Rukia invites a stranger to join the ranks of the Shinigami, the Soul Reapers.

Soren was headed towards one of the odd jobs he did around Karakura Town. He didn't mind the work, in fact he welcomed it. For the past ten years of his life he had been homeless. He was orphaned at age eight after an unexplainable explosion had destroyed his house. His parents had both died and the doctors were amazed he had survived. However, once he was out of the hospital, nobody would take him in. He was forced to live on the streets and fight for survival. Fortunately, his father had taught him how to defend himself.

His skills had proven useful many times. Several times, thieves would try to take what little he had, by force if necessary. Every time, though, Soren had always driven them away. He began to take odd jobs in order to make money so he could buy food. Occasionally, he would make enough to buy himself a little something extra. He usually went to the local book store and bought books about the legendary Soul Society. Soren loved reading about the Soul Reapers and longed to join their ranks. But he knew they were just stories. He sighed, still picturing what it would be like to wield an actual sword, instead of the wooden one at his side. He shook his head and went on.

He was used to doing odd jobs; after all he had been doing them for ten years now. However, this job took some convincing on his clients part. The woman refused to give her name and wanted Soren to meet her in an obscure part of town. She wouldn't tell him exactly what the job was; she only said she would explain when they met but that he should be prepared for a struggle.

Soren shrugged. Money was money and she had promised him a handsome reward. As he approached the meeting place, he heard the sound of a scuffle. He rounded the corner to see three thugs circled around a woman whose back was to a wall.

"Back off you brutes!" the lady said. Soren recognized the voice as belonging to his client. She had raven black hair that fell to her shoulders and looked to be in her early twenties.

Within seconds, Soren made a plan of attack and acted on it. He jumped one of the thugs and flipped him on his back. In the same motion—and before the others had a chance to react—he back-flipped and used the momentum to plant both feet into the next thugs face. The final guy gained enough sense to block the next attack from Soren. He swung clumsily at Soren's head, leaving his defense down and allowing Soren to dodge the blow and land a solid punch into the thug's abdomen. The thug fell over, winded.

Soren stood up straight and turned to face the woman. She was looking at him with a bit of a shocked expression. Now that he could see her clearly, Soren could see her bright-blue eyes staring into his emerald-green eyes. Something about her seemed familiar, but he couldn't figure out what.

"Are you Ok?" Soren asked.

"Yes," the woman said, regaining her composure. "Thank you. You must be Soren."

"That's me," He offered his hand. "And your name?"

She smiled, "My name is Rukia." She took Soren's hand and shook it.

"So what is it you needed help with? You said you would explain when we met?"

"Straight to the point, I like that." Rukia pulled an envelope from the belt of her black robe, "I'm here to offer you a more permanent job. Your payment will be a place to sleep and food to eat. Once accepted, there is no taking it back."

Soren looked at Rukia skeptically, "What kind of job is it? You've been pretty sketchy about that part so far."

Rukia smiled, "I'm offering you a chance to join the Soul Society." Rukia didn't need to finish explaining. Soren's face explained that he already knew the unmentioned details.

"I can't believe it. For the past ten years I've dreamed of this, thinking it would never happen. I thought the Soul Society was just a myth. How wrong I was." Soren looked back up to Rukia, "I accept."

Rukia nodded, "Great. Now, let's go. General Yamamoto is expecting us."

I know this was short, but it is more of a prologue. Please Review.