Chapter Two: Where am I?

Ryoko slowly opened her eye slightly and looked around. Her eyes widened and she sat up quickly. She was in a forest, and she was sitting in the middle of a path. It seemed as though she was alone.

She slowly stood up and looked around once more, scared and confused. "M-m-mommy…?" She whispered, trembling and hugging herself. "D….daddy?" She started walking in a random direction. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care since she was completely lost. All she wanted was to be back in her house with her brother and parents. Tears formed on the edges of her face, and she hugged herself tighter, feeling the breeze on her body. When she looked down to where the air felt coolest, she realized there were scars on her body from the fire. Her eyes widened at the sight. "MOMMY! DADDY!" She screamed. No answer.

She took another step before hearing some bushes move around. She turned to the bush and smiled. "Mommy?" What emerged from the bushes was not her mother nor her father. It was in actuality some thugs who cornered her.

"Well now, what do we have here?" One of the thugs said, his voice slurring. He had a bald head, and his clothes looked like a checkered tablecloth. Ryoko took a few steps back before bumping into another thug. When she tried to run, he grabbed her and gripped her tightly, making her scars burn.

"Seems to me like this girl must have pretty high Spiritual Pressure. Eh, Ratsel?" He looked toward the bushes, and a man dressed in a black shikakusho appears from behind it, a smug grin on his face.

"Indeed." Ratsel said, "I never expected to find someone like her when I felt that spike of reiatsu." Ryoko stared at him in complete shock. What's reiatsu? She thought. She looked down toward his waist and froze. A sword. What was he doing with a sword?!

He caught her staring at it, and unsheathed it, pointing it at her. "Do you like it?" He smirked. "This is my zanpakuto. I hope you like it, because it will be the last thing you see." He walks up to her. "That power of yours… will soon be mine." Ryoko's eyes widened as he raises his zanpakuto.

"Hado #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!"

Suddenly, two balls of blue fire shot at Ratsel from the left. "Tch!" He jumped back out of the way at the last second, landing a few feet from where he was standing before. He turned toward where the Hado came from, and his eyes instantly narrowed in anger. "You're… Captain Ukitake!" Ryoko quickly looked over at a tall man with white hair. He was wearing the same thing as Ratsel, but he was wearing a white haori over it. Ryoko trembled in the thug's hands.

Ukitake walked toward Ratsel as multiple people run out behind him and surround the thugs, all of them in a shikakusho. "Former Squad 13 Third-seat, Ratsel Higumorri, you are under arrest."

Ryoko stares at Ukitake in shock, as did Ratsel. "Do you really think you can stop me?!" He yelled, and ran toward Ukitake, urging all the thugs (minus the one holding Ryoko) to follow him. A couple men appeared suddenly in front of Ratsel, and they both stabbed him. Ryoko screamed and tried to run, but the thug held her close. Ratsel turned toward the thug, blood coming out of the side of his mouth. "K-kill the damn girl!"

The thug smirked and took out a knife, holding it to Ryoko's throat. Ryoko started to cry as the blade drew a little blood. She looked at where Ukitake stands, her expression begging for help. She blinked, and her eyes widened when Ukitake suddenly disappeared, and the knife was not at her throat anymore. She turned around and saw Ukitake standing there with his sword through the thug's chest. She took a look around and saw all the other thugs were killed as well. Ukitake took a couple steps toward her, and she quickly tuned to him and backed away, tears still flowing out of her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. I won't hurt you." Ukitake held out his hand and knelt down, a kind smile on his face.

She took another step back, but then stopped. "Y-you're not… g-going to hurt me…?"

"Of course not." He replied.

Ryoko took a couple cautious steps toward him until she was right in front of him. *sniffle*

He put a hand on her head and gently rubbed it. "Well now, you seem to be pretty strong. Your Spiritual Pressure is phenomenal for a small child like yourself."

Spiritual Pressure… That thing those guys talked about before… "W-what's Spi-ri-tu-al Pre-ssure…?" She had to sound out the phrase, since it was kind of hard to say. "A-and what are you…?"

"My name is Jūshirō Ukitake, the captain of Squad 13 in the Sereitei."

"S-Se-rei-tei?" She said, still kind of struggling.

He nodded. "Yes. It's where Soul Reapers live. They help souls like you find there way into the Soul Society."

"O-oh…" She frowned, then looked around. "Where's mommy and daddy?"

"I'm not sure." He paused for a moment. "What's your name?"

She looked at him. "R-Ryoko… Ishida…"

"Well now," He said, standing up. "Would you like to come with me to the Sereitei? You seem very capable, and the Sereitei is a safe place for you." His smile remained on his face, showing no signs of hostility, and his eyes were very soft.

She looked up at him as he stood up. Pausing for a minute, she thought to herself. She had no family anymore, and she didn't know anyone here other than Captain Ukitake. She smiled happily and nodded. "Okay…" She gripped the sleeve of his haori tightly, and stood close to him.

He looked down at her. "Hold on tightly, okay?" With that, he started moving very quickly, almost making her lose her grip when Ukitake held her tightly so she wouldn't fall back. Ryoko looked back at the forest, thinking about those thugs and that "Soul Reaper". Then she looked around her and Ukitake. The other Soul Reapers that she saw with him were around them, though most of them were behind. Even though she knew for a fact they saved her, she was still scared that they would try and kill her. After a few minutes, they all stopped at a large gate. Ryoko looks up at the large gate, and the gatekeeper in front of it. The Gatekeeper saw Ukitake then turned and grabbed the gate, hoisting it up after a few grunts. Ukitake smiled and looked at Ryoko. "Well, Ryoko, here we are. Welcome to your new home."