"...Is it strange, knowing that before you lays a person that you've been searching for? Well, it seems that in a way, that will probably Virginia's and the others reactions when they see my body at home laying unconscious on yet another hospital bed. I wonder which one I was went to this time, Union or Regional...Hell, maybe they got so frightened that they took me to Riley in Indianapolis. Well, whatever the case is, it's seems that I'm gonna be trapped in this damned place for a while...I hate this, I hate all of it. I want to go home, return to the Sereitei, and see my friends...I want to see Virginia and Cree, Kayla and Bianca, Momo, Aneko...I want to see Toshiro...Damn it...Why is this happening to us? What is it that I've done in my life to myself a target of these damn Bijuu? It makes no sense...I just wish I could-..Damn it, now what do they want with me?..."
January 14
OUR WORLD
Bianca's Perspective
"This absolutely sucks..." Virginia mutters.
"Will you be quiet, we're in school right now." Cree says, leaning over to whisper at Virginia, who sits besides her.
Bianca looks back at them, grinning at their argument.
...Seems that even now that she knows, she won't stop whining...
"Ms. Leivy?"
She blinks, looking back to see Mrs. Nigmen looking down at her.
"Y-Yes ma'am?" she asks.
Mrs. Nigmen grins.
"Something wrong dear, you seemed distracted today." she asks.
"W-Well, not really." Bianca replies.
Mrs. Nigmen smiles.
"Well, that's good. Any who, I wanted to ask if you could do something for me."
Bianca blinks.
"Really? What?" she asks.
"You're good friends with Ms. Mariya Shecker, correct?" Mrs. Nigmen says, holding up some papers, "Well, I heard she was in the hospital again, so I was wondering if you could take these to her family so that she'll be able to work on them once she wakes up."
Her eyes widen, taken back by being asked to do something involving Mariya. It's now been about a week since Mariya disappeared, and about two days since Virginia learned that she was actually alive. Since, they've been trying to find where Mariya may be, but with school occurring, they had to come back so they wouldn't also be rushed to the hospital for no good reason. It's been hard on everyone, especially Toshiro, who stayed back this time.
"Ms. Leivy?"
"Oh, s-sorry Ma'am! I'll take it to her." Bianca says as she takes the papers.
Mrs. Nigmen eyes her for a moment, concerned. But, she doesn't investigate further, and turns and walks off. Bianca sighs, looking over the papers with her own. It seems that until Mariya gets back, she'll have to be the one to do her work. It's the least she can do at this point for her to make it easier on Mariya when she gets back.
If she gets back.
Without warning, the bell rings, pulling it from her thoughts as she automatically goes for her things, as she does everyday at the end of class, and the end of the day.
"Dang, that was too long of a day." Virginia whines as they walk out of the class.
"It would of been better if you would of just kept your mouth shut." Cree comments.
"Hey, I was quiet when I needed to be." Virginia argues.
"Really? What did we learn in Science today?" Cree asks.
Virginia falls silent.
"You don't know, do you?-" Bianca starts.
"Yes I do!" Virginia protests.
"Then tell us." Cree says.
"W-Well...we learned...um..." she trails, "Planets!"
"Nope, black holes." Cree answers, "Pay attention, and you may know stuff like that."
"Oh shut up!" Virginia yells, pouting.
"Guys...do you think...we should go visit Mariya?" Bianca asks.
Cree and Virginia blink, looking at her.
"Visit?" Cree asks.
"Y-Yeah, I mean, she's in the hospital right now right?" Bianca answers.
"But that's just her body, right?" Virginia asks.
"Well, yes, but you must admit, it'd be nice to see her."
"See who?"
The three turn to see Kayla walking up to them, already holding her things, considering her locker is right next to her last period.
"Mariya, she's in the hospital." Cree answers.
"Oh, but isn't that just her body?" Kayla asks.
"See, I'm not the only one here." Virginia says.
"Virginia, please, don't tell me that you don't miss seeing Mariya." Bianca says.
"Well, I do, but-" Virginia starts.
"-Then isn't it worth it to go visit her in the hospital?" Bianca interrupts.
Virginia and the others look at one another, before Cree sighs, and nods.
"Alright, we'll go." Cree replies.
"Great, and just to make it up to you guys, I'll give you guys a ride." Bianca answers with a smile.
"Good." Kayla says with a grin.
"Yeah, 'cause we were gonna make you do it anyway." Virginia says, running ahead.
"Wait, what?!" Bianca calls after her, "Virginia!"
----
"You girls may come in now if you wish." a nurse in purple scrubs says with a smile.
"Thanks a lot Ma'am." Cree says, leading the group.
"No problem, oh, and if anything happens, just press the button next to the door, alright?" she replies.
"Alright, thanks again." Virginia replies.
With a grin, the nurse walks off, leaving them alone outside of Mariya's room.
"Well, here goes nothing." Kayla comments, opening the door
With a soft click, the door unlocks, not making a single noise as it swings open, revealing a nicely lit room, the burnt yellow making the room seem warmer as the sun pierces through the blinds.
"Looks like we got here before her parents did." Bianca comments as she sits her stuff in a chair besides the door with everyone else.
"Yeah, she said they usually get here around 4, so they should be here sooner or later." Cree says.
"Makes sense, see Abigail and Tyler before heading...this way..." Kayla trails, spotting Mariya.
The others look up, falling silent as they see Mariya laying unconscious in the bed. Cree looks at Bianca and Virginia as Kayla walks ahead of them. Bianca follows close behind, soon coming to be right beside Kayla to look over Mariya.
She looks simply asleep, her shorter, wavy chestnut locks and bangs laying perfectly around her, beautifully framing her content face. She appears calm, her breathing steady in rhythm, her heart beat nice and relaxed. Against the sunlight, her lightly tanned skin shines with a healthy glow, the appearance of no scars or injury somehow putting them all at ease. Bianca looks down her body and notices something. Around Mariya's neck is her cross necklace, and a pendant, quite like Toshiro's, rests beside it, the design the exact same as her other.
"Man...it's like...seeing a phantom in a way." Virginia comments.
Cree nods.
"Yeah, hard to believe that even though she's right in front of us..but at the same time..." Cree trails.
"No where to be found in the Soul Society." Kayla finishes, "Man, I wish she was awake. I want to hear her speak again."
"Same here, I miss singing randomly with her." Bianca comments with a sigh.
"I never thought I'd miss it, it was always like she was trying to rub in that she can sing like Christina Aguilera...Is it bad that I secretly liked to listen to her sing?" Virginia asks.
Cree chuckles.
"Probably no, and I bet she'd love to hear you say to her once we get her back." Cree replies.
"No way am I telling her, then she'll sing more." Virginia mutters.
"Hey, guys." Bianca says.
They turn to look at her.
"What is it Bianca?" Kayla asks.
"Well, I was just wondering...is it possible to communicate with Mariya...through her other body?" Bianca trails.
They blink.
"What?!" they say at once.
"Well, her body must be connected to her soul somehow!" Bianca says.
"So...if we find the link...we can-" Cree starts.
"Talk to Mariya-" Kayla continues.
"-And get her to tell us where she is!" Virginia finishes.
They look at each other for a moment, before laughing.
"Alright, now, who's gonna look." Kayla asks.
"I say Cree does it, she's the only here that can, or at least knows how." Virginia proposes.
Cree nods.
"Ok, I'm going in." Cree says, "Here, you guys hold onto my hand so you can see what's going on."
"Right." the three say at once.
Cree nods, before taking Mariya's hand.
Holding onto her other, Bianca blinks as they suddenly find themselves in a dank space.
"Well, it's dark here, that's for sure." Kayla comments.
"Virginia, does this look familiar at all?" Bianca asks.
Virginia shakes her head.
"No, there's no stones lining the walls. To tell the truth, I just think that this is the inside of the empty body." Virginia answers.
"Inside?" Cree asks.
"Y'know, where the Soul would be if Mariya was in this body." Virginia replies, "Now, what should we be looking for?"
"Well, anything that stands out probably, maybe something of color or light, maybe of a different shape-" Kayla starts, before being cut off, tripping over something, "Ack!"
"Kayla!" Bianca says, running over to Kayla's side, "You alright?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, but I think I may of found something." Kayla comments as Bianca helps her up.
They blink.
"Whatcha find?" Virginia asks, walking closer.
Kayla runs her hands along the floor, before touching something.
"EEEK!" Kayla yells as she jolts up, "I-I-I-It moved!"
"What, moved?" Cree asks, "Here, wait a sec, maybe I can use Hebi Denkou to make a light."
Moments later, her sword appears in her fist, the blade slowly beginning to glow as Cree pumps some Spiritual Pressure into it. Moments pass before they get a clear view of what Kayla touched.
"What the heck?" Virginia asks.
A lump. A lump in the ground.
"What is this thing? Out in the middle too." Bianca says, looking around to see the large area stretches on passed her view.
"Hmm...hey, wait! Look!" Cree calls, pointing in the direction Bianca is facing.
On closer examination, Bianca blinks as she sees that there are more of the same uproots going further down into the abyss looking darkness.
"Well, there's a lot of them, so what are they?" Kayla asks.
"Who knows. I certainly don't." Virginia replies, resting her hands on her hips.
Bianca sighs, looking down the row of lumps. She blinks as she notices something in the distance.
"Guys..." she trails.
Her eyes widen as she sees it getting closer, and fast.
"Guys, get out, now!" Bianca yells.
They look up.
"What?" they ask at once.
"Cree, break, now!" Bianca yells.
With that, the world around them shatters, leaving them panting a bit. Virginia looks over at Bianca.
"Dude, why'd you make Cree get out?! We could of seen what happened!-" Virginia starts.
"No Virginia, Bianca did the right thing. We didn't know what the light was, for all we know, it could of hurt us." Cree interrupts.
"Well, I wanna know what the light even was, I mean, seriously, she looks completely the same as when we left-"
"A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Their eyes widen in alarm as Mariya screams at the top of her lungs.
"HOLY CRAP!" Kalya yells as she trips, falling on her butt.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Virginia yells.
"B-Bianca, the button! Push the button!" Cree yells.
"R-Right!" Bianca answers, turning to run towards the red button on the wall.
Frantically, she pushes hard on the button, lighting it up as she lets go.
"Good, now they should be here any minute-" Cree starts.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
They whip their heads around to stare at Mariya, who's contorting oddly in the bed. They quickly run over to her side.
"M-Mariya! It's us!" Kayla yells.
"What's wrong?!" Cree yells.
She lets out another bloodcurdling scream.
Bianca grits her teeth.
...What's going on?!...
"B-BASTARDS-AHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Their eyes widen.
"W-Wait a sec, could this be what she's experiencing-" Cree starts.
"In the Soul Society?" Virginia finishes.
Without warning, Mariya begins to cough, their eyes widen as as blood appears, trailing down her cheek.
"M-Mariya!" Bianca yells.
She responds with panting, tears appearing on the rims of her eyes.
"G-Guys....n-ngh!" she trails.
"Mariya, we're right here!" Virginia says.
Mariya falls silent for a few moments as a tear rolls down her cheek.
"Toshiro..."
Their eyes widen.
"Mariya-" Kayla starts.
Suddenly, she jolts up.
"A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"What on Earth could they be doing to her?!" Cree yells.
"She must be in great pain-" Bianca starts.
"Girls, get out of the way!"
The turn around, seeing a bunch of nurses and doctors rushing in.
"We need to get her back to normal, now! Nurse, heart rate?" one doctor shouts.
"159 bpm doctor." a reply comes.
"That's way too high."
"I need 5 mcg/mL of procainamide, stat!"
"W-Wait, what's going on?" Bianca asks.
"Sorry girls, you need to get out now. Your friend will be fine, we've encountered this with her before yesterday and today-" a nurse starts.
"Wait, she's done this before?" Cree asks.
"BP is 136!"
"Where's that procainamide?!"
"Mariya!" Virginia yells.
"Go girls!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!" Mariya streams again, before panting as some more blood trails, "...Guys...where are...you...."
Their eyes widen.
Did she...sense them?!
"MARIYA!" Kayla yells, before their pulled back, lead out of the room by nurses.
"We'll let you know when she's better, now go!" the nurse yells as he pushes them out with her bags, shutting the door quick behind himself.
They pant, turning towards the door.
"S-She...was looking for us." Kayla trails.
Cree nods.
"We must of made a connection in her mind...maybe the lump...was it." Cree trails.
"Yeah, maybe." Virginia agrees.
Bianca just stares at the door.
...Mariya...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
July
SOUL SOCIETY
Toshiro's Perspective
"Captain! How's the work coming?" Rangiku asks as she sticks her head out from behind the door to Toshiro's office.
"Not now Rangiku, I'm busy." Toshiro replies, not even looking up from the map.
"Aww, c'mon, I wanna know your progress." she pouts, standing in the doorway.
He sighs.
"Well, I've got good news, and bad news." Toshiro says, "Good news, I've been able to eliminate a lot of places where she could be."
"That's great, now...what's the bad news?"
"The places I eliminated...made up the entire Soul Society."
Rangiku blinks.
"W-What?!" she stutters, "That's n-not possible, is it?!"
"There's no place like what Virginia described in the Soul Society, meaning it must be in the World of the Living...which leads to even more bad news."
"What?"
"Well, in the World of the Living, there are places like that Virginia described-"
"That's good!-"
"-All over the world!"
Rangiku falls silent.
"Oh..." she trails.
"There's at least 500 places fitting the description in each continent except Antarctica." Toshiro says, "They've got our hands tied now."
"Hiding in plain sight..."
Toshiro blinks, and looks up at Rangiku.
"What?"
"That's what they always do, right? Hide the answer in plain sight." Rangiku answers, "Captain, tell me, which continent has the most?"
"Uh, let me see..." he trails, "It's Europe."
"Start there, you just eliminated at least half of your chances of failing."
He stares at her.
"Now, with the fact of 'Plain Sight' in mind, keep searching Sir." Rangiku replies, "You'll find her Captain."
For a moment she just stares back at him, before giving a sigh, standing straight as she turns away. He doesn't say anything, watching her exit.
"Rangiku."
She blinks, turning her head.
"Yes sir?" she asks.
"Not a word to anyone." he answers.
Her eyes widen, before she chuckles, turning back.
"Of course Sir, good luck." she replies, shutting the door behind her.
He sits there for a moment, before giving a sigh.
"Thanks, I'm gonna need it." he comments.
He looks over maps of Europe, from England, to Turkey, Austria, and Sweden, even peaking into Greece to see if there's literature that looks more prominent then the others.
Minutes pass, and he sighs, no where closer then where he had been when Rangiku left. More minutes pass, then an hour, and he groans, rubbing his head.
"Damn, I suck at thinking plain sight." he says to himself.
He flicks at a stack of papers, and eyes something. Curious, he pulls it from stack.
"Welcome all...to Scotland's...Edinburgh Vaults?" he reads, hoping he pronounced the word right, "Why would they promote a vault, that stupid...it's.."
He blinks.
"Simple...Plain and simple."
He turns, looking through records.
"Edinburgh Vaults..." he trails, "Got it!"
A small entry on the subject.
"Theses are once forgotten vaults located in Scotland that were discovered to run all under the city of Edinburgh. Squatters and other low level peasants called this place home, even some children are reported to of lived in the chambers...Recently became popular, and has become a huge attraction to the city." he reads.
He sets it down, thinking it over.
"A hint, there must be a hint...Why would they take her to such a popular place?"
His eyes widen.
"Popular..." he trails, "What is the most popular dungeon attraction in Europe..."
Minutes pass, and he finally finds a location.
"No way...they could of taken her there?" he asks.
The London Tower.
"Why would they take her there, what connection would it have with her?"
Without warning, he hears something fall from the top of a far stack.
"Great." he groans as he gets up.
Walking around to see the file, his eyes widen as he sees its the Mahinahime file.
"Ah crap, I hope nothing fell out."
Picking it up, a paper falls out. He blinks, leaning over to pick it up. He glances at it, before his eyes widen, looking back on it.
"...W-What?" he stutters, "No...way..."
One of Mahinahime's favorite styles of dress was the current look of Victorian Europe, specifically those in Great Britain....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Heh, she's fun to make pissed. She lights up a lot." one Bijuu comments, laughing.
"Raijuu, cut it off, Mistress will become angered if you kill our prisoner." Sokou comments.
"Well well well, the weakling is finally learning his ABCs..." Raijuu replies, taking Sokou's high collar, pulling him up and slightly off the ground, "Don't go talking smart, could get you killed."
Sokou gulps, glaring up Raijuu as he sets him down.
"Alright boys, let's go say our daily hellos." Shukaku says with a smirk.
Raijuu grins.
"Yes, let's I would love to start my day on a good note."
"You call the prisoner screaming in pain a good note?"
Raijuu blinks, turning to see someone walking towards him. He laughs, giving a large laugh.
"Aw, Kenta, boy! You're back!" Raijuu says.
Kenta grins.
"Yes, I am, the Lady called me back, and I must say, I am glad to be back, and no longer in that horrible uniform." Kenta replies as they start down stairs.
"Yeah, know whatcha mean bro. But, tell me man..." he trails, pulling Kenta closer to whisper in his ear as they turn into a darkening hall, "Spill, how does our puppet look to you?"
Kenta laughs.
"She nice." Kenta replies, running his hand across an open cell door.
"How nice?" Raijuu asks with a smirk as they slow.
"Oh, she's great, quite a looker, has a more innocent, cute look to her." Kenta replies, "Man, I must say, out of all the jobs she's given me, I must say that seducing that little cutie is the best yet-"
"You lay a hand on her, you're dead, got it?"
Kenta and Raijuu blink, looking over into the cell.
"Whoa, man, I heard that you did, but I didn't actually believe it!" Kenta says, looking in closer.
"Yeah, that's right, little old Sokou over here nabbed her about a week back." Shukaku comments, gesturing at Sokou.
"No way, he did?" Kenta asks.
Sokou nods.
"Damn, your gas must be dangerous then. I may just borrow some to use on Virginia-"
"DO THAT AND I'LL GRIND YOUR HEAD UNDER MY HEEL!"
Kenta jolts a bit, looking back into the cell.
"Will you calm down chick, y'know Yattamori, you aren't really in any position to be yellin' at me." Kenta replies, "So you should really be quiet."
Mariya sighs walking away from the door of the cell. Kenta looks her over. Her long hair flies free, the two ribbons she had used to hold it up tied around her wrists, bloodied. Her white haori is more of a dusty gray now, looking to be splattered with paint, actually being her blood. Blood trails run from the side of her mouth, and her eyes seems a bit lifeless, the warmth in her hazel eyes faded. Her uniform has burn marks and rips running up and down the sleeves and legs, even the bow holding her bodice is ripped up in places. Her pendant is missing, and her choker seems a little faded. Her arm bands are covered in blood spots, held behind her back by cuffs, restraing her.
"Hey, Mariya, I heard your little boyfriend had a panic attack when he found out we took ya. Almost froze himself over." Shukaku laughs.
Mariya grits her teeth.
"He isn't my boyfriend for the 80th time you 4th grade bafoon. And don't joke about him." Mariya replies.
"Why not? I mean, other then Virginia, it seems that he's one of the main ways to get to you. Though, if that's not the case, then I guess we could always kill him-" Raijuu starts.
"Shut up." she interrupts.
Raijuu raises an eyebrow.
"Oh, alright, let me think. We could um, strangle him-" Raijuu continues.
"Yes, strangling would be fun." Shukaku comments.
"We could stab him multiple times." Raijuu adds.
"That would be fun as well." Kenta replies.
"I said shut up!" Mariya says.
"We could always gas him." Sokou comments.
"Ha! Go Hitler on his ass." Kenta laughs.
Mariya begins to shutter in anger.
"Oh, wait, I got a better idea!" Kenta says.
"What's that?" Shukaku asks.
"We could drown him, use his power against him! Ha, it would have such irony." Kenta answers.
"Yes! No, no, no, wait, I got it." Raijuu comments.
"Yes?" Sokou asks.
"We lay a fake dead body of her out, and while he's freaking out and crying like a baby, we decapitate him!" Raijuu laughs.
"Yes!" Kenta laughs.
Mariya snaps.
"YOU LAY ONE FINGER ON TOSHIRO AND I'M GONNA SEND YOU ALL TO HELL, YOU SHITTY JACK-ASSES!!!" Mariya yells, her eyes glowing blue.
Kenta smirks.
"You're forgetting your Spiritual Pressure, Mariya." Shukaku comments.
Her eyes widen.
Without warning, Mariya is encased in bright shocks of electricity, blood-curdling screams escaping her throat at an uncanny pitch.
"A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Damn, what happened?" Kenta asks with a laugh as he watches the show.
"You see those handcuffs she's wearing?" Raijuu asks over her screams.
Kenta nods.
"Well, they're made to react to Spiritual Pressure. When they detect it, they send out an electric shock." Sokou explains, "Basically, it uses your power against you. More you got, the pain you're given."
"So, how many amps are you sending through her?" Kenta asks.
"Probably around 55mA." Shukaku answers, "Not quite enough to kill, but can still get a point across."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Mariya still screams, the light vanishing soon after.
Mariya coughs, blood splatting on the floor of her cell.
"Oooh, Damn, that's the new record of blood." Shukaku says with a smirk.
She glares up at him, panting hard as the blood drips from her chin.
"D-Damn....y..ou..." she trails, the light in her eyes completely disappearing as she falls to her knees.
"And she's..." Kenta starts.
"Uh..." she breaths, falling silent as she comes to lay chest down on the ground, the small puddle of blood soaking into her hair.
"Out." he finishes with a laughs.
"Damn, it's fun to see such an apparently powerful Soul Reaper look so weak and helpless then fall to lay out cold before you." Raijuu comments with a smirk.
"Yes, makes me feel that Nekomata would enjoy seeing this." Shukaku comments.
"Alright lover boy, let's go, the Lady will be waiting." Kenta comments.
They laugh, walking off as Mariya resparks some, still in throbbing pain. Her pants are hard, her heart beating too fast that she can barely get air into her lungs to satisfy them. Her eyes, almost dead by the looks of them, flutter barely open, tears escaping.
"T-To...shiro..." she trails, a little more blood escaping her lips, "...Save...m-me...guys"
January 14
OUR WORLD
Bianca's Perspective
"This absolutely sucks..." Virginia mutters.
"Will you be quiet, we're in school right now." Cree says, leaning over to whisper at Virginia, who sits besides her.
Bianca looks back at them, grinning at their argument.
...Seems that even now that she knows, she won't stop whining...
"Ms. Leivy?"
She blinks, looking back to see Mrs. Nigmen looking down at her.
"Y-Yes ma'am?" she asks.
Mrs. Nigmen grins.
"Something wrong dear, you seemed distracted today." she asks.
"W-Well, not really." Bianca replies.
Mrs. Nigmen smiles.
"Well, that's good. Any who, I wanted to ask if you could do something for me."
Bianca blinks.
"Really? What?" she asks.
"You're good friends with Ms. Mariya Shecker, correct?" Mrs. Nigmen says, holding up some papers, "Well, I heard she was in the hospital again, so I was wondering if you could take these to her family so that she'll be able to work on them once she wakes up."
Her eyes widen, taken back by being asked to do something involving Mariya. It's now been about a week since Mariya disappeared, and about two days since Virginia learned that she was actually alive. Since, they've been trying to find where Mariya may be, but with school occurring, they had to come back so they wouldn't also be rushed to the hospital for no good reason. It's been hard on everyone, especially Toshiro, who stayed back this time.
"Ms. Leivy?"
"Oh, s-sorry Ma'am! I'll take it to her." Bianca says as she takes the papers.
Mrs. Nigmen eyes her for a moment, concerned. But, she doesn't investigate further, and turns and walks off. Bianca sighs, looking over the papers with her own. It seems that until Mariya gets back, she'll have to be the one to do her work. It's the least she can do at this point for her to make it easier on Mariya when she gets back.
If she gets back.
Without warning, the bell rings, pulling it from her thoughts as she automatically goes for her things, as she does everyday at the end of class, and the end of the day.
"Dang, that was too long of a day." Virginia whines as they walk out of the class.
"It would of been better if you would of just kept your mouth shut." Cree comments.
"Hey, I was quiet when I needed to be." Virginia argues.
"Really? What did we learn in Science today?" Cree asks.
Virginia falls silent.
"You don't know, do you?-" Bianca starts.
"Yes I do!" Virginia protests.
"Then tell us." Cree says.
"W-Well...we learned...um..." she trails, "Planets!"
"Nope, black holes." Cree answers, "Pay attention, and you may know stuff like that."
"Oh shut up!" Virginia yells, pouting.
"Guys...do you think...we should go visit Mariya?" Bianca asks.
Cree and Virginia blink, looking at her.
"Visit?" Cree asks.
"Y-Yeah, I mean, she's in the hospital right now right?" Bianca answers.
"But that's just her body, right?" Virginia asks.
"Well, yes, but you must admit, it'd be nice to see her."
"See who?"
The three turn to see Kayla walking up to them, already holding her things, considering her locker is right next to her last period.
"Mariya, she's in the hospital." Cree answers.
"Oh, but isn't that just her body?" Kayla asks.
"See, I'm not the only one here." Virginia says.
"Virginia, please, don't tell me that you don't miss seeing Mariya." Bianca says.
"Well, I do, but-" Virginia starts.
"-Then isn't it worth it to go visit her in the hospital?" Bianca interrupts.
Virginia and the others look at one another, before Cree sighs, and nods.
"Alright, we'll go." Cree replies.
"Great, and just to make it up to you guys, I'll give you guys a ride." Bianca answers with a smile.
"Good." Kayla says with a grin.
"Yeah, 'cause we were gonna make you do it anyway." Virginia says, running ahead.
"Wait, what?!" Bianca calls after her, "Virginia!"
----
"You girls may come in now if you wish." a nurse in purple scrubs says with a smile.
"Thanks a lot Ma'am." Cree says, leading the group.
"No problem, oh, and if anything happens, just press the button next to the door, alright?" she replies.
"Alright, thanks again." Virginia replies.
With a grin, the nurse walks off, leaving them alone outside of Mariya's room.
"Well, here goes nothing." Kayla comments, opening the door
With a soft click, the door unlocks, not making a single noise as it swings open, revealing a nicely lit room, the burnt yellow making the room seem warmer as the sun pierces through the blinds.
"Looks like we got here before her parents did." Bianca comments as she sits her stuff in a chair besides the door with everyone else.
"Yeah, she said they usually get here around 4, so they should be here sooner or later." Cree says.
"Makes sense, see Abigail and Tyler before heading...this way..." Kayla trails, spotting Mariya.
The others look up, falling silent as they see Mariya laying unconscious in the bed. Cree looks at Bianca and Virginia as Kayla walks ahead of them. Bianca follows close behind, soon coming to be right beside Kayla to look over Mariya.
She looks simply asleep, her shorter, wavy chestnut locks and bangs laying perfectly around her, beautifully framing her content face. She appears calm, her breathing steady in rhythm, her heart beat nice and relaxed. Against the sunlight, her lightly tanned skin shines with a healthy glow, the appearance of no scars or injury somehow putting them all at ease. Bianca looks down her body and notices something. Around Mariya's neck is her cross necklace, and a pendant, quite like Toshiro's, rests beside it, the design the exact same as her other.
"Man...it's like...seeing a phantom in a way." Virginia comments.
Cree nods.
"Yeah, hard to believe that even though she's right in front of us..but at the same time..." Cree trails.
"No where to be found in the Soul Society." Kayla finishes, "Man, I wish she was awake. I want to hear her speak again."
"Same here, I miss singing randomly with her." Bianca comments with a sigh.
"I never thought I'd miss it, it was always like she was trying to rub in that she can sing like Christina Aguilera...Is it bad that I secretly liked to listen to her sing?" Virginia asks.
Cree chuckles.
"Probably no, and I bet she'd love to hear you say to her once we get her back." Cree replies.
"No way am I telling her, then she'll sing more." Virginia mutters.
"Hey, guys." Bianca says.
They turn to look at her.
"What is it Bianca?" Kayla asks.
"Well, I was just wondering...is it possible to communicate with Mariya...through her other body?" Bianca trails.
They blink.
"What?!" they say at once.
"Well, her body must be connected to her soul somehow!" Bianca says.
"So...if we find the link...we can-" Cree starts.
"Talk to Mariya-" Kayla continues.
"-And get her to tell us where she is!" Virginia finishes.
They look at each other for a moment, before laughing.
"Alright, now, who's gonna look." Kayla asks.
"I say Cree does it, she's the only here that can, or at least knows how." Virginia proposes.
Cree nods.
"Ok, I'm going in." Cree says, "Here, you guys hold onto my hand so you can see what's going on."
"Right." the three say at once.
Cree nods, before taking Mariya's hand.
Holding onto her other, Bianca blinks as they suddenly find themselves in a dank space.
"Well, it's dark here, that's for sure." Kayla comments.
"Virginia, does this look familiar at all?" Bianca asks.
Virginia shakes her head.
"No, there's no stones lining the walls. To tell the truth, I just think that this is the inside of the empty body." Virginia answers.
"Inside?" Cree asks.
"Y'know, where the Soul would be if Mariya was in this body." Virginia replies, "Now, what should we be looking for?"
"Well, anything that stands out probably, maybe something of color or light, maybe of a different shape-" Kayla starts, before being cut off, tripping over something, "Ack!"
"Kayla!" Bianca says, running over to Kayla's side, "You alright?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, but I think I may of found something." Kayla comments as Bianca helps her up.
They blink.
"Whatcha find?" Virginia asks, walking closer.
Kayla runs her hands along the floor, before touching something.
"EEEK!" Kayla yells as she jolts up, "I-I-I-It moved!"
"What, moved?" Cree asks, "Here, wait a sec, maybe I can use Hebi Denkou to make a light."
Moments later, her sword appears in her fist, the blade slowly beginning to glow as Cree pumps some Spiritual Pressure into it. Moments pass before they get a clear view of what Kayla touched.
"What the heck?" Virginia asks.
A lump. A lump in the ground.
"What is this thing? Out in the middle too." Bianca says, looking around to see the large area stretches on passed her view.
"Hmm...hey, wait! Look!" Cree calls, pointing in the direction Bianca is facing.
On closer examination, Bianca blinks as she sees that there are more of the same uproots going further down into the abyss looking darkness.
"Well, there's a lot of them, so what are they?" Kayla asks.
"Who knows. I certainly don't." Virginia replies, resting her hands on her hips.
Bianca sighs, looking down the row of lumps. She blinks as she notices something in the distance.
"Guys..." she trails.
Her eyes widen as she sees it getting closer, and fast.
"Guys, get out, now!" Bianca yells.
They look up.
"What?" they ask at once.
"Cree, break, now!" Bianca yells.
With that, the world around them shatters, leaving them panting a bit. Virginia looks over at Bianca.
"Dude, why'd you make Cree get out?! We could of seen what happened!-" Virginia starts.
"No Virginia, Bianca did the right thing. We didn't know what the light was, for all we know, it could of hurt us." Cree interrupts.
"Well, I wanna know what the light even was, I mean, seriously, she looks completely the same as when we left-"
"A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Their eyes widen in alarm as Mariya screams at the top of her lungs.
"HOLY CRAP!" Kalya yells as she trips, falling on her butt.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Virginia yells.
"B-Bianca, the button! Push the button!" Cree yells.
"R-Right!" Bianca answers, turning to run towards the red button on the wall.
Frantically, she pushes hard on the button, lighting it up as she lets go.
"Good, now they should be here any minute-" Cree starts.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
They whip their heads around to stare at Mariya, who's contorting oddly in the bed. They quickly run over to her side.
"M-Mariya! It's us!" Kayla yells.
"What's wrong?!" Cree yells.
She lets out another bloodcurdling scream.
Bianca grits her teeth.
...What's going on?!...
"B-BASTARDS-AHHHHH!!!!!!!"
Their eyes widen.
"W-Wait a sec, could this be what she's experiencing-" Cree starts.
"In the Soul Society?" Virginia finishes.
Without warning, Mariya begins to cough, their eyes widen as as blood appears, trailing down her cheek.
"M-Mariya!" Bianca yells.
She responds with panting, tears appearing on the rims of her eyes.
"G-Guys....n-ngh!" she trails.
"Mariya, we're right here!" Virginia says.
Mariya falls silent for a few moments as a tear rolls down her cheek.
"Toshiro..."
Their eyes widen.
"Mariya-" Kayla starts.
Suddenly, she jolts up.
"A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
"What on Earth could they be doing to her?!" Cree yells.
"She must be in great pain-" Bianca starts.
"Girls, get out of the way!"
The turn around, seeing a bunch of nurses and doctors rushing in.
"We need to get her back to normal, now! Nurse, heart rate?" one doctor shouts.
"159 bpm doctor." a reply comes.
"That's way too high."
"I need 5 mcg/mL of procainamide, stat!"
"W-Wait, what's going on?" Bianca asks.
"Sorry girls, you need to get out now. Your friend will be fine, we've encountered this with her before yesterday and today-" a nurse starts.
"Wait, she's done this before?" Cree asks.
"BP is 136!"
"Where's that procainamide?!"
"Mariya!" Virginia yells.
"Go girls!"
"AHHHHHHHHH!!!" Mariya streams again, before panting as some more blood trails, "...Guys...where are...you...."
Their eyes widen.
Did she...sense them?!
"MARIYA!" Kayla yells, before their pulled back, lead out of the room by nurses.
"We'll let you know when she's better, now go!" the nurse yells as he pushes them out with her bags, shutting the door quick behind himself.
They pant, turning towards the door.
"S-She...was looking for us." Kayla trails.
Cree nods.
"We must of made a connection in her mind...maybe the lump...was it." Cree trails.
"Yeah, maybe." Virginia agrees.
Bianca just stares at the door.
...Mariya...
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July
SOUL SOCIETY
Toshiro's Perspective
"Captain! How's the work coming?" Rangiku asks as she sticks her head out from behind the door to Toshiro's office.
"Not now Rangiku, I'm busy." Toshiro replies, not even looking up from the map.
"Aww, c'mon, I wanna know your progress." she pouts, standing in the doorway.
He sighs.
"Well, I've got good news, and bad news." Toshiro says, "Good news, I've been able to eliminate a lot of places where she could be."
"That's great, now...what's the bad news?"
"The places I eliminated...made up the entire Soul Society."
Rangiku blinks.
"W-What?!" she stutters, "That's n-not possible, is it?!"
"There's no place like what Virginia described in the Soul Society, meaning it must be in the World of the Living...which leads to even more bad news."
"What?"
"Well, in the World of the Living, there are places like that Virginia described-"
"That's good!-"
"-All over the world!"
Rangiku falls silent.
"Oh..." she trails.
"There's at least 500 places fitting the description in each continent except Antarctica." Toshiro says, "They've got our hands tied now."
"Hiding in plain sight..."
Toshiro blinks, and looks up at Rangiku.
"What?"
"That's what they always do, right? Hide the answer in plain sight." Rangiku answers, "Captain, tell me, which continent has the most?"
"Uh, let me see..." he trails, "It's Europe."
"Start there, you just eliminated at least half of your chances of failing."
He stares at her.
"Now, with the fact of 'Plain Sight' in mind, keep searching Sir." Rangiku replies, "You'll find her Captain."
For a moment she just stares back at him, before giving a sigh, standing straight as she turns away. He doesn't say anything, watching her exit.
"Rangiku."
She blinks, turning her head.
"Yes sir?" she asks.
"Not a word to anyone." he answers.
Her eyes widen, before she chuckles, turning back.
"Of course Sir, good luck." she replies, shutting the door behind her.
He sits there for a moment, before giving a sigh.
"Thanks, I'm gonna need it." he comments.
He looks over maps of Europe, from England, to Turkey, Austria, and Sweden, even peaking into Greece to see if there's literature that looks more prominent then the others.
Minutes pass, and he sighs, no where closer then where he had been when Rangiku left. More minutes pass, then an hour, and he groans, rubbing his head.
"Damn, I suck at thinking plain sight." he says to himself.
He flicks at a stack of papers, and eyes something. Curious, he pulls it from stack.
"Welcome all...to Scotland's...Edinburgh Vaults?" he reads, hoping he pronounced the word right, "Why would they promote a vault, that stupid...it's.."
He blinks.
"Simple...Plain and simple."
He turns, looking through records.
"Edinburgh Vaults..." he trails, "Got it!"
A small entry on the subject.
"Theses are once forgotten vaults located in Scotland that were discovered to run all under the city of Edinburgh. Squatters and other low level peasants called this place home, even some children are reported to of lived in the chambers...Recently became popular, and has become a huge attraction to the city." he reads.
He sets it down, thinking it over.
"A hint, there must be a hint...Why would they take her to such a popular place?"
His eyes widen.
"Popular..." he trails, "What is the most popular dungeon attraction in Europe..."
Minutes pass, and he finally finds a location.
"No way...they could of taken her there?" he asks.
The London Tower.
"Why would they take her there, what connection would it have with her?"
Without warning, he hears something fall from the top of a far stack.
"Great." he groans as he gets up.
Walking around to see the file, his eyes widen as he sees its the Mahinahime file.
"Ah crap, I hope nothing fell out."
Picking it up, a paper falls out. He blinks, leaning over to pick it up. He glances at it, before his eyes widen, looking back on it.
"...W-What?" he stutters, "No...way..."
One of Mahinahime's favorite styles of dress was the current look of Victorian Europe, specifically those in Great Britain....
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"Heh, she's fun to make pissed. She lights up a lot." one Bijuu comments, laughing.
"Raijuu, cut it off, Mistress will become angered if you kill our prisoner." Sokou comments.
"Well well well, the weakling is finally learning his ABCs..." Raijuu replies, taking Sokou's high collar, pulling him up and slightly off the ground, "Don't go talking smart, could get you killed."
Sokou gulps, glaring up Raijuu as he sets him down.
"Alright boys, let's go say our daily hellos." Shukaku says with a smirk.
Raijuu grins.
"Yes, let's I would love to start my day on a good note."
"You call the prisoner screaming in pain a good note?"
Raijuu blinks, turning to see someone walking towards him. He laughs, giving a large laugh.
"Aw, Kenta, boy! You're back!" Raijuu says.
Kenta grins.
"Yes, I am, the Lady called me back, and I must say, I am glad to be back, and no longer in that horrible uniform." Kenta replies as they start down stairs.
"Yeah, know whatcha mean bro. But, tell me man..." he trails, pulling Kenta closer to whisper in his ear as they turn into a darkening hall, "Spill, how does our puppet look to you?"
Kenta laughs.
"She nice." Kenta replies, running his hand across an open cell door.
"How nice?" Raijuu asks with a smirk as they slow.
"Oh, she's great, quite a looker, has a more innocent, cute look to her." Kenta replies, "Man, I must say, out of all the jobs she's given me, I must say that seducing that little cutie is the best yet-"
"You lay a hand on her, you're dead, got it?"
Kenta and Raijuu blink, looking over into the cell.
"Whoa, man, I heard that you did, but I didn't actually believe it!" Kenta says, looking in closer.
"Yeah, that's right, little old Sokou over here nabbed her about a week back." Shukaku comments, gesturing at Sokou.
"No way, he did?" Kenta asks.
Sokou nods.
"Damn, your gas must be dangerous then. I may just borrow some to use on Virginia-"
"DO THAT AND I'LL GRIND YOUR HEAD UNDER MY HEEL!"
Kenta jolts a bit, looking back into the cell.
"Will you calm down chick, y'know Yattamori, you aren't really in any position to be yellin' at me." Kenta replies, "So you should really be quiet."
Mariya sighs walking away from the door of the cell. Kenta looks her over. Her long hair flies free, the two ribbons she had used to hold it up tied around her wrists, bloodied. Her white haori is more of a dusty gray now, looking to be splattered with paint, actually being her blood. Blood trails run from the side of her mouth, and her eyes seems a bit lifeless, the warmth in her hazel eyes faded. Her uniform has burn marks and rips running up and down the sleeves and legs, even the bow holding her bodice is ripped up in places. Her pendant is missing, and her choker seems a little faded. Her arm bands are covered in blood spots, held behind her back by cuffs, restraing her.
"Hey, Mariya, I heard your little boyfriend had a panic attack when he found out we took ya. Almost froze himself over." Shukaku laughs.
Mariya grits her teeth.
"He isn't my boyfriend for the 80th time you 4th grade bafoon. And don't joke about him." Mariya replies.
"Why not? I mean, other then Virginia, it seems that he's one of the main ways to get to you. Though, if that's not the case, then I guess we could always kill him-" Raijuu starts.
"Shut up." she interrupts.
Raijuu raises an eyebrow.
"Oh, alright, let me think. We could um, strangle him-" Raijuu continues.
"Yes, strangling would be fun." Shukaku comments.
"We could stab him multiple times." Raijuu adds.
"That would be fun as well." Kenta replies.
"I said shut up!" Mariya says.
"We could always gas him." Sokou comments.
"Ha! Go Hitler on his ass." Kenta laughs.
Mariya begins to shutter in anger.
"Oh, wait, I got a better idea!" Kenta says.
"What's that?" Shukaku asks.
"We could drown him, use his power against him! Ha, it would have such irony." Kenta answers.
"Yes! No, no, no, wait, I got it." Raijuu comments.
"Yes?" Sokou asks.
"We lay a fake dead body of her out, and while he's freaking out and crying like a baby, we decapitate him!" Raijuu laughs.
"Yes!" Kenta laughs.
Mariya snaps.
"YOU LAY ONE FINGER ON TOSHIRO AND I'M GONNA SEND YOU ALL TO HELL, YOU SHITTY JACK-ASSES!!!" Mariya yells, her eyes glowing blue.
Kenta smirks.
"You're forgetting your Spiritual Pressure, Mariya." Shukaku comments.
Her eyes widen.
Without warning, Mariya is encased in bright shocks of electricity, blood-curdling screams escaping her throat at an uncanny pitch.
"A-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Damn, what happened?" Kenta asks with a laugh as he watches the show.
"You see those handcuffs she's wearing?" Raijuu asks over her screams.
Kenta nods.
"Well, they're made to react to Spiritual Pressure. When they detect it, they send out an electric shock." Sokou explains, "Basically, it uses your power against you. More you got, the pain you're given."
"So, how many amps are you sending through her?" Kenta asks.
"Probably around 55mA." Shukaku answers, "Not quite enough to kill, but can still get a point across."
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Mariya still screams, the light vanishing soon after.
Mariya coughs, blood splatting on the floor of her cell.
"Oooh, Damn, that's the new record of blood." Shukaku says with a smirk.
She glares up at him, panting hard as the blood drips from her chin.
"D-Damn....y..ou..." she trails, the light in her eyes completely disappearing as she falls to her knees.
"And she's..." Kenta starts.
"Uh..." she breaths, falling silent as she comes to lay chest down on the ground, the small puddle of blood soaking into her hair.
"Out." he finishes with a laughs.
"Damn, it's fun to see such an apparently powerful Soul Reaper look so weak and helpless then fall to lay out cold before you." Raijuu comments with a smirk.
"Yes, makes me feel that Nekomata would enjoy seeing this." Shukaku comments.
"Alright lover boy, let's go, the Lady will be waiting." Kenta comments.
They laugh, walking off as Mariya resparks some, still in throbbing pain. Her pants are hard, her heart beating too fast that she can barely get air into her lungs to satisfy them. Her eyes, almost dead by the looks of them, flutter barely open, tears escaping.
"T-To...shiro..." she trails, a little more blood escaping her lips, "...Save...m-me...guys"
Hallo.. just blog hopping.. I see you also like anime particularly bleach so I followed Your blog... ^___^
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