No Regrets (The Nerdy Truth)

(Spirit Power! Whoever the judge is who grades this, you need to read Kuro's background first!!! ^^ Thank you!)

Kuro walked into the room he was requested to be in with two shinigami escorting him. "This is awfully close to the captain's room... Is this place legal or is this a prank?" The two of the shinigami began to mumble to each other. Kuro was wondering why they were ignoring him, they seemed nervous as they talked holding some sort of machine. What is that thing? I have not seen or read about anything that looks like that... The two shinigami looked at him simultaneously. The shorter one began to speak softly, "Think of this as your initiation.. We like our members to have no regrets." Kuro looked offended when they said he had regrets. What do I have to regret? He thought to himself angrily. "Excuse me but I am regretting nothing... Though I do regret coming with you... to waste my time." Kuro began to walk out, but the larger shinigami blocked his way. "We need you to do this... The captain has read your profile, these are his orders... Not requests of ours." The smaller one said quickly. Kuro let out a long sigh, turning around. "Fine... But I have a bad feeling about what will happen."

The two shinigami nudged him to turn around as they turned on the light. The room was empty except for a single dark-wood chair that was in the middle of the room connected to the floor. The whole room was dark-wood, with no windows. If someone turned off the lights, all hints of light would disappear. "Now sit please... So we can attach the machine." The shorter one said quietly. Kuro sat down in the chair with a worried expression. "Ok... What in the world is this machine you are going to attach to me? What does it do?" The two shinigami looked at each other before glancing at Kuro. The shorter one sighed before speaking, "It is an experimental machine that we the 5th squad use on our higher members... It sends them to their most painful memories and plays them through... To show how they happened, so you can accept them. Well hopefully.. If not... You will not get the position... So what I am trying to say is that if you fail this.. You cannot be our 3rd seat." Kuro looked nervously as the began to attach the machine to both of his wrists and ankles. They connected long cords into a helmet looking device. "This machine runs off of your spirit energy. So when you get tired it will turn off." They slowly put the helmet on Kuro's head. "Are you ready?" The shorter one said. "As ready as I will ever be..." Kuro took a deep breath as the helmet was fully on his head. As they turned on the machine, everything seemed to fade to black.

Kuro looked around as memories of his hometown began to form. "This was where I lived... When I was a human..." His surroundings slowly grew darker as he was no standing on the road. He looked up at the sky as it was raining in the night sky. "Why does this atmosphere seem so familiar?.." Kuro looked as his sandals touched the asphalt. "I know this... This is not just any road... This is a highway.." He began walking along the asphalt when he noticed a body flying towards a car. The car was strangely moving in reverse, as the body was flying into a standing position. Kuro began to shake as his eyes began to tear up. The body, was himself. He saw the body limp in reverse, kneeling down before laying on the ground. Kuro ran to the body, but before he got to it he stopped, looking up at a car on the other side of the highway. He watched as logs flew into the back of a truck, and a familiar face came back from death. "My... wife..." Kuro watched as his body flew back into the car and the car began to move backwards slowly. Kuro ran to the car, reaching over to touch it. As Kuro touched this car, his hand move through it as if he were a ghost. He moved his whole body in and sat in the back seat shocked as he watched his past self and his old wife argue. "What happened that day... Why can't I hear their words.... What was the argument even about?" Kuro watched as the two yelled at each other, though no sound left their lips. "Please.. let me hear what they were saying...." Within seconds it was as if someone had hit the play button on his memories. The woman screamed at the past Kuro. "It is all your fault! You weren't there! I hate you for not being there when I need you... When we needed you!" Kuro began shaking as he heard this, and as he heard this the dream stopped. Everything was frozen, as if it was paused.

Kuro's face was warm, he did not truly understand why until he raised his hand and rubbed hit along his cheekbone. He was sobbing, tears flowed from his eyes quickly as he began remembering the pain he was feeling at that moment. "What did I do?..." Kuro said as he wiped away most of the tears. He reached up and tried to slide his hand down the side of his old wife's face. "What did I do to you that would cause you to hate me so?..." His hand went through her face when he tried to touch her. Though in no time at all the back ground faded away, everything was white. He looked around as a hospital formed in front of him. He walked inside seeing his past self staring at his old wife, who was wearing a patient outfit. "Why is she wearing that?...." He said as he walked closer to the two. She was screaming out him as he was staring down, but just like before he could not hear what she was saying. Seconds after her voice boomed throughout the hospital. "You were gone..... You weren't there for me.. You weren't there for us!! You lied, you weren't even at work like you told me you were. Its all your fault that.." Kuro was listening intently when it all just stopped. Kuro began looking around frantically as everything began to disappear. He could feel the air from the room that he was in before. He could feel the bracelets and the anklets that were holding him down, as his muscles were all tensed. He noticed a warm fluid drizzling down his face as well as his face being drenched in sweat.

The helmet was removed by the tall shinigami, revealing a relieved face on both of the shinigami. Kuro's heart was racing, "What happened?!!!" The smaller shinigami shook his head slowly. "I am not sure as to what happened, but when you were tired it was if your soul was trying to keep us from pulling you from the trance." As Kuro's arms were free he raised his hands touching his upper-lip, touching the warm fluids that were running down his face. He pulled his hand down and looked at his hand. Blood. Kuro looked up, "Why did you pull me out.. I need to go back. I need to know what happened..." The short shinigami shook his head swiftly. "No way in hell am I sending you back in your current state... That machine has drained waaay too much of your energy. If you were in there any longer you could have died..." Kuro glared back at the shorter shinigami, "Send me back now... I am your higher up.. These are your orders...You do not take me out, no matter what happens to me." The two shinigamis looked at each other for a moment. "Well.. We cannot defy your orders... But we will tell the captain that this was your order.. You know.. Just in case something bad happens, we aren't the ones who are blamed." The taller one strapped Kuro back into the machine and placed the helmet back on him. "Now be careful... I don't want you to die now.." Kuro shook his head. "Just start the damn machine... I need to know what I had done..." Kuro's eyes closed and yet again the surroundings faded to black. He was ready to find out the answers even if it cost him his life.

The new surrounding was what appeared to be the front of his house, it was a simple house that made him feel welcomed just by looking at it. He walked slowly to the front door, hearing voices from inside. He reached over and tapped the door, yet again his hand went through it. He walked through the door into the entryway where he found his old self and wife talking calmly for once. His wife's stomach was huge, Kuro could not remember why. She smiled as she was going towards the door. She turned to Kuro's past self and asked kindly as she rubbed her stomach. "Would you like to go to the grocery store with us? I am sure our son will love you to tag along." He smiled and then shook his head slowly. "No I can't, I have to go to something important for work... I am sorry dear." The smile on her face slowly faded as a look of sorrow became apparent. "Why don't you every seem to care about spending time with me or the baby." She turned and left the house without giving him time to respond. He raised his hand slowly reaching for her, "It... It is not like that..." Kuro watched his past self shocked, "Was I really like that? Did I really care so little? Well.. I have a feeling I should follow her to the store." He watched his past self for a moment longer before the surrounding disappeared again, forming back as a grocery store.

(Sorry I had to post it in two parts.. It was to big to post as one.)

In reality the two shinigami watched the body of Kuro nervously. "He is shaking soo much and blood is running from his nose again... His veins are popping out.. I don't know if we should listen to orders... He might die at this rate." The watched as Kuro's body shook, sweat, and bled violently. Though within Kuro's head everything was seemingly calm. He was following her throughout the grocery store watching her talk to her stomach about him. She saw that she said she loved him so many times and that hopefully he will make everything better and be a good father. Kuro's eyes were full of tears, everything seemed wonderful. He watched as she checked out and walked to the front door. As she placed her hand on the front door to open it, a man rammed into the door causing the metal bar on her side to crash into her stomach. She fell to the ground howling in pain as she grabbed her stomach. "My baby!" She sobbed with a horrified tone. The man hesitated as he saw her, "Wow... That is an all-time low for me.. I am getting better at this..." He walked to the cashier pulling out a gun. Kuro watched horrified as he witnessed his child get bashed as well as his wife being trapped in a dangerous situation. After a few minutes of stealing money the man turned to head towards the front door, two cops entered the store. One, a female cop, went to Kuro's wife pulling her to the side and the other, a short and chubby old man, pulled out his gun aiming it straight at the criminal. The criminal smirked as he began to run out the store. There was a gun fire that seemed to shake the whole store. The policeman's bullet hand hit the criminal in a vital organ, though the criminal got away. Kuro ran after the criminal watching as the criminal couched in pain. As the criminal fell in the alleyway and began to fall into eternal slumber, Kuro squatted down and listened carefully to his last words. "So this is the end of Yukima Kenshiro.." Kuro watched as the life slowly drained away from his face. Kuro looked up, turning to go back to the grocery store. He ran as fast as he could seeing his wife pick up a cellphone, "Hello... Is my Kuro there?" She said as she sobbed. "What do you mean he isn't at work... Why is that? What... It is a secret you couldn't tell, especially since it was me!" She burst into a heavier emotional sob. Kuro watched her solemnly. "So maybe if I went to the grocery store... I could have saved the baby... But where the hell was I..."

In the room Kuro's body was shaking ferociously. The two shinigami ran to the chair, trying their best to hold the body still. Blood was running from Kuro's nose and mouth. "What could be so important that he would be sending himself through this?...." The taller one mumbled quietly as his hands began to glow green. The green aura covered Kuro, slowly healing him. The shorter one nodded at the effort. "Yeah.. Keep that up... Hopefully it will increase his chances for living..." Back in the illusion Kuro's location changed to what appeared to be a larger store. Kuro walked inside to see his past self talking to a woman. He turned towards the woman, "I would like our meeting to be a secret... I can't let my wife know about this." The woman nodded. Kuro gritted his teeth at the last sentence that Kuro had said. "Was I this disloyal?" Kuro was holding his chest as he cried. He felt a hand land on his shoulder, and yet its feel was so familiar. He turned his head seeing the old man's face. Boy...everything is ok.. You do not give yourself enough credit... You should know... You are the loyal type. Kuro nodded at his comment has he turned back to his past self walking away from the woman. His past self turned as he was walking away with a big grin on his face. "So the deal on the crib is all good?" Kuro's eyes teared. "I was trying to get a gift for her.... I remember now... I was going to buy the best crib I could... So I could show her I cared about the baby..." Kuro looked at the man in a cloak of crow feathers. Boy.. I am not sure how to say this but... You should stop here... Kuro looked at him quickly, "No! I need to know if I had even tried to tell her the truth..." The old man sighed. Fine then... let us go.

They appeared in the hospital again, Kuro was standing in front of his past self and his crying wife. His past self was trying to speak to her, but her yelling wouldn't stop. "I don't care! You weren't there for us! You lied and you weren't even at work! Most likely with some other woman! He died because you were cheating on me! You know that policeman was there for me.. Maybe I should have married him instead of you! At least he did something..." She said as she was teared up. Kuro felt as if a truck had hit him. Within seconds everything seemed to start fading away. "Whats going on!" The old man looked at him, You are out of spirit power.. If you go any further... You will start tapping into your life energy... Kuro looked at him, "My life.. energy?" Back in the room Kuro's body was shaking violently. Blood was running from his eyes and ears now as well. Kuro's veins were bulging to a point that they looked like they were about to explode out of his body. The two shinigami were beginning to freak out. "He is out of spiritual energy! Shit! He is tapping into his life energy now! Get him out! Now!" They ran to turn the machine off when the captain put his hand on their shoulders. "He gave orders for you not to pull him out until he is ready." The two shinigami began to shake as they turned their heads seeing the captain smiling calmly. Within the machine, Kuro looked up at his zanpaktou spirit. "I will continue.. Even if I die... I need to know one last thing... Let me hear the car ride.." The spirit nodded, Well we better hurry then.. I am not sure of how much time you have left.

The environment disappeared as the interior of the car appeared around the two. Kuro and the spirit were sitting in the back seat. The girl was yelling the same thing that he left her saying the last time he was there. Kuro's past self turned from the steering wheel and looked at her. "I am sick of you constantly accusing me of this... It has been a year and you have yet to listen to what I have to say! I was never cheating on you! I was out getting something so you would know that I did care about you two! I left to buy him a cri..." The car crashed and his past self flew out. Though Kuro could feel himself fly out with the past illusion. As Kuro crashed into the asphalt with his past self, he forced himself up. Everything the two did was in sync. The way they pushed up to the way they both limped towards the car. Kuro turned seeing the car crash into them. He stayed in place but his past self flew off. Kuro began crying as the illusion faded away for the final time, everything faded to black. Kuro began to feel a tremendous pain as he was gasping for air. The pain of the blood running for eyes ears nose and mouth became clear as he could feel his veins seem to try to rip from his body. The captain swiftly turned off the machine and let Kuro free, laying him on the ground and started to heal him. "Did you find what you were looking for?" The captain said calmly. "Well.... I need... To see one more thing... I need to know about the orphanage." Kuro muttered out weakly. The captain began to laugh as he shook his head. "No... You will have to wait a few hours before you go back under. You need some form of rest." Kuro nodded as he faded into an exhausted slumber on the floor before the captain. He had the strangest feeling that he had not seen the last of Yukima Kenshiro.

(The first of 4 posts)
(Woot woot, best post I have ever written!)

very heart felt *sobs*
+4 spirit power, looking forward to the next ones ^_^