Bleach:

Desertion Chronicles

Chapter 1:

Arrival! Double Zanpakuto!

The sun sets over the mountains on a small town called Sansui to the northeast of Karakura. Noburo Tsukino checked his watch as he walked home to his store. As he ruffled his unruly brown hair with his hands, he sighed. "9:30...that trip took longer than I expected. Oh well, I got a nice walk out of it." Noburo eased back into his usual relaxed posture. As he reached his door and turned the key, he stopped. "Another hollow..." He chuckled, then sighed. "That's the fifth one in the past 2 days. They're unusually active right now."

Noburo grasped the stone ring --one half white, the other black-- around his neck, then firmly pushed it into his chest. As black robes appeared on him, he grasped his sword, which had appeared with his robes on his right side. "Time to 'shunpo' on over. This won't take lo- wait...it's gone. And now I sense...a shinigami? This is worth investigating." Then suddenly, he vanished.

Noburo appeared on the bank of the river that ran through the center of Sansui. "He's somewhere near the river...there. Hey! You! What are you doing in my town?" There was a shinigami standing a few feet above the surface of the river, the body of a hollow fading away next to him. The shinigami stared at Noburo curiously, his dark blue, left-oriented spiked hair waving slightly in the wind and sheathed his zanpakuto and looked up, a friendly smile crossing his face.

"A shinigami with two Zanpakuto? Rare indeed," said Noburo.

"Are you this town's shinigami?" The stranger shinigami looked over Noburo with his white eyes in a piercing yet kind gaze, waiting for an answer to his question. Noburo waited, staring at the shinigami's eyes, but when the light of the moon shifted, he realized the shinigami's eyes were truly white. Noburo chuckled.

"Yes, sorta... I wouldn't use the term 'shinigami' myself, but I s'pose it works for all intents and purposes. I'm Noburo Tsukino."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kichiro Wakahisa." With a look at Noburo's right wrist, he added, "Now what would a shinigami need a Quincy bracelet for?"

Noburo chuckled again. "What, this old thing? It's just a souvenir. Besides. 'Not-shinigami'. Remember? What about you? What's your story? Why would Soul Society send someone to Sansui town?"

"I'm not a shinigami anymore." Kichiro's smile faded and he hardened slightly.

Noburo cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "Is that so? Well, you'll have to tell me the story. I tell you mine, you tell me yours; Isn't that how it works? But first a meal and some lodging."

"You'd put me up? Why?"

Noburo replied, "Why not? You're a fellow deserter. Plus, the hollow activity around here is becoming more frequent for some reason; I could use the help. You might even learn a thing or two." Noburo winked, and for a split second, Kichiro thought he could see his blue eyes flash a hint of black and yellow.

"Alright...lead the way." Kichiro bowed slightly.

Noburo smiled "Good! Follow me." And with that, Noburo disappeared.

"What a strange guy...Hey! Wait up, shini-er...I mean...quincygami!" And with that, Kichiro used his own shunpo to follow Noburo home.