.:000:. Memory 1 - Arson 101
The repair of Sumi's apartment was a process that had taken several days, and wasn't really altogether complete. Before evacuating, she'd made sure to carefully cover all of her furniture with thick plastic tarps to protect them in the event that the actual structure should be damaged. Which, of course, it had been. Everything had been repaired now, for the most part, so all that was left now was to rearrange her things into a semblance of their former order.
Picking up a particularly large book, she carefully opened it to check for water damage, jolting in surprise when a crystal fell from between the pages and landed innocuously on her lap. Eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline, Sumi gingerly picked up the caged crystal and moved the book aside to sit on her bed. Figuring that there was no time like the present, she decided to take the plunge, slipping her fingers through the wrapped wire to touch the crystal within.
The world went black.
Sumi wanted to blink against the sudden darkness, but quickly realized she wasn't in control of herself for the moment. The alarm at the loss of her sight quickly ebbed when she recognized that she hadn't lost all of her faculties. She felt the warmth of sunlight shining against her face, and was aware of the fact that she was sitting in a crisp seiza, hands folded neatly behind her back. A breeze rustled through her hair, which she could tell must have been cropped short since she didn't feel the pull of pins or clips holding it up at the back of her head.
There was noise all around, too. In the distance she could hear a popping sound, like small, controlled explosions. Closer, she could hear voices murmuring quietly to each other, though she couldn't hear enough to tell how many there were. All the other voices fell silent as well when a loud, male voice spoke up.
"Group one, come forward!"
"Yes, sir!" she heard herself say, but was surprised by the pitch of her own voice. Sumi knew her voice wasn't particularly deep, but that voice... She sounded like a five-year-old. She stood and stepped forward, and could hear a shuffling sound as others rose with her and padded quickly to some designated point before stopping.
The voice from before spoke once more, barking out commands. "Way of Destruction practice. Begin!"
"Yes, sir!" she chorused along with the rest of the group. Was this some kind of lesson, or a class? Sumi felt herself lift her arms until they were parallel with the ground, palms flat and fingers pointed straight up. As she began to chant, she heard the rest of those who had stepped forward with her reciting the same words.
"Ye lord. Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man." The sensation was odd, exhilarating; she could feel energy coursing through her body, flowing to and focusing in her hands. Sumi could feel heat building up in the skin of her palms, flickering like a flame. The breeze had picked up, but it was hot and dry. Her arms began to tremble, but she braced her body to keep them steady. "Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws!
"Hadou thirty three! Soukatsui!" The heat in her hands practically exploded, and she could hear the sound of it sailing away like a rocket, finally crashing into something a few meters away. The noise was fantastic as her classmates completed their incantations and produced their own projectile flames. That explained the popping she'd heard a few moments before; this was the same sound, only dampened by distance.
She felt a grin spread across her face as whispers of approval and praise spread through those behind her. Sumi spun on her heel and returned to her seat, dropping back into seiza. A hand touched her shoulder as the person sitting next to her leaned in. "You did really well," said the voice of an older girl.
"Thank you!" Sumi replied. "You did well, too."
"Group two, come forward!"
"Yes, sir!" Fabric-clad legs swept by on either side, and as abruptly as it had begun, the memory was over. Sumi opened her eyes and looked around her small room, letting the darkened crystal roll out of her fingers as she snatched up the nearest piece of paper to quickly write down the incantation lest she forget the words.
[This scene isn't anywhere in Bleach canon. It's inspired by the scene in episode 46 where students are shown practicing kidou, and the knowledge that Sumi was very young when she was in the Academy. Sumi's memory punishment is to randomly burst into showtunes for the next four days. That includes in her writing. Yes.]
Picking up a particularly large book, she carefully opened it to check for water damage, jolting in surprise when a crystal fell from between the pages and landed innocuously on her lap. Eyebrows shooting up toward her hairline, Sumi gingerly picked up the caged crystal and moved the book aside to sit on her bed. Figuring that there was no time like the present, she decided to take the plunge, slipping her fingers through the wrapped wire to touch the crystal within.
The world went black.
Sumi wanted to blink against the sudden darkness, but quickly realized she wasn't in control of herself for the moment. The alarm at the loss of her sight quickly ebbed when she recognized that she hadn't lost all of her faculties. She felt the warmth of sunlight shining against her face, and was aware of the fact that she was sitting in a crisp seiza, hands folded neatly behind her back. A breeze rustled through her hair, which she could tell must have been cropped short since she didn't feel the pull of pins or clips holding it up at the back of her head.
There was noise all around, too. In the distance she could hear a popping sound, like small, controlled explosions. Closer, she could hear voices murmuring quietly to each other, though she couldn't hear enough to tell how many there were. All the other voices fell silent as well when a loud, male voice spoke up.
"Group one, come forward!"
"Yes, sir!" she heard herself say, but was surprised by the pitch of her own voice. Sumi knew her voice wasn't particularly deep, but that voice... She sounded like a five-year-old. She stood and stepped forward, and could hear a shuffling sound as others rose with her and padded quickly to some designated point before stopping.
The voice from before spoke once more, barking out commands. "Way of Destruction practice. Begin!"
"Yes, sir!" she chorused along with the rest of the group. Was this some kind of lesson, or a class? Sumi felt herself lift her arms until they were parallel with the ground, palms flat and fingers pointed straight up. As she began to chant, she heard the rest of those who had stepped forward with her reciting the same words.
"Ye lord. Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man." The sensation was odd, exhilarating; she could feel energy coursing through her body, flowing to and focusing in her hands. Sumi could feel heat building up in the skin of her palms, flickering like a flame. The breeze had picked up, but it was hot and dry. Her arms began to tremble, but she braced her body to keep them steady. "Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws!
"Hadou thirty three! Soukatsui!" The heat in her hands practically exploded, and she could hear the sound of it sailing away like a rocket, finally crashing into something a few meters away. The noise was fantastic as her classmates completed their incantations and produced their own projectile flames. That explained the popping she'd heard a few moments before; this was the same sound, only dampened by distance.
She felt a grin spread across her face as whispers of approval and praise spread through those behind her. Sumi spun on her heel and returned to her seat, dropping back into seiza. A hand touched her shoulder as the person sitting next to her leaned in. "You did really well," said the voice of an older girl.
"Thank you!" Sumi replied. "You did well, too."
"Group two, come forward!"
"Yes, sir!" Fabric-clad legs swept by on either side, and as abruptly as it had begun, the memory was over. Sumi opened her eyes and looked around her small room, letting the darkened crystal roll out of her fingers as she snatched up the nearest piece of paper to quickly write down the incantation lest she forget the words.
[This scene isn't anywhere in Bleach canon. It's inspired by the scene in episode 46 where students are shown practicing kidou, and the knowledge that Sumi was very young when she was in the Academy. Sumi's memory punishment is to randomly burst into showtunes for the next four days. That includes in her writing. Yes.]