ADVENT SOULS, ARC I: END OF THE LINE
A flower
Drawn in a single stroke,
A line with a beginning and an end.
Now the brush is finally lifted,
Like a flower petal
I wither away.
Full Summary
Tamaki Koharu, the only boy born into an ancient line of miko left the shrine life one and a half years ago to start high school. Despite a physical frailness hindering his every step, he is determined to finally enjoy life. After a close encounter with the supernatural he can no longer ignore the spiritual world as he did before, and so he embarks on a journey to understand not only the world around him, but also himself.
Advent Souls explores the expanded world of Bleach through the eyes of an original protagonist. The story begins ~20 years before the canon story and follows through canon and original arcs. Significant developments and changes have been made to the worldbuilding, taking even more inspiration from Buddhism, Shintō, and other religions/traditions/cultures. Story is written in a way that no prior knowledge of Bleach is required for enjoying the content.
Author's Note
You may find the complete fic on AO3 with the same name, along with better formatting, images, embedded music, and extras. I'll be pushing chapters here as I have time.
Contents
Prologue
Ch. 1 The Cursed Body
Ch. 2 The Free Soul
Ch. 3 Soul Reapers, Hollows, and Other Ghostly Things
Ch. 4 Shinigami Aide Extraordinaire
Ch. 5 Divine Sendings
Ch. 6 The Candy Shop
Ch. 7 A Rather Ridiculous Basement
Ch. 8 All Things Spiritual
Ch. 9 School Ghost Stories
Ch. 10 Ignorance is Bliss
Ch. 11 No Pain, No Gain
Ch. 12 Respite
Inter. Land of Eternal Night
Ch. 13 Accidents Befall the Vulnerable
Ch. 14 Hollow Obsession
Ch. 15 End of the Line
Ch. 16 Borrowed Time
Ch. 17 Return to Roots
Ch. 18 One Final Look
Ch. 19 Like Scattering Flower Petals
Epilogue
Prologue
Lightning crackled in the sky, but thunder was the weakest thing making the ground rumble. Two spheres of light, one green and one purple, darted around in the air, clashing and sending shockwaves that threatened to rip the mountain underneath them apart.
Between the clashes the onlookers could hear maniacal laughter of a madwoman, contrasted with the calm and collected responses of a softer voice. Projectiles were flung past either sphere of light, exploding against an invisible barrier surrounding them.
The immense spiritual pressure of both entities alone would have been enough to make humans go unconscious and outright disintegrate weaker souls.
These two balls of light smashed into the mountain, a final intense shockwave marking the end of this showdown.
The lightning and thunder had faded away, leaving behind an intense shower of rain in the wake of the storm. A woman lay in the pit itself, wrapped in thousands of paper seals and shimenawa rope. Priests surrounded her, chanting a prayer in a chorus that one could barely hear through the heavy downpour.
Two men stood higher up by the edge of the crater.
"M-My lord, I-" the smaller man, a priest, stuttered.
"She was the only one strong enough, Kannushi." This man was huge, with a voice that boomed like the thunder from before. He was no mere mortal.
"It's just-"
"She will not last for many years. Assign a family to be the caretakers and make sure her line never ends." The large one turned his head, covered by a frightening mask befitting. "If it ever does, know that I'll personally unleash my wrath upon you all."
He disappeared in a final flash of lightning and booming thunder. The priest dropped on his knees, his clothes soaking wet and dirtied by the mud. He sobbed quietly.
"Why did it have to be her..?"
Chapter 1 | The Cursed Body
"Tamaki Koharu!"
My eyes snapped open, the dream dissipating into countless motes of dust. The teacher was staring at me with a twitching eyebrow. "Sleeping in class, huh? Tell me the meanings and pronunciations of the kanji on the board. All of them."
I sighed and rose up from my desk. A wave of light pain washed over my body in a white noise fashion. Unfortunately, my incredibly weak physique meant having to put a lot of effort into that single act. Still, I had promised to not allow it to dominate my life.
I proceeded to explain the kanji, one by one. Suffice to say, the teacher wasn't too happy about this. It was clear he wanted to hand me some punishment.
"Very well… but you better not sleep in my class again, hmph!"
I sat down with a weary sigh, and looked outside the window. Some may think life in school was boring, but for me it was an escape. My name is Tamaki Koharu, sixteen years old at this point in time, early summer of 1981. Before entering high school, I had to live a cursed existence in isolation.
I was raised in Kasuga-taisha, the grand shrine located in Nara, the ancient but short-lived capital of Japan. Tamaki was a minor branch of the great old Fujiwara family and we served the shrine complex as shrine maidens—as miko for over a thousand years. For all of its existence, the Tamaki family was an unbroken line of women, always dying a few years after giving birth to a girl, with no siblings. All of them suffered from extreme physical frailness which eventually led to death.
It ended the moment I was born. I was the boy who put an end to this odd, ancient line of women. Honestly, I don't know why they didn't think this would happen sooner or later, but it was a huge shock to the other miko nonetheless.
With none of the other caretakers knowing what to do, I was raised in the same tradition as my mother, and her mother before her. I seldom saw my father, but he did send constant monetary support and the occasional letter.
This curse of physical frailness along with some religious mumbo-jumbo meant I had to live my whole life in that prison. Teaching happened at the shrine complex, and I wasn't allowed to move a lot to preserve my health. That was until one year ago, when my father came to the shrine and got me out of there, enrolling me in Kyōko High School in Osaka.
I ended up being assigned a girl's uniform. Probably a result of my history and appearance, since I did look like any regular girl. Black hair tied to a ponytail, a soft and lean face, and a petite body form. The only odd thing out were my grey eyes, something people often pointed out.
I didn't mind living this way, I was used to traditionally feminine clothing all my life anyway. I didn't bother hiding the fact that I was a boy though. The reactions were far too amusing.
The bell rang, and it was time for lunch. Even if moving and doing everything was a pain in the literal sense, the freedom I had gained was incomparable, along with two amazing friends.
"You're really ballsy, Koharu-chan, sleeping during Matsuda-sensei's class… I was sure you were gonna get thrown out," Akane said as she and Chie approached me.
"It's just kanji class." I shrugged and yawned. "My caretakers made sure to drill it into my head for years." Akane just raised her hands and shook her head.
Shoji Akane was tall, confident and brutally honest. Amusingly, she behaved more boyish than myself most of the time. She had long brown hair, colorful green eyes compared to my grey ones, and a strong presence.
Tsukuda Chie on the other hand, was a more traditional girl compared to Akane. She was a bit shorter than me, but the amount of energy she had surpassed mine and Akane's combined. Much to the teachers' objections, she dyed her hair blonde to better contrast with her brown eyes. Luckily for her, she's been able to brush off any problems with her cuteness.
"Anyways, where do we wanna eat?" Akane asked.
"Here's fine," I said lazily. "Moving is bothersome anyway."
Akane shrugged and pulled up two chairs for her and Chie to sit. Chie took out two boxes of bento, one for her and one for me. Ever since I met her during our first year of school, she had decided to make lunch for the both of us, something I had come to appreciate a lot.
"Here you go, Ko-chan!" she said with a chirpy voice as she handed me my lunch. These sausages… they are cut into the form of squids? How does she expect me to eat food that looks this cute?
"Heh, thanks, Chie-chan, my debt grows ever larger." I scratched the back of my head.
"Nonsense, now eat up!"
Akane took out her own food and started stuffing it into her mouth, and of course proceeded to talk with her mouth full. Meanwhile, I took a moment to zone out, peeking out of the window.
You see, there was another weird thing about me. Namely, I could see ghosts. Not only that, but I could sense them from a distance. Years before it spooked the crap out of me, but eventually I grew accustomed to it. I didn't know how to really interpret what I saw, but I resorted to just ignoring things during daytime. If anything, this special insight allowed me to neatly avoid ghosts altogether. Unlucky for me though, this school had a ghost of its own: the spirit of a deceased teacher or something from years ago. Sometimes he'd appear in the corner during a class, watching everyone.
"Swo I wus thinkin," Akane began, still munching on her food, drawing me back to the present, "mawbe we shwud gwo to twe awkade!"
Oh yes. In a short time, scientists had figured out how to build the greatest inventions ever: big boxes, a television screen on it, and some buttons to smash and play. And there were cafes completely dedicated to these games. The best.
Chie lectured Akane not to talk and eat at the same time, while I watched them with a smile. It really was great to have friends like these.
As noon turned to evening and classes ended, we left the school. A distance away were some guys looking our way, and one of them looked super confused with a hanging jaw. Another innocent guy being told that he wasn't in fact checking out a girl. I smirked lightly, as with all the other ones.
Although the place was close by and easily walkable, we took the tram. Akane always carried my things; I felt bad at first, but as she insisted on it I grew used to it. She and Chie-chan really were life-savers for me.
The clouds in the evening sky shone in a beautiful gradient, from fiery orange to deep red. More weird ghost stuff was happening above as well. Night-time was always the rush hour for ghosts, though it would still take hours to get to that peak. I tried to just focus on my friends and banter, but it was hard to ignore the occasional shrieks.
I envied the others, being able to live ignorant of all this. Thankfully we soon arrived at the arcade, where the neon lights and sharp sounds would numb my senses. It also helped that it was packed with people: mostly students, but also adults and the occasional geezer.
Akane grinned and slammed her fist into her open palm. "I don't know about you, but I'm hyped to beat today's Space Invaders highscore!"
"You always are, Akane-san.." Chie sighed. "Can we just, you know, maybe play something less.. competitive?"
"Less competetive?! But that's what lights the fire in your soul, you know!"
"Sorry Akane, but… I'd like something less intensive as well today." I scratched the back of my head. "I'll make it up to you another time."
Akane was obviously more than a bit bummed, but she shrugged it off. "It's fine, I'll whip around some of the guys who are playing over there." She grinned with a menacing glint in her eyes and handed my belongings back. Me and Chie instead opted to try out some of the other games.
We were experiencing the rise of arcade games, as multiple popular titles came out during the past three years. Akane's favorite Space Invaders, Pac-Man and the just-released Donkey Kong. These games were super addicting, it's no wonder that all the students worth their salt would come play here.
As we got more into it, we decided to try out Rally-X, a racing game. The game was for a single player only, but we took turns and simply compared scores. I know, I know, what was all that talk about not wanting to compete? Well with Chie-chan it was relaxing. If we had played with Akane, on the other hand…
"Ko-chan, what's it like so far, school I mean?" Chie asked as I was playing my turn.
"Huh? Where'd that come from?"
"I mean, it's been a bit over a year now, right? How does it, you know, compare to..?"
I shrugged, still focusing on the game. "To be honest? A bit boring. But I'd take it any day over being stuck at Nara. I mean, it was a simple life, but being practically under house arrest for fifteen years almost made me go insane."
Chie tilted her head, putting a finger to her chin. "Nara is so nice though… and it has all those cute deer too."
"Oh don't get me started on them," I groaned. "Always loitering around, begging for food, headbutting you if you don't give some, and leaving a mess everywhere."
"Whaaat? They can't be that bad! My family took me there and they were so cute and humble, always bowing!"
"You really think they do that out of some mysterious respect?" I said and sighed, as the machine displayed 'Game Over' to me. "They just learned at some point that if they do that, humans are more likely to give food. That's all there is to it."
I moved to the side to let Chie play. "In any case, I've had enough deer for a lifetime." As we switched places, two guys approached us; students from a neighbouring school based on their uniforms.
"Hey there cuties, how about a friendly match?" the taller one asked with a slimy grin. "We'll pay the rounds, of course. And if we win… will you go out with us?"
The other one, much shorter, just nodded with a less-subtle expression. He was much rounder, and was clearly the sidekick to this duo.
"Eh? W-Well, I.." Chie began, flustered, but I put my hand up, shaking my head.
"Yeah, as if. We're fine on our own." I stared straight into his eyes, keeping a fearless stance. Chie was too kind-hearted to go against people's wishes. Covering this vulnerability of hers was one of the few rare things I could do for my friend.
The taller guy frowned, before shrugging and playing it off cool. "Well, suit yourselves, gals. Maybe some other time, if you're around." He winked and turned around to leave with his friend. The shorter one looked like he was about to throw a fit, not understanding why the taller one gave up so 'easily'.
My confidence was of course a bluff, but I knew that if they didn't back down, I could've raised my voice and Akane would've come to the rescue. Such was the power balance of our trio. Speaking of her…
"Everything alright?" Akane said behind us, startling Chie. She looked in the direction of the two boys, her arms folded.
"We're fine, Akane-san!" Chie answered as we both turned to face her, with relieved expressions.
We had enough of games at that point, so we opted to go home. My body had already started to ache quite badly and needed rest if I wanted to get to school on time the next day.
We parted ways with Chie as she lived in another direction, while me and Akane left for the tram station. She lived just one stop away from me.
"So, did you manage to beat the highscore?" I asked as we sat down.
"Hell yeah. There wasn't a Space Invader machine left in that place that didn't have my name in first place!" Akane kept boasting the whole journey about her moments of triumph and the guys whose pride she shattered. At first it was bearable, but it got repetitive really, really fast.
"Yeah, yeah, I know, you are the best, Akane." I smiled and waved.
"There was this one tall guy from our neighboring school though, he at least looked like he knew what he was doing. Even tried to make a bet."
I blinked and then laughed. I asked if he had a short, chubby-ish friend with him. Apparently it was the same duo. Akane raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, they were trying to make a bet with us too. I told them off."
"Heh, well, it doesn't surprise me. I mean, if you'd have an actual chest too, you'd be the target of every guy like him."
I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, you always know how to cheer me up, Akane."
"Oh come on, you know it's true." Akane waved her hand. "I hear even some guys at our school are considering giving you a shot despite everything. It doesn't look like you're too much against it either," Akane said with a sly wink and continued to tease me. "I mean, just how many letters did you receive the first month alone, before people caught on?"
"W-Well… Twenty? Ish? I.. lost count."
"Well? Would you consider anyone? If it were just the perfect type?" Akane continued to tease.
"What's with all the questions, jeez?!"
Akane just kept looking at me, expectantly. If I didn't give her some answer, she'd never let it go.
"I don't know, I've never really thought about it. Probably not? A-Anyway, we gotta jump off the next station."
It would be a lie if I had said that I didn't enjoy the idea of romance. I read plenty of manga with such themes, but it was more or less a getaway from the aches and pains of my body. If I wasn't reading something, I was struggling to just get through the day. It was effective at keeping me from thinking about this stupid stuff.
Although Akane lived closer to the next station, she still got out with me and walked me all the way to my home, making sure I didn't trip or fall. I tried to assure her before that I'd be fine and we could just part ways and meet up at the tram itself, but she adamantly refused.
"Alright, I'll pick you up tomorrow at the usual time. Good night Koharu."
"Good night Akane, and… thanks. As always." We hugged for a moment, and then she left. I lived alone in this apartment that my dad had arranged for me. It was small, but enough for me. I didn't really need much space anyway.
I ate quickly and did all the small things I needed before sleep, waddled over to my bed and laid down.
This was the moment I awaited every day.
A few calm and deep breaths, eyes closed, I imagined pushing myself upwards towards the ceiling. I rose upwards and separated from my physical body. I put my ethereal legs to the side and stood up, turned around and looked at my… self. After all these years, it still felt weird. Unlike the many souls I've seen, I didn't have one of those weird chains dangling from the chest. Oddly enough, my clothes seemed to always transfer as well.
But all that really didn't matter, because in this form I was able to truly exist. Free of pain, free of shackles. This was a blessing that allowed me to explore beyond my physical limitations.
I leaped out of the window.