Prologue: Calm Before the Storm

She was walking home to her husband who was probably starting to get worried about her like he always did. I really should get back to him before he really starts to get worried, she thought as she was heading home. Apparently she had lost track time when she was drinking with her sister.

As she was walking she thought about what her husband would say when he saw she was obviously buzzed from all that sake. Damn that Rangiku, she is always luring me into drinking too much. Thank god I can hold my liquor as well as I can otherwise I would be drunk to quite a higher degree. I hope he's not that worried. She was thinking about her sister wondering what it would be like to be a Soul Reaper like her. She wasn't envious of her, certainly not. To be exposed so much danger; to risk her very soul for the life of those she doesn't even know, that didn't exactly strike her interest. But it would be nice to have the gifts her sister had.

The sun was setting over the Rukon's 38th district she always loved the way the sun set in her home town reflecting off the buildings as it sunk beneath the clouds. It always gave the town a serine feeling. The sun was to her front so she didn't notice the shadow of the unwelcome visitor behind her.

While she was pondering these thoughts she felt something behind. She had no spiritual sense like her sister but she could still sense the presence at her back. She turned to see a beast that all those in the soul society feared, a Hollow. It was a sickly green humanoid with the Hollow's signature white mask. Before she could react the Hollow bit down on her shoulder and neck, its mouth big enough to cover both. The woman screamed in both shock and pain as the ungodly sharp teeth of the Hollow began to rend the skin of her shoulder. Many thoughts flashed though her head then, thoughts of her sister, of her husband, and of her death.

She waited unable to react, for the Hollow to continue its work, but it had stopped. The vile creature was not trying to rip her apart any more. In fact its jaws were beginning to loosen and they let go completely. The second it did her legs instinctively pulled her away from the creature and she fell on the ground in a state of shock. She could only stare at it the creature that she thought was sure to end her life, but the Hollow only stood there looking down at the silvery blade that was piercing its stomach.

The blade quickly retracted and the Hollow stumbled around to see who would dare to interrupt its meal. When it saw who it was its eyes widened in terror, standing there was a man maybe 34 or 35 years old, he was fairly tall his face had expression on it that could kill the Hollow if his blade didn't. The man was thin but well built. He was wearing the black kimono that was the uniform for soul reapers, the white of his Haori clashing with the black outfit. Then with lightning reflexes he toke his katana and slashed the Hollow up across its masked face killing it instantly. As the Hollow fell and began to dissolve the woman saw her rescuer, a soul reaper with brown eyes and orange hair. The soul reaper walked over to her his facial expression softening, he held out his hand. "You okay?" she could barely speak as the man toke her hand and helped her up to her feet.

Then behind him another man appeared, giving a quick bow of respect to the orange haired soul reaper. "Sorry captain, I couldn't keep up is everything alright?"

The orange hair turned to his subordinate. "Yeah, everything's fine but she needs healing and you know how bad I am at healing kido."

The soul reaper who had just appeared looked much like the previous but with sharper facial features, he had jet black hair in the same slightly spiked style that the other did. This one obviously experienced a bit more battle judging by the claw shaped scares on his face. He also had a strange tattoo under his left eye. He was wearing standard issue uniform except it was without sleeves and he had a badge on his left arm.

The man then went over to the woman who was still partially in shock and put his hands over her wounds. The woman winced in pain at the contact. The man's hands then began to glow a soft green and she felt the wounds start to close and the pain that enveloped her shoulder melt away leaving only a dull soreness.

The lieutenant looked up to his captain. "Captain you know I'm not good at it either, she probably be sore for days."

"Honestly, I don't think she'll mind that much." An awkward expression spreading over the orange haired man's face. "I'm going to go back to the office and file a report on this to the Head Captain."

"I'll stay here and finish healing her" the black haired man replied.

As the captain was walking away the woman who was just coming back from shock said in a voice that was still trembling from the presence of such powerful beings standing around her. "T-thank you."

The orange haired man turned to her, an unusually soft expression on his face. "No problem." And he disappeared in a flash step as quickly as he had appeared.

"Wait, what's yo…" the woman called after him, but he was already gone. She turned to the man who was still healing her, he was looking at her inquisitively, obviously wanting to know what she was about to ask. "What was that man's name?"

"That is the Captain of Squad 9, head of the Investigations Department, and leader of the Sereti Protection Force, Captain Ichigo Kurosaki." The Lieutenant replied proudly.

She thought to herself remembering the face of her savior. "I will never forget that name, Ichigo Kurosaki, the man who saved my life."