When Worlds Collide

Well, this past week, my Muse when into cardiac arrest I think. I shocked her back to life, and this is what came out. Let me know if you guys think its worth continuing. :) To my WoT readers, lemme know if I have any errors. My husband is working too much to proof this one. I try to only stick him with Color of Trust and Children of the Stars. This also means if you spot any typos, I need to know! :D :D Hopefully I did
alright proofing on my own.

Brief character description along with an additional disclaimer regarding the skills of Aes Sedai will be posted at the bottom.

Keep in mind that the reviews I receive will determine if this story will continue
to be posted here. I might keep writing it...but I'll just email it to WannaBe.
MWAHAHAHAHAHA :D

I hope you enjoy!


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Chapter 1 - The New Gate

Grumbling to himself, Renji rolled his shoulders, attempting to get used to the gigai. It always felt so strange using them, like his skin was too tight. He couldn’t move the way he wanted either, or at least, he couldn’t move as effectively as normal.

The Senkaimon gates slid shut behind him, vanishing into thin air. Idly, he scanned the area, a frown slowly forming on his face. The gate had taken him to a heavily wooded area, one that looked as though it did not see much in the way of travelers. Unless you counted wildlife, that is. It certainly did not look like a place he might find inside Karakura Town, or even on the outskirts.

“Damnit. I told them I didn’t want to use the new gate. Stupid thing probably put me on the other side of the damn country.” He mumbled to himself, cursing his foul luck.

Several new Senkaimon gates had been created recently, part of the preparations for the Winter War with Aizen. Already they had found several glitches in the new gates, as they were produced so hastily. The Commander-General wanted each division to have its own gate, allowing them to move into the world of the living as quickly as possible. He never said it directly, but it was obvious he suspected they would be fighting Aizen’s army there, most likely inside of Karakura Town.

With an inaudible mutter, Renji kicked at the ground with one boot. He hated the western footwear humans wore, they were so restricting. The rest of it wasn’t so bad though. The clothing on his gigai was relatively simple. Khaki slacks with a dark green button up shirt, tossed lazily over the top of his pants rather than tucked in. He’d thrown a black jacket on over it, as the weather was expected to be quite chilly today.

Looking up through the thick copse of trees, he peered at the afternoon sky. The weather wasn’t what he'd been led to believe. It was a lot warmer than he expected, a bit too warm for fall as far as he was concerned. Giving a slight tug to the white band that was wrapped around his forehead, he quietly wished he had a new pair of sunglasses. ‘What’s the point though? Every time I finally scrape up the money to buy a pair, Ichigo goes and breaks them. That idiot. I ought to start making him pay for them, those things are worth half a years salary!’

As he thought to himself, he’d begun picking his way through the dense forest, searching for the way out. After twenty minutes of walking, he realized it would be a while before he’d ever reach a clearing at this rate. He needed to get his bearings first, otherwise he might waste time walking in the wrong direction. Leaping up, he landed in the middle of one of the taller trees nearby. Jumping from branch to branch, he steadily spiraled upwards until he finally breached the dense canopy of leaves.

The height of the tree afforded him an exceptional view of the surrounding area for miles around. Shading his eyes with one hand, he gazed out upon the woodlands, searching for some sign of life. What he saw was a dark, foreboding forest in every direction. No homes were visible, nothing seemed to stir. ‘Something is definitely not right about this.’ Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his soul communicator, flipping it open. A blank screen greeted him, as though the small piece of equipment had gone dead. ‘Did I forget to charge the battery again? Damnit! Today just isn’t my day.’ Scowling, he shoved it back into his pocket, once again cursing his poor luck.

Heaving a sigh, he opted to begin travelling north for the time being. Perhaps he would come across another person and be able to request directions to Karakura from here. Using shunpo, he moved from treetop to treetop, gracefully flying through the air despite the awkward feel of the gigai.

Two hours passed while he travelled, and he had yet to spot anyone. He’d barely seen any wildlife, though, moving at this speed, he wasn’t surprised. Along with the evening sky, the woods seemed to be growing darker, thicker. It worried him that he was only getting himself further entrapped in this unfamiliar forest.

When the sun dipped below the horizon and its last rays began to fade, he decided it was time to stop for the night. He was lost as is, continuing on this way could only make matters worse if he could barely make out the land around him. Dropping halfway down the tree he currently stood upon, he found a decent nook he could settle into without running the risk of falling. Once sitting, he fished out his communicator again, hoping that perhaps it had revived somehow. The blank screen mocked him, ignoring his demands that it begin functioning. To sour his mood further, he realized that he had nothing to eat with him.

“Could this day get any worse?!” he groaned, slumping in the tree.

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Taking a small linen kerchief from the satchel at her waist, Nadira used it to lightly dab at the sweat on her brow. Recently raised to the shawl, she had not completely mastered the ability to ignore heat and cold as most Aes Sedai could. Nor did she have the ageless complexion earned from years of working with Saidar, which irritated her somewhat. It was much easier to command respect when one could look at you and know you to be Aes Sedai. Some even doubted the Great Serpent ring on her finger, though she quickly put them to rights.

Reining in her horse, she paused, listening to the woodland sounds. He was drawing closer, she could feel it. The mare she sat atop shook her head, tiredly pawing at the ground. They’d been traveling since the predawn hours, eager to be through the Almoth Plain and back onto the soil of her homeland in Arad Doman.

Even mounted, she did not hear Asad approach until he was nearly atop her, despite being able to sense his location. The dark browns of his war steed blended into the night, along with his equally dark clothing. The unique fan cloth cloak was safely tucked away in his saddlebags, as its ability to fade in and out of the surroundings marked him clearly as a Warder as much as the Great Serpent ring proclaimed her Aes Sedai. For now, she kept it covered by a pair of sturdy riding gloves. She had no desire to draw the attention of the so called Children of the Light.

It was the rumors of Whitecloaks that had pressed them along this unbeaten, perhaps even dangerous path. The Children of the Light held no love of Aes Sedai, and the two of them travelling alone would just make them quite a tempting mark. The Whitecloaks did not normally attack Aes Sedai, but if rumors were to be believed, a great legion of them marched across Almoth Plain, making Nadira and Asad easy targets. She could stand against a small group of them, perhaps out run them if needed, but she could not defeat an entire army. She’d no doubt they would leap upon the chance to rid the world of a ‘Tar Valon witch’ without hesitation. Far better to give them a wide berth, moving along the outskirts of the Plain with every intention of avoiding conflict.

“I’ve scouted a quarter mile around in all directions. This should be a safe camp for the night.” He announced in that gravelly voice of his. “I’ll keep a close watch nonetheless.”

Nadira nodded and dismounted gracefully, her divided skirts making a quiet swish-swish as she moved. She expected no less of the man. He never let his guard down to begin with, but it was certainly not a wise thing to do in the Darkwood. Creatures of the Shadow were known to lurk the forest.

After he hobbled the horses, Asad began to set up camp while Nadira set to preparing their dinner. Because of the secluded location, she felt it safe enough to create a campfire. Submerging herself in Saidar, she used thin threads of fire to bring about a fair sized blaze. Using their rations and some game Asad had killed earlier in the day, she prepared a simple meal, along with a fresh pot of tea. The scent of freshly cooked rabbit drifted upward, carried on the light breeze.

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The smell of food made his nostrils twitch in his light sleep. Renji’s head rolled to one side, stirring slightly. The scent grew stronger the longer the rabbit was roasting, until his eyes popped open, stomach rumbling loudly. ‘Oh gods, something smells good. Man I’m hungry, where is that coming from?’

Closing his eyes, he sniffed the air, drawing in as much as he could. It was nearby, just a little further north and perhaps a bit to the west. Cooking food meant people, and people meant directions. At last, he could figure out where he was and which way he needed to go. ‘I wonder if they’d be willing to share…’

Dropping down to the ground, he made his way towards the camp on foot. Most people would freak out if he just leapt out of the trees at them, and then they really wouldn’t be interested in feeding him. The wind picked up as he moved along, streaming with the scent of juicy rabbit. Already his mouth was watering. ‘Gods, I hope they have plenty to go around. I’m starving!’

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Nadira was just pouring herself a fresh cup of tea when Asad stiffened at her side. His eyes squinted together, gazing off towards the south. With the wind gusting as it was now, it dawned on her that they would be at a disadvantage should someone attack from that direction. Seeing him rest one hand on the hilt of his sword, she again reached out to Saidar, embracing the True Source. Something or someone was coming, and she would be ready for them.

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The bright light of a campfire finally came into view, making Renji hasten his steps. ‘Almost there. Food, here I come!’ As he drew nearer, he could see a man and a woman, staring out into the dark. Staring at him, or where they assumed he was. ‘Weird. How could they even know I’m here?’ He was only a few steps away from moving into the light provided by the flames when the dark haired man stood abruptly, twin swords sliding from their sheathes in one fluid motion.

Holding his hands up by his sides, Renji cautiously stepped forward, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. After watching the slender man remove two curved blades from his back in such a swift move, he had no doubt the man knew how to use them. He wasn’t here to fight them, but he could see it would take some convincing.

“Whoa…hold on, calm down.” He said as he moved closer.

“Who goes there?” The man asked in a cold, harsh voice.

“Hey, sorry to bother you…I’m just lost, no need to get violent.”

The man arched one dark brow, but did not relax in the slightest. Renji kept his eyes pinned to the man, ignoring the woman that stood behind him. This guy seemed to be one tough nut to crack. What was he doing carrying around swords anyway? Wasn’t that illegal in current day Japan?

“What are you doing skulking around the Darkwood? This is no place for travelers, unless, you are a Darkfriend.”

“Darkwood? Is that where we are? What’s a darkfriend?”

“I am asking the questions here!” the man snapped back.

Renji scowled at him, lowering his hands to his side. “Look dude, I already told you, I’m lost. If you’re going to be an ass, just point me towards Karakura and I’ll be on my way.” ‘I didn’t want your stinkin’ food anyway…’ he mumbled inwardly.

“Karakura?” the willowy woman spoke up, puzzlement in her dark eyes.

When she stepped to the side of her guardian, Renji’s jaw nearly hit the ground. The emerald green dress she wore clung to every curve of her body, covering her from the neck down. It would have been closer to wholesome had it not been so thin a material you could practically see through it. The dress was just barely opaque enough to prevent from revealing those pert breasts he could see outlined from where he stood, gaping. A guttural sound of disapproval from the lips of her companion snapped Renji's attention back to her face.

“S-sorry…I uh…yeah…Karakura. Which way to Karakura Town?”

The dark haired woman folded her arms beneath her bosom, sliding a curious look towards the man beside her. The duo was quite exotic in outward appearance, compared to what Renji was used to seeing at least. Both of them had coppery skin, dark eyes and equally dark hair. Perhaps they were brother and sister? It would explain why the man was so protective of her. It wasn’t as though she was the most beautiful woman he’d seen before. Though, she wasn’t anything to scoff at. Her figure flattering dress was enough to catch a man's eye on its own. She had wide lips, a little too wide in his opinion, the rouge painted on them drew more attention to them as well. Like her breasts, her nose was quite pert, her dark eyes shaded with thick lashes. The way she held herself spoke volumes to him. It was as though the woman had been trained to seduce men from the cradle with barely a look, whether they found her attractive or not.

“We’ve never heard of this…Karakura Town you speak of child.”

Renji blinked. Child? “It’s in Western Tokyo.” He replied with a frown.

Slanting her eyes, she shook her head at him. “There is no city, town or village anywhere nearby with a name like that. Never has been.”

Eyes growing wide, he took a step forward and was greeted with two shining blades that kept him from coming any closer to her. Ignoring the razor sharp weapons poised to strike, he burst out angrily.

“That can’t be possible! Where the hell am I?”

For a moment there was a flash of sympathy in her eyes as she looked over at him. “You are in the Darkwood child. To the east lie the Mountains of the Mist, to the West, Almoth Plain. North lies Arad Doman and to the south you’ll find Tarabon.”

Mute horror covered his face, mouth open in a silent groan. Clapping both hands to his face, he plopped down on the ground shaking his head. “This can not be happening…how in the hell did I end up here?...I don’t even know where ‘here’ is!”

None of the names she mentioned even sounded remotely familiar to him. Where ever the Senkaimon gate had placed him, it certainly wasn’t Japan. Some other country then? But why hasn’t he heard of them before? Why were these two dressed so strangely? They look like they stepped straight out of a time warp. Too many questions, and not a single answer among the lot.

“Are you alright?” she asked softly.

She took a step forward, but the man dual wielding two deadly looking scimitars placed himself in her path with a shake of his head. Peeking through his fingers, Renji looked up at the olive skinned couple, afraid of the answer he would receive to his next question.

“What year is it?”

The pair looked down on him with mixed curiosity and pity. Perhaps they thought him to be crazed, running around lost in the woods with no clue of where he was or even the time. The man answered him with a sneer.

“It is nearly Autumn of the year 998NE.”

“Oh fuck me.”

“What?”

“I am so screwed…no wonder my communicator doesn’t work! Oh gods, I told them there was a problem with the Senkaimon gate, but does anyone listen to me? Noooo….some unseated officer of Squad 12 knows better than a freakin’ Lieutenant!”

Bewildered, the two looked at each other, unspoken words moving in the space of one glance. They were hanging on to every word he sputtered, digesting them and trying to make something of it all. With only a light touch on his arm, she communicated her desire for him to sheathe his swords. Reluctant, but obedient, Asad did as she wished, shifting to what the untrained eye would assume was a more relaxed stance. To the eye of a skilled warrior, he was still poised to strike, ready to draw his weapons and defend at a moments notice.

Crouching, the auburn haired woman extended her hand to him with an alluring smile. “Come, sit by our fire. Perhaps a warm meal will calm you, you must be hungry.”

Renji glanced up at her suspiciously. Something in her tone set him on edge. The look in her eyes was unreadable, but it felt as though she were weighing him in her mind, determining his value. She must have seen the caution in his eyes, because her sudden peal of laughter made him jump.

“No need to be frightened child. I’ll not bite you.”

A flash of merriment in her eyes seemed to suggest otherwise. After a moment, he returned a smile and accepted her hand.

“Thanks, mind if I ask your name? Mine is Renji Abarai.”

She linked her arm in his and led him a few feet into their camp. “Nadira, my name is Nadira Ituralde. My…bodyguard here is Asad Fehr.”

There was the briefest of hesitations, suggesting to Renji that this man was perhaps something other than just a bodyguard.

Asad grunted and stalked away, setting himself on a stump near the fire. His dark eyes bored into Renji, as if waiting for him to make one false move. One wrong step and he would strike, he had no doubt about it.

When she offered him a portion of her own meal, guilt washed over him. They only had enough food prepared for two, and Asad did not look as though he would share with him. Nadira did not seem to mind, offering Renji the larger portion of her rabbit along with some bread and cheese. It was meager for one person alone, but it was far better than nothing at all.

Nadira’s eyes rarely strayed from him while he ate, making him want to squirm away on more than one occasion. Mostly they remained unreadable, but there were several times it seemed as though she was considering him heavily. For what, he really did not want to know.

After he had finished devouring his meal, Asad came by and collected their plates, snatching his away gruffly. Nadira acted as though nothing was amiss, although Renji could have sworn he saw an amused smile dance across her face once. When they were left alone for a moment, she turned to him, placing one hand lightly on his knee.

“Tell me about yourself Renji. Why are you here, or rather, where were you going and why?”

Prickles formed across his skin, radiating from her touch outward. Something about the way she spoke, or was it the look in her eyes? Maybe it was her voice…he couldn’t quite put a finger on it. All he knew is suddenly he wanted to tell her everything about him, from his childhood all the way up to the war with Aizen. His words spilled out in a rush, almost as though he were in a race to tell her as much as he could in a short time. When he started off by speaking of his earliest memories in the Rukongai, she held her hand up her hand to halt him.

“Perhaps I should rephrase that, tell me about who you are now. What your purpose is here.”

Nodding eagerly, he obliged. “I’m the Lieutenant of Squad 6 of the Gotei 13. I’m a Shinigami, or a Soul Reaper.”

“What is a…soul reaper?”

“Our primary objective is to see that the souls of the dead are able to reach the Soul Society. We protect these souls from creatures known as Hollows. They were spirits that were unable to be saved and either chose a path of destruction on their own, or were devoured by other Hollows. They feast on the souls of both the living and the dead.”

Nadira’s eyes were blank for a moment. She knew he was telling the truth, it was just a matter of wrapping her mind around something so far fetched. The man looked normal enough, despite his unusual garb and intricate pattern of tattoos.

“You…are not…human?”

“No, I am a Soul Reaper.”

“Then why do you look human?”

“I’m in an artificial body, though I don’t look much different outside of it. Humans can't see me in spirit form.”

“Is that so?” she hummed to herself. He opened his mouth to answer her but she waved her hand and he shut it.

Silence hung thick in the air as she pondered to herself, mulling things over in her mind.

“Show me. I’d like to see this, spirit form of yours.”

Inwardly he thought to himself ‘You won’t be able to see me. I just told you that. Why am I telling you any of this though…why do I want to?’ Again he felt himself nod, like an eager little puppy following its masters orders. Pulling out a soul candy, he popped it into his mouth, forcing his own soul free and replacing the one in his gigai with a gikongan.

Despite being prepared for it, Nadira clasped her hands over her mouth to muffle her gasp of surprise. It almost looked as though Renji had been struck, his upper body tilting backwards while a duplicate of himself stepped free of it. Standing over her, he looked down and realized she was staring right back at him, not at his gigai.

“You can see me?” he asked, incredulous.

Nodding numbly, she rose and began inspecting him, hands tracing over his body as she made a circle around him. His outward appearance had only changed by the clothing he wore and the sword that was now by his side. It was amazing. She’d never witnessed anything like it, or even heard of such a phenomenon before. It made her nearly giddy as a Brown at this delightful discovery. The Light certainly shone upon her this day, granting her such a bounty. This man wasn’t going to be let out of her sight. Not ever if she had any say over it.

There was only one question that nagged at her. She’d heard his tale of where he was from and who he was, but did his kind serve the Dark One? It did not sound as though he did, but one could never be too certain.

“Are you a Darkfriend?” she asked, making another circle around him.

“I don’t…what's a Darkfriend?”

A good sign. The boy didn’t even understand what they were. That still did not rule it out entirely.

“They are servants of the Dark One, the Father of Lies, the Lord of the Grave. The one who seeks to destroy this world.”

Renji’s tattooed brow furrowed. They all sounded like descriptions of the traitor, Sosuke Aizen. Is that who she meant?

“I don’t know if you mean Aizen or not, but I work for the good guys.”

Nadira blinked. ‘Who is this Aizen person he speaks of? A question I believe will have to be saved for later, I’m afraid. I cannot keep my hold over him for much longer.’ To further press her, she could feel Asad returning from where the horses were being kept.

“Well done child, return to your body now. You will forget what we’ve just spoken about, understood?”

In answer, he offered her a sharp bow before complying. Of course, he did so with some fuss, struggling to step back into the constricting body. Once he finally re-entered it, the soul candy popped out of his mouth, landing in his outstretched palm. Blinking, he looked at it, then up at her with an expression of mixed concern and outright bewilderment.

“Um…what just happened?”

Reaching down, she stroked the top of his head affectionately.

“Never you mind child, never you mind.”


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a/n: Okies! How did ya like it? Did it suck? Did you love it? Should I toss it or keep going? These things I need to know! Leave me a review if you would please, won't take but a second, I swear! Anon reviews are enabled. :)

As always, much love goes out to my Master, WannaBeNinja/Pirate. Be sure to check her stories out, Flawless Imperfections and My Sanity are my personal favorites, I love em I love em. Don't forget to take a gander at Angil's awesome tales, Bride of Alucard and Twisted. And last but not least, ArjetLuna's Reborn. (all on FanFiction.net)

hehe oh yeah...don't forget my other stories too! I have 4 others available for your viewing pleasure. Color of Trust (WoT-Bleach), Children of the Stars (WoW-Bleach), Lust for Blood and The Nameless (both vamps-Bleach).


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Character Info:

Nadira Ituralde Sedai - Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah. Daughter to one of the Five Great Generals, Rodel Ituralde. She is his only child, and as such, the only heir for House Ituralde. She's currently 22 years of age and as you read, does not yet have the ageless appearance of most Aes Sedai. I have a picture on my bio I'm using as my guideline for her. It's actually a drawing of Leane Sharif, the Keeper of Chronicles in WoT.

Because the people of Arad Doman are modeled after the Arabs somewhat, I gave her and her warder Arabic names. Nadira means 'rare' or 'precious.' The Ituralde sigil is a Wolf, after Rodel's nickname. Before Rodel, there was no House Ituralde. He is a close friend and confidant to King Alsalam Saeed Almadar.

Asad Fehr - Nadira's warder is of Domani origin, like herself. It is what drew her to him to begin with. He is not a nobleman, but he belongs to a family of rather wealthy merchants. I'm placing him around 27 years old, and modeling him heavily after Oded Fehr's character in The Mummy. :D Pics on my bio of that as well. Oded is so yummy, I couldn't resist. mwahaha

Asad means 'Lion,' but his family sigil is that of a hawk.


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Additional Disclaimer: I'm placing this additional information below now to help prevent any future misunderstandings and threats of violence. Hope this helps, but sorry if it ruins any of the future details of this story (if there will be any). Remember, the reviews I receive will be deciding whether or not I continue this story. I can, and will, just email future chapters to WannaBe rather than post em here. :) I'm an evil minion, don't you forget it! LOL

This particular story, along with Color of Trust, is a Wheel of Time crossover to Bleach. I haven't gone into depth on the abilities of Aes Sedai just yet in this one, but this should give you some insight.

Aes Sedai are born human, but once they gain the ability to channel Saidar/Sadin, they are forever changed. Their lifespans extend for hundreds of years. In that way, they are a bit like soul reapers. They may look young, but most of them are far from it. They are also incredibly powerful with a wide variety of abilities. They are much more than mere humans.

The ability Nadira used on Renji is known as Compulsion. So far in the WoT series, I've yet to see someone resist this technique. Most victims don't even realize what has happened to them to even think of fighting back. They are only vaguely aware that something is not right. Skill of it varies on the Aes Sedai, but the strongest could forever enslave someone using complusion. If the story is continued, I will absolutely be going into this.

Hopefully this brief explanation has set to right any misconceptions held about the above story. :D