Disclaimer: The ideas and concepts used in BLEACH belong to Tite Kubo, as well as any regular characters. Most of the characters in this story belong to me. Thank you.


In this, the Golden Era of the Shinigami, cities are scarce. Towns are fewer. Citadels are a commonplace and mid-wilderness fortresses are pleasant yet expected surprises. A caravan that is asked to cross the vast and unguarded expanse between the major regions and the extents of each family's control, they do it gladly but cautiously. Not even the brightest of adventurers and shinigami experts can predict what waits around any given corner or in any shallow crevice.

It is more than fortunate for any group of wanderers or mercenary caravans to come across strong young souls to help protect their cargo. In most cases, the head of the caravan would pay the shinigami profusely for their efforts and time, even if nothing happened, so that word of the caravan director would spread through the shinigami grapevine and more protection could be offered in the future. This particular caravan, however, was more than willing to part with a meager constitution of two crates of meat and three sacks full of apples to pay off their shinigami guards as they departed.


"Sorry we can't come into town with you," Shin yelled out as the passengers waved goodbye. "We're fugitives, after all." With that sentiment, Shin took out an apple and bit deeply into it, then started walking off. Hoji was balancing his pay on his extended arms as he marched after Shin.

"Have a safe stay!" Hoji shouted loud enough for the passengers to hear. The girls gave him a warm farewell as he and his partner strode of back into the wilderness. The head of the caravan gave his final good-byes as well, but to the food the two had accepted in place of money.

"I'd have rather they taken the money…" the head whined with tears in his eyes as his best meat and freshest apples disappeared into the trees.

"Tch! You know what sucks!?" Hoji spat as he jogged awkwardly to catch up to Shin.

"Having to carry all that heavy meat instead of these light and luscious apples?" Shin said, offering an apple.

"No, get that away from me." Hoji replied. "Even if we wanted to, we can't go anywhere near any given settlement in broad daylight to sleep or buy food or beat people up. Being a fugitive sucks, man."

"Well, except for beating people up," Shin mused as he chomped, "we can still do all that at night or during an attack of some sort."

"Then we're no better than thieves!" Hoji shot back.

"Why do you care so much all of a sudden about our social standing?" Shin asked apathetically. "You have your weeks worth of meat, you should be happy."

"Yeah well…" Hoji began haltingly, "I've just been paranoid since that giant Hollow attack."

"The thing in the ravine you mean? I didn't think you'd get hurt if you fought it, I just wanted you to take a break is all." Shin explained.

"Not that one, Shin." Hoji replied, motioning to his face with his nearly free hand. "The one with the nose."

Shin stopped walking. Hoji stopped a step short.

"…That thing," Shin started lowly, "wasn't a Hollow."

"You sure?" Hoji asked with some seriousness to his voice.

"Yeah. It had the same stench as one, but much greater. It was as if…" Shin paused to collect his thoughts and form his words. "It was as if many Hollows had come together to make that one…strange."

With the uncomfortableness subsiding between the two, they continued on their not-so-merry way through the think and pitch black forest. The grass rustled and the ground pounded under their heavy footsteps. The trees were strangely far apart and the two barely had to maneuver past them as the walked. Eventually, they came upon a moonlit clearing and set down their respective loot. Shin went off to find some appropriate firewood while Hoji sat and diligently guarded his meat.

"…" came from his surroundings. It was an uneasy, unnatural silence that kept his attention. Hoji's eyes darted back and forth to keep up with the moving presence and the rustling leaves in the wind. Perhaps he had become paranoid over his delicious meat, but this was an unmistakable threat that was running around. He placed a wary hand on his sword and started standing up slowly.

More "…" in a low, hissing sound came from the trees. It sounded like the wind, but there was something in it. Hoji started getting impatient.

"Calm down, boy" a whispering voice said. Hoji's spine straightened out in shock and his eyes widened. The voice seemed to be much closer than he thought it was. "It's nothing to worry about" the voice continued as the wind died down. Hoji's patience ended and he unsheathed his sword.

"It's just the wind…" came from his blade. Hoji's eyes went wide and he turned slowly to stare in his reflection in his sword. There was no Hoji when he looked, but a pair of seductive golden eyes on an orange face.


Shin marched through the woods with his heavy bundle of dry wood slung over shoulder. The wind had been picking up here and there, making Shin think that it might rain as he pick up his pace. The wind even seemed to be whispering through the leaves and trees at some places.

"This should be enough" Shin said as he picked up one last fallen branch. As he brought it up to eye level to add it to his pile, however, he saw that the branch wasn't dry. It wasn't exactly wet, either, but dripping with some sticky substance that oozed through his hands. In the dark shade of the trees, it was hard to discern just what it was, but it wasn't wanted so Shin threw it away. The branch landed with a thud and splat.

Branches don't go splat Shin thought. He turned around out of curiosity to look at what he did toss back but still couldn't see through the shadows. Then a crack of lightning flashed through the forest. It was an arm, bloody and deformed. Shin took a leap back and thudded against what didn't seem like a tree. Suddenly, Shin was bound against his soft hard place by several sets of entangling branches. From the distance and light of the dim sky, he could make out that they weren't branches, but more arms.

"What the …" A pair of hands closed his mouth and forced his eyelids open as Shin came to the startling realization that his sword was gone from his side. Amidst the gruesome scene of dried, dead arms and legs that Shin had been picking up, his sword floated in the darkness.

"Quite a fine piece of metal, this is…" a raspy, hollow voice said. A huge figure draped in tattered black cloth had entered the clearing and was holding Shin's sword with a shadowed hand.

"Mff m GRHHH!!" (Let me go!) Shin mumbled under his restraints. The shadowy demon raised what seemed to be its head, very high off the ground, and stared at Shin. With the sword in the boney grasp of one hand, it raised its other, skeletal hand, and drew back its black hood.

"…but it can only be a fitting prison for so long, eh Shin?" Spoke the Skull attached to the swirling darkness. Shin's eyes widened with horror, shock, and delight.

This was his soul speaking to him. This was Death itself.