You may have noticed a difference in the titles. I'm now putting the character's name in the title, so if you guys don't like one, you don't have to read all of them to find out which one is about a character you guys like. Which means that you'll have to read them to find out which one is yours, but you guys should remember which character you requested and I'll stop talking now so you can read the newest chapter. Thank you!

Death is Only the Beginning: Part One
Requested By: XxWolfMan95xX

Anime: Bleach

Reader:
Asuna Kurosaki
Female
21
Long brown hair in a ponytail, side bangs, bright blue eyes, glasses, pale skin, small chest, wolf charm around her neck.
Soul Society, Soul Reaper, 3rd seat, Squad 7
Shikai

Character:
Sajin Komamura
Male
Unknown
Brown fur all over his body except lower jaw and below, pointed brown ears with black tips, brownish gold eyes, wears the traditional Soul Reaper outfit with Captain's haiori with the number 7 in Japanese kanji on back, gauntlets on hands, boots
Soul Society, Soul Reaper, Captain of Squad 7
Shikai, Bankai, massive strength

Plot: Before and through Season 1, Before, through, and after Season 2
Relationship: Growing
Word Count: 4, 595
Warning: The first part will hit you in the feels. I started crying while I wrote it, so that should tell you something. In any case, enjoy!

The Kurosaki household. Once so full of life and joy. Now, an empty shell of what it once was. Why that is, you may ask? Well then, perhaps I should take you back. Back to when Asuna was still alive.

Asuna Kurosaki, eldest of four children. She was the life of the house, a little bundle of joy, as they would say. It only multiplied when her little brother, Ichigo, was born. He was shortly followed by the twins, Yuzu and Karin.

Asuna took her role as a big sister very seriously. But she also made it fun. She could always be found with one of her family members, if not all of them: cooking in the kitchen with her mother, wrestling with her father, or reading to Karin and Yuzu to put them to sleep. She always made them laugh. Everyone called her a blessing. However, when she was fourteen, that all changed.

She and her mother Misaki, were walking Ichigo home from his kendo class. It had begun raining earlier that day, so by this time everything was drenched. As they were passing by a river, Ichigo suddenly turned to his left. Asuna, who was in front, whirled at her mother's panicked cry for Ichigo to come back. She gasped when she saw Ichigo running toward the river. Without a second thought, Asuna flung down her umbrella and jumped down the slope. Unfortunately, she landed wrong, and hit her head on the sidewalk, blacking out.

She came to a little while later. When her eyes were able to focus again, her heart felt like it stopped. Her beloved mother was lying face down on the ground, a pool of blood around her. Ichigo was trying, in vain, to wake her up. Carefully, Asuna made her way down the slope. When she approached her little brother, what he did next shocked her to the core.

He lifted his head, and for a split second, she saw the last glimmer of the little brother she loves. But that was swallowed up in rage as he opened his mouth, and proceeded to scream at her, saying over and over that it was her fault their mother was dead. That if she hadn't been so far ahead, she would have come for him and died instead of her. Asuna was frozen, her heart and soul horrified that her beloved brother, who was normally smiling and begging for her to read him another story, was now blaming her for something she had no control over.

But the worst was yet to come.

At first, it had just been Ichigo that blamed her. Asuna tried to reconcile with the boy, but he wanted nothing to do with her. When his father tried to figure out the problem, all he could discern was "It's her fault Mom's dead. It's her fault Mom's dead." Soon enough, Isshin began to believe it as well.

All Asuna could do is watch as her family started to shun her. Started to hate her. The worst part? She believed them.

She believed it was her fault her mother was dead. She believed it was her fault that now, her little siblings had to grow up without a mother. She believed that it was her fault that the family had lost its joy. She believed all of it.

So she did the only thing she could think of: locking herself away. She would appear for meals and school, and do her chores around the house. She would put on a face for her friends, and pretend she was doing alright, but, on the inside, that was far from the truth. On the inside, she was dying... and that eventually showed.

Asuna began to get thinner. Her skin paled, and not healthily so. She ate less, and, even though she knew she should eat, she couldn't bring herself to set foot in the kitchen... where her family was. So it came as no surprise when she got sick.

When her friends heard, they were concerned, of course, but didn't really worry about her. I mean, her family ran a clinic, so why bother checking in, right? She'll return in a couple days. No big. The only thing was... she didn't return in a couple days. Isshin never bothered to check in, since she was still able to make it to her meals.

Until one day... she didn't. No one thought about it at first. They never really acknowledged her. She was just kind of... there. Except when she wasn't.

Yuzu was the one to find her. She had decided to take Asuna's meal to her. When she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was how dark and quiet it was. Setting the tray down on Asuna's desk, the younger sister walked over to the bed, where Asuna was huddled under the sheets. Upon laying a gentle hand on Asuna's shoulder... Yuzu screamed. Everyone ran into the room, eyes wide. What they saw...

Was Yuzu weeping over the still, cold body of her elder sister. Their father threw on the lights, tore Yuzu off the body, and began CPR, but to no avail. Asuna had passed away in the night, clutching a picture of their family... their whole, and happy family, in one hand, the other holding her necklace in a death grip: a wolf pendant, given to her by their mother on the girl's last birthday in which Misaki was still alive. Tear stains ran down her cheeks, her bottom lip still caught in between her teeth.

For the second time in two years, the Kurosakis found themselves standing before a grave. For the second time in two years, they were blaming someone for the death of a loved one. Only this time, it was Asuna who was laid to rest. Only this time... the blame was unanimously, and unarguably, shared.

私が属する場所

Asuna sighed as she sat on the edge of her hut. It had been two months since she died. Two months since she had entered the Soul Society. So far, it had been okay, and, as a plus, she wasn't sick anymore, so she was free to eat again.

'I never realized how much I missed apples.' Asuna thought as she bit into the red skin. It crunched in her teeth, the sweet juices flooding her mouth. Just as she was swallowing, a shrill scream pierced the air.

Choking, Asuna hit her chest a couple times, dislodging the apple. Throwing the fruit to the side, she ran towards the direction the scream had come from. Dodging people, buildings, and bushes, she eventually came to the spot. It actually wasn't that far from her hut, and she was grateful, because of the sight. A large person was lying in a pool of blood, their head facing away from her. Still, the fur and pointed ears was enough to tell her whoever it was wasn't human.

Shaking off her stupor, Asuna ran over to them. Coming around to their face, she sighed in relief when a soft breath came from their large, black nose. Crouching down, Asuna tentatively laid a hand on the muzzle. She was surprised at how soft the fur was, but that was overshadowed by how warm it was. She moved her hand from the muzzle to his… at least, she was assuming they were a guy, shoulder, shaking gently.

"Hey. Hey! Are you okay?" Stupid question, but it was a start. She breathed another sigh of relief when one eye cracked open. A tongue flicked out, wetting his lips.

"Who… who are you?" his voice rasped.

'Okay. Definitely a guy.' Asuna smiled gently. "Someone who wants to help you. Can you walk? My hut isn't too far from here." His head moved slightly, his arms coming up to his shoulders as he tried to push himself up.

Asuna ducked under the closest one to her, his right, letting him rest part of his weight on her shoulders. He sighed softly, which she took to be thanks. She smiled back, hefting more of his heavy arm onto her shoulders. It was slow going, but they finally made it. Upon laying him down, she put a kettle of water over the fire to heat it up, and began tearing up some of her clothing to use them as bandages. When she returned, he had passed out again. Asuna smiled softly, and began to clean his wounds, careful not to wake him.

私が属する場所

Asuna looked up from the stew she was making when she heard a moan. Placing a lid over the food, she walked over to where her guest was waking up. She sat next to him, watching as his eyes shut tightly before opening. It took a little while for them to focus. When they did, a look of confusion passed across his face.

"Hey." He turned to look at her. She smiled softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright." He started to sit up. Asuna immediately helped him. "Did you help me?"

"Yep. Are you hungry?" He nodded. Making sure he was stable, she walked back to the stew. Pouring two bowls, she gave one to him. "Here you are."

"Thank you." He took the stew from her. "Um… what is your name?"

"Asuna Kurosaki." She took a sip from her bowl. "What's yours?"

"Sajin Komamura."

"That's a cool name." He blinked in surprise.

"You… you really think so?" Asuna nodded. "Thank you. That's… that's the first time anyone's ever told me that." She tilted her head in sympathy.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." They ate in silence for a little while. Sajin was the one that broke it. "Miss Asuna?"

"Please, Sajin. Just Asuna." He nodded.

"If I might ask… why are you not afraid of me?" He was met with an expression of utter bewilderment. "Most don't give me a second glance because of my appearance. Those who do, end up… doing this." Asuna shook her head. Setting her bowl down, she wrapped her arms around his neck, hiding her face in his fur. Sajin stiffened, before slowly returning the embrace.

"I don't know why people fear others different from them, much less why they would go out of their way to attack and harm someone. But I'm different than them because I judge people on how they act and what they say, not what they look like." Sajin stared at her in awe as she pulled back. "I know what it's like to be judged, and I know what kind of suffering and pain it puts on your heart." She smiled at him, albeit it a little forced. "That's why I'm not scared of you."

"I… thank you, Asuna." She smiled, gently resting a hand on his cheek.

"No problem. I know this is a little forward, but how 'bout you stay here? At least until your wounds are healed." Sajin nodded, covering her hand with one of his.

"I would like that very much." Asuna smiled, squeezing his hand.

"Good. I have a feeling this is the start of a wonderful friendship." Sajin watched her as she continued to eat.

'As do I, Asuna. As do I.'

私が属する場所

It had taken a few days, but Sajin eventually healed completely. He was incredibly shy, and didn't like going outside the house. Asuna didn't mind, because that meant he was going to be there when she got back from shopping. If she was honest, she had missed this kind of companionship. The companionship that had been denied to her since her mother's death.

Today, it was a rather beautiful day, so Asuna was able to convince Sajin to take a walk with her. Even though she didn't like it, he covered his face. She was the only one he was comfortable enough around to show his face in the open. Because of what he had been subjected to in the past, Asuna didn't question him about it.

They were walking in a clearing, enjoying the breeze. Upon resting against a large rock, bathing in the sun's warm light, Sajin glanced at Asuna. She had taken care of him over the past week, but her words had never left him. 'I wonder what she meant by knowing what it was like to be judged for something you can't control.' He decided to ask. "Asuna?"

"Hm?"

"What did you mean by, 'judged for something you couldn't control'?" Her entire body stiffened. Before he could panic, she sighed.

"You might as well know." Asuna took a deep breath. "About two years ago, my mother died. My little brother blamed me for it, even though I was unconscious when it happened." Sajin's eyes widened as she told him the story.

"It was raining. My mother and I were walking my little brother home from his martial arts lesson, when he suddenly started running towards the river. Mom went after him, with me right behind. Unfortunately, I tripped, hitting my head on the sidewalk. It knocked me out.

"When I came to… Mom…" Asuna bit her lip, clutching at her chest. "Mom was already gone. I walked over, and then Ichigo started yelling at me, blaming me for her death. It wasn't long after that that everyone started blaming me." Sajin wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders when they began to shake.

"I was able to last for two years but… then I got sick… and I didn't get better. Till one day… I died." A little smile twitched at her lips. "The Soul Reaper that sent me here was very kind. He allowed me to bring one thing from my life before here."

"What did you bring?" Sajin asked softly.

"This." Asuna brought out a necklace from under her yukata. "Mom gave me this on my birthday… it was the last thing she ever gave me." Sajin brought the girl to his chest as she began to sob. He rubbed her back, trying to comfort her.

Eventually, her sobs quieted to little hiccups here and there. While Sajin was rubbing her back, grunting directed their attention. A young man with purple hair was practicing with a wooden sword. Sajin and Asuna glanced at each other, watching in awe.

The stranger turned, letting both see his shut eyes. He leapt up, bringing his sword over his head. He stopped short, however, before he hit a tree. Asuna quirked an eyebrow when he began apologizing to it. 'I see. He's blind.'

"Over here!" Sajin spoke up. The stranger turned, scratching the back of his head.

"That's odd. My apologies; I wasn't able to sense you over there." He held out a hand. "I'm Kaname Tōsen." Sajin shook, directing Kaname's hand towards Asuna. He was temporarily surprised, but relaxed at Asuna's firm shake. "There are two of you?"

"Yes." Sajin spoke. "I am Sajin Komamura. My friend is Asuna Kurosaki."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaname." Asuna said gently. He smiled.

"And you, Sajin and Asuna. I have to say: the both of you are extremely good at masking your presences. You can see I am blind, but there was never a time when I couldn't sense the presence of another." Asuna smiled softly.

"Please, sit down Kaname. Tell us about yourself." Kaname did, setting his practice sword next to him.

"I am in training to become a Soul Reaper." Kaname smiled. "Why don't the both of you come with me to the Soul Society? I'm sure you'll be able to find a place to use your talents." Sajin and Asuna looked at each other.

"I don't know, Kaname. It's a tempting offer but…" Sajin trailed off. Kaname tilted his head.

"Is there something wrong, Sajin?" Asuna sighed.

"I'm afraid Sajin isn't too comfortable around a lot of other people." Kaname nodded.

"I see. The offer still stands." Kaname stood. "I'm afraid I must be getting back now, but I train here every day. If you decide to take me up on it, you know where to find me." Kaname bowed to the duo, before walking away. Sajin and Asuna watched him, looking at each other once he had gone.

"What do you think, Asuna?" Asuna smiled at her friend, placing a hand over his.

"I'll support you no matter what you choose. If you want to do it, I'll join with you. If not, then we don't. Simple as that." Sajin smiled back, gripping Asuna's hand.

"Thank you Asuna." They walked back to the hut, only to find someone else there. He was an elderly man, and appeared to be asleep. The duo looked at each other, completely confused. Sajin spoke to him first.

"Um… hello? Sir?" His eyes opened, his head turning to look at them. A smile pulled at his lips.

"Hello there. Does this hut belong to you?" Asuna and Sajin nodded. "I see. Might we talk inside?" Asuna and Sajin exchanged another glance, shrugged, and walked inside behind the man. He settled on the ground, Asuna and Sajin sitting across from him.

"Not to be rude, sir, but, who are you?" Asuna asked. He smiled.

"My name is Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto, Captain of Squad 1 of the 13 Court Guard Squads and Commander of the 13 Court Guard Squads." Sajin and Asuna shamelessly gaped. "And I'm here to offer both of you a place at the Soul Reaper Academy." If possible, their jaws dropped lower. Yamamoto raised an eyebrow when they looked at each other, and began laughing. "Is there something I'm missing here?" Asuna shook her head.

"No, no! We're not laughing at you, sir." She looked up at him. "It's just, we were given that same offer not ten minutes ago." Sajin chuckled to himself.

"Well… if the Great Captain himself is offering us a place at the Academy, I don't know how we can say no." Sajin held his hand out, Genryūsai shaking it. "My name is Sajin Komamura, and I would be honored to accept." The elder nodded, holding his hand out to Asuna. She shook.

"Asuna Kurosaki, and it would be an honor to attend." Genryūsai nodded, standing.

"Very good. Now then, let's show you to your new home, shall we?" Asuna and Sajin grinned, nodding. They followed Genryūsai out of the hut, walking towards their new lives.

After passing the entrance exams, Asuna and Sajin trained to become Soul Reapers. They had just graduated when they met Kaname again. He recommended them to his captain, Captain of Squad 5. While on their way there, they met the Lieutenant, named Sōsuke Aizen. He seemed to be very nice, and offered both of them a place in Squad 5. Both eagerly agreed.

As time went by, Sajin rose in the ranks, eventually becoming a Captain himself, albeit of a different squad. When he told Asuna the news, she was torn. Yes, she was happy for her friend because now he found a place where he belonged. But she was sad because he was leaving her. He already had a lieutenant, the previous 3rd seat of Squad 7, so he didn't need her. Of course, that is what she thought, until he offered her a place as his new 3rd seat. When she accepted quite excitedly, he laughed, wrapping her in a hug, one she happily returned.

Time seemed to pass quickly after that. Kaname soon rose to the rank of Captain as well, Sajin and Asuna throwing a party for him. He was genuinely surprised and grateful. Soon after that, Asuna ran into Rukia Kuchiki, the younger sister of Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. The two hit it off immediately, becoming fast friends. As time passed, Asuna found that she had a growing romantic attachment to her Captain, but kept it hidden for fear of it ruining their friendship.

Asuna trained every day to obtain her Shikai, but was not able to of yet. It didn't deter her from trying though. Of course, she only trained when off the clock and in secret. While on the clock, she plowed through paperwork, usually ending up doing Lieutenant Iba's as well. It was on one such night that disaster struck.

Asuna was up late, again, finishing Iba's work when a very drunk Kenpachi Zaraki forcefully opened the door. Out of habit, she shot up, saluting him. "Captain Zaraki!" She paused when she saw the bottle of sake. "What is that?"

"Now don't wurry dalin'…" he slurred. Asuna was immediately afraid as he walked forward. "I jus wanna talk fur a while." Asuna kept to her side of the desk, hoping in vain that it would keep him away.

"Sir, you know drinking is forbidden."

"Are you teeling me wha ta do, wench!?" He shouted, his eye flashing dangerously. She gulped.

"N… no sir."

"Good girl." Somehow, he was able to clamber over the desk and pin her to the wall, hands on either side of her. "Ya know… I neva' noticed how pretty ya are." Asuna gulped again. She jumped when she felt a finger trail up her side. "Course… ya would be a lot prettier wi'out clothes on." She gasped as he grabbed a fistful of her hakama.

"Please sir! Don't do this!"

"Oh? And who's gonna stop me?" He mockingly asked. "I'mma strongest! No one can defeat me!" When he yanked, Asuna screamed at the top of her lungs.

"SAJIN!"

Turns out, Sajin was walking down the cooridor at this time. His original intent was to see if Asuna needed any help finishing the paperwork. That changed when she cried his name, her voice filled with fear. He wasted no time in flash-stepping to her office. A growl reverberated inside his helmet.

He had arrived in time to see a very drunk Kenpachi dip his hand inside Asuna's hakama. Letting out a roar, Sajin flew across the room, socking Kenpachi in the jaw. It was enough to make the Captain stumble back, but not knock him out. Grabbing him by the throat, Sajin opened the door, threw the drunk Soul Reaper out the two story drop, and latched the window shut. He turned in time to see Asuna crumble to the floor.

"Asuna!" Sajin scooped her up, cradling her to his chest. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?!" She shook her head, her whole body shaking violently.

"Sajin! I… I was so scared!" She buried her face in his chest. "I couldn't get him off me! I couldn't… I wasn't strong enough." Sajin shushed her, taking off his helmet. Setting it on the floor next to him, he rested his chin on Asuna's head.

He began to rock her back and forth, shushing her. Thankfully, they were the only ones in the barracks. Everyone else had returned home. Sajin stroked Asuna's back, trying to calm her while his own heart was beating a million miles an hour, thoughts running just as fast through his head.

'What if I had gone home like the others? What if I hadn't been here?' Sajin shut his eyes tightly, banishing the thought of what might have… what would have happened if he hadn't been there. His heart clenched at the thought of anyone hurting Asuna… his friend… his comrade… and the one that held his heart. 'My love.' He sighed, nudging her with his nose.

"Asuna, I want you to come home with me tonight. Kenpachi won't bother you if you're with me." When she didn't respond, he looked down at her. She had fallen asleep against him, her hands balled into fists in his haiori. He chuckled, settling into a more comfortable position against the wall. "On second thought, your office is rather warm." He gently pressed a kiss to her temple, mumbling "Sleep well, my little Tenshi." As he fell asleep as well.

私が属する場所

When Asuna woke up, she was highly embarrassed to find Sajin looking back at her. The events of the previous night came back to her, but Sajin assured her she was fine. Once she was fully awake, he called for a team to move everything into his office. Asuna would have argued that that wasn't necessary, but both knew that it was.

Kenpachi didn't show back up at the Squad 7 barracks again, and no one could be happier. Asuna found her work went faster, as she didn't have to get up and walk to Sajin's office to turn in paperwork. All she had to do was hand him the finished work, and in turn, he could hand her more things to do. Not that he overworked her. They ate and took breaks together, and joked throughout the day, making it go faster for the both of them. Rukia often dropped by just to say high. She had long since known of her friend's crush on Sajin, but didn't let on.

A few months after the incident with Kenpachi, Rukia was sent on a mission to the World of the Living. Asuna was glad for her friend. She needed to get away from the Soul Society for a little while. In the meantime, Asuna went about her daily routine. The only thing that changed was now she was more determined than ever to reach her Shikai.

Sajin noticed Asuna sneaking off every chance she got. Out of curiosity, he followed her one day. He was proud of her working so hard to reach her Shikai. She, on the other hand, was embarrassed when she was found out.

With an absolutely adorable blush on her cheeks, she sheepishly asked Sajin to train her. He pretended to think it over, messing with her. She knew he was, which earned him a slap on the arm. He chuckled at her, but agreed to train her nonetheless. They trained every day after they finished paperwork, and Asuna and Sajin were pleased to see Asuna's power increase with each training session.

Seven months after Asuna moved into Sajin's office, and two after Rukia left for the World of the Living, he noticed her getting behind in her work. Not by much, but it was still enough to make him concerned. When he questioned her about it, she responded by asking if she would be allowed to go to the World of the Living. Sajin offered to come with her, which she gratefully accepted. Finishing up the last of the paperwork, they set off. Sajin soon realized why she had wanted to come when they arrived at a graveyard.

It was raining, just like that day. Sajin watched as Asuna laid a rose on each gravestone, one for her mother, the other for herself. Noticing her head bowed, he walked forward, taking her hand. Asuna squeezed his hand as hard as she could, seeking comfort. He provided it by bringing her to his chest, letting her cry. He stroked her soaked hair, looking up at the gravestone.

'Misaki Kurosaki… I promise I'll always watch over your daughter. And Asuna…' He looked down at the girl sobbing into his chest. 'I swear. I swear I will always be by your side. To protect you, to be there for you… and… hopefully, one day… love you.'

Once they returned, Asuna was on top of things like nothing had happened. She showed up everyone, besides him of course, in getting paperwork done. She and Iba began sparring after the latter challenged her, to which she eagerly accepted. Sajin smiled to himself often as he watched her work, chewing the end of her calligraphy brush as she worked, huffing in frustration at an improperly filled report. Life was normal in the Squad 7 barracks. At least…

Until Rukia came back.

There we are! The first part of Death is Only the Beginning! Second part should be up this weekend or next week. Reviews pwease!

By the way, 'Tenshi' means 'angel'.