After leaving the blonde to her thoughts I went shopping for essentials for the journey towards Seireitei. I didn't need much – food could be bought on the way and I already had enough clothes to the journey. But I still went looking for items like maps, cooking equipment, paper (for writing and shitting) and different herbs and spices. The market was supposed to have everything a Rukongai citizen would need.

The 64th district's market was something that described life in the Rukongai perfectly. A combination of streets filled with people pushing each other and kids running beneath their legs, filth and dirt covering the street itself, humid and warm air dampening the surroundings and merchants shouting and yelling about prices. There were a few thugs shaking money out of some poor man in the dark corner near some vegetable stalls, which were in turn being harassed about their high prices ("I could buy me a house o' gold with this kind o' money!"), which in turn were being stolen from by some street urchins. Said urchins were just noticed, and were sprinting away with great vigour from the market guards.

Life was well in the 64th.

Having a tight hold on my wallet, I went and did my business. I bought myself some pots, pans and utensils, a hammock, some odd firemaking device that worked with reiryoku, which cost me half my budget for the day, and some salves for muscle-aches and bruises. I was a regular at the salve-seller, and so got off with only light overpricing. The saleswoman was a vicious haggler.

Wandering back towards my house I wondered. Wondered about my future, about the trip to come. The route to the Seireitei wasn't easy – it's a long journey, going up to eight months on foot. Not to mention the necessary food, shelter and possible crime I (or we, if my small friends would come) might encounter.

I had no doubts that I would go, but I had to wonder. Not only about the journey, but even about life as a soul-reaper. The dangers I would face, the people I would meet; It all was exhilarating, and a bit scary to think about. You never knew about the future.

The weeks passed by in a blur. I did my chores, cleaning out my house and hunting animals. I sharpened my javelin and packed all kinds of useful items for my journey. Dressed in some old shirt and trousers that I wouldn't mind getting dirty I took off towards the road leading into the lower-numbered districts.

Gin and Rangiku had informed me that they wouldn't come with. And I got that, I did. Still hurt a bit. They said that they wouldn't come now, but maybe later in their lives. I just hoped that they would come sooner than later. The kids had talent, after all.

I took one look back at my house and the forest around it. This was it; I wouldn't be coming back. I had a lot of memories of the 64th: good ones and bad ones. I remember how I managed to kill my first hollow – this dog-sized bloodthirsty creature. I remember how Gin and I sparred here – I could even see marks of our scuffles on the trees.

I took off.

It was early in the morning and the sun was just rising, giving the sky a red tint. I had already said my goodbyes, so nobody came to see me off. That didn't mean that the main road to the 63rd was empty, far from it. Numerous wagons and travellers on foot or on horse were going in both ways.

Many new souls think that the districts in Soul Society are clearly defined. I did too – When I learned of districts, I thought that they were separated and self-sufficient. Guess I was wrong. Soul Society is actually an enormous city, filled to the brim. Sure, there might be some forests inside (like the one in the 64th) but compared to the vastness of Soul Society they were more or less parks.

So when I was travelling out of the 64th I wasn't surprised to see no difference in the cityscape. I had heard that from the 10th district and up there were supposed to be some border checks, to keep the 'unsavory' types out. I just hoped that when I got there I wouldn't be considered as one.

After a long day of walking I made camp in a nearby forest. I had just arrived to the 63rd district, but I didn't feel like finding an inn or some small-scale hut to sleep in. Those kinds of establishments were expensive as hell – not to mention the fact that one would probably wake up without their money or belongings.

So I looked for a suitable tree to sleep in. Usually camping out in the wild wasn't smart – even the smallest hollows could kill you if they had the advantage of surprise. That advantage could be fortunately mitigated by hiding your physical presence and suppressing your reiatsu. I did both; I climbed up tree, took my hammock out and tied it up between the tree's branches. Then I suppressed my reiatsu, making it as small as I could. Getting myself comfortable and thanking the nice warm weather I closed my eyes, ready to sleep.

I woke up in a meadow, filled with grass and flowers. I looked around and couldn't see anything else but fields of green. This didn't look like Rukongai.

Where was I?

A dream, maybe? Usually dreams weren't so detailed; I could feel the slight wind blowing and the rustling of the grass. I've had never experienced a lucid dream before, so I couldn't compare this to anything, but I assumed that dreams didn't usually feel this real.

Doing the classic 'trying to wake myself up' routine by pinching myself and blinking rapidly didn't help. It seemed like I was stuck here for now.

So I started walking around, looking for, well, anything. It was pretty serene, and quite nice to just relax and enjoy the weather of my mindscape. I padded along the grass, going in a random direction (not like I had any choice – everything around me was pretty much the same).

But as a went towards the direction I picked, I felt something. Something thrummed, and I felt drawn to a location. I started moving towards whatever was calling for me, and I…

… I woke up, falling from the branch headfirst. Filling my hands and feet with reiryoku I managed to twist in the air, landing on all fours. Looking up, I saw the reason for my fall; a hollow the size of a bear was looming in front of me, already striking with its huge claw. He must've sensed me somehow, and had cracked the tree enough for me to fall down.

The hollow struck true – I didn't have any time to dodge. I tried to redirect the attack, and it worked to a degree. Instead of skewering me through, the hollow sliced through the top part of my left shoulder.

The strike forced me flying backwards, and I landed a few meters away from the monster. I checked my wound as fast as I could, looking for any hollow influences. Sometimes they had acid or paralyzing agents in their attacks, and that could end the fight fast.

I had fought hollows before. In the 64th I did it monthly; There always were some small-time hollows in the forest prowling about. They were strong for their size (most were the size of dogs), but I usually got the drop on them. I was good at suppressing my reiatsu.

Strength factors very little in a situation where there is no chance to use it.

In this situation I couldn't use my suppressing skills to my advantage. The hollow had gotten the drop on me, and I had paid for it. I still believed I could win – it just became harder. I just needed my weapon.

The bear-like hollow didn't want give me time to do that, and started running towards me, its white mask littered with blue stripes glimmering in the moonlight. I had no intention staying where I stood, so I jumped to the side, dodging my enemy's strike.

Ignoring my bleeding left shoulder, I ran towards my javelin. It had fallen with my belongings and was lying on the ground. I heard the hollow screaming – of rage or of something else, I couldn't tell. I could hear its legs stomping, getting closer to me.

Grabbing my javelin, I swiftly turned around, ready to face the corrupted soul. I picked an opportune time to do so – it was already in the air, leaping towards me with its mouth open. Using my enhanced strength, I turned and stabbed my weapon at the hollow's mask.

Hollows had similar weaknesses with humans, they just were absurdly strong or fast. That didn't mean they didn't have weak spots – far from it. As far as I knew, cutting or breaking a hollows mask could kill it easily. I had practiced my swings and strikes and throws for years now, and I knew I could hit a moving target. Especially when it was as big as this one.

So when my javelin destroyed the hollows mask, making the creature scream and writhe and finally collapse into dust, I sighed in relief and closed my eyes.

I didn't have time to rest, though. There could be more hollows about, and I was weak. My javelin was also broken – the metal end twisted to unusable levels and the wooden body of the weapon broken to pieces. A big loss; it cost a lot to buy.

So I huddled towards my fallen and scattered equipment, looking for my salves and bandages to stop my shoulder from bleeding. Finding some, I applied them quickly as possible. The salves burned, making me hiss in pain, but I could feel it directing ambient spiritual power towards my shoulder. They were high-quality salves – the wound was closing, albeit slowly and weakly.

I probably wouldn't be able to use my left shoulder for a while. The salve didn't actually heal. It basically sucked ambient reishi and solidified, making a big plaster. I was pretty sure it also sped up the natural healing process by a bit.

I sat down after that, ready to apply my bandages to make sure I won't break the plaster any time soon. Sitting down and feeling the adrenaline flowing away from me I felt so tired and weary. I would just… lie down for a bit before putting them on. Yeah. Only a few minutes, hollows wouldn't bother me…

"-up, c'mon. Rise and shine."

I grumbled, annoyed that someone had woken me up from my blissful sleep. Since when was it polite waking up sleeping people?

Opening my eyes, I took in my surroundings. Trees everywhere around, bushes covering the place...

Oh shit. I had fallen asleep in the forest. I shouldn't stay here anymore; the hollows might be coming at any moment. I quickly stood up, groaning when my shoulder started aching, and promptly leaned against the tree behind me. Someone was supporting me – I guess I had company.

"Woah, take it easy, idiot. You can't move much with that shoulder," she said, slipping her arm under my uninjured arm and helped me rise. "It might open up if you twist it around much, so don't start flailing."

She helped me up, making it easy to see who my helper was.

She seemed of similar age as me, at least physically. She was slim, with short black hair and sharp features. I could tell the young woman was strong – considering how easily she lifted me up I couldn't doubt it. I could sense that she enforced her muscles with reikyoku.

"How long was I out?" I asked, blinking away the rays of sunlight. It was morning, so I guessed I slept for a few hours.

"How should I know?" she countered, picking up my bag and giving it to me the same time. "I just found you. Not the smartest idea to sleep in the forest. If you didn't know, there are hollows here. You could've died."

And wouldn't I know, I thought, smiling. "I was sleeping on top of the tree. Most monsters don't bother me there, but this one bastard did."

"I figured. You're injured, bad," she said, taking a step back with a frown. "You going to be okay walking out to the district?"

"Yeah, I think -ugh- I can," I said, taking a few test steps to make sure I would be able to move. My legs were completely fine, but the pain in my shoulder felt horrible. Thankfully, it wouldn't feel that bad in a couple of hours. Hooray for mystical reikyoku healing powers. "If there are no distractions, I guess."

I started gathering my belongings from the ground. Nothing was missing, so the only thing I lost was my javelin. A damn shame – I had had it for long. "Thanks for waking me up. I might've been in trouble if you hadn't."

She smiled, and scratched her scalp beneath her dark hair. "No problem. Just don't be a dumbass again. You from another district?"

"Mmhm. 64th, just passing by." Having gathered everything in my bag, I slung it over my better shoulder, wincing a bit. "I'm going to stay for a day or two, though. Get my shoulder a bit better and find a new weapon."

"You going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Seireitei. Going to be a Shinigami."

"Hmm. No shit?" she seemed to ponder something, holding a fist under her chin. "You want to hole up in my place for the time you're here?"

"Uh, I wouldn't mind. But what's in it for you? Would I have to pay?" I frowned. In Rukongai there were no random acts of kindness – there was always an ulterior motive. "I don't have much."

"Nah, you don't need to pay." She smirked, beckoning me to follow her. "I can tell you what I'd want later. C'mon, follow me."

I sighed, thinking about what she would want from me. I could refuse, but I was aching all around, tired, and really wanted to clean myself. She didn't seem like a thief – she would've taken my bags if she was. So I followed her, and we walked towards civilization, she with her arms behind her head and I with horrible shoulder pains.

"By the way – what's your name?"

"Masi. No surname. You?"

She turned around, grinning. "I'm Shino. No surname."