#I guess I could’ve just made them on a normal playground on earth but

[swedenis-h]

Din: actively having angst about his kid that he didn’t mean to bond with finding his community, like din found his, accepting that he’s no longer a part of grogu’s life, but understanding that it’s better for grogu to be here than with a family that isn’t right for him

Luke: omg he’s so pretty

June 17th prompt: teacher Luke and single dad din ( @dinlukeweek )

[mynameisdreartblog]

Vacation Resorts 1

Aries: Adare Manor. “Our revenge will be the laughter of our children.” I don’t know who said that, but me makes me wanna act ballistically. «And why do you suspect that phrases like these trigger a response within you?» <Réamoinn pauses for a moment, stretches their arms into the air while using this opportunity to crack their knuckles further.> I honestly don’t know. I know saying ’I don’t know’ is a copout, but… «There’s no such thing as a copout here; this is a therapy session.» Right, right, but I feel like this is highly transactive, and I’m not offering anything of value: There’s “nothin’ in me noggin” as my mum used to say. «Well, just understand that not having the right thoughts available at the pristine moment is a perfectly normal thing in sessions, so don’t beat yourself up over it… However, I will inform you that I only have so much time for a single session of an entire day, so the more time you spend, the more you should ensure that your words are, uh, ‘quality over quantity’ as we say.» [,] <Réamoinn slouches to the side of the therapeutic sofa and begins to do that weird quirk where they jitter randomly: Likely an operative test of the body’s stimulate functions.> «Are you shivering? You look like you’re shivering; are you cold?» Aye, no. A thermostat’s not gonna heal the cold of my heart, doc. «Uh-huh, and what do you mean by the “cold of my heart”?» I thought the simile was obvious, but it basically means that I feel as if my ability to change things by myself has frozen over, and now I need something external to thaw it out of its icy state. «That sounds quite dramatic, so it must be a real detriment for you, I’m guessing.» Oh, you don’t know the extent of it, doc. You feel like a human time-capsule: Absolutely divorced from any power you have in the present to do something about the pit you’re being sucked into, and you have to accept it because there’s literally nothing you can do but wait for time to change your situation. «You know, I think what you’re describing is really applicable to a lot of other people.» I don’t doubt it, aye.

Gemini: Awanjiwo. <Thinking to themselves> I spilt goat’s milk all over my transistor, but it’s not like I needed that anyways: There’s a map of this entire scheme in my head, and it’ll be relevant so long as I keep using it. <A sudden change of psyche emerges> I could’ve given this back to that poor boy I saw earlier who had nothing for entertainment other than rusty cans, dirty footballs, and his flesh and blood companions. That kid could’ve grown to appreciate the internal workings of the radio, and who knows what education he could pursue after that… That kid could’ve became a stellar engineer! He could’ve founded the cure for cancer, mild discomfort, or working in general! No, what I decided to do with my time on Earth was keep something to myself that I never really needed: How will that reflect in eons when I’m gone? I won’t be relevant after that, but it still matters in the moment, right? But why does the ’moment’ matter; what even is the moment? Does anybody else experience the ‘moment’ differently? <A bird comes by to lick up the milk, now spilling onto the cabin floor: Rambling ensues in Truce’s mind as they contemplate why they’re here and what the radio’s dysfunction means for the ripples of the future.> [,] <A distant yelling is heard across the beach, and like that, all of Truce’s tangents cease and they perk their ears towards the sound.> Oi, what the bloody hell was that? <The signals become louder and resemble static more and more, beginning to overstimulate Truce.> Aargh, cut that crap out! Who the goddamn hell is there and why are they loud! <Truce’s hand-radio starts crackling, making them pick it up and inspect it. Suddenly, a rather clear transition comes through.> «Truce! Yes, you: The Truce who just came here from the western tip of Japen Island. Come in… Respond to me! I can see you right through my binoculars.» Then what’s the purpose of using the damn radio? Just yell at me if you’re that close for Christ’s sake. Lord knows you’re not the first stalker I’ve dealt with in my life. Fuck off, will you? […] «I mean regardless, we’re at a plane-crash site not far from where you currently are, so we’re at least worth interacting with, right?.» <Truce sets up a makeshift fire.> Yeah, get back to me before the plastic I melted collapses my lungs. <Truce throws his radio two feet out from him.>

Scorpio: Hanhwa Resort Seorak Sorano. Now, I interact with a lot of weird counselors every day, but the one I remember the best was from last year, and their name was Sonnim: They were short (as far as I’d know compared to my view), they’d always show up at the weirdest times, and they were always bossy but she said she’s like that because “you need to balance prohibited and bad behavior.” She made a big deal out of the most silly things, and I always wanted to say to her that I wasn’t really hurting anyone by doing it, so it’s not really bad. It’s worse because she also punishes me when I do truly hurtful things: She’s consistent! <Juyeon kicks her legs into the air from her spot on the bench, flicking one of her shoes off and narrowly hitting another kid.> It gets worse when I try to talk to her about it: She doesn’t seem to like honesty. <A cohort of red squirrels gather around Juyeon’s position at the recess bench.> Did I mention she’s short? I know my mom told me not to mock people for their height, but boy, she is short. I mean, I’m short even compared to other girls, but I take one glance at her and she makes me feel more confident about myself. <Juyeon kicks her legs into the air a second time, this time her other shoe remains on while the contrast between that and her shoeless foot is still present.> I’m bored… I don’t know, I think I liked it better before when there was less politics in all of it: It was about the raw fun of it all. <One of the squirrels from earlier returns to Juyeon after she kicked up an acorn beneath her feet with acorn in its cheeks: It stares down her contemplative reflection for a solid amount of time before moving onto another site in the playground.> Those weren’t even the worst parts of the whole thing… <Daylight fades and a moody night envelopes the sky: Colors start to glisten intensely as the emotions become stronger.> I don’t think she was even justified despite what she always told me. She was pretty mean all things considered. I remember her saying to me once “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”, and I respond with “I don’t kiss my mom on the lips if that’s what you mean; that’s gross.” <Electricity surges through the landscape which now looks like a mental breakdown visually translated. That one red squirrel from earlier races against the corruption with great finesse: This scene seems to be one of trauma, but that isn’t the case. All that’s there is just profound confusion.>

Capricorn: White Point Beach Resort. I hate just hearing the word “neat” in response to something positively eventful happening in my life, like showcasing the class a odd and interesting fact: “Odd and interesting” being the phrase I ingrained into myself to make me feel better. Just saying the word “neat” provokes an emotional response so barren and dreadful that one might as well not have said anything. There’s no desire to dig deeper into the cave of knowledge presented in front of people, and it’s especially more insulting when you discover that cave for them. I present my work to other people because I want to hear their perspectives too, but not everybody’s inclined to give their own unique perspective: If only they understood how truly irreplaceable and ephemeral it is, then they’d take stronger advantage of it… Back to how much I hate the word “neat”, if I just wanted to hear a word that invokes such a boring and unemotional character, like myself, then I would just recite what I think my character is in a mirror, like myself. What’d be more imaginative is the filler of words you’d usually associate with cussing, also conveniently monosyllabic, like “shit”, “cunt”, “fuck”, or “merde” if you’re feeling poignant. These words imply an insulting quality, but that’s arguably more unique than the thousands of “neats” I hear that become unique in their own collective nature. [,] I have no other emotions besides founded frustration and unfounded frustration, and that’s one painful polarity to define your life by, right? Good thing I don’t do that: Why would I? [,] If you’re gonna ask whether or not I know I sound like an asshole, I do. I think I do, but the subjective values of what makes someone an asshole are flipping my judgment to and fro. [,] I… I’m growing exhausted by all of this: It must be because of my exhaustive personality or the fact that this music is far too energetic for the situation at hand… Perhaps it’s because I camped out in freezing weather last night? No, my body is too resistant to the cold for something like that. [,] Am I in the wrong here? Nah, my students need to understand the value of liberal education through the brutality of its strict twin.

[too-many-baes]

Guardian Angel

Pairing: fem!reader x Castiel

Warning(s): None that come to mind, angst for days

Word Count: 3K

Summary: Y/N recounts her life of having Castiel as her guardian angel

Part Two

A/N: I wrote this one forever ago but I’m reposting it cause IDK it just holds a special place in my heart.

                                                  ************

You don’t know when it was exactly that you first noticed it, but as a little girl you always felt safe. When you’re four obviously there’s not a lot that you can be afraid of, asides spiders and the dark, but you always felt this overwhelming feeling of safety. You realised when you were six that it was because of your special friend, as you had always called him. 

You had been playing on a playground on an ordinary summer’s afternoon when your normally very on guard mother had gotten a work call which caused her to step away from you so she could hear it better. You had been swinging on the monkey bars when your hand had slipped and you fell right from the top to the ground, hitting yourself on the bars as you went. You crawled out from underneath clutching your right arm. Being as young as you were you had never felt pain anything like it, and you were crying and calling for your mother, but she had wandered too far away to hear you. There was a strange rustling sound and suddenly a man was in front of you, a man you were sure you had never seen before. He reached forward and touched his fingers to your forehead and immediately all of your pain was gone.

“Who are you?”

“I’m a friend” was all he gave in response. Although the man’s appearance seemed rather ordinary there was something magical about him. You thought at the time he must be a wizard or maybe even an alien.

“Y/N! Y/N!” You looked over seeing your mother rushing towards you in a panic. “My arm doesn’t hurt anymore, how’d you do that?” You asked him. He simply stood and replied “I’m special Y/N”, before turning to leave. “Wait don’t go!” You yelled out to the man. He turned around to face you once more. “Don’t worry Y/N, I’ll always be here.”

Your mother standing in front of you forced your eyes away from him, and when you had looked back at him he was nowhere to be seen.

“Y/N who was that man?” Your clearly angry mother demanded. “He’s my special friend mummy. I fell and then he touched my head and I wasn’t sore anymore!” She looked aghast at this news, and tried spying the man, but as you knew he was nowhere to be found.

“Y/N how many times have I told you, you don’t talk to strangers, okay? Who knows what could’ve happened to you!” She exclaims, clutching you to her. You had tried to argue and make your case that this man was in fact a friend, he’d helped you, but your mother had thrown words at you that you didn’t understand like ‘naïve’ and ‘unsuspecting’ and told you to never talk to another stranger again.

That particular incident had been forgotten by your mother, but you never forgot your special friend. For months you would watch out for him in the streets, looking at every face that passed in the hopes that you would see your special friend again. But you didn’t until you were 9.

Your whole family had gone to Disneyland and at some point during the excitement of being there you had lost them. You had looked and looked for them but you couldn’t find them anywhere. Hopelessness washed over you until you sat on a bench and started to cry into your hands. There was a rustling noise and suddenly you could feel someone beside you. You looked up to see a man sitting on the bench next to you, watching you intently. This man was different to the one you had met at six, but somehow you knew he was the same, that this was your special friend. You smiled at the sight of him and he had returned it, although slightly more stiff.

“Come, let’s find your family.” You had walked around the park with him, putting your hand in his to make sure you wouldn’t get lost again. He led you straight to your family, where they had been worriedly searching for you. Your mother ran to you and hugged you, and when she had released you to thank the man for returning you, he was gone. Just like last time. You explained that it was your special friend, that he had come to help you. Your mother and your father had said that you were making up stories.

High school was hard for you. You had always struggled making friend and you had hoped that moving schools would make it better. How hard you had been. Your first day of freshman year had been awful. You had gotten lost on your way to first period, had no one to sit with at lunch, and you has wandered through the halls with your head down and your books clutched firmly against your chest. You had felt like you were suffocating, like all eyes were firmly on you all day. The run home had been a blur due to the tears in your eyes. You had run past your concerned parent’s right up the stairs to your room, locking the door and throwing yourself onto your bed.

The sobs racked your body and you were crying so loudly that you almost didn’t hear the rustling sound. You felt the bed dip and you looked up to see a stranger sitting on your bed. He looked different but you knew it was the same man that had appeared to you twice before. You impulsively threw your arms around his neck, crying onto his shoulder. At first he had not reacted, but then he gingerly put an arm around your shoulders as he waiting for your sobs to cease.

When your cries had died down you released him from your vice grip and looked up at him.

“I like this one.” You said, referring to the man he was this time. This man was handsome, far more attractive than what he had been previously. He was in a trench coat wearing a blue tie, but it was his face you were looking at. He had brown hair and the most dazzling blue eyes you had ever seen, they seemed to sparkle at you. “Why is it that you look different every time I see you?” You asked, sitting back down on your bed. This was the longest he had ever hung around before, and you couldn’t quite believe that he hadn’t fled yet.

“I have gone back to heaven after I came to see you prior, so I have gotten a new vessel each time.” He stated matter of factly, as if that should make perfect sense to you.

“Wait, to heaven? Does that make you-” “An angel, yes.” You stared bewildered at him. “So are you my… guardian angel?” You asked, feeling ridiculous at the suggestion. “Yes.”

You were amazed, all those years not knowing what he was, and now you finally had your answer. “Do angels have names?”

“Yes they do.” You couldn’t help but giggle at him. He was so awkward with the way he talked and held himself, making it very obvious that the ways things were done in heaven must be very different to down here on Earth. “So, what’s yours then?” “Castiel.” You smiled at this, Castiel is a pretty name, you had thought to yourself.

“So if you’re my guardian angel, why have I only seen you a couple of times?” You couldn’t help but ask.

“Well, ordinarily we are not supposed to make ourselves known to our humans but… seeing you in suffering causes me great pain.” He had only ever appeared to you during times that you were upset, so it made sense. “So, you’re a rebel then?” You asked cheekily, the smile on your face causing him to smile too. “I guess I am, yes.”

There was a long silence before Castiel cleared his throat. “I should get going, before they realise I’m gone.” Sadness filled you. Having him there had made you forget all about how awful you’d been feeling. “Castiel?” His eyes met yours again. “Can you come back… tomorrow?” You asked. He seemed to think on it for a second before nodding. “If that is what you want. Pray to me and I will come.” “Promise?” He furrowed his brows, unclear what you meant. “Like, you swear you’ll come?” He nodded in understanding. “I promise.” With that and another rustling sound he was gone.

You never would’ve gotten through your freshman and sophomore year if it wasn’t for Castiel. You never really made any friends, but at the end of the day when you were alone in your room , you knew you had Cas if you needed him.

Initially you had prayed to him every night for a week, but after that he had said it was getting too risky for him, that the angels would surely notice his absence. Little did you know that Castiel had loved that week, and loved knowing that he was helping you. Never the less, you prayed to him weekly throughout freshman and sophomore year, and he always kept his promise, he always arrived. When you prayed to him he was there. Most of the time you just wanted someone to talk to, but Castiel was always willing to oblige, enjoying your weekly talks as much as you did. While he was always awkward, he warmed up a little and enjoyed learning about your life, being able to engage in conversation without being so standoffish. Something was different now and you had no idea why but for some reason he kept appearing as the same man.

Everything changed in junior year when you met your boyfriend. Adam was new to town and was a senior. For some reason during lunch he came to join you at your table. You normally sat alone, but having no good reason to turn down his request you agreed, drawn in by his charisma. He sat with you every day from then on. He was nice and he made you laugh, something that you never normally did at school. He became quite popular, and before you knew it you had friends. Sure, mostly they hung out with you for Adam’s benefit, but you had friends for the first time in your life and it felt so good.

Your parents were happy too. For the first time ever, you were going out on the weekends, and much to your parent’s delight you had Adam over for dinners. You could see on their faces how happy they were for you. When Adam asked you out one day after school you said yes. It seemed like the natural step to take. You liked Adam, you really did. He was a really genuine nice guy, but there was something off. When your lips touched his, it didn’t feel like you had thought it would. You weren’t expecting fireworks or anything, but you expected something. Anything. When you looked into his eyes they didn’t sparkle like someone else that you knew. Romance isn’t like in the movies and fairy tales though, and you had to keep reminding yourself of that.

You thought of Cas all the time, he was suck in your brain like gum under a bus stop bench. You never seemed to be able to find the time to pray to him, there was always your friends or homework or Adam. You missed your angel. You wondered often if he was watching you, if he could see how much better you were doing. You missed his awkwardness and his tie, the small smiles he gave you. But most of all you missed his eyes, his bright sparkling eyes that you could get lost in.

He missed you too it seemed, as one day when you had just gotten out of school an unexpected rustling sound made you spin around. There he was, standing right behind you. Excitement washed over you as you ran to him, leaping to hug him. He caught you and spun you around, both of you laughing. He set you back down on the footpath as you smiled up at the familiar and comforting face you had come to know.

“I’ve missed you Cas.” You said, you both beginning to walk home. He looked at you and you couldn’t believe how long it had been since you’d looked into his crystal blues.

“I’ve missed you too Y/N.” He said, his gruff voice setting you at ease like it always did. You filled him in on everything that had been happening in your life. You told him of Adam and the friends you were hanging out with and he smiled the whole time, happy to see you happy. You enquired about his life in heaven, and he had stated that it was tense and did not elaborate. Sooner than you’d have liked you were at your front door.

“So... I guess this is the part when you leave again, huh?” You asked, looking up at him through your lashes. He nodded solemnly, as he wanted to stay as much you. He had missed your company, and had felt upset at the fact you hadn’t prayed to him in a while, not that he’d ever tell you that, or that he even knew how to describe what he was feeling either.

You stood on your tiptoes and wrapt your arms around his neck, his going around your waist. As you buried your face in his neck you relished in the familiar comfort his frame gave you, not realising how truly you had been missing him until then.

“I’m sorry I haven’t prayed recently Cas, there’s just been so much-” you started saying against his neck. “Y/N you don’t have to apologize. I’m your guardian, I’m here when you need, you just haven’t needed me.” As matter of fact as he sounded, the words sent a pang of guilt through you. You opened your mouth to correct him, to tell him that you always needed him, that you were sure you always would, but just as you had pulled back to tell him he had frozen and looked at the ground with his brows furrowed. The tell-tale signs he was listening to angel radio.

“I’m sorry Y/N I have to go.” He said, the look on his face almost asking your permission. “That’s okay. Goodbye Castiel.” With a signature nod and a quick rustle he was gone. You already missed his presence, but you went to sleep on cloud nine, replaying your conversations in your head and reliving the feeling of being in his arms.

You went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows the next day at school. You had no idea what had happened but nobody was talking to you. Your friends were giving you evil glares and you could find solace in no one. You had eventually found Adam, relieved to see a friendly face. The relief washed away when you received a cold hard stare from him. Turns out someone had seen your hug with Castiel, and rumours had spread that you were cheating on Adam. As much as you begged and pleaded, Adam didn’t believe you were innocent. You spent the day listening to hushed whispers about yourself stating that you were a cheat and a liar.

It was all too much, you had burst through the school doors and started to run home. It felt as though their venomous words and deathly stares were stuck to you, following you down the street. You ran to your room locking the door and collapsing onto the bed.

“Castiel, I need you. Please Cas, I need you here.” You had managed to say through your sobs. You had waited and cried and pleaded but Castiel broke his promise for the first time. You went to sleep that night defeated. You were right back where you started, no friends, no boyfriend, but worst of all, no Castiel.

It’s been three years since then. You still live with your parents and you hold down a job at the retro café in town. After Cas never showed that night you had tried praying to him regularly, but when you never got a response, your prayers lessened until you had given up all together. That’s not to say you didn’t think of him though. Whenever you poured a customer a coffee or paid for your bus fare, he was right there in your mind, those crystal blues etched into your frontal lobe.

It was another dull, Cas-less night and you were perched on the sofa reading a book. Your parents were out for date night, so you were using the silence to try and envelop yourself in the written word but you were failing miserably. A knock at the door gave you an excuse to put the dreadful book down.

When you swung the door open you were greeted with two rather intimidating looking strangers, both dressed in plaid and several layers.

“Y/N?” The shorter one questioned. You nodded wearily, anxious as to why these men were at your door. They exchanged a look with each other before looking back at you. “You need to come with us.” You snorted at the bold statement, earning an angry look from the shorter one.

“Yea, I’m not going anywhere with you two and unless you get off of my porch in two seconds I’m calling the police.” Right when you were about to slam the door in their faces the taller one reached out to hold the door, saying something that stopped you in your tracks.

“We know Castiel.” “How do you know that name?” You immediately questioned.

“We’re friends of his, he sent us here to get you.” You had heard his words but they making no sense to you. “What do you mean, why do you need to get me?”

The shorter one huffed. “Look we don’t have time to explain, we can do that on the way. We just have to get you somewhere safe and we need to do it now.” His words were urgent enough to cut through your stunned stupor. You nodded before running inside, packing a bag of some essentials without actually knowing how long you would be gone, and writing a note to your parents.

You left the house with them on a hope. As you drove to an unknown destination you couldn’t stop your mind from spinning. Amongst all of the confusion and rush of emotions there was one thing that grounded you.

You fell asleep in the backseat to the hum of the engine and the memory of sparkling topaz eyes and safe trench clad arms.

[volcanofireflame150]

A Soul meets another Seoul

Ch1; Ch11

Chapter 10

I looked at the guy that was approaching me, I asked, "Who are you? What's your purpose?" "Calm down, I'm only here to tell you this," I hear him say, "I'm here to say that, a great battle will happen soon in the future." Then he went away, I turned around seeing Ichigo behind me, he said to me, "We've been worried about you, class has started." "Sorry, I just needed fresh air," I said, trying to shake off the encounter of whose name I didn't get. I went back into the classroom, sat in front of Uryu, he asked me, "Did you run into those 2?" "Only one of them, but we didn't fight unfortunately," I said to him, "I couldn't bring it up to Ichigo because I was afraid he would get angry with me." "Why would he?" asked Uryu, "This is important but I respect your choice, let's hope you will tell him eventually." "I will, just as long as I know on who we are dealing with," I said. After school hours, I was walking behind everyone because I took off running when I felt one of them back, I came out of my Gigai body then got my Scythe ready, I was in front of the light blue haired guy, he said, "Nice of you to show up." "Enough games and tell me your name," I said. He grinned, "I'm called Grimmjow. What are you called?" "I'm called Itsuki Akari Hitsugaya, Soul Reaper Pyromancer," I said to him, "So, you are looking for a fight?" "Yes, I'm pretty sure you would be a worthy opponent," he said, then started the fight. With my quick reflexes, I quickly dodged his attack, then swung my scythe sadly missing as he back flipped dodging a slice entirely. It was getting pretty heated, literally, but I successfully got a couple hits on Grimmjow, somehow I'm so far keeping this fight at bay. He said, "You are very strong but not as strong as me." Then he striked at me with a move I wasn't familiar with and shot me sending me flying upwards, I winced at the pain, damn it, that move managed to scar me, I looked at the wound, instantly was healed because my fire attacks and heals without a fail. I unleashed Fire Burst towards him, he barely dodged it where the flames caught his left foot and started to attack me when I least expect it. Which managed to make me fall down to the ground hard, I can't believe he outsmarted me and Shadow Phoenix, I looked up, widening my eyes when he was going to swing his sword to stab me where my heart is, then a black with red aura blocked his attack, I heard Ichigo saying, "Leave her alone, you bastard!" "Ichigo," I said, softly and felt a little relieved. I was only resting a bit because of the impact, then Ichigo managed to shove him away and helped me up, he asked, "Why didn't you tell me?" "I was going to, it happened so suddenly," I said, "I was really going to tell you but I didn't want you to get angry at me." Then he got angry enough to shout, "Getsuga Tensho!!! We'll talk about this later but for right now, use Fire Shield for the both of us." I casted Fire Burst for myself and Ichigo, feeling like I should just stayed put until Ichigo tells me to join the fight. Ichigo, as if he was reading my thought, says, "You are joining this fight, this is your time to prove that you are ready for any enemy." I nodded, then turned to aggressive mode, I opened my eyes, they have turned to phoenix eyes, I dangerously threw my Scythe in the air and shouted, "Shadow Phoenix, Use your Solar Lazer to take him out!!" Then a lazer of Solar was striking on where Grimmjow was standing and he was dodging the light, then I shouted, "Fire Bolt!" Then 2 bolts of Fire, got Grimmjow directly, Ichigo has never seen this before, he was taken aback, Grimmjow growled, "You little shit! How dare you!!" "I'm not finished yet," I told him, "Volcanic Ember Rain!!!" Then a gray smoke cloud emerged from the Scythe and out came lava droplets coming down on only towards Grimmjow. 5 managed to get him, he yelled in pain, I brung my Scythe down, my eyes went back to normal. I've learned the ways of the Phoenix, Shadow Phoenix had taught me well, Grimmjow hissed in pain, saying, "I'll come back for you later, Substitute Soul Reaper and Pyromancer!" Then off he went, we were heavily breathing, mainly me because I used all of my energy to use most of my new fire attacks, I collapsed, thankfully Ichigo caught me in time. I woke up feeling so much guilt because I didn't tell Ichigo about the encounter of Grimmjow, I sat up to seeing Ichigo sitting at the foot of his bed, I softly tried to say that I was sorry when he said, "Don't worry about it, Uryu told me that it was so sudden, I'm sorry I didn't mean anything I said to you back there." "Still, I should've told you from the start," I said, "I did what I could to prove myself that I'm ready for any fight that might come." "That was dangerous of what you did back there," said Ichigo, "You could've literally kill yourself." "I will only did it in order to protect you, Ichigo," I said, "I wanted to protect you." "I see," said Ichigo, "Just don't over do it." "By the way, didn't you see the change in my eyes?" I asked, "Shadow Phoenix taught me the ways of the Phoenix." "Oh, that's why you collapsed," he said. I nodded, "It only wears off when I bring down the Scythe." He kept listening to me on how Shadow Phoenix taught the ways of the Phoenix with me, she always lets me learn new Fire spells to help my friends and allies in battle because since I am part of this group. I rested for a while because that battle was intense, I decided to walk back to the playground, then out of nowhere I received the worst kick to the face, I looked and there was Grimmjow growling at me, "You are going to pay for damaging me with using your fire attacks!" I was scooting backwards to get away from him but he was catching up, then he almost attacked when my Scythe blocked his move, I looked and grabbed my Scythe because I quickly blocked his attack and swung at him which made him back flip a couple times, I only came here to relax and I get a surprise attack! This is happening so sudden, I made a run for it going to get Ichigo, I only made 5 feet away from Grimmjow when Grimm attacked me on my side which made me stumbled down, I am not in the right mind set, I ducked my head expecting a sword to cut my beautiful skin but nothing came, I looked and there was Ichigo, again, saving me. He asked with his voice sounding raspy, "Are you alright, Akari?" "Yeah, I'm fine, I just wanted to relax when he came and surprise attacked me," I told him. Then he said, "Stay behind me, don't cast Fire Shield just yet." I could only nod at this point because from what I can see is an outline of a mask and I'm scared to know on what mask it is. I just stayed put because Ichigo took care of Grimmjow, then I got a closer look on myself, I'm guessing what tipped Ichigo over the edge was this thorn attached to my side, I touched and felt instant pain when I began to pull the thorn out, it was hurting me bad but I managed to get it out finally I had to get down because that actually hurt, I only cast Fire Shield on myself so it could heal fast. Ichigo did say not to cast it on him so I only cast it on myself, Shadow Phoenix came out and asked, "Are you alright?" "I'll be fine but that thorn was in there deep," I said to her. She said, "Be on the alert next time." "It happened so suddenly, I only came here to only relax," I said, being completely honest with her. Then Grimmjow lost Ichigo and came straight for me, I looked so frightened on how fast he was moving, he managed to break through the shield, shattering it, thank goodness it back fires on whoever breaks it, it was given him one hell of a burning sensation. I managed to swing the scythe to get him away, but he ducked and grabbed a hold of my waist, looking at Ichigo, "Well, try and catch me without harming her." I only closed my eyes for a moment, when I opened them I was freed by Shadow Phoenix coming out and harshly shove Grimmjow away from me. Then she disappeared, she said, "Thank me later, now, make a run for it!" "No, she can stay there until this fight is over," said Ichigo, again not looking at me. I am guessing what is on his face, he does not want to show me and scare the hell out of me, I say good choice because I think I saw a glimpse of his mask, all I know that he is wearing a mask, Shadow Phoenix said, "Don't cast Fire Shield anymore, he managed to break through." "Apparently I know more about the shield than you mother," I said to her, "It back fired on who ever breaks the barrier of the Shield of Fire." "Oh, well, then," she says, "Just don't cast it on Ichigo." "I wasn't going to, he told me to not cast it on him," I said, "Plus he didn't say that I couldn't cast it on myself." "Good point," she said. Then I casted the shield again, this time I'm laying low letting my wound heal, then I heard a faint voice saying, "Heal, Little Earth." I looked there was Yixing standing pointing his scepter at my wound, I asked, "Did you achieve Shikai that fast?" "I asked Urahara to let me learn his ways of achieving Shikai and Bankai," he said, "I mean, I want to be alongside you." "I see, well then," I said, "Well, get down or you'll get hurt." I pulled him down, Yixing said, "The guys are training by themselves as you told them." "Yep, I mean it only takes time for their Zanpakutos to connect with them closely," I said, "With healing Zanpakutos, it doesn't take much as other swords spirits." "That's good to know," said Yixing. I suggested that he should go back because Ichigo was now walking back to me, no Grimmjow in sight, I asked, "Where did he go?" "He's gone for now," he said, sounding a little angry. I was walking behind him not saying anything because I know I should've been on the alert but I can't detect an surprise attack so sudden! I went to sit down until Ichigo says, "No, upstairs and on my bed." I followed behind him, with a hint of red showing on my face, I sat down on his bed, thankfully I switched my attire, Rukia was concerned on what happened, I told her, "It happened so sudden, I only went there to relax, nothing more, he just came out of nowhere." "I see," she said, "I'm guessing you were never taught on detecting surprise attacks?" "No, I was actually waiting for a lesson on how to avoid surprise attacks," I told her, "I never got the permission to." "Maybe you were being shielded by captain Hitsugaya far too long," said Renji, "He's been wanting you to learn it on your own since you learned the name of your Zanpakuto, Shikai, and Bankai all on your own." "I'm trying to open up here, damn it!" I snapped, "It's just Toshiro always seems to block the way every time I try to ask someone, including Yoruichi." "Oh wow," said Rukia, "Well, you are still 8 years old." "I get that now," I said, "But, I'm more mature than I was before." "This is true," says Renji, "Man, what is Ichigo taking so long?" "I should probably just go," I said, flash stepping back to the EXO headquarters. Look, I can't help it if Ichigo is still being like the way he is now, so I'm going to avoid him actually scolding me, starting to study for a topic in class that we will soon be tested on. I felt my eyes begin to close but I tried to keep them open as best I can because I'm so close to finish reading, then sleep bested me so I rested my head on my desk that was in this room I was staying in before Ichigo had me moved into his house. I woke up to notice that I was still in the EXO headquarters but who I was not expecting to see was Ichigo, just standing there in the dark, with his eyes closed. Shit, he's going to scold me for not being careful, I looked out the window and scooted myself quietly towards the window. I noticed on how beautiful each star is especially the moon, then I noticed that 2 stars are somewhat a different, one was a light purple star and the other is a light green star. I didn't know that stars could be in different colors, then I heard Ichigo asking, "How beautiful is it?" "It's gorgeous especially the light purple and light green stars," I told him. He asked again, "What? There are only 3 colored stars, Red, Blue, and Yellow, there shouldn't be any colors." "Then why are there Red, Brown, and White dwarfs?" I asked him. I got him there, I'm not stupid, I always learn some things that catches my interest, I told him, "Anyways, tell me everything that I was wrong of doing." "What are you talking? It was a sudden attack, you didn't see it happening," he said, "But, great job of protecting yourself." "Well, you did say no to me casting Fire Shield on you but you didn't say that I could cast it on myself," I told him. Ichigo asked, "Also, how did his clothing get burned?" "He broke through the barrier and the fire shield back fires on who ever breaks through the barrier other than the person who casted the shield," I told him. He told me, "If you were thinking that you were going to be scolded, don't worry about it, I'm not like the captains from the Soul Society." "Thank you because I've been wanting a break from the Soul Society, it's been too much," I said, "Sadly I can't ask for a break, Toshiro has been strict lately ever since you took his big brother position." "Well, I can't help it, he was doing a terrible job at being a brother so since I have 2 sisters, I decided to take over that role over him," he said, "You need someone who can be a brother at all times, with Toshiro being both he's not knowing on how to be a brother and he stick to being a captain for you, that's not how anything works." "Yeah, I'm starting to question if I should retire from my rank in the Soul Society," I said. He then said, "I mean, look at Urahara, he's retired from the 13 squads, so I don't seem why not for you." "Yeah, I'm going to retire because of Toshiro, he's been telling me to be a permanent Pyromancer," I said, "But I've been learning Thunder and Healing spells, I don't want to be a Pyromancer forever. That's not how a mage works." "That's right," he said, nodding his head. So I went to the Soul Society with the help of Renji leading me to the Head Captain of the 13 squads, Renji asked, "Are you sure that you want to retire? You can always switch again." "I want to retire so I can finally learn more magic other than Fire," I told him, "Besides the 2 foxes allows me to learn Thunder spells and Healing spells." Then we went to Head Captain Yamamoto's office, I went in alone, he looks at me and says, "Ah, Itsuki Akari, a pleasure to finally see you on getting to know your comrades in Captain Hitsugaya's squad." "Actually, about that, sir," I said, "I want to retire." "Retire? You sure about that?" he asked. I nodded, then he said, "Well then, that means this switch would go to waste then." "Wait, Switch?" I asked. He nodded, "Lt. Renji Abarai want you to come over to Captain Kuchiki's squad since Captain Kuchiki is not that strict, Renji did this switch to make sure that you don't get any more hard work from Captain Hitsugaya." "I see, did Toshiro try to object?" I asked. The old man looked at me, I was actually concerned if he did, he told me, "He didn't, Renji walked in this room and did it without anyone hearing but I'm afraid Captain Hitsugaya knows but he's willing to accept." "Do I keep my rank or lose it?" I asked. He chuckled, "You keep it of course, I did give you a slide, so you don't have to start over." "Thank you," I said. So I went to Captain Kuchiki's squad barracks, no sign of Toshiro but I've been seeing Shuhei a lot I mean we are seriously sweethearts, I waved at Shuhei and he waved back. I went up to him and asked, "How are you doing?" "I'm doing fine," he said, "I see that you got switched to Captain Kuchiki's squad." "Yeah, thanks to my dear friend Renji," I said. Shuhei chuckled, "Don't forget me." "Wait, what do you mean?" I asked. Shuhei told me, "Ever since you and I are privately dating, Captain Hitsugaya has been getting on to us and he was trying to get us to be a part and eventually break us up." "Though everyone has been telling us to be together and now Toshiro is wanting us to be just friends?" I asked, in anger. Then my new captain, Byakuya Kuchiki, asked, "What's taking you so long, Miss Akari?" "I'm sorry, Captain Kuchiki," I said, "See you later, Shuhei." "Yeah, see you later," he said, holding my hand for another minute then walked away. I always want to spend my time in the barracks just to remain spending time with Shuhei because he's my forever love interest. Then Captain Kuchiki said, "You know, since you are part of my squad I am not going to be like Toshiro so you can do what ever you want, 3rd Seed Seat Itsuki Akari Kurosaki." That's right, Ichigo took me in as his sister, it has a nice ring to it, but I prefer Hitsugaya. I thanked him, "Thank you, Captain Kuchiki." "Don't mention it just relax for now," he said, "Renji is making sure that you don't have to do the heavy duties. But since you have a passion for fighting, expect some duties for dealing with Hollows in your office." "I see," I said. Then I went to the same meadow on where I found Shadow Phoenix and trained for Shikai and Bankai on my own, I almost went to work on more Fire spells when I heard Renji asked, "What are you doing?" "I'm practicing on more Fire spells after I learn new fire moves, I'm going to take out my Thunder Fox familiar and learn Thunder spells finally," I said to him.