Chapter 2

As he wandered the streets of Rukongai, he marveled at the sights he saw, the buildings, the friendly people, and especially the smell of the various foods in the air. Despite being a physically fit guy, he wasn't one to turn down food, but since he was broke, he could not afford to eat the delicious source of the appetizing aroma of teriyaki beef his nose picked up. As he practically floated along the streets guided by his nose, something caught his attention as he admired the yakitori being cooked by a street vendor. He saw a man who fit the description the woman in the black robes gave her, walking the streets eating from a tray of takoyaki. He rushed to him

"Excuse me, excuse me sir."

"Yes, can I help you?" The man said to him.

"I have two questions. The first one is, are you Jushiro Ukitake? And two, are gonna eat the rest of that?" He said as the long haired man burst into laughter.

"Haha, I like you, no one has made me laugh like that in quite a long time. The answer to your question is yes, I am Jushiro Ukitake, captain of the 13th division of the Gotei 13. And yes, I am going to finish this, but since you look quite hungry, you can have some if you wish."

"Oh, thank you" he said as he bowed his head in a grateful, but rather comical manner. He then proceeded to take two pieces from the tray he was holding and proceded to inhale the two fried, sauce covered dumplings of octopus, ginger, various scraps of tempura, and green onion.

"Wow, you must really be hungry. I haven't seen you around here before. You look western, so I guess you're from America and judging by the cross around your neck, I guess it's safe to say that you are a Christian. But you should be in your heaven with your God, why are you here?" The captain asked him.

"I was attacked by a hollow, but I was saved by a soul reaper by the name of Rukia Kuchiki and brought here. Before she performed the Konso to send me here, she asked me to seek you out so that I can become a soul reaper." The captain smiled.

"If you were attacked by a hollow then obviously you posses enough reiatsu to make you a target to it. You look like a very level headed person, so I could write you a recc-" another blood curdling howl pierced the afternoon sky. "A Hollow, how'd it get through the barrier? Quick, find someplace safe, I'll take care of this." He ran behind the yakitori cart, but peeked his head around the corner to watch what would happen. He saw the man unsheathe his sword and chant an incantation "All waves, rise now and become my shield. Lightning, strike now and become my sword. Sogyo no Kotowari." After he said his command, the one sword then became two. The two swords both had a rather peculiar extension roughly about a foot above the hand guard. They were connected by a red, rope-like chain with five rectangular metal charms hanging from various places. He assumed his stance and engaged the intruding hollow. Masterfully handling his swords, he managed to summon lightning and water in some of his attacks. The monster fired an energy blast from its mouth, which he just held up his left sword. Surprisingly, the attack appeared to go into the blade, channel through the rope and blast out the other sword even faster. The blast of recycled energy hit the intruding hollows head, which let out the same blood curdling howl before dissipating. "Come with me, we must report this to the head captain."

"Why do you need me?" He asked

"You're a witness, you have to come." He turned to one of the two attendants following him. "Sentaro, go tell Yamamoto-sama that we need an audience with him."

"Yes,sir."

"Now that that's taken care of, would you please tell me your name?"

"Why"

"Because we are going to file your recommendation directly with the leader of the entire Gotei 13 himself, he founded the soul reaper academy."

"Well, in that case, my name is Seth, Seth Adams."

"Alright, let's go Seth."

As they headed towards the Gotei 13 headquarters, Seth noticed a cemetery. "Excuse me, captain, but why is a cemetery here? I thought this was the afterlife for you?"

"Yes this is, but residence here is only temporary. We are still mortal, but the aging process here is far slower than that on earth. Why, The head captain is over 2,000 years old. I, on the other hand, am pushing 300."

"Wow! So where does somebody go after they die here?"

"They are reborn in the world of the Living."

"Ah, that's convenient."

"You may say so. Ah, here we are, Gotei 13 headquarters. The head captain's office is here, we shouldn't keep him waiting."

The walked down a long hallway, at the end of which was a large door. The opened it, and there was an old man wearing a long white coat similar to Jushiro's. He was surrounded by 11 other soul reapers, each of them wearing the same white coat over their black robes. "So, captain, tell me about what happened." The old man asked of him.

"I was attacked by a hollow in the northern Rukongai, district 33. It was no difficult challenge, so I managed to dispatch it with little effort."

"Very well. Any collateral damage?"

"Aside from what the hollow caused, none."

"Good, you are dismissed captain"

"Thank you, sir. But before I go, I would like to introduce you to this young man right here. This is Seth Adams, an American and a Christian. He was attacked by a hollow when he was alive and brought here by Kuchiki-san. He has expressed interest in becoming a Soul Reaper."

"A Christian, eh? I can understand why he didn't go to his heaven. Why do you wish to become a soul reaper, Seth?"

"It is my mission from God. To protect the people of Soul Society, as well as those in the living world."

"Very well, your cause is just. You start at the academy next month, you will stay with Captain Ukitake until we find suitable living arrangements for you."

"Thank you, sir."