Hello, this is Masamune. This is my first Bleach fanfic and it is an original one that ties in with the series. I am taking some liberties with this story, such as adding or subtracting powers from some characters Zanpakuto's and so forth. Also, and this is important later in the story, time in Soul Society moves at a much greater speed than in the human world.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, unless you count that Tide under my sink.

The Shinigami's Tale

Ch. 1

It all began…

Genpaku Arishima hurried home. It was close to midnight and the streets were bare, quiet, as if waiting for something. There was a light fog that covered the paved ground, causing the lights to look like far off candles. Genpaku ran down the back alley, a grimy walkway to say the least, but it was a shortcut home. There was only one problem that Genpaku could think of in taking this route, and that was the gang of guys that hung out around the next bend. They took special care to harass him every time he came this way. He had refrained from kicking there asses as his father would ground him for a year if he did. His dad was very much against violence of any kind, going as far as to stop Genpaku's younger brother from watching near to all of the cartoon shows that the rest of the kids in his elementary school watched.

Genpaku rounded the corner and was ready to attack the gang this time. Due to the fog, which was getting thicker by the moment, and the hour, his father wouldn't find out about the fight. His father still didn't know that Genpaku had studied Karate and Tai-Khan-Do, and Boxing. Genpaku had gone threw great lengths to prevent his father from finding out, going as far as bribing some officials not to send the information about his matches and such to his home.

Genpaku was surprised when he rounded the corner to find…nothing. The gang had apparently taken a holiday. Delighted with his luck Genpaku ran down the alley way. He didn't see the bodies of the 5 or so men hanging from the side of the wall 20 feet up. Nor would anyone else for another 3 days until one of the bodies fell into the middle of the alley. Genpaku cleared the stretch of space between the opening of the alley and his front door, a hundred meters or so, in less than 15 seconds. He was his high schools track star after all. He stopped at the door and stood panting. He then quieted his breath and listened. All was silent. He opened the door.

The house had been built long ago, but was spacious. It had 3 bedrooms, both upstairs, 2 baths, a kitchen, a dinning room, a living room, etc. Genpaku took a step onto the carpet, which was new, and a nice grey color, that wouldn't show mud, when he was blinded by a sharp light. It was the light from living room. After he had ran threw the dull, hazy lights of the outside this light seemed almost like one of those interrogation lights you see in the ld cop movies. Sitting on the couch, in a nice neat row, was his family.

"There you are. We were worried sick. Come over here."

One would have expected that from a mother, but these words came from Genpaku's father, a tough disciplinarian. What the hell was going on.

"Um…dad, what are you still doing u…did you just not yell at me?" Genpaku asked his father.

"I was worried about you. I am not going to yell at you. Come over here for a second," his father replied.

"Yes brother, come here," his younger brother echoed.

Genpaku rubbed his eyes. I must have been the light. He couldn't have just seen a large blur behind his family.

"Come here and have some uzumaki dango," mother said. That was what triggered it.

"Mom, what is wrong with you? You know I'm allergic to uzumaki meat." Genpaku replied. His mothers eyes opened wide, but it was a blank stare. Her pupils were gone, just like a dead…

"It appears I was to hasty with attack," said a strange, chilling voice. It was a deep voice, that had that quality that can scare you and send chills down you spine and every other part of your body.

"No use in holding this illusion," said the voice again. For a second everything became blurry, then it was all clear. The house was torn apart, pictures slashed, blood everywhere. Genpaku's family, what was left of it, was a wreck. His brother had an eye missing, as well as two large gashes down his front. His fathers head was almost completely severed from his neck. And his mother, her beautiful face was slashed so bad it wasn't even discernable. His family sat there, still in there row, now bleeding, mangled, and dead.

This is when he saw it, the strange blur that had been behind his family. It was on the wall and was huge, whatever it was. The voice had come from it. Genpaku saw part of it move and something shot out at him. This is where his training came into play. Without trying to he moved his hands into a block and side stepped. He effectively redirected the attack, but it threw him off balance. As he was off balance, something else hit him. It was sharp and cut deep into his right shoulder. It sent him spinning into the entrance hall. The door remained open. He didn't know what was going on. Something landed on the ground near the couch. It began to move towards him, the blur that is. Genpaku rolled out the door. As he did he pulled the door shut. He was on his feet and off in a second. He heard the door fly off it's hinges and crack. He was heading for the alley. Suddenly something was next to him.

"You've got some strength, don't you," said the chilling voice again. The blur, which had become more distinct, it was starting to look like a centipede, crashed into him. He had been at the mouth of the alley, and so he was pushed into the wall. Four hard, large…things were pushed into his crest with enough force to break bones, which they did. The blur was rapidly clearing. He could know determine what it was that had rammed into him. It was a centipede that was 20 feet or more and had six sickle like appendages at it upper body, yet its head was just a white color.

"You can see me, can't you little human. Good, that means your soul will be tasty. But your not tormented enough yet" said the creature, and as it said this one of it's free sickle rose up and stabbed Genpaku in his left shoulder. He let out a scream that should have woken the entire town. It didn't. The Creatures sickle came back and stabbed again, and again, each time finding a new target, and each time Genpaku's pain grew and grew. The Sickle came back and was aimed for Genpaku's head when it was suddenly sundered. The sickle fell off, no, it was cut off. The creature let lose a howl of pain and turned, at the same time throwing Genpaku 20 feet farther into the alley. He collided with cement in a mixture of water, trash fluid, vomit, and his own blood. He landed so he could see the creature. It was staring at a man dressed in a black kimono, and he was holding a sword.

"Damn you Death God. DO you know how much effort it takes to grow that back?" said the creature as a new sickle burst forth from it's stump. It looked enraged. The man on the other hand looked scared. Genpaku didn't know this, but this was the Shinigami's first week or patrol in this area. He had never encountered a hollow like this one. The creature let loose blow after blow, which the man tried to block.

"Death God? What the hell is happening? Why does it hurt so much? Why was I, my family attacked by this thing? What is it?" These were all questions that ran threw Genpaku's head as he lay there, dying, watching this creature kill this man, because of him. . He could know see the creatures face clearly. It was a mask, a hideous white mask.

"I don't want to die here. I can't let that man die for me. I have to avenge my family. God, don't let me die," said Genpaku in his mind as his eyes slowly shut.

"Then don't," said a new voice.

And that is the first chapter. Hope you liked it. Continue reading as I have the next Chapter up already.