A/N: Here is the true second chapter, as opposed to an short extension of the first containing mostly already stated information and simply being a different viewpoint only added as its own chapter so people can compare the two if they wish to. If you have any questions or concerns about the story, feel free to either mention it in a review or PM me – if I can tell you without major spoilers I will, and if I cannot I will let you know the question will be answered eventually.

Disclaimer: Neither Bleach nor Darker than Black belong to me; this story does not produce any form of money or profit for me.

CHAPTER 2

…...

As Hei watched the group of teenagers, he waited for an answer to his question. However it seemed he would not be getting one right now as each thing they said only added to his questions.

"Right, you're coming with us to speak to Urahara." Why would I need to speak to some guy who runs a candy shop...?

"Kurosaki why do you think he would know anything about this?" So wait, does this guy know about those plus things too?

"He ALWAYS knows more than he tells anybody." Sounds like a Contractor...

"That is true... but then what makes you think he'd tell us anything?" Yes, it is SO VERY ANNOYING when people do NOT tell you the answer to a question you have when they know it, isn't it?

"If he doesn't tell us anything we just konso him and hope it works – he might just be tapping into his reiatsu to do that stuff, Ishida." Two more terms they probably won't explain the meaning of.

"Which means we should try to figure out why and how he COULD do that as a human with no apparent knowledge of the afterlife." So these people know about the afterlife but never heard of a Contractor?

"It's possible that-"

"Will you two just shut up if you aren't going to answer my question? I would appreciate the extra information from your conversation if it wasn't for the fact you are just raising more questions and not really explaining anything." Hei was beginning to get very frustrated with the whole situation, and was seriously considering just leaving.

"...You know, I almost forgot he was there..."

…...

Quite some time later, Hei decided to follow them to Urahara's shop. He had seen it (and the shopkeeper) earlier, and remembered its name for the sole purpose of avoiding the insane place if at all possible. The only reason he was not doing so now was because the only people who seemed capable of seeing him insisted on bringing him there before actually telling him anything. He was a little apprehensive about what that information may cost, as this Urahara seemed to enjoy hoarding knowledge, and such people never shared that knowledge freely or cheaply.

Once they reached the shop, the owner opened the door as if he was expecting them. "Ah, what brings all of you here?"

The teenager so far known only as Kurosaki pointed his thumb back towards him. "This guy was killed by a hollow, but before we could kill it he somehow managed to destroy it with his Chain of Fate."

"How... interesting." The shopkeeper's tone seemed to become quite menacingly dark with that statement... Why do I get the feeling I'm about to be dissected...?

…...

Fortunately for Hei, no dissections were imminent. The shopkeeper asked him a few questions before disappearing into the back to do some research. Apparently he was quite the scientist, and knew quite a bit more about the afterlife in general than most others here – of course he still didn't tell Hei anything, under the cover of 'You'll find out soon enough.' While they waited, he decided to see if he could actually get some sort of explanation from the kids who brought him here. After a lengthy discussion about pluses, Shinigami (more commonly known as Soul Reapers, where, upon hearing that, Hei began to chuckle at the irony, utterly confusing those around him), and Hollows – the name for the type of creature who killed him.

"Strange, I thought death would be a little different from just seeing your own body with people you couldn't see before wandering around."

Kurosaki (whose given name appeared to be Ichigo) laughed. "Yeah most people aren't quite expecting this sort of thing; they tend to think they will immediately wake up in a separate place entirely."

After several hours passed during which Hei met the other inhabitants of the shop – a large man with glasses and a handlebar mustache who quite honestly frightened him a little bit, a red-haired demon of a kid named Jinta, and a black-haired quiet little girl named Ururu – the shopkeeper reentered the room. "It appears that there is another type of human with powers, similar to and yet very different from Fullbringers and Quincy. This man is most likely one of them – something called a Contractor."

"You mean there are MORE people with spiritual powers? Wait, if this guy's one of them how come he knew nothing about the spiritual realm?" Hmm, maybe this Ichigo Kurosaki isn't quite as stupid as he acts...

"That's just the thing; these abilities don't seem to be spiritual in nature, and in fact while he does have some sort of ability it isn't even tied to his reiatsu; did he appear to do anything odd shortly after he destroyed the hollow?"

"Not that I recall... but before the hollow attacked he did eat a LOT of food – more than any of us thought possible for him."

"Well then Mr...?"

Hei decided since he was technically dead and thus had no real reason to hide his identity, he would give his actual name. "Just call me Hei."

"Well then, Hei, would you mind explaining why your price seemed to be paid before you used your abilities instead of afterwards?"

"...That wasn't my price; I actually don't have one."

Ichigo cut off the shopkeeper's next question with one of his own. "What do you mean, his price?"

Hei decided to answer this one. "A Contractor typically has to pay a price for their abilities, generally after using them. This price can be just about anything, ranging from singing to breaking their own fingers to their physical age changing."

"And what happens if this price is not paid?"

"Nobody really knows for sure; Contractors, in exchange for their ability, lose all emotional or irrational thought, becoming entirely rational people focused solely on self-preservation above all else. Due to the rumors floating around about what happens if a Contractor doesn't or can't pay their price, the survival instinct means nobody is really willing to go against the compulsive need to pay whatever their price may be in an attempt to find out – and it is very difficult to actually capture a Contractor without loss of life on either side in order to test what would happen, so people generally don't bother."

"So you're saying people would rather break their own bones than try ignoring it to see what would happen?"

"Yes. If you had a choice between breaking one of your fingers or not doing so, when not doing so may potentially lead to a very painful death, what would you choose?"

"...Point taken. So what does it mean that you don't have a price?"

Urahara, who appeared to be disappointed that he was not the person explaining this, jumped in before Hei could respond. "It means that this young man would probably be the infamous 'Black Reaper' most Contractors are terrified of. A Contractor who acts unpredictably, has power over electricity, regularly kills other Contractors and has no known price... isn't that right Hei?" At this, the scientist's eyes narrowed in Hei's direction.

Oh, shit.