Lost In the Library [Shinya]

It wasn't hard to remember, but it seems Mia had forgotten this time. Left, then another left. Two straights and then one right at the frog sculpture...

She had not seen the frog sculpture yet. Stamping her foot in a frustrated motion, the teenager lowered her hood and crossed her arms. Standing at five foot two, she was a few inches shorter than her full grown height. Her body was a bit more lanky and less grown out and she definitely looked only about sixteen or so at this point in time. The beauty she would grow into was definitely more than hinted at though, while she looked down the empty and silent corridors. The walls in this section were stones, built up in arches that rose high above her head... It was lit up by some means she didn't understand but she still had a paper lantern and tons of fuel for it just in case in the cloak that was her constant companion.

It seemed though...that she was lost. Pulling a compass from her cloak, it just spun helplessly. She was definitely too far down to be felt energy wise or even feel others... Not that party Captain might even help her one bit she felt.

Leaning against the wall, she slid down to her butt and took a deep breath to help with the panicking. Deep breaths...

"...Eh?"

Shinya suddenly found himself.. SOMEWHERE. It wasn't his room, it wasn't the arcade.. where exactly was he? Hearing a sound behind him, he turned to see a rather.. familiar face! Mia..? Shinya wondered as he silently stared for a few seconds. It didn't seem like it was her.. she looked too young! But that cloak.. he knew it well. "Mia.. is that you?" He called out softly, hoping not to startle her. He didn't know where he was and it looked as if she was a little upset over something.

Still.. something was wrong with this picture and Shinya couldn't place his finger on it at the moment. It was nagging the back of his brain like a splinter in his mind that he couldn't pull out. Not to be bothered by this, Shinya knelt down next to Mia and smiles happily.

Mia was calming herself, her little heart pitter-pattering its way back to normalcy when she was startled. Her name!? Who!? "Whaaaaaa?!"

She hopped to her feet, jumping away down the hallway a bit with a started yell. She couldn't even pull her hood up, she was so startled. A... person? They had odd red markings and white hair... odd red eyes too... a y-young man! A handsome one.. Where had he come from!?

She shook slightly, wondering what... "Wh-Who are...you? H-How do you know..."

Was it a trick from the library!? One of the weirder things...

Shinya tried to speak of how he knew her and something kept blocking him, like his mind muddled at the very mention of it. Struggling with it, he finally gave a sigh and smiles and says, "We're friends."

Approaching a step, Shinya blinked for a moment. She didn't recognize me.. but she responded to her name.. what exactly is going on here? Shinya thought as he paused mid-step. "Oh! I'm Shinya.." He says softly, offering her his hand. "You.. you are Mia, right..?"

She looked like Mia, but younger.. sounded like Mia, but younger.. so was it actually Mia? Maybe he was thrown into the future and this was her child..? But that didn't explain of where he was. "Could you.. tell me where exactly am I? I'm kinda lost.." Shinya asked finally, scratching his head.

Friends? How?! She didn't remember making friends with...well anyone! Mia had her mother and that...that was it.

She shook slightly as he stepped forward, wincing a bit as she reached up for her cloak hood. His introduction, a bit hesitant, calmed her slightly as she gave a nod at the question and looked down at the offered hand. Blinking, she let go of the half raised hood with one hand and very slowly started to move her hand out to touch his.

She...poked it as if it was dangerous before looking up with a bit of fear. "Th-The G-Great Soul Library..."

How did this...weird person now know where they were?! She was lost too but...it was still the Library! Maybe he meant exactly where at in the library? Well that she had no idea of..."...L-Lost...too..."

"Ahh The Great Soul Library.. I see.." Shinya absently spoke, then did a double take. "SAY WHAT?! That means.. that means.. I'm in Soul Society.. and that you're.. you're definitely.."

Did this mean what he thought it meant?! Was this great revelation upon him and could he fathom it properly?! YES! It meant that Mia's boyfriend she talked about was a Shinigami! And he had a child with her!! Was he a rogue Shinigami? Did this mean that his precious Mia was living a life on the run?!

Wait wait wait, let's back up a minute here. Shinya thought to himself as he held a finger to his head, turning his back to Mia while he thought. Mia never made mention of Soul Society to me.. but this girl looked old enough to be in her mid to late teens. And I'm sure she'd have told her child about me if we're still friends.. sooo.. "AHHH! I'M IN THE !!!" Shinya began to say but was thankfully silenced before he let loose something terribly future changing.

That meant this was..! YOUNG MIA! He was meeting Mia for the first time as a teenager! This was unprecedented! But how.. why..? Maybe he's here for a reason? WAIIIIIT! WAAIT WAIT WAIT! Shinya's thoughts got the emergency break thrown on, causing all his thoughts to reach a screeching halt. Turning slowly around to face young Mia, Shinya laughed nervously. "This may sound like a dumb question but.. you're human right?"

The...person, Shinya, seemed surprised. Was he a person person though? His markings... There was something in the middle of his forehead now that her surprise was fading and Mia could take in details. His hand had something on it too... A marking?

Mia was curious about the odd person who seemed harmless, watching him think very very strongly as she snuck closer. She scooted closer an inch at a time, hoping to see the weird things on the person and what they were...

The startled yell scared her though and she yelped, hopping back much like a very startled cat with fluffed up fur as she stared at the young man. He then calmly turned around and asked her an odd question. Human? Blinking owlishly, she shook her head. "I'm a shinigami... You are...in the soul society mr...Shinya... What are you then?"

He seemed confused and it was confusing her! What was going on here!?

"W-what am I? Well.. um.. human? N..no?" He ventured to try, but by her constant staring made him aware that his third eye was blinking. Wait, WHAT. He thought, then absently felt up there to feel it. "Okay.. well don't be scared when I tell you this.. but I'm an Arrancar."

Still.. the revelation that Mia was a shinigami was mind-blowing! He thought she was a regular human! But here she was, a shinigami in the flesh, so to speak. And now her past self found out he was an arrancar! Will that change the future? He mentally wondered, a bit afraid of what she'd think of him now.

Sighing, Shinya's head drooped as he frowned. "I guess we're both lost huh?" Shinya asked Mia, glancing over at her sideways. "Well the least I can do is help you outta your situation.. lord knows what'll happen to me when someone finds me here."

He was confused too! This was confusing! Her head was spinning and Mia almost felt as if she'd fall over from how dizzy it would make her! Now his eye was blinking and she was wondering what that meant and she...

Arrancar?! How could she not be scared. Eeping, she hopped backwards more and reached into her cloak for her weapon. "A-A-Arrancar...?!"

Would he...eat her!? No she didn't want to be eaten...no no no no! A fluffed up scared cheetah now, she was backing away slowly... before his head drooped and he frowned. He sounded...so pitiful. She tilted her head and stopped. "...Can't you just...portal away?"

He wanted to help her? He...had said he was a friend... How was he her friend though? She'd never met him before...

"I... guess I could?" Shinya replied, scratching his head before shaking it and smiling. "But you said you were lost too, and since I'm your friend.. I'll help you find your way out!"

Offering his hand again, Shinya smiles warmly to her. "I won't hurt you, that I can promise you." He says confidently as he straightens up. Even at full height, he isn't much taller than Mia amusingly. "So come, Let's get outta here and we'll go our separate ways if you want afterwards."

"O-Oh..." He seemed so sincere... Mia nodded slowly and very shyly, moving closer once again as a hand was outstretched. She scooted forward bits at a time, finally reaching the hand and watching it to see if it would bite before taking it very carefully in her gloved hand.

He had a nice smile... and he was cute...and not intimidating... Plus he promised not to hurt her! Smiling up at him, he wasn't much taller so she felt safer. "M-Mm... M-Maybe... P-Please take me back Mr Shinya..."

"Just Shinya. You make me feel old when you call me 'Mr. Shinya.'" Shinya laughed as he grasped her hand firmly. He felt a little weird.. kinda disembodied, if you will, so feeling the touch of another made him feel more confident than just that speech he gave earlier.

Looking around, Shinya hmm'd. "Was there a trick to this place? I know some places have means to keep intruders out." He comments absently as if remembering something from an old memory. Shaking his head, he then looks to Mia. "What were the last steps you took?"

"O-Okay...Shinya..." Mia nodded, looking around carefully and squeezing his hand after she spoke. She tried to find a landmark or something to no avail.

"Mm, no... I took a wrong turn I think and now I am lost... I came from...th-that way but... I tried to find the way out and got...more lost...when I back tracked..." Mia pointed the direction that she came from, the stone walls bare of any real distinguishing features, though a ways down there seemed to be a crossroads. In fact, either direction had crossroads visible. They looked exactly the same. There were no distinguishing features...

"I-I tried marking with chalk...b-but they faded after...s-seconds..."

Shinya blinked at her explanation and scratched his head. Damned Soul Society maze.. He thought to himself before speaking. "Looks like we'll have to find a outside wall and work our way around to the entrance."

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks! There was an easy way out! "Hey! I think I can get you outta here! I'll just open a garganta and port us outside somewhere!" Shinya spoke boastfully, stretching out his hand. "And.. Tadaa!"

Nothing happened.

"Aaaaand... OPEN!" Still nothing.

"What the heck? Open! Open Sesame! Abracadabra! Newport News! Hocus Pocus!" Nothing worked. Turning to Mia with tears in his eyes, Shinya sniffled. "We're stuck!"

Yeah good plan! But...where was an outside wall? Mia hadn't been able to find it... She shook her head but refused to give up! Determination shone in her eyes as she had a friend to help her through this!

At his words though she started, watching. Yes! Garganta! If he was an arrancar they could do those things! But nothing... Nothing happened. He was definitely an arrancar but... what was going on?

Mia blinked and watched he started sniffling and crying... Her eyes widened as she let go of his hand to pat his cheeks. "N-No! Its okay we...can f-find our way out! L-Like you said! Outside...walls... And things... I-Its fine if its not working..."

That calmed Shinya down some and he dried his eyes. He slapped his cheeks and exhaled loudly. "I'm.. I'm okay!" He reassures her as he looks around. "Let's go straight until we hit a wall!"

Taking her by the hand, Shinya started forward to hopefully find her a way out of this weird place. He could try to destroy the place by cutting his way out.. but he figured she'd have a bad response to that and didn't suggest it.

"O-Okay!" Mia nodded enthusiastically, agreeing with that ingenious plan! Just keep going straight down the endless looking hallway! He seemed better now that they had a plan and was feeling happier, which made Mia smile.

However...just walking straight would have no effect it seemed... Though they were walking back the way she came at least... Maybe? It was hard to tell with how the place looked.

After a bit, Mia tugged on the hand and pointed as they stopped at the four way crossroads. "...M-Maybe we should...try...going down one of these? W-Walking straight isn't helping..."

She fought the panic down at that admission and tried to smile for Shinya. He might cry if she didn't!

"Weird.. we're not hitting any walls.." Shinya muttered to himself as Mia tugged on his hand, suggesting they should go down a different path. "...Maybe we should.." He replies after a few seconds of thinking about it. There HAD to be walls in this place!

"Hey, do you have anything sharp on you? Like a zanpakutou?" Shinya asked, getting a spark of an idea. "Maybe if chalk didn't work we can carve out a marker for ourselves!"

It sounded like a good idea to him at the least!

Shinya agreed with her plan! They started moving a bit down the hallway before she stopped to listen to the idea.

"Mmm..." Mia nodded slowly, wondering what he needed her zanpakuto for. Reaching into the cloak, she pulled out an oddly straight sword that was much too long. It had an odd black metal sheath and she pulled the sword right through it instead of pulling it out of the end. "Th-That might be good... I-If it doesn't work... I-I can...use my shikai...t-to...melt... some of the wall..."

Nodding enthusiastically, she held out her sword for him to take.

Reaching out to take the weapon, Shinya moved to mark up the floor.. only for it not to work! "The hell..?!" He mutters, jabbing at the floor while focusing his power on killing the floor. But nothing worked! He was frustrated now.. why wasn't his powers working?! They've always worked!

"Looks like we're not taking the easy way it seems.." Shinya comments to Mia, handing her back her weapon. "Maybe you can try to melt something like you said?"

Mia watched with interest as the arrancar attempted to stab the floor. The floor resisted such efforts as only a floor could, silently and without any response. Shinya looked frustrated and Mia reached out to try and calm him before just accepting her weapon back.

She nodded and lifted up her sword up, muttering the release command and name of the sword under her breath. "Hai dake o nokosu, Honō no u~Otchā"

The blade started radiating intense heat, the now tinted purple blade edge radiating waves of it almost visible from how the air was moving away. Mia was unaffected by it, instead flipping the blade around with obviously practiced ease before stabbing it into the ground. The floor parted like butter, Mia dragging the blade in a long line that smoked and melted the ground around it. Yanking the sword from the ground, she stared at the gouge in it that stayed.

"...Huh! Look it stayed!" Mia smiled happily at the smoking ground, waving her sword haphazardly around.

Shinya's eyes brightened as he saw the sword part the floor like melted butter. "YAAAAY A plan worked!" He says happily as he beckoned for Mia to follow him down one of the intersections. "Let's see if it stays there or not!"

He was rather excited to find out they could damage something in here.. maybe with a little work they'll be able to find their way out! Too bad his powers didn't work.. he'd be through all this like a hot knife through butter.

"Yes! One plan!" Mia was buoyed by success and nodded strongly as she hurried after the arrancar. She ran along behind him, hoping against hope it would be this easy! Her shikai couldn't last too long, she wasn't very experienced so a few hours at best of not using its actively while fighting or doing other things would drain her immensely.

If they kept moving down this identical hallway they would eventually come upon...the same mark Mia had gouged into the floor. Exactly the same as they had left it... Mia skidded to a halt, staring down at it and then at her blade. She was confused and looked up at Shinya. "Did...we turn around?"

"I.. don't think so.." Shinya replied with a frown as he looked back towards the way they came. "Are all the hallways linked to this one spot?!"

Shinya sat down and began to think. He thought hard about what this could mean.. and how they could do something about it. There had to be something causing this phenomenon! "Okay, let's go backwards.. only this time, carve an arrow into the side of the wall of the hallway to show which direction we came in!" Shinya spoke, his eyes full of determination. He wasn't about to let Mia down when she needed him the most!

"M-Maybe? I've never...been in this part before... I was trying to get to... a small nook that...had old books I wanted to read..." It was tucked away and hidden and she wanted to see it, but she had been turned around it seemed.

Well that and the normal Library shenanigans. Watching Shinya sit, Mia tilted her head much like a curious animal as she watched. The sound suggestion got an immediate response as she nodded and moved to carve the arrow into the wall. There! Another marker! "S-So now we walk again and see...where we end up?"

He seemed to be super smart at this so she was more than willing to follow his lead.