Ok, getting back to a sense of seriousness back for a moment.
For one thing, I kinda got semi blindsided by the seperate section for the omakes on ff.net and the poll, but it seems Ghost did make mention of it to me but I guess I got it confused for something else.
As mentioned, we've already nailed down exactly who will be Ichigo's Sekirei so who he mentions can be a possible what if scenario.
One scenario of which we've been toying back and forth with but would probably like the input of TFFers first before we decide to keep it seperate or make it canon to the main story. We're not going to forget some of our other Bleach cast members (and there are some dropped hints in previous chapters) but one in particular we've been mulling over, and aren't sure if including them would swerve the main story too much.
And now, our Chapter 5 prologue.
A word of warning is that this may be some time before it comes out. Discussions between the two of us when we started to flesh out the outline and new ideas point that this is looking to be another monster of a chapter. Ghost also has some extra obligations in real life that are going to be taking his time as the Holidays begin to roll around, so outside of our chats he may not have much writing time (and tbh, I do think some of our best stuff happens when we can play off each other's lines and character dialogue). Compounding this is also we are looking into some of our other stuff and maybe something new. But who knows...
Also, the below is subject to review and revisionment as we get further along with the chapter proper. However it is nice to see something I wrote last November seeing the light of day.
And now, the prologue:
======================
It was cold, her mind told her.
Shivering, she curled herself tighter, gathering what heat she could in an attempted to fall back asleep. She turned her head, doing her best to ignore the cold breeze and the occasional light 'something' hitting her skin every so often.
Whatever it was, it was wet.
'Wet'?
She stirred a bit a that, her mind now coming into focus as her body relayed to her brain sensations that she should not be feeling. The last thing she remembered before falling to sleep was being in a motel room curled in a bed.
Was there a hole in the roof? She didn't remember hearing anything about rain on the news, and while it was very cold there hadn't been much cloud cover.
Even the bed beneath her was no longer soft, but hard like the ground-
Her eyes shot open as her heartrate skyrocketed. She was no longer on a bed in a motel.
Frightened, the timid girl shot to her feat and looked for the security of her weapon. Not finding it she took took in her surroundings, her heart still feeling like it would explode and her mind dreaming up all sorts of scenarios such as kidnapping or pranks or lab experiments or worse.
The breeze grew stronger, and she realized that it was lightly sprinkling. Looking upward, the cloudy sky was grey, but she could not fathom what time of the day it was. Holding her arms together to conserve heat she turned toward the ground.
And yelped in the scene before her.
She was on a building. Literally on a building.
Sideways. With windows around her, but to her shock she did not fall.
The building was an odd shade of blue with others around her-
She turned quickly, trying to not look at the scenery around her lest she begin to grow dizzy and maybe fall for real.
'I'm....I'm here again?
Wrapping her arms around her shivered from the cold and noticed something amiss and looked down and found herself nude. With that she fell to her knees to cover herself more and rubbed her arms.
'I... I could really use some clothes...huh? With that thought, she found herself clothed again in her normal attire.
Wei...weird...
Taking in some breaths to calm herself as well as to convince herself she would not fall she raised her head and her eyes widened.
'I... I can see more', she realized as she hesistantly stood up and brought her arms up to cover her face from the light sprinkle.
And its sprinkling now... Indeed, this was the third time she found herself here. The first around three months ago and the last time almost two months now. However, unlike last time, the scenery was much more solid, and from what she could remember the 'sky' was only cloudy last time.
She hesitantly began to move forward to see what she could. Turning her head around she tried to see if there were was any way to get to- "Oof!", she cried out, bumping into something.
Wait.
There wasn't anything that she would run into when she started walking.
She shook her head and looked forward.
She wasn't alone.
She gasped and quickly hopped back a few steps, began bowing a few times and began muttering an apology as best she could.
No reply came to her.
She looked up, wondering why and who she ran into.
Several yards away stood a figure, a man, she could see. His back was toward her and his arms were held loosely at his hips, fists clenched. She could see his unkept and somewhat spikey hair came to just about his shoulders, and noted that it was bright orange, a shade or two darker than her own strawberry blond hair.
Wait.
Could...could this be her Ashikabi?
She was told from some of the adjusters that some Sekirei would be able to see the face of their true ashikabi in their dreams. If their connection was strong enough, or if the Ashikabi was strong enough through having winged some Sekirei some would bear witness to this vision.
But..but why would she see her Ashikabi in such a place?
Standing and no longer aware of the odd scenery around her she took a hesistant step forward, curious to see his face. Reaching him she noted just how tall he was compaired to her, easily a head and half or so. Blushing she looked at his face and took a step back, surprised at the look he was giving.
A scowl graced his face as he gazed downward, almost in frustration as she noted again that his fists were clenched. Was he angry? Was he in trouble? Her mind raced with coming up with what kind of situations he may be in.
Turning as she contemplated she yelped again as their was another figure with her.
'Where... where did this person come from', she thought frightened.
Clad in black, he stood a few feet away, facing what she now believed to be her ashikabi. What surprised her most, other than the giant cleaver that was resting before him bladefirst in the ground, the figures hands resting on the hilt was that this man was wearing her ashikabi's face.
Twins? Why the different clothing? He stood almost relaxed, as if he were waiting. Turning back to the figure she first saw, she noted his expression changed, eyes face more somber and his eyes closed.
Confused, she turned back to find the figure was gone.
'Wha-what's going on', she thought, a bit afraid now.
Turning back to her ashikabi, his face and posture again changed, his hands in his pants pocket and his posture a bit more relaxed. His face was now neutral as he gazed ahead, and she noted his brown eyes. Warm, brown eyes that looked ahead, as if he were waiting...
She then took a step forward to touch him, closing her eyes.
To open them to find herself back in her bed, her blankets wrapped around her as the morning light broke through the motel room's curtains. She moaned as she cursed herself for waking up.
But, her mind told her, the good news was she saw who she was meant to be with and she smiled, happier now than she had been in a long while.
It was a cheerful thought in the face of what seemed to be an unending nightmare ever since she was released and got seperated from her friends.
Not to mention a persistant would-be suitor who managed to keep tracking her, no matter how much she had run and barely make an escape.
'Like last night, she thought and pulled herself into a tight ball, shivering at how close it was and trying to hold back a few tears as the haunting memory came back to her.
She looked around the motel room, trying to focus on anything to keep the memory at bay, a few tears that she had been holding back now beginning to fall. Her eyes paused at the small table at the side of the bed that had the lamp and telephone at. Next to the lamp's base and behind the phone was a bible, a bit unusual in Japan but, she reminded herself, the motel chain she was in had a western owner. After a moment of contemplation she then clasped her hands in prayer, hoping that God or anyone would hear her plea.
'Please... please let me find my Ashikabi...' An image of 'that face showed up in her mind and she shivered again.
'Please let this nightmare end'...
Finally she pulled back and opened her eyes, contemplating the day and if she should risk going out. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she would need to go out sometime, as most of the motel food she had experienced wasn't all that great to begin with.
She took a deep breath and made her decision. Looking to the side she saw her giant black hammer, ready for her.
Moving off her bed she stood and stretched.
Sekirei #84, Yashima, found herself trying to raise her spirits to start a new day.
==================
And there you have it.
Yashima, for those of you who do not know who she looks like:
And a link to that episode to better understand her plight, and a
fucking big reason why I persisted on this:
<a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3dtlO-0QHg&t=3m43s' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3dtlO-0QHg&t=3m43s</a>
<a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3dtlO-0QHg&t=7m47s' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3dtlO-0QHg&t=7m47s</a>