A/N: Chapter 3
"Sink Your Hooks in Deep"
STORY START
"Remember Naruto-kun, you have to move at precisely the right time to destroy the whole of Soul Society. After that I want you to bring me the head of the Spirit King!"
XxX
The district was quiet tonight.
The stars shined brightly and the crickets were singing.
There was no one out on the streets tonight, except for the usual drunk or the homeless.
A dilapidated gate near the entrance of the town read
RUKON DISTRICT #64 "Headless Serpent"
XxX
In the field just before the town gate was an empty field. A few dead trees dotted the landscape. Near one of the rotting trees at the farthest side of the field was a little girl lying on the ground.
The little girl had short, shoulder length blond hair and blue eyes. Her lips were full and dirty. She wore an old and tattered olive green kimono. She looked hungry and tired.
She was about to fall asleep (or die) when the sound of ripping cloth caught her attention. Slowly, she moved her head around just in time to see a man stepping out of the black hole that seemed to have appeared in the air.
The man had blond hair that grew to mid-back. His left eye was a dull blue while his right eye was a sinister crimson. He had three horizontal scars on each cheek that vaguely reminded the girl of whiskers. His gaze was set in an aloof stare, like he was bored. He wore a kimono that looked like it belonged to royalty and was dyed black with red trimmings. The design depicted of a skeletal dragon that spiraled around his body.
The man looked around for awhile before spotting the settlements gate. When he saw the sign his shoulders slumped and said aloud.
"Damn it, I was supposed to go to district six not 64!"
The little girl didn't know whether to laugh at the man's mistake, or be happy that he might probably save her. She tried to yell out to him but she was already too weak. She raised her hand in a futile attempt to catch his attention.
It turned out that it wasn't a futile attempt after all as he swiveled his head to look at her.
XxX
This did not look good for Naruto, not at all. It appears that… He might have overshot the coordinates a tad bit. He was supposed to come out into a lush plain filled with grass and trees and stuff. This plain was dead, completely. There was no grass, or flowers. The trees looked plenty dead actually.
"Am I still in Kousen? Ah shit, Akki-sama is not going to be happy!"
Naruto turned left and right until he saw a small settlement a ways off to his right side. Naruto smiled at that. He knew for a fact that Kousen only had one city. Well it was more like a mass graveyard than a city but still.
A Torii situated in front of the settlement that signified it as the entrance. Overhead was an old, dilapidated sign that read:
RUKON DISTRICT #64 "Headless Serpent"
"Fuck"
After letting out a few more strings of colorful words, Naruto swiveled around to find signs of another village, or a sign period. He found one over a sleeping little girl. That was convenient.
XxX
The girl watched as her blond haired savior walked up to her and somehow completely ignored her. Apparently, the idiot was looking at the sign, not tree, which was right beside her.
"So if I go left then right… I'd end up at the borders of Seireitei. Hmmm… Oh, hello there little lady! What're you doing on the ground? You'll get your clothes all dirty! What's that now? Your stomach just told me it's hungry!"
Digging into his Kimono, Naruto pulled out a dried Persimmon from… somewhere.
"Eat this Imouto. Hopefully it's enough for now. Once you're strong enough to walk, I'll take you somewhere to eat."
Although he was talking crazy a few minutes ago, Matsumoto Rangiku could hear the worry in his voice. She smiled before taking the edible fruit and taking a healthy bite out of it.
XxX
"To make friends"
Naruto could remember when he said it. This was as good a place as any to start. He was lucky to even find someone who had Reiatsu from the get-go.
When someone had Reiatsu, they could forge their own Zanpakutō. When someone had a Soul-Cutter, they could achieve Bankai. When someone has Bankai, then that someone was very, very useful. Akki-sama did tell him to think a hundred steps ahead.
He smiled as he helped the little girl stand up before swinging her into a bridal-style carry. The girl squeaked before latching onto his neck.
"Sorry, I was never the patient type! Name's Naruto by the way! Uzumaki Naruto, what's your name little lady?"
The girl snuggled closer to Naruto, savoring his warmth before replying.
"Matsu… Matsumoto Rangiku."
