dreams and fears.docx

8/22/2019 Dreams and Fears.docx

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Dreams and Fears

Ever had one of those days? When it seemed like you were still in a dream but nothing could

wake you up? And, after a point, things got so crazy you knew it could only be real and youweren't even sure if you were imagining things?

That's the kind of day I had. If it even happened in only one day.

At some point, I'm not even sure when it began, I lost track of where I was. It had to have been adream, I knew that much, but later even that fact was lost to me--when the nightmares took over

me...or maybe before then. It's all so fuzzy, I can't accurately describe it. I can only believe these

shuffling visions, the glimpses of mirages, have stopped now because I can remember some of

what I went through in detail. Or are these memories some trick? Are they even real?

...Yeah, I know how dumb and paranoid this sounds. I think it sounds stupid, at least. I'm notprone to believe in crap like this. Ghosts, spirits, demons...those are easy enough to believe.After all, I cansee them. But any weird stuff like being trapped in a nightmare, or something, is

bullshit as far as I am concerned. Or was.

Big surprise that somebody out there decided to fuck with everything I understand...or thought I

understood.

This is so freakin' unbelievable, but that's simply the way it is. Unbelievable. Not much I couldhave done but wait for the damn dream...dreams, whatever...to pass. Do nothing and let the

course of Destiny run the whole show.

Ha! As if. It might have been some constructed world, be it from my imagination or somebodyelse's, but there was no way I was going to roll over and let events happen beyond my control.

Not even if it killed me.

...Have I even woken up from these dreams?

1. Reversed Discontinuity

Kurosaki Ichigo.

Substitue Shinigami. Strengths: perseverance, agility, loyalty, confidence in himself.Weaknesses: prone to arrogance, rash, mentally unstable. Age: Sixteen Height: tall. Build:

average. Hair colour: orange.


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Background, CONFIDENTIAL: Born to renegade Shinigami and human mother. Has unusually

keen spiritual senses from birth. Unaware that this made him different for an extended period of

time. Mother dies to hollow at a young age. Continues to grow and develops a surprisingly high

amount of reiatsu for a living soul, to the point that direct contact can influence other souls.Subject does not encounter hollows after mother's death for several years. Does not encounter

Shinigami until age fifteen, coinciding with subject's next encounter with a hollow. Following...

Error in database.

Unable to display data on Ichigo Kurosaki after this point. Editing is in progress. Please wait a

few minutes and try again.

Immediately after my eyes opened, I could sense something was not right.

Too dark for one thing. Darker than it should have been at six in the morning on a regularsummer day. No, I sure as hell would never take a nap in the middle of the evening, and neitherwould I wake up before the World's Worst Alarm Clock screamed in my ear. Speaking of my

father, it wasn't normal for him notto be hassling me at this hour, either. It could only be late in

the evening, strange as that was. Looking down, I saw I was wearing my school uniform. Sincewhen did I wear that to sleep? Never, case in point. It was evening, not morning. Furthermore,

some...inexplicable absence permeated the entire room. Quiet...dark...the time being

wrong...something I couldn't describe...those just happen to be physical oddities for the mostpart, and while they did--scare is definitely not the right word--bother me a bit, that wasn't what

was disturbingme in my room that night.

No, it was what I could notfeel that instantly put me on guard.

Reiatsu.

Now, I wasn't exactly top of the class when it came to handling or sensing reiatsu, but I was no

slouch. And when I couldn't feel any of it, whatsoever, be it from myself or the neighbor'sobnoxious cat, that was a bit too ridiculous to stomach, or believe. Especially the lack ofreiatsu

from myself.

Why the fuck was I suddenly as weak as I had been for the first fifteen long years of my life?!

Okay, okay, I should have calmed down. Like, this had to have been a dream. I knew it. Rightthen. Ha ha, so funny. Not. This was the least pleasant fantasy I could think of. A nightmare!

What the hell did I eat before going to sleep?!

By then, I was no longer lying in bed. Oh no, I was stomping around the room in righteous fury.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find Kon and literally beat the stuffing out of him. That would havehelped immensely. Heh, Rukia also...


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Shit.

Rukia.

I couldn't let her see me like this.

...But I couldn't hide, either, since that would also be admitting weakness--though I was in no

way weak. No, sir. Moreover, I had no way of telling where she was without being able toperceive reiatsu, so hiding was pointless, anyways. Who knew where she could be? Not me.

Then, where could I go? Run, stay, hide, seek her out...argh! All those options were not an

option! At a total loss, I ended up stuck in my room, ripping my hair off. Weak and a totalembarrassment to Substitute Soul Reapers everywhere...if there were any besides me. Even if

there weren't, I was a disgrace to myself.

Of course, seeing how I didn't want her near me at the moment, Rukia had to show up right then.

Right through the middle of my wall, no less. Talk about bad timing. Not to mention rude. Toogood for the door, like everyone else? And she was showing off how much more of a Shinigamishe was than me, wearing those black robes that suited her so well, especially in the night.

Expecting a look of disappointment from her, I opened my mouth to explain why I was suddenly

such a pussy, even though I had no clue what the hell was going on. Except...except I stopped

once I realized Rukia's--surprisingly--cold gaze was not directed at me but towards the distanthorizon outside my window.

Uh, was I that horrible to look at?

"It's close...!" she abruptly spoke, walking past me and pretending as though I didn't exist. Orthat's what it seemed like to me.

What the hell was so close?! I wanted to ask, but the way she disregarded my existence pissed

me off a little too much. Rubbed me the wrong way.

"Hey, would it hurt to say 'Hello' or anything?!" I snapped at her, almost whacking her...Oops,

maybe "almost" wasn't exactly right. I was seriously frustrated, you have to understand.

Startled--she probably noticed then I lost my Shinigamipowers, at last--she stared at me in

shock, from my floor. "You...you can see me?!" sputtered Rukia stupidly. Duh, of course I could.

"And...you kicked me!" Shit, I actually did lose my handle. My bad, really.

Huh? Wait, what did she say?

This was the dumbest joke I'd heard from her and she'd had some real snoozers. "Well, yeah, Ican see you! What kind of moronic game are you playing?!"

Before she replied, an unexpected force assailed me from behind.


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Dammit!

"Quiet, boy! Stop jumping around up here!"

The old man! Attacking my back!

"I can be as loud as I want in my own damn room!" I shot back with a kick of my own. I watched

him fly with great satisfaction.

Wait a second.

Since when did this idiot attack me when the option of hugging the life out of one of his precious

"daughters" was available? And wasn't this whole scene a little too familiar...?

"Dad, are you going to say hi to Rukia or..."

Shit, too late, I forgot that pops couldn't see Rukia in Shinigami form. Fuck, have I lost mybrains along with my ability to feel reiatsu? That's just something else.

Yeah, and to drive the point home, pops looked absolutely clueless. Not that there was much of a

difference from how he usually looked. Still, I could just tell. The world could go to hell and my

dad wouldn't realize a thing was wrong even if the devil put him on a skewer and roasted him bya fire.

"Look at who? What?" my dad responded, staring intently at a speck on my wall about a meter toRukia's right.

Again, that feeling like nostalgia tickled the back of my skull but I hadn't grasped it quite yet.

"Never mind," I pretended my earlier, unfinished query had never been asked. Great, Rukia was

going to be furious at me for nearly blowing her cover over. On top of me kicking her. Man, Iwas going to be facing a real monster soon. And, I was still angry at Dad. "How many times are

you going to use such underhanded tacts against your own son?!" I blasted at him, fists a blazing.

...Really, though, I only had to hit him once more to get him off crying to Yuzu or Karin. Wimp.

He should be ashamed of himself.

Phew. Living with that maniac was tiring.

"...How..."

Oh! Rukia. I turned to look at her and she was in...complete shock? Totally pale. The white ofher skin stood in stark contrast to her flowing robes.

"...How..." she repeated slowly, eyes of violet fired in suspicion. "How...do you know...myname...?"


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...Say what?

I face-faulted. She was taking this ruse too far. Acting like she didn't know me in addition topretending I wasn't in the room.

"Come on, Rukia," I sauntered towards her, my shoulders slouching in resignation, "can you juststop the dumb act?" I'd had enough.

In response, she twisted her sleek fingers around the hilt of her sword. The ivory of her knuckles

stood out. "Don't act so familiar with me, human! How do you know who I am?!"

Tch.

"We've known each other for years, remember?" I played along--to my own tune, that is. Whichis probably why she glared at me. Hey, don't get mad if I don't want to partake in your fun,

Rukia. You started this whole dumb thing.

"I've never seen you before," she absolutely simmered, and I almost recoiled from the heat. Or

was it ice? Impossible to tell. Either way was pretty scary and I probably shouldn't have been

acting so recklessly. I was putting my life on the line needlessly. "Answer me!" she demanded,as she always did around me. "How do you know me?! Persist in your levity and I shall not

hesitate to use force!"

"Like I'm scared."

The answer was pure reflex, but apparently a big mistake since I quickly found myself boundagainst my will by a spell, getting a taste of my floor.

"Wrong move, human...that is, if you're not actually a Hollow." What?! Hollow?! "You'll bestuck here for your insolence while I search for the actual Hollow, as a moron like you could not

possibly the real monster. Unfortunately, the Provisional Spirit Law forbids me from killing

you..."

Furious, I struggled against invisible bonds. Kill me?! Tying me up?! This was insane! I wasn't

into this kinky tomfoolery!

"Dammit, Rukaghrrgh-!" Cursing her served only to get my lips restricted.

"...Now, if only I could find the demon..." she resumed her soliloquy as if nothing happened. Asif I didn't exist. "Alas, I have not been able to sense its presence for some time now..."

Why not...?

...Hey.

Something clicked, at long last, in my brain


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Hold on.

...This really was too familiar.

But I've got to be wrong, since there's no way I could have possibly...

Dhoooooooooooooooooooooooooom!

An earth-shattering roar, one that could I clearly remember hearing long ago, eliminated any

doubt. It was thatday, again. But, how? It made no sense. I wasn't dreaming, I thought. The

weight of Rukia's spell was clearly pressing me hard against my floor. So, if it was real, why didI have memories from after this day? And...if I could have the memories, why couldn't I retain

my power?


No time to ponderwhy I was suddenly reliving that fateful night, though.

"...Like there's some force obstructing my senses..." Rukia continued to ponder aimlessly.

I knew the truth, however.

Me. I was that force. In a big way, the twisted deal I made with her was all my fault. It was

startling how events panned out the way they did before. Hey! Shouldn't I be able to change

something now?! These memories had to be there for a reason!

But...right now, the Hollow should be attacking...

My eyes went wide and I began seriously fighting the bonds. Were the invisible ropes tighter this

time or something? At least I could shake off the little magic she placed on my lips. "Rukia! You

need to hurry! Right now, the Hollow is-"

She appeared surprised I shook off a part of her spell, but my words caught her interest. "Iswhat? What do you..."


Shock swept over her entire being. Looks like she heard it, finally.

Whatever. That wasn't important. "My sisters, they're in-"

"Kyaaah!"

Yuzu! No!

Immediately, Rukia ran towards the scream.


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"Wait!" I called to her, causing her to pause. "Undo the spell! I can help!"

Yeah, I remember being stronger than she was.

"Don't be a fool! You'll only add to the body count! Be quiet and leave this to me! Understand?!"

...Right.

I was strongerbefore I lost my powers, for whatever reason. Still, I couldn't lie helpless while

my family was in jeopardy, even though I knew everything would turn out all right. Wait...would

everything end the same way? Like, what if things happened differently this time around?! If it'spossible for me to make things better, wouldn't the opposite be true as well?!

Shit!

Wasn't there usually some consequences that people face when they went back in time in those

sci-fi shows, because they changed history or something? I kind of wished I hadn't always leftthe room when my dad and Yuzu watched shows like that. They didn't seem so dumb when I was

living in one of those impossible situations.

The Hollow roared, sending ripples of destruction through my life.

Dammit, I was being too slow!

Then, the sound of a heavy weight being dragged along the hardwood floors wiped my anger atmyself away with a brush of fear.

No, not...

"I...Ichigo..." Her voice was weak, so different from her usual self which needed to be so strong.

She had to be in serious pain. "Are you okay...?" Nonetheless, she put others' safety before herown. She always did so.

"Karin!" I screamed. Exactly as I did before. Shit, no, I needed to change the past! But I couldn't

think straight.

Bleeding and bruised, she pulled herself next to a Shinigami only I could see. "Good...it hasn't

come this way..." Karin was looking at me. Couldn't see Rukia, it seemed. "It happened so

fast...Dad's back exploded and he fell...then it went for me and Yuzu...so fast...I thought...had towarn...Ichigo..." My insides turned to fire. Foresight be damned, I was consumed with hatred forthis weakling Hollow once more. "What is it...?" Dead meat. "I didn't get a good look...I don't

think Dad or Yuzu could see it...Ichigo...hurry..before it finds you...run..."

Drained, my little sister lost consciousness. I grit my teeth.


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"It's okay, she has only passed out," comforted Rukia, albeit coldly, telling me what I already

knew.

That didn't bother me, though, since I wasn't listening to her, anyways. I was going to kill that

son of a bitch.

Rukia twisted in my direction, surprised. "Stop! What are you doing?!" she yelled as I raised

myself to my knees. "Stop! No human's strength is enough to break the kidou!" I knew. I knew. I

knew that! And that's why I was so pissed off! Ahh, my arms felt loose. Almost there..."If youforce it, your soul will..."

Be removed in Shinigami form, I hoped, as the hot air around me crackled and hissed from the

heat and her bonds were torn asunder.

Turned out that wasn't the case, that I would become a Shinigami, but I had enough steam to takedown another Menos Grande with a simple glare and I was already pushing past Rukia and

running towards the asshole that hurt my family. Reason be damned.

"Wait!" Rukia desperately attempted to halt me. Futile. As if I ever listened to her in moments

like these. Hadn't she learned that by then?

Her cry long behind me, I dashed down the stairs four at a time, and soon reached the landing

that connected to the living room. A menacing crack lined the wall.

Inside the living room. Blood. Ruined furniture. A rank odor, something was burning. The oldman, more blood! Where was it...?! I moved inside the room, went through to the kitchen. There,

a gaping hole practically removed the wall. There! It was there!

So determined to kill this Hollow was I that I seemed to all but forget I'd done this all before.

...Yet, I don't think I could be blamed for that when the bastard, standing outside the destruction

of my house, looked to be squeezing the life out of...

"Yuzu!"

A tear in her eye, my little sister choked out my name. "Ichigo..."

Enough! No matter how many times this happened, my feelings would never change. Nobody

fucks around with my family. Never again. I swore this to my soul the dayshe died.

Having no weapon to speak of, not even a baseball bat, I lunged towards the Hollow armed only

with my rage. Kind of surprising it didn't keel over just from that, I was so mad.

Of course, my fury, powerful though it may be, was useless next to a Hollow's strength and a

strong fist sent me flying backwards to the wall. The wind was knocked out of my chest, leaving


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me gasping for air, whilst my head slammed painfully into the wooden wall. Red spread over

half my vision in waves.

My skull must have been split open.

That knocked a little humility into me. Yeah...that's right, I was insignificant then. It had been solong since I was so weak, I could no longer remember what it was like to be the sand ground

down by the rotator. Yeah, I'd lost a lot of fights since becoming a Shinigami, the sense of defeat

was nothing new to me, but at least I'd had a chance to win in all those battles. I stood no hopenext to this pitiful hollow, however, and that frustration cut into me deeper than the wound on

the back of my head. Just one encounter with this Hollow, and the consequences of frailty made

themselves all too apparent again My world lost meaning. I hated to admit it, but the truth wasclear: I needed help.

That only Rukia could provide at this hour.

How frustrating. I couldn't stomach being able to do nothing!

At the moment, however, the Hollow stood poised to deliver a final blow to my soul; while I had

been thinking, it must have approached me. Ha! If I was insignificant, it was nothing! Suddenly,

I couldn't stop smiling. Despite a razor sharp claw flying towards my chest to finish me off, Ismirked...Yeah, this loser was nothing compared to her.

Grinning, empty though it might have been, I watched Rukia slice off the Hollow's right arm an

instant before it reached me and fling Yuzu into my protective embrace.

"Yuzu! You all right?!" I asked my other sister to no avail.

"Stay calm, boy!" In a flash, Rukia put herself between me and the Hollow. "The Hollow has notyet devoured any of your family's souls!"

Yeah, yeah, I got that. Sorry that I was concerned for my sister. "What about you, though?" Ilooked at her, sideways, still intent on Yuzu. Of course. No way I could forget how my life

started anew because of this Hollow's dirty blow on Rukia and that fateful exchange.

"Me?!" She snorted indignantly. Well, her pride was at stake here. "I have no idea how you

learned my name, kid, but you can't know me too well if you believe this low-level Hollow

stands a chance against a seasoned veteran such as myself!"

"Hey, I don't think you're weak or-"

"Furthermore, I've never seen a 'human' that could see us Soul Reapers before...or break a

binding spell. I have never heard of a human with so much reiatsubefore...but haven't you

realized by now that you drew this monster to this plane?!"

I...!


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Father, Yuzu, Karin! An image, of a beautiful woman in black being pierced by a monster's

fangs. And, stronger than anything else, a certain rainy day...

Slowly, I stood, ignoring the pain."Yeah, you're right," I agreed. Like before, about how I was

the one that really hurt my family. Even worse, I was the reason you got, or would be, hurt,

Rukia. "All this...is because of me! My dad, dying over there...Yuzu, Karin bleeding, and youbeing taken to..."

"Wait..." Truly, Rukia sounded apologetic as she turned around to regard me. I knew how sincereshe was, too, yet I believed I was the one who should be sorry. After all, I inadvertently changed

her world without meaning to. "That is not what I meant..."

Caught off guard, the Hollow wasted no time to take advantage of our exchange and swatted

Rukia away.

"Rukia!"

Shit, what was I doing?! Everything was happened exactly as it did before! I should have beendoing my best to protect Rukia this time around!

Angry still, I glared at the Hollow. Dust blew around us on the dark street. Light bulbs flickered

on and off, as if trying to avoid being sucked into the black void of this creature.

...Suddenly, I was confused. More confused, rather. I needed to protect Rukia this time, but I

couldn't do so without dying. Heh, dying? Who says I'd die? Wouldn't I just end up claiming myShinigamipowers if the Soul Link was cut? However, last time I tried to get this demon to kill

me, Rukia interfered and the long story began from there.

...Could I do it right this time? She was still dazed from the Hollow's earlier blow.

Going to try, regardless.

"Hey...ugly..." I taunted the Hollow, my mind swimming. "You want my soul...?" She was down,

she couldn't possibly get in the way. "Then fight me like a man! Forget the others! It's me you

want! So kill me!"

Set me free!

"You fool!" Rukia cried out against my choice, as expected.

No, you wouldn't be taking the blow this time, Rukia. I couldn't fight...yet...but I could distract

this loser long enough for you to deliver a fatal blow. And you would have more than enough

reiatsu to spare for my family's injuries. Yes, the plan was best. The risk we took last time wasinsane.


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For added measure, I put all my remaining energy in my legs to run faster towards my end. To

the gaping maw of the Hollow's jaw. Closer, closer, and closer I got, until I could count the

individual teeth of the former human's mouth, until I could smell its rancid breath, until I couldfeel my heart beat its final pulse.

"No! Stop!"

Fangs sank inside me and the pain exploded, consuming all my senses. Looked like Rukia wasn't

fast enough the second time around.

Instead of white, my world turned red, then softly faded to black...Briefly, I wondered if wecould still be together on the other side of the abyss.

Heh.

What a dumb question, I thought before closing my eyes.

Then, I died.

Editing complete. Resuming background:

...Following encounter with Shinigami, Kuchiki Rukia, subject Kurosaki Ichigo is soon killed by

hollow, and...

Error.

Information regarding Ichigo Kurosaki is currently under heavy scrutiny. Tampering in the

database is highly suspected. User #1138 must leave the Library at once, or the account shall be

terminated immediately.

It was dark again. Entirely black. Like before, except without the sense of uneasiness I feltearlier. At the same time, my body was split into two factions. On one side, various parts of mewere completely numb, so much so I questioned if they were even still there. I wondered how

much of my flesh was torn off by that weak Hollow. As for the rest of me, all I could feel was

pain. Every nerve that hadn't been turned off was searing, burning out and approaching thenothingness felt by the rest of my body. I wasn't sure how I lost consciousness, it hurt so much. Iwasn't sure why I hadn't died yet, the agony was so immense...Err, didn't I die before? How was I

still living? No matter, another question was bothering me:

Was this how she felt last time?


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Or had it been even worse? In addition to her wounds, she had to deal with losing her powers.

Then again, hadn't I lost my powers as well tonight? Maybe it wasn't so different. In any case, I

couldn't regret my actions if it meant she didn't have to endure this again. I knew she likelywouldn't forgive me, would probably think otherwise, but I didn't care. I didn't want to lose

another to the rain.

As if hearing my thoughts, I felt something wet hit my face. Then another. And another drop.

Then, it wasn't only my face. Wherever I could still feel a response, these cool, wet drops landed

on my hot skin. It got to the point where I was soaked. Really nice, it was, since it helped meforget I was probably going to die--and soon.

Which was good, because death was still a pretty scary thing. When you're young like I was, itwas easy to not fear your demise because it always looked so far away. I knew it was going to

happen some day, that I would die, but not for a long time so who cared? Not me. Yet, with the

end abruptly staring me in the face like this, it was frightening, even though I knew what was

going to happen to my soul in the afterlife.

But this rain helped me to forget that, and to believe that, maybe...it wouldn't be so bad to go out

in a place like this, with a pleasant and familiar warmth at the back of my neck.

My ability to think was distorted, then, but the voice from above that spoke next came through tome clearly.

"Why did you do that?"

It wasn't angry, like I expected. Only a little sad...like I feared.

Did she expect me to answer? It didn't sound as though she was asking me a question. More likeshe was voicing her thoughts listlessly, in my unbalanced opinion.

And I didn't know how I would answer, even if I could. Choosing to take the blow... I couldn't

remember why that seemed such a smart decision at the time. I had been so lost in the moment

before, seeing my sisters so hurt had taken away my ability to think rationally.

What I believed to be the rain continued to fall upon me, slowly becoming heavy instead ofcomforting. Heat was quickly leaving my body, being replaced by the cold. My time had to be

short. This little reprise itself was a miracle.

Before I went to wherever I was going next, though, I wanted to see her face.

Fortunately, my eyes could still function. It wasn't the most pleasant feeling, but I forced myselfto see. What I saw, however, was only blurred. Shadows. Too many of them...It figured. At least

I could tell which one was Rukia.

A startled gasp, then.


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"...You're still alive?!" I heard her say in surprise before becoming solemn. "Only barely...I don't

think you'll..." Live. She stopped herself from saying it, but I could understand. Too well.

Couldn't notunderstand with my life burning out like this.

Softly, she sighed. Quite different from how she was earlier that night.

...It was still the same night, right? The one where we first met? Because this situation seemed a

lot more like another night. Or was I no longer able to tell them apart? I suppose it never

mattered to me much what happened so long as she was there.

Quiet. It was quiet, then. I couldn't speak, just keeping my eyes open was draining me, and Ithink she was trying to come up with the right words to say to me. Pretty bad of myself to put her

in a situation like this.

"Your family is safe...You protected them. After the hollow..." Attacked me, I filled in the blanksonce more. "...it was left vulnerable and I easily purified it. Your family's wounds were not

severe and I was able to restore them to their previous states. Their memories of the incidenthave been removed...Unfortunately, I didn't have enough strength left for your own wounds...I'msorry. They...your family...think you died in an accident. They're awake now, still very upset

about your 'death.' Does that make you happy?"

Not exactly.

"...Still, I'm somehow proud of you. I wonder if we knew each other in a past life...maybe that

was how you knew my name...You know, not many people could throw their lives away for the

sake of others like you did, human. What you did was really admirable, in a stupid way. You

have potential to go far in Soul Society. They like people like you...You did a lot more for your

family than I ever could have..."

...What the hell was she saying?! Geez. I wished I wasn't dying so I could scream something ather.

The rain battered my last nerve into submission. My eyes lost power and I felt them close for thelast time.

"...Goodbye. Perhaps we'll meet again."

Perhaps?! More like, definitely, because I needed to knock some sense into her again.

Thinking that, I left this existence for another.

The room was dark, save for the glow of a computer screen. It was impossible to tell what timeof day it was. Could be night or day. Or both. It didn't really matter, though, since the man in

front of the monitor worked through the entire day and the entire night without rest.


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A sound of keys being punched in could be heard in rapid waves. Occasionally, a break would

occur in the typing and the dark room would go silent, save for the dim hum of the fan running

inside the computer's tower. Then the typing would resume, more intense than ever. Louder thanever.

It was as though the man was trying to keep himself awake, he typed with so noisily.

Yet, it was to no avail. The room only got darker and darker for the man. The silences between

the keyboard being furiously mashed grew in length. After the longest gap, the man went intooverdrive and slammed his hands against the keys. He couldn't have even be writing anything

coherent, his motions were so out of control. He was berserk. This was the climax. This could

not last much longer.

And it didn't.

The typing slowed. The rage diminished. Heavy gasps were audible as the man's breathing went

ragged, but his respiration was smoothing into gentler intakes of air with each breath. Hands,now sweaty with perspiration, eased on the keyboard. Fingers moved up and down in strain, thenfroze. And a head of slick hair crashed forward onto a desk, hitting countless keys.

The man was finally asleep. He would not wake for some time.

The room was dark, save for a glimmer of light radiating from a monitor. Soon, the monitor wentto sleep and the room was enveloped in black.

The man dreamed.

2. Night and Day

Early, early, Ichigo Kurosaki woke up at an incredibly early hour. What a guy. He woke so damnearly you had to wonder if he even slept at all. He did this every day and it was like he wasn't

even controlling his body, sometimes, the way he moved about his apartment suite. He pretended

as though this seeming lack of control did not bother him.

All right. Let's see if this turns out the way I wanted it to this time.

And he pretended he did not hear that thought, or voice. Whatever it was. It was nothing.

The penthouse he rented was stunning. Fully decked out. Came with four bedrooms. He onlyneeded one, but what the hell, why not, he told himself. A nice, marble-top jacuzzi glittered in

the bathroom. And it was never used because Ichigo worked too hard to ever stop and relax in it.

For showering purposes only, the tub. He had a nice kitchen. Spotless. Pans of increasing size


15/72

hung above an impressive oven; clearly, none had ever been used for their intended purpose, as

each cooking tool was cleaner then the day it was purchased. Ichigo always went out to

expensive restaurants instead of cooking anything fancy for himself. Hey, those chefs neededsomeone to pay their bills! All the rooms in his apartment were up-to-date with whatever was

currently fashionable, though Ichigo had absolutely no idea what was cutting edge in interior

decorating. None of the decorating had been done by Ichigo himself. A sort of lack of personalconnection between his home and Ichigo existed because of this. Not that this mattered becausehe spent most of his day at the office. Or on his home PC, which was better than the best money

could buy.

He spent time in his room. Yeah. Got lots of sleep and didn't work throughout the entire night on

his personal computer.

After waking up early, Ichigo washed up, shaved, drank a lotof coffee and ate a simple bowl of

cereal while going over the newspaper, checking out the stocks before quickly heading out the

door. Nothing exciting in the paper--again. Only some news about a housing crisis for people

trying to move into town because all the residents were too happy with their own homes to sellthem, and an old man had died from Severe Overjoy after the local, professional baseball team

had won its seventh straight championship. Old man died with the biggest smile in his life, whichis always something in Hirusugi, City of Smiles.

Everything was super happy in the city of Hirusugi. Always was, always would be. They wereall part of a never-ending pipe dream that only got better with the passing of time. A man could

easily live in content in this peaceful city that needed no heroes. Certainly, Ichigo could. Hence a

big smile often seen on his face.

Good. Just as it should be. This should be enough to be please anybody else. We're all sick of

needing so many heroes. We want a better place to sleep.

Anyways, Ichigo needed to get to work. He did love that job of his. Deep down, at least. Right?

Damn right.

Down the elevator, to the bottom of the tall apartment complex, to his car, he went. Along the

way, any and every person he passed gave him a quick smile brightened by whatever jewellerythey wore. Every person here was rich. He smiled back at those people. He was rich, too. His

smile was as real as could be, not forced in any way.What was his job if he earned so much

money? Must have been a good one. Yeah, had to be if he was this happy.

His car was a lease. Latest model of some sports car. Ichigo kept on forgetting the name of the

thing, as he hadn't looked into what he was buying too carefully. He had wanted to sign the deal

and driving away as quickly as possible. All he knew was that it looked important, and he lookedimportant when he was in it. That was all that mattered in Hirusugi. Being cool. It was a cool city

and so were its citizens. Ichigo was cool, too, and felt important. Big smile.

And he did appear cool and important, driving away from his suburbs that morning to the heart

of downtown. To the center of numerous, sparkling skyscrapers that climbed closer to the


16/72

heavens every year. The top of the car had been pulled down, and he slipped on a pair of shades

after the sun started to climb into the horizon. Too cool.The perfect life. Yeah. It had to be. Who

could imagine a world better than this?

Yeah, this is the life! Everyone will love this! It's perfect. So much better than the alternative.

By the way, Ichigo left so early because the drive to work was slow. Yeah, his apartment wasn't

too far from the center of Hirusugi, but the traffic was mental in the dawn's early light. The life

of excess everyone enjoyed here, the life that allowed the towering buildings to grow anotherfloor every year, was only a product of hard work and that meant everyone needed to chip in and

chip in early! Like they say, the miner that digs deepest gets the diamond-encrusted watch! And

Ichigo had several fancy watches, despite needing just the one. More importantly, though, theone watch he wore told him he needed to step on it if he wanted to dig up another beauty this

fine day.

Too bad the streets were clogged with hundreds of luxury cars not so different from his own, all

moving at speeds considerably lower than their ludicrously fast potential. A city drowning in itsriches, Hirusugi could be at times.

With the top of his car down, Ichigo nearly drowned in how awesome this all was. How exciting

it was to have not a single worry save for his next money-making assignment.

Unbelievable! Who could imagine a world like this? I'm a fucking genius!

Shaking his head, Ichigo continued the slow descent into the maze of corporate paradise.

A few hours later--by then, the sun was clearly in the middle of the sky--he reached his

destination: the most important, thus tallest, building in Hirusugi. As noted earlier, Hirusugi wasa focal point of wealth. Opulence was the name of the game here. The unemployment rate was

zero, and had been so for years. No one was without employment once they came of age atthirteen, and most began working before then. There was no shortage of cash. All the people

could possibly be lacking was entertainment, and Ichigo's company supplied this most important

of demands.

Any kind of entertainment you needed, Ichigo's company could provide it. Ever wanted to be a

professional baseball player? No problem. Sports simulations were easy. Other games? SoulReaper Entertainment had them before you even knew you wanted them. Want to get physical

with the latest hot singer? Come on, give Soul Reaper Entertainment a challenge: switching faces

on virtual bodies was almost easier than creating the fantasy in your own head. Hate your boss?So does Soul Reaper Entertainment and they would gladly provide you with a safe environmentto have a sociopathic killing spree. Because Soul Reaper Entertainment cares about you and

loves it whenyou smile.

Want to be rich and drive around in a fancy car? Well, probably not because chances are you

already are rich and drive around in a fancy car. Giant laughter. Sorry, Soul Society

Entertainment joke.


17/72

Parking in the special spot reserved for him, Ichigo sighed in relief. Fifteen minutes early.

Awesome. He walked from the parked car to the front entrance.

The entrance to his workplace was extravagant. Granite blocks polished smoother than a baby's

ass and shinier than one, too, supported the majestic tower at its foundations. Gazing up, Ichigo

couldn't even see the top of this spire. Somewhere up in the clouds breached by this giganticbuilding, he knew some well-paid window cleaners were working around the clock to make sure

not a single insects' corpse could dirty a window for longer than a minute. Back down to earth,

however, more revolving doors than necessary spun non-stop as people went in and out non-stop.Ichigo became another person to pass through those spinning doors.

Inside, where marble floors reflected both the wealth of the employees and the employees,themselves--it was incredibly clean-- Ichigo snapped off his sunglasses and greeted the secretary

at the base of this economic fortress. Doing so risked being late, and being late was notcool, but

not talking to his co-workers would be even less cool. And when you're in the business of

making cool products, you need to be cool.

"Hello, Ms. Inoue." He was brisk. As always. Not a single sign that he was tired could be seen on

his face. Because Ichigo was wide awake and lead by example. "How are you today?" And hewas always polite, without fail. Good job, Ichigo Kurosaki. You are so like yourself.

The young woman at the desk jumped. As patterned to do so. "O-Oh! Mr. Kurosaki! You'reearly. As usual," her face was flushed. No need to be so shy, Ms. Inoue. Be happy and smile.

Inoue? Should she even be here? Did I screw up?...No, everything is running smoothly. Just met

an unexpected development. Still...

Ichigo blinked.

"I have to be on time," replied Ichigo, pretending to have heard nothing in his skull, "otherwisewho knows what Kuchiki will have done to this place," he smirked. Indeed. Kuchiki was a sly

devil and she would do all sorts of nasty things if he was late.

"Mr. Kurosaki!" shushed Ms. Inoue, glancing around to make sure no one heard her boss. None

had. She moved next to her superior, right by his ear "You can't speak of one of the directors that

impolitely," she whispered intently, concerned. Then backed off immediately as if it wasamazingly embarrassing to be so close to her boss.

"I don't care about rules and that bullshit," Ichigo brushed aside the issue brashly, apparently notnoticing Ms. Inoue's strange behaviour. But he was surprisingly polite all the same, even though

he used profanity. Nice work, Ichigo, you didn't slip in the slightest. "They pay me to think my

own way. If Kuchiki has a problem with that, it's not my concern."

Heh, Rukia having a problem in this world? Wonder what kind of dumb issue it could be over

here...But should she even be here? No matter.


18/72

Frustrated, Ichigo rubbed his temple. But the itch inside was not something that could be reached

without digging through his cranium. He did what he could, nonetheless.

This was not missed by a certain colleague. "Are you feeling all right, Mr. Kurosaki?" Ms. Inoue

jumped on this opportunity with no hesitation. Wait, what opportunity?

"Anything I can do?" she offered, hopeful.

"No, I'm fine." Her boss would never admit to being fragile, though. His livelihood depended on

being tough. And suave. And classy. You know, just plain cool. "Been having this weird

headache, lately." His secretary's mouth opened, yet he cut her off. "Don't worry about it. Shouldbe gone before the end of the day or after I get some sleep." Probably. If not yesterday or today,

then tomorrow.

Hey, I'm not going anywhere! This is too fun!

"Okay...Let me know if I can help, though."

"Thanks, Ms. Inoue, though I doubt it will be necessary." He checked his pricey watch

absentmindedly, while still being polite. Damn! If he didn't rush now he might be only threeminutes early! Also, how could he be polite while ignoring Ms. Inoue? He sure had some major

coolocity if he could do that. Props to you, Ichigo Kurosaki. "Anyways, I need to head up. Have

a nice day and work hard, Ms. Inoue."

"Bye...!"

But he was off, and soon inside the elevator that would take him to the top floor.

"Come on, come on!"

Impatiently, he smashed the button in hopes of forcing the door to close faster. Being late wasnever cool. Eventually, the doors began sliding shut but not before a voice slipped through the

opening between the doors.

"Wait! Hold up!"

A hand slipped inside the crack to pry them open. While he was in a hurry, Ichigo would never

be discourteous to a fellow worker and helped the person open the door. That simply was not

cool for anyone, most of all himself, to make no effort to help.

Then he saw who the person--rather, the man--was.

Regret.

"Oh. It'syou."


19/72

"Kurosaki," his uncool co-worker nodded his head, though it could hardly be called a tip, much

less a nod. As blatantly stated earlier, notcool.

"Ishida." Then again, his own greeting was far from rad or pleasant. To be slightly less than

precise, it was the most acid-filled greeting a greeting could be while still being called a polite

greeting.

The two glared at one another. Coldly, the elevator doors slammed shut and trapped these rivals

inside dangerously small confines. Pretty confines, by the way. The roomy elevator was gildedwith gold throughout, which matched the imported, red carpeting nicely.

Why is Ishida here? More than that, what is this...hostility? Is something wrong with the...

The bespectacled employee struck first, while Ichigo was distracted by external thoughts.

"How's your current project going, Kurosaki?"

"Very well, Ishida," parried Ichigo with practised ease, losing track of the mysterious

monologue. "Our projections indicate an even greater success than our last project produced."

And he sent a blow of his own. "How is your team doing?" Okay, the words themselves did notindicate that this was an attack, but the way Ichigo vocalized each syllable was dripping with

indifference. Just so to piss off Ishida.

This elevator ride couldn't possibly go any slower.

"Great, of course," Ishida defended himself with a conceited smirk. Light conveniently found itsway to the frames of his glasses and glinted maliciously. "This year, Kurosaki, you won't be

responsible for topping the sales charts for the company."

"So you say every year, Ishida."

A crack appeared on Ishida's guise and a pair of spectacles slid downward. "Hey, the games I

design are great!"

"They're dating sims!" Ichigo lost composure, as well. He should have slept more. "What kind of

a man wants to be part of the girly division at a gaming company?!"

"My creations are spectacular, Kurosaki, unlike your lame platformers," Ishida pushed his

glasses up his nose with grace, despite his indignation.

Ichigo's hands shot up to grab his colleague's collar. "That's it, I'm-"

Whoa, whoa!

Loudly, a bell dinged to signal they had arrived at the top floor. The doors opened and otheremployees at the office were waiting outside. The need for perfection was out there.


20/72

"See you, Mr. Ishida. Have a nice day." Ichigo smiled warmly, putting up a front. Too cool for

school, he was.

Immediately, the air between the two appeared as friendly as the air between two cats looking at

the same fish. Yep, not very.

"You as well, Mr. Kurosaki. I look forward to seeing what your team produces today!"

And the two split ways on "good" terms.

...This Ichigo designs...things, too?

Great, not even nine yet and Ichigo already needed his coffee break. Ugh, and he still had to deal

with the most troublesome person in the building. Ishida wasn't too bad since he didn't have todirectly work with the guy, but the same could not be said of Kuchiki. There was no subtlety to

his "animosity" towards Ishida, unlike Kuchiki. His relationship with Kuchiki was...complex. To

say the least

In this bad mood, he stepped into the Research and Development Department, Badass Division,

of Soul Reaper Entertainment. If he was lucky,she wouldn't spot him until he could get alonewith her.

"Late."

...That voice...

Argh! She always found something wrong. Ichigo's boiled emotions let loose.

"Look at the clock, Kuchiki!" He exploded, pointing at said clock. Around him, other workers

stopped to watch but he didn't care. "I'm perfectly on time!" Uh oh. What happened to the cool?

His superior scoffed. "You arrived after I did. Therefore, you're late, Kurosaki. Continue with

tardiness like this and I'll have to speak with Mr. Urahara about you. No matter how 'gifted' or

'promising' you happen to be, that is no excuse for lethargy, Kurosaki."

...I'm not sure it's a good thing Rukia is the same as ever. This is somewhat scary. Perhaps,

instead, I should change her personality into something less...intimidating.

"So you say every day, Kuchiki."

Strike.

"So you admit to being late every day?"

Parry.


21/72

Ichigo blinked. "No, I'm on time every day! It's not my fault you basically live in the building

and it's impossible to arrive here before you!"

Horizontal slash.

"That is no excuse for tardiness, Kurosaki."

Counter.

"Listen, can we just start working?" Ichigo tried dropping the subject. "I actually willbe late if I

continue talking to you."

Retreat. Victory, Rukia Kuchiki.

She eyed him appraisingly. "Maybe he isn't as foolish as he looks..." Kuchiki muttered.

Wait, a draw? This was confusing.

"What was that?!"

"Nothing. Get to work, Kurosaki." Suddenly, she realized the two weren't alone. "That goes forall of you!" she barked at the circle of employees that had gathered to watch the two argue.

In an orderly fashion, the crowd dispersed to their respected cubicles. Not Ichigo, though, whohad a fancy and very cool office of his own, no cubicle. Like, he had super rare action figures in

there and high tech gizmos that wouldn't be available to the regular market for months. That

office was where he settled himself in. His...haven. The place he did his most productive work.

And, for the next hour-and-a-half, he did all kinds of complicated computer calculations andcrazy brainstorming, as he did to start all his mornings. Then, at precisely 10:30 am, he forced

himself to stop and head for a coffee break. As he did every day. Ichigo needed his coffee very

much so

This is nice and dull.

Ichigo refused to acknowledge the bizarre voice at the back of his head, and walked purposely to

the employee room. Once there, he stubbornly poured himself a hot brew. Smelled good andstrong.

"Hey."

Oh, it was Chad, the giant of a man who managed the beta testing team. "Hey, Chad. How's the

wife doing?"

Wife?! Huh? I don't remember putting that in here.


22/72

"Fine," his burly friend answered in his typically concise manner. "You okay? You fighting with

Ms. Kuchiki again?" Chad sipped some coffee leisurely.

"Tch, don't worry over how I deal with that woman. She'll never do anything serious against me

and I can take care of myself."

"You sure? You do look a bit pale, like you haven't been sleeping."

Brashly, Ichigo took a large swig of his coffee. letting the hot liquid and caffeine energize him.

"I'm sure as can be." He thought of Kuchiki. "Very much so. She just likes teasing me for

whatever reason."

What reason?

Silently, the two stood around the staff room drinking their coffee. Others came and went but

didn't stop to chat with either Ichigo or Chad.

"Well, nice talking with you, Chad, but I have loads of work to catch up on. Oh, you and your

crew will definitely enjoy the stuff I have in the works."

"I look forward to it."

"Seeya, man."

"Later."

Break time was over and the two split. Back to the drawing board for Ichigo. More like the

computer screen, but same thing. Normally, he would get lesser employees to do theprogramming for him, but Ichigo could never really trust anyone else with the initial coding.

They'd miss up with something. he always feared. Having someone else program

what he viewed as an avatar of himself gave Ichigo the jitters.

Close to lunchtime, a visitor knocked on his door.

"Who is it?" He asked, annoyed. Often, Ichigo was slightly on edge. "I'm busy now!" Normally,this would scare off any assistants and their stupid questions. Not the coolest way to act, but

work was of the utmost important.

Unfortunately, this was no person to be frightened so easily. No assistant.

"It's me, Kurosaki. Show me what you got today."

Kuchiki.


23/72

"...Come in," he beckoned, although Kuchiki had already allowed herself inside and was looking

at him expectantly.

Suavely, or that was the intent, Ichigo flipped his monitor over. All there was too see was a mess

of numbers, but Kuchiki appeared to understand. More like, Ichigo knew that she understood it.

Perhaps better than he himself could, as she was higher up in the food chain than he. So, whywas she taking so long to do whatever it was she was doing?

"...Well?" Ichigo asked after about a minute of her blankly looking at the screen.

She startled. "Oh."

"What do you mean, 'oh?' How's it looking to you?"

"Fine," she muttered, looking away from the screen. "I was thinking, though..."

...Thinking? That shouldn't be possible. Everyone should be having tons of fun, not thinking.

Immediately, Ichigo went on guard. He glanced to his sides. Nobody outside the shutteredwindows of his sweet office appeared interested on the goings-on inside. "Thinking about what?"

he asked cautiously. "I'm not making any games about rabbits, if that's what you're going to

demand again. People want to play games as avatars of what they wish to be, and no guy wants

to be a damn bunny." Not the kind of guy that bought Ichigo's games, at least.

"Not that!" Blush. Or flush. Hard to tell which it was, though it was definitely red. "No, I've been

thinking about how..." The world flickered dangerously. "...howperfecteverything is in thecity," She blinked, apparently not certain why she'd said that. The world flickered again. "I mean,

I've been thinking about what we should do about...well, you know..."

What is she saying?! This is insane! How can this be possible?!

Yeah, Kuchiki was definitely more troublesome than Ishida. More complications were present in

this relationship. Her way of thinking was too similar to his at times like these. Made them too

close.

"...I'm sorry, but can we talk later? Like, after lunch?" Having a full stomach would help out a

lot. And he pointed at the monitor. "Now's not the best time for this. I'm kind of preoccupied."

Also...

What's going on here?! I didn't program it to be like this...!

...he had to deal with this nuisance first. Which really meant he had to escape from it.

Dammit, I knew I should have fixed that binary line! The electric signals aren't working properlybecause of that. I'm sure of it!


24/72

"Hey, you all right, Kurosaki?" Kuchiki had gotten closer to him. Too close. She knew better.

The voice in his head went insane with her this close. "Your eyes look more vacant than usual.

Feeling sleepy?"

They did? Since when was he spacing out? Great, that wasn't cool at all. And wasn't she being

serious? How dare she throw in that insult about being clueless.

"I need to get back to work," he told Kuchiki again, instead of what was on his mind. Or in it,

rather. "We can talk later," he promised.

Kuchiki understood. "Yeah, I'm busy, too. Keigo did something really stupid that I need to fix.Again."

"Yeah. Real moron, that guy."

"He'll be regretting his indiscretion for the next month, I can guarantee you."

"I believe you."

"...All right. Goodbye, Kurosaki."

"Later."

And Kuchiki moved on. For now.

Yeah, he wasn't being cool. He knew it. But that voice was infuriating. Something was very

wrong with Hirusugi, though Ichigo could not quite place what it was.

Gotta do something about that AI. It's not working properly. Should be happier, should be

happier, should be happier. Need to, need to, need to...

The voice sounded so much like his own, only it was all wrong. Ichigo did not want to think of

those similarities any longer.

Ah, I've had enough of this!

Ichigo couldn't take anymore, either, and the similar thoughts the voice had pissed him off even

more. He had suspicions about what was going on. Damn, and usually he felt better after dealing

with Kuchiki for the morning. Felt cool--and other things.That was it. There was only one thingfor Ichigo to do now that could make him feel better:

Immerse himself into The Dead Zone; the game he was the lead programmer for. The gamedestined to send his entire city into a frenzy of excitement.Except Ichigo hated destiny. Almost

as much as he hated this perfect city.


25/72

"Still needs a lot more work!"

The same problems kept on occurring in Kurosaki's project. He wasn't sure if he even believedhe could perfect his Data. On the other hand, he had full confidence that he was pissed off.

Disgruntled, Kurosaki opened his eyes and removed the syringe from the side of his neck. The tipof the needle that had been poking into his brainstem glistened red in the gloom. At the end of the

syringe, a cable ran out, connecting the syringe to a custom, self-built and shabby-looking

computer sitting on Kurosaki's desk.

Strewn about the desk were numerous books, all in severe disrepair, and numerous bottles, all

empty. Not just the desk was a mess, though; the whole room was. Throughout the cheapapartment room he rented out, more empty bottles cluttered whatever space it could on the floor,

wherever there wasn't any dirty clothes, or old, empty boxes that used to contain food. Actually,

more often than not the junk came in layers, with the top of a bottle poking out from beneath a

sleeve. For certain, there was no sign of the floor. Oh. Not that the floor could be visible since

Kurosaki kept all lights off to save money on his electricity bill; the only light came throughshuttered blinds--always closed-- and the dim glow of his monitor. A table stood out because it

significantly raised elevation of the trash in a small area in the center of the room. An emptyfridge and a small, dirty kitchen occupied one corner of Kurosaki's den, but the clutter was even

worse there. Dangerous to step there ever since he threw some bottles in that corner and had

been too lazy to sweep away the broken glass. Somewhere, Kurosaki wasn't sure where anylonger, a bed was buried beneath his excess. Kurosaki was unconcerned about the lack of a bed,

though; the damn thing was forgotten because he never used it, after all. He typically slept at his

desk if he ever did rest. Usually from exhaustion.

Exhaustion due to that. The needle in his neck. That was Kurosaki's work. He created Data that

could be injected into the body and processed by the brain. Everybody wanted it, too. Everybodycould think of a happier life than the one they currently lived, and Kurosaki could give it to them.Not without testing it out on himself...but his customers weren't the only ones who desired

happier days.

Looks like the setting is perfect. It really feels like you've gone through hell in here. And is

something else going on here? Must confirm my suspicions.

Kurosaki rubbed at his eyes. He must still have been tired from his dip into his subconscious

through Data. Schizophrenia had never been a side effect associated with his product. A lot of

suspect illnesses had occurred to frequent abusers of his Data, but never schizophrenia. SoKurosaki must still have been tired. Yeah, that's it. Like, tired could almost be called one of his

personality traits, he slept so seldom these.

Why did he sleep so infrequently? Strange dreams pestered him. Vivid dreams. Dreams so vivid

that he had to wonder if his waking moments weren't what was really a\the dream. Confusing,

really. Point was, Kurosaki wasn't going to put up with those kinds of ridiculous dreams so hedidn't sleep.


26/72

He preferred the dreams offered by Data. The kind he controlled.

The little comment in his head already forgotten, Kurosaki stumbled out of his desk and into themess. His stomach gurgled. The task of finding food awaited him. A task of varying difficulty

depending on his standard for freshness of the day.

The menu for the day was as follows:

A mostly empty-box of Chinese food that only remained uneaten because a particularly foul sock

had slipped inside; Ichigo was not sure when or how that sock got in there. It was relatively

fresh, except it probably tasted like a foul sock now. On the other hand, the slice of pizza he

could eat had not been touched by any contaminants...but that pizza hadn't been touched byanything for at least a week. Not so fresh. Lastly, there was some teriyaki chicken to munch on.

Made yesterday, too, so it was fresh. Not only that, it had yet to be affected by the filth of his

room and was only dirtying other stuff. Should be the best of both worlds, the chicken. However,

the teriyaki chicken wasn't take-out like the other two and had been made by Kurosaki himself,

which meant it could be the most toxic of all.

Wow, I'm amazed by how filthy this is. Makes it real easy to be happy with your own life. Really

reminds you how good you have it. Yeah, just what our city needs.

Before Kurosaki could make his selection, though, the phone rang. Maybe that was a good thing

since none of those selections could have been safe.

Yet the phone was a bit tricky to locate. It could be anywhere. Under a shoe. Behind a bottle.

Even in his pocket. With his current lack of cohesion, he could simply be imagining the phone

ringing. Not dreaming, though, since he avoided sleep.

But he wasn't. Wasn't imagining things. The phone was in his pocket, he found the damn thing

eventually before the person on the other end could get impatient and hang up.

"...Yo," Kurosaki answered cautiously. He got calls from the strangest people and needed to be

careful. Not that carrying a phone was especially careful on his part.

Luckily, it wasn't a lunatic who phoned him. "Hey, Ichigo, come over. I'm running really low andneed some more of you-know-what." Furthermore, it was a person Kurosaki knew personally.

"Don't worry, I've got money, idiot."

...Huh? You-know-what? I should know what that is! What's going on here?

"You don't need to pay me," muttered Kurosaki, though he knew she would try to pay him,anyways. "And I'll be over soon. Later."

"All right, thanks. Seeya!"

Click. Click.


27/72

The conversation was over quickly. A need to be brief was always in order. Not due to cops or

anything, as police hadn't patrolled town for what seemed like forever. No one really understood

the hushed nature of these calls, actually. It was probably only a tradition, and was carried out

as nobody knew any other way to go about things.

Well, it seemed Kurosaki's breakfast--or lunch, or supper, he wasn't sure what time of the day itwas--was not to be. He had work to do. Why not do it, though? He could buy a half-decent meal

if he had a little change in his wallet. Oh, that's right. He told the person he didn't need to be

paid. Well, damn. Still, Kurosaki helped his friends out, right? And she'd pay him, anyways, don'tforget.

All right. Time to do a favor for a friend.

After shutting off his precious computer and preserving its far more precious Data, Kurosaki

tiptoed across the floor of his tiny room, wary of the chaos he'd created over time, to a little

closet. He opened it up without thinking and was bombarded by falling magazines of the adult

variety. Three of them stuck on to him. Yuck. Shaking his head at himself, he brushed the stickypages off his body. Behind all kinds of shit he'd stuffed in there, through a mess of trash,

Kurosaki found his coat and pulled it out of the closet. Slipped it on. Yeah, he was cool now. Not.It was impossible to appear cool in the jacket. For one thing, it was too big, and that meant

something since Kurosaki was by no means a small guy. Also, the coat appeared almost lumpy.

Only because it was lumpy--all the pockets were full--but it still made the coat and whoever woreit look less appealing without fail. Lastly, and most disgustingly, a solid layer of grimy, stained

veneer coated the whole jacket. Fact of the matter was, the point of the jacket was to not look

cool. To keep people away and draw negative attention, if any...though it couldn't really draw

negative attention since practically everyone wore a coat just like this one.

Anyways, Kurosaki definitely did not want attention in this thing. The pockets were stocked fullof Data and if anyone found out about that, Kurosaki would be mugged to death. Literally.Everybody wanted the contents of those pockets and would kill for them. No kidding. He'd seen it

happen to another dealer before. Could have happened to himself before if he hadn't been lucky

in the past.

Coat on, he forced his closet shut once more--after great effort and multiple attempts--and made

another trek across the minefield to the door out of the apartment. After getting to the thresholdof his crappy home, a search began for a pair of shoes. A desperate search that yielded no

results. Of course, the search was doomed because, as Kurosaki realized, he was already

wearing his shoes. He'd never taken them off. Again. He should remember these things, really.

Should sleep some more, was what he needed to do. But no.

Now he was ready. Shoes, coat, and data. He hadn't shaved but that was no matter. Kurosaki

could do that tomorrow. Or the day after. Whenever he found the razor would be fine.


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He made sure his keys were safe in the coat, unlocked all three heavy bolts on his door, and

ventured out of the relative safety of his room. He only did this kind of thing for his best friends.

For one, in particular.

Man, I'm a genius. This is so...realistic. The people will love it.

While there was nearly no light in his pigsty, the hallway outside was even darker. If that was

possible. When was the last time the tenant changed the lights? Oh yeah. The old man running

the building died a few months ago and no one had bothered to step up in his place. That waswhy Kurosaki was stepping over, or on (since they couldn't be avoided), so many people on the

floor of the corridor. His complex had been overrun by the homeless...err, the formerly homeless.

After the news that this building had no authority leaked out, the less fortunate had leaked in.Only a few at first, but now it was a serious problem for Kurosaki. Every time he left his place,

or wanted to get back in, he risked letting a couple of over-grown mice slipping inside his home

and taking it for good. All the "real" residents in the apartment took this risk, too, but, as far as

Kurosaki knew, no one else had a priceless stash of Data lying around like he did. Yeah, he

probably should have moved out of the building a long time ago.

The only reason he stayed was because you get free rent when you don't have a landlord.Hey,those homeless saps weren't the only ones short on money, you know. Nobody had money. He

wasn't scared to leave, that was for certain. Also, he needed to help his friends.

Perfect. Perfect...Absolutely perfect. This desolation is what they want to see.

Kurosaki ignored the strange comment. Just like he purposely ignored how still one body he

stepped on was. He had a long night ahead of him. Nothing would distract him. He didn't think

he should have been able to help these poor people.

Of course, Kurosaki did not stop moving once he reached the elevator. It would have been

pointless to. The useless contraption had been garnished with a big "Out of Order" sign since

before he moved into the apartment all those years ago, when the landlord's heart was stillticking away. He couldn't see the sign in the darkness, but the spray paint that had crossed out

the word "Order" and replaced it with "Sex" hadn't been around when Kurosaki first started

renting a room here. Heh, the sign always made him chuckle in a half-hearted way. It was tootrue in Kurosaki's case of late.

The staircase was plagued with human impositions like every other inch of this apartment was,but not as many people lived here since the stairs were considered to be the worst place to live in

the building. Like, who wanted to sleep on a perpendicular surfaced? Bad enough when you've

got no real home. Add a terminal sore back to the equation and hell might as well pass you over

because the real world wasn't any better. To Kurosaki, though, none of this mattered much. Notat all, nosiree. However, the lack of good sleep for these poor vagrants meant he had to deal

with them moaning and groaning in addition to taking his personal space. His every footstep

woke at least two people up, and these saps loved nothing more than to beg you for spare changeand tell you how horrible their lives were when they were awake. Kurosaki didn't know why they


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bothered to tell him, of all people, these things. His life sucked, too, and not a single person in

this apartment could spare a cent. He did his share of moaning as well from lack of good sleep.

But the descent to the apartment's landing went by with little to no incident. Other than the three-

year old who woke up in a fit of screams when he accidentally stepped on her foot, Kurosaki

avoided feeling sympathy for any of them. Or so he convinced himself. He didn't accidentallydrop any needles full of Data for these unfortunate souls. Nope.

Finally, he was stepping into the lobby and some light returned. The lobby, fairly large, was jam-packed with the destitute and reeked of poverty; this part of the apartment had always been

prized for the lighting, which had always been better than anywhere else in the building. A slip

of paper blew in from the doorway lacking any doors, where the luminescence from powerfulstreet lights snuck inside from.

Yeah, it was night all right. Always seemed like it was here. Kurosaki couldn't remember the last

time he'd seen the sun.

Anyways, the light made it much easier to step around bodies. And that's what Kurosaki did. Atthe entrance of his crummy apartment complex, he weaved around the uncaring masses, to that

big doorway with no doors. His destination was outside the apartment. Very outside the

apartment, unfortunately.

Unfortunately, because as much a nuisances as the vagabonds making a home out of his home

were, they weren't nearly so bad as the people hanging outside the building.

Just as he reached the threshold separating the apartment from the twilit city of Yoru, a

distraction presented itself in the form of a squeak.

"K-Kurosaki!"

He turned around. Through the darkness, a girl stepped into his view. The tattered clothing she

wore was shaking noticeably, along with the rest of her.

What will you think of this, Inoue? You get to be the inspiration for a character design. Think of

it as my way of giving you a bonus.

Kurosaki twisted back to face outside. "What is it, Inoue?" he asked, his voice distant.

Keeping himself detached from people was a must in Kurosaki's life; proximity was akin to deathfor him.

"...Are you going out again, Kurosaki?" She sounded troubled, as could be expected. Likely, her

expression would have matched her worried tone, had Kurosaki been able to see her face.

"Yeah."


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While the number of times he left his place was seldom more than a few times a month, it was

considered a lot by Yoru standards. Nobody really wanted to leave the safety of their homes

when they could be sleeping. Assuming they had a place to call home.

"Why? Is it because you..." Inoue trailed off, as if not sure what to ask Kurosaki.

It's because this would be dull if he stayed inside all day. BecauseIwant him out there. Because

Iam responsible for this, not him!

Kurosaki offered no explanation for his motives.

"Later," was all he said, but who knew if there ever would be a later.

Honestly, it was amazing Kurosaki was still alive after all this time. The Devil's Luck, he musthave had, to pull through numerous walks across town without being murdered for a stray

glance. Or nerves of steel, as one trek through Yoru at night was often enough to keep even the

bravest of men hiding under their beds for a month.

A frantic attempt was made to hold him back. "Wait, Kurosaki...!" Yet, he was already slipping

away.

Excellent. Never met a person who could stand these guide characters, but they need to be here.

Now, for the real fun, for the proof...

Once out of the mostly-safe confines of the apartment, anarchy awaited Kurosaki.

Gunshots welcomed him to the streets of Yoru. Really. A stray bullet whistled by him immediately

after he left the apartment. It hadn't been aimed at him, and it was purely chance that hehappened to be near the line of fire, but what a way to start the night. Yet, Kurosaki walked downthe crumbling sidewalk. With confidence. Or arrogance. Perhaps he was just stupid, but you

could not deny the fact that the guy was used to this sort of thing; it wasn't the first time he'd

nearly died.

While guns were fired continuously in Yoru, their din a thunderous song of fire and chaos that

never ended, it wasn't actually allthat dangerous to walk around town, contrary to commonsense. You see, only the crazy people left the relative safety of the buildings and joined one of the

many gangs on the street. They were all drunk, all the time. Where they obtained guns was

beyond Kurosaki--he had suspicions that some lucky bastards made a fortune supplying these

lunatics with heat--but the wild ruffians couldn't aim worth a damn. You were in more danger ofbeing hit by a stray projectile that was not intended specifically for your head. Though, really,

none of these gang members seriously aimed to kill people.

Those that chose to live on the streets wanted to get shot, more than anything else.

It was hopelessness that drove these insane people to the streets. Or they were unable to get their

hands on any Data. Either way, they had been crushed by the oppressive weight of Yoru and


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were very suicidal. Driven mad from this world without opportunity or hope, they went berserk.

Picked up guns because they secretly wished to become targets for other maniacs and die. Leave

this hellhole once and for all. Yeah, it would make more sense to turn the lethal weapons upon

themselves. Say goodbye on their own and save people who needed to go somewhere, likeKurosaki, a lot of trouble instead of going ballistic and lashing out at random against the city.

However, you have to realize that these people weren't right in their minds. Besides, verysuicidal or not, they still feared death almost as much as the city.

This carnage was what Kurosaki went through.

The streets of Yoru were terrifying because they made real your fears about failing. The sight of

its buildings crumbling chipped away at your own soul. After your will to go on left you, this hellwas what awaited you.

Oh, the possibilities with this setting are unlimited. I wonder how many lives I should allow eachuser...

The occasional grenade was tossed indiscriminately, and Kurosaki hated it when one landednearby. Not because it risked his life--nor because it meant others could die!--but because

throwing himself to the ground to save himself could mean the loss of his all-important Data.

Fires burned from where stray grenades had hit cars or people, providing light where streetlamps had long since been knocked over or burnt out. And so many still bodies. Most were deador lifeless, if not running down the middle of the road like a madman. Young, old, every gender

alike. Didn't anybody ever take them away? A few of the especially daring made a living

rummaging through the deceased remains of those who were unlucky enough to get caught in thecrossfire.

Still, someone should do something about the blood. It would have been nice if it rained moreoften here, so the dark, brownish-red stains that graffittied the walls and sidewalks would get

washed off more frequently than never.

Doing his best to ignore most of his ludicrous surroundings, Kurosaki made his way through the

residential district, where he lived, on his way to the outskirts of Yoru. To the edge of the mad

city. His destination. He avoided walking too quickly, so as not to attract attention, would pauseoccasionally when it seemed a heavy round of gunfire would go off right in front of him. The

stars above the ruined buildings hid beneath a smoky haze across the atmosphere, as if ashamed

by the chaos below.

Then, after being so successful in not making any grave mistakes, Kurosaki fucked up real bad

and bumped into a person.

Then, he snapped at that person. Which was the biggest mistake. "Hey, watch where you're

going!" he yelled at the large, dark shape that had the audacity to step in his way. That was thedumb move. Speaking up. He always had problems with that.

Awesome! Die, impostor! My heart's pounding! Wait, isn't that...?


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The shape turned around, possibly intent on murder. A big pair of knuckles cracked menacingly.

And white eyes suddenly widened.

"...Ichigo?"

"Huh? Chad?"

Recognition passed between the two. Abruptly, both burst out laughing like idiots, in the middleof insanity personified.

...What a letdown. I should have programmed it so he would have perished in this scenario.

"Hey, what are you doing out here, man?" Kurosaki laughed, in too good a mood to be disturbed

by the voice.

Light-hearted seconds before, Chad's gaze darkened. "Doing a guide job."

An explosion went off in the far distance.

"Guide job? Where's the customer, then?"

"Dead. Went ahead of me and was gunned down."

"Oh."

"Don't worry, though. The guy was a loner that no one cared about. Still..."

"You wished you could have done your job. Right?"

"...Yeah."

Being a guide was a dangerous job. More dangerous than most, rather. A guide's role was tohelp regular folk get through the city unharmed. You had to be half-mad to become one, but the

pay was far better than most. Only the few successful people in Yoru could afford guides--or

needed to go anywhere and needed them--so you'd get a lot of cash if you got your client safe totheir destination. If. Most often, either the client or the guide, or both, didn't survive. If only the

guide lived, he or she risked a bounty being placed on their heads by the client's relatively

wealthy and surviving family members. Bad enough that you don't get paid for a failed mission,

you could go mad after failing to protect too many customers because you'd be forced to dealwith too many bounty hunters. A lot of guides did go mad if they weren't crazy already to accept

the job..

"Well, I need to go, Chad. Seeya."

"Wait, where you going?...Making a..." Chad hushed into a whisper. "...delivery?"


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All Kurosaki did was nod. Gunfire pounded.

Chad understood. "Want a guide, Ichigo?" he offered his assistance. "Free of charge for afriend."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm already drawing too much attention by talking to a guide. I shouldhave left before now."

"All right...Mind if I ask who you're going to?"

"Later, Chad."

And Kurosaki's detour ended. He felt Chad's eyes on his back until he turned a corner. He pulled

his jacket closer to himself, huddling his gangly shoulders. Why did he do these things, again? Attimes, it felt like he had no control over himself.

Hmm, that's dangerous thinking. Don't want the customers' systems crashing mid-game.

The hissing roar of a missile being fired caused Kurosaki to glance upwards. Across the city, aplume of fire lit up in an already-damaged skyscraper, and Kurosaki felt fortunate he was

nowhere near the building as debris descended towards some unlucky people sleeping below the

skyscraper.

While his head was up, Kurosaki stared at the brightest light in the sky. The moon was full this

night. A pretty good night so far, Kurosaki figured.

But he soon changed his mind.

Walking across Yoru with your head up is incredibly stupid. And Kurosaki was walking across

Yoru with his head up. And this was incredibly stupid because Kurosaki stepped into a crack in

the sidewalk and immediately tripped.

Yoru went silent, or so it seemed. The guns stopped in this one moment when Kurosaki needed

them blazing.

The fall didn't hurt. However, a precious needle rolled out of his coat and the sound of weighted

glass spinning across the concrete was louder than any explosions earlier tonight to Kurosaki'sear.

Oh shit.

Oh yes.

Kurosaki forgot any pain in his body. All his troubles of making ends meet vanished. He didn't

care about what he'd do for supper. He was in serious trouble and he scrambled to his feet at afull sprint.


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He was running for his life now.

From a group of hundreds of people that were suddenly awake and after his blood. The needlethat fell out was greedily snatched up and a crowd fought to the death over it. Machine guns

roared. None were fired at Kurosaki because no one wanted to break the Data. Machine guns

were fired at any and everyone else in his vicinity. It was chaos.

The dead city came alive in order to get the happy memories they could take from Kurosaki.

He could run and they would follow him anywhere, pulverize him and strip him of all his Data

that they desperately wanted. And they would fight each other for this Data, but Kurosaki could

not care less about that because he would be dead if that happened.

Run, run! Hahahahaha!

He hated this damn voice, so much like his own, laughing at him but Kurosaki did run for all his

worth, regardless. This wasn't the first time he'd been in such a position. Screams pursued him.He wasn't sure how he hadn't already been grabbed, but he somehow kept ahead of hisfollowers. That's all that mattered and it gave him some hope.

But he needed more than hope, he knew from experience. Right now, the doctor called for a big

dose of luck. And didn't Kurosaki have the Devil's Luck?

Yeah, he did.

Twisting and turning down streets to keep ahead of an every-growing mob, Kurosaki wasconvinced his luck had finally ran dry this night when a door in a building abruptly opened and

an arm pulled him inside a dark room. The door slammed shut. The mob ran past the door.

And Kurosaki was given another reprise.

Lucky bastard...but that sure was exciting. I'll have to find a way to put more weapons on the

street for anyone to pick up...Increase the width of the sidewalks or something...

"You're a moron, you know that? Eh, Kurosaki?"

Kurosaki's saviour taunted him from the darkness. It didn't remain dark, however, and a glintfrom glasses greeted him after a light flickered on.

"Shut up, Ishida." Kurosaki was in no mood to be reminded this. He couldn't believe he'd madesuch an amateur mistake.

"...And you owe me for this, you know that," added Ishida.

Kurosaki grimaced. "Yeah, I do," he spat out in disgust. Both at himself and Ishida.


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"You know what I want, too."

"Yes. The same thing those crazed people do. Well, you'll get it, don't worry."

Ishida smiled. The smug punk was enjoying this rare change of fortune. More often than not, it

was Kurosaki who pulled his fellow hacker out of the fire. Ishida would milk this for all it wasworth and Kurosaki would not hear the end of this for quite some time.

Ah, annoying that he had to get saved, but nobody wants a game over screen too quickly.

After partaking some of the data, Kurosaki waited in Ishida's lab for a few minutes before settingout again. He'd whipped the mob into a frenzy with a foolish slip of his foot, but their fervour

couldn't last long. Sure enough, not a soul was in sight when he'd left the abode of his rival

supplier minutes later.

The moon was bright. The air smelled of sulphur and ashes.

He hated this city. The temptation to open his coat right then and inject some Data directly into

his brainstem was strong. To take total control in another world. If he didn't have a mission he

needed to complete, he'd be a drooling vegetable right now at his home and loving it.

No can do, though.

Kurosaki was well out of the residential district, out of downtown and near his destination by

this point. Real close. The things he did for a friend.Her house was in the suburbs, hardly even a

part of Yoru. A much safer place to live. Kurosaki should move out here, too, but he didn't havethe money. It made no sense how he could be creating such a desired product and have no

money to show for it. He blamed the voice for this, but quickly changed that thought. He refusedto give power to the voice.

Ah, he seems to be here. Wherever "here" is.

Yes, Kurosaki was there. His objective was this normal-looking house. The house was one

among many that all look strikingly similar. All were a touch decrepit but were in far better

shape than the any of the buildings in the heart of the chaotic Yoru.

For a few seconds, Kurosaki paused to catch his breath. Then he knocked on the door.

She was expecting him, so the door was quickly opened.

"Took you long enough, Ichigo."

Kurosaki glared at this woman while thinking of the troubles he went through.

...Will he fight her? I hope so.


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But he could not stay very angry. She kept him going the whole time, after all. He put himself

through all that shit for her.

"Come on, Rukia," Kurosaki took her by the shoulder and welcomed himself inside. "I really

need some Data after what I just went through." Really needed to prove to himself that he wasn't

being manipulated.

"No kidding," Rukia agreed, unaware of any ulterior motives. "Seems like Data is the only way I

can see the sun these days."

I've been wondering...just what is this "Data" that everyone finds so important? I don't recall everprogramming anything like that into this world...Just so long as it isn't...

In Rukia's living room, where her computer was, Kurosaki set things up for maximum

simulation. Her computer was bought from a store ages ago and was nowhere near as good ashis,

dreams and fears.docx

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