Karakura Town was a quiet place where little happened, or at least to those who couldn't 'see' what was happening. To those with certain qualities, Karakura Town was a hotspot for all manner of activity. You see, there are many theories on what happens after we die, and whether or not they are all true is a story for another time, but there is something that exists for certain: the Shinigami, or the Soul Reapers, and the existence of a place known as Soul Society. These Soul Reapers are charged with the protection of all souls in the world, both living and dead, from the forces who would aim to disturb their peace. The people of The World of the Living go by unknowingly, oblivious to their protection at the hands of these beings. This is the story of one boy, who joined this force and who would change the world forever.
Edward Smith was a British student who had migrated to Karakura Town when he was 12; therefore he stuck out like a sore thumb is his class. 'Kurosaki-kun', 'Sado-kun', 'Inoue-san', 'Smith-kun'. The stark contrast in naming made many of his classmates notice him, and even after 3 years his closest friends mocked the difference slightly. Edward didn't mind, in fact he appreciated it; it made him stand out, made him different. He mostly stayed to himself, existed quietly, never being the centre of attention for long. His other classmates like Asano and Tatsuki were loud and noticeable, but Edward kept to himself. He was nothing special, and didn't act like it.
Edward was sitting patiently in his morning lesson waiting for their teacher to arrive and take the register. The majority of the class were happily chatting away, or playing on their phones, but Edward was sitting at his desk reading some manga silently. As he read to himself, he felt a strange… force, pulling on him slightly as if something familiar was near, or something he was drawn to. He stared out his window nonchalantly, but quickly fixated on the school pitch beneath him. He wasn't sure, but he swore he saw something, a figure out of the corner of his eye, but it wasn't really there. It flickered out of his view almost immediately, as if he shouldn't have seen it or shouldn't have been able to see it. He looked again, but quickly ignored the fleeting moment and went back to his book. It was probably just a trick of the light, right?
School flew past quickly, and Edward was glad to get out of it. Today was a Friday, so he had the weekend to himself afterwards. Edward was going to stay with his dad further north into town, so he was carrying his things to his house late at night. His mother had offered to drive him to his father's house, but he turned her down. He wanted the walk to clear his head, and he'd have slightly longer away from his dad. The walk wouldn't hurt him, after all Edward was a pretty strong kid. He stood tall at 6ft 3, and had a fairly strong build weighing in at 82kg. This meant he was left to his own vices at school, and he was happy because of it. He was certainly no Sado, but he could look after himself. He light blonde hair and blue eyes did enough to signal his European genes, so it was no surprise he was tall too.
Edward was quietly walking through the streets when he heard a loud crash behind him. He quickly spun around, dropping his luggage in the process. A nearby wall had been crashed through, leaving a large amount of rubble and dust. An ear-piercing shriek suddenly sounded, and Edward braced himself against the force of the blast. Edward looked up, but couldn't see anything. There was another crash, and a nearby lamppost was ripped out the ground. Edward fell to the ground as the post was thrown at him. He scrambled up in panic, and looked around. There was still nothing to be seen, and his assailant seemed to have stopped. Suddenly, Edward flew into the air as his attacker hit him. Edward hit a nearby wall, barely conscious. His sight was falling in and out of darkness, yet he felt as though he could see more. He could see something forming in front of him, but it had yet to take shape. Slowly, a figure could be seen; if one could call it that. A huge monster blurred into view; a four legged beast covered in fur, with a large spiked white mask. It was slowly stepping towards him, and it was menacingly laughing:
"It looks as though this is all I'm getting tonight!" it said in a deep, horrifying voice. Edward lashed out a kick in fear, which did little to the beast. "It seems the little boy can see me! Oh well, maybe this meal will taste even better!" The monster opened it mouth, and went in for the final strike.
In an instant, the monster reeled back in pain. Blood was flying from a wound on its arm, and it looked to be in agony. In front of Edward stood a strange, large-breasted woman with flowing orange hair. She was dressed in black robes and was carrying an authentic katana. She looked back at Edward, who got a look at her beautiful face. She seemed unfazed by the damage she'd caused, as if it didn't matter that he saw.
"Wh-who are you?!" Edward asked in fear. The women suddenly looked confused, and kneelt down
"You can see me?" she asked. Edward gasped, and pointed behind her:
"Behind you, quickly!" The woman spun around and was slapped aside by the monster. She had no time to counter, and was swiped against a building. She struggled to get up, before falling back down. The attack had caught her off guard, and she was unable to brace herself. Edward looked back at the monster in terror, knowing this was his end.
The women lay against the wall and clutched her side, which was cut badly.
"That bastard…" she muttered. It wasn't enough to kill her, but she was in a bad way. She looked over at the boy lying against the wall, as he unsteadily pulled himself up. The Hollow pulled itself up to its full height, and punched the boy. Instead of his body flying back, his soul was ejected from the body.
"Is that this Hollow's power?" she whispered to herself. She looked at the soul and gasped.
"His Chain of Fate? Where is it?!" The soul had now stood up, and it was clear than there was no Chain of Fate present on neither the body nor the soul. "Is he a Soul-? No, he can't be…" The soul was standing still in the Hollow's path, with its head bowed.
"Was is it, boy? Have you given up?" the Hollow laughed smugly. The soul didn't say a word, and then something shocking happened.
The soul looked up, and where its eyes should be there was instead a bright white glow. The soul stepped forwards, and a blinding white light surrounded it. The women gasped:
"This Spiritual Pressure-? It's monstrous!" she said in disbelief. The boy continued walking towards the Hollow, who was hiding its fear in laughter. As the soul got closer, the Hollow lashed a punch at it.
"No…" the soul said, lifting its finger towards the Hollow. There was a flash, and when it subsided the Hollow was frozen. Its fist was in place, blocked by the soul's finger.
"What?! He stopped it with his finger?!" the woman cried. The white light flared up again, and the Hollow's arm split apart. Blood flew everywhere, and the Hollow fell back.
"Y-you monster!" it cried, before escaping through a portal to wherever it came from. The soul then stumbled and passed out, the light subsiding quickly. The woman stood up and ran over to the soul; it was out cold, but its Spiritual Pressure could still be felt.
"Who are you?" she whispered.