[DISCONTINUED] Strive | Bleach

Chapter Four: Cheers.

Chapter Four: Cheers.

Abaron's POV~

“So, that was my Bankai? That’s some pretty scary stuff. For a sweet-looking kid like you, you’ve got some pretty dark thoughts.”

“Judge me all you want, but I am a part of you. You may as well be looking in the mirror.”

“I don’t like mirrors: they give me false hope.” Bōkyaku nodded as if she understood. She probably did, considering she’s been inside me looking out of my eyes for practically my whole life. “So, what happens next?”

“I have to return all of your memories to you.” She stepped in front of me and grabbed my hands, which were swinging by my side in boredom. “Now, this’ll hurt a bit, but you have to bear with it, alright?” I nodded. Her hands tightened around mine, almost cutting off the circulation from my forearms to my fingertips. She started to hum, closing her eyes and rocking back and forth on her heels. My legs went numb along with my toes. My mind went even blanker than it already was. Bōkyaku smiled.

“I’m going to start it now, alright?” she said, taking a break in humming. “This won’t take long.”

Faces and names that belonged to them flashed before my eyes, threatening to give me whiplash. Memories and thoughts came returned to my head, reminding me of all the joy, suffering, heartache, disappointments, losses, triumphs, and accomplishments that I’ve endured and gained. It was a great feeling to know that I was me again.

But at the same time I wanted to crawl in a hole and sleep.

The pain was too much for me to endure. I’ve never been this weak before in my life. It was like having a white hot iron being pressed onto your cheeks; blazing daggers being stabbed into your gut; an iron hammer being smashed up against your head.  It was inhumane. I could feel the tears streaming down my face and hear the wracking sobs that followed after. And then it was finally over.

“Abaron, I’m so sorry,” I heard Bōkyaku say to me. She dropped my hands, only to pull me into a hug. “It’s all over, I promise.”

“That was… a bit more than just a little painful,” I said through gritted teeth, the pain slowly beginning to disappear. She let go of me and laughed.

“I know. But now we have to see if it worked.”

“Do you mean to say that there’s a chance that I might have to go through that again?”

“Possibly, but just cross your fingers and hope for the best, okay?” With a wave of her hand, two large vertical clouds floated over to us. “The thoughts you put into these clouds will turn them into a reality. Go ahead, touch them. I want to see if you remember their names.” I reached forward and touched a small lump on the first cloud. I could’ve sworn that it giggled. But it began to take the shape of a person, one who was just slightly taller than I was. So far, it was a man. Its features became defined, followed by a splash of color that defined it even more: long, red hair that was pulled up into a ponytail; black tattoos that were covered by his signature white headband. His lips were pulled up into a cheeky grin, as usual. I knew exactly who he was.

“That’s Renji Abarai.”
“Bingo! Touch the other one.” The Renji cloud was smiling down at me with his arms crossed over his chest. I poked the other cloud. It started forming into the figure of a girl who was shorter than me by about a foot. Her hair curved around her face, with one thick strand hanging in the middle. Her eyes were big and shining. Her mouth was pulled into a less-than interested smile. Even without the color, her expression was unmistakable.