Chapter One: Another World, Another Life

Ichigo Kurosaki died in a pool of his own blood.

Rukia had turned her back on him and walked into that gate, swearing that if he laid another hand on her brother she would never forgive him. But it was alright because he got into heaven.

Unfortunately, the afterlife sucked. Assuming it was the afterlife.

"Where the hell is this place?" muttered Ichigo, rubbing his strawberry blonde hair. He looked at the broken and run-down town around him. Around him, Ichigo could see people scurrying around out of his way.

They wore dirty rags, while he had white ones. And no sword or soul reaper garb. That meant Ichigo didn't have power right now.

"Well, well, well," said a man, coming forward. "What do we have here?"

He was a huge man with a beer gut, and several other people with weapons came out as well. These guys really looked like filler. Then again, they had huge weapons, and Ichigo didn't have one. Beating up some Yakuza was one thing, but these were scarred.

Ichigo remembered his run-in with a member of the stealth force. He'd nearly died there, under Rukia's instruction.

"Listen," said Ichigo. "I don't want any trouble."

"Well, congratulations," said the man. "You found some."

Ichigo paused. "Okay, well, I'd like to get out without anyone getting hurt. I don't have anything you can steal."

"How about the clothes on your back," said the man. "Take him."

On the one hand, Ichigo Kurosaki was an accomplished blackbelt. One who had defeated multiple people before. On the other hand, he didn't have Rukia's powers anymore, and these guys had swords. Plus, these weren't high-school dropships; they were experienced. And picking a fight with Renji Abarai had gotten him killed once.

So Ichigo ran.

However, he didn't get far before several men barred his way with spears. One jabbed at him, but he rolled aside, kicked off a wall, and landed behind. Running, he sprinted down the street. However, many of the people who had been lying around barred his path, trying to lay hands on him. Now he remembered the lessons Tatsuki had taught him and was able to keep out of their grip and get past him.

Then something hit him in the shoulder, and he felt pain.

There was real, agonizing pain.

"Fuck!" screamed Ichigo as he ran anyway. He was only standing because he'd had this kind of wound before, against Grand Fisher. "I arrive first thing, and everyone tries to gang up on me!

Running and running, he sprinted out of the run-down town and ran into the forests. Here he fell against the side of a tree, gasping for breath. Then, he looked back and saw a knife on his shoulder. Reaching around as best he could, he drew it out and howled in agony.

Standing up, he moved a bit and was pleased he wasn't bleeding that much.

"Fuck!" said Ichigo. "Shounen Jump for misrepresenting arm wounds! They make losing the entire thing look like you can walk it off!"

Then, halting, he decided that he had to do something about the bleeding. Rukia had taught him to use his spiritual pressure to seal them. And he tried to do that, or do that more. Even so, it was utterly miserable. His white clothes were bloody and torn now; he was sweating and gasping for air.

And then he looked up and saw torches in the woods and men coming out after him.

"Find that orange-haired brat! No one gets away from us!" said a voice.

Ichigo ran, and he ran fast. Orange hair? Was that why they'd gone after him? The white clothes maybe, but there had been other new arrivals. Even now, they were taking on a gray hue. When he'd lived in a world of the living, people had left him alone. Meanwhile, Ichigo had refused to die his hair because he didn't want to pretend to be something he wasn't.

But then again, nobody was going to murder him in cold blood in Japan because of his hair color. They'd need some other reason. But this place...

Rukia had given the sense that the afterlife was far from perfect.

Even so, was he even sure this was the afterlife? It could be anywhere else for all he knew. As he scaled up a hill, he looked at the knife in his hand. It was no sword, but it would do if he needed to do some fighting. And you could use knives for other things.

Looking down, Ichigo saw the lights had dimmed.

Then, all of a sudden, one went out. Then another. Others began to flee from the trees and rush away. Then there was a howl, a hollows howl. They were being hunted.

Ichigo considered whether to run in the opposite direction or go to help them.

Then, considering that he didn't know where he was or anything about this place, he decided to head for the town. Just because these guys were brutal thugs didn't mean they deserved to be eaten by hollows. So Ichigo made his way down the hill but found it a lot more difficult getting down it. For one thing, adrenaline wasn't as strong. For another, the screams were distracting. Worst of all, many of the footholds were small and difficult to get at from the top.

By the time he got down, he had heard no more screaming.

It dawned on Ichigo that he was all alone in a very dangerous place. Rukia had taught him to focus on his spiritual pressure, and he tried to do that. He tried to focus it into his knife and wondered if it would do any good. Then he moved forward through the dark trees, looking around at the sunlight.

Coming into a clearing, he decided here was where he'd stay.

If he went anywhere else, he wouldn't be able to see his enemy coming. Even so, Ichigo realized he could only see in front of him. If the hollow came from behind, he would need to move fast. So he stood there and listened as best he could, waiting as best he could. It wasn't his strong suit at all; he wished he'd listened more to Tatsuki.

She'd always told him he should listen more to other people and to what was going on around him.

It had never seemed important until now. He'd been an idiot to just walk down that place like he thought it'd be safe. If he had just kept a low profile, Ichigo would have been fine, and none of those guys would have died.

And then he heard it.

There was a sound of cracking twigs to one side. Ichigo turned and sprang away as the hollow raced back. Bringing around his knife, Ichigo stabbed into it; it was shaped like a crocodile but with tears on its mask. His blade sank deep, and he dragged it only, sending waves of blood spewing out. As he did, it turned around and went for him, and Ichigo rolled away. The claw came within a hairsbreadth of his face, but nothing got hit.

Coming to a halt, he took a stance and switched his blade to an underhand grip. The crocodile came at him again, but Ichigo leaped over it. Turning, he sank his blade into its mask. The creature howled, and the blade shattered. But the beasts faded away into nothingness.

Did that count as a Zanpakto?

Either way, it was dead.

Standing up, Ichigo turned and walked toward the town. As he did, he found a plain, chipped katana at his feet. He picked it up and decided this would make for a better weapon anyway. Then he walked on, feeling a bit more secure.

Okay, he could kill hollows. So, how did he get home? What did he eat?

Maybe he could kill hollows for money? It was a start. But how was he going to avoid another incident like that? He had to keep a low profile. Could he dye his hair? Somehow Ichigo doubted hair dye was a thing.

Uryu had kept under the radar for years by keeping a pair of glasses on. That and not talking to anyone. But Ichigo didn't have any glasses, so that was a moot point. Putting on a hood would only attract attention. For now, he kneeled in the dust, took some dirt, and ran it through his hair. It might disguise the color a little.

Then he walked into the town.

Everyone looked up in terror at him. They stepped away in terror, and Ichigo saw them running from him. They went into buildings or alleys when they could find it. Which meant he couldn't ask any questions of them.

Well, this was bad.

Was he supposed to interrogate someone? He had to know this information.

Then it was that he saw him.

He was a bald man, clad in black robes, and he was wielding a long spear. Coming forward, he spun it around with clear precision. He obviously knew what he was doing, while Ichigo was largely self-taught. "Who's ready to die?!"

No one came out.

The man looked around. "Well? Is anyone going to fight me?! What about you?"

"I just got injured fighting a hollow so... no," said Ichigo.

"Right, not fair sport then," said the man. "I'm Ikkaku Madarame. Where's the gang from this part?"

"I think they got eaten by the hollow when I was running from them," said Ichigo.

"Well, if you killed it, why were you running from them?" asked Ikkaku.

"It's harder to fight a lot of people at the same time than it is to kill a single hollow," said Ichigo. "Different fighting technique."

"Right, makes sense," said Ikkaku. "I'm guessing you're not looking for death, then."

"I died once already," said Ichigo. "I'm not in the mood for a repeat on the same day."

"I guess it could get old," said Ikkaku. "You know how to dress that wound?"

"I know how to keep the blood in line," said Ichigo. "I was hoping it would heal eventually."

"Not a good idea," said Ikkaku, taking the top off his spear. "That kind of technique takes a constant flow of spiritual energy. It'll work, but it'll drain you. You end up helpless once; in this place, you're a dead man.

"Let me help with that."

"Why do you want to help me?" asked Ichigo.

"Well," said Ikkaku. "Maybe we'll fight someday. We can't if you die horribly. Take off your shirt, and I'll see to the wound."

Ichigo shrugged and did so but kept his blade nearby and his eyes on Ikkaku. "Put your spear down first."

"Don't you trust me?" asked Ikkaku.

"I'm paranoid," said Ichigo.

"Smart," said Ikkaku.

And Ikkaku began to use a variety of healing techniques on him. Ichigo stood by and let him work. "So why does a guy like you know medical treatment?"

"It's why I'm alive," said Ikkaku. "There are a lot of blood knights in the Rukongai. The ones that survive know how to do something other than fight. If I get a minor wound, I patch it up, hole up somewhere and let it heal.

"You gotta pick your battles, or you'll just run yourself ragged and get knocked off like a chump. So, how did it happen?"

"Hmm?" asked Ichigo.

"How'd you die?" asked Ikkaku. "Was it glorious?"

"Well," said Ichigo. "A friend of mine, a Rukia Kuchiki, was being arrested by the Soul Society. There was her brother, Byakuya, and his minion Renji Abarai."

"I've never heard of any of these guys," said Ikkaku.

"Look, I'm just telling you what happened," said Ichigo. "I fought it out with Renji; one of my friends got really hurt. Then I got a rush of power and was able to overwhelm Renji in single combat. He was a lieutenant, I think."

"Then this Byakuya would have to be a Captain," said Ikkaku.

"I guess," said Ichigo. "Anyway, just as I was about to kill Renji, Byakuya broke my sword. I didn't even see it happen. Then I looked up, and then he dealt me a lethal blow. Rukia asked for mercy on my behalf, and then they turned their back and walked through.

"Then everything went black."

"You sure you died?" asked Ikkaku.

"Well, I was alone in a puddle of my own blood next to Uryu, who was also in a puddle of his own blood," said Ichigo. "So yeah, I think both of us are dead."

"Uryu is..." Ikkaku began.

"He's sort of my rival," said Ichigo. "Kind of a nerd, but you don't want to get him mad."

"Alright," Ikkaku finished. "Alright, that should take care of the blood loss. You don't want to make any movements with this arm if you can avoid. Call it fighting with a handicap."

Ichigo nodded and put his shirt back on before turning to him. "So uh... what are you going to do now?"

"Same thing I was doing before," said Ikkaku. "Looking around for someone ready to die. What about you?"

"Well," said Ichigo. "I guess I could look for Uryu or try to find a way back home. Rukia was in some sort of legal trouble. So I should probably try to help here eventually."

"I wouldn't bother," said Ikkaku. "If she is, she's in the Seretei. It's not within sight, but it's a fortress filled with high-level Soul Reapers. I could probably get in there, but I never found a reason to. And you'd never make it.

"You're going to need a lot more power if you want to take on a Captain."

"They are that powerful?" asked Ichigo.

"Captain is synonymous with 'God' as far as a greenhorn like you should be concerned," said Ikkaku. "You'll be lucky to ever make it to the level of a lieutenant. Plus, she'll probably get off with a slap on the wrist anyway, nobles usually do.

"Alright, it's your lucky day; I'll come with you."

"Why?" asked Ichigo.

"Seems more interesting than chasing death," said Ikkaku. "I can always do that later. And anyway, worst-case scenario, I get killed and finish my quest early.

"...Do you know how to use that sword?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Blade goes onto the face of the other guy?"

"This is gonna take a lot of work," said Ikkaku. "Let's skip town and keep an eye out for your Uryu friend. Unless you want to travel this place on your own, Greenhorn?"

"My name is Ichigo Kurosaki," said Ichigo. "And yeah, you're right. I was thinking about making a career by killing hollows, you know."

"Hollows?" asked Ikkaku. "That's a pretty big game."

"It's actually not that hard if you have the powers for it and get the technique down," said Ichigo. "We could try for it while we're out here."

"Sounds like a way to pass that time," said Ikkaku as they walked. "So, how did you get into that business?"

"Well," said Ichigo. "See, it was an ordinary day in my hometown, and this giant praying mantis attacked me. Then this dark-haired girl appeared and killed it in two strikes..."

This looked like the beginnings of a beautiful friendship.