Starrk pov:
Scratching my head with one finger, I stepped out of the Garganta and into the human world. I looked around the deserted place that, unlike Hueco Mundo, was filled with gentle warm sunlight, trees and a pleasant breeze.
The human world was a lot more vivid and noisy in comparison to Hueco Mundo and this populous town was what Aizen sama planned to use to create the King's Key. I wasn't even mildly interested to tour around the streets and look at the unique buildings that the humans resided in. After all, what's the point in seeing something that was going to be turned into dust in less than a year?
Aizen sama was a very powerful man. It wasn't just his fighting skills or his composed demeanor that we found impressive but his very presence and raw power. He had a reiatsu like no other I had sensed before. And it was most definitely even stronger than mine and all the other Arrancars put together.
Lilynette and I, having split our power between ourselves to escape the loneliness we always felt, met him only recently as we sat huddled together in the middle of nowhere in Hueco Mundo. Mountains of hollows lay in front of us, slowly disintegrating because they got too close to us. They were not even ten feet away from us but none of them could remain living under the pressure of our reiatsu.
The only one who had managed to stay close to us, yet not die, was Aizen sama.
He had offered us a place in his army, a chance to be around comrades without them disappearing from being too close to us. We had gone with him, desperate to be with others. Because of how high our reiastu was, we were given the place of the first Espada, the Primera. The power to lead the others, to give orders to the ones of lower rank than us.
That was not what we wanted though.
We had always envied the weak. They had a life that Espada like us could never have. Travelling in groups, being with comrades, not ever experiencing wretched loneliness. Or perhaps, Lilynette and I were the only ones who wanted such a life. We didn't care about power or control but merely wished to be around others. We didn't need to talk; just knowing that you're not alone would be enough.
Being with the Espada was different than what we had expected. They were comrades, true, but we just didn't seem to fit in like we had hoped to. It felt good not being alone and yet, something wasn't complete. The other Espada did what they wanted, not giving a second glance at the rest. We were all just a part of Aizen sama's army and that's how we stayed. Every man for himself.
And so, it was back to just Lilynette and I being together. We didn't socialized much and I almost always did what I liked the most – sleep.
And so the days in Hueco Mundo passed by in the same way it had always been for us. The atmosphere remained dark, dreary, forsaken and with nothing to look forward to.
"Ah, this is such a hassle. Where am I supposed to find what Aizen sama wants from here?" I muttered to myself, debating whether to go left or right.
Of all the people in Hueco Mundo, why had Aizen sama told me to come to the human world to get mugs for tea?
The only thing he seemed to be fond of beside the Hougyoku was tea. He had it often and even had all the Espada drink with him during any meetings that he called us in for. He thoroughly enjoyed the hot beverage whenever he had it. That was probably one of the human-like habits that differentiated him from hollows like myself.
The mugs that he usually used for tea had been broken by 'accident' and he wanted me, of all the hollows and Arrancar available in Hueco Mundo, to come to the human world to buy him new mugs.
He could have sent a lower ranked Arrancar to do the job. If he was so particular about having an Espada get him mugs, he could have had Ulquiorra come to the human world. He was his right hand man of sorts and always calm and collected. Unlike the other blood thirsty, battle hungry Arrancar, he wouldn't cause unnecessary trouble or attract the attention of the substitute shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo while he was here on the errand.
I wasn't blood thirsty either but I honestly didn't know what I was supposed to do here. Where am I supposed to find a place where they sell tea mugs in the first place?
I'd never been to the human world before and I didn't plan on coming here until Aizen sama decided to create the King's Key. We would have to come here to fight against the shinigami who would oppose his actions. I wasn't really looking forward to the fight....Lilynette and I didn't really like fighting. But to repay Aizen sama for at least giving Lilynette and I a chance to be around other Arrancar as comrades, in some way at least, we would fight and clear the path for him.
But until then, I just wanted to sleep. Ah, just thinking about the soft mattresses I had piled in my room in Hueco Mundo where I could have been sleeping comfortably right now made me groan in annoyance.
I closed my eyes and rubbed the back of my head with a sigh. This is so troublesome. I wish Lilynette was here.....I could have taken a nap while she went and fetched what Aizen sama wanted.
"Excuse me, are you alright?"
I opened my eyes hearing a voice. I half assumed that I would see a few humans passing by and talking to each other, obviously unaware of my presence here. After all, they didn't have enough reiatsu to be able to see hollows or spirits. But instead of seeing any humans, my gaze met with dark pools of black. I stared blankly for a moment before realizing that a human was standing in front of me, looking at me and talking to me.
I straightened up a little, dropping my hand to my side as I observed the girl in front of me. She had short black hair, reaching her shoulders and parted on the right and charcoal eyes that shimmered brightly. She wasn't very tall.....perhaps average. She barely reached my shoulder, clearly indicating the one foot difference in our heights. She wore a t-shirt and a pair of dark blue slim fit pants and instead of shoes on her feet, she wore something with little wheels on the bottom. She also had a small colorful bag that was slung diagonally across her body.
"Uh, sir? Are you alright? Are you lost?" She spoke again, breaking me from my intense staring.
"So, you can see me...." I mused more to myself.
She did have a slightly higher reiastu than most humans so I guessed she had the ability to see spirits and hollows like me. She should have been afraid and even terrified of the overwhelming pressure of my reiatsu. Humans wouldn't disintegrate in my presence like weaker hollows but they would most definitely suffer some amount of damage to their internal balance system....leading to instant death.
How I hated this power of mine sometimes.
Well, I suppose the only reason why she was able to stand this close to me and not be affected by my reiatsu was because of the reiatsu suppressing bracelet that Aizen sama had given me to wear prior to coming to the human world. I don't think he wanted to lose out on any of the souls that he would use to create the King's Key.
"I'm fine." I sighed, answering her question so she would leave me alone instead of continue to stare at me like how she was doing now. I was already troubled enough.....I didn't want to have anything to do with a human.
"Well, you don't look too good. Are you feeling unwell? Perhaps I could take you to a doctor or...."
"I'm just looking around for a place to buy something....how hard could it be to find tea mugs...." I cut her off, not wanting the human to poke her nose into my matters any further. I mumbled the last part more to myself, wondering how I should go about this difficult mission Aizen sama had given me. Having to fight and kill someone sounded easier than this.
"If you need to buy something, I can guide you. I'm heading to the market myself. I'm sure I can be of some help to you." The girl smiled cheerfully and she leaned forward slightly with her hands linked behind her back.
I was mildly surprised by how friendly she was being to a stranger. I'm sure she could see the hollow hole in my breastbone just like she could see in every other hollow she had seen. So shouldn't she be a little more concerned about being around me? Whatever the case, I just wanted to get my job done quickly and head back to Hueco Mundo instead of having this pointless conversation.
"No, I'm fine by myself. You don't have to concern yourself with a stranger." I shoved my hands into my pocket and walked away from her without waiting to hear an answer.
I could feel her gaze on me as I walked away but she turned and headed away from me few moments later.
I waited for her to be out of sight before turning to face the direction she had gone. I could still sense her and since she had said that she was heading to the market, I guessed the easiest way out of buying the tea mugs was following her and finding the right shop.
Heaving another sigh, I used shunpo to follow her. I stayed well out of her visibility, jumping from roof to roof of the buildings she passed.
She took her own time going to the market place. She passed by many people, greeting them with the same smile she had given me. I doubt she knew all those people because honestly, there were too many of them. She even stopped once or twice to pet a dog and receive a flower from a kid she spoke to.
I have to say, it was a surprise to see a person be so friendly with people she didn't know.
After following her for a good twenty minutes, she reached a place with a variety of shops and that was bustling with people. She herself went into one of the shops, took off her wheel shoes and joined up with another girl standing at a table.
My job had been made easy enough. She had led me to the place I needed to find - a crockery shop. There were all sorts of mugs and dishes and pots arranged on display tables from which I could pick out whatever I required. I scanned over the items before spotting the ones that I needed placed neatly on one of the shelves.
I shunpo'd to the aisle where a set of six mugs, looking very similar to the one's Aizen sama had been using for his tea, were packed together. I reached out to it, picked it up and shunpo'd out of the shop before the girl could notice me there. She had her back turned and it seemed that the other girl she was talking to didn't have a high enough reiatsu to see me so it saved me the trouble of getting caught.
I glanced once at the girl as she laughed with her friend. She was an odd one. I hadn't seen many humans but I could tell that something about this girl was....different. Her friendly smile, the cheerful atmosphere around her and the absence of hesitance while offering to help to a stranger were not habits I had seen in anyone before, including hollows. Not that it really mattered, though.
Shaking my head, I moved a little away from this noisy place. When I was far enough and isolated, I didn't waste any time in snapping my fingers to open up a Garganta. I wanted to get back as soon as I could and take a nice nap. I had more mugs than needed so I didn't have to worry about coming here again anytime soon to replace the ones that Aizen sama would 'accidentally' break.
With my job easily accomplished, I headed back to Hueco Mundo.
Saki pov:
"Hmmm....what a strange guy. I wonder if he's okay....maybe I should have coaxed him to let me help...." I mumbled to myself as I went through the list of items we had closed the shop with last evening.
We had a habit of keeping track of all the items we had on sale - stocks in the morning when we started business and in the evening before we closed the shop for the day. It always gave us an idea on how much we sold, how much profit we made and so on.
But today, I was distracted. I had the checklist in front of me as I walked through the aisles but my mind kept floating off with thoughts of the guy I had met on my way to the shop.
I had seen him when I was passing though the park that I usually used as a short cut in the mornings instead of the busy main streets. He had his eyes closed, a frown and his eyebrows creased up. He looked troubled. Assuming that he was lost or he was looking for someone or something but was having a hard time because he was alone, I had stepped up to offer my help.
I had got a good look at him when I stepped closer. He was tall, easily above six feet, with brown hair reaching his shoulders and left as messy waves at the ends. He wore a strange white outfit that sort of reminded me of the traditional attire of a haori and hakamas. He wore gloves and had some sort of strange necklace that looked like a lower jaw bone and teeth. Wait, should I even call that a necklace?
Surprisingly, he had a sword at his waist too.
When I had spoken to him, he had opened his eyes to look at me. His pupils were a stunning steel blue color, though they seemed to have a sort of loneliness. Overall, he was a handsome man in late twenties but the usual enthusiasm that a person of his age would usually possess was missing.
His presence was oddly strong. It wasn't like the other spirits or monsters I usually could sense when they appeared around me. It was unusually high and....dominating.
I had noticed the black hole in his chest too. I didn't know what to make of it, actually. I mean, it was similar to that of the monsters that I saw ever so often but he just didn't seem like one of them to me. He looked normal, like a human, and didn't give off any dangerous vibe. In fact, he seemed uninterested and bothered by something. The way he stood, the way he spoke....I wonder what was wrong.
"Saki? Hello? Earth to Saki!"
I blinked, coming back to the present when a hand was waved in front of my eyes breaking my pin point gaze and my train of thought. I blinked noticing that Eri was standing in front of me with a brow raised.
"What are you thinking so hard about, Saki? You didn't respond even after I called you twice!" She sounded curious.
"O-oh, it's nothing, really. I was just thinking about this person I met on the way to work." I said truthfully.
"A person? Was it a handsome guy?" She teased, giving me a playful grin.
I chuckled, shaking my head. "Jeez, Eri! Can't you think of anything else besides trying to get me a guy to date?"
"Oh c'mon!! Don't you want to fall in love with a handsome guy?? I already have a boyfriend but you're still single! How are you living such a boring life?!" Eri pouted angrily.
"I do want to fall in love, Eri. It's just that....the right person hasn't stepped into my life yet." I shrugged, not really bothered that I hadn't had a single boyfriend in the whole twenty two years of my life.
Well, I took most of my time to set up my career but it's not that I hadn't been interested in some of the guys I had met before. I had met quite a few good looking guys that I had even considered as potential boyfriends but none of them had sparked my interest in a romantic way....I just couldn't see them that way even if they were interested in me. The person for me hadn't turned up in my life yet but when he did, I wasn't going to let him go. That's for sure.
"Ah, you're impossible...." Eri shook her head with a sigh. "Anyway, what about the person you met on the way? Was it really a hot guy?? It's not like you to be distracted by something unless it's someone interesting."
Eri was giving me a Cheshire cat smile. I knew that look....she was just waiting for me to confess something about a guy. If I did, I could say goodbye to any peace in the shop. She wouldn't stop teasing me and pulling my leg and she would most definitely tease me in front of all the customers making me extremely embarrassed. Uff....I'm already worried about how my life will be when I do get a boyfriend.
I rolled my eyes, deciding not to hide anything and end up making her get the wrong ideas.
"It was a guy, a handsome one at that. But," I glared at her, silently telling her not to interrupt with any of her teasing. "He seemed kind of troubled. He said he was looking for something. I offered to help but he declined and walked off. He looked really bothered....I was just wondering if he was okay."
"Aww! I was hoping for something spicy!! And all you have to tell me is something so boring!" Eri pouted with a glare.
I deadpanned at her. Spicy? Really?? Her expectations were always so high, possibly even escaping the earth's atmosphere, especially when it came to me getting a boyfriend. Sometimes I wonder how I deal with her on a daily basis.
"Anyway, why don't we push unimportant matters aside and get back to work? I was a little distracted but I'll just go around the shop and do the usual checking." I continued walking through the aisles to check the remaining items before Eri could press me for more details.
Just as I was checking one of the ceramics aisles, one of the mug sets' that was on the checklist wasn't on the shelf. Furrowing my brows, I put an 'X' next to that item on the checklist. This was the first time an item on the checklist had been given an X. I doubt we had made a mistake in checking it last night. Giving a shrug, I pushed it aside for the time being and proceeded to continue with the other items.
Once I was done with checking, I walked back to Eri. I placed the checklist on the cash counter and looked at her.
"Hey Eri? Did we sell the coffee mug set before I went through the checklist?"
"Coffee mug set? No....the two customers who came in before you began checking the items bought a vase and three sets of jewelry. None of them bought coffee mugs." Eri shook her head.
I frowned and scratched the back of my neck with one finger. If no one had bought it, how come it disappeared? It didn't look like a thief had broken into the shop during the night and none of the customers who turned up today had bought it.
Wait a minute....the guy I had offered my help to mentioned that he had to buy something. Some part of his conversation was so soft that I hadn't heard it. But I did hear him say tea....had he come to buy tea or tea mugs? Did he steal the coffee mugs??
Nah....that can't be possible, right? I mean, if he walked into the shop, either Eri or I would have seen him. There's no way that he had just waltzed in, picked up the mugs and walked out without paying. It couldn't be him.
I can't believe I was sounding so rude and being suspicious about a stranger I I've never met before! What is wrong with me?! I hadn't even heard everything he said so pinning a crime on someone like this was really bad manners!
I mentally slapped myself for being so mean.
All said and done, the mugs weren't stolen in broad daylight, we hadn't sold them but they had disappeared.
So....what happened to them??
Pressing my lips into a thin line, I shook my head. That set was worth six thousand Yen. It wasn't a small amount but I couldn't really do anything about it when I can't find it, right? I suppose I'll just have to check if it's with the extra pieces we stock in our workshop. There was a high possibility that someone had booked it and I had kept it inside to make sure no other customer picked it up.
For now, we had to cater to the customers flowing into the shop. I could search the workshop during the short break we took for lunch.
"I'll check up on this later, Eri. I'm sure it's in the shop somewhere." I gave her a smile.
"Okay, if that's what you say." She gave me a pat on the shoulder before walking to a lady who was looking through the jewelry section.
"Could you bill this for me, please?" A middle aged man walked up to me holding a roll of fabric.
"Of course, sir! Right this way, please." I smiled as I took the roll of fabric from his hands to bill it.
Most of the day passed by like any other. We had the usual density of customers flowing in and out and Eri and I took turns in watching the shop. We spent some of our time working as well. After a day's toil, Eri and I closed up the shop and headed home.
Unlike what I had expected, I couldn't find the coffee mugs anywhere. They weren't with the booked items or in the extra storage. They really had disappeared and I had no clue how. I had lost out a bit on possible profit as well as the material and making cost. I guess there's nothing I could do about it though.
I stepped out of my shower wiping my face with the towel hung around my shoulders. I walked to the kitchen and got myself a glass of warm milk before sitting in the living room to watch some TV. I sat down on the couch with my legs folded comfortably and I reached out to the remote that was on the coffee table. I put on the news channel to see today's headlines.
"The truck that skidded off the highway fell into a three foot pit. The goods in the truck have been removed without much damage and the two drivers have sustained minimal injuries. The driver, however, said that the cause for losing control of his vehicle is unknown."
They showed a picture of the truck and the group of rescue men who were trying to get the truck out of the pit. Besides the truck being smushed on the side, there were two huge claw marks on the top of the cargo coach.
I let out a soft sigh, figuring out with one glance that the truck had been hit by a hollow. There was no other explanation to the marks.
These kinds of accidents happened sometimes and I didn't really like watching them. So I changed the channel to a comedy variety show.
It was already a little past ten and as I watched the variety show, my eyes began pulling away. I stifled a yawn and shook my head trying to stay awake. Seeing that I could right about fall off the couch in my sleep, I turned off the TV and headed to the bedroom. I unrolled the mattress and got in.
I reached out to the side and set my alarm for the usual time I woke up at. I pulled the blanket up to my neck and snuggled into the pillow. The face of the man I met this morning flashed in front of my closed eyes before I fell into a dreamless blissful sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yay! Saki chan finally met Starrk! But he's being just as detached as he is with any other person. It's sad he doesn't seem to know how to socialize and try to make friends. But he wont be alone for long, right? :)
I hope I got his personality right! What do you guys think?
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:D