Disclaimer: Yep, definitely don't own Bleach. This work is fan made and not for profit. Note that this an AU and premise will become clear as the story unfolds.

Few Notes:

First off, we've got the warnings. There will be character death. That's the whole premise of the story. Ichigo dies and has to become a proper Shinigami/Soul Reaper, not some substitute half-umpteen different things character, which changes the whole dynamic of the story and the development of his powers. Remember, his inner Hollow is Zangetsu (sorta) and all that. Not being part Hollow in the beginning shifts some things. Other characters die as well. No one is safe in this story, cannon and OC characters alike, and there will be plenty of OCs to fill out the world.

Second, characters will be developed beyond what is presented in the series, particularly in the area of romance, which isn't something that is really done at all by Bleach's creator, who has professed no interest in writing romance. I am being vague on the pairings on purpose. I want it to be a surprise, which may hurt my readership considering that is a big advertising point, but I think it's worth it not to create that kind of expectation and let there be a little mystery to it. "Mystery box" as J. J. Abrams would say.

Third, there will be plenty of OC characters, and they will be developed as if they are cannon characters, complete with their own set of virtues and flaws.

Fourth, I find the whole DBZ style extreme power levels thing goes beyond ridiculous in Bleach (like it did in DBZ) and renders less powerful character obsolete. Power matters here, and bankai/shikai stuff works the same, but I'm going to write this a little bit more realistically. I hesitate to use that word because none of it is really realistic. Balanced is a better word. Power levels are not the be-all-end-all, and I have no interest in "aha, I'm more powerful than you" style conversations characters tend to have in Bleach. If a Hollow snuck up behind a sleeping captain and kill him, the captain is dead, no matter who they are or how powerful. Yes, high spiritual pressures can protect the character to a degree, but surprise and skill will matter in this story, and everything is a threat to every character. That way non-captains have a reason to exist other than to say "Goodness, Captain What's-His-Name is awesome" and all that. I find the logic behind the power levels of Bleach to be too much for me to accept, so they are adjusted to the point where I can accept that a world can still exist with them in it.

Five: This is an AU. Things don't happen as they do in the Soul Society arc. Aizen plays the long game and a lot shifts because of that.

Just making sure you know what you're getting into.

Chapter 1

(Ichigo POV)

Cool concrete kissed my shredded cheek. Blood seeped from me by the second and warmth along with it. The intense pain from moments before was now a dull throb.

I lacked the energy to so much as raise my head. The shattered remnants of my zanpakto lay beside me.

"Ichigo," a familiar voice said. Something was wrong with it though. It was soft now, lacking its usual hard, mocking edge.

I managed to look up. The gash on my head was bleeding into my eyes, so I couldn't see shit. Damn it that stings. I used what little strength I have left to wipe it away, then my hand fell to the pavement with a wet slap. I finally got a look at her though even as more bleed trickled down towards my eyes. "Rukia."

"Don't speak," the black haired girl said, leaning forward from her kneeling position. She was wearing her Shinigami garb for the first time since we met that night in my house. "How do you feel?"

My laugh was stifled by a fresh gargle of either bile or yet more of the red shit that my body had to be running out of. "If I can't speak, I can't tell you how I feel. Dumbass."

She forced a smile onto her face. I think her eyes were tearing up. There was a warble in her voice when she spoke again. "You idiot. If you have the strength to complain, you'll be fine."

"I work at a clinic. We both know that isn't true." Wow, I was getting out full sentences.

Rukia flinched. "This is my fault," she whispered. "Had I not come none of this would have happened."

"Don't be stupid. If you hadn't come…" I couldn't finish. My head dropped to the ground.

"Hang on, Ichigo." Rukia held out her hands and began to chant another of her Kido. A golden light projected from her hands and I felt warmth spread over my body. Was this some sort of healing technique? Only recently had she really started to get her powers back. I wonder if that meant mine had also been fading. I hadn't felt a difference.

"Help the others," I managed to say.

"Ichigo." There's that tremble in Rukia's voice again. "There's no one left to help."

"What?"

"They're all dead. Every one of them."

I'd failed. All of this was for nothing.

"I'm so sorry, Ichigo."

I couldn't answer.

"We stopped them though. Karakura Town will be safe."

"Til next time. They'll be coming back. You said it yourself. This place, there's something about it that draws shit here. Next time who will stop them."

"We will. You will."

The cold was beginning to swallow the warmth from Rukia's kido. Whatever she was doing, it wasn't enough. I think the pavement was the only thing holding my innards inside. No way this was going to end well.

"Not next time."

"Don't you dare give up, coward."

She was trying to make me angry. Nice try. I didn't have it in me anymore. "Rukia. Promise me. My family. Protect them."

"Protect them yourself."

"Listen to me." I knew it was stupid. Maybe I was even shortening my already short life, but death would be coming either way I needed to make her understand. I needed her to listen, so I rolled over.

Rukia gasped. She couldn't ignore the evidence of her eyes.

Well, at least now gravity was working for me rather than against me as it did when my open wounds faced downward. "Now will you listen."

I could see the muscles of her face tense as she nodded.

"You have to protect them."

"Protect them yourself," she said again.

"Shut up."

"No you shut up. There's another way. Ichigo, you're dying, but this isn't the end. I owe you so much. I'll find you when you pass over. I'll find you in Soul Society."

"Can that be done?" Soul Society was a big place. Rukia had already confided in me most people were never reunited with their loved ones.

I could see the doubt. You have someone live with you long enough and you begin to know what each little expression means. She was trying to put on a brave face though. "Yes. What you did that first night, there's no way you don't have strong enough spiritual energy to stand out on the other side. The Shinigami are always looking for people strong enough to join them. If I don't find you someone else will. We'll meet again."

I tried to answer, but I couldn't. Dying sort of reminded me of that time I got my wisdom teeth removed. They put the IV in, it burned for a while, then the pain went away. You're still conscious for a time, then you slip away without ever realizing you did in the first place. I expected death to be worse than that. The last thing I remember was Rukia chanting a new incantation, perhaps one helping me on my way.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Oh boy, I wish I could actually explain to you what happened immediately after I died, but the honest answer is I can't quite remember. I know a lot occurred in that interim. I didn't just happen to appear in Soul Society, but it is like my mind blotted out that interim. Maybe that's for the best, I don't know, but I did find myself on the other side eventually. That's when my mind, as I recognized it, began to work like it should.

I was laid out on my back again, though this time soft soil rested under me instead of concrete. Thank goodness for that. There was also a distinct lack of pain. Fuck, I'd almost forgotten what it was like not to be hurting somewhere on my body. I sat up and righted my view of the world. Huh, who would have thought that the afterlife had a blue sky and clouds. Then again, I had been rather dubious on the whole having a body thing after death, but I sure seemed to have one now so there, I was wrong about something.

The view wasn't great. I think I was in an alley between two wooden buildings. In a way, I'd gone from being one sort of street trash to another. Got to admit, I found that sort of funny. It was the humor of the damned, designed to wash away my shame and the images of my last moments on earth. I could still picture Orihime's limp form in the mouth of that hollow, blood flowing out of her mouth, with Tatsuki still attempting to save her. Chad being sucked under the horde of smaller hollows from behind, blood spurting into the air as their little spines and teeth bit into his flesh. I would never forget that bloody day. Damn it, none of them ran when I told them to. They tried to help me. They died for it. Yeah, I really was fucking trash. I failed them all. Dying once wasn't enough for that.

Then it hit me. They died. They might be in Soul Society. Rukia told me it was more likely for friends and family to find each other if they died around the same time. I needed to find them. I couldn't make my failure right, but I could protect them here. Spirits could die just the same as living people, and they'd be in a world completely unknown to them.

I scrambled for the alley's exit and found myself in a marketplace filled with stalls and people. It was framed by wooden shacks on all sides. The ones on the right reminded me of European style farm houses, whereas the ones on the left looked like they'd been shit out of a Kurosawa samurai flick with an extra helping of mud. Don't know why, but the diversity of the people in the marketplace astounded me. I don't know what I expected to see, but I'd spent all of my life in Japan and as far as I could tell Rukia was also Japanese. Maybe I thought Soul Society would also be filled with people of similar heritage. Duh, idiot. Turns out the world is filled with people who look different from you. There were people of all kinds here, from the blond haired blue eyed Germanic type dude trying to purchase a putrid pink tunic to the group of people chatting amongst themselves who had to have been from the Indian subcontinent. A smiling black man jostled me as he passed by and gave me a polite apology. In fact, I think I was the only Japanese person on that street. Newsflash dumbass, there are people in the world different from yourself. Guess I just hadn't expected that.

The second big surprise in store for me was the fact I understood everyone as they passed me by chatting to a companion or bartering with a shop keeper. Now I don't think it very likely all these dead people from different times and parts of the world all spoke my language, but I understood every word I heard. Maybe it was a sort of Soul Society magic or something. I guess there'd have to be some way for people to communicate with each other or there'd be utter chaos with dead people from everywhere thrown about willy nilly in this afterlife. Maybe it's like the Dr. Who Tardis; you know, the blue box thing from that show that is the only export from Britain other than Harry Potter that everyone seems to know. I think it translates everything for the characters.

The stalls and clothes were like a blast from the past. There was not a single microwave, cellphone or TV in sight. Even the clothes were like something out of the Edo period. Well, maybe a little bit further ahead than that. Damn, if I'd paid attention more in history class I could probably tell you the specifics, but it was all old and foreign to me. Again, not all of it was Japanese in origin, at least not as far as I could tell. There was one dude going by dressed in furs like some barbarian and another in what looked to me like a toga. Nothing looked like it came out of Calvin Klein as far as clothes went. None of those stalls sold food either. Sure there were a lot that sold water, but nothing as far as food went.

I didn't have time to ponder that. I needed to find the others. I started weaving through the crowd, looking for any familiar face. I got that same feeling that comes with adrenaline pumping. Don't know if my body really had adrenaline now or some spiritual equivalent, but the reaction was the same. The familiar fear that comes from a friend in danger came upon me. I found myself calling out their names. Sick thing is, not too many of the people around me paid me much attention. They glanced at me, but didn't say anything or try to stop me. How many times have they seen this sort of thing? Some new soul that thinks they can find friends or loved ones by shouting for them in a panic. This must be an old show to a lot of them.

What really amped up the fear to me was when I got to the edge of the market place and saw a body hanging from a cross. I don't know how long he'd been left there, but someone had damn well crucified the poor bastard. Next to the cross was some sort of graffiti. Maybe the name of a local street gang if this place was anything like my home. Bellatorum. That was the name. There was also a word carved on the chest: snitch. Didn't take a brainiac to figure out what that was about.

Damn, how brutal was this place that someone gets nailed up there like this and no one takes them down? Whenever Rukia described it Soul Society sounded like a paradise. Then again, she was usually describing it to scared spirits she was about to send there. How much of that was a lie? Come to think of it, if everyone that doesn't do enough shit sick to wind them up in hell comes here then there is no way this place could be paradise. Think about it; the bigotry, the hatred, the cultural differences, all of that is still there, plus a lot of very upset people that were expecting paradise, nothing, or at the very least something really different than what was waiting for them after they died. So now they no there's no divine reward for good behavior keeping them in check. Add in the fact that most lovers and families might never be reunited and you've got a powder keg of resentment. Lots of people come into this world with nothing and they don't have families already here to provide for them, so there's probably a lot of desperation too.

That was when I broke out into a run, dashing down street after street, calling the names of every one of my friends who died, heedless of the looks I kept getting. I don't know how long I did that for, but the city seemed to be endless. No surprise there, it's the afterlife for virtually all human beings on the planet, and some of them could be hundreds of years old, so it's going to be big, but I lost all sense of direction. There was a sun there though and it was beginning to set after what had to be hours. I still hadn't found a single one of them. Fuck, shouldn't they have ended up somewhere near me? Maybe by going in one direction I'd messed everything up because they had been near me and I just put more distance between us. There was no way I could find my way back. I didn't know where I'd been.

It was after my shouts had become little more than hoarse cries that I heard a response. It was a garbled call, but it was just as panicked and desperate as mine. I went for it, calling out the name that had earned me a response. "Tatsuki!" I repeated it over and over. Then I found the source of the voice.

It was bronze skinned blond guy. He was calling out the name of a woman. When he spotted me the hopeful look on his face fell into one of anguish. His cheeks were wet with the signs of tears. Without a word to me he kept on running. He didn't spare me another look. He was shouting again after a few strides.

My throat burned, my sides and chest hurt. I hadn't been running the whole time. Doing that would have killed me back when I was alive. As it was now, I still felt like I was going to die. I was thirty, hungry and alone. There was probably a currency in this world, and I didn't have any of it. Maybe there was some sort of system in place to help down on their luck new arrivals. Maybe. Not very likely. No one stopped me once in all this time. I was getting the impression I'd ended up in a dog eat dog world.

Hunger. Thirst. Pain. Yep, checks on all those. I don't know if I need food or not, but I used to see Rukia eat, drink, and nap, so unless someone told me otherwise, I'm going to do all of those. Spirits could be destroyed or killed. That much I knew. I don't know what it would take, but I'm going to play it safe and assume anything that would kill me before could kill me now. I had to survive first so I could find the others. Food and water. I would get those next. I could figure out the rest later.

I started to look around for anything that might lead me to either. Maybe if I found one of those markets I could work out a deal, work for food and drink. That is if any of them had food. None of the ones I'd spotted so far did. If I felt hunger here then that meant someone else did, so there had to be a way to find food. Water could be taken care of if I found a stream or anything like that. Would I need to boil the water or was bacteria even a thing here? Spirit germs. That didn't sound like fun at all. If I could, I would. Better safe than sorry for now. Who ever thought I'd be the one fucking saying that? I couldn't take risks right now though. Too many people were counting on me for that.

I passed by rows of houses. There were fewer and fewer people on the street as it got dark. Soon there were none at all. Now, Karakura Town didn't have much of a night life, but even then there were some people were out after dark. Their complete absence did not bode well. I decided I would head for the parts of town that looked to have the most lights. That seemed the best bet I had.

A sound caught my attention and diverted me from my plans. Laughter. There were a lot of people laughing. That alone wasn't a bad thing, but the way they were laughing sounded off to me. It was like those bastards who beat Chad with a rock and tried to torture him. They'd made the same sort of cruel tittering noise. The reaction of my body was instinctive, and the anger that welled up in me primal. I'd just promised myself I wouldn't take needless risks, but I stalked out towards the sound.

The scene before me might have been one from a different world, but it was familiar enough to me. Eight guys surrounded two other figures, both of them on the ground. They were laughing and joking with each other, and between comments they would kick one or the other. Against the wall there were several riding bicycles. Yes, bicycles. Not horses, not motorcycles, this gang operated on something I learned to ride at age twelve. The only things sillier would have been unicorns or pigs. What killed any chance of mocking laughter were the two crude crosses leaning against one of the wooden buildings near the scene. There was a hammer and pile of big nails the size of pitons. Those couldn't be meant for anything good.

Naturally, I did the only thing a person with common sense wouldn't do when faced with this sort of scenario. "Hey, hold you fucking losers," I called out.

They stopped alright, all eight of them turning to look at me. Each one of them had a tattoo of a gladius on some part of their body, with several of them bearing multiple other tatts.

"What did you say?" The one that said that had his sword tattoo over skin round his eye.

"You talking to us?" Another much bigger one said that. This second one had the tattoo on his stomach. That must have hurt.

The two clichés gave me an unexpected feeling of warmth and nostalgia. This more than anything else felt familiar here. I was no longer an alien in a strange new world. This was just like back at home, and I wasn't looking at spirits of dead people, I was just facing down another group of little sadistic, cranky ass bitches. No problem.

"What do you think you all or doing?" I had to meet cliché with cliché right. It was tradition.

"Something that ain't none of your business."

"What did those two do?" Did it really matter? Who deserved to be beaten and then crucified.

"They stole food from us," said the one with the eye tatt.

"Maybe they were hungry. You ever think of that?"

All of the guys laughed. "A lot of people are hungry." One said.

"You must be new, so let me explain it to you," Eye-tatt seemed to be a sort of leader. "Everyone in Soul Society likes to eat. It's a wonderful luxury that makes you strong, but they won't die if they don't get it. Well, most of them won't. Only those with strong spirits needs it. I mean, we're reasonable men, right boys? We wouldn't beat poor thirsty orphans if they wanted water or nothing, but these guys stole a luxury good from us. That's just insulting. They need to be taught some manners."

"Maybe they're the sort that will starve to death. Ever think of that?"

"If they were, then they shouldn't be little pussies. Either way, it won't be their problem anymore."

"I'm about to be your problem," I said without thinking. Yep, I was in it now.

"Gupta, show this little prissy boy we mean business. If he runs fast, maybe he won't go on a cross like the others."

The guy with the stomach tatt smiled and started forward. He was reaching out for me when I made my move. I ducked under him fast, struck him in the stomach, and when he doubled over in pain I grabbed his head and drove me knee up into it twice. Then I brought my elbow down on the back of his head. Dude went down. He didn't get back up.

The remaining seven stared at me in quiet silence.

"Unless I miss my guess, he was the biggest of you, wasn't he?" I smile. This felt good. I wasn't a bully by nature. At least I don't think so. If I was then I was only a bully to other bullies. Guess that's sort of the same as being a bigot that hates bigots or a thief who steals from thieves. It wasn't right, but at least as an ideal it made me feel superior even if I really wasn't.

"Dumbass, in case you can't count, there are still seven of us. Now you're going up on that cross for sure."

"What, you need your boys' help to take a shit too? Why don't you step up here and we'll see who can do more than talk tough?"

This was the make or break moment. I'd been in this sort of situation before, so let me tell you how it goes. Taking on the group isn't going to go well. That doesn't mean I haven't done it before, but in that case survival is a victory in and of itself. My best shot is taking out the lead guy and using that to intimidate the others, and if I can isolate him, I can beat him. I've called him out and threatened his ego and status in front of his friends. If he's smart, he can come up with a sarcastic comment or joke that plays it off then he'll sic his boys on me. If he's dumb, he'll try to prove he's tough and come at me one on one.

Turns out he was dumb. "Stay back boys. I'll show you how it's done. I'll nail this one up myself." As he approached, he bent and picked up the hammer. He pulled out a knife with the other hand. Okay, dumb but well-armed. He didn't rush in at me. He approached in a slow, cautious manner. "Do you know who you're messing with? We are the Bellatorum: the warriors!"

I wonder why the word Bellatorum didn't immediately translate in my mind. Maybe because it was a proper name. I guess that made sense, otherwise names from different languages and cultures would probably translate too into the equivalent version of the listeners own.

The fight began when we started to circle each other. I kept my hands out on either side to stay balanced, and so that I could intercept an attack with either weapon. I didn't have to wait long. He rushed me with the knife first. I thought it was a feint to test me, but it turned out to be a real strike. I only just got out of the way, the blade slicing into my shoulder. Turns out people in the spirit world can bleed. The red liquid seeped down my shoulder. Eye-tatt swung the hammer around with his other arm.

I had to reach out to catch him at the wrist before he could build up too much momentum. This put us into a sort of stalemate, but a lopsided one as my injury and his weapons would push things over to his favor too quickly.

He pushed forward, trying to get at me with either arm that I now held back.

I brought my knee up to strike him in the stomach. I succeeded, making him grunt, but he was able to push forward while I was still on one leg. We both crashed to the ground, him on top of me. I lost my grip on his knife arm, which meant the blade was soon used against me again, slipping between two of my lower rips.

"Not so tough now, are you."

Yet another thug cliché made me grin, despite the situation. "Dude, are all of your lines ripped from Disney movie henchmen?" Out of the corner of my eye I spotted the pile of piton-like nails. They were within reach, and I had a free hand now.

"Fuck you." He tried to pull the knife out, but it didn't come out all the way. It was caught on my ribs.

It hurt, don't get me wrong, but the mishap brought me just enough time to seize one of the nails and attack blindly with it. The metal found one of his big blue eyes and dug in deep, as in like two or three inches deep.

Eye-tatt screamed and rolled off of me. He tried to regain his feet, but he stumbled in his mindless agony, falling forward to the ground. The result was gruesome. The fall drove the nail the rest of the way in with a wicked squelch.

The Bellatorum and I stared at the horrific sight for a few moments. Then I got to my feet. I had to make good on this moment even as a sense of numbness descended upon me. I'd just killed someone. I'd never killed someone before. All the hollows I defeated were simply purified and sent to the Soul Society. This guy was really dead. I hadn't actually intended to strike such blow. I couldn't mope about it though. I grabbed the knife and worked the blade out. Fuck that hurt. I didn't cry out. Their expressions told me the effect that had.

"Who is next," I said, holding up the knife.

They were gone, leaving their little bikes behind. Gupta followed, though in a different direction. I wonder if I'd hit him so hard he couldn't tell left from right.

"That's what I thought."

"Who are you?" Said one of the two would-be victims as they got up off of the ground. One of them was a big guy with back hair I could have sworn was Chinese. The other, shorter guy was dark skinned and had his head shaved close. I say shorter because he was smaller than his compatriot. He was about as tall as I was.

"Names Ichigo Kurosaki. I guess you could say I'm the new guy on the block. What about you two?"

"Names Xiao Lee," said the big guy.

"Caleb Nwosu," said the other. "You're hurt."

"Don't worry. I know how to handle it. My family ran a clinic. You wouldn't happen to have some bandages though, would you?" I said that while still bleeding from my wounds.

"Could use his clothes," Xiao Lee said, walking right past me to the fallen form of Eye-tatt. "I could rip off a few pieces for you."

"Rather use my own. They don't have someone else's blood on them. There are such things as blood transmitted diseases." At least, I thought there were. Were there here? The same potential problems existed if either Lee or Caleb ripped off a piece of their clothes. Theirs had fresh blood stains too.

"Suit yourself," Xiao Lee muttered with a shake of his head. "No food on this one. Got his coin though." He held up a small bag of money. I knew it was money cause I heard it jingle.

Caleb came over to me and started to help me rip off my sleeve to serve as a bandage. "We can use that to get more. What about you, Ichigo, do you want some food?"

"He's obviously new, Caleb. He doesn't know if he needs to eat or not. Why waste it on him we're sure."

"He saved us, Xiao. He didn't have to. I think that earns him a share."

"Whatever."

"Yeah, I'm new." I said. "But I'm also pretty hungry." I winced as I began to tie the bandage around the more serious of the two injuries. I'd need better than this soon. "I'm from Japan. Kind of died not too long ago."

"I guessed from the name," Caleb gave me a smile. "Though I thought it was a girl's name. Am I wrong?"

I felt a familiar anger return. "Don't fuck with me about my name."

Caleb got the hint. "Hey, no offense meant. I'm from London."

"What about you, Xiao? China right?"

"What the hell is that? No, man. I was born here in Soul Society."

"Oh," I said as Caleb wrapped another piece of cloth around my arm. "Didn't know that happened."

"It happens a lot, dumb ass."

"Who are you calling dumb ass."

"The one who can't even realize I'm talking to him, that's who."

"Guys!" Caleb held up his hands. "Let's calm down. Lee, this guy did just save us."

"I had it handled. Was about to make my move."

"Yeah, you really looked capable there on the ground."

"Shut up, carrot top."

"Enough," Caleb's voice had changed. It held no hint of appeasement anymore. It was deeper, more forceful.

For some reason Xiao Lee listened.

"Hey," I said, deciding to take advantage of the shift. "I'm looking for people who came over with me."

"You mean died when you did?"

"Yeah, that." I couldn't help but wince as a fresh surge of humiliation hit. I tried to shake it off. This still wasn't the time to wallow it in. "How would I find them?"

"You lucky enough for the impossible to happen. My advice, give up on finding them, and start looking out for yourself."

"You just can't stop pushing can you?"

"He's trying to help you, Ichigo," Caleb said as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "I went through something similar when I got here. A lot of people do. I was so focused on finding my family that I almost got myself killed several times. This place is practically endless, and it's very dangerous"

"There are only a few things that could have happened to them, none of which you can change. If they appeared in the inner districts, they're probably much better off. Possibly, if they're not assholes like you, they'll be adopted into one of the many ad hoc families that form up in the Soul Society. That sort of thing is pretty common. If that happens, they'll be alright no matter where they popped up in the inner or middle districts." Xiao Lee finished with the body and stood up. "If they appeared in one of the outer districts like this place, they're probably already dead. If not, they will be soon."

"Fuck that. I'm going to find them."

"Even if you do, the outer districts do things to people. Tell me, Ichigo, have you ever killed someone before tonight?"

My breath caught in my throat. I managed to get out the word "No."

"And this is your first night here?"

"Yes."

"Because of that killing, you get to live another day. Your friends have either already learned that lesson or they're dead."

"If they ended up in the outer districts," Caleb added. "There are so many places they could have ended up, that might not be the case."

"I've got to find them. I will find them, no matter where they've ended up."

"Heard that before. Haven't known someone yet who made good on that claim. Take my advice, cause it's the best way I can repay you. Look after yourself." Xiao Lee gave Ichigo a said look. "I was born here with a family already and I'm the last one. Even people that know this place don't last long in the outer districts. You either eke out a living here, or find a way to escape. Those are your options. Me, I don't plan to stay in this shit hole forever. I'm not going to die here.

"Come on, Ichigo. You can stay with us for tonight."

"He can?" Xiao Lee didn't look pleased at that.

"He earned it."

"Fine."

"Hey, Xiao Lee." I got the guy to bring his attention back on me

"Yeah?"

"You said people could leave the outer districts. How is that?"

"Lots of ways, none of them easy. If you can get past the gangs and find someone to vouche for you with the gangs of that area, you could just move, but that sort of thing comes with a hefty cost and high chance of death. You could end up a servant of a higher house if you're really lucky. Or, if you have a high spirit pressure, you could end up leaving to become a Shinigami." Xiao Lee smiled. "That's how Caleb and I are getting out."

"You know how to find the Shinigami?"

"Of course. Every now and again there's always someone who works for them that scours the place looking for people with high enough spirit pressure. You just got to find those recruiters or get to one of their places yourself. What, you think you got what it takes? You just got here."

"You're damn right I've got what it takes."

"How would you know?"

"Cause I've already been one. A substitute Shinigami anyhow."

The two stared at me, disbelief etched in their features.

"Besides, I need their help."

"You know they won't help you find your friends and family. You're expected to leave that behind unless you're from a noble house," Caleb explained to me in a hesitant voice. It was clear he thought I was living in a fantasy world.

"They'll help me. I know one of them."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Any of you know Rukia Kuchiki?"