The five psychological stages of death. Apparently people go through them when they are laying on their death bed. What amazed Shuuichi was that he was experiencing those five stages… even after his death.

Denial had been easily defeated when he saw the ambulance crew extracting his own dead and crushed body from his car. He saw it with his own eyes, about a month ago. After that though, he blazed through anger and bargaining rather quickly to settle into depression.

Once again, Shuuichi Ito sat out on the porch of his house at night, remaining silent. He listened to the wind sighing through the trees, and his heart felt as if it were blowing away like dust in the wind. He wore a light black kimono, and a sheathed katana was in his sash, though he didn't know exactly where either of them had come from…

Kue was inside crying again. For the past month, it had been like this. Kue seemed to be walking around in a dream, never speaking to her friends, and hardly ever leaving the house except for work. She just stayed at home and stared at the wall, and cried.

And Shuuichi couldn't talk to her. He couldn't comfort her. He couldn't even hold her. He was far too dead to do that.

A month ago, he had been killed instantly in a car accident. He became a spirit, and discovered that his death had not been an accident. A large dark spirit called a Hollow had killed him, and it was after him and Kue's souls.

He was told this by someone called a Shinigami, or Death God, who had appeared to help him pass on. At first he couldn't believe it, until he saw the Hollow with his own eyes. It killed the Shinigami, and came after Shuuichi and Kue, but at the last moment Shuuichi somehow gained an amazing amount of power, and killed the Hollow.

A Shinigami… He had heard many fairytales of the Grim Reaper, but he never thought that he would appear in the form of a human in a kimono with a katana. He wished he had had more time to ask this "Shinigami" more questions before the Hollow attacked.

He thought that by defeating the Hollow, everything would go back to normal. He was wrong. He was still dead, in the end, and nothing would change that. A day after the incident, Kue found out about her boyfriend's death, and week later attended the funeral. Ever since then, it had been like this.

Though Shuuichi and Kue were right next to each other, they were both utterly alone.

Shuuichi sighed and looked down over his knees at the dark ground. He didn't even notice the approach of a strong spirit force from before him. Only when he heard the snap of a twig did he look up abruptly.

He jumped to his feet and whipped out his katana. He couldn't see anything, but now that he concentrated, he could distinctly feel a strong spirit force from behind one of the pine trees.

"Put away your Zanpakutou," came a female voice from the darkness.

"First of all," said Shuuichi, "I don't even know what that is."

"The sword you hold."

"Oh. Well then, no, I won't."

He saw a short figure in black robes step out from behind the trees, but remained on the edge of the darkness, also with a katana strapped to her hip. She had large eyes and short black hair.

"I am not your enemy."

Shuuichi lowered his sword, but remained wary. "A… Shinigami? I thought there was only one…"

"There are many people who die in the world. One death god would hardly be able to handle that… I am one as well, as are you."

Shuuichi's eyes widened, and he looked down at his sword. "I'm a… Shinigami?" He had been considering the possibility for some time, that he had become the same as the previous guy. After all, he now wore the same clothes and possessed a similar sword.

He slowly put his katana back in its sheath. "And… a 'Zanpakutou,' you say?"

"It means 'Ghost Cutter,' or 'Soul Slayer.' It is the weapon of a Shinigami. How you came to become one, I do not know, but I have orders to bring you back to Soul Society."

"Maybe you should check to see if any Hollows are about," remarked Shuuichi. "Last guy who tried to do that Soul Burial thing got skewered."

She smirked. "There are no more Hollows here. And now that you are a Shinigami, a Soul Burial will not even be required. I will take you directly the core of Soul Society. Normally, through Soul Burial, the souls of humans go to a place called Rukongai, which lay on the edge of Soul Society. Death gods, however, belong in the center, in the Court of Pure Souls, Seireitei."

"And I suppose you will be taking me there?" Shuuichi looked behind him, through the window. Kue was sitting on the couch, her head in her hands. "Kue doesn't even know I'm here. How can I be with someone who thinks I'm no longer a part of this world?"

"You aren't," said the Shinigami. "What is your name?"

"I'm Shuuichi Ito."

The Death God began walking forward, and Shuuichi gasped. Now that she was in a better light, he noticed that she was truly very young. She had to have been only sixteen or so, a few years younger than him! The last Death God had been much older.

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki, of 13th Squad."

"You're a Death God?" said Shuuichi. "You're so young."

Rukia chuckled. "I'm older than you can imagine. Are you ready to go to Soul Society?"

Shuuichi looked back into the house one last time, then nodded to the young Shinigami. Rukia turned away and unsheathed her own sword. She held it up before for a long time, concentrating.

Shuuichi took a step backward when the katana began glowing a bright red. Rukia pulled the sword back as if to strike, and slowly extended. Shuuichi's mouth fell open; the sword seemed to simply vanish away from the world as she extended it, as if slipping it into a fold in dimensions.

"Unlock!" she shouted, turning the sword like a key. The air around the sword bent and bubbled, as if it was radiating an enormous amount of heat. Then what seemed to be wood materialized around the sword, and two large sliding doors appeared, closed upon the katana. The doors slid open, and Shuuichi saw another pair of doors behind them.
"Come, now," said Rukia. "It's time to go. These doors go directly to the Court of Pure Souls, and can only be opened by Shinigami."

Shuuichi warily stepped inside the first pair of doors, and they snapped shut behind him. Looking around, he seemed to be in a small hut of some kind in his own front yard.
Rukia stepped forward, and the second pair of doors slid open. Shuuichi had to cover his eyes, for the light beyond the doors was blinding. The two stepped out into the light, and when Shuuichi's eyes adjusted, they met an astounding sight.

Soul Society was nothing like he had imagined! It was like an ancient Japanese village, complete with samurai-like Death Gods walking to and fro.

"Soul Society is commanded by the Thirteen Court Squads, each with its own Lieutenant and Captain. I am part of the thirteenth squad. Interestingly enough, you are the first Shinigami to appear, and not belong to a squad."

"Will I meet a captain here?" asked Shuuichi, still craning his neck to take in all the sights. Likewise, Shinigami everywhere were tapping each other on the shoulders and pointing at the Shuuichi, and staring at him.

"Normally, it is quite some time before a Shinigami can actually meet a captain. However, your situation is interesting enough to command their attention. I am ordered to bring you before my own captain."

Shuuichi suddenly felt very nervous. He was being brought before one of the 13th Captains. If Soul Society was heaven, would that make the Captain a god?
"Who is he?" asked Shuuichi.

"Captain Juushirou Ukitake."

"Should I be nervous?"

"Absolutely."

Shuuichi sighed, not sure what to say. "Thank you for being kind. I'm very confused."

Rukia smiled. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. The Captain is a kind man."

When the doors of 13th Squad slid open, they found someone already waiting for them. He was a tall, severe-looking man with dark hair, and Shuuichi instantly shrunk back from the man's imposing glare.

"What're you so worked up about?" said the man. "Hey there, Rukia."

"Lieutenant Kaien," said Rukia, bowing, her eyes glowing with admiration. "I have brought the man, as requested."

"Thanks," said Kaien, and he extended a hand toward Shuuichi. "I'm Kaien Shiba, Lieutenant of 13th Squad."

"Hi," said Shuuichi, reaching to shake the hand, but Kaien abruptly pulled his hand away.
"Perhaps you didn't hear me," said Kaien. "I'm Lieutenant here. I suggest you should show some respect, you little brat."

Shuuichi shrunk back, and quickly bowed. "Umm, nice to meet you, Lieutenant. My name is Shuuichi Ito."

Kaien smiled and winked at him. "I was just joking! Think of me as your new friend. Now then, Rukia, I'll take him from here."

Shuuichi sighed and started off with Kaien.

"Umm," began Rukia, and Shuuichi saw that her cheeks had become a little redder. "May I accompany you, Lieutenant?"

"If you want," said Kaien, still smiling. "Come with me then. I'll take you to Captain Ukitake."

They went down the hall some distance, and Shuuichi walked between Rukia and Kaien. After a short walk, they came to a large door that was adorned with the letter 13.

"Captain Ukitake! I'm here with Shinigami!"

"Yeah," came a voice, "come on in."

When they entered, Shuuichi was once again surprised. Instead of a large, golden throne in a clean, amazing hall--like he expected--the room looked quite ordinary. It even looked a little messy. A man with long white hair was laying down in his bed at one side of the room, reading a book.

"Sorry," said the Ukitake, sitting up. "I suppose maybe I should have cleaned up a little. Haven't been feeling that good lately."

"Sick again, Ukitake?" chuckled Kaien, having a seat in the middle of the room. Shuuichi and Rukia followed. "You really ought to get checked out."

"I'll be fine," said Ukitake, standing up quickly. "I've pulled through before, and I'll continue to pull through."

Shuuichi's mouth was hanging open again. THIS was the Captain? He had most certainly expected more from one of the thirteen rulers of Soul Society. His mouth promptly snapped shut as Ukitake approached. It seemed as if a heavy pressure suddenly fell down over his body, and he seemed to have trouble holding himself up.

"Easy there, boy," he heard Ukitake say. "Looks like my spirit power might be a little too much for you."

The pressure let up a little, and Shuuichi saw that Ukitake had stepped back a short distance and sat down on his bed.

"You must be the newbie."

Shuuichi nodded. "I'm Shuuichi Ito. Nice to meet you."

"He learns fast," remarked Kaien.

"If you don't know already," said the Captain, "I am Juushirou Ukitake, Captain of 13th Squad. We've been tracking you for a couple days. Word is that you died a month ago and your chain of fate was broken. A Shinigami from 8th Squad went to perform Soul Burial, but was killed by a Hollow before he had the chance. Shortly after, your chain of fate eroded, and you began to revert into a Hollow yourself. Somehow, you instead became a Shinigami.

"You even crafted your own Zanpakutou from your own spirit energy. A feat like this has never been done before, and we're all curious as to how this came about. Unfortunately, I don't quite have the expertise in this field. It's a good thing I invited someone who does."

As if on cue, a call came from outside the closed door.

"Oy, Ukitake, you called?"

Rukia frowned, looking at the door.

"Enter," said Ukitake.

When the door opened, Rukia gasped, as did Shuuichi. Yet another Captain was standing in the doorway, this one appearing a bit older. He had shaggy, light blonde hair, and a little stubble on his chin.

"Aha!" exclaimed the new Captain. "Nice to see you again, Rukia! And Kaien, a pleasure as always, my boy."

"Captain Urahara!" said Rukia cheefully, turning on her knees to bow to the second Captain.

Urahara nodded brightly at Rukia, then turned upon a dumbfounded Shuuichi.

"Judging by this one's face," said Urahara. "This must be Soul Society's newest Shinigami. I am Kisuke Urahara, Captain of 12th Squad. A divine pleasure to meet you!" He swept into the deepest bow that Shuuichi had ever seen, as if he was greeting some great emperor. Rukia sighed exasperatedly.

Shuuichi couldn't help but smile. Despite the presence of two of Soul Society's rulers, he felt very relaxed. Captain Ukitake was quite friendly, and Captain Urahara seemed--dare he say--somewhat silly. Perhaps Soul Society wouldn't be that bad of a place after all.

"Ah, Rukia-san!" said Urahara brightly, a smile spread across his face. "It's not polite to sigh at a Captain, dontcha know."

Rukia just shook her head, sighing. Kaien was shaking his head too, grinning.

"Oh how my humor does go unappreciated," sighed Urahara. "Just what will I do, Juushiro?"

"How much longer are you going to carry on, Urahara?" said Ukitake, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

"Ah yes." Urahara plopped down on the floor where he stood and scooted closer to Shuuichi. "Seems I must take a look at this here Shinigami."

Shuuichi cringed as he drew closer, expecting a huge pressure to fall over him again, but he was surprised when he felt almost no spirit pressure weighing him down. It seemed Captain Urahara was withholding his power willingly so as not to put any pressure on Shuuichi.

"So," said Urahara, suddenly very serious. "You say he became a Shinigami at the moment when plus souls usually deteriorate into Hollows you say? True this has never really happened before."

Urahara stared at Shuuichi for a long time, to the point that the young Death God began to feel quite uncomfortable. The Captain scratched his chin in thought, his eyes going up and down his body, analyzing his spirit force.

"His soul sleep is generating quite a lot of spirit power. Only one in a few thousand humans actually has this power within them. In fact, since the Quincys were wiped out, I've hardly seen any at all. Every human soul has the power of a Death God within them, but it usually takes hard training to actually be able to become one."

"So why did it happen with this man?" asked Ukitake.

"To put it plainly, luck," said Urahara. "Most plus souls with this kind of power successfully receive a Soul Burial from a Shinigami and are sent to Rukongai. Unfortunately, Shuuichi here failed to receive one, and thus began to revert to a Hollow. Souls are more likely to develop spirit power when they are in danger of termination. Under both the threat of the Hollow that was present, and the threat of actually becoming a Hollow, Shuuichi's spirit power grew exponentially in an extremely short amount of time.

"Because of this, Shuuichi was more easily able to tap into his Shinigami powers—under extreme duress rather than extensive training. It is most likely for this reason that Shuuichi was able to transform into a Shinigami and create his own Zanpakutou in response to the two threats."

"Well, that's quite an interesting situation," said Ukitake, staring up at the ceiling. "And of course, if it happened once, we might expect it to happen again."

"Yes, we might," said Urahara, smiling and considering the possibilities.

"The question is now, what do we do with Shuuichi? I would think since he has already become a Shinigami, we might place him in one of the Squads and--"

"Ah, but that won't do," said Urahara. "Despite having obtained his Shinigami powers, he still is uneducated in the actual ways of the Shinigami. Without that knowledge, he would be dead weight. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to enroll him in the Central Spirit Technique Institute."

"I'm going to school?" blurted Shuuichi, confused.

"Shinigami Academy," said Urahara, grinning. "You are to learn the four central practices to being a Shingami: Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hohou, and Kidou. Swordplay, hand-to-hand combat, footwork, and demon arts. Without at least some knowledge of those four areas, a Shinigami is essentially worthless."

"Right then," said Ukitake. "Looks like it's decided. "Shuuichi Ito. You are to be enrolled in the Central Spirit Technique Institute and be fully educated as a Shinigami. If you successfully complete the stages, you will be inducted into one of the 13 Squads.

"Now then, Kaien, would you be so kind as to escort him, please?"

Kaien, Shuuichi, and Rukia all stood, leaving the two Captains to talk alone. The three of them walked to the front door of Squad 13's building, where Rukia stayed behind.

"Rukia!" Shuuichi called back. "Thank you. I hope to see you again!"

Rukia waved him goodbye and disappeared into the building. As he and Lieutenant Kaien walked away, Shuuichi found himself smiling.

"So, what do you make of this, Captain Urahara?" asked Ukitake as he laid back in his bed.

Urahara leaned against the wall, mulling things over and smiling to himself.

"Interesting. Very interesting, indeed."