[BLEACH] (Enjoy the Silence: part 5.1) Scratch Memory! Break the Lock - Chapter 1
Title: Scratch Memory! Break the Lock
Chapter: 1
Author: Merci
Pairing: Chad/Nova
Rating: R
Source: Bleach
Wordcount: 1, 422
Summary: A Hollow with mysterious powers cuts a murderous path through Karakura town. Nova is plagued with dreams hinting at his past, a past that is torn open when he’s forced to confront the Hollow, as well as his feelings for Chad.
Warnings: Yaoi (male/male relations), violence
Disclaimer: I am making no profit from this fanfiction. I do not own Nova, Chad, Ichigo, Rukia, Bleach, or any other characters from Bleach.
Notes: This… is possibly my favourite Nova fic of all that I’ve written. I managed to write/edit this in about 8 hours over a couple days (after warming up with Water Attack! Rust the Lock) while participating in some word wars with friends. (I swear, warring is the best way to up productivity!!!)
I am… taking great liberties here, but I hope I can be forgiven. We don’t know much about mod-souls, except that they are souls… that have been modified. What this tells me is that an existing soul is taken and tweaked. At least, that’s how I’m running with this! :D
When I was plotting this out, I had this image of Nova having an older brother in a past life. Looking back, I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I suppose it works well enough and don’t feel like changing it.
Also, how does Chad/Nova’s relationship come across? I was trying for subtlety here and may have failed x 9001. Their silence says so much, does it express Chad’s feelings for Nova, and then Nova acting on those? Haaaaa, I’ve been thinking about this too long, so I can’t judge it properly.
This is part of a group of stories that are all separate, but since I wrote them one after the other, they do tend to flow together and reference one another. I'm loosely gathering them into a series I call "Enjoy the Silence". If you would like to read them one after the other, I will post links to the next story at the end of each post. If you would like to see the master list of my stories, please visit my table of contents.
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
“Enjoy the Silence” Depeche Mode
Scratch Memory! Break the Lock
Chapter 1
Water rushed in when he opened his mouth, choking off his scream. The hand on his head was strong. This wasn’t right! The person above… it wasn’t right! The stranger wasn’t budging as Nova sputtered in the bloody water, fighting back with as much strength as his little body could muster. He tried to pull the hand away, but there was a wicked reiatsu in the stranger’s familiar face, and it overwhelmed him with terror.
When he opened his eyes, the blackness of the riverbed filled his vision just as his lungs gave way and sucked in a choking, strangling breath. And somewhere above him he could hear the dull rumble of footsteps marching overhead in a steady, endless rhythm…
He jerked awake, gasping for breath, even as his plush body had no lungs.
“Nova!” Chad hissed urgently, shaking him.
He stared unblinking at Chad as he tried to grasp the nightmare that still clung like spider webs in his mind. “Just another nightmare,” he muttered, resting a hand on Chad’s fingers. How many times had it been?
Chad narrowed his eyes. “You were… begging this time.” He said the word carefully, as if he was holding back, and clearly disturbed by what he’d heard.
Nova exhaled slowly, wanting to crawl inside his shell. He wished he could say what was bothering him, but it was all so disjointed, he didn’t understand it himself.
Chad was unreadable in the darkness between them, but he lifted the covers like he always did - a silent invitation for Nova to join him. He pulled Nova close, like any old stuffed toy, and sighed in his thick, rumbling bass. “I’ll talk to Urahara.” His strength radiated through his aura, seeping into Nova’s disturbed mind. It was all he could do, but for Nova, it was enough.
Nova sighed softly, his trembling lessened as the silence enveloped them and he listened to Chad’s steady breathing.
His thoughts wandered, venturing to his fight with the twin water Bounto. It seemed strange that thought would cross his mind then - not after so many months had passed and they were enjoying a lull between the end-of-the-world conflicts. Maybe it was the similarity between his nightmare and the terrible feeling that filled him when he’d seen Chad drowning.
The water doll had caught him in a pillar of water, and Chad had stared out at him, terrified and unblinking. It was the worst kind of silence they’d shared before or since.
+++
“It can’t be a Hollow,” Rukia argued as she glared at her cell phone. “It’s not showing up. It can’t be.”
“I’m tellin’ ya, it’s a Hollow,” Ichigo bit back, slamming his fist on the table.
Chad joined his friends as they gathered at Urahara’s shop.
Nova was perched on his shoulder, and he clung to his friend’s neck as he listened to the exchange. He’d been anxious to listen to Urahara’s thoughts on his nightmares, but it sounded like something else was happening.
“What is it?” Chad said, turning to Ichigo.
“Those murders that have been happening around town were done by a Hollow,” Ichigo turned to face him, his tone sounding like he was trying to convince Chad of that fact. “A Hollow somehow killed them and ate their souls. The rooms were locked, who else could have gotten in to kill them?”
“But there weren’t any spikes in Hollow reiatsu!” Rukia piped in. “Don’t humans kill each other, too?”
Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest, unwilling to accept the suggestion. “Yeah, they do, but not like this. Maybe it’s hiding or somethin’,” He tried holding the calm, rational tone for a few seconds before it failed. “I’ve got a gut feeling about this, okay?!”
“It’s a Hollow,” Urahara butted in as he casually sipped his tea and broke the argument with three words. “The attacks lately might not have been typical of one, but I have a hunch it was a Hollow that can somehow mask its power.” He looked to Nova who was perched on Chad’s shoulder. “I might be able to adjust the gikon pills to detect it, but I’ll have to collect a bit more research first,” he looked around at the three seated before him.
“Don’t tell me we’re going to run around town to try and find it on our own,” Ichigo’s brow creased more than usual and he scratched his head.
“That’s exactly what he means,” Rukia said, leaning into the redhead. “We’ll take the North and West halves of town!”
Chad nodded. “Nova and I will do the Eastern half, then.”
Nova nodded, happy for something to do that kept him from sleeping.
+++
Chad paused to catch his breath and Nova hopped down from his shoulder. Their patrol had been quiet for hours and the moon was still heavy in the sky. They still had a few more hours of patrol ahead of them, but when he looked back to Chad, he could sense the other’s exhaustion. He wondered what it would be like to be confined to one single body; unable to pop out into spirit-form like Ichigo or even Rukia. It must have been so tiring for those who were stuck in one body.
He took a few steps down the road in the direction of the river. He was pushing his sensors to their limits when he picked up on something… odd. It felt like something was sending ripples through the dimensions… like something was tearing open a gateway with powers not dissimilar from his own. He looked up to Chad and quickly hopped onto his shoulder as they raced off towards the river.
Chad’s footsteps flew over the asphalt, carrying Nova towards the source of the disturbance. They reached the end of the street and paused, looking around before Nova pointed down and they raced to the river’s edge. The night air whipped across their faces, and as they drew closer, Nova felt his apprehension coming to a head.
There was something in the water… no, not in, but in the spaces between the water molecules. Nova was struck by the alien-feeling of someone else using a power so similar to his own, and he watched dumbly as a gateway tore open above the river. It cast a terrible shade of blue light across the darkened shore, illuminating the Hollow that appeared, splashing in the shallow water a few feet away.
“Hii hii hii, humans make it so easy! He ran straight for me!” It grinned at them through a bone mask; its mouth was twisted into a wavering sneer, while the eyes were hollow pits burning with yellow fury at the centres. Its petite body was covered with dark scales that spread down to its hoofed feet and it moved like a lopsided puppet as it approached Chad, looking him up and down with hungry eyes. “And you can sense me, human?” a long, snake-like tongue poked from its mouth, waggling near Chad’s face. He drew back his fists, manipulating the rows of spines that sprang from his wrist and chuckled as he punched forward, ready to kill.
Nova reacted, teleporting himself and Chad a few feet away. They landed unevenly and Chad dropped to one knee. Nova clung to his neck, turning back to the Hollow as it spun around to find them.
“Ahh,” it slurred, its voice gurgling in its throat. “That’s a useful power you have, little one. I didn’t notice you before, I--” It stopped, cocking its head to the side for a moment, focusing on Nova. Its gaze burned yellow, seeming to peer into Nova’s soul and it inhaled deeply, letting out a lecherous chuckle. “I know you… little one…”
Chad held out his right arm as a warning and Nova held onto his neck. Chad concentrated all his reiatsu into his arm and it flashed as it transformed; the black armour forming across his skin and sizzling with unspent power.
The Hollow seemed to realize Chad at that moment and snarled fiercely as it leapt back, barely dodging the attack.
Chad lunged forward, his fist blazing with white-hot power as the Hollow skipped further out into the river.
“I never expected to find you again,” it gurgled through uproarious laughter. “I won’t let you go this time, I’ll be back.”
Chad struck out; unleashing another blast from his fist, but it was too late. The Hollow snapped its fingers and a gateway enveloped him, leaving nothing but steam as Chad’s attack tore through the water.
Chapter: 1
Author: Merci
Pairing: Chad/Nova
Rating: R
Source: Bleach
Wordcount: 1, 422
Summary: A Hollow with mysterious powers cuts a murderous path through Karakura town. Nova is plagued with dreams hinting at his past, a past that is torn open when he’s forced to confront the Hollow, as well as his feelings for Chad.
Warnings: Yaoi (male/male relations), violence
Disclaimer: I am making no profit from this fanfiction. I do not own Nova, Chad, Ichigo, Rukia, Bleach, or any other characters from Bleach.
Notes: This… is possibly my favourite Nova fic of all that I’ve written. I managed to write/edit this in about 8 hours over a couple days (after warming up with Water Attack! Rust the Lock) while participating in some word wars with friends. (I swear, warring is the best way to up productivity!!!)
I am… taking great liberties here, but I hope I can be forgiven. We don’t know much about mod-souls, except that they are souls… that have been modified. What this tells me is that an existing soul is taken and tweaked. At least, that’s how I’m running with this! :D
When I was plotting this out, I had this image of Nova having an older brother in a past life. Looking back, I’m not sure how I feel about it, but I suppose it works well enough and don’t feel like changing it.
Also, how does Chad/Nova’s relationship come across? I was trying for subtlety here and may have failed x 9001. Their silence says so much, does it express Chad’s feelings for Nova, and then Nova acting on those? Haaaaa, I’ve been thinking about this too long, so I can’t judge it properly.
This is part of a group of stories that are all separate, but since I wrote them one after the other, they do tend to flow together and reference one another. I'm loosely gathering them into a series I call "Enjoy the Silence". If you would like to read them one after the other, I will post links to the next story at the end of each post. If you would like to see the master list of my stories, please visit my table of contents.
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
“Enjoy the Silence” Depeche Mode
Scratch Memory! Break the Lock
Chapter 1
Water rushed in when he opened his mouth, choking off his scream. The hand on his head was strong. This wasn’t right! The person above… it wasn’t right! The stranger wasn’t budging as Nova sputtered in the bloody water, fighting back with as much strength as his little body could muster. He tried to pull the hand away, but there was a wicked reiatsu in the stranger’s familiar face, and it overwhelmed him with terror.
When he opened his eyes, the blackness of the riverbed filled his vision just as his lungs gave way and sucked in a choking, strangling breath. And somewhere above him he could hear the dull rumble of footsteps marching overhead in a steady, endless rhythm…
He jerked awake, gasping for breath, even as his plush body had no lungs.
“Nova!” Chad hissed urgently, shaking him.
He stared unblinking at Chad as he tried to grasp the nightmare that still clung like spider webs in his mind. “Just another nightmare,” he muttered, resting a hand on Chad’s fingers. How many times had it been?
Chad narrowed his eyes. “You were… begging this time.” He said the word carefully, as if he was holding back, and clearly disturbed by what he’d heard.
Nova exhaled slowly, wanting to crawl inside his shell. He wished he could say what was bothering him, but it was all so disjointed, he didn’t understand it himself.
Chad was unreadable in the darkness between them, but he lifted the covers like he always did - a silent invitation for Nova to join him. He pulled Nova close, like any old stuffed toy, and sighed in his thick, rumbling bass. “I’ll talk to Urahara.” His strength radiated through his aura, seeping into Nova’s disturbed mind. It was all he could do, but for Nova, it was enough.
Nova sighed softly, his trembling lessened as the silence enveloped them and he listened to Chad’s steady breathing.
His thoughts wandered, venturing to his fight with the twin water Bounto. It seemed strange that thought would cross his mind then - not after so many months had passed and they were enjoying a lull between the end-of-the-world conflicts. Maybe it was the similarity between his nightmare and the terrible feeling that filled him when he’d seen Chad drowning.
The water doll had caught him in a pillar of water, and Chad had stared out at him, terrified and unblinking. It was the worst kind of silence they’d shared before or since.
+++
“It can’t be a Hollow,” Rukia argued as she glared at her cell phone. “It’s not showing up. It can’t be.”
“I’m tellin’ ya, it’s a Hollow,” Ichigo bit back, slamming his fist on the table.
Chad joined his friends as they gathered at Urahara’s shop.
Nova was perched on his shoulder, and he clung to his friend’s neck as he listened to the exchange. He’d been anxious to listen to Urahara’s thoughts on his nightmares, but it sounded like something else was happening.
“What is it?” Chad said, turning to Ichigo.
“Those murders that have been happening around town were done by a Hollow,” Ichigo turned to face him, his tone sounding like he was trying to convince Chad of that fact. “A Hollow somehow killed them and ate their souls. The rooms were locked, who else could have gotten in to kill them?”
“But there weren’t any spikes in Hollow reiatsu!” Rukia piped in. “Don’t humans kill each other, too?”
Ichigo crossed his arms over his chest, unwilling to accept the suggestion. “Yeah, they do, but not like this. Maybe it’s hiding or somethin’,” He tried holding the calm, rational tone for a few seconds before it failed. “I’ve got a gut feeling about this, okay?!”
“It’s a Hollow,” Urahara butted in as he casually sipped his tea and broke the argument with three words. “The attacks lately might not have been typical of one, but I have a hunch it was a Hollow that can somehow mask its power.” He looked to Nova who was perched on Chad’s shoulder. “I might be able to adjust the gikon pills to detect it, but I’ll have to collect a bit more research first,” he looked around at the three seated before him.
“Don’t tell me we’re going to run around town to try and find it on our own,” Ichigo’s brow creased more than usual and he scratched his head.
“That’s exactly what he means,” Rukia said, leaning into the redhead. “We’ll take the North and West halves of town!”
Chad nodded. “Nova and I will do the Eastern half, then.”
Nova nodded, happy for something to do that kept him from sleeping.
+++
Chad paused to catch his breath and Nova hopped down from his shoulder. Their patrol had been quiet for hours and the moon was still heavy in the sky. They still had a few more hours of patrol ahead of them, but when he looked back to Chad, he could sense the other’s exhaustion. He wondered what it would be like to be confined to one single body; unable to pop out into spirit-form like Ichigo or even Rukia. It must have been so tiring for those who were stuck in one body.
He took a few steps down the road in the direction of the river. He was pushing his sensors to their limits when he picked up on something… odd. It felt like something was sending ripples through the dimensions… like something was tearing open a gateway with powers not dissimilar from his own. He looked up to Chad and quickly hopped onto his shoulder as they raced off towards the river.
Chad’s footsteps flew over the asphalt, carrying Nova towards the source of the disturbance. They reached the end of the street and paused, looking around before Nova pointed down and they raced to the river’s edge. The night air whipped across their faces, and as they drew closer, Nova felt his apprehension coming to a head.
There was something in the water… no, not in, but in the spaces between the water molecules. Nova was struck by the alien-feeling of someone else using a power so similar to his own, and he watched dumbly as a gateway tore open above the river. It cast a terrible shade of blue light across the darkened shore, illuminating the Hollow that appeared, splashing in the shallow water a few feet away.
“Hii hii hii, humans make it so easy! He ran straight for me!” It grinned at them through a bone mask; its mouth was twisted into a wavering sneer, while the eyes were hollow pits burning with yellow fury at the centres. Its petite body was covered with dark scales that spread down to its hoofed feet and it moved like a lopsided puppet as it approached Chad, looking him up and down with hungry eyes. “And you can sense me, human?” a long, snake-like tongue poked from its mouth, waggling near Chad’s face. He drew back his fists, manipulating the rows of spines that sprang from his wrist and chuckled as he punched forward, ready to kill.
Nova reacted, teleporting himself and Chad a few feet away. They landed unevenly and Chad dropped to one knee. Nova clung to his neck, turning back to the Hollow as it spun around to find them.
“Ahh,” it slurred, its voice gurgling in its throat. “That’s a useful power you have, little one. I didn’t notice you before, I--” It stopped, cocking its head to the side for a moment, focusing on Nova. Its gaze burned yellow, seeming to peer into Nova’s soul and it inhaled deeply, letting out a lecherous chuckle. “I know you… little one…”
Chad held out his right arm as a warning and Nova held onto his neck. Chad concentrated all his reiatsu into his arm and it flashed as it transformed; the black armour forming across his skin and sizzling with unspent power.
The Hollow seemed to realize Chad at that moment and snarled fiercely as it leapt back, barely dodging the attack.
Chad lunged forward, his fist blazing with white-hot power as the Hollow skipped further out into the river.
“I never expected to find you again,” it gurgled through uproarious laughter. “I won’t let you go this time, I’ll be back.”
Chad struck out; unleashing another blast from his fist, but it was too late. The Hollow snapped its fingers and a gateway enveloped him, leaving nothing but steam as Chad’s attack tore through the water.