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Lingering Anxiety

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You would think a portal to another world would be more extravagant. But no, it was nothing more than two thin wood doors. Neve slowly turned her Zanpakuto, anxious to see what the other side had to offer. This was it. She was really doing it. Leaving behind Soul Society, a place that was so familiar she knew every tree in the woods, to the Human World, a place that could hold just about anything. No one was coming with her, she had made sure of that. It wasn't that she didn't want him to come, he just had so much potential, and just because she was banishing herself doesn't mean he had too. The doors opened and a blinding white light shone through, beckoning her to come closer. She let herself bath in it, revel in the moment. This may be the last time she ever saw Soul Society.

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You would think a portal to another world would be more extravagant. But no, it was nothing more than two thin wood doors. Neve slowly turned her Zanpakuto, anxious to see what the other side had to offer. This was it. She was really doing it. Leaving behind Soul Society, a place that was so familiar she knew every tree in the woods, to the Human World, a place that could hold just about anything. No one was coming with her, she had made sure of that. It wasn't that she didn't want him to come, he just had so much potential, and just because she was banishing herself doesn't mean he had too. The doors opened and a blinding white light shone through, beckoning her to come closer. She let herself bath in it, revel in the moment. This may be the last time she ever saw Soul Society. “What do you think you're doing?” She had been so distracted that she nearly jumped out of her skin at the new voice. It had been right behind her, and when she turned around, she came face-to-face with Aiden. “Leaving.” She sounded a lot more confident than she really was. “And you weren't going to tell me?” His tone wasn't harsh or demanding, if anything, he sounded hurt. “Why do you care, anyways? What have I ever done that would make you willing to leave your home for me?” “You gave me a home.” Of course, how could she forget. That hot summer day in the desert, when he was on the verge of death. Coming across him had been an accident more than anything. Her and Yamamoto had gotten in an argument about what to do with the stone those Arrancars had given her, and in her anger she had thrown it at him and taken off in the opposite direction of the Seireitei, eventually leading to the small desert town in which she had first spotted him. It would have been cruel to just leave him there, after all, he was just like her. An outcast. But here, he was welcomed, and she wouldn't take that anyway from him. “Then stay. I gave you a home, so enjoy it. You're not an outcast anymore, not here. You have nothing to run from. But I do.” She felt her heart sink at the words. Things weren't the same as they used to be, times had changed, and so had they. “But you want to know how I got that home?” He asked. “How?” “I followed you. Even though I had no clue where we were going, why we were going there, or what this place held for me, I followed you. And it changed my life forever.” He really was like her father. In just a few sentences, he had completely disarmed her. But at the same time, he made things better. He gave her hope. Tears welled up in her eyes, and for the first time in a long time, she turned around and hugged him. He held her until the tears subsided, and after a few moments of silence, she collected herself. “So, what do you say? Taking on this new adventure, together?” She smiled at him. Leave it to him to consider this an 'adventure'. The doors were still wide open, waiting for them. It would only take a few steps, and their lives would be changed forever. “Sure you don't want to say goodbye?” He shook his head. It was settled then. No turning back, no regrets. It was time to leave. With one last look at the Seireitei, they stepped into the blinding lights and into a world unlike anything they had ever seen before. ................................................................................................................................................................................... Now, you would think that after having two weeks to plan that Neve would actually think about where this portal was leading to. But, in all her excitement, she forgot to count that little detail, which led them to the situation they were in now. When they finally stepped out the other side of the doors they first thing that they registered was the sound. The sounds of people calling to each other across a crowded street, the sounds of vendors telling people to check out their sales, and so on and so forth. Luckily, it wasn't as bad as it could be: they hadn't brought a Gigai along with them, so no one seemed to notice their sudden arrival. But what proved an advantage also proved a problem: they had no way of buying things or asking for directions, and they were both starting to get hungry. For a moment, they just stood there, while people walked this way and that. “So, now what?” Aiden asked. Neve really had no clue. She only planned up to the leaving part, and kind of hoped things would fall into place from there. “Beats me.” They took off out of the busy street and sat down next one of the stinky hobos that lined the crowded streets. “Well, we should probably ask for directions.” Aiden suggested. “From where? No one can even see us.” “You really do underestimate me.” He reached out into his pocket and pulled out two small metal bracelets. They had the words 'First Division' stamped on the outside of them. “What's that?” “It's a special device created by the Onmitsukido. When you wear it allows people to see you, sort of like a Gigai.” He held out one of them, which she hesitantly took. She hate to wear anything made by the Onmitsukido, but it didn't look like she had much of a choice. On the count of three, they slipped theirs on. The poor hobo who had been minding his own business next to them nearly had a heart attack when they appeared out of nowhere. He scrambled away, shouting something about the devil. “What's his problem?” Neve was surprised Aiden had thought to bring something like this. But at the same time, she wasn't. He had probably planned on going no matter what she said, it was just a matter of how long it took her to give in. Not only was he stubborn, but he was devious to. “So, how about we get something to eat? I'm starving.” Neve nodded and pulled out several gold pieces from her pocket. At least she had thought to bring that. They sauntered back into the crowd, blending much less than they thought. Not only were they still wearing their black Shinigami uniforms, but Aiden snow white hair attracted much more attention than they needed. They stopped from shop to shop, talking with people along the way, and for the first time in what felt like forever, they were content. No constant fear of having to watch your every step. This was a new beginning, a winding road that could take them almost anywhere. But they were okay with that. Maybe, just this one time, it was okay to let fate take the wheel. ................................................................................................................................................................................... The inn they were at staying wasn't much. It was nothing more than a small, two story house painted a dull shade of white. The sign that hung just above the door read something like 'Cozy Inns'. Weren't they creative. Aiden and Neve stepped inside and were greeted by the smell of freshly cooked food, making both their stomachs growl. It had been a little under a week since they first arrived in the Human World, and it wasn't as exciting as they had hoped it would be. Most of their days were occupied with finding a place to eat or sleep, and taking out the occasional Hollow they came across. They had no clue were they were going, and though neither of them would ever admit it, they kind of missed home. “Can I help you two?” An older woman stood behind the counter in the front room. She had a big smile glued to her face, and you could tell it was a struggle for her to keep it on. “Yes, could we get a room please?” The lady's eye flashed to Aiden, then to Neve, then back to Aiden. Her forced smile was replaced with an amused one. “Oh, sure, I'll see what I can find.” Neve face-palmed; the woman's tone made it obvious what she was thinking. Aiden seemed oblivious to the joke. This was going to be fun. “Well, we have a suite upstairs that is available for you two. Would you like to take it?” “Sounds gre-” Neve interrupted him. “How many rooms is it?” He was never going to get the idea, so it was up to her to make sure nothing stupid happened. “Only one.” Her devious smile grew bigger. “Do you have any rooms available with two?” She said it in a daunting way so to get her point across. “Hm, I think we do.” She wrote something down. “Here's your keys. Your room is the second door on the left, just down that hallway. Please,” she leaned in, “enjoy your stay.” “I will.” Neve huffed. Not to long after she said it did she realize how stupid it was. She could tell the woman was trying to hold back a snicker. Grabbing Aiden by the arm, she took off to their room. A good night's sleep was sounding wonderful right about now. They set what little possessions they had on them onto the beds. They were small twins that sat not a few feet away from each other. A thin wooden door lead to a living room like place. So this is what she meant by two rooms. That conniving bitch. Neve thought to herself. She should have seen it coming. “Well, I'm starving. And you?” Neve nodded her head. “I'm going to go see what they have in the kitchen. When I get back we can eat in there.” He pointed to the small living room. “You know, when she said two rooms, this isn't what I thought she meant.” She gestured to the tiny beds. “Hey, could be worse, could have just been one room.” She nodded as the door slowly creaked shut. What he was saying hit her a moment too late, and she turned just in time to see his smirk. “You fucking bastard,” She murmured to herself. Of course he had caught all that, he was probably just playing along to she her reaction. These people were going to drive her insane. Plopping down on the dirt stained sheets, she allowed her mind to drift off. What were they going to do? They couldn't keep this up much longer, they were running out of money quickly. They had no destination, no purpose, no anything. But they had to pick soon, or face the consequences. So much for a 'new start'. Neve hadn't even realized she had drifted off until there was a loud knock on the door. Rubbing her eyes, she stumbled forward to get it open. It was probably just Aiden, here to ask her what she wanted. Still in a daze, she opened the door, and was surprised to find that person in front of her wasn't Aiden. She didn't even have time to react before she was knocked out cold. ................................................................................................................................................................................... What was that smell? It was putrid, someone had mixed rotten eggs and sweat. It made her want to puke. She forced her eyes to open and her mind to function again. Where was she? That last thing she remembered was opening the door and then . . . of course, someone had knocked her out. But who? Sitting up, she examined the room. Sheets that looked like they had been decorated by kindergarteners hung on the wall, and several lit candles sat everywhere, casting a soft light that somehow made the place more ominous. There was no furniture with the exception of a pile of blankets and a little work table. She tried to move to get a better look, but something yanked her back. Now she noticed it; the thick ropes that bound her wrists and ankles. She wasn't strong enough to break through them on her own, and her sword was nowhere to be found. This wasn't good. “I'm glad that your finally awake.” From the corner, the owner of the voice stepped out. He was tall and lanky, with thick bags under his eyes like he hadn't slept in day. His hair was a pitch black and his violet eyes showed volumes of insanity. Neve reflexively backed away. “Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you.” Right as he said it, he picked up a small knife from the pile of blankets. “Who -” She didn't even finish. She was getting really freaking tired of that question. “Oh, me? I'm Cheese, but you can call me Reaper.” “Cheese?” Any feeling of intimidation was lost. “Ya, I chose the name myself.” Yes, he most definitely was insane. “What do you want?” “Hm, that's a hard question to answer. I want answers, I want proof, and most importantly, I want you.” “Get in line.” She was still having trouble getting over the Cheese thing. “Don't worry, I have ways of fixing you.” He pulled out a leather pouch, unrolling it to reveal a variety of instruments. Some were curvy, some were strait, and none of them looked like something you would use for fixing something. But they did look like something meant for fixing someone. To put it short, instruments of torture. Neve felt her senses go into over drive and her heart beat frantically in her chest. He wouldn't . . . would he? “What are those?” “My tool kit.” On closer observation, it was easy to spot the dark red stains that marked the tips of each tool. This wasn't his first time. Who was this guy? Reaching down, he pulled out a small device with a knob that hung off the end. It looked like something you'd use to drill a hole in wood. Or skin . . . “What-” Her words were muffled by a dirty rag that was forced into her mouth. She squirmed, channeling all her strength into getting free, but to no avail. “Don't worry, this won't last long.” He put the tip of the tool to her temple, his other hand placed on the knob. One strong hand held her by the scruff on her neck, keeping her still, while the other held onto the knob. Slowly, he began to turn it, and right before it could dig into her skin, he stopped. “Know what? I don't think I should use this one. You are a Shinigami, after all, I should do something special, just for you.” He put the tool back and rolled up the case. She wanted to ask how he knew that, but nothing could be heard through the rag. Walking over to the pile of blankets, he pulled out a petite, sharp black scythe. “Like it? I got it in France. One of a kind.” He twirled it in his hands, admiring the artwork. Neve felt like she could scream. “It's ironic. A Shinigami dieing at the hands of a human, and with a scythe, no less.” Neve's only response was a muffled 'asshole'. Taking his delicate time, each step he took was slow and drawn out. The room was so small that only a few steps was all it took to be on top of her. He held to weapon high above his head, ready to end her, once and for all. Neve closed her eyes, now completely helpless. When she opened them again, he was collapsed on the ground, out cold. In front of her she could see a pair of shoes, and a spark of hope rose up in her. Aiden had come for her. But when she looked up, what she saw was most definitely not Aiden. First, let's start with the hair. Think of the brightest, more ridiculous shade of pink you can think of. This was his hair. Then think of the brightest orange. This was his eyes. Now put all that on a tall, lanky white boy, and that's what Neve was looking at. Behind him, another figure approached; a beautiful woman with long scarlet hair and a curvaceous body. She took out the small knife and cut the ropes, finally freeing her. Neve pulled the rag out of her mouth, before addressing her saviors. “Who are you?” This had to be the first time she was asking this to someone who wasn't trying to kill her. “Listen to that. No thank you, or how are you doing? I swear people have no clue how to talk to their saviors.” The tall pink one complained. “Can you blame her? You're almost scarier than Captain Funny Tools over here.” The woman helped Neve to her feet. “Captain Funny Tools? Please, I could have done better than that.” Pink Hair shot back. Neve rubbed her head. All her muscles were wobbly and her thoughts scrambled to keep up with the change in situation. She had to lean on the woman just to stay upright. “Oh, come on, buck up. You're a Shinigami, not a child.” They were making their way towards some kind of staircase now, with Neve using the woman as support. “Don't talk to her like that! She could have been killed! Or raped!” “Please, if he's anything like he decorates then he is obviously gay.” The last comment made her smile. Their bickering reminded her of many of the Shinigami back home. “Please, you think everyone's gay.” Now they had reached the top of the staircase and pushing through the door large wooden stepped out into what Neve immediately recognized as the woods. But their inn wasn't anywhere near the woods. How far had he taken her? Behind her, Pink Hair had shut the door and put in a branch as a make shift lock. They began walking into the woods, and by now Neve was capable of looking at her two newest 'friends'. They were both Shinigami: the Zanpakuto's strapped to their sides was evidence of that. But their were so many questions that she still had. She started with the simplest one. “What's your name?” The woman was the first to answer. “I'm Helmi Jarnagin, nice to meet ya.” She elbowed Neve in a playful manner. “And I'm Ladislao Irvine. Don't forget the name.” His walk was more of saunter, like he was show casing the latest designer fashions. If anyone else had done it, it probably would have been irritating, but the way he did I made it seem almost hilarious. He really was quite a character. “I'm Neve Kaelin.” Both of them stopped and gawked at her. “What?” “Kaelin? Like the Kaelins?” Of course, how could she have forgotten? Her family was famous for it's past exploits in Soul Society. Her grandfather was one of the main founders of the Tianxia Guard, and her father was now the current Head Captain. Of course they had heard of them. “Let me guess, Hiaro's kid?” Ladislao asked. She nodded. “Hm, guess I should have seen that one coming. Halina must be your mother then.” Another nod. “Gosh, so much has changed since we were last in Soul Society.” Helmi said to no one in particular. “What do you expect? It's been over two decades. Hiaro must still be a captain, right?” “Actually, he's Head Captain now.” She had no clue were they were taking her, but they seemed to be going deeper into the woods. “Head Captain?! Of course. I should have expected that much out of that little 'prodigy'.” “Jealous much?” Helmi teased. He just turned his head. Now she could see where they were taking her. Over the horizon, the sun was setting, painting the sky shades of purple and red. A small, quaint cabin was getting closer and closer each second. It wasn't much to look at, just a regular log cabin, and if her guess was right, their home. “Finally.” Ladislao remarked. They stepped inside. The inside of the cabin was even less pleasing than the outside, with the bare minimum of furniture and hardly any decorations. Neve plopped down on one of the closest couches, exhausted and beaten. Ladislao sat formally on the chair and Helmi just lied down on the floor. She was grateful for what they'd down for her, but she still had millions of questions. Where to start? “So, who was that guy?” Just the thought of him sent shivers down her spine. “Oh, you mean Cheese? He's a nut job.” Thanks for the information, Captain Obvious. “Way to be specific. Actually, he's a spiritual aware human we ran into a while ago. His energy attracted a lot of Hollows, and his town blamed him for the disaster they caused. Count that with the fact that he was the only one who could see them and things just went down hill from there. He was always kind of a nut job, but that sent him hurdling over the edge. After the first few girls went missing we began to track him, and next thing you know we find you.” “Hm.” That probably explains why he knew she was a Shinigami. But wait, she's forgetting something . . . “Wait, am I the only one you spotted?” She felt silly to have forgotten about Aiden. He was probably back by now and worried beyond belief. “No, we know about your friend, too.” She just sat there, contemplating what to do. She could ask them to come back with her to the inn. Yes, that sounded like a good idea . . . “Oh look, here he is now.” Neve shot up from her position. He was right. Several meters away, Aiden's energy was rapidly approaching. She could tell he was angry, the different pattern was enough to tell her that. She walked up to open the door, and before he even had a chance to knock, she yanked it open. “Uh, hey.” Was all she could think up. He seemed to defuse just a little, but still didn't look pleased. “What are you doing here?” His eyes bounced from Helmi to Ladislao, like he was trying to tell what to make of them. “It's a long story.” She allowed him to step inside. “Who are they?” “This is Ladislao Irvine, and Helmi Jarnagin.” They each gave a little wave. “And who might you be?” Ladislao asked. He said it in a flirtatious tone that made Aiden want to dash. “I'm Aiden Kaelin.” “Oh, so you must be Neve's brother.” “Not by blood. I was adopted into the family a long time ago.” This did not seem like it pleased Ladislao one bit. “Oh.” He sat back in his chair, now uninterested. “So what happened? Why weren't you at the inn?” “Um . . . well . . .” She didn't know how to put it in a way that wouldn't give him a heart attack. “Long story short, some loony bin tried to kidnap her and torture her to death. Luckily we were tracking him and could catch him before he pulled anything funny.” Neve face-palmed. That was exactly the worst way you could put it. Luckily, he didn't look as upset as she was expecting. “Geez, another one? How many people want to kill you?” He tried to make it sound like a joke, but made things more awkward than anything. Everyone just stared. Finally Ladislao was the one to break the awkward silence. “So, tell us about these people who are trying to kill you?” “You couldn't have said that any other way?” “Why? I'm only asking the things I'm curious about.” Neve knew if she didn't butt in they'd start bickering again. “Well, it's actually quite the story.” They turned they're attention to her. “You see, I was born with really odd powers. Everything from the energy I gave off to the way others powers reacted on me was off, so I spent most of my childhood in isolation. When I was younger, I met the Arrancars for the first time . . .” She trailed off. Explaining the next part would be more difficult, especially considering she knew so little about it herself. “What?” “Well, they came to my house to give me something. There was three of them, but I only met one. Apparently they are part of something called the 'Prosodias'.” “Prosodias?” “Ya, they're a bunch of Vasto Lordes working for someone.” Aiden but in. “And let me guess, you have no idea who this person is?” “Nope.” Neve continued her story. “Well, when they showed up, they gave me some sort of odd rock. I kept it with me on a necklace long after that, as per their orders, but got rid of it once I joined the academy.” “Wait, I thought your powers were too odd to be in public?” “They are, but we were waiting until I had the power to control them. Oh, and my eyes . . .” “What about them?” “Well, I wasn't born with normal eyes. My irises are white and the part surrounding that black, making it a dead give away that I wasn't normal. My dad had a friend of his make custom contacts to fix the problem, allowing me to go to the academy without many problems.” She gently removed her contact to show them. They flinched a little, looks of curious written on their faces. “Anyways, getting rid of the rock was a fatal mistake. On my first day at the academy they attacked and a different Arrancar, Baldassare, literally forced it into my heart.” “And you're not dead?” Ladislao had never heard of someone surviving something like that. “That's were my powers come in again. My body regenerates all my wounds quickly, among others.” She let the information sink in. “After that, I got kicked out of the academy for the damage caused. Things settled down for awhile after that, but soon everything pretty much went to hell.” This next part was the most difficult to explain. She sighed. “It started when I found this kid. I'm not sure what was wrong with him, but he couldn't seem to comprehend anything I said. Every time I spoke to him he just replied by saying 'aahhh'.” “Mentias.” Everyone looked at Ladislao like he was crazy, which honestly speaking, he probably was. “Come again?” “Mentias. There a breed of Arrancar that are unique for the fact that they're, well, idiots. They've been made in such a way that they have almost no cognitive abilities, which includes talking and logical reasoning. But this also makes them incredibly dangerous. They have nothing to restrain their power, and can be extremely unpredictable. You're lucky he didn't try and pull anything, or you may not be here.” “Actually, that explains a lot.” Aiden commented. But where was this guy was getting these Arrancar from? “Well, he took off before I could figure out what was going on, so I followed him like the idiot I am.” She stopped. The next part still haunted her nightmares. “When we stopped, I managed to lose track of him and stumble across something horrible. Two bodies, the mother and son of the Kuchiki family. It's hard to explain this part, but someone just . . . showed up. I knew that he did it, but his face was hidden by a cloak and I couldn't feel any energy, so it was hard to tell what or who he was. He injected some kind of drug into and then took off." “Drugs? Bodies? Weird men? Please, it sounds like you're the average teenager.” Neve couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious. “After that, Central 46 tried to blame me for their deaths. There was a short time when we thought they were going to let it go, but that was just hopeful thinking. Not too long after I got attacked by some members of the Onmitsukido who got orders from Central 46 to execute me. I just barely escaped, and decided to leave for a safer place, namely the human world.” Helmi snorted. “What?” “Nothing, that last part is just so ironic.” Neve and Aiden looked at her like she was crazy. “What do you mean?” Her and Ladislao exchanged looks. “Know what, we can explain it to you later. But that's one hell of a story you got there.” “Tell me about it.” Aiden came and sat next to Neve on the couch. She could tell there was something he was itching to say. “So, where are you guys going?” He finally asked. “What do you mean?” “I mean, why are you guys in the human world?” They stopped to think about this. “Let's just say we're not exactly welcome in Soul Society.” Helmi spoke up. “So what are you guys planning to do here? Do you have a destination?” Neve flashed him a look. What was he planning? “No, not really. Our only goal right about now is to not get caught.” “Then come with us.” Neve nearly sprang from the couch. What did just he say?! “What do you mean?” Helmi asked. “I mean, we all have no real destination and are outcasts to the world. Maybe if we travel together we can find a place to go. After all, us outcasts have to stick together.” Aiden said the last part at Neve, and she caught the message. He was throwing her own words back at her, and she had no choice but to go along. For a second, Ladislao and Helmi seemed to have an invisible conversation, or invisible bickering, if that's possible, but came to an agreement. “I think it would be a good idea. I've got nothing better to do.” Helmi remarked. “I guess I'll go along too, but only because I have a lot of the same questions you two do.” Ladislao agreed. So it was settled then. They would travel together, even if they had absolutely no clue where they were going. “Sounds good.” Aiden and Neve agreed. Getting settled didn't take too long. Not soon after the conversation was over, Ladislao and Helmi found something new to argue over. Tea was served, and it was agreed that they would take off the next morning. Though they weren't aware of it, Neve did have a place she intended they go, but kept it hidden until the right time came to reveal it. It's crazy how quickly things had changed. That morning all she was worried about was finding a place to sleep, and now they had added two powerful Shinigami to their traveling group, all in less than a day. You could say things looked like they were going uphill, but that would jinx it. Previous Chapter > Forgotten Crisis Next Chapter > Head in the Clouds