You Promised. Remember?

The warm summer sun beat against Karakura's human soaked streets, the all too familiar smell of heated asphalt filling the senses of the majority of folks out on their day off. A lone boy stood among the throng of people, his pink hair shifting as he attempted to find his way around the city once more. Saisei was yet against lost in one of the largest intersections of Karakura City, having only minutes before reached his previous destination. The boy had just finished his late breakfast, having made his way to the large square without much thought. This being the case however, he was at a loss for words, the masses shifting and forcing their ways around him in order to find their own way to each destination. A heavy sigh escaped Saisei's lips, his subtle complaining finding its way to the surface.

"Tch, there we go. I've put myself in this situation yet again. This is getting so old." Hanging his head in defeat, the blue eye'd boy was jolted to life, his fingers being gripped upon before his body instinctively moved on its own. A gust of wind picked up at the frilly shirt that the figure before him dawned, thick blonde hair find its way through the air in the same fashion as the shirt. Without a word, the child was moved by force, bringing his body to a halt on the other end of the intersection now, the throng of people no longer converging all around him.

"You shouldn't be complaining too much, you know. Idiots are bound to make a mistake every once in awhile." The blonde figure quickly flipped around, her head cocking to the side as she gave Saisei a toothy grin. The annoying girl flicked at the human's nose before sighing and continuing her rambling. "Haruki, Haruki Nise. It's not every day you meet a cute girl you know, be a little more excited dammit." Pouting, Haruki turned away before continuing on without the boy. As flustered and red as Saisei had finally become from her comment on his intelligence, he seemed to be thrown for a loop. Mesmerized by the cute girl's appearance, he was instantly dragged along into her silly game of cat and mouse.

Stepping forward, Saisei followed the girl with haste, each step faster than the next as she sped up. Time and time again, she kept increasing the pace without hesitation. Haruki was simply having her way with the human, guiding him through the thicket of people that filled Karakura's side walks. Twisting and turning, forward and forward they continued. Saisei was still confused, his eyes focused on the bouncing hoodie that clung to the tiny girl's frame, his eyes wandering as per the usual.

"Huh?" Saisei halted, staring blankly forward. The masses had no longer surrounded him, the quiet air filling his senses with irrational smells and sounds. Chirping birds found their way to Saisei's ears, the smell of fresh dough filling his nostrils. An abrupt flick found its way to his own tiny nose, Haruki's tight figure bouncing before him. "C'mon, Saisei. Stop being stupid, if you don't keep following me you'll lose me again. You wouldn't do that to a poor, defenseless girl would you?" The toothy grin returned, forcing its way to Haruki's face. Saisei blinked, deep reds filling his cheeks before he finally spoke for the first time to the girl.

"Haruki...?" The stuttered voice escaped Saisei's throat before he reached out towards the young girl, his world altering once more. The throng of people returned now, the buzzing Karakura Citizens forcing their way around the young boy now that he had attempted to grab a nearby girl. The brunette looked at the pink haired male before shaking her head and continuing forward. Haruki was nowhere to be seen, neither was the bright blue sky that had just filled his vision. Was he going crazy? Was Saisei truly going insane and imagining random cute girls? That couldn't be the case, he wasn't crazy. Not yet, at least.

Saisei shook his head, clutching at his head as an intense pain washed its way throughout his being. The boy's closed eyes revealed hazy views of Haruki, her toothy grin replaced by a menacing scowl, anger filling her expression. What had Saisei done to make her so angry? He thought that she must have been someone he knew, it didn't help that his memory was so poor for being just born. The calmed blue eyes once again returned to the human realm, sweat pouring from Saisei's forehead as he smiled. Surely everything would be just fine, Haruki would find her way back to him eventually. Right? Right...



"C'mon, Azure. You won't keep up if you just keep laying there. Please, A-Azure." Tears flooded Haruki's face, her fingers interlacing with a dark figure's own as she pleaded for his life. The man continued to spit up large amounts of blood, his body shaking violently as the blonde girl continued to sob. Moments passed as they laid together, the demon attaching herself to the dying man's hip with ease. Haruki continued to fight through the immanent demise of the figure, but it was futile. It was always useless in the end. The once tight grip fell limp now, the tiny girl's frame shriveling as darkness enveloped the world around them.

Jolting to a start, Saisei's body thrown into an absurd shock as his lungs attempted to keep up. Azure? The questioning child shook his head, flinging his shirt against his forehead to wipe away the gallons of sweat that poured from him. Haruki was sad, the very girl that so easily insulted him days ago seemed to have been forced through such an extreme time. At least, that's what Saisei's dream wished to make him feel. Dreams were dreams to the boy though, there wasn't anything true to their nonsense anyways. Whoever this Azure man was simply didn't matter to him, it was as simple as that.

Tossing the covers from his frame, he stepped through the tiny apartment that hosted him during his stay in Karakura. So the day began, the cloudy sky that soaked Karakura's entirety seemed ominous, the bleak state barely finding its way into Saisei's tiny apartment. As per the usual, Saisei had nothing planned other than the small work he did everyday here in the city. Delivering personal letters and objects was simple enough, making it a quick way to keep himself afloat while he tried to find his way around the new realm. Swapping his sweat soaked clothing for newly cleaned articles, Saisei had removed himself from the shower before quickly gathering himself.

"It wasn't anything serious, it was just a cute girl being sad you dummy." Shaking his head, Saisei smiled and gathered his belongings, tossing the single strapped sack against his back as he exited the apartment. Everything was normal, is what Saisei wished to believe. Instantly, he ran into the small blonde yet again, her arrival going unnoticed just as it had before. Days had passed since he first met Haruki, her figure once again violently shaking as she threw a finger towards his face. "Took you long enough, idiot. Don't leave me waiting so long next time." The finger moved towards Saisei's nose, pressing against its tip before a deep sigh escaped the girl. Bringing her hand to his own, Haruki interlocked her fingers with Saisei before dragging him from the small apartment and out of the tall building.

"H-Haruki." "Shut up, we're going somewhere pretty. Deal with it." Instantly shut down, Saisei awkwardly gazed away from the girl now, being lead forward with haste now that he had fully given in to the girl's whims. The random female wasn't a main stay to Saisei, but something about her felt familiar. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but the tiny figure continued to edge him closer and closer to his solution. Maybe she was in the Sugiura realm with him and knew of him, or maybe she was just someone his father knew. She was tiny and seemed quite young, however. Saisei doubted Sagumi would interact with a child for the fun of it. Shaking his head, he gave up on understanding the situation, the cloudy skies now darkening as they soaked the streets of Karakura in precipitation.

The scene soon changed, the thick droplets of rain smacking against the cool cement of a nearby park located in Saisei's side of town. Haruki had quickly dragged the child to the new destination, her bubbly expression intermingling with the angry and rough insults that continued to fill her mouth. Haruki seemed at ease with the pink haired boy despite Saisei knowing nothing of her. He thought that to be the case at least, the blonde streaks that continued to cloud his vision seemed to say otherwise. The park was littered with couples, Haruki's fingers tightening against Saisei's own as they moved throughout the throng of people. Where exactly were they going? Saisei was dumbfounded at this point, his quieted words only proving this point.

"Haruki, what is this place?" The couple stood against a railing now, secluded behind a quiet set of buildings that laid against he side of the park.The view was odd, but relaxing. It felt as if he had been within its reaches before, the quiet wind rustling the boy's messy hair. "It's pretty, right?" Flick. Yet again, Saisei was assaulted by the girl's slender digit before she abruptly turned and coughed. "J-Just enjoy the view, idiot. Its not every day you get to stand around with a cute girl in such a nice looking place." Tightening her grip, Haruki pulled Saisei close to her side, resting her bright locks against the boy's broad shoulder.

"Saisei, don't you ever wonder why someone so cute would attach herself to an idiot's hip?" The boy froze, streaks of red filling his cheeks as he did his best to stay calm and collected in the situation. Haruki continued to rub her figure against his own, the thick rain smacking against the plastic awning that covered the tiny balcony. Saisei sighed, returning the favor by tightening his own grip and holding the young girl. "Not really. I don't remember you, but you feel familiar. This feels sort of right." He as being honest, which he was sure the girl wanted. It felt so... odd, however. The light touches that spread across his digits feeling vague and half-hearted.

"Haruki." Saisei turned his head before once again meeting the view of an empty side, his fingers clinched into a ball without his own knowledge. A deep sigh dropped from his lips, the pit of his stomach bubbling over in anxious butterflies. What's going on... Staring to the cloudy rain soaked sky, he allowed himself to stand outward from the awning now, taking in the thick droplets with little care. Saisei needed a break from the awkward encounters with the long locked girl, things seemed so out of place and angsty. Was everything truly alright? Saisei couldn't tell for sure, yet another ping of pain filtering its way through his system. "Cute girls must hate me."



Quite a few days had past now, Saisei's average life continuing despite the odd interruptions that continued from Haruki Nise. Thought the girl was no where to be seen for quite some time now, Saisei couldn't help finding himself minding her existence at all times fo day. whether he was refueling himself through eating, dealing with the fickle weather of Karakura or going on about his simple life, Haruki was always finding her way into his busied mind. It was beginning to leave the boy torn, her lack of interacting with him leaving a tiny hole in his heart. It was true that he couldn't understand what or who she was, but it felt that she belonged by his side. As soon as she left... well, it always led to this hole without fail. A simple swat found its way to Saisei's head as he returned to the world of the living, the old woman that had placed the paper against his head chuckling at the hazy boy.

"You look like you can't stop thinking about something. Don't tell me I've been replaced by another girl, Saisei." The playful elder continued to chuckle, the regular customer for deliveries from Saisei leaving quite the streak of red in his face. Attempting to refute her comment, Saisei opened his mouth before failing entirely. Sigh. "Maybe it's true, but I don't really understand whats going on anyways. She's weird and decides when and where I meet her. It's getting troublesome, but I can't help be enticed further." Wearing his heart on his sleeve, Saisei smiled and handed the letter to the elderly woman before giving her a gentle wave. "Knowing her, today will be the day I meet her yet again." "Just don't do anything crazy, you never know what'll happen here in Karakura, Saisei."

Heeding the woman's wise words, Saisei found himself continuing along his route, handing out a majority of his letters and packages while never losing thought of the tiny blonde. The superficial mail man was truly at a loss for words as he edged his way into the small office that hosted his employer. Tossing the messenger bag that once resided against his back to the floor, Saisei flopped against the company's couch before groaning. "Anything important I should know before taking a nap?"

Saisei motioned towards his boss, shaking his head in response. With this being the case, he dragged his hands to his chest in a crossing motion, turning onto his side. "Wake me up if I need to deliver anything else, I really need some sleep." The azure eyes once more closed, the boy's figure burying itself into the couch he occupied. Soon enough, Saisei would be fine. Haruki would either once again enter his life or stay gone forever. Either worked for him despite the attraction he felt for her. He was young, he was bound to experience things like this. I'll be just fine.

"You sleep a lot, you know. C'mon Azure." Flick, yet again Haruki had attacked the mysterious man that she clung too. Unlike before, Saisei could make out a majority of his facial features. It seemed disturbingly familiar in look, the drowned out colors of the world around them leaving things quite grey and dull. Haruki's fingers interlocked with the man, gently edging their way through each scar that scattered his rough hands. The girl was clearly infatuated with the mysterious man, Saisei's lack of knowledge bringing up both confusing and agitating feelings. Tch. Nuzzling against the tired man's chest, Haruki turned towards Saisei's direction before smiling.

"Being jealous over someone like this is dumb, you know." Brought back to the realm of the living, sweat soaked Saisei's upper body as he once again woke to the small office. Instead of being greeted by the same dreary light and quiet room, Saisei's vision was filled with deep yellows and browns, fingers forcing their way through his shirt. The small frame of Haruki Nise clung to Saisei's own, her eyes gazing towards the flustered boy as she stuck her tongue out in a teasing notion. "Get over yourself, idiot." Inching herself ever closer to the boy's face, Saisei's cheeks continued to grow deeper in tandem to the motions. Given the fact he was far too inexperienced to be alright with such an action, the boy was at a loss for words in terms of responding to her advances.

"Stop looking so scared, it isn't like I'm going to hurt you. Not in a bad way, at least~" Finally reaching the boy's cranium, Haruki dug her fingers into his chest before taking a nip at his bare chin. Tightening the grip of her teeth against the smooth skin, Haruki giggled and removed her teeth, replacing it with a gentle press of her lips. The kind action finished rather quickly, shades of red already filling the young girl's cheeks now that she had "done the deed." Resting her own head against the quickened beat of Saisei's heart, Haruki smiled and continued to berate the boy.

"Don't you ever wonder where I go? You'd think you would at least try to find me, you know. Letting a cute girl run away so easily? Shame on you." Haruki's red cheeks buried themselves into Saisei's chest, her voice muffled through the thick shirt the boy wore. It was quite obvious Saisei was feeling uncomfortable, not that he didn't want the tiny girl attached to his frame. On the contrary, having such a cute being want to do something so innocent with him made his heart skip a beat at each thought that it produced. Nevertheless, however, Saisei finally pressed his hands against the girl's shoulders before expressing himself, finally.

"Haruki, what are you doing?" "What?" "Why are you so easily doing something so intimate with a person you don't know? I mean, you act like you know me... but even I don't really know me, not after you showed up." He wasn't angry, but the questioning tone from the boy was quite apparent in the moment. Pressing his finger against the petite girl's forehead, he smiled and gazed away from her. "It's not like I have a problem with it, I'm just confused." As always, Saisei seemed to wear his honesty as a badge of pride. Not everyone could relate so easily, but it forced the tiniest of giggle's from Haruki's lips before she planted yet another brief kiss to the boy's chin. In tandem however, her right hand pinched against his chest, forcing pain through the boy's upper body.

"I-Idiot, just be happy I'm not gone. I shouldn't even be here in the first place, so you better appreciate my cuteness before its gone again." Teeth assaulted Saisei's face now, Haruki's hands finding their way all throughout his upper body as she attempted to force him to submit. In response, Saisei's own arms wrapped their way along the tiny frame, forcing their grip tighter and tighter in order to cease the absurd tickling assault. "Being happy is one thing, you keep changing the subject. It's pretty damn obvious, Haruki." Tch, the girl loosened her own teeth from the boy's cheek, falling limp in his embrace. Taking in a deep breath, she sighed and awkwardly nodded into his chest.

"It doesn't matter, just let me have this moment while I can..." The soft whisper struck a chord without Saisei, forcing tears to the surface of his eyes. The boy wasn't sad, but the statement left him feeling empty, his embrace only tightening while Haruki returned the favor. The two laid quietly in the cooled office, no sign of Saisei's boss, maybe he was out handling a delivery instead of waking the boy up. Nevertheless, the boy leaned his head forward before planting a gentle kiss to the young girl's forehead, closing his eyes.

"Let's just go back to sleep." "R-Right." Haruki's response was faint but obvious, their shifting bodies coming to a resting position on the couch now. Saisei was far from finished when it came to questioning the girl, but for now it would be fine to simply end things here. Besides, he was tired in the first place. If she wanted to enjoy him so much, this would be her best bet.

"Of course." Saisei's eyes opened to the waking world, his boss pressing at his cheek in order to stir him from his slumber. The boy's arms were quietly tucked against his sides, the blonde figure no where in sight. For the third time, it seems that Haruki had easily escaped the pink haired boy's grasp. Turning towards his boss, Saisei sighed and launched himself upward. "As always, I'll be back tomorrow. Have a decent night." "Right..."



Things seemed to have died down quite quickly, the old saying of "too good to be true" explaining Saisei's outlook on the situation far too easily. Haruki had been nowhere in sight for quite a few days. These days turned into weeks now, the constant fickle weather that washed over Karakura only causing the most dreary of environments. Soon enough, these weeks turned into a full month, the boy's young mind attaching itself to the idea of the young girl with ease. It seemed that despite her random removal from his life, Saisei seemed attached enough to the odd and mysterious nature to keep her in sight. Nevertheless, he went along with his life as if nothing changed, there wasn't anything he could do unless she stepped up on her own.

"Yaaaaaawn" An obnoxious stretch turned into a gentle groan, Saisei's body awkwardly shifting as he made his way through the water soaked streets of Karakura's inner city. Today was the day of yet another simple delivery, a letter to be placed at a dead drop and left alone until days had passed. Of course, this type of shady work was usually left to the professionals, Saisei's fake mail-man persona lacking a sense of criminal activity for some such as this. Still, the boy made his way quickly to the underside of a thick steel bridge, the large metal hiding it's underside from the constant rain.

Upon reaching the small crevice that hosted a tiny locker, Saisei tossed the envelope from his jacket pocket into it, quietly closing the door once more and locking it. Dusting his hands, the pink haired boy turned and smiled, stretching yet again. "That's that, then. I could use a nap." Turning back towards the section of street he had arrived from, a bright yellow blur shot past his left side, forcing a gust of air to send his clothing and hair flapping in the wind. Making an abrupt one-eighty, Saisei's eyes fixated on what seemed to be a small girl's figure, her head turning long enough to reveal her eye color. The crimson flashed for only a moment, her figure disappearing in a nearby alley.

"...And here I thought I caught a break." Despite seeing only her skin color and eyes, Saisei felt the ever growing urge to force himself to follow her. With a quick groan and toss of his messenger bag, Saisei bolted forward from beneath the bridge and into the branching alleyway, the figure's speed projecting as a blur to the boy. Doing his best, he continued to keep up and follow the young girl, her quick turns and abrupt jumps forcing him all around one of the inner city's most construction based areas. Through alleys, buildings and sites, the girl forced the boy to follow her every whim, eventually leading the young child to a dead end within yet another alleyway.

Flick, Saisei fell face first, smacking the majority of his head against the rain soaked cement. Flopping on to the boy, the red-eyed girl attempted to force him into submission, the tables quickly turning now that Saisei had felt her touch. With a single turn, the young girl was now on her back, the blonde streaks of hair that once covered her face exposed her gentle features. A sense of relief quickly washed over the young man, his eyes averting their gaze as he quickly registered the girl's identity. "Trying to kill me now, Idiot?" The harsh insults were met with a stream of tears that faded from the girl's squinting eyes. Leaving thick streaks of liquid throughout her reddened cheeks, Saisei released his grip, quickly finding himself leaning against a nearby cement wall.

"Are you done with this little game of yours? First you decide to take up a majority of my time and just... leave, for weeks. What's your deal, Haruki?" Though Saisei skirted the issue that was truly at hand, he continued to watch her silently, Haruki adjusting her figure now that she had regained her freedom. Shrugging off the awkward situation, the girl tightened her own jacket before flopping forward once more. Instead of her relentless assault of previous meetings, Haruki simply laid against the young boy's chest. Fingers interlocked with Saisei's own, the girl's gentle eyes gazing in his general direction before she began to speak for a final time.

"There's a lot you don't know, but for now I need you to remember me. Only me..." The gentle gaze turned into an abrupt slamming of her head into Saisei's chin, the pain shooting throughout his body before he filled to the brim with anger. Releasing one of her hands, Saisei gripped the bottom of her chin before their world was once again enveloped his vision. The hazy world that now filled his eyes seemed odd, Haruki's body no longer soft to the touch.

"H-Haruki?" Another shot found its way throughout Saisei's body, his heart pulsating at abnormal rates from the amount of stress placed onto his body. Gazing around, he took in his surroundings before becoming wide-eyed. "T-This isn't real..." Blood soaked the green grass that surrounded Saisei, the hazy gaze he shot around the area revealing nothing but more blood and sun soaked trees. It seemed that he was dead, or, dying, within the quiet patch of trees on the outskirts of Karakura Forest. Shallow breaths attempted to fill Saisei's deflating lungs, blood continuing to poor from his being without end.

"Who said you could die on me, idiot?" The all too familiar voice filled Saisei's ears, a smile forcing itself to his expression as he turned. Finding his fingers quickly gripped, Haruki's gentle features were barely visible through the blood-soaked vision that Saisei currently held. Attempting to speak towards the girl, the boy opened his mouth before spitting yet another heap of blood towards her, soaking her clothing through to her skin. "Just rest, alright?" Tears streamed forth, falling against the boy's cold hand. Haruki sobbed, words forcing themselves from her awkward and shallow breaths. "Do you really need to talk to me, idiot? J-Just lay there, I don't need you to leave. I don't need to be alone again, and I won't let you be alone either..." Vision fading, Saisei tightened his grip before falling to a slump, his senses soon shutting entirely off as Haruki spoke a final time. "I won't lose you, alright? Don't forget that, Azure."

Thrown back to the living realm, Saisei's throat gasped for obnoxious amounts of air before he quickly gazed around. The once hazy vision had returned to normal, the world around him once again becoming the dreary alleyway he had been led to. It had felt as if years had passed in seconds, Saisei's heart throbbing in pain. The pain felt physical, but deep down he knew all too well whatever he had just seen forced itself into his body. Leaning forward, he placed his fingers against the edge of his temples before breaking into a deep sob, small fingers overlapping his own as he was cooed to.

"I promised I wouldn't leave, now it's your turn Saisei." Placing a gentle kiss to Saisei's forehead, Haruki smiled and took the boy's head into her small chest. Seconds turned into minutes which quickly turned into hours, Saisei's eyes gazed towards the blackened sky now, his tears drying entirely by time he had looked to his surroundings once more. Haruki was gone, day had turned to night and the boy seemed all too calm for something so traumatic occurring. Nevertheless, the silent human stood before working his way towards the dead drop area and returning home.

Saisei wasn't entirely sure who or what Haruki was, nor did he understand what he had seen, but three things were quite clear to him. One, there was more to him than he had ever known about. Two, Haruki seemed to be a main stay in his life from here on out, whether or not she was by his side or not. Finally, whoever this man was that he kept seeing in these flashbacks, there was something important about him. Surely, he would find out soon enough.

"Right?"