CHAPTER TWO: THE ESCAPE

After the rain stopped I got up. It was time.

"Where are you going?"

I turn around. It's Lucy-sama.

"Oh," I take off my haori. "I'm going to the human world."

"Hpmh," she says. "I didn't think you'd be one to do this, Sada-chan, but I've been wrong before. That old man really hates you, so you were probably going to get expelled from your captain's position anyway."

I let the haori drift out the window. It shatters into thousands of spirit particles and returns back to the artificial air.

"You're right. I'm never going to be captain again."

She notices that I seem a little depressed.

"Well, whatever you do Sada-chan," she slaps my back, "know that I'll always support your decision, 100%."

"Thanks Lucy-sama."

I walk out the door.

"Oh, and Sada-chan."

I turn around. "Eh?"

She grins.

"Don't drown in a puddle again you stupid baka! Or else I'm going to bust open that senkai gate, go over there, and beat the shit out of you!"

She remembered that… whoops…

I smile.

"Don't worry! I'll be careful!"

I walk down the wooden path.

And I never look back.

The gate to the human world opens. It is monstrous. Ten times higher than me. It is glowing a blinding white.

I stand there for a while, struck with awe at its massiveness. Then I take one final look at Soul Society. The bright blue sky, the ancient white buildings, even some of the shinigami I see running around in the distance.

"I'm going to miss this place…" I say aloud.

I almost forget why I'm leaving, but as soon as I look at the Meeting House, I remember why. I'm leaving because I don't belong here. Truthfully, I never did.

"Hey you."

I turn around and get kicked in the face by the short little white-haired captain.

"Gah! Hitsuguya? What-?"

He grimaces. "Where are you going?"

…Crap.

"Uhh… ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…"

"Baka. Do you really think that running away will fix all of your problems?" he spat. "And not only that, but you didn't even tell me that you were leaving. Or Ukitake. How did you think we would feel about this?"

He gives me a moment to let his words sink in.

Then I remember. "You both were captains before me. You have lived most of your lives without ever knowing me. So you could easily carry on without me, if you needed to, of course."

"Baka! Do you even listen to yourself sometimes!" He grits his teeth. "You really are an idiot!"

He realizes that he's yelling, and looks away. He doesn't want me to see his face.

"Whatever," he says. His voice is wavering. "Just go. It's not like I care or anything."

I stare at him, paralyzed. I never thought that any of the captains would care if I left. Especially Hitsuguya. He's not the most sociable captain in the Gotei 13, you know. And he never seemed to care about what I did. He only became friends with me because I knew Ukitake.

"Well, what are you waiting for," he says. "You were planning on leaving, weren't you?"

I recover from my shock and stand up.

"Right." I look at him one last time. "Goodbye, Hitsuguya-kun."

I enter the gate.

I run through the dark tunnel. Thankfully, the "cleaner" isn't here today. I jump out of the other end of the tunnel, my haori flying behind me and gracefully land on the ground.

I still feel bad about leaving Hitsuguya-kun. And Uki-kun of course. But I didn't realize that it would matter so much. I've left a lot of people in the past, and they've been happy enough without me. Why does Hitsuguya care?

But aside from that, I need a gigai… But doesn't Urahara live near here? Sigh… I guess I have to ask him to make one for me.

I flashstep around Karakura Town. I sense Urahara's reiatsu as I stop in front of a shack-like little candy shop.

So this is where he's been hiding…

I slide open the wooden door and start looking through the candy bars.

Chocolate… Vanilla… Strawberry… Marshmallow… Avocado…

"Hey! Who are you?"

A boy with red hair and a spiky baseball bat appeared. Then another, a girl with two ponytails walked out from behind a door with a large wrapped something or other on her back.

"Are you two Urahara's assistants?"

The boy grins. "Yeah! The name's Jinta!

"And I'm Ururu," said the girl.

Jinta immediately smacks her. "Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! Baka! I'm supposed to announce both our names! Stupid Ururu!"

"Gyah!"

"Who's causing such a commotion?" A strange man with a cane and a green and white-striped hat opens a door on the opposite side of the room. "Oh! You're that newbie captain, aren't ya?"

"Yeah," I reply. "I guess… Do you think you could make me—"

"A gigai? Of course!" He gestures to a small table in the next room. "You can wait here. It'll take just a minute!"

He disappears behind another door.

Ururu goes behind a different door and immediately comes back with a bowl of rice.

"Feel free to eat until the owner comes back."

Now that I think about it, I am a little hungry…

I pick up the chopsticks and hungrily gobble up at least three rice bowls before Urahara gets back.

"Oh, I see you're enjoying yourself Miss Captain."

"Mmm-hmm," I say between bites of rice.

"Well, Miss Captain, once you're done freeloading off of us, we can give you your gigai, okay?"

I immediately stop eating.

"Fr-fr-fr-freeloading?"

I put the chopsticks down.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm-"

Jinta kicks me in the back of the head. "Baka."

Urahara smiles. "It's a little silly for a captain to apologize so freely, Miss Kinisada." He pulls out a body from behind the door. "But aside from that, here's your gigai!"

I stare questionably at my gigai. It looks a lot like me. Except that it doesn't have a haori. Or a proper shinigami uniform for that matter. It has some kind of weird purple and blue flowery shirt and this type of strange tight pants made out of a foreign cloth…

"Why'd you give my gigai weird clothes?"

"What do ya mean?" Urahara gasps. "They're the latest in style! Just look at these beautiful designs and these awesome ruffles and-"

I snatch the gigai from him. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. At least you got me a gigai."

I put the gigai on. I feel weird. Clumsy. Uncoordinated. Slow. Stupid. It was like I had put on a pair of shoes a few sizes too big.

I started to walk awkwardly out of the entrance to the store, nearly tripping a few times on my way.

It was raining outside.

But this was the human world.

"Wait! Where will you stay?"

I see Urahara peek his head out from the back room.

"Anywhere but here," I say.

Unfortunately, when I tried flashstepping away, I just fell flat on my face in the slimy mud. So I resorted to normal walking, which is such a bother. And thus I meandered aimlessly down the wet cement and tar streets of Karakura Town for the remaining night.