Now that I was far beyond help, people started to appear. I stood in the middle of the road, outside of a crowd gathering around my body, numb to the world. My body had landed looking as broken as it had felt, with one of my legs bent back towards my head, arms splayed, and I lay in a pool of my own blood. It was not a graceful way to die.

I watched as the crowd gasped in horror and hollered for an ambulance. I watched as neighbors I knew shook their heads in pity. I watched as Inoue, ho appeared to be walking Himari home, took the scene in and steered my sister away so she wouldn't have to see my mangled body. I watched all of this, and even in death, felt a grief so overwhelming I couldn't actually comprehend it.

Able to take in nothing more, I turned away from the dead version of myself and wandered into the woods. I sat down on a recently fallen tree and placed my head in my hands. Slowly, I began to silently weep.

I wept for all of the years that my sister would live that I wouldn't get to see. How broken her heart would be when she received the news of my death. The opportunities that I was so wrongly robbed of.

I heard a fallen leaf crunch behind me and I didn't even stir. If a Hollow was going to come devour my soul now, then so be it, I had nothing left.

"Ariswana?" I turned my head ever so slightly and caught a glimpse of red hair in my peripheral.

"Renji."

"Why are you crying?" he asked. As he got closer, he could see a broken chan protruding from the center of my chest. "Oh, no! Ariswana, what happened? Why are you dead?" he asked. I simply looked at him without truly seeing him in front of me. He came to where I was seated and put a hand to my shoulder. "It's going to be alright. I was sent back here to perform the Konso on lost Pulse…I just didn't know it would be you."

"What is the Konso?"

"It is how shinigami send Pulses, or the ghosts you told me about in our first meeting, over to the Soul Society and cross over. It will become your new home so that you don't become a Hollow." he explained.

"And you live in this Soul Society?"

"I do, though I live in the Siritei where the Shinigami preside to protect the Soul Society. If you could see me when you were still alive, I'm sure you've got some Reiatsu residing inside of you. If you an learn to channel that energy, I'm sure you'd be welcomed into the academy to become a Soul Reaper yourself." he smiled. I simply looked at him, what would even be the point?

Renji pulled me closer into a one armed hug around my shoulders.

"There's always something bigger out there than just ourselves. Before, it was your younger sister, right?" I glanced at him, "well, now it's going to be protecting the new world you're going to live in, and all the souls in it."

I thought of Isamu, maybe I could help at least one person even in death. I looked at Renji and he smiled and shrugged.

"So, what do you say?"

"I say…let's do it. Maybe one day I'll be in your shoes and I can be sent back to Karakura town to oversee the protection of the people I love. I could see my sister again, and watch the wonderful woman she's going to become." I said. "How do we do this?"

"I can send you within the next day if you needed some time to yanno, say goodbye. But we can meet back here if that works for you?" he asked. I nodded and got to my feet.

"Thank you for giving me the chance to say goodbye." I said, holding back tears. Renji put a tentative hand on my shoulder and then pulled me into a hug.

"It's the least I could do, you've reminded me of my own humanity since meeting you. I appreciate the friendship." he said.

I made rounds to the homes of all of my friends, including the ones I wasn't even close with. I spent final, silent moments with them all. Ichigo was the strangest encounter, it was almost like he could feel my presence, or even see me. He never spoke, but I felt it was more out of respect than anything else. I left after touching his cheek once.

My final stop was Orihime's house as I knew that's where Himari would be. With me, I brought two silver chains and stainless steel beads. I took a seat on Orihime's desk next to her notebook and began to bead, while I watched her speak to and comfort my sister. Her words were gentle as they were sweet, and I was grateful to have such a friend.

I finished the two silver necklaces and dropped one in Himari's bag while pocketing the other. I left a ghostly kiss on the top of Himari's head and felt her tense. She could feel it, but she couldn't see me; that was almost a certain guarantee that she would grow up to see ghosts just as I had.

"I love you baby sister. Grow up kind and be good." I whispered in her ear before leaving.

I watched the sunrise the the next morning from the top of one of the trees where I was set to meet Renji. I didn't know if the next life would have them, but if not, this was one I would remember for eternity.

"Hey, Ariswana! You up there?" I heard Renji call from below. I gracefully descended the tree, while being mindful of the chain in my chest that probably couldn't touch the limbs anyway. I walked over to meet him and he threw his arm up with excitement.

"Alright! Are you ready for the next phase?" he asked. I smiled up at him.

"Yes, I think I am. Oh! Before I forget," I took the small necklace out of my pocket and placed it in his palm, curling his fingers over the chain. "This is for all you've done for me, and the kindness that you've shown in these dark times. Thank you my friend, please accept this token." he looked taken aback, but unfurled the chain and slipped it over his head. in and slid it over his head.

"Thank you, Ariswana. I'll cherish it in this life and the next." he said. I beamed up at him and stepped back.

"Okay! Onto the next phase." I said.

Renji nodded and unsheathed his sword, placing its hilt to my forehead.

"This might be a bit unpleasant." he said before ramming the hilt hard into my third eye.

It felt as if I was flying through the flames of hell at one hundred miles an hour. When it was finally over, I took in my surroundings; I was facedown in a dusty street in what looked to be a very poor town. I got to my feet and brushed the rocks from my body; it was a rough landing.

From the looks of it, the people in Soul Society were suffering. Children were laying in the streets, people were begging for gold, fights were breaking out right in the street.

This certainly won't be easy.

"Ariswana!" I turned and saw Renju approaching with a smile. "Sorry about that, my trajectory was a bit off and I landed a ways away from you."

"Renji, this place…"

"I know. It's one of the reasons why it's so important to get you into the Siritei. It's the only hope you have of seeing your loved ones again and building a life worth living in death." we locked eyes intensely. "I'm going to help you do it, Ariswana."

"But how?"

"We train, and we train hard. We will get you there, I promise, Ariswana."

"Swana." I interjected.

"What?"

"You're my friend Renji, so you're welcome to call me Swana if you wish." I said.

"Okay then, I will get you into the Siritei…Swana." he said with a smile.

"Wonderful…I won't lie though, I am absolutely exhausted. Can we find shelter for the night?" I asked.

"Yep, I can secure you a safe spot, but I need to head back to the Siritei for the evening. I will return in the morning." Renji promised.

The sun was shining bright through the uncovered window and it woke me at the perfect time. I could hear someone fiddling at the door.

When will it end?

I silently slid down from the loft I had slept in to hide behind a broken down wardrobe. The door opened and I wrapped an arm around the intruder's throat, with a blade to it.

"State your business, thief." I said. The intruder started to chuckle.

"I'm a friend, not a foe. Renji said you'd be a tough one to crack, but this wasn't the welcome I was expecting in the least." a man's voice choked out from behind my arm. I immediately let him go at the mention of Renji's name.

"Oh I'm so sorry! It's been a whirlwind since even before death and I don't know who I can trust anymore. I didn't know you were a friend of Renji's, please forgive me!" I bowed. He laughed again and lifted my chin so that I was standing.

"No sweat, beautiful, it's water under the bridge. What's your name?" he asked. I blushed at being called beautiful and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear.

"I'm Ariswana Thompson." I said while extending a hand. The man in front of me took my hand with a half smirk and regarded me with his eyes.

"Nice to meet you, Ariswana. I sense the beginning of a beautiful friendship! You can call me Hisagi. Hisagi Shuhei."