27Hello everyone! This is Sentinel07, bringing to you another fanfic! This time, things are a little different, as this fic is not only my first foray into Bleach fanfiction, but is also a collaboration between myself and ThisWillBeFun.
Now, a fact or two:
Words in italics represent a characters thoughts.
If you're here thanks to previous fics written by either of us, welcome back! If not, glad to meet you. We hope this fic turns out to be as successful as our other stories.
Now, a disclaimer: We don't own anything of Bleach or anything else referenced in this fic. Those belong to their respective owners.
Of course, as this is fanfiction, we might be screwing with official canon big time. But hey, it's our story, so deal with it. Hopefully, you'll all enjoy it. Now then, without further ado, let's roll it!
(BEGIN)
Chapter 1: For Want of a Nail
RING!
The school bell at Karakura Elementary School couldn't have come at a better time for the kids, who cried in relief that the school day was over at last.
"Now class," the teacher droned, "remember to complete tomorrow's homework tonight. That is all."
Hearing the final words from the teacher, the kids filed out, heading out to their respective activities. In particular, we focus on two girls just walking out. They were twin siblings, although you'd hardly know from their appearance and personalities. They were Yuzu and Karin Kurosaki.
"Finally. I felt like I was going to suffocate in there," sighed Karin as she kicked around the soccer ball she kept in her backpack.
"Really? I found the topic to be quite fascinating," smiled Yuzu. "Who knew there was so much to learn from our country's history."
"Yawn," was all Karin had to say to that. "I'd rather make my own history...and I'll start by knocking around some heads on the soccer field."
"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to aim for their heads, Karin." The darker-haired twin was ready to retort, but was cut off when she saw some guys from their class waving her over from the school field.
"I'll catch you later, Yuzu," Karin yelled as she took a turn to the field.
"All right. See you at home, Karin!" Yuzu yelled back as she continued on her path home.
Now, the Kurosakis weren't exactly ordinary by any stretch of the imagination. What many didn't know was their ability to see spirits. Some might call them the dearly departed, ghosts, ethereal beings, whatever. Whatever one would one would call them, Yuzu could see them, as could her twin, Karin, and their older brother, Ichigo. Their father didn't have the ability, at least not to their knowledge. It wasn't exactly something to brag about unless you wanted people questioning your sanity.
In fact, Yuzu didn't exactly have to wait long for her first visitor of the day.
"Hello Reiko. Nice day, isn't it?" Yuzu smiled as she spoke to her left, the transparent spirit of a girl around Yuzu's age with long brown pigtails and a chain on her chest appearing. Reiko was one of the first spirits Yuzu had ever interacted with once she was sure that all the people she was seeing were real instead of imaginary. The two would occasionally interact with each other when Yuzu passed by and they became somewhat friends. Only problem was that Reiko seemed to have her chain wrapped around a small bottle of flowers that she could never leave. Neither were were exactly sure how that worked, though they both got used to it.
"Hello Yuzu. Nice of you to see me again," Reiko smiled back. "I didn't think you would come by again. Don't you think people would get suspicious?"
"I don't worry too much about that. I'd rather help than do nothing." Yuzu then reached into her backpack, pulling out a fresh flower to replace the older one. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat some more, but I've got to get dinner started for everyone. I can't really keep my dad and brother waiting. You know how they spend their time waiting." Both girls shared a light giggle at that mental image.
After waving goodbye and seeing her friend fade away into the air, Yuzu made her way back home, hoping not to see any patients in the emergency room. It didn't exactly set a family mood to have patients in the infirmary. Thankfully, there were none as she opened the door, making her way inside.
"Dad! I'm home!" she called out. Right as she did though, there was a loud crash, possibly indicating something she didn't want to know about. Her fears were confirmed when her eccentric (to put it lightly) father, Isshin, came out.
"Hello Yuzu!" he cried out in his overly cheerful voice.
"Hey, dad," she smiled back nervously. "Uh...mind if I ask about that crash?"
"What? Oh, it's nothing. Just….nothing. Heh heh heh." Isshin chuckled nervously to himself, which didn't do much convince his daughter.
"Dad," Yuzu frowned. "We live in a clinic. Having loud sounds everywhere can mean almost anything. I'd prefer to know."
"Well, um..." Isshin kept spouting before he eventually cracked. "Okay you win! I accidentally poured some juice in the kitchen and slipped and fell!"
"Wait, you what? Are you hurt? Is anything broken?"
"Only my pride! Oh, how shameful!"
"Oh, good," Yuzu sighed. "I was just about to start on dinner. Any requests?"
"Oh, just about anything will do." As his daughter turned around though, she could tell that Isshin was once again talking to the large and creepy poster of their mom, making her sigh again.
The young girl then proceeded to start boiling water to start her dish. She still wasn't quite sure what to make, but boiling water was the usual way she helped decide what to cook. It calmed her a little and allowed her to clear her thoughts. After looking around the kitchen pantry in search of a proper meal to create with the water running in the background, she managed to come across some noodles.
'I suppose it's been awhile since our last spaghetti dinner,' Yuzu thought to herself while picking up the noodles. 'Perhaps now would be as good a time as ever.'
So, naturally, she stuck the noodles in the boiling water and began making dinner. Things were fairly uneventful for a time. Karin eventually came home, boasting about her game with the other kids. Yuzu didn't listen to much of it. It was kind of the same thing over and over again with Karin.
"Hmmmm, what a delightful smell." Yuzu looked up to see a guy hovering around her. Another spirit obviously, and one that was particularly nosey. Eventually, she got a little tired of him getting in the way of her activities.
"Uh, Mr. Spirit?" Yuzu finally asked after a good two minutes of the ghost hovering around her food.
"Oh, sorry!" the spirit sputtered as he backed away from the pot. "I didn't think you could see me. It's just that...my wife used to always cook spaghetti like this when I was alive. I remember she cooked it on the same night I chose to propose…" The man continued to drone on about his mortal life while Yuzu only half-listened. She did sometimes like the stories the spirits had to tell, but then there were those who told their entire life to her without as much as a suggestion. Sometimes she wished she could be as deniable as her sister. Or at least have some nerve to get them to shorten their stories.
Luckily, dinner was soon ready and the girl prepared everyone's plates before heading out of the kitchen. Honestly, sometimes Yuzu thought her abilities could be more of a curse than a blessing, but she considered that it at least kept life interesting.
"Hey, I'm home," the voice of Ichigo, her big brother, rang from the entrance, which was soon followed by the familiar sound of Isshin running his foot through Ichigo's face.
"YOU LET YOUR GUARD DOWN!"
"For crying out loud, you're pulling this kind of crap already?!"
And with that, a mini-wrestling match raged on, with the twin sisters just settling down in the meantime. Karin didn't pay much attention, as she was more or less used to it. Yuzu was as well, although she was eager for everyone to sit down for dinner.
"Hey, calm down and eat with us!" she tried calling out, but nothing much came of it.
"Oh well, more for me," shrugged Karin.
"Piss off!" Ichigo yelled as he finally managed to get his dad into a choker hold. "Is this the thanks I get for helping a little dead girl find peace?"
"That doesn't give you the excuse of being home late!"
"Oh, screw you!"
Eventually, the uproar died down after a couple more heated exchanges. Karin finished up and decided to go watch TV. Isshin also went off to do something, but not before more whining to the giant Masaki poster despite Karin's advice to throw it away and start being a man. Ichigo also started to go into his room to eat his lunch alone, but was stopped by Yuzu.
"Ichigo?" the timorous girl asked her older brother, who immediately turned around. "Did you say you helped a dead girl?"
"Yeah. What about it?" Ichigo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I was just wondering what you did is all."
"Oh, it wasn't much. A bunch of thugs were hanging around the area and ended up knocking over her vase of flowers. So, I kind of-"
"Vase of flowers?" Yuzu accidentally interrupted. "Sorry, but do you know where the vase was?"
"Yeah. It actually wasn't too far from you and Karin's school. Why are you so curious?"
"Did the girl have pigtails and a striped shirt?
Ichigo blinked before continuing. "You've seen her?"
"Yeah, you could say that," his little sister trailed off. "Her name is Reiko. We've talked a few times. I actually gave her some new flowers earlier today."
"Huh, so I guess I did you both a favor by beating up those guys," he grinned.
"Yeah, thank y-" She stopped in mid sentence. "Wait, you got into another fight?"
"Hey, I like to see it as both the girl and me getting something to be happy about," he smiled before heading into his room.
Yuzu sighed. She really did love her brother, but she couldn't help but be concerned about him constantly getting into fights, even if most weren't exactly his fault. Fights just seemed to come to him, rather than him seeking them out.
"Thinking about big bro again?" Karin asked from her position on the couch, watching some TV program.
"Yeah."
"Well, don't worry too much. He's a pretty durable guy." Yuzu smiled a bit at her sister's words.
"I guess you're right." As the young girl then began heading towards her room, she noticed that Karin wasn't coming. "You coming to bed?"
"After this show is over," Karin shooed her off. Yuzu decided to just leave it at that as she decided to get ready for bed herself.
A couple hours later
Apparently, "after this show is over" meant never for Karin, who never showed up for bedtime. Yuzu had just turned her light off half an hour ago, sighing as she looked over at Karin's empty bed.
"Sometimes, I wonder how I do it." She laughed in spite of herself. A weird father, a somewhat unsociable brother, and a tomboy sister. Not the ensemble for Yuzu to put up with. Then again, they were her family, and she wouldn't have it any other way.
Suddenly, she felt a chill wind wash over herself.
"Brrr, did I leave the window open?" She slowly raised herself off her bed, only to gasp when she looked over to the middle of the room.
Standing in the center of the room was….a young woman. She had short dark hair, and wore an odd style of kimono that Yuzu didn't really recognize. Not only that, but she had a sword at her side.
"Who is that?" she muttered to herself. As she watched, she saw that the woman was talking to herself too.
"Strange. I could have sworn that this was the other room. Oh well, close enough. Now, where is it?" The woman constantly looked back and forth, ignoring Yuzu. "I could have sworn that I felt it around here."
Worried that this strange woman was some kind of bergler (and an oblivious one at that), Yuzu grabbed a tennis racket from who knows how long ago (it didn't catch on), and slowly approached the girl from behind. She made no attempt to move, like Yuzu wasn't even there. However, Yuzu wasn't going to let this girl harm her family in any way.
SMACK!
With a mighty smack, the dark-haired girl fell to the ground, causing an impact that didn't seem to wake anyone up, much to Yuzu's surprise. The girly slowly staggered to her feet, an incredulous look on her face.
"What the hell? Did she just hit me?" she seemingly asked herself. Yuzu raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, I hit you. Why wouldn't I hit a stranger in my own bedroom?" Yuzu replied. The girl looked as confused as before.
"But, you shouldn't be able to-Unless you have a really strong sixth sense or something." muttered the girl. Yuzu really didn't get what this girl was talking about.
"Look, I don't know who you are, but I'm not letting you rob my family."
"W-Wait a second!"
SMACK!
And Yuzu laid down another smack with her tennis racket, sending the woman to the ground, nearly knocking her out.
"I-I'm….n-not….a burglar..." the woman groaned. Yuzu wasn't inclined to believe her, although she had to admit that if she was telling the truth, the girl wasn't too good at her job. Who would try to rob a house in that get-up anyway?
Yuzu allowed the girl to slowly get-up, grabbing her aching head as she did.
"If you're not a burglar, then who are you?" Yuzu asked in her typical tone, one that exceeded the fact that she wasn't even a teenager yet.
The girl composed herself before looking at Yuzu seriously.
"Well, if you must know…..I am a Soul Reaper," she spoke. Yuzu had zero idea what she was talking about? A reaper? Like the Grim Reaper? Were there smaller reapers? Wait, why was she even considering that?
"Are you messing with me?" Yuzu asked her threateningly. To her surprise, the woman seemed unfazed, almost smiling a bit.
"I see. You want proof?" she smirked. Yuzu didn't like that look she had on her face. She got even more worried when she started chanting.
"Bakudo Number One-"
"Woah woah!" Yuzu started waving her hands in front of the girl. "Don't go doing any of that crazy voodoo stuff in my house! I don't want you to blow it up!"
To Yuzu's surprise again, the girl just snickered a bit.
"Crazy voodoo stuff? Do you even know what that word means?" the girl asked. "And I wasn't going to blow your house up. It was just a simple Kido."
"What's Kido?"
The woman looked a little annoyed, but curious at the same time. "Kido is...It's complicated. See, it's kind of like magic Soul Reapers use for combat."
"Okay, what's a Soul Reaper?"
"We're...kind of like…" The woman looked rather stumped at her explanation. She stood with her thumb under her chin in thought. Then an idea came to her. "I got it! Do you have a sketch pad anywhere?"
Yuzu nodded before taking one out of her desk. She didn't see any reason to question the small woman saying she was a Reaper any further before hearing her out. "Why would you need it?"
"I'll show you," she answered while accepting the pad. "May I use some markers as well?"
"Okay…" Yuzu complied. She guessed it was normal to ask for markers if she wanted to use her drawing pad. She guessed. Either way, she gave the woman some of Karin's markers. She could have given the lady her own markers, but she wanted to be safe.
The strange woman then began to draw determinedly on the pad.
Meanwhile, Karin laid asleep on the couch with the TV left on. She was really out of it tonight, as with every other school day. As she slept, large footsteps began forming just outside, slowly getting louder as they got closer. Even in her rest, Karin still felt some sliver down her spine. With each step taken outside, the feeling grew larger and colder than before. Eventually, she was forced awake.
"What's going on here?" Karin muttered to herself while trying to wipe her eyes open.
"So, basically, Soul Reapers are tasked with watching over souls who have passed on from the World of the Living. Generally, these souls are called "Pluses" and often have something called a "Chain of Fate" coming from their chest, sometimes attached to anything that was significant when they were alive. However, the longer these souls stay around in this world, the more dangerous things can become. With that, we Soul Reapers help them out by guiding them to a place called the Soul Society before they become something called a Hollow. I don't want to say too much, but such a thing would be very bad for both the soul and humans."
For lack of a better word, Yuzu was totally lost. The woman was explaining all of this with a bunch of weird bunny-like doodles (or were they bears?) she had drawn on the pad. The illustrations didn't help at all.
"Any questions?" asked the woman.
"Um….well…..I didn't really catch a lot of that. Your drawing are…...really weird."
"How so?" the woman blinked.
"It's just that...the little bears don't really illustrate…"
"Bears?! Can you not tell rabbits when you see them?"
"Are..do you draw often?"
"All the time. It's kind of a hobby of mine."
"Okay…" Yuzu honestly had no idea to react. First of all, there was a weird woman that came out of her window and started explaining the afterlife. Now, that same woman was making crudely drawn pictures of what was supposed to be bunnies. Things couldn't get much weirder.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Both Yuzu and the woman stopped in their tracks and looked out to the door. The raven-haired Reaper readied her sword before running towards the living room, the small girl following behind, unable to keep the pace.
What Yuzu saw next was an image that was engraved in her mind forever. There was a large...thing, so large that it barely managed to fit inside the house without knocking down the ceiling, that looked a bit like a frog with a skull for a face, a creepy one at that, and giant fists. Within its right hand was a small girl with black hair and a look of great pain. Karin.
"Karin!" Yuzu shouted to her twin in vain.
"Watch it!" Rukia warned. "That thing is a Hollow. If you don't run now, you'll probably end up like your sister, if not worse."
"B-but, Karin!"
"Go!"
Rukia was adamant on that fact, no doubt about it. Yet, Yuzu wasn't sure what to do. Her sister was in trouble, but what could she do about it?
"What's all the commotion down here?!"
Yuzu felt her heart stop as she heard Ichigo coming down the stairs. No doubt that he would heard the loud roar from the beast. Yuzu imagined everyone in the neighborhood probably heard that. Still, the thought of her brother seeing...whatever this was in their house wouldn't be good, especially if he saw their sister in its hand. As strong as she knew their brother was, she knew that the sight could only end up with Ichigo charging and end with Ichigo at the mercy of the beast. However, it was already too late as Ichigo had already come down, his eyes squared on the beast.
"W-What the hell is that?! Karin!" Ichigo cried out, seeing his little sister in the beast's hand.
"Ichigo, please get away!" cried Yuzu.
"Another one?" pondered Rukia, seeing the bright-haired boy apparently see the Hollow as well. Unfortunately for both of them, Ichigo followed his gut more than the orders of others.
"Put my sister down, bastard!" yelled Ichigo as he ran towards the Hollow, not quite aware of what he was up against.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
The beast let yet another roar as it raised its free hand, slamming it straight into Ichigo, who flew back into the staircase. The teenager hit the wall and started bleeding at the back of his head, but he didn't waver. He got back to his feet and started charging blindly again. His next attempt was met with a full fist that smashed him into a wall, breaking it along with the back of his head. Ichigo now laid unconscious on the floor of the living room, a small stain of blood forming on their carpet.
"ICHIGO!" Yuzu shouted while looking back and forth at her endangered brother and sister at a rapid pace, her head starting to lighten with each turn. By now, she was about ready pass out.
The Reaper panicked and quickly shouted "Bakudo Number One: Sai!"
Yuzu then felt herself stiffen and fall to the floor against the will of her conscious. She laid with her body wrapped in place with an invisible rope when the woman swiftly kicked her. The girl's immobile body was then propelled up the stairs and into her brother's open door into his room.
"Stay there!" the woman shouted while dodging a punch from the Hollow. "Don't move!" She fully unsheathed her sword and charged towards the beast.
She slashed towards the beast, too which it tried to block her with its free arm. After being forced back, the woman bounced back off the ceiling, slashing it again. Her forward momentum impacted the beast, sending both it and her tumbling outside onto the street with a loud crash. Catching her breath, the Reaper tried to steady herself as the beast got itself up as well. However, looking closely, she could see the girl in its grasp struggling again.
With her resolve in mind, the woman jumped to the top of a lamppost and stared down at the Hollow. The beast started reaching for her with its free hand, but was easily dodged. The Reaper soared through the air before slashing down at its clenched hand. The hand came off with a spurt of blood, freeing the dark-haired girl from its grasp and breaking her fall.
Still, Karin was still incredibly bruised and bleeding at the mouth. By now, she couldn't comprehend anything. All she knew was that there was a big thing that got her, then hurt…
"Ichigo! Yuzu!" she called out, barely audible through the Hollow's own screech of pain. However, her shout did not fall upon deaf ears as they entered those of the one person who understood the reasons of her distress. Yuzu has still laying down on the floor of Ichigo's room, still bound like a mummy. Her eyes instantly shot wide open at the familiar yell.
"Karin!" Yuzu cried out, struggling against the magic that Soul Reaper put on her. She tried over and over to move her arms and legs, but nothing seemed to work.
"Ugh, come on, move!" She cried out as she struggled more and more. Despite losing energy, she just kept going at it, until she heard Karin yell one more time.
"Move!"
With one last cry, Yuzu finally broke her arms and legs free, seeing little golden threads light fade away. Not bothering to think about it, she immediately rushed back downstairs, seeing that no one was there.
"Where are-"
BOOM!
She immediately heard a loud ruckus from outside the house, and looked towards the large hole in the house. She ran over to see the Soul Reaper still engaged with the beast, with Karin laying on the ground unconscious. Yuzu again looked towards the beast, trembling a little bit at how frightening it was. However, flashes of what it did to both Karin and Ichigo raced through her head, making her tighten her fists a bit. She may not have been much of a fighter like her siblings, but there was no longer anyone left to fight. She had to fight now. Grabbing a spare piece of wood from the wreckage, Yuzu ran into the battle. The woman instantly saw her come out, a stunned look on her face.
"What the heck? How did she break free?" the Reaper pondered to herself before she realized what Yuzu was doing. "Wait! Stop!"
Not waiting, Yuzu slammed her piece of wood into the leg of the Hollow, causing it to split in two. The impact caused the Hollow to fall to the ground in a heap. Just that little surge of adrenaline had Yuzu panting for breath as she looked over the Hollow.
"Did I get it?" she asked. The Reaper came down behind her, still battle ready.
"No, you just made it angrier," she spoke grimly as the Hollow got back up. "You should've stayed upstairs."
By the time the beast was back on its feet and had its glowing red eyes set on her, Yuzu noticed just how stupid she'd been. This monster- that's what it was, a monster- wasn't going to stop. It was going to just die, it wasn't going to get hurt and leave, and it wasn't going to leave her family alone until it was killed. Not until this giant monster was killed…
"Go ahead and bring your sister inside," the woman instructed. "You'll just end up getting yourself killed at this rate."
Yuzu looked at the strange woman that called herself a Soul Reaper, then at the charging monster, then at her twin sister. She nodded back to woman silently before darting off to grab Karin. However, the Hollow was still rather angry over the girl's actions and stared at Yuzu with a newfound contempt. It started darted towards her faster than it had ever moved before.
The creature cocked its fist and charged it straight at the defenseless small girl holding her sister. Were it not for a quick parry by the Reaper, both girls would have been crushed. However, even the Reaper was not looking so great as her sword barely seemed able to hold the sheer force of the punch. Before long, the woman's power started to reach its limits and the fist managed to break through her shield of strength. The woman then became a large crater in the sidewalk, leaving Yuzu to look in horror.
"M-miss Soul Reaper?" she asked with terror in her eyes.
"Idiot…" the woman groaned back while attempting to get back on her feet. "This Hollow's stronger than I thought it would be. You should've just stayed inside!"
The Hollow looked at Yuzu again and charged another punch. It was once again blocked by a familiar sword and woman, but defeated both in even less time. The woman now seemed to be bleeding at the back along with the blood on her face. The Hollow charged again, it was blocked again, and the Reaper was pummeled again. She accumulated all of her remaining energy into a single blow that managed to cut off the beast's tongue, making it cry out in pain while clunching its bleeding mouth.
"Damn, just what is this thing?!" she cursed under her tongue. Not only did it seem like she was about to be killed during a routine Hollow mission, but a defenseless little girl was going to as well. Then an idea reared into her head. An idea that had many consequences, both good and bad, and would mean the end of many things. The one thing it would preserve, however, was a total of three lives. It was a true ultimatum, but one that couldn't be dwelled on for too long. She had to make the decision right here and now.
"Listen, I hate to ask this, but I think there's a way for both of us to get out of this alive," the Reaper bargained to the little girl while trying to cover her wounds.
"What? How?" Yuzu asked in all eagerness as she saw the monster approaching once more. "Do it already!"
"It's...not that simple," the Reaper groaned. "There is only one way we might be able to not become that Hollow's meal and be able to live, but it requires a great sacrifice on your part."
"I'd do anything to protect my family."
The beaten-up raven haired woman gave a weak smile before returning to her grim stare. "It'll only be temporary, but you will have to become a Soul Reaper yourself." Yuzu gave a quick look of shock. "You must take my zanpaktou and run it through the centre of your very being, so that I may pour my powers into you. If all goes right, you will become a Soul Reaper. I can't guarantee you'll live, but if it doesn't work, it won't matter." She then presented her blade in its entirety to the girl.
"Then give it here," Yuzu responded with a rare look of intensity on her face while accepting the blade. "I sure hope this better works, Ms. Soul Reaper."
"My name is Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki."
"And I'm Yuzu Kurosaki. I hope we can talk again after this. If either of us can still talk, that is." Even while stabbing herself and receiving great power, Yuzu couldn't help but smile.
BOOM!
There was then a flash of light where the two once stood, one so bright that even the Hollow had to shield its eyes. The impact of the flash sent a shockwave throughout the area, almost like a tornado just swept through the area. When the light finally cleared up and the Hollow was allowed to see again, all it saw was a single dark silhouette behind a wall of wind.
As the wind finally settled, the Hollow no longer saw anything other than a surprised raven-haired girl with white robes stained in blood. It looked around for the girl that hit it earlier, but found nothing. That is, until it felt its last arm become severed and fell to the floor in another gush of blood. The beast screeched in pain once again while trying to locate the source of its pain, only to find a little brown-haired girl in a black shihakusho with a large, silver blade that was about as large as her entire being. It was the same brat from before…one of the very snacks the Hollow was trying to get the whole time!
The beast screeched, this time in animalistic anger as it charged towards its prey once more, now only confined to the attacks of its feet. It continued to try to squash the girl with each until it lost another limb. Unable to even hold itself up, the Hollow began to fall towards the ground. However, even before it could hit the pavement, he saw the girl once again. She was sporting a scowl that no one had ever truly seen on her face before.
"You won't ever hurt anyone ever again!" she yelled at the monster while directing her sword in the same direction. Just as the Hollow nearly hit the ground, the girl swung and split the mask on its face in half, causing it to screech one final time before dissipating into thin air. Yuzu may have had no idea what just happened, but she knew her job was done. Her family was safe and the Rukia woman was…
She looked over to see that the woman that called herself a Soul Reaper was missing. She looked left and right for her, the adrenaline from the Hollow starting to wane.
"Ms. Soul Reap-OOMPH!"
Just as suddenly, she felt something press hard against her chest, knocking the air out of her as she lost consciousness. She could vaguely make out the silhouette of the Soul Reaper before she fully passed out. Looking over the child, Rukia sighed.
"Of all things, how did this happen?" Rukia wondered to herself. This was going to require a lot of explaining back in Soul Society. Of course, that wasn't the only problem. Rukia turned to the half-destroyed Kurosaki house, putting her hands on her hips.
"Well, might as well get started. I wonder how I'm going to fix this…."
(END)
Phew, well that was a doozy of a first chapter. You can't even begin to imagine how long it took. And this was just the first chapter, so who knows how this will turn out.
Anyhoo, ThisWillBeFun and I had fun on this chapter and look forward to continuing. Just as a reminder, updates may be irregular. Inspiration kind of comes and goes, and we're not even sure how long this thing will go.
Well, we'll let you all be the judge and tell us what you thought of it, and we both hope to see you all again soon.
Oh, and while you're at it, give ThisWillBeFun's own stories a look if you ever get the chance.
Until next time, this is Sentinel07, signing out!