This will be my first action type story, yes yes I always said I only write normally lustful lemon type romance stories. But I have been intrigued with action lately so, I decided to try writing one and see how it goes. I figured I would forgo the normal characters where I have to be all in character and watch different things so that character isn't too OOC...still do with interactions but I figured a little less with my own OC. And so I created Aiko Megami...sort of, I changed the spelling of the name she IS based off the main character in the anime Project A-ko BUT I changed her a bit though she retains her original powers some what...I'm not going to make it a cross over though too complicated AND well if A-ko died and passed on to Soul Society...she wouldn't remember shit any how lol. At any rate I hope that you like, I decided to start some what from the beginning, and go from there as she evolves into a full fledged Soul Reaper. Btw the Aiko Character looks in my head looks like the pic above, I like the image so :)

On with the story!

The Red Reaper. Chappy One

It was another day in Rusted Face District 64, it was hot and dry and the omnipresent depressed mood around as usual. In a back alley things weren't so boring, a local gang had gathered and most were hooting and yelling death threats. They had a lone female cornered, she wore nothing but rags her dirty bare feet ready to carry her out of the oppressed position if the opening ever showed itself though she doubted heavily that it would. She counted 23 of them and all of them were armed with various things from clubs to knives and a few even had swords and others with chains, her long red hair moved caught in a sudden gust of wind her strong body in a fighting stance she stood still and was waiting.

"Finally caught you, what? Did you think you were going to get away with beating the shit out of my buddies? WE run this district and we make good business, that is until you started taking my guy's out as they collect from people that owe us protection funds and goods. You've cost us a hell of a lot of money and trouble, what...what you got to say now you fucking redheaded bitch? No way in fucking hell are you gonna get out of this one, 23 of us cunt...you might be strong but we've got you now..."

She blew her bangs from her eye's revealing big deep brown eye's, she wore a scowl a fire in her eye's lit up.

"Good business? The people around here have a hard enough time just living with out you ass holes robbing them blind for your 'protection' money and goods, your nothing but bandit scum. And I'm not looking to get away either, your the boss I have heard about right? Sato...right?"

"Don't give me that high and mighty line of bullshit, you did the same damn thing before they started feeding you to help protect them you dumb bitch. Heh...course you heard of me, though I don't make it a point to go out and do the dirty work often...but ya got my attention enough that I decided to pay you a special visit."

"I NEVER robbed people, I begged yes but then I found I could possibly help and get helped in return. Since then though things have changed...I would now gladly take out you and your men for free, in my heart I feel YOU need taken care of and that's why I lead you and your men here...with YOU here...I can finally end this sick game of yours."

"Oh?! YOU gonna kill ME? HAHAHA...yeah well FUCK you bitch, screw this kill her boy's!"

With that things went out of control a glint shot through her eye's as her arms shot out diverting the tips of the spears the two men who struck at the same time their sharp points skewing harmlessly past both sides of her head, she stepped well inside their range and grabbed an arm of each and wrenched hard flinging the two against a stone wall hard enough to hear their bones snap as they fell to the ground screaming in pain. The next rushed her with a katana sword raised over his head and she did the same to him rushing inside closing the effective range of the blade and her fist made contact with his sternum, she could hear as much as feel his ribcage collapse and sink in until stopped by his spine as he flew plowing through many of the assailants behind him. The next was on top of her with in the same second as she pushed him backing him up slightly her torso spun as she brought a leg up and round housed the man, he dropped the knife and spun a snapping sound hit her ears as his neck snapped from the force of her blow. For a moment the group stopped sizing her up, a few looking at their fallen comrades either dead of crumpled into pain riddled heaps.

'4 down 19 to go, this is going too slow...oww...'

She glanced at her right arm, a red line appeared just above her bicep it wasn't deep but it began trickling blood down her arm.

'shit'

A big man rushed her suddenly swinging a huge club at her, a hollow sound rang out and the big mans eye's grew wide as she had caught it in mid swing he watched as the metal began to deform in her grip. She yanked it from him and smashed it down over his head splitting his skull so badly his eye's popped out, she grimaced at the sight and felt the warm spray of blood along her face. She tossed the club down and rushed the crowd and took down a few more with punches and elbows, she snapped the legs of two others as she attempted to make her way to their boss in the back but was forced back by 4 men with katana swords who grouped up.

"You fucking little whore...whats wrong with you assholes? There is 14 of us now, more than enough to take a woman! KILL HER DAMN IT!"

Unknown to all on a rooftop not far away the battle was being witnessed by two others, they wore the clothing of shinigami.

"There she is, that's the one I came across the other day that I reported with the high spiritual pressure."

The man who spoke looked like a monk, his bald head was easily recognizable. He spoke to the other in a polite manner though he was some what gruff, the other paid no mind to his slightly less than polished manner of speaking.

"Hum...she fights well hand to hand, I do not see this naginata you mentioned. And at the moment her spiritual pressure isn't much to speak of though it is possibly at the lowest levels of a shinigami, she certainly is strong to be able to do that much damage with only her fists."

She spoke in a refined way, her brads blew in a gust that came along they were wrapped in white silk her short hair dark as night tickled along her brow as she watched intently as the large group made a stand off with the single woman below she decided to wait out the whole fight to be sure what Ikkaku had described to her was indeed fact.

"Trust me Captain Sui Feng, that's the one...I'd never felt any thing like it...only from Captain Zaraki...and a few others."

She watched on, her captains haori flicked in the breeze.

'Ah shit...too many of them with those damned swords, at this rate I really am going to be in trouble...shit loosing too much blood.'

Sato had figured out a way to disadvantage the redhead, he placed all of his men that had swords into the front.

'Ha...that bitch may be strong, but she can't doge all the blades coming at her...now I got her...'

She was panting but stood strong ready for their next group attack, her arms had quite a few cuts along the but those weren't cause for worry the ones affecting her most was a deep one along her back and another to her upper left thigh. They found a way to manage to injure her, and now they were playing it and she was loosing ground in the fight. Suddenly she was brought out of her reverie as a glimmer came right in front of her face, she managed to jump back quickly but it was a little late as she felt a searing pain on her forehead and red blocked the vision in her left eye she wiped at it and it improved a little for a moment before the sight in that eyes was clouded with blood again.

'SHIT! Great...all I needed, I was hoping not to have to kill them all...I can't lose though, these people here wont last if I die here.'

She backed up and up the wall of 6 men brandishing swords inched after her slowly, she could see her own blood on some of those blades and it pissed her off to see it on the blades of arrogant worthless thug bastards. Suddenly she reached behind a large broken crate her hand finding the comfort of a rod of steel, the 6 men rushed in suddenly and she stood and with a flourish too quick for the foremost men to react to a spinning disk like weapon appeared seemingly from no where.

"Gahhk!...Uhhgk!"

The two in the front of the charge sputter and screamed and gurgled as suddenly their faces split open and blood gushed like a fountain, the top half of one's head flew off causing the others to back off quickly in utter shock not understanding what just happened but by instinct retreated far back. The spinning whirling sound suddenly stopped and the redhead now stood holding the weapon they could not see until she stopped spinning it, she spun it so fast their eye's could not see it until she stopped and now she held it out from her side at an angle. It was a long steel shafted naginata with a large razor sharp nearly 3 foot long blade, the spine of it was serrated aggressively the rest of it resembled a short but stout katana blade which she flicked the blood of the men spattering to the ground. Sato screamed at his men once more, but this time he was cut off as all the air was forced from his lungs.

"W-what the hell?!"

Suddenly his men were falling dead all around him blood flying every where, he watched in horror as a bloody gore filled path was being cut heading toward him a spiritual pressure filled the air and he was suffocating he could not draw breath at all and fell to his knees from it's immense weight bearing down on him.

The two soul reapers watched the fight and were surprised slightly to see the naginata produced, she had hidden it away as a last resort it seemed. Then just as suddenly a wave of massive spiritual pressure hit them, Sui Feng and Ikkaku's eye's opened wide at the immense and heavy feel and size of the spiritual pressure that was now coming from the redheaded girl that now wielded the naginata with great ease and skill as she cut most of them men down in mere seconds and now held the gore soaked blade between the mans eye's as he fell to his knees. They both saw at the moment of the release of her spiritual pressure it formed into a giant pillar the energy was ruby red but unrefined and uncontrolled, loose waves of her reiatsu smashed through the wall on her left and crumbled most of the building behind her as it lashed out of control for a moment then dissipated.

"There! There it is! She's the one Captain Sui Feng."

Sui Feng couldn't help but be impressed, she had never in all of her time in Soul Society seen such a massive reiatsu out in the Rukongai districts with the exception of Zaraki Kenpachi but her reiatsu almost matched the present day power of the 11th Division Captain. The release had been brief and uncontrolled as to be expected, untrained some thing like that would normally drop a normal person but the girl stood firm and seemed about to exact the death blow of the thug leader below.

"It seems you were right about this one Ikkaku, she could very well make a very good shinigami...possibly even a future Captain."

"Pfft...possibly? With that kind of reiatsu...it's kinda like Zaraki taicho all over again."

Sui Feng rolled her eye's and sighed looking at Ikkaku.

"Like we need another Kenpachi Ikkaku...your Captain is difficult enough...at any rate...let's go and introduce ourselves."

"Think she'll come with us?"

"She will...one way or another..."

"Ah shit..."

Finally reaching her goal her breathing was labored, that release of spiritual pressure took a lot out of her and it was all she could do to remain on her feet, she had to stay strong long enough to kill this man and then she could go and rest. She looked down at the man who now trembled at her feet his eye's crossed looking down the blade of her naginata, fear gripped him and a warm pool of liquid began to for below him...she spat in disgust at the now former gang leader as he pissed himself.

"P-p-pleassssee...don't kill me! There's nothing left! I can't do what I was on my own, there's no reason to kill me!"

Summoning the rest of her strength to speak, her voice came brusquely.

"You'll just rebuild and recruit more scum like yourself, and in half a year tops you'll be back at it again Sato...don't pretend I'm stupid...this district has had more than enough of you, it's time to end this."

His eye's widened as she drew the haft back about to land the killing blow, Sato clenched his eye's and prepared for it by screaming. She thrust forward powerfully, when suddenly her blade stopped immediately she looked and her eye's widened at what she saw.

"I think that's quite enough young lady, there is no further need for a death blow..."

A woman...the blade of her naginata caught pinched between her delicate fingers, this woman had short dark hair with two long braids wrapped in white silk and she wore all black.

'S-she...caught my blade with her bare fingers?!'

The redheads eye's widened more as she saw the white haori with the distinct markings fluttering around the petite woman, she didn't know a whole lot about the soul reapers but she knew one thing and it was street knowledge...that haori meant she was a Captain...and no one and she knew NO ONE stood up to a Captain of the Gotei 13...her jaw dropped and she slowly with drew the halberd pointing the blade away in a non threatening posture. She fell to her knees before the Captain, resting her weapon before her on the ground to be sure she was non threatening.

"B-but...he'll..."

The petite Captain locked eye's with hers, serious but understanding.

"This man is a wanted criminal here in the Rukongai, 3rd Seat of the 11th Division here...will detain and take him in...so no need to worry about reprisals upon the people here in District 64. Ikkaku, bind him he is coming with us."

She looked down finally, she was relived at what this Captain had told her...glad that the oppression of at least Sato's gang would be lifted from the people here.

"Girl. What is your name?"

"A-Aiko...Aiko Megami, district 64."

The small Captain let a small smile appear for a moment, she then did some thing that surprised Aiko she offered her a hand. She wiped it absentmindedly along the rags that were her clothes, it didn't do too much good wiping the blood off as her clothing was covered in it she took her hand and had trouble standing but managed. She watched the man she called Ikkaku bind the man and yank him up roughly, Sato was babbling thanks when the bald man slapped him hard in the head.

"What are you talking about you idiot, you shouldn't be thanking me...your probably going to be executed for your crimes...hell if it were up to me I would have let Aiko here make you into a shishkabob...damn fool."

"I am Captain Sui Feng, 2nd Division of the Gotei 13, we have been looking for you."

"W-what? Looking f-for me? Why? Have I done some thing?"

"Not at all, we were sent out here in search of a girl rumored to have extremely high reiatsu...and it appears we have found her."

Aiko's eye's widened, she was confused as to what they would want with her and she also felt fear creep up inside her heart.

"In short Aiko Megami...your going to have to come with us."

She cringed at those words, what did they want with her before she knew it she blurted out.

"W-why?"

The Captain now turned to fully face her, she bent down and took up the bloodied naginata giving it an appraising look mostly at the blade before handing it back to Aiko which she numbly took cautiously.

"To become a shinigami, of course you will have a long way to go before you gain that title rightfully."

Aiko was speechless, they wanted to take her to the Seireitei and train her to become a Shinigami?

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity girl it will take you out of this place and better your life infinitely, however you can always opt out but..."

"But...what...?

The Captain sighed and was about to answer, but was cut off by the one she called Ikkaku.

"If you refuse we would have no other choice but to bind you up too and likely with your power, imprisoned for life or until you accept."

"Silence Ikkaku! Mind your place...Sorry, Ikkaku is from the 11th Division, they tend to be more...lax in their manners. But...yes, it is a sad thing but with your level of reiatsu with out training you could prove dangerous to those out here and to yourself...as Captain of the 2nd Division I must address this matter for the security and safety of this and other districts I have to ask you to come with us."

She looked between the Captain and the shinigami of the 11th Division, it wasn't really a question was it?

"Permission to speak Captain?"

"Go ahead Ikkaku."

"Come on. Why are you even thinking about it girl? I'll be blunt with you...why would you even think of remaining out here in this shit hole? Come with us and you could do a HELL of a lot more to help as a Shinigami than you ever could like you are now! Think about it! You would be a Soul Reaper, and would have the backing of the 13 Court Guard Squads...it's NOT that hard to figure out what your best move here is..."

Silence came between them, then Aiko spoke breaking the silence.

"I wasn't debating the matter, my mind said yes minutes ago. It is just...I can't believe this is happening to me."

"Well...it certainly is, dose that mean that you accept?"

"Y-yes...I do accept your offer, Sui Feng Taicho."

She bowed deeply though it hurt like hell and dizziness came over her upon rising.

"No need for that formality, your not in a position for that just yet...Aiko? Are you..."

Suddenly Aiko had turned from her tan to a paper white complexion and lost her balance, Sui Feng caught her mid fall as she collapsed from her injuries.

"Damn it, she's lost too much blood from her wounds...I should have not wasted time...Ikkaku get that scum to the detention area while I rush her to Squad 4! You can return to your squad after you drop him off."

Sui Feng scooped Aiko up bridal fashion to avoid aggravating the girls wounds as much as she could while traveling, and both shunpo'd to their destinations.

Aiko's Inner World

With a groan she sat up slightly lightheaded as she did, she looked around confused not knowing where she was at. She looked all around her, she was lying in the middle of a grassy field that seemed to stretch on forever. There were golden swaths that appeared to be wheat fields and a single dirt road wound amongst them leading to what looked to be an abandoned village, there were ruins all around her that the land was taking back with vegetation. The sun shown brightly overhead, the sky was a lush blue with white cotton like clouds skimming the sky.

'Am I...dead?'

"Not at all."

A voice startled her and she spun to confront the owner of it, she saw it was a woman. She say on an outcropping of what looked to be part of a wall of an old homestead, she was beautiful but there was some thing about her that was not normal. The woman smiled and hopped from the high stone wall landing gracefully, she was dressed in some what skimpy clothing but the first thing to come to Aiko's mind was that this woman was a warrior. Her top seemed to be leather of some sort with metal armor and what looked like some odd scales layered all of her clothing, it was a breastplate of strange armor, the shoulder pieces were the same but with long perhaps 4-5 inch spikes that looked to be made of bone. The armor ran down her arms but turned into spiked bands around her arms until it came to metal armor pieces on her elbows and those lead down into an odd looking woven mix of the leather, scales and metal that covered her forearms to just a little over her hands. She wore some sort of odd pant/skirt mix bottoms that looked made of the same stuff the rest was, a belt of armor plates and scales that trailed leather straps down part way of her thighs that connected to her knee high boots where knee armor was affixed, the boots clung to her shapely calves and were armored as well her right hand was gloved and looked clawed rather than completely human.

What struck her most was the woman's blazing red hair that ended at the middle of her back, long sharp bone looking horn like spikes protruded from the back of her skull through her ruby tresses. Her ear's were elongated and pointed, but the most striking feature was a large nearly foot long horn of bone that grew from the middle of her forehead right at the base of her hairline She was fairly tanned but just so, as she got closer Aiko saw her eye's, they shone like ruby jewels beautifully but they too were not human like as they were slitted and the irises shown like fire. She wore a smile as she stopped a few feet from Aiko, it was then that Aiko noticed that slung over her back was an exact replica of her naginata.

"W-who are you? Where am I?"

"My name is …..., but I doubt that you can hear my name Aiko."

"Huh? That's weird, it was like you were muted out...I couldn't even read your lips."

"Sigh. Well that's OK, you will learn my name soon enough. No one as far as I know has ever known the name of their Zanpakuto from the beginning, don't worry it's normal."

"Zanpakuto? You mean the swords Soul Reapers carry right?"

The woman nodded.

"Yes, well. I'm no sword, well for now at any rate. Let's get back on topic, your question. This is your inner world Aiko Megami, I live here and so do you in a way, it is a mind scape where I was born and live...I also live within your naginata."

"So...dose that mean I'm a Soul Reaper?"

"Yes. Yes it dose, I think I can safely say that you have always been one. Only those who are destined to become Soul Reapers can create and eventually manifest a zanpakuto, I've lived within you since you were born into district 64 here in the Soul Society and have been waiting for the day when I could make myself known to you and today is that day Aiko."

"Why did I end up here, last I remember I was talking to that Captain and the other one."

"Well you passed out from blood loss and your wounds you received in that fight, I wish you would have taken me up sooner...you would not have gotten so gravely injured. Right now as we are speaking day's are going by in the outside world, not to worry you are OK as that Captain rushed you to Division 4's infirmary to be healed. So we have time now to meet and greet and discuss things you will need to know now and into the future..."

"I didn't...want to kill them that's why I didn't take you up right away...as a last resort."

The woman reached out and cupped Aiko's cheek, looking into her eye's thoughtfully for a long moment.

"Some times to save people, weather it be one person or many...you have to make sacrifices and resort to taking lives...some times there is no other way about it. Please sit down, let's have a good long talk before you recover and awaken, we have much to discuss."

They both sat and talked over a great deal, Aiko asked questions and the as yet nameless zanpakuto answered. She was indeed half dragon, a sort of hybrid and she explained she was the manifestation of Aiko's powers and that she was a fire type zanpakuto, although in that aspect she was almost equally as much a melee type as well so she had two strong specialties but fire was her true dominant power element.

It seemed to Aiko that they went on like this forever, but not long after that thought things began to change.

"Well...it seems our time is coming to an end for now Aiko."

She stood and stretched.

"What do you mean?"

"It means your waking up, you have plenty to do when you do. Your now within the inner walls of the Soul Society, finish healing, get acquainted with your new home and begin training at the academy to become a Soul Reaper."

"When can I see you again?"

"I am always here Aiko, I'll be in your mind and on your back and in your hands always. Don't worry so much, things will be just dandy. See you soon, take care."

She began walking away as Aiko stood, thins began to grow slowly transparent as the woman walked away she turned and waved to Aiko and she waved back and said goodbye but she couldn't hear her own voice at that point.

Aiko's eye's fluttered open slowly, trying to adjust to the light.

"Ah...it seems your awake finally Aiko Megami, welcome to Division 4 Clinic. My name is Captain Retsu Unohana, and this is my Lieutenant and aid Isane Kotetsu."

Aiko noted she lay on a hospital bed, the place looked like a normal hospital and why not? Her eye's focused on the two women they both smiled warmly to her, she felt relaxed at this.

"Nice to meet you...uh...how long was I asleep?"

"3 and a half day's, it is noon on the 4th day since your arrival. Your injuries have healed very nicely and I managed to even heal most of the scars, paying special attention to the one on your forehead...it would not do to allow a lovely girl such as yourself to run around scarred like that if I can help it."

The older woman giggled warmly checking under Aiko's bangs to be sure of the place she mentioned and it was smooth and with out blemish, Isane was making notes on a clipboard as Unohana checked her over.

"Thank you..."

"Oh, no need for that young lady it is always a pleasure to look out for those new to the academy upon their arrival. You are completely healed now and should be ready, you may leave at any time how ever I suggest you stay here as there will be an escort arriving shortly to lead you to where you need to go to begin your new life in the Seireitei."