This is a newer AU spawned on my tumblr (where there is actually a lot of drabbles and rambling covering... many, many aspects of this AU and the subsequent OTHER AUs that were spawned off of this one) that I've been spending some time writing up. Like with the Werewolf AU, I make no promises on update schedule.

Technical details and some events are pulled from the light novels, but appearances, names, and MOST events are pull from the Saga of Tanya the Evil anime. So Erich's last name is von Rerugen, he has black hair and that ridiculous anime haircut, and he was the one who stopped Tanya from taking things too far when she was training recruits and threatened one for insubordination.

If you'd like to take a look at what else I've written for this AU, head over to my tumblr (username is akaluan) and do a search for things tagged with "bleach/tanya"

Enjoy!

Erich carefully shaved off another sliver of wood, then ran his thumb over the spot to judge the smoothness. The wood was still rough enough to catch a bit on his calluses; perhaps another few slivers and the spot would be better. He preferred to have the piece as clean as possible before he gave it a quick polish with the pumice-cloth he kept on hand.

"Awww, I broke it!" the young girl at his side exclaimed.

Erich glanced over to see Mia pouting down at the broken pieces of wood in her off hand, his small knife held carefully in her other. He smiled faintly and set his own carving down, sheathing his knife and holding out his hand, palm up. "May I?"

When Mia dropped the pieces in his hand, he nodded his thanks and set about examining them and the shape she had been carving. He really couldn't tell what it was supposed to be, but that didn't matter; what mattered was determining how it had broken so he could teach Mia what to look for in the future.

"Ah, here, look," Erich told her, holding out the larger piece and pointing just to one side of the break. "See this? Your knife bit too deep right here and weakened the whole area. You were also starting to carve it too thin, and probably managed to apply pressure in just the wrong way."

Mia's little face scrunched up in thought, and the girl leaned in closer to peer at what Erich was pointing out. "How do you get it so thin, then?" she asked, edging closer so she could get another glimpse at the carving he'd set aside.

"Practice," he informed her dryly. "I've broken plenty of pieces, especially when I was learning. I still do, at times. Sometimes it just can't be helped, I'm afraid."

"Why can't it be helped?" Mia carefully set the little knife down atop the wall they were sitting on, then held out both hands to take her carving back from him. "If you get good, then you're good, right?"

Erich handed the pieces of wood back, then said kindly, "Everyone can make mistakes, no matter how practiced they are. No one is perfect."

She huffed and wrinkled her nose at him, saying with all the seriousness a child could muster, "That's no fun. What's the point of growing up, then?" Before he could respond, Mia dropped from her perch and landed on the ground with a thump, grinning up at him and waving. "I'm going to go play. Have fun breaking things!" she told him cheerfully.

Erich shook his head in amusement and tucked the little carving blade back into its sheath, then picked up his own piece and considered it. The horse wasn't entirely correct — the head was a bit misshapen, and the mane wasn't more than a short, notched ridge — but it was horse-like enough. It also needed a bit more work, but that shouldn't take too long.

He glanced up at the sky to estimate the time, then unsheathed his knife and went back to work. There was still time before noon, and, if he tried, he could probably have the horse finished before he needed to meet up with Ren to see what work they needed done this afternoon.

The sun was warm on his back as he concentrated on the carving, smoothing out the last few spots he could get with his knife, then switching to his pumic-cloth to gently sand away the last few rough patches. It was peaceful work, even with the attention he was drawing by sitting on a common area wall and carving. Most of the adults let him be, and the children were more interested in their games than in pestering him for more than a moment or two.

An adult approached and stopped a meter or two away, watching him in silence. Curious, Erich spared a brief glance, then returned to work; Kyou, Mia's mother, was neither threat nor bother, and he already knew why she was waiting. He gave the carving one last polish with the pumice-cloth, then set the cloth aside and gave Kyou his attention.

"Thank you for indulging my daughter, Rerugen-san," Kyou said, inclining her head. "She's always been a curious one, especially of newcomers."

"Curiosity is healthy, and Mia's a lovely girl, bright and eager to learn," Erich told Kyou seriously. "It was no trouble."

"Still, thank you." She held out a rough sack to him, saying, "Please, take this. I know Ren-san is likely to have you helping them all afternoon."

"Ren-san does enjoy making me work," he acknowledged with a faint smile. He leaned forward and accepted Kyou's gift, holding out the carved horse in return. "Here, for Mia. I know she wanted a new toy, so…"

"Ah, you shouldn't have, Rerugen-san," Kyou demurred, before reluctantly accepting the figurine when Erich arched an eyebrow and leaned forward a bit more. "I know she'll love it. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He dropped the short distance to the ground and gave a shallow bow. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I should be seeing what Ren-san has for me to do."

"Of course, of course. Tell them hello for me, will you?"

"I will." Erich scanned the top of the wall to be sure he hadn't forgotten anything, tucking the pumice-cloth back in the small pouch he kept it in. He hadn't left anything else out, though, so with a final nod to Kyou he turned and set out.

He checked Kyou's gift as he walked, and his stomach rumbled hungrily at the sight of several pieces of fruit. Breakfast had been far too long ago, and Kyou was right; Ren was likely to have him working most of the afternoon. With that in mind, Erich pulled out one of the fruits and bit into it, eating as he moved.

It was difficult, limiting himself to just the one, but it was best that way. People noticed it less if he spread his meals out throughout the day.

(There were also fewer questions. Fewer chances that his strength would be discovered.)

(Reapers weren't the only ones interested in powerful souls, they were just the most dangerous to him.)

People greeted him as he passed, but otherwise let him be; at this point, everyone in the village knew that his afternoons belonged to Ren and the various odd jobs that Ren did. It was fascinating how welcoming this district was compared to the more distant ones. If not for the threat of Reapers discovering his heritage, Erich could see this village becoming something like a home to him.

He finished off the peach and dropped the stone back into the sack, then stopped at one of the public wells to wash his hands and chin free of the juice that had spilled. He was still hungry—

(He was always hungry. He'd learned to ignore it.)

—but at least his stomach wasn't cramping. And Ren would insist that he eat the rest of what Kyou had given him during his breaks.

Erich shook the water from his hands and reoriented himself. He could sense Ren not too far away, their minor power standing out against the background of powerless souls that made up most of the village. Ren's signature was calm and open, and Erich had no difficulty following it down a small side street to where Ren was waiting.

Ren stood next to a small handcart, directing a gaggle of teenaged souls to collect various tools and supplies. As Erich approached, Ren's attention turned towards him, and they gave Erich a gentle smile. "Rerugen-san. Would you be willing to help us gather some wood? Tomomi-kun found a large tree that was downed, and another hand to chop it up would be appreciated."

"Of course," Erich agreed, then added, "Kyou-san sends her greetings."

"Ah, you were helping her this morning, then? Thank you, for that and for helping us with this," Ren said with a nod, before gesturing to the cart beside them. "You can set your lunch with mine while we get the last of this organized."

He did as Ren suggested, setting down the sack then moving around the group, lending a hand with whatever the teens needed. It didn't take long to get the last of it organized; this was clearly something the group had done before, but having another adult to help did make some of the preparations easier, especially when it came to making sure some of the small handcarts were ready for a trip into the woods.

"Do we have everything?" Ren asked, scanning the group questioningly. They nodded in approval as the teens answered with a chorus of agreement, then took hold of the cart they had claimed and said, "Very well, then. Off we go."

Erich kept pace at Ren's side as the group headed out of town, led by Tomomi. The younger teen led them carefully through the crop fields and then into the small forest beyond, always checking to be sure he hadn't lost anyone. Finding a path in the forest was more difficult, and more than once Erich needed to step forward to help clear a path for the rest of the group to travel through.

It didn't help that the forest was littered with Hollow-sign: traces of power lingering here and there, claw marks on trunks, even the occasional track left in the leaf-litter. Erich wished he had more tracking experience, if only to have a better idea how long ago some of the signs had been left. The power, at least, was fragmented enough that the Hollow likely hadn't been by in the past week.

(Dare he hope the Reapers had done away with it?)

"Here it is!" Tomomi announced proudly, scrambling up the side of a massive, downed trunk and grinning down at the group. "I toldya it was big!"

Ren chuckled and let go of their cart, beginning to pace the length of the trunk. "So you did, so you did. This is quite the find, thank you, Tomomi-kun."

"Yeah!" Tomomi cheered, following Ren as they moved down the trunk. "How much do you think we can take, Ren-san? Is it enough? Should I be looking for more trees?"

"We won't be able to take it all today," Ren said as they ducked under a few branches and knocked on the trunk, head tilted to listen to the noise it made. "But it doesn't seem rotten, so I'm certain we'll be made to make use of much of it." They smiled up at Tomomi and offered their hand to help the teen down. "This will keep us in wood for quite a while, so you can keep an eye out while foraging, but you don't need to go out of your way to find anything for a few weeks."

Erich circled around the base of the trunk while Ren was talking, grimacing at the sight of torn up ground and shattered wood. This deadfall wasn't a natural one: something had actually attacked the tree and sent it tumbling to the ground.

(Hollow. A Hollow had been here.)

He knelt to examine the claw marks, estimating the length and depth of the marks and trying to get a feel for the beast's size. Not terribly large, Erich decided after a moment. Just a regular Hollow, not a Menos or worse, and probably partially bipedal like a bear.

"Rerugen-san? … Ah. I see," Ren said as they approached, pulling Erich from his examination of the marks with a start. Ren's expression was even but for the tightening around their eyes as they scanned the area. "A beast has been lingering the past few weeks, coming and going, though so far it has not approached more than the outskirts."

"It hasn't?" Erich asked warily. He pushed himself to his feet and brushed the dirt from his hands, scanning the surrounding area with his eyes and his senses. "That doesn't seem… normal."

Ren grimaced and looked away, deeper into the forest, and said softly, "We are not the only village nearby with empowered souls living within it."

Erich's breath caught in his throat, and he turned to follow Ren's gaze. There was nothing to see but trees, of course, and even less to sense; most Rukongai souls with power were barely strong enough to be sensed within the boundaries of their village, much less from a distance like this.

(Assuming, of course, that any remained alive at this point.)

"Come," Ren said abruptly, turning away and gesturing back towards the carts. "There is much to be done before dusk falls."

Erich spared one last look in the direction Ren had been staring, then followed them back to where the others were working. There was nothing to be done about the Hollow, or about the village beyond the woods, and if he was lucky a Reaper had already taken care of the Hollow.

(It wasn't his concern. It wasn't.)

He threw himself into the work, into chopping and hauling and stacking the carts full one after the other. It was hard, mindless work, and it worked well to keep his thoughts from the knowledge that a Hollow hunted these woods.

Except for when Ren shooed him aside for breaks, insisting that he rest and eat before resuming work. Then Erich couldn't help but think on it, on a village being hunted and another being spared. On how both his and Ren's presence here in the woods was likely endangering Ren's village.

(He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't.)

His preoccupation meant it took him far too long to notice that Ren had been slipping food into his bag during their breaks. He hadn't counted how many things Kyou had given him, but he was certain she hadn't handed him any plums. He caught Ren's eye and arched an eyebrow at them, holding up the plum in his hand.

Ren gave him a small smile, finished sawing off the branch they were working on, then handed their saw to one of the teens and approached.

"Really, Ren-san?" Erich asked quietly when Ren reached his side.

They examined his face for a moment, then inclined their head. "Mami will have my hide if I don't make sure you eat," Ren told him with amusement, before their expression turned more serious. "We both know what hunger looks like, Rerugen-san. Please do us the courtesy of accepting what we can provide."

He hesitated, then had to look away from Ren as they continued to watch him. It felt strange, having people care about his well-being, especially near-strangers. Ren and Mami hadn't know him for longer than a couple days, and already they'd decided he was worth their time.

(He wasn't. He wasn't, could never be, but he couldn't find it in him to deny them.)

Instead of answering, Erich took another bite of the plum, still unable to meet Ren's gaze.

"Thank you, Rerugen-san," they murmured gratefully.

(He didn't deserve their care.)

(He couldn't turn them away.)

(Monster.)

The trip back to the village was faster than the trip out, the path already cleared and marked. Erich lingered towards the tail of the group, his own power locked beneath his skin and his skills focused on carefully absorbing the traces of his and Ren's passage.

He refused to leave behind a trail that the Hollow could use to hunt Ren down.

It was dusk by the time they made it back to the village, all of them dirty and tired and glad to be back. Some of the teens began to drift away from the group as soon as they crossed the village boundary, and Erich couldn't blame them. It had been a long afternoon, and all of them were feeling it.

"Just leave it all here for the evening," Ren directed the small group that remained, gesturing towards the little yard where they had gathered. "We'll divvy it all up to the common stores tomorrow morning. Off with you now." They shooed the teens away, an amused smile on their face as the other souls gave weary laughs and scrambled off, then shouted after them, "And be sure to clean yourselves up!"

Erich huffed a laugh and brushed a stray piece of hair out of his face, tucking the strand behind one ear. He eyed the collected wood, then the sky, then moved to begin unloading one of the carts; there was still enough daylight left to get a bit done, so—

Ren's hand grabbed his arm before he could take more than a step towards the cart he had chosen. "No, Rerugen-san. We are to clean up as well. Mami is certain to have dinner waiting for us, and it's best not to keep her waiting, hmm?"

He hesitated, but let Ren guide him away. "I'll bow to your wisdom on that."

"Good, good. As you should." Ren kept their hand on his arm, guiding him through the streets and into the bathhouse. Only then did they let go, shooing him on while stepping up to the counter. "Go, get clean, and do try not to fall asleep in the tubs this time?"

"One time, Ren-san. That was one time, after someone had me out all day harvesting fruit."

"Hmm." Ren arched an eyebrow at him and said, "And who was it who told me he could assist, and then didn't remember to tell me he was a soul who required food?"

Erich looked away from Ren's steady gaze and muttered, "It slipped my mind."

"Of course it did," Ren graciously agreed, voice soft. "Now off with you. I'll wake you up if you fall asleep once more."

He shook his head and went, not willing to argue any further.

In the (relative) privacy of the changing room, Erich stripped down with relief, setting aside his dirtied clothing and boots; Ren was likely to have everything laundered here, given how dirty they'd gotten while chopping up the tree. Then, he reluctantly unclasped the chain that held his computation orb around his neck and set it, and his glasses, in the small basket he'd been given for them and handed it all back to the attendant.

He felt odd without his computation orb against his chest, but the village was safe enough, kind enough, that it was a small risk.

(No one here would steal from him.)

(No one here would attack him.)

Erich set to washing himself clean, exhaustion making him slow. But it didn't matter; Ren wasn't hurrying either, so they weren't on too strict of a timeline.

Once clean, he moved into the room with the soaking pools and slipped into one of the hottest baths, across from the couple who had also chosen this one. Erich leaned his head back, let his eyes slip closed, and relaxed into the warmth. Soft conversations reached his ears, little more than a gentle susurration that lulled him into a peaceful daze.

His muscles ached from the labor; even after all these years in the Rukongai, wood cutting was still one of the more difficult tasks he tended to be given. Not every village asked it of him, and he rarely needed to expend the effort while he traveled between them, so he'd never built up the stamina for it.

"Falling asleep on me?" Ren asked quietly as they slipped into the water near Erich.

Erich let his head loll to the side and cracked open his eyes, carefully keeping his gaze on Ren's face. "No."

"Ah, of course not, forgive the presumption. You're only mostly asleep," Ren said with a soft chuckle, stretching and settling deeper into the water until their nose was almost submerged.

Erich scoffed and closed his eyes, slipping a bit deeper himself as he let his mind empty. Public bathing would never be a favorite of his, but he couldn't deny how comfortable the baths were, especially after a day of work.

He drifted.

The next thing he knew, Ren's hand was on his shoulder and they were speaking softly, "Rerugen-san. Rerugen-san, come along, it's time we were going."

Erich snapped back to himself with a jerk, blinking up at Ren then swiftly looking away. "Right. Sorry."

"Hmm." Ren studied him as he rose from the bath, then turned to leave as Erich scooped up his towel and wrapped it around his body. "Be sure to eat your fill tonight. You more than earned it with your work today."

"If you insist," Erich agreed cautiously. He wasn't foolish enough to turn down the offer, but it still felt like taking advantage of their good nature.

"More importantly, Mami will insist," Ren said with a smile. They approached the attendant and accepted two bundles of clothing, handing one of them to Erich as he approached.

Erich grimaced at the clothing, but still toweled himself dry and got dressed without complaint. It was looser than he preferred, designed for relaxation instead of work, and the amount of skin left exposed was… uncomfortable compared to his usual attire. But it was still clean and dry, and he could put up with it for the short span of time left in the day.

The attendant handed him the basket with his glasses and orb, and Erich took it with a nod of thanks. He put his glasses on, then scooped up the computation orb and clasped the tarnished chain around his neck, trying to tuck the red jewel beneath his shirt. The chain, however, was too short; it worked well with his usual, high-collared clothing, but not with the looser top the bathhouse had provided.

He felt exposed with the orb out in the open for all to see, announcing his skill with magecraft, but he didn't trust himself to carry it any other way. Not with how tired he was.

Erich followed Ren out of the bathhouse and through the streets, gaze on the ground. He'd never gotten the hang of walking with backless footwear, much less the style of sandals that most Rukongai citizens seemed to prefer. It always felt like he was on the verge of losing them, or tripping and falling to the ground.

It was a relief to step into the house behind Ren, to toe off the accused sandals and replace them with the (marginally) acceptable house slippers.

"Tadaima, Mami!" Ren called as they stepped into the main room.

"Okaeri, Ren!" Mami greeted her partner with a pleased noise, sweeping in to brush a kiss over Ren's lips, before turning to give Erich a considering look. She sighed in exasperation and tilted her head to give Ren a look. "I see someone is nearly dead on his feet again."

Ren smiled and raised their hands in defeat. "I took him to the bathhouse, rather than drag both of us back home covered in sweat and forest litter."

"And I thank you for that consideration," Mami agreed. She shook her head and beckoned for Erich to follow. "Please, Rerugen-san, come and have a seat. Ren warned me of what they planned to do this afternoon, so I have plenty of food ready."

"You don't need to do so much," Erich half-heartedly protested. He followed Mami to the table, then settled on the cushion she had set out for him. "I know the two of you don't require much—"

"Enough of that," Ren interrupted him as they set several bowls on the table. "We both enjoy cooking, and having an appreciative audience is a joy. And we're not in a position of hardship, nor will feeding you what you need put us into such a position. Trust us to know our own limits of hospitality, please."

"Ren is correct." Mami set out the last of the dishes and gestured for them to dig in as she sat next to Ren. She gave him a soft smile, reminding him, "Take what you need, Rerugen-san. We promise to tell no one."

She watched Erich with a steady gaze as he began to serve himself, and only looked away when he'd taken more than Ren. Erich resigned himself to their care as he had for the past few days with them, and began to eat carefully.

(He knew all too well the cost of feast after famine. He knew to temper his appetite.)

(Their kindness still seemed a miracle.)

He ate in silence, listening to Ren and Mami speaking about the day. They lingered over their food, leaning into one another and trading stories and quiet jokes, so clearly in love that it was painful.

He missed that: the easy camaraderie and care, the trust, the contact.

(He missed it so much it hurt.)

There was nothing he could do about that, Erich reminded himself sternly. Here in the Rukongai, surrounded by strangers, the only relationships he could build would be based on lies. Unless, that was, he wanted to expose himself as a Quincy Mage; a dangerous proposition given the Reapers' opinion of all Quincy. And even if he didn't, even if he built a relationship on lies, just staying in one place would drag powerless or mostly-powerless souls into danger by his mere presence.

(If a Hollow didn't someday destroy him, the Reapers would discover his existence.)

(And then another Purge would begin.)

Erich shook his head to clear it out, then set his emptied bowl aside, covered a yawn, and made to rise, planning on helping his hosts clean up before he turned in for the evening.

"Leave it, Rerugen-san," Mami told him sternly, turning from her conversation and giving him a smile to soften her words. "You're dead on your feet, and have done plenty for us today. Go rest, we can take care of everything else."

Erich hesitated, feeling like he was taking advantage of their kindness, then gave in when both of them gave him a look. "Thank you, Mami-san, Ren-san," he murmured as he rose. "Sleep well."

"You too," they both responded.

He made his way to the spare room he'd been given and closed the door behind him with a sigh of relief. Silence settled over him as he crossed the few steps to his futon and set about preparing it; he was exhausted, his stomach was full, and sleep sounded like a blessing.

Erich fell into bed as soon as it was prepared, tugging the blanket over his body and curling up beneath it.

He was out like a light soon after.

Erich woke with a start, lunging from the futon and spinning to take in the shadowy room around him. The world was cloaked in darkness, blurry and indistinct and dangerous, his instincts screaming—

A Hollow roared.

He swallowed and shifted his stance to face the direction he could sense the beast in. His right hand flexed, sparks of power dancing over his fingertips before he squashed his instincts and absorbed the power he'd gathered.

(Not now. Not here. He couldn't, not so close to the Reapers and their stronghold.)

(The Hollow would only unmake his soul.)

(The Reapers would destroy everyone.)

Erich pressed a hand to his chest and started to count his breaths. He lifted his chin and dug his nails into his skin and pulled on every ounce of restraint he'd learned in the theatre of war.

The Hollow roared again, hungry and lost and furious. His mind settled, stilled—

(gunpowder-blood-ash-smoke-screams-roars… No!)

—and he exhaled. Gave himself a shake. Made certain his personal power was carefully tucked away beneath his skin.

The beast was beyond the village, in the forest. It was not a threat.

It was not a threat.

(Hollows were to be destroyed in defense of humanity. It was the Quincy way.)

(He was a coward and a traitor.)

(He was a monster worse than a Hollow.)

Erich settled back on the futon, knees drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped around his legs. In the room just beyond, Ren and Mami's faint signatures cringed inward in a futile attempt at hiding. They had neither the experience nor the skill to mask themselves as he did, but surely, surely it wouldn't matter. Surely their strength was too faint, too insignificant for the Hollow to bother with.

(But it would. In this village of souls, there were so few with power…)

(Hollows always went for the strongest first.)

His hands trembled, the taste of bile creeping into his mouth the longer he sat and listened, straining to hear anything beyond the roars of a beast on the hunt. He wouldn't hear anything, he knew he wouldn't, but he couldn't keep himself from trying.

Had he failed at erasing their trail? Was there enough left for the beast to track Ren back into the village? Was the beast even intelligent enough to track, or would it remain around the highest concentration of power and hope its prey returned?

(He could kill it. He could end this.)

(He would expose this village as containing a combat-capable soul not under the Reaper's control.)

(Dare he risk it?)

Indecision paralyzed him, even as time ticked by and the Hollow roamed unopposed. He couldn't make his limbs unlock, couldn't gather the strength to rise and fight.

Surely, surely a Reaper would arrive to purify the beast. If this was the same one Ren had mentioned, it had been roaming the forest for weeks. That was time enough to become aware of the issue.

If they came, he wouldn't need to force his limbs to work, to force himself to cast aside the mantra burned into his mind by both Quincy history and the Great War: 'hide in plain sight'.

But the Reapers didn't come.

The roars trailed off. The darkness faded into the predawn half-light. The Reapers didn't come.

Shame curdled his stomach, and Erich pressed his face into his arms and tried to ignore the hot tears that ran down his skin.

(These villagers had been nothing but kind to him, and this was how he repaid them.)

(Monster.)