「 Bleach (stylized as BLEACH) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tite Kubo. It was serialized in the Japanese manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from August 2001 to August 2016, with its chapters collected into 74 tankoban volumes. The series has spawned a media franchise that includes an anime television series adaptation that was produced by Tokyo-based Studio Perrot from 2004 to 2012, two original video animation (OVA) episodes, four animated feature films, ten stage musicals, and numerous video games, as well as many types of Bleach-related merchandise. A Japanese live-action film adaptation produced by Warner Bros. was released in 2018. 」
「 Bleach received the Shogakugan Manga Award for the shōnen demographic (teenage males) in 2005, and is among the best-selling manga in both Japan and the United States. Despite significant downturns in both the Japanese and English manga markets, Bleach continued to perform well commercially, and had over 120 million tankōbon volumes in circulation worldwide as of 2018. 」
「 To LOVE-Ru is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hisemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, creator of Black Cat. The manga was serialized in Shuiesha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 tankoban volumes. 」
「 A drama CD was released in February 2008, featuring an original story along with character songs. A 26-episode anime television series adaptation by Xebec aired in Japan in 2008. Six OVA episodes were produced by Xebec between April 2009 and April 2010. A 12-episode second season by Xebec titled Motto To Love Ru aired in 2010. Four video games have been released for the Nintendo DS, Playstation Portable and Playstation Vita. 」
「 A continuation of the manga called To Love Ru Darkness was serialized in Shueisha's Jump Square magazine from October 2010 to March 2017, and the chapters collected into 18 tankōbon volumes. Xebec produced six OVA episodes of To Love Ru Darkness from August 2012 to April 2015. A 12-episode anime television series adaptation by Xebec aired in 2012. A second season, called To Love Ru: 2nd Darkness 2, aired in 2015. Four OVA episodes of To Love Ru: 2nd Darkness were released between January 2016 and November 2017. 」
「 As shown above, I do not own the characters introduced or alluded to within either series, but am simply a writer telling of a fanfiction that's aim is to meld their stories together. . . Possibly. 」
- Disclaimer
"Because we are amorphous.. We hold that in reverence.."
A man stood at the center of a mountaintop. All around him came many dressed in similar black kimonos to his own.
As he reached toward his back to grasp the sword sheathed on his back, the sheath would explode into brown feathers as he drew the large sword that's blade had been shaped after a bowie knife. Replacing the guard would be a veil of matching feathers to the ones that fell behind him that would eclipse the handle, brushing over the hand that gripped upon it.
Stomping on the ground with a hint of gold in his eyes, he would swing the sword outward.
Thus, the blade has swung.
"Yukki!"
『 5:13 p.m.「 Saturday: May 26, 2008 」』
A head sprung up, over it being a mess of brown that was arranged in sharp spikes that spread outward from the roots, with some pointing daggers toward the left. He had been wearing a white jacket that had red stripes along the side which would intersect with the red trim along the edge of the sleeves, and lead into the folded red collar that served to match with the black shirt beneath with a star over his right breast. Over his legs had been a pair of white pants with yellow stripes going diagonally around his thighs from the belt line.
On his head had been a hat that read Bando's Parfait Shop, with a small Florist on the side, both in Kanji surrounded by fruits and a flower on the edge of the Florist label. Clipped to the left breast pocket of his jacket had been a pin labeled Yukki.
This, was Yukki Rito.
His age? 15. Occupation? Student, but also Part-Time Florist for Bando's Parfait Shop. It was pretty much the place he and one of his close friends always hung out, so he found working there have a lot more meaning to it then he could recall.
Behind his head appeared the apparition of an old man that's black framed glasses matched with his bowl of black hair over his head and tie.
"Yes, Mr. Bando?"
"The flowers just came in out back, could ya go ahead and set 'em up for shop before ya head out?"
His special quirk is...
A man with black hair spread toward either side which would fan upward on the edges. He wore a black apron over his front that had the same logo as Rito had on his head, though without the Florist mark. Underneath had been a white flannel with orange patterns with the sleeves rolled up over a white t-shirt. While behind his apron there had been a pair of blue jeans and covering his feet were black loafers.
"Sure." Yukki walked over with a smile on his face. "I'll be right on it, Boss."
The apparition would shrug, floating after him.
『 2:23 a.m.「 Saturday: May 26th, 2008 」』
Black clouds would spread, relaying a bright light upon sheer white sands that had only been interrupted by small black roots of trees and mountains. Crawling over the light were elongating shadows that would connect the shadows of the mountains to one another.
Emerging from one of the shadows had been a droplet of black miasma that rose, followed by many others of its kind.
We tremble in awe of what cannot be seen..
By a river bank, two puffs of smoke would follow from a crash of two invisible figures, the ground caving in to show the footprints of what had been invisible.
Standing atop of a transmission pole had been a girl in a kimono with a sword strapped to her side.
Her hair was pitch black, framing around her head as some strands curled over her face and touched over her chin. Her eyes had been bluish lavender color, slowly grading into a dark color to meet with the pitch black pupil that had been cut in half by the light reflecting in the corner of her iris.
"I see.."
Her kimono had been most prominently black, carrying maroon lining along the folds at the sleeves, collar, and end trims. On the back, there had been a white rhombus bordered in Maroon with the kanji for thirteen downwards on the top and a snowdrop on the bottom, both colored black.
"This is a notable Spiritual Presence I am sensing.."
Kicking off the ground softly, she leapt off the pillar, the massive sleeves on her arms and legs following behind her like capes.
Rito had been kneeling down next to a street light, picking up the pieces of a glass vase that had been in shambles.
"Ugh.. This looks terrible. I'm sorry this happened." Rito would look up, seeing before him the apparition of a young girl with short brown hair wearing a red and white striped tank-top and blue jean-shorts.
Rito's special quirk..
"Oh, no, Mister. It's ok.. It's not your fault this happened."
Is that he can see and talk to spirits.
Rito would look to the bag he collected the shards into, placing the new vase of similar flowers in their place.
"There ya go. Good as new." Rito stood, dusting his pants off before smiling to the girl. "Ok. I'll be back next week."
"Right!" She bopped her head in a nod, brightly smiling as Rito waved, walking off towards the distance. Watching him as he walked on, she noticed four approaching him.
"Hey.. What're ya doin' on our turf..?"
Rito blinked, a question mark appearing over his head. "Your turf..? What're you talking about? This is just me walking down the road."
"Heh..? You got a mouth on ya, huh?" The man walked toward Rito, swiftly throwing a fist at his jaw. "I'll show ya where that quirk 'll getcha-"
Rito stepped back in a panic, losing his footing in the process. Slipping back slightly, his foot arose, driving into the jaw of his near assailant. Grunting at the impact, the man's head would be thrown back, him flopping to the ground with a thud.
"Oh- Uh. Sorry.." Rito got up from the ground, looking to the man he kicked down with a sorrowful gaze.
"Hey.. What the hell'd ya just do to Yama-Bro?!" The other three were now surrounding Rito, who was clearly oblivious.
"Well, he was trying to hit me, so.. I guess I hit 'em first..?" Rito shrugged, looking to the one in front of him. "Now, could you please get out of my way? I gotta be home soon or I won't hear the end of it."
"Lemme get this straight." The man began to pop his knuckles. "You suddenly show up and kick over Yama-bro.. Then you just think that you can tell us to go away after that just cuz you got some curfew?"
"The hell are you thinking?!" The one on Rito's back right quipped.
"You trynna die, man? Huh?!" Came from the one on his right.
Rito scanned over the three's faces and sighed, scratching the side of his head.
"Say something!" The one on the front twitched his brow, dashing forward and throwing a punch.
Rito then raised his arms around his face as the leader charged, "Wait, stop!"
Though, these efforts went in a different way than what he had intended. His palm rose exactly at the time necessary to palm his attacker directly in the face. Then, as swiftly as he rushed forward, he dropped to the ground with an "Oof!".
"T.. Toshi-bro's down!" The one on the right exclaimed, astonished by what had just happened.
"I-I don't know what's goin' on.. But this guy's dangerous!"
"Yeah.. I-if he took out Toshi-bro in one hit, then we'd better be off running!"
"Wait, I just wanted to ta-" Slipping again, but forward, he made sure to stomp down to quickly stop himself. Once relaxing, he saw his foot landed on the person he knocked down's head. "Oh, crap. I'm really sorry for that!"
"Such irrational violence!"
"This guy's definitely some kinda monster! We gotta go!"
The two picked Yama-bro off the ground before running off toward the distance.
Rito jaw dropped at how fast they ran, looking back to see that Toshi-bro still remained. "Hey, uh.. You still ok..?" Toshi-bro let out a groan that stifled some of Rito's concerns.
Toshi-bro had bandages wrapped over the bridge of his nose and forehead. Next to him had been Rito, who was carrying two 300 ml Match soda cans in hand.
"Why'd ya help me out..? I tried ta attack ya."
"My gramps taught me not to carry unnecessary grudges."
"Ok, but.." Toshi-bro looked to the boy with a puzzled expression, "Didn't ya say sum'n about some curfew?"
A lightbulb seemed to go off in Rito's head, the boy sweatdropping before shrugging: "Eh.. I'll end up missing it anyway.. Might as well focus on doing somethin' to pay ya back for what I did to ya."
Toshi-bro would pause, his puzzled expression unwavering.
"Anyways, here."
Rito handed the Match can in his left hand to Toshi-bro, who accepted the offer. After popping the cans open, they both chugged their contents.
『 Tʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ Hᴇᴀʀᴛ ᴀɴᴅ Sᴏᴜʟ: To-Love Ru 』
【 Chapter 1 | The Mayhem's Prologue ~𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐌𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞~ 】
Yeah.. I'm a guy who can see ghosts..
Rito, having parted ways with Toshi-bro, returned to his original path, hands pocketed.
Long as I could remember. Maybe it's because my Dad's a manga writer and artist.. But I've felt like some character out of one of his books for a long time.
As he walked, his eyes pinned to a girl with short, bluish purple, hair that was blocked from getting in her face by a pair of red hair clips.
She was wearing a white sundress with a yellow cotton crop top over it. In her hand was a leash bounced via its hold on a black and white Boston Terrier that took only mere seconds to notice Rito.
Sairenji Haruna. She's been in my class since 8th Grade. She's just the perfect girl!
"Oh, Yukki-kun." Haruna gave him a small wave, Rito raising a hand awkwardly in response.
"H-Hey there, Sairenji!" Rito had a goofy smile on his face that made his nervousness quite transparent.
Haruna's smile had Rito lacking the ability to move his attention away from her. In but a moment, he was entranced by her eyes, his heart rocketing in speed. The longer he stood there, the more his face turned beat red.
'No doubt about it. This is the girl of my dreams.. No one could possibly be as cute as her~!' He gulped, trying to regain his composure as the dog at Harunas side sat down and scratched the back of its head. 'She manages to look cuter every time I see her..'
Haruna hadn't the sleightest clue what was going on in the boy's head as he chuckled softly to himself.
'Her sweet expression.. Her gentle manner.. Everything about her is just.. Incredible..'
"Are you ok, Yukki-kun?"
Called to reality by the girl in front of him, Rito shook his head quickly to banish his thoughts. Next he threw his hands outward, swaying them back and forth for a bit. "Uh- No- I'm perfectly fine!"
Haruna giggled. "You seem to always have something on your mind when I see you, Yukki-kun."
"Oh, really..?" Rito scratched the back of his head, sweatdropping: 'Ah.. I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing in this context..' "Nah, not at all. My mind's as clear as the sky, ehehehe.."
"But the sky was pretty cloudy today.." Haruna's quick comment warranted Rito to slump his shoulders.
"I.. Guess that's true.." Getting himself back into full focus, he took a breath. "Well, on that note, Sairenji, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about."
"Hm? What is i-" Before Haruna could respond, her dog made its move, dashing off towards the distance as it barked loudly.
"Ah- Wait!" Rito tried to reach out for Haruna, but stopped himself from partaking on the futile effort. Instead, he slumped his shoulders with a sigh.
You could also say.. I'm a hopeless romantic.
Now with a feeling of heavy loss, Rito returned to his walk home. Groaning toward the heavens, he cursed this failure at the setting sun.
After half an hour of walking, he made it back to the Yukki Residence. It was a set of three combined pentagons that varied in size and width to show they held different rooms. A similarity between all of them, though, was their violet-tinted rooftops, that's panels were bordered by brown trims.
Our house isn't anything special. I mean, we don't have any kinda special privilege or anything like that.
Rito sighed, walking toward the building before him.
But, hey. Home sweet home for me. Least, it has been for the longest time.
"I'm home.."
Rito stepped inside his house, being struck in the stomach by the foot of an older man. The man stood over him with a few inches of height in his advantage with a mass of black hair held up by a red headband that read Big Haul in Kanji.
Holding his hand to his stomach, Rito shot a glare at his assailant with a groan. "What was that for..?"
"You're late!" The man pointed toward Rito with a frown. "You were supposed to be here exactly when the sun sets. But lookie out there, the sky is dark." He chuckled, crossing his arms with a sly grin.
Yukki Saibai. That manga artist dad I mentioned earlier. He's too much for me to bare at times, this being definitely one of those times.
"I was held up by somethin', ok..?" Rito was quick in his rise from the ground, dusting himself off. "No reason for you to get all worried over it."
Saibai looked to Rito with a brow quipped, but a small gleam in his eye. "Held up by somethin', huh..? Does this mean you've finally bloomed into a young, teenage romance?! Or, perhaps, you were once again able to contact ghosts?!"
Rito sweatdropped, having no defense against the armada of questions his father threw at him, the man writing down all the answers that the former could get out swiftly.
So, about that manga artist thing.. Thing that sucks about that is, since I'm a teenager and I'm usually out of the house most of the time, he likes to use my experiences as inspiration for his manga. If he asked me normally, I wouldn't have minded. But.. He's kind of overwhelming about his approach.
Setting plates on the table was a girl at the height of 4'10. She had long, brown hair split into three sections by the circlet of cerulean beads that held up a sprout of hair. At the front was a set of bangs in between a pair of long locks that would begin to curl around her chin area.
Under the white apron that covered the majority of her body, she wore a long sleeved purple shirt that stopped at the end of her shoulders. Below it was a dark chocolate skirt that stopped just at the end of her thighs.
Yuki Mikan. My little sister. Since mom's always been out on her jobs and Dad's usually busy on his Manga, she handles all of the housework and cooking. I've tried to help before, but.. Let's just say, I'm more up for floral tasks.
"Ok, you two. Break it up, dinner's ready."
"Huh? Oh. What'd ya make today, Mikan?" Rito walked over to the table with an anticipating grin.
"Just the usual stuff. Oh, and you've got another ghost on you, Rito." Mikan pointed behind Rito, who quickly spun around, jumping a bit at the spirit who saw at Mr. Bando's shop.
"AGH! How long has this one been here?!"
"Since you got here."
Rito, hearing this new revelation, shrieked in shock, jumping again as he threw his arms up in a defensive position. "Gragh! I get ridda one and I end up dealin' with another!"
Mikan sighed, placing her hand on her cheek. "You can see, touch, and communicate with spirits. Plus, you seem to attract lots of them. You must be a lotta trouble, Rito."
"Man.. I'd really want that ability.." Saibai began to brush the pen in his hand over the paper quickly.
"Not me." Mikan waved off the notion as she took her own seat at the table. "Ghosts are superficial."
"Wait. Can't you see them, too..?" Saibai quipped.
"Just because I can see them doesn't mean I believe in them." Mikan waved off the notion again, her statement causing the specter floating near Rito to shiver and hug itself tightly.
"Well, well, whatever!" Saibai sat down on the seat vertical to Mikan. Slowly, Rito took his own seat next to his sister, swatting away the ghost floating nearby. "I believe I have my next Chapter idealized!"
"Oh, and what do you have in mind?" Mikan batted an eye her father, while Rito began to eat from his ration of their dinner.
"The protagonist struggles to eat his dinner as the spirits of the dead try to forcefully communicate with him!" Saibai beamed, a sparkle gleaming in his eyes.
Having heard what his father described, Rito narrowed his eyes, setting his chop sticks down after swallowing what was in his mouth.
"Dad.."
Saibai blinked, offering an oblivious gaze to his son. "Yes, my boy?"
"STOP TRYING TO USE ME FOR YOUR PROFIT, DAMN IT!"
Growling, the boy swiped the chopsticks off the table and returned to eating, though with a massive increase to his pace.
"Ah- Rito, be careful." Mikan looked to her brother with a worried expression. "You might-"
Before she could finish, Rito stopped, released a muffled gag, then bursted into a coughing fit.
"I tried to tell you!" Mikan slid a glass of water over to Rito. "Here, drink this."
Saibai then sat back, laughing uproariously. "What'd ya do that for, ya idiot?"
"Shut up!" Rito spat amongst his coughing.
"Rito, drink your water!"
「 𝐃𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬｡｡｡ 」
"GAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
⦗ BGM Cue: Comical World ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
A teen held his stomach as he laughed, sitting in one of three white chairs spread evenly around a circular table.
He had pitch black hair that had been brushed into backward spikes save for the array of bangs that all were tightly packed at the center of his hairline nearly matched by his dark chocolate eyes. Over his torso had been a red hoodie over a white BAPE shirt. Over his legs were a pair of Visvim ripped jeans and on his feet a pair of black ALL-STAR converse with red laces and red stripes along them.
"Ha, you failed! Just as I expected!"
"Agh- Don't say you were expecting it, you bastard.."
In the second chair sat Rito, carrying a deadpan expression. His attire consisted of a light blue Visvim dress shirt over a white t-shirt with an orange 15 in its center, black jeans, and a pair of brown Visvim shoes.
Saruyama Kenichi. A lucky bastard that got to his sweet 16 before me. I'm not jealous of his mind, though, it's filled with the dirtiest thoughts I could imagine.
"Haha.. Sorry.." Saruyama waved a hand lightly to show his laughing fit was reaching its end. "It's just your pattern, man."
"Pattern? The hell are you on about?" Rito's brow twitched.
"That's exactly it." Saruyama rested his hands behind his head. "Usually, you're aggressive when it comes to things. But love? You're just as pathetic as any old school boy." He then rose a finger lightly, "Besides. You still can't even handle lookin' at a swimsuit photo in a magazine."
"Wh-" Rito grit his teeth, slamming his hand on the table in protest. "That was a really long time ago! I'm different now!"
"Different, you say?" Saruyama then smirked, "Alright. Imagine Haruna in a swimsuit then."
Rito blinked, leaning back into his chair and dropping into his imagination.
"How do I look.." Haruna slowly turned, revealing that her body was covered only by a two piece layered with vertical blue and white stripes. "..Yukki-kun..?"
A thump in his chest calling him back to reality, Rito's face exploded into a beat red.
Watching the steam shoot from his ears, Saruyama doubled over and burst into more laughter.
"Y-You idiot! What's so funny?!"
"See? You haven't changed at all." Saruyama reached over, patting his friend on the shoulder lightly. "You've gotta develop some immunity to the female populous, bro. Then you can think about confessions."
"Hey! Hey!"
The two moved their sights to a third teen of similar age to them holding a tray that carried three servings of Okonomiyaki.
He had mid-length brown hair that waved to either side, matched with his dark brown eyes. The most prominent section to his attire was the light blue, short-sleeved flannel with indigo patterns that hung over an orange Tiger Mask T-Shirt. Over his legs were a pair of khaki capri shorts that stopped just below the knees and had strings hanging from seemingly every pocket.
Lightly setting the tray down, he would let out a groan.
"Great.. Ya know, my boss gave me a look when I came here.. Why'd you guys choose to come here on my day off..?"
Asano Keigo. Another friend from school. He's a good guy, but.. A little too overbearing at times. He's also 16, but he got there before Saruyama did. So, I'm left in the dust.
"It's not our fault you chose to work at our favorite hangout spot." Saruyama crossed his arms, shrugging.
"Ok, ok, whatever! Just eat, ok? I don't want the boss comin' over here and givin' me hell.." Keigo would grab the two plates beside his own, handing one to Rito and Saruyama respectively.
As they received their food, they would both pick up the chopsticks sitting next to them, breaking them apart.
"Itadakimasu!"
Beginning to take samples from the large whole, the three would all take a bite at once. Afterwards, they all made a muffled moan before letting out a sigh of relief after swallowing.
"Great as always!" They said in unison.
Rito then lowered his hand, looking toward Keigo with a brow quipped. "I thought Mizuiro was coming, too?"
Upon hearing the question, Keigo dropped his head and sighed. "On my way here, I gave him a call. But..." His fist shook in a choked rage, "But that traitor Mizuiro just went on about how he has to go with his girlfriend and her 9 friends to some mall on the other side of town...!"
"That definitely sounds like Mizuiro..." Rito shrugged.
"A fine chick at his hip 24/7. Now that's a man." Saruyama pointed his chopsticks toward Rito. "Ya know, a guy like that could probably give you a ton of good advice."
Rito's brow practically vibrated as he glared toward his schoolmate. Under his breath, he would be cursing Saruyama's name.
⦗ BGM END ⦘
"Immune to females.."
Rito shut his door behind him, which on either side had a black pentagon sign with an orange 15 in its center that matched the border.
"If that bastard knows so much about love, why doesn't he have a girlfriend?"
Rito growled some more, setting his phone on his desk and rubbing the back of his head. "But.. I guess some of what he said is right.." He huffed a sigh of disappointment. "Forget making friends with girls.. Hell. I don't even think I've ever had a proper conversation with one except for Tatsuki.."
No, no, it's true. Even before we moved to Sainan, I've focused my efforts mainly on sports like Soccer or Dodgeball; anything fun, really.
Rito looked toward a soccer ball which sat at the edge of his closet. Chuckling a bit, he would walk over to the ball, lifting it softly as he opened the closet.
"..near.."
The sudden sound of a voice he hadn't recognized caused Rito to stop. Dropping his soccer ball, he would follow the direction of the sound with his body. As he turned, he would come closer to seeing..
"A black swallow-tail butterfly..?"
Sure enough, it had been exactly what he thought it was. The small creature would flap its wings as it flew around with purple particles drooping from the purple patterns at the end of its wings.
After a few seconds, Rito eyes were bulging at the sound of cracking behind him. Quickly spinning around, he was greeted to a girl with long black hair standing on top of his desk, looking to either direction.
"Who.. Are you..?"
His words fell on deaf ears as the girl only jumped down and walked onto the bed to check out the window.
"It is near.."
⦗ BGM Cue: Raw Breath of Danger ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
Farther down the neighborhood from the Yukki House, a giant foot smashed into the earth.
It had belonged to a giant humanoid creature with silver markings over its body akin to fish scales. Its arms and legs were both long, having fins aligned with both its forearms and lower calves which had silver lining along their edges. Over its shoulders and pecs were a set of brown plates that were shaped like orbs. Over its face had been a white mask that resembled that of a bluefish, having red lining over the mouth and eyes.
Turning its head, it saw a woman walking home, most likely from work. The creature licked its lips as a demonic mask had formulated over it's face, though the mouth piece opened normally all the same. Reaching forward, it would scoop the woman off the ground. The gut-wrenching screams that followed echoed through the streets.
They were all in vain when the top half of the woman was consumed by the beast in a single bite, blood splattering all around.
"Hmm..? I sense some notable Reiryoku nearby.." It licked its lips once more, tossing the woman's remains aside as it went to follow its senses.
⦗ BGM Pause ⦘
「 𝐀 𝐌𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥?! 」
"It is near.."
As the girl examined the window, Rito looked to her dumbfoundedly. How did she get in..? He looked around and saw that both the window and door behind him were both shut. There was no way he could miss her slipping in trhough either of those two entrances.
And to add to the confusion, she stood there checking out of his window as if his room was some kind of base.
"What is near?" Rito questioned, quipping a brow.
⦗ BGM Change: Comical World ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
Hearing his voice directed toward her, she spun around, ready to unsheathe her sword. Seeing it was only a dumbfounded Rito, she lowered her guard and tilted her head.
"You can.. See me?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? I can see you clear as day." Rito placed a hand on either hip. "So are you here to rob us or something? Cuz, look, I'll be honest. We don't really have anything worth stealing that anybody else in the neighborhood doesn't have."
"Stealing..? What..?"
"You're a burglar, right? Well, sorry.. Ya kinda wasted your time." Rito raised a hand, shaking his head.
"Burglar?" The girl twitched her brow. "I am no such thing!"
"Well, what are you, then?!"
. . .
"So.. You say you're a Shinigami that had come from a place called the Soul Society.. To exterminate the evil spirits that go around the place.." The girl nodded as Rito crossed his arms. He then closed his eyes, nodding his head slowly. "Alright.. I'll believe you."
"Really?"
"AS IF!" A tiny circular table at the center of the room was the victim of Rito's anger as he flipped it over her, the woman dodging swiftly.
As she moved her attention to the projectile, she saw a note on top that read [Warning] Only To Be Used For Table Flipping Jokes.
"What do you mean?!"
"Do you really think I could believe that?!" Rito's brow twitched.
"You're saying that even though you can see ghosts.. You cannot simply believe the existence of the Shinigami?!"
"That's exactly what I'm saying." Rito quipped. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but.. I've never come in contact with a so called Shinigami before, so I can't exactly believe things I've never seen!"
Raising his hand to her head, he began to push her toward the door. "But, I can acknowledge that you are a ghost. However long you've been dead, you should just go pass on already, kiddo."
The girl, on the receiving end of the push, would take her turn to twitch her brow.
"You're spouting nonsense..!" She leaped backwards in a spin, throwing out her index and middle finger. "Bakudo #1: Sai!"
Suddenly, Rito felt gravity tighten around his body to an overwhelming degree. Soon his knees would cave in and he dropped to the ground, his arms binded together by an invisible force.
"O-ow! Ouch!"
The table had turned. The girl was now kicking at him while he was left in a pseudo cradle position.
"What.. Is this?! I can't move!" Any attempts he made to escape his bindings would be quickly proven futile, Rito growling in frustration at this. "What'd you do to me?!"
"Fu fu fu.. Of course you can't move.. I've used a Kido Spell on you, which is a highly advanced one that only us Shinigami are able to use!" Lifting her foot, she finally settled it atop his back, grinning at how things have turned out.
"You see.. Even though my body may look like this.. I have lived 10s of times longer than you have.. So how dare you call me a brat?!" Lowering her hand, she grabbed the handle of the sword at her side. "Usually.. I wouldn't hesitate to kill foolish fellows like you.. But the Spiritual Law states that I cannot kill a human that hasn't been given an order to be killed.."
With a swift motion, she unleashed the blade from within its cover and raised it over her head.
"So.. I'll simply have to be content with your restraint.. Give thanks you brat.."
"..wait.."
Ignoring him, the Shinigami swung her arm downward, her blade becoming a half-circular blur.
"W-wai-!"
Shutting his eyes toward the blade that strung down toward him, Rito braced for impact. Suddenly, he heard a thump, almost like that of a drum.
⦗ BGM Change: Coming Home ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
At a humming noise, Rito's eyes opened. Following the sound with his eyes, he saw that the end of the handle was pressed firmly against the specter that followed him home.
"N-no.. I.. I don't want to go to hell.." The ghost let out a whimper, shaking his head lightly as tears formed in his eyes.
"Do not fret.. I am not sending you to Hell.. Rather I am sending you to the Soul Society." Speaking in a soft tone, the girl removed her sword from the ghost. Following this action, a marking that read Approved appeared on his forehead. "You see.. Unlike Hell.. It is a very peaceful place."
Rito watched curiously, seeing the ghost suddenly be capsuled by a blue light that shot out from the mark. In a trance, the man reached toward the ceiling. As he did, his voice crackled as he broke down into tears.
"Honey.. I'm.. I'm home.."
A smile forming on his face, the ghost's body sunk into the light before all that was left was a small black orb within the center of it that the butterfly flew into. After all sign of the black butterfly vanished, the black orb would dissipate as quickly as it appeared.
Having witnessed the entire thing, Rito flopped over to confirm with his own eyes that the man disappeared. "W-What the hell did you to him?!"
Seeing clearly the boy was in panic, the Shinigami decided to explain her actions.
"What I just performed is called Konsō, a basic technique that is used by Shinigami to complete a part of their jobs. I believe in your language, you would call it passing on."
Rito, calmed down after the explanation, took a moment to process all the new information that he was overloaded with just this night alone.
"I don't believe I need to even ask.. Whether you believe me or not.. Do I?"
Rito responded with a deadpan expression.
After a sigh, the Shinigami reached into her kimono. When her hand emerged, it was clutching a white board and marker. The marker had a black cap with small bunny designs tattered evenly across the white of the main body. "In that case, I'll explain it with an illustration so that even a foolish brat like you can understand."
"Where- ... Where did you even pull that fro-"
⦗ BGM Change: Comical World ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
"Shut up and listen carefully. There are 2 types of spirits in our world."
Rito grumbled to himself, giving her his attention as demanded.
"One."
The first drawing she made was a smiling bunny. Though, the quality of this drawing would be comparable to that of a kindergardner.
"The first kind, which you of all people should know.. Are the pluses. They are the most common types of spirits."
Rito gave a light nod, not exactly having a choice but to listen.
"Two."
The second drawing had equally poor quality, though he easily recognized it was meant to be a bunny with a devilish smirk.
"The other kind are the Hollows. They are vile and attack living beings, devouring their souls and feeding off the energy they contain. They are what you would call Evil Spirits."
She then took a pause to look to Rito with a proud smirk for her drawing.
"So, any questions so far?"
"Yeah.. My first one is about your drawing.."
She nodded with a smile. "Yes, what about it..?"
"..well.. Why is it.. So awful..?"
She growled as she then sprung over, removing the cap from the marker she used to draw out her picture with a smirk.
"This'll teach you for having such a smart mouth."
Going for a futile effort to try and escape from her drawing over his face, Rito grunted as he was at the mercy of the girl's marker.
"Hey! Quit that- THAT'S MY FACE! URGH!"
By the time she finished,
"Now, I will continue with my explanation, your Highness, Mr. Baron."
Rito grit his teeth at her comment.
"Us Shinigami carry two important duties. The first is to guide Pluses, like the old man that was haunting you, to the Soul Society by using Konsō on them like you have seen." She drew an arrow pointing the happy bunny toward a circle labeled Soul Society.
Afterward, she would draw an X over the evil bunny. "The second is to extinguish Hollows. Which is why I am currently here."
After listening to her explanation, Rito would lower his face toward the ground below, dragging it against it lightly to wipe off the scribbles on his face.
"Hold on a minute.. If you came here on that mission.. Does that mean one of those Hollow things are somewhere nearby?"
The Shinigami nodded. "That is indeed the case."
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU STANDING AROUND HERE FOR THEN?! GO GET RID OF IT, ALREADY!"
In response to his shout, the girl bowed her head in defeat.
"Well.. About that.. I do not know why.. But I've had a lot of trouble sensing it as of late.."
"Wha- What the hell do you mean by-"
⦗ BGM Change: Raw Breath of Danger ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
Before Rito could finish, he choked back his words at the sound of a dual-pitched screech that would bleed into his ears. It was such a distinct sound that it was forcing itself into his brain upon the first hear.
'The hell.. Was that.. Just now..?'
He looked to the woman, who was just talking to herself at this point.
"It's as if a great power is hindering my ability to sense i-"
"Hey, Shinigami!"
The woman in question shot a glare to Rito, clearly annoyed. "What is it, peasant?"
Opting to ignore her statement, he shot her a glare of his own. "Did you not hear that huge voice just now?"
"Huge voice..? What do you mean by-" Her eyes bulged at the roar, it being louder than before and much clearer to her.
'This.. This sensation..! It's definitely the voice of.. A Hollow.. Though.. It still seems as if it were filtered..' Her eyes darted back to Rito, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face. 'There's still a feeling.. That I don't recognize.. So.. How.. How did this guy.. Hear the voice before I, a Shinigami..?!'
"Ri..to..!"
⦗ BGM END ⦘
「 𝐀 𝐂𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞｡｡｡ 𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰? 」
Haruna, on another walk with her dog, Marron, bright smile equipped as her free hand held her phone close to her ear.
"Yeah.. Oh. Tatsuki? You okay? It sounded like you crashed into something."
She continued her walk, Marron stopping occassionally to shake its head lightly or pee on a random bush. After listening to her friend a bit, her smile became more of a pout.
"Tatsuki, you need to be more careful. Just because you're the strongest in the Martial Arts Club, that doesn't mean you need to look down on them all. Karma bites, and when it does, it bites hard."
She paused, following Marron as she listened to her caller's response.
"Well, if you know, that makes it worse.." Her face became that of a deadpan. "Seriously, you can't stay like this fore-"
Suddenly, Haruna stopped. Marron's pulls being futile as she had become an unmovable force.
"Haruna-chan? Haruna-chaaan? You there? Hey!"
Haruna's eyes slowly widened at the subtle sound of a scream had invaded her ears. It caused her heart to skip a beat at the first catch of the sound. Even after it passed, her brain would let it ring repeatedly.
Once it rang enough times for her to quickly memorize it, she turned toward the direction of the echo. To her dismay, it was clear to her that it came from the direction of..
"Yuuki-kun..!"
Rito eyes darted to his door when he recognized the voice that called for him.
"Mikan..?"
⦗ BGM Cue: Requiem for the Lost Ones ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
The Shinigami then took to investigate the roar, dashing past the two and toward the stairs.
"Wait.. Hey, Shinigami! Was that sound a Hollow or not?!"
"Yes, I'm going to deal with it now!" She dashed down the stairs quickly.
"Tch- HEY! WAIT!" Rito found his screams futile as after a few footsteps, he knew that she was out of reach.
"Damn it..! I need.. To get out of this..!" He resumed his struggle, pulling at his tightly locked arms in effort to separate them. Once again, he found himself unable. "Grghh.. Shit..!"
"Ri..to.. Are you.. Ok..?"
Rito stopped, looking to his younger sister who was limping into view from the doorway.
"Mikan!"
Having a short moment of relief, it was short-lived at the sight of her condition.
Holding onto the wall tightly, she only had the top half of her apron remaining as there were scratch-like cuts across her stomach. Her arm was limp, possibly broken, and dripping blood much like her forehead. Her leg that was on the same side as her limp arm had a slightly twisted ankle in the shape of large fingers.
"What.. What happened to you?!"
"Good.. It hasn't come here.." She let out a weak smile. "Dad's.. Back started pouring blood all of a sudden.. I was.. Still in shock when it suddenly attacked.." Groaning, she grasped ahold of her arm, having to lean against the wall to keep herself standing. "That's why I thought.. That I had to warn you."
"Mikan.. You.."
"Hurry, Rito.. Before it.. Finds you. You need to.. Ru..n.." Rito sharply inhaled as Mikan came crashing down. Her slam on the ground being his signal, he caterpillared closer to her.
"Mikan?! Hey! MIKAN!" Placing his head near her, he was reassured by her breathing still optimal.
Good. She was just unconscious. That cleared some of Rito's worries. With that out of the way, it was time for him to head downstairs.
"AGH-!"
Hearing another scream tear at his ears, he grunted, pushing his body against the ground in order to scrunch up his feet. Tightening his muscles, he swung back his torso to forcefully stand. A bit wobbly at first, he made quick work of regaining his balance. Then he bolted down the stairs.
At the bottom of the steps, he was greeted to his living room's ruins. Turning his head, the next sight burned itself into his eyes.
⦗ BGM Change: Heat of the Battle ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
The Shinigami, upon reaching the bottom steps, was able to confirm her suspicions.
The Hollow she had been after was just outside of a gaping hole in the wall that was crumbling with what remains there were of the wall present before its appearance.
Moving her eyes a bit to the left, she noticed the creature looking around, examining the area around it.
"So, it's Fishbone D.. Well, that'll make this more beneficial for me. By defeating you, I'll have my assignment completed." Leaping forward, she stood ready to unsheathe her sword.
Fishbone D, looking toward the Shinigami with narrowed eyes, arched its fist back. After a moment, it threw its fist forward, nearly striking her. Just before the punch struck, however, the nimble girl would leap over it, dashing along its arm to throw a quick slash toward its face.
Leaning its head back, it roared out in pain as the slash instead chopped a bit of its neck. Growling, it slammed its head forward and headbutted the girl into the wall of the house, the residual force enough to knock her back through it, creating another hole.
Tumbling, the girl had loosened her grip on the sword for a moment before stopping. Tightening her grip once the coughing fit began, she slowly stood. "It's certainly stronger than the initial reports described.. It must have been consuming souls prior to now.." Slowly standing up, she pointed her sword at the beast, narrowing her eyes.
"A Shinigami, eh..? Are there more of you..? You aren't the largest Spiritual Pressure here.." Fishbone D popped its neck, walking toward its opposition slowly.
"What..?" Briefly, the girl quipped a brow. The heavy footsteps cut her time to wonder short, the girl returning to her stance.
Slashing toward the creature's, she found her blade unable to cut through its skin again. "What..? Did its Spiritual Pressure rise?!"
Pulling back her blade, she spun into a forward slide. As she slid, her blade made a small cut on the Hollow's leg, the Hollow trying to step on her in retaliation. Before it came down, the girl leaped out of the way of the attack. The giant foot crashing down would caused the very earth to cave in at its force.
"Such an increase in power.. Has it devoured a soul recently..?" The Shinigami raised her blade with a huff. "It would seem I'll be required to take things a step forward."
With a grunt, she dashed forward with a greater intensity than before. So much so that it threw Fishbone D off briefly. How brief was made evident when he threw up his arm to block the attack. Grinning as she managed to implant a deep gash into its wrist, the Hollow threw its arm outward to throw her aside.
With a loud roar, its entire body spawned a translucent red aura that overtook the colors of what it touched.
"You.. Will make a fine appetizer.."
"It's developed this far..?! It's much stronger than I could ever have anticipated.." She kept her sword raise, placing her free hand at the edge of the hilt. "Fine.. Then I'll have to combat you seriously.."
Fishbone D began his trek forward, looking to its gashed arm which would slowly be swelling. In that moment, it exploded into a gush of white that condensed and formed into a new arm.
"Hehehe.. Going on a feast today was a great idea.."
The Shinigami took a breath, tightening her grip on her sword. "Dance.. So-"
Stopping at the sound of shattering glass, she looked up to see Rito. Having leapt from his bedroom window, he threw a kick toward the side of Fishbone D's face. As the foot struck, a crunch followed as the Hollow's head was sent flying to the side as it tumbled backwards.
Rito's gallant entry was short lived, the boy facing the worst of gravity's might as he came hurtling down toward the ground. He closed his eyes as he braced himself for a faceplant.
"Ggh..!" Fishbone D grabbed the side of his face, reeling from the kick.
Before Rito made impact, the Shinigami leapt forward and caught him by the back of his collar. Landing on the ground softly, she set him down and shot him a glare.
"What are you doing here?! Don't you understand the dangers a Hollow poses?!"
"The hell does that matter?! That thing attacked my family!" Rito returned to his struggle to pull his arms apart from one another. "Release the spell you put on me! COME ON!"
"What are you saying?! Even if I do so, there's nothing you can do! Just remain there!" Rukia returned her attention to the Hollow, grasping the hilt of her sword. "The number of victims will only rise by one! It is a much better option for you to remain here!"
Gritting his teeth, Rito lowered his head. His bangs overshadowed his eyes as he only struggled more to pull at his arms.
"Stop! Kido is much too powerful for a human alone to break through!" Rukia gave her warning, "If you don't, your soul may potentially take damage!"
"SHUT UP!" Rito barked back, clamping his teeth together and lifting his head. At the end of his struggle, his eyes went a bright gold. "I'll.. Make that thing pay!"
'Wait..' Her eyes widened as his eyes focused on the Hollow before him. Observing him, she saw a brief wave of gold pouring from his chest and corroding over the clear chains wrapped around him. 'He.. He's overpowering the chains..?'
"GRRR...RRRRRAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" Throwing his head upward, he threw his arms apart, the chains snapping as the gold pouring out dimmed soon after.
The Shinigami stopped, shock and awed as Rito charged forward. Circling around the Hollow, he raced into the hole in the house. From a bin towards the left of him, he swiped up the bat he used to use in middle school, spinning back toward the Hollow and charging at it with a roar.
'He.. Broke free from a Kido spell as a human..?' She merely watched as he slammed the bat against the Hollow's leg. To the boy's dismay, it shattered immediately upon contact. 'I've.. Never heard of something so ridiculous!'
Rito grit his teeth as he saw the top half of the bat fly off into the distance. Having only the jagged remains of the bat, he stabbed it into the Hollow's leg. The creature let out a roar of pain in response, looking to the source of the pain. Taking notice it was Rito, it grinned.
"Hehehe.. So you're the one I've been sensing.."
Hearing this, the Shinigami widened her eyes.
"Well, then.. I can't have my prey fighting back!" Throwing its arm back, the Hollow's grin became a devilish smirk. The fist flying forward, Rito raised what he had left of the bat, using it as a barrier as he was thrown back by its palm.
Groaning in pain after his crash into a street pole nearby as he fell to the ground, Rito wiped his mouth after a short coughing fit of blood.
"Gagh.." Rito looked down toward his hand, he held back a sharp breath as he noticed it was shaking.
What surprised Rito more was that it wasn't just his hand that was shaking.. It was his entire body.
'She said evil spirit.. So I imagined it would look human in some way.. But..' The Hollow crackling to itself began walking toward Rito. 'That thing's a genuine freakin' monster..'
Rito arose from the ground, wobbling on his quivering legs. 'I.. I'm shaking..' He grit his teeth, looking down toward his legs. 'My legs won't stop.. No.. My whole body won't..' Raising his hand, he placed it over his forehead, shakily wiping the sweat off from it. 'I.. I can't.. Stop.. Damn it! You've seen countless ghosts! This thing's attacked your family! Man the hell up and fight, damn it..'
"You bastard.. You'll pay for what you've done!" He clutched his fist tightly, biting his tongue to force his shaking to momentarily stop long enough for him to charge forward. "RAAGGHH!"
"Such bravado.." Fishbone D grinned widely. "I admire that.. So I'll humor you a little, least 'til you can't move anymore." He charged toward Rito with his arm arched back for another punch.
In a swift blur, the girl appeared between them and blocked the creature's strike with the edge of her blade, it digging into the Hollow's knuckles.
"GAGH!" Retracting its fist, it let out a blood curdling roar as blood rained from the wound. "Damn you, Shinigami..!"
"Don't lose focus, boy! The Hollow hasn't devoured any of your family's souls, yet!"
"It hasn't..?" Rito's attention moved to the Shinigami.
"No. Not even your father's."
"Phew.." Rito let himself sigh in relief. Then, he looked back toward her, recalling what she told him before. "Wait a minute! Hollow's devour people's souls, right?! Then what did it attack my family fo-"
"Hollow search for souls with higher concentrations of spiritual pressure.." Fishbone D popped its neck, clutching its bloodied fist. "For that reason.. Arbitrary humans are only sometimes attacked."
"What.. Do you mean..?"
⦗ BGM Cue: Will of the Heart ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
"I have not heard of a human with the ability to see Shinigami and break Kido.. Or one with such a high Spiritual Pressure.." Slowly, she turned her head toward him. "And judging from the Hollow's reaction to your appearance.. It is clear that it has come... For you."
"..for me..?" Rito stopped, his eyes widening. "Does that mean.. The reason my family's in danger.. It was.. All because of me..?"
"Hold on a moment.. I never said that.."
With a swift swipe of a blur from behind the girl, she was flung into the wall that kept the walkway barriered from the line of houses nearby.
"Shinigami!" Rito threw his head to the girl's direction. His attention was quickly brought to the Hollow when it cackled maniacally before him. The boy grit his teeth, looking down as his hair flopped down over his face.
On his way in to grasp the bat, he noticed his father laid out on the floor in the kitchen.
He was already aware of Mikan's state, unconscious on the ground in the hallway on the second floor.
The Shinigami who came to face the Hollow was flung into the wall next to him.
"That's enough.."
Looking down, the creature locked eyes with Rito, who was giving the creature a powerful glare.
"I SAID ENOUGH!"
"Urgh.." The Shinigami rubbed the side of her head as she sat up from where she crashed into the now crackled wall. "To have left my defenses so open before an enemy.. Such incompatence on my part.." She brought her view to Rito, who stood completely still.
Asserting his stance, Rito tapped his thumb against his chest. "You're after me, not them! Leave their souls alone and take mine instead!"
"Heh..?"
"They don't have anything to do with this! You only want my soul, right?!" Rito clutched his fists.
Chuckling briefly, Fishbone D lifted his head lightly. Then, he threw his head forward as it stretched toward Rito.
"You fool!"
Rito, having shut his eyes to the sudden turn of events, threw up his hands to guard himself as a splatter of blood flung out toward him.
'It looks like.. This is where it ends..'
"Gngh..!"
Hearing a groan not his own, Rito opened his eyes to see that the Shinigami had been in front of him. To his shock, he saw that the Hollow's teeth were pierced through the left shoulder and right rib area.
"What.. Just.. Happened..?"
As the Hollow retracted its head, shelet out a grunt as she swiped her blade across its face to cut through the gap between its two front teeth.
"GRAAGGHHH- DAMN YOUUUUUU!" It let out a shriek of pain as it placed its hand over its mouth.
"SHINIGAMIIIIII!" Rito ran over toward the girl as she dropped to her knees. Her shoulder and side both acted as faucets of blood that pooled below her, her eyes seeming to flicker in and out of dullness.
"You.. Idiot." Between her heavy breathes, she struggled to even maintain a hold of her sword. "I already told you, didn't I..? No matter how powerful your Spiritual Pressure is.. As a regular human in your right you are nowhere near capable of combatting that Hollow."
"I.. I'm sorry." Rito lowered his head lightly. "I just.. I just wanted to do something.. In some form.."
"It's.. Alright.." Rukia grunted as she planted her foot on the ground, trying to stand. "Is what.. I'd like to say.." She fell to the side, catching herself by her hand as she crawled to a street pole nearby. "Unfortunately.. I'm much too wounded to fight.."
Rito widened his eyes as she laid against it, breathing heavily as she looked toward Fishbone D.
"Now we can only wait.."
Fishbone D lowered its hand from its mouth, shaking its head. "Damn.."
"Until we all become his food.."
Rito stepped back a bit, gritting his teeth. "There.. There's no way.." He looked downward, 'This is.. My fault.. Everyone's gonna die..' He felt his heart beating faster in his chest, the boy grabbing his shirt tightly.
'There was so much I wanted to do..'
"Damn it.."
'I wanted to spend the rest of my highschool days with my friends..' In the back of his mind, he recalled hanging out with Saruyama and Keigo. 'Even if they're total idiots.. They're still both great friends..'
"Damn it..!"
'Issei and Tsukune.. Those two're probably.. Living the time of their lives right now.. While I'm stuck here aboutta die to some freakin' monster..'
"DAMN IT!"
'Sairenji.. I wanted to at least properly tell her how I felt.. Hell.. Mr. Kujo might kill me if I don't show up to freshen his flowers after school tomorrow.. Mikan even started to quit callin' me useless too..'
Hearing the Hollow stepping closer, Rito would close his eyes. The fear building had grown much worse, his eyes shutting tighter. He would clutch his fists tightly.
'Why.. Why is this all happening to me..?'
He recalled the conditions of his father and sister.
'..to us..?'
Rukia took a sharp breath, lifting her sword and pointing it toward Rito.
"Do you... Want to save your family..?"
⦗ BGM Cue: Never Meant to Belong ⦅ Shiro Sagisu ⦆ ⦘
Rito's eyes shot open, his heart beating a bit faster as they lit up. "There's.. A way to help them?! Please tell me how!"
"There.. Is.." Rukia laid her head back, grunting a bit. "No.. It would be more exact to say.. There is only one way.." Tightening her grip on her sword, the click of metal from the blade caught Rito's attention.
"Wait- Wha-?!" Rito recoiled as he noticed the blade was pointed toward him.
"Calm yourself.." Rukia breathed heavily, "The only way you can save your family is.. For you to become a Shinigami.."
Rito held his breath, pausing in his panic to process what he just heard her say. Exhaling, he looked to her with a dumbfounded expression. "Me.. Become a Shinigami..?"
⦗ BGM PAUSE ⦘
「 𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲｡｡｡? 𝐎𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞｡｡｡? 」
⦗ BGM RESUME ⦘
"What.. What are you saying..? Can I even.."
"You can!"
Fishbone D popped his neck, slowly walking closer toward the two. "Damn.. My teeth hurt like hell.. I'll make sure you both suffer for what you've done!"
"There's no time.." The Shinigami made a quick glance toward the Hollow nearby, returning her attention to Rito. "Pierce your chest.. With my Zanpakuto.. And I will insert enough of my Shinigami power to fight against that Hollow on equal terms.."
"Are you sure.. It's even ok for you to do something like that..?"
"I.. Do not know." Shel grunted, shifting a bit. "Of course. The entirety of this plan relies on your relatively high Spiritual Pressure.. If it fails.. You will die."
Rito let out a breath.
"However.. Even if such were to happen.. Our deaths would be guaranteed regardless.."
Rito, looking down, would ponder a bit.
"Heh..? The hell are you two just sittin' there chit-chatting for, huh?!" Fishbone D growled, beginning to run toward them. How dare these two ignore him? It was he who was in control of their lives right now.
"Ri..to.. Are you.. Ok..?"
Rito raised his head a bit.
"What.. What happened to you?!"
"Good.. It hasn't come here.." She let out a weak smile. "Dad's.. Back started pouring blood all of a sudden.. I was.. Still in shock when it suddenly attacked.." Groaning, she grasped ahold of her arm, having to lean against the wall to keep herself standing. "That's why I thought.. That I had to warn you."
Letting a breeze pass over, he would take a breath.
'Even when she was hurt like hell.. She was only worried about me.. I am useless.. All I've been doing here is worrying about whether or not I'll die.. I'm a pathetic excuse of an older brother..'
"Ah, dammit! Give me that sword, Shinigami!"
⦗ BGM Change: MILK ⦅ Alexandros ⦆ ⦘
"What..?"
"Your idea! I'm willing to give it a shot!" Rito threw his hand forward, grasping onto the blade tightly.
"And.. My name isn't Shinigami.. It's Rukia. Kuchiki Rukia." The girl smiled, her grip on the blade loosening a bit.
"I see.." Rito smiled himself, meeting her gaze with his own. "I'm Yuuki Rito. For both our sakes.. I hope this conversation isn't our last."
"YOU PIECES OF SHIIIIIIIT!" Opening its mouth, the Hollow leapt toward them.
"The Hollow is coming.." Rukia's face steeled. "Let us hurry."
Lowering his hand a bit to the guard of the Zanpakuto, he lifted the blade toward his cricoid cartilage. After a gulp, he steeled his expression.
"Let's do it."
"Yes."
Holding back a breath, Rito pulled on the blade.
"RAGH!"
Fishbone D grinned internally. It would seem the boy killed himself out of fear. Perfect. This meant that they were perfectly open for the Hollow to consume. All he had to do now was chomp down toward them and it was all over. Reaching forward, it opened its hand to grab at Rukia. Yes. The shinigami girl would make a lovely appetizer before its main course.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" It was all over, he'd have his meal and lovely meal and be on his way.
Wait. Something's happened. He stopped at a bright light that emitted from the spot where the two were.
Something was wrong with his arm. No. It was as if after moving it forward, he completely stopped feeling it all together.
"What's the matter..? You seem panicked now."
The Hollow's eyes went wide, looking down toward the ground slowly. There. His arm was laid out. The only assurance for him that it was ever attached was the blood pouring from the evenly shaped cut.
After a moment, Fishbone D screamed out in pain as blood sprayed out from the stub where his arm previously made whole of.
"GAAAAHHHH! HOW COULD YOU! AGH- DAMN YOU! GAAAAAHHHH!"
Slowly arising from the ground, Rito looked down toward his hand, noticing a sword in his hand much alike to Rukia's. The difference with his began with a completely straightened blade with an insignia that he could not read. Despite his lack of knowledge on it, he felt a strong sense of familiarity toward it. Other differences included that the blade was 130 cm long and 10 cm wide.
The hilt was bright red with a bronze guard with feather decorations and a yellow ribbon around its end.
His attire took to a major change as well. now resembling the black kimono that Rukia wore. Though, unlike hers, the lining had all been gold, while the kanji for thirteen had the kanji for substitute in its place, with a strelitzia below.
"What..?" Rukia looked down to her hands, her eyes widening. It didn't take long for her to notice that her attire had become white, while grey replaced the maroon. "It was only supposed to be half of my Shinigami power.. But he took all of it.."
Rito took a step, marching toward the Hollow slowly.
As he did, Rukia's jaw dropped as she almost made out a golden mist pouring out from the boy's body.
'Furthermore.. This pressure I feel..'
Fishbone D let out a low growl, now missing both of his arms. Rage filling the Hollow's eyes, it made its charge toward Rito. In response, the boy's march came to a halt.
'The reason I was struggling to locate the Hollow's Spiritual Pressure.. Why even now it would seem as though an invisible filter were present..'
As Fishbone D stood tall, massive compared to Rito, it grinned widely.
'Ever since I came into that room.. All of my senses were disarrayed.. But I never imagined..'
Rito narrowed his eyes. In the instant the Hollow moved, with a swift movement, his arm flung upward.
'I have never seen a human capable of seeing Shinigami.. I've never seen a human capable of defeating Kido..'
Unamused by the sudden movement, the Hollow continued its charge to try and take down Rito with a single bite. This all came to naught when Rito's arm proved far superior in speed. It slammed down with a force that the Hollow had no hope of defeating.
"GIIII-!" Fishbone D let out a primal shriek as the tardy reflection of the moon's light from Rito's blade traced the path it took cutting through the beast.
'But most unbelievable.. I've never seen a Zanpakuto.. Change into a such a large size!'
As his blade forced its way through the Hollow's skull, a massive of gush of blood would burst out from the cut and flinging toward either side. As the blade rose, a burst of golden energy would stab into the ground below and shoot toward the sky. The more it spread, the farther it cut into the pavement as it would stop after going so far.
"This is what happens when you mess with my family, you damn fish!" Rito would go in for a second slash with a horizontal strike, the light now making a cross that glew brightly and swallowed the creature's form.
'This guy..'
"G-GAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Before long, it faded into ash and floated toward the heavens.
'Who is he..?'
My name is Yuuki Rito.. I'm a 15 year old first year at Sainan High who may or may not be useless in most forms.. I work at Bando's Parfait Shop as the residential florist.. But, little did I know, starting from this moment.. I'd also be working as a Shinigami..
『 B.G.M. END 』
『 11:29 p.m.「 Saturday: May 26th, 2008 」』
"Finally found you."
One of two men in black suits chuckled. He had slicked back blonde hair that had a layer of brown beneath. Moving into his shades was a scar over his left eye. Under his coat, he wore a purple shirt that had been unbuttoned at the top, making his pitch black tie, which had been tattered in golden spirals that ended with short spike tails, hang loose.
The other, having much shorter, though just as smooth, black hair, bore a more tan skin tone. His straight face had been expressed well through his more orderly and straight outfit which had below a clean yellow shirt with a tie of the same style as his partner's.
"I wouldn't have imagined you'd possibly run off to such a remote area."
Scoffing, the blonde examined the scenery. Placing his hands in his pockets, he watched patiently as the lights down below flickered violently throughout the darkness.
"Be that as it may.. This game of tag is over." The other stepped forward, raising out a hand. "Now. Do come with us, if you'd please."
Standing at the edge of the building before them had been a rather well fit girl. She had an hourglass figure which was kept prevalent in her tight white suit that had layers of black with a red tie falling between her ample breasts. Over her head was a white beret that had a pair of large wings poking out from either side. At the front of the hat was a pair of black swirls that would resemble eyes.
As the two men stepped closer, she looked down, a sample from the mass of pink hair that rained from the cap overshadowing her eyes.
"..."
⦓ THS #01 ⦔
❱ END ❰
⦏ Decided to touch up a little on Chapter 1, since I noticed a few things that were a bit off-putting. Anywho, I hope you guys enjoy the story in its future and as it continues to be ironed out. This is merely the beginning of the long journey ahead for our heroes and mostly heroines! ⦐
⦏ I'll go ahead and abridge the original author's note, given how long it was before. Long story short: This story is definitely going to have some core parts of To Love-Ru tagged in: It's a harem plot, of course. Couldn't say it's a To Love-Ru story without a harem, could I? ⦐
⦏ I plan to be using elements from all over the Bleach franchise and mix em up in here along with plenty of original concepts to spice em up. Big respects to Tite Kubo and the dynamic duo of Saki Hisemi and Kentaro Yabuki for making these two amazing series that I will look forward to intertwining in the long-run. ⦐
⦏ I already have a lot of the footnotes for where Rito's character progression is going to go. Obviously, with how Bleach's story is: Rito isn't going to be the exact same person that he was at the end of To Love-Ru's story. I hope you guys end up enjoying what I have in mind for the Pear. ⦐
⦏ My name's Red, and I've been in your guys' hair long enough. Happy reading onward. Peace out. ⦐
- Red