Thanks once again to Karasu Chiyuki [1773215] for letting me borrow one of her characters. (the uber awesome captain at the end of this chapter)
As the world around the snow child started to fade away, a new world she did not recognize came into view. The snow child's anger toward the shinigami subsided, and anxiety rushed in to fill the void.
People around her were chattering constantly, as if they did not notice the stranger that had just appeared in their world. A few people glanced up at her for a few moments, but looked away almost immediately, thinking nothing of her.
After a few minutes of just standing there, awestruck, she dragged herself over to an empty table and into one of the chairs. The snow child soon realized that she was in a restaurant, as a waitress hopped over to her table. After ordering a glass of water and a rice cake, the snow child settled down and quietly listened to the conversations of those around her.
* * *
"Have you heard? Apparently the eleventh squad is looking for someone to replace their fifth seat."
"Really? What happened to him?"
"I heard he died in the line of duty, or something."
"Man, that sucks. I'd totally try out if I could."
"You don't even have a sword. How do you expect to do that?"
"Hey, shut up! It's not like you have a sword either."
The snow child rose suddenly, having overheard a nearby conversation. Even though she'd only been in this world called Soul Society by some—Rukongai by others—but for this life, the snow child had already decided on her ambition.
In her past life, the snow child had been a very cold, withdrawn individual. She never cared to get to know her teammates or comrades, and had always had an attitude that said that she was superior. Never opening up, being the boss of everyone and everything; it was not a past she was proud of.
That is why the snow child decided she would change. Change her personality, her likes and dislikes, her overall attitude on life. The never-opening-up snow child would be gone. And from her past experiences, a newer, nicer, snow child would arise. One that would give anything to protect her friends. One that would help those in need, even if they were complete strangers. One who would break the rules if it meant doing what was right. A completely different snow child, she realized. But the transformation would be worth it.
Her decision absolute, the snow child strode toward the exit of the restaurant. What she did not plan on, however, was to crash into another soul. The snow child rose to her feet again, rubbing her head, and looked up at the figure she'd crashed into.
The figure was a female wearing a white cloak over a black kimono, with a sword sheathed at her side. The snow child instinctively recognized her as a captain from the discussions of the other customers in the restaurant. She noticed the black outline of a diamond on the captain's back, along with the number eleven written inside it.
"Watch it." the eleventh squad captain growled, stepping around and past the dazed snow child.
The restaurant fell silent.
