An idea for a drabble-esque story on the life of Kira Izuru has plunged itself into my creative center, and as a result there is this story. As my life is incredibly busy right now, I do not plan on updating this story (or any other stories that I have written) any time soon in the near future... but I had to get this chapter out of my system. This will be a multi-chaptered story. My inspiration is the desire to see more stories about Kira Izuru, because he is not loved enough and I believe that this must change. There will be interactions with other characters later on, but for now I am focusing solely on Kira's early life in this chapter. I have not stayed completely consistent with the manga/anime, and I do not plan on staying completely consistent with either. If people have a problem with this, they do not have to read this fic. BUT for people that do take interest, please feel free to review, because reviews are major motivators to keep writing... Always.

Title: The Ballad of Kira Izuru

Rating: T

# of Words: 892

1. Fire

The image of black ash billowing from the crumbling structure that he once called home had been forever seared into his memory. He remembers screaming. He remembers collapsing. He remembers the smell of burning flesh. He remembers a white mask, claws saturated with the red liquid of life, his parent's limp bodies being tossed into the blaze. He remembers the feeling of being alone. It was a deep, dark loneliness that weighed over his entire being, threatening to consume him whole. He remembers the moment when his consciousness started to fade. He remembers the immense spiritual pressure looming over him. He was only a child, but he knew he was going to die. As the Bearer of Death prepared to devour him, he vaguely recalled a strange burning sensation explode from the center of his body. He thought he saw the demonic createan flinch, as if struck. He thought he saw a flicker of surprise, or perhaps a flicker of pain in its eyes, and for a second he thought he felt badly for the creature. This was his last conscious thought, though. What he does not remember is the bright flash of white, the monster dissipating into microscopic particles, the dart hitting his forehead, slipping into oblivion far, far away from the screaming, the fire, the pain…

2. Bottle

It was as if the inferno six days prior had dried up all the moisture in his body; he could not cry at his parent's funeral. It was a modest funeral, with only his parent's closest friends present and dressed in simple black funeral robes of the common folk. All of his family members had died many millennia before, starved to death on the streets or killed by illness. Now he, Kira Izuru, was the last Kira to survive, to carry on the family name. Kira Izuru, the orphan who needed to become someone, to bring honor to all the Kiras' who passed away before him. So, at age eight, Kira Izuru became a man. A man with a mission. A man who had something worth fighting for. Kira Izuru, a man who bottled up his emotions in order to move on from his past's atrocities and become something great.

3. Chance

When he had first heard the rumor that the Shinigami Academy was accepting talented district students, Izuru thought they were lying. The Gotei 13 had no reason to infect their pure noble guard with earthworms like them. We mean nothing to them, he had thought quietly to himself. Nobles have never wanted to mingle with district folk, so why would they now? "Izuru, c'mon, this is the chance we've been waiting for," Tomoko stated, her eyes twinkling. "We can finally escape the poverty, the begging on the streets, scavenging for scraps. We need to try!" Izuru was still highly skeptical of the idea, but he agreed to train with his childhood friend – he was willing to take the chance, even if he still thought it were too good to be true.

4. Lifeline

He knew something was wrong from the moment he pivoted to avoid Tomoko's punch. He thought he heard his knee make a popping sound, before it gave out completely. Despite the lancing pain flaring through his right knee, he would not allow himself to lose the match. From his position on the ground, Izuru kicked up with his good leg, catching Tomoko off balance. He heard the whoosh of air escape Tomoko's lungs, eyes wide with surprise. Springing to his feet, Izuru grabbed his companion's shoulders and threw her to the ground with the force of his bodyweight, pinning her beneath him. The moderator raised the blue flag, indicating that he had won the match. Izuru rolled off of Tomoko, barely managing to whisper "good match" between the gasps of pain and waves of dizziness that threatened to overcome him. Tomoko gave him a worried smiled, pushing herself up before offering a much needed hand to Izuru. Clutching his friend's hand like a lifeline, he hobbled his way to the sidelines to watch the other candidates compete for the opportunity to attend the prestigious school.

5. Invite

He was very surprised when the town messenger delivered a regal envelope to his hut on the far edge of the village. Putting full weight on the makeshift wooden crutches Tomoko had constructed, he humbly accepted the parchment from the carrier, bowing to the best of his ability. After the messenger's departure, Izuru limped over to his favorite hay-stuffed chair and carefully broke the envelope's glossy red seal. With nimble fingers, he slipped three sheets of paper out onto his lap – a letter of acceptance, a map of the campus, and a personal letter from the headmaster himself. His eyes threatened to drop from their sockets. Had he really done it? Could they have made a mistake? Hurriedly, he gathered the papers together and crutched his way across village to the edge of the forest where two slate-gray gravestones stood erect amidst the peace and tranquility of nature. His voice quavered with emotion. "Otou-sama, okaa-sama, may your souls rest in peace. I have news I would like to present you with. I hope you will be proud of me. I miss you both." Kira set his crutches aside, dropping to the forest floor facing his parent's beds. His pride reverberated throughout his speech. "Dear Kira Izuru, you are cordially invited to attend Spiritual Arts Academy as an incoming first year on the observation that you possess a respectable amount of spiritual energy and have demonstrated strength of character, problem solving skills…"

If people want/need explanations of any of the vignettes, feel free to PM me or leave a review. Please enjoy! -smileandwave