Serendipity: Chapter 6

THIS CHAP IS DEDICATED TO THE AWESOME xShirochanx who reviewed almost every chapter and oneshot abridged to this story and Nokas_Kokas who wanted Renji/Tatsuki which I couldn’t completely give but bestfrienditude is good too right? Anyways thanks so much all you other reviewers as well.

Playlist: ‘Fight Song’ by Scott Stapp

Scrolls of Innen:
Serendipity
Chapter 6: A Look at the Past

“I can’t carry this around town, people will think I’m nuts!”

“You can and you will, you don’t have a spirit form or an actual Zanpaktou, so you’ll have to settle for this.”

“Taichou, she’s never killed a hollow with a sword, don’t be rash.”

“I’m not being rash, I am being smart Matsumoto.”

X x X

“K-Karin?” said girl wheeled around, startled.

Tatsuki was staring wide eyes from under her dark bangs across the bananas in the supermarket, straight at her. Or more specifically her hip. Karin herself followed Arisawa’s gaze to the sword attached around her middle.

XFlashbackX

“This sword has spirit wards all over it, just like your brother’s badge, humans without sufficient amounts of spiritual energy will be unable to see it at all.”

“Invisibility? Awesome.”

XEndFlashbackX

Apparently not so awesome considering Tatsuki was about to see it clear as….day. ‘Oh my god.’ she thought to herself in shock of how oblivious her brother had been… unless he did know and hadn’t told her. Who else did she interact with daily that was a part of the secret society of dead souls? The owner of the candy shop? Jinta and Ururu? Orihime? Chad? Her father? She almost cracked up at the last one.

Crows feet formed at the corners of Tatsuki’s dark eyes, she set down the perfectly red apple she’d been holding and glided towards the shorter girl. Karin and Tatsuki had had minimal interactions over the years, they said hello when they saw each other, they were polite and Tatsuki wasn’t bothered by including her in what she and Ichigo were playing as children, they were altogether pleasant.

“You know, don’t you?” they accused at the same moment.

XTimewarpX

“What the fucks up with your weird outfit?” when Arisawa Tatsuki first met Abarai Renji she was exhausted, annoyed and looking for someone to punch; her parents were fighting again.

“Look lady, are you trying to pick a fight?” he growled, he wasn’t in such a great mood either.

“What’s it look like you big hairy oaf?” she took her stance; it went against everything she’d ever been taught about honor and integrity but she was unwavering anyway.

“Look: I’m tired, annoyed and I want to return to my gi…gai.” He trailed off, eyes wide, “You can see me?” he stuttered.

“Obviously moron, I’m talking to you aren’t I?” her eyebrows arched perfectly.

“You’re Ichigo’s friend right?”

“Yeah,” she shrugged, “Since diapers. You gonna fight or what?” her fists clenched in rage and pent up frustration.

“Dammit not another one.” That caught her attention.

She lowered her fists reluctantly; she understood, though she didn't know how, that this was not the time. Her back and shoulders remained tense and coiled, ready to react should anything happen. On the inside Tatsuki was freaking out; an armed, psychotic looking, possibly murderous man had to be the one she chose to pick a fight with. However on the outside she was cool and composed, wearing the scowl she and Ichigo had perfected together as children.

Renji sighed and massaged his forehead, screw the battle, there had been nothing he could do to save Inari, but seeing Ichigo confess to her screwed with his mind so badly he just wanted to kill something, not deal with another one of the Carrot Top’s friends.

“I’ll be back in five minutes, don’t move.” He told her, “I’m guessing there’s some important shit we have to talk about.”

Tatsuki’s jaw dropped as he dashed off to do whatever the hell guys did in a bathroom; leaving her alone, standing awkwardly in the middle of the street.
When he came back out he was wearing different clothes, for some reason he looked more familiar, like she’d seen him before. Suddenly she remembered. “Hey, you’re that weird guy that interrupted and freaked out my class a couple of years ago and helped Rukia beat Ichigo up!”

He stared perplexedly at her, “um…sure?”

She rolled her eyes skyward.

Renji nodded his head at the coffee shop, for some strange reason she followed. The duo made their way to the back of the tiny hovel to a booth where they were less likely to be overheard.

Once they were seated Renji gave her a serious look. Tatsuki returned it. “I want you to tell me everything you know.”

“Swear you’ll fill in the blanks?”

“On my honor as a lieutenant of the Gotei 13.” She slid him a strange look from the corner of her eyes but said nothing.

“When someone dies their spirit lingers in this world.” Tatsuki began, knowing full well how silly she sounded, “but there are monsters with white faces that come to eat the souls. For some reason no one but me and a few others can see them, my friend Orihime can see them and she has a strange power that helps her kill them.”

“Does anyone know you know?”

“…no.”

X x X

“So all this time…all of them…” she seemed so traumatized that Renji felt sorry for her, after all, she’d just found out that her closest friends had been fighting in a war she never even knew existed.

After a long pause to let all the new info sink in the red haired man looked at her shrewdly from the corner of his eye, “You have a way to fight them don’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“Will you show me?”

“No.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

“Sure sounded like a question to me.”

“…shut up.” After a long pause Renji gave her a look and spoke to her in a stern, pleading tone. “Look Arisawa, we are at war, a war that will decide if not only us but you stay alive as well, if you have a way to help us then show me what you can do.” He leaned over the small table, earnestly trying to convince her.

“Even if I did, and that’s a pretty big ‘if’, what difference would it make?” she issued the challenge, crossing her arms over her chest.

“At this point every soldier counts,” he whispered in shame, “besides, wouldn’t you want to be there to fight alongside and protect your friends?” after yet another long pause, after which she still hadn’t answered he asked, “How long have you been training this power?”

“If I did have one, which I don’t, I would have known for about four years and trained for one and a half. If it were true of course.”

“Excellent.”

X x X

“I don’t see the point of this; I’m not joining your stupid little army!” The dark haired seventeen-year-old shouted at him from across the clearing.

Renji ignored her and repeated his request, “Fight me.”

“Look, I don’t wanna hurt you, ya big dope.”

In response Renji flapped his arms like wings comically and made chicken noises, “Is the Dragon Lady scared?”

“That’s it!” Tatsuki lunged at the shinigami with the full intent to kill him….or teach him a very valuable lesson. One which he would never forget. A strange kind of light surrounded her arms, when it diminished two glowing golden arm blades were in its place. They began just under the bend in her wrist and ended past her elbow. All the while that they’d been forming she’d been chanting under her breath, “Alika namen machuze.”

She swung her arm up as if to punch him but instead swerved so that the blade on her right arm cut a shallow wound across his chest. She came at him again with her right arm, this time he blocked it with his Zanpaktou. A battle of strength ensued as their blades scraped together, sliding metal against the unknown substance. He was much stronger physically, but Tatsuki had more leverage since her knife was on her arm itself.

Finally yielding she pushed his sword off her own weapon and jumped back. She calculated quickly; his spiritual pressure was much greater than her own, two years prior it would have rendered her breathless and immobile. She knew nothing of him and while she’d been tightlipped he seemed to already know so much about her anyway. She knew nothing of his skills and thankfully he seemed to know nothing of hers. She would have to play that to her advantage.

While he was stronger, she was quicker, he had trouble moving his large body and was uncoordinated, and she was limber and flexible. He had battle experience, she had only instincts.

For the first time since she’d faced her first hollow Tatsuki knew she wouldn’t win.
What she could do was surprise him, in the midst of her battle fever she forgot they weren’t enemies, forgot that this wasn’t a fight to the death, her mind became a haze of strategy and instinct.

All of a sudden Renji sheathed his sword and came at her, they fought hand to hand, playing dirty before the other could. He was stronger but hand to hand was her specialty while his was swordplay.

They were evenly matched until he caught her arm, swerved under her ascending left hook and pulled upwards, popping her shoulder from it’s joint.

Ignoring the pain as she’d trained herself to do, Tatsuki kicked her legs over her head and flipped backwards, feet landing on his shoulders. He yowled in pain, he hadn’t anticipated that her blades could reform, which had given her the advantage she’d needed. She’d willed them into spikes protruding from the balls of her feet.

Withdrawing from the flesh and sinew she flipped backwards and landed on the ground, she reformed her blade once again into a naginata.

They leapt at each other again and again, fighting and pushing harder each time until finally it was a game to them; as natural as breathing, Swerve-parry-duck-strike, Swerve-parry-duck-strike. It was an endless, gory, yet beautiful and graceful dance.

Finally she left an opening and he took it, he slipped the flat of Zabimaru in front of her throat. “Game over.” He huffed into her ear.

“You were playing me the whole time weren’t you?” she whispered, falling to her knees once Renji released her.

“…Yes,” he murmured hesitantly.

“Fine! I’ll join on one condition,” he arched an oddly shaped eyebrow, “Teach me to be stronger.”

For so long Tatsuki had looked to her past, her childhood, wished for those simpler days when she didn’t have to pretend not to see things, not to know, not to feel, not to love.

That day she decided to finally move forward, to finally have a purpose.

And she never looked back again.

XEndofTimewarpX

Karin fisted her hands in her sweatpants as she kneeled in front of the small wooden table staring at her teacup.

“So, you’ve finally joined the folds,” Tatsuki remarked, leaning back. She thumbed her nose, “Heh, Renji owes me twenty bucks; I told them you could see!”

Karin stared at the older girl in awe; she was so laid back about everything. When she voiced this Tatsuki just shook her head, “My freak out session was a process and I happened a loooong time ago.” She rolled her eyes.

“I'm not freaking out,” Karin muttered.

Tatsuki surveyed her, speculating, “No…you're not,” she seemed so deep in her own thoughts. After a short silence Tatsuki continued with Karin’s turn in the hot seat. “So, who gave you the spirit warded sword?” she laced her fingers together and peered over them in deep thought.

“Hitsugaya Toshirou.”

Tatsuki looked at her dubiously, “You mean the hardass little munchkin?”

“Sounds about right.”

X x X

“Hey Renji, are you going to visit Tatsuki?” Rukia called to her friend standing in line for the portal.

“Naw, assignment. ‘Sides, I owe the Dragon Bitch money.” The violet eyes goddess of death snorted and rolled her eyes. “Why are you here anyway? Come back for a romp?” he asked jokingly but underneath the words bitterness ached in his chest.

“Ha ha,” she growled, “I came back for Kiyone.” Rukia’s eyes grew glassy and she gained a faraway look, Renji regretted even saying anything.

“Soooooo, I’m going to the Northwest Territories, want me to bring back some buffalo?”

Rukia raised an eyebrow and snorted, his half-assed stab at humor was familiar and normal, it was something she was used to, something that wouldn’t change, it was something she needed right then.

“Thank you.”

X x X

“Neliel.”

“What do you want Grimmjow?” she looked up over her knees at the arrancar standing outside her cell door; she was hugging them to her chest and shaking.

“Something’s going to happen.”

“I know.”

“Are you ready?”

“…no.”