Split Between Worlds
There is a churning at the bottom on her stomach. Rukia tries to be calm but the nervous, fluttery feelings persist.
The guide, an older shinigami with scars littered across his face, is talking. She nods and murmurs a thank you even when she hasn't heard a word. But Rukia knows all the perils of this journey. There is life out there but also death.
The human world is just beyond her. Rukia doesn't have any memories of when she was alive. She was too young when she died, when she entered the spirit world.
Now she is entering the human world. It is cold here, the air rushes out towards her. The lights are bright and are everywhere. Sounds she has read about it books come to life. Everything to Rukia is chaos and mystery.
She loves it. The sights, the colours, the sounds are intense and brilliant. She even spots a giant rabbit, waving his hand merrily in the air.
Rukia knows that she cannot enjoy the pleasure of the human world. She cannot help but notice sometimes, how girls who look her age - though Rukia is older than their grandparents - laugh carelessly.
When she returns, the spirit world seems almost dull.
But when she places her hand on her weapon, she feels glad, proud that she is a shinigami.