Part 1

Kokami yawned, and suddenly she jumped. "Akira-san!" she said, somewhat happily. Akira made his way over and poked her.

"Awaken." he says, and he left her side as Kokami walked over to Natsuki. "Wait, shouldn't we hear what she says?" he asks, and Kokami stops. "Of course, but it is her choice whether or not she says."

Sinthia watches closely, and she opened her mouth to speak, but before she could manage the words Akira spoke again. "Just hurry, Kuchiki, we need to get this over with."

"Don't call me that!"

"Fine, Koko, just hurry up." he retorted, and she grumbled angrily and walked back over to Natsuki.

Natsuki looked up at the blonde, biting her lip with anxiety. "Hi. My turn."

Atsumi opened her eyes and tried to speak. "blrrrpphewf!" The fuck was that? She watched KoKo move over to Natsuki. Atsumi wondered if she'd go through the same?

"Nighty night, little one." Kokami says, doing the same to her. The last thing she would see is the skull tattoo.

Sinthia watches intently, still pondering what is going on. "Koko?" she asks, and Kokami looks back at her, somewhat upset and a little offended.

"I would like you to refer to me by my position or my title." she replies.

"What's your title?"

"Kenpachi, I am Kenpachi Kokami." she says, and she gives Sinthia a slight smile.

"Kenpachi, I am Kenpachi Kokami."

This shook Atsumi from her foundations. When she heard this she got up and walked over to Kokami. When she got to her she meant to grab her shoulders and ask if she was joking. However, her brain was still a little fucked after what she just went through. So instead she kissed her. THIS SUCKS ASS! THIS ISN'T WHAT I WANTED TO DO!

chu~

"Nighty night, little one." nononononoNO
The skull passed over her face and she winced in panic before going limp.

She opened her eyes slowly, scared of what she'd see. To her surprise she saw her mother's face looking back at her like a giant. She realized she was a baby, held within her mother's latino arms.
Natsuki had forgotten that her mother could smile. She glanced to the side just in time to see her tall father bending over the bed, holding toddler Yama in his arms. Everyone was excited and normal. She giggled a little, her eyes closing in the process.

She opened her eyes. She was outside in a cute little dress, sitting in the grass. She couldn't be older than two. Yama, age five, stood in front of her with a flower crown. "You're the flower queen!" He exclaimed as he tossed it at her. She caught it and placed it on her head with a wide smile. She stood up.
"And you're the evil... guy!" She said, pointing at him, eyebrows furrowed. She picked up a toy sword and got into position to declare war.
There was laughter from the balcony: mom and dad.
"No, you're evil!" Yama countered with a smile.
"No you! I'm the goodest! Flowers are good!"
"Look what you're doing!"
She lowered the sword, embarrassed. "Y-your evil powers made me do it!"
She blinked.

She opened her eyes. She was in a gymnasium, kids running about with huge balls and trading cards. The only open window showed that it was snowing. Age six.
"Fujioka!" She turned around to see who called her name, the sound of many footsteps growing louder behind her. Two girls, one boy. Meiko, Hinaki, Ginjiro. Her stomach dropped. "Do you wanna play tag with us?" Meiko asked. Natsuki smiled and laughed as she nodded. Of course, of course!
"I ain't playing tag with Fujioka! She's too fast!" Hinaki exclaimed, crossing her arms.
"Am not!" Natsuki said, a smug smile on her face that said otherwise.
"I bet I'm faster!" Ginjiro challenged, jogging in place.
"Wanna bet!?" Natsuki said with a sly smile. "Race me!"
She blinked.

She opened her eyes. She sat on her white couch watching cartoons, a goofy smile on her face as the characters said something funny. Age eight. Yama was at a friends and she had complete control over the remote.
She heard a loud bump come from upstairs, followed by her mother's shout. She looked up at the ceiling, confused. She reached for the remote and turned down the volume to see what was going on.
"Don't lie to me!" Her father shouted above.
"I'm not!"
Thump.
The front door opened. It was Yama. He was much taller, the skin their father gave to him sunburnt. "I forgot a change of clothes." He muttered as he climbed the stairs. Mother passed him on the way by and retreated into the kitchen, her eyes dark.
She blinked.

She opened her eyes. She was in a car with grown Meiko, Hinaki, and Ginjiro. Age ten. Hinaki's mom was driving and her big sister sat in the passenger seat, talking about the movie they had just seen. As usual, a smile was plastered on Natsuki's face. She nudged Ginjiro in the arm, who nudged her back until it turned into a minor play-fight.
"Cut it out!" Hinaki's mother snapped. They snapped back to their original positions. Hinaki whispered something in Meiko's ear and Meiko looked astonished. "You two are dating?"
"What? No!" Ginjiro cried, shaking his head wildly. Natsuki did the same, her face turning red with embarrassment. Hinaki's sister laughed.
"Your stop, Natsuki." Hinaki's mom said. Natsuki pushed through the door, bag in hand. She waved goodbye, closed the door behind her, and ran through the front door of her house just in time to see her father down another bottle of alcohol, her mother crying on the floor nearby.
"What happened?"
She blinked.

She opened her eyes. She was on a track field, ready to launch herself forward. Age thirteen. A whistle shot through the air and she burst forward along with the other racers. She almost instantly had the lead, her long, dark hair trailing behind her as she wound around the track once-twice-three times. The whistle blew again. She cheered, clapping her hands together and clasping them under her chin. First. She heard Yama and mom's voice scream praise of the crowd.
She blinked.

She opened her eyes. She was looking out her window. It was night and the streetlight and her lamp glinting off the glass and making it difficult to see the scene below. Age fourteen. The cop car's lights still whirled around, casting colors upon the tar. Her father was in the back, face covered in blood. Yama was crying downstairs. Mother was out talking to an officer. Natsuki just stared in awe.
She blinked.

She opened her eyes. She was standing in front of the open bathroom door and Yama was within, razor in hand. His hair was in a multi-colored mohawk and his clothes were adorned with studs and spikes.
"What are you doing?"
Blood dripped into the bathtub.
"Get the fuck away!" He screamed and kicked the door closed. She looked down at the floor. She hadn't seen mom in a couple days. She had been at work a lot more. She says it's so they can keep a good income, she can get a promotion and the family can keep going.
She looked back up the door and let the tears flow.
She blinked them away.

She opened her eyes. She was sitting down on the bottom row of the bleachers beside Ginjiro. She had just won another track game. His arm was around her shoulders and he pulled her in close, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Good job." He said.
"Thanks for coming." She muttered.
"Somebody had to." He replied. She glanced over her shoulder at the place her mother and brother once sat.
Age fifteen.
She blinked.

She opened her eyes.
"Yama, please stop!" Natsuki cried as he poured more alcohol into a glass. He had drank far too much. His friends laughed at her and passed around the smoking pipe.
"He ain't doin' nothin!" A girl shouted at her. "Get lost, kid!"
Natsuki glowered at her and glanced back at her brother. His skin was pale and there were horrible bags under his eyes. He wore a simple tanktop that left his arms exposed. The tops were covered in pricks and the bottoms were covered in cuts. He was gone. He took another drink and laughed with his friends.
"I'm calling mom."
A bottle flew at her head.
She blinked.

She opened her eyes.
"Mom, please!" She whispered into the phone.
"He's a grown boy. He'll be fine. He'll snap... snap... snap out of it..." Her mother's sleepy voice mumbled back into the phone.
"I need your help, mom!" Natsuki cried. "What are you doing!?"
Her mother only made a noise in reply.
Natsuki hung up, angry. Betrayal. First Yama, and then her mother... She threw her cell phone onto the bathroom floor, which was drizzled with blood from her forehead. She began to cry. She looked into the mirror, admiring the misery before she punched and broke the glass.
She blinked.

She opened her eyes.
"What did you do with your hair...?" Hinaki hissed when she walked through the school's doors. Age sixteen.
Natsuki simply shrugged.
"It looks dumb," She mumbled, turning to one of her friends to the side "Doesn't it, Chizue?"
"It looked much better before. Now she's just trying to be one of those emo freaks. Probably trying to get attention. Probably trying to be like her big bro. Don't see why she'd ever want that."
Ginjiro caught Natsuki's arm. "I think it looks cute." He said, smiling down at her. Natsuki conjured a smile, though there was no happiness in it. She hadn't felt happiness in a couple weeks. She was in a rut. "Why are you being so rude, Hina?"
"What about those marks on her arm, eh? What do you think of those?" Hinaki retorted, her cheeks burning.
A group of people walking by looked when she said the words, and they all made a small gasping noise.
Ginjiro's face flushed as he examined her arm, covered in pale cuts. Natsuki avoided his eyes.
She blinked.

She opened her eyes. Hinaki and her friends had knocked her tray from her hands in front of the school. Natsuki didn't know what'd she do about the stains. Everyone laughed. She stood there for a moment and watched as Hinaki kissed Ginjiro.
She then ran into the bathroom.
She blinked.

She opened her eyes. A new note on her locker from someone whose handwriting she recognized. "Nobody likes you anymore ." Hinaki really liked to spread her poison deep, didn't she? She sighed.
Why? What did she do? Why was what she said true?
She blinked.

She opened her eyes. Fridge was empty. Where was mom? "Yama, we're out of food."
"Good. Maybe you'll starve." He replied, words slurred.
She glared over her shoulder at him. Blink.

She opened her eyes. Oike, Tojinbo. Arms out, like a bird. She'd fly free. "Goodbye." The note said. Falling. Pain. Blur. Eyes close.

She opened her eyes. Happiness. New friends. Second chance. Blink.

Open. The battle with the lieutenant. Blink.

Open. She was in pitch darkness, but she could see a black mass in front of her, undefined in shape with only two white glowing eyes and a wicked, cruel smile. Whatever it was let out a low cackle as it circled her. She was floating in air that smelled of fire. Tears streamed down her face as she met its eyes, slightly nervous.

Kokami turned to the Atsūmi as she stormed over, and then was kissed. Sinthia, surprised, raised her eyebrows before being able to express her thoughts about Kokami. Kokami, though, smiled and returned the kiss, her arming wrapping around Atsūmi's waist and pulling her closer. Akira sighed and started to drink from one of his flasks for a couple of seconds before snapping. Kokami smiled and pulled out of the kiss, looking Atsūmi directly in the eyes.

"Well, that was fun." Kokami said, giving a wink.

"Koko-chan, stop." Akira said, and Kokami looked over to him and laughed.

"Oh shush! You're just jealous... Though, if you want a kiss?"

"I'm fine, thanks."


"Hello, Natsuki." said a voice, it had a slight undertone beneath it, and sounded almost as though speaking through a mask, but it sounded from Natsuki's mind. "You have questions, if I am not mistaken, but listen to what I have to say first." it continued, a chuckle sounding after. Then, with a bit of a self-centered air, and a slightly slowed pattern of speech, it start again "I am here... To offer you a choice. This is a choice between life and... Well, surprisingly, death. Tell me, before anything else is said and done, what was your goal in life? After you answer this, well, you may ask anything you want, and I may answer."

"Hello, Natsuki." A creepy voice echoed through her mind. Her eyes widened in fear. "You have questions, if I am not mistaken, but listen to what I have to say first." It circled her and chuckled again. She struggled to keep her eyes on it.

It spoke slowly. "I am here... To offer you a choice. This is a choice between life and... Well, surprisingly, death. Tell me, before anything else is said and done, what was your goal in life? After you answer this, well, you may ask anything you want, and I may answer."

Choice between life and death? She bit her lip, wiping tears away with her sleeve. What was my goal? What questions would I even ask? She thought hard, cradling her arms. "I guess my goal was to live life to its fullest. Have fun with friends. Graduate and go to college. Maybe become an athlete. Or some kind of artist. Maybe both." She said quietly, shrugging at the end and looking down at her feet.

Atsumi was slightly angered that she couldn't convey what she wanted just yet. However, she didn't exactly hate what followed. Feeling an arm wrap around her waist she struggled to pull away before giving in completely.

Damn she's smooth.

She heard the Captain speak but didn't pay attention to what he said. When he stopped speaking she felt Kokami pull away her arm was still around her waist.

"Well, that was fun." Then she turned and started talking to Akira. Before she did Atsumi got a good look at her eyes. Well...This is going to be a pain in the ass. Atsumi then looked at Natsuki's body and wondered how she was doing.

"Good..." the voice said, and Death swirled around her. "Now, what is it that you would like to ask me? Be wary, your time is... Limited, I shall say."

"Can I get out of this place, now?" She whispered, keeping her eyes locked on the thing.

Atsumi shifted attention and looked at Sinthia. "How long was I out for?"

"Not long enough." Sinthia growled, and Kokami looked at her with reproach. Akira, however, just took another sip from his flask.


"Hmm. That can't be all you want to ask. Obviously, you can't leave yet. Are you sure you wouldn't like to know about something? About anything? Maybe... Something from after your death?" Death said, and there was an eerie silence, as though Death was keeping quiet in order to hear the slightest sound.

"Not long enough."

Atsumi heard this and a vein on the side of her head started pulsating. "Oh really?" she said with another forced smile on her face as the corner of one of her eyes twitched.

She felt her heart flutter in her chest at the suggestion. Her pursed her lips and cleared her throat, glancing back down at her feet.

A good idea.

But did she really want to know?

She thought for a moment, the eerie silence enticing her. She looked back up at the darkness. "What happened after I died? To everyone? Mom? Yama? My fr-... my classmates?"

"Yeah, now quiet, I'm thinking." Sinthia replied, and with that she sat down and closed her eyes.


"Oh, so you do want to know?" it paused for a couple seconds. "Well, let me think. Your family? All dead; your mother blamed herself, and your brother, for what you did. That note never made it to anybody, either. Your mother died in a drunk accident, and your brother died in a shooting. After they died, they argued about you, and eventually hollowfied. Now, your friends... Well, your one remaining friend, Ginjiro, had it much worse. You probably didn't notice, but Ginjiro saw you fall, and that pushed him over the edge, too. After seeing such a thing, he ran to where you were before, called for help, but about two minutes before help arrived, he too jumped after you.

He, too, hollowfied.

Now, let's make matters worse." it continued, a hellish laugh echoing in her head. "They were all killed by Quincy! Souls completely destroyed..." it then swirled back to face her.

"The rest of your classmates, you'll be glad to know, lived on. Hinaki, however, was blamed for your death and bullied for the years to come. Oh the irony!" it seemed to now be extensively happy.

"Anything... More?"

Ignoring Sinthia she turned her attention back to Kokami.

"With how you're still holding me I'd say you want to dance." she said before placing her hand on Kokami's shoulder and using her free hand to grab Kokami's other hand, holding it up at the same level as her head.

"Oh, so you do want to know...? Well, let me think. Your family? All dead," It said. It said it too simply, too bluntly. Natsuki's eyes widened and the air caught in her throat. Almost instantly, a sob escaped her throat. "Your mother blamed herself, and your brother, for what you did. That note never made it to anybody, either. Your mother died in a drunk accident, and your brother died in a shooting."

Shooting? She covered her face and brought her legs up to her chest, her crying starting to intensify.

"After they died, they argued about you, and eventually hollowfied." Hollowfied!? She could find them, purify them! Hope surged through her, though her misery overshadowed it almost completely.

"Now, your friends... Well, your one remaining friend, Ginjiro, had it much worse. You probably didn't notice, but Ginjiro saw you fall, and that pushed him over the edge, too. After seeing such a thing, he ran to where you were before, called for help, but about two minutes before help arrived, he too jumped after you."

"No!" She cried, kicking out and sending herself spinning as though she was in zero gravity. She swung her arms around, her eyes squeezed shut. Could this end up being a dream? A bad dream? Please?

Tears floated from her face and into the darkness.

"Now, let's make matters worse." She shook her head, clasping her hands over her ears. "Stop! No more!"

She couldn't escape. Its laugh echoed in her head. Cruel, hellish. "They were all killed by Quincy! Souls completely destroyed..."

She let out a wail. Long, broken, raw. It quickly turned into a blood-curdling scream that echoed in the darkness. She could feel her heart shatter into a million sharp, needle-like pieces in her chest. "Nononono!"

"The rest of your classmates, you'll be glad to know, lived on. Hinaki, however, was blamed for your death and bullied for the years to come. Oh the irony!" In response, Natsuki stopped screaming and pulled herself into the fetal position, her lungs begging for air as sobs ripped through them.

"Anything... More?"

She didn't reply.

Kokami smiled, but shook her head.

"Can't dance, but maybe later." she said, and she kissed Atsūmi again, holding it, while slithering Atsūmi's arms off of her and backing off. She gave another wink and sat down, waiting.


Death gave another laugh. "Now, your choice. Life. Or. Death? If you choose life, you will be able to relive your life as though nothing ever killed you. You'll be back on that cliff, and something will stop you. Of course, you won't remember anything at all. You'll live you life, though.

Unless you choose Death, in which I will give you three... Prophecies. More doom? Maybe. If your past was that bad, how bad can your future be?" it gave a mirthless laugh and continued. "You choose one of these prophecies to live with, and remember nothing of this entire ordeal. Now, what's your choice?"

She listened to Death laugh. "Now, your choice. Life. Or. Death? If you choose life, you will be able to relive your life as though nothing ever killed you. You'll be back on that cliff, and something will stop you. Of course, you won't remember anything at all. You'll live your life, though."

If I choose life and never jump off that cliff, no one else would die... at least not because she died... She thought. Maybe even the thing that would stop me would be... Ginjiro... She could feel her grabbing her arm.

But... nothing else would be better...

Everyone who died... they were better off now than they were living. Life is cruel. She bit her lip.

"Unless you choose Death, in which I will give you three... Prophecies. More doom? Maybe. If your past was that bad, how bad can your future be?" it gave a mirthless laugh and continued. "You choose one of these prophecies to live with, and remember nothing of this entire ordeal. Now, what's your choice?"

She flinched at its laugh.

Hopefully my future won't be that horrible. I have new friends, a new life, a second chance.

Life scared her, but it was desirable all the same. She furrowed her brow as she thought.

Prophecy... she repeated in her mind. She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to stay dead, but...

but...

"...death..." She whispered.

Atsumi sat down and watched Natsuki with most of her attention.

"One, one of your friends will meet an untimely doom, and there is nothing you can do to save them. Two, you are destined to wield a power rivaled only by Death itself. Three, there will be a time when you come face to face with Death, and you will have to make a powerful decision.

Which of these three do you wish to remember? This is all you will remember."

Hmm...

Knowing a friend will die didn't sound fun. She'd rather feel better trying to help when the time comes than know there's nothing she can do.

Destined to be all-powerful? She'd leave that as a surprise.

So...

Third option was the best bet. It could end up being important.

"Option three." She said bitterly, wiping her eyes again.

She was happy she wouldn't have to remember the destruction of those she loved, at least. She'd have rather not remembered anything at all but hey...

She'll take what she can get.

Atsumi started to doze off.

Natsuki opened her eyes and stayed still on the floor, her glazed-over eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.