusually quiet for Karakura Town. Down the empty business district, a car-sized Hollow crawled He had caught the scent of some newly killed souls and his mouth salivated at the thought of feeding once again. It had been far too long since his last feeding. All the hot feeding places had been controlled by stronger Hollows. However, there were none around this area and before long, he found the building where the delicious scent was coming from.
An old abandoned church.
"Kekeke! I can smell it. Tasty, tasty souls! Lots of them. All hiding in that building! Probably hoping to find a way to Heaven in there. Kahahahaha! The only thing they're all going to find is themselves in my stomach! Kahahaha!"
Just as the Hollow was about to take another step toward the church, however, the air above him suddenly grew heavy. He groaned as he could already tell it was the spiritual pressure of another, stronger Hollow.
Of all the rotten luck.
"Dammit! Go away!" He barked. "These souls are mine!" You hear me! Mi-" The Hollow, having looked up toward his unwelcome visitor, killed his own sentence midway through. The Hollow above him wasn't anything he had ever seen before. Her body was feminine and lovely, like a Greek statue. Long crimson hair flowed from above her mask which only consisted of two tiny slits over the eyes and a red jewel on her forehead. The most impressive thing about the newcomer was her wings, both twice as big as her and glowing like the Sun. The Hollow could feel his skin beginning to blister from the sheer intensity of the light.
"Woeful sinner!" The angelic Hollow called. "I come as an instrument to the Lord's divine judgment!"
"This...This power...No way I can fight back...I have to escape!" The Hollow tried to move but found to his horror that he couldn't so much as lift his legs. "No good... spiritual pressure...holding me in place..."
"Let His light shine upon you and rejoice in his presence!" The angelic Hollow shouted as she deliberately focused her light on the weaker Hollow beneath her. As the light engulfed him, he began to scream in mortal terror, his cries filling the night air but only being heard by his killer and his would-be victims inside the church.
"The light of God is upon me! It is tearing me apart! Have mercy! Please have mercy! Oh Lord!"
And then the crying stopped and the angelic Hollow allowed her light to fade, purring in delight as she spotted a scorch mark where the other Hollow once stood. "Ah! And so another sinner falls to Hell." She shook her head. "When will they learn?" Slowly, she turned to the church full of frightened souls. "I've been seeing a lot of those masked monsters lately. It won't be long before those heathens with swords start showing up. Hahaha. I cannot wait to bring Your judgment upon them, oh Lord! I am your willing servant and your sword!" She gently floated down through the church roof. Once inside the building, in full presence of the crying and pleading souls hiding fruitlessly among the pews, she allowed her light to shine once again. "But until You decide to point me toward those heathens, I'll simply settle for delivering this ilk to You!"
(Yep! I'm back! If only for this two-parter! This is a story I have been dying to finally write out and I can only hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Carrie's always been one of my favorite tragic heroes of horror so to speak and I thought after having two main baddies play the major antagonist, we could have something a little more wholesome if not necessarily light-hearted. The next chapter will conclude this little tale and then it's off to the Shape of Evil arc. See ya then!)
