10 Years Later

Night has fallen in Karakura Town and the sound of a Hollow's roar echoed. As the moon shone brightly, it illuminated the town in iridescent light. In the night's silence, you could hear the clacking of waraji's rushing on top of rooftops as they make their way to the Hollow. Quickly and swiftly, an orange-haired Shinigami exterminated the Hollow. As peace was once again restored, there was a familiar white-haired girl observing the Shinigami that night.

The next morning, at Karakura High, students were making their way to class. Hajime, who is finishing up her senior year of high school, has matured into a beautiful young woman, mirroring her mother. Flowing white hair (that she has always hated because she got it from her father), side-swept bangs that framed her face perfectly, and a lavender ribbon that secured her ponytail. Since her move to Karakura Town ten years ago, she always kept to herself. She made no new friends, never stood out, and kept her head down. However, even if she hasn't heard it directly, she knew—she knew her classmates were whispering about her as she could feel their stares while walking into school.

Nervous, she picked up the pace and tried to get out of everyone's sight. But then; she bumped into someone.

"Well, if it isn't Hajime." A voice spoke in a mocking tone. Nakamura Dia was her name, and she's been in the same school as Hajime since her move to Karakura Town. While Hajime made no friends, she made enemies, many of them unwillingly.

Hajime tried to push her way past Dia and her friends, or rather, followers, but they continued to stand in her way.

"Hajime-Chan~," Dia teased in a sing-song voice, "Where are you looking at? I'm over here." Hajime continued to avoid their gazes, and that was when Dia took $20 from her bag and waved it in Hajime's face, catching her attention for a moment. "Oh, that sure got your attention, huh? Looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Her menacing smile crushed Hajime like daggers. "You think we wouldn't find out? You thought you could hide the fact that your mom's a prostitute? No wonder you've caught the eyes of almost every boy in class 4-A, you're seducing them!"

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Ah, she speaks." Dia leaned in closer and pulled out a crumpled paper from her bag. "Don't tell me you're that oblivious to everything. I found our class's 'hot or not' list, and you somehow are number one on the hot list. You! Of all people… I couldn't believe it until I learned about your family secret, and it all made sense. And that's not all, I heard that Tsukasa-Senpai was going to ask you out today and everyone—everyone—knows that Tsukasa-Senpai is mine."

"I-I've only talked to Tsukasa-Senpai one time, and that was when I dropped my pencil in class-"

"Enough excuses, Hajime-Chan. Everyone~!" Dia spoke as loudly as she could. "Hajime-Chan here said for just $5, she would give any of you a kiss—on the lips!" She gave a wink to Hajime and walked away into the building as her male classmates—who think Hajime is attractive and contributed to that list—took the bait and surrounded her quickly.

Flustered and embarrassed, Hajime squeezed through the crowd of people with tears in her eyes. So much for keeping your head down. She quickly made her way to the bathroom on the higher levels of the school and as her tears blurred her vision, she bumped into Ichigo, who was standing by his locker in the hallway. She turned over her head to apologize, hiding her face, but he saw, he saw the sadness on her face and the tears in her eyes.

"Kurosaki-Kun? Is everything okay?" Orihime noticed he had a sort of blank expression on his face.

"Hey, Inoue, that girl, who was she?"

"Hm… I think her name was Hajime. That's right, Kisumoto Hajime! She's a year above us, in class 4-A, I've actually heard a lot about her recently."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Well, you see—" Before Orihime could finish, the school bell rang, and the vice principal urged everyone to get to class immediately.

As Hajime calmed herself down and cleaned herself up in the bathroom, she made her way to the classroom. As she entered the room, everyone was staring at her and snickering. She took her seat next to the window and tried her best to ignore everyone, and she thought back to what she saw yesterday.

It was those monsters again… And that presence I felt yesterday; I felt a similar presence today. Could it be that boy I bumped into? Agh, I didn't get a good look at his face! Sigh… Why couldn't you tell me more about all this, Nori?

5 Years Ago

It's been 5 years since the arrest of Hajime's father and his words still cut through her mind like a knife. If you weren't born, your mother and I would live somewhere nicer than this trash of a neighborhood. I never liked you and I never will. You're ugly, you're useless, and you are a waste of human life!

It wasn't only until recently that Hajime learned what her mother's night job was; she was a sex worker in the Red-Light District and knew that she only agreed to the job for the money. Her father's words echoed louder; he's right. If only I weren't here, she wouldn't have to sacrifice her life for me.

While Hajime was deep in thought, she was unaware of the oncoming car that was racing down the street. It hit her on impact, her body thrown a few feet from where she was, and the car immediately drove off. Silence. She felt no pain; she felt relief. Maybe now… Mama can live the life she should have had.

The clacking of waraji's broke her from her thoughts, "Hajime, I told you I didn't want to see you so soon." A familiar voice and bright teal hair met Hajime's line of sight.

"It's you… From that time with Akashi…" she barely said as blood seeped from her mouth.

"The name's Nori, and I really can't have you die right now. It's not your time yet." Nori kneeled beside Hajime and healed some of her injuries. "I have a limit to my powers, so you'll need immediate care, but you'll survive."

"What," Hajime began, "What do you mean it's not my time yet? Who are you?"

"I've said too much. As I told you, I'm a Shinigami. I fight for peace and send lost souls to the afterlife." He lied. Or rather told her a half-truth. Nori was indeed a Shinigami, but he belonged to a different category of Shinigami known as Schedulers. Schedulers know when everyone's time is near, and it is their job to help their souls pass into Soul Society when they can. They are usually forbidden to interfere in an individual's passing unless ordered to.

"Fight for peace?"

"When souls stay in the Human World for too long, or they lose their heart to despair or regret, they turn into monsters called Hollow. Our job is to purify those Hollow and send the souls to a place called Soul Society."

"Soul… Society? What is that?"

Before Nori could answer Hajime's questions, they could hear the sirens of the ambulance approaching, and it was time for Nori to leave. He stood from Hajime's side and looked into Hajime's silver eyes. "That's all for today Hajime."

"Wait! How… do you know my name?"

"It's part of the job." Nori then disappeared, and EMTs took Hajime to the hospital to tend to her injuries.

The next class of the day was English, and in this class, the teacher intimidated everyone. She was very strict and possessive of her belongings; she would hand out a failing quiz grade for those who do not return her belongings. Thus, crumbling the GPAs of many students that studied under her.

As class began, the teacher was looking for volunteers to read today's poem. No one raised their hands. But then Hajime jolted out of her seat and looked out the window with a frightened look.

"Ah, Kisumoto-San, thank you for volunteering, now can you please read the first poem to us?" Hajime's focus was elsewhere as she felt a powerful spiritual presence outside to hear what her teacher was saying, "Kisumoto-San!" The sudden rise in tone brought Hajime back to her senses.

"Ah, right, sorry!" As she read the poem, she glanced over to the window and saw a familiar orange head running across the school grounds, and as she looked closer, she noticed his outfit was the same as Nori's. It's him, he's the one I felt last night fighting those monsters. Oh, what was his name again… Ichigo, Kurosaki Ichigo! I must go after him!

Hajime once again interrupted her teacher's lecture and shot up her hand.

"Yes, Kisumoto-San? What is it? You know I don't like interruptions."

"Right, I-I'm not feeling too well. May I go to the nurse's office?"

The teacher scanned Hajime's face before giving her an answer. "You look fine to me. What exactly is the problem?"

"Ah, y-you know, I-I have… cramps…" she said, finishing her sentence in a hushed tone. She ended up having to repeat herself, "I-I have cramps…" She heard snickering from her classmates and Dia took it upon herself to turn the spotlight onto Hajime.

"It must be the baby," Dia exclaimed while giving Hajime an evil smirk. Hajime looked over at Dia in surprise and gave a sigh of disbelief.

"Oh my, Kisumoto-San, I didn't know you were pregnant!"

Neither did I, Hajime thought to herself as she turned to face her teacher.

"You should have told me at the beginning of class. If you're going to be making frequent interruptions, you should get yourself a pass from the Nurse's office. You're free to go but make sure you bring my pass back to me by the end of the day, understand? You know my rules."

"I understand, thank you." Hajime quickly grabbed the pass and her belongings and made her way to the back exit of the school.

Upon arriving at the source of the spiritual energy, a Gillian class Hollow greeted Ichigo, its towering form ready to wreak havoc on Karakura Town. With this not being his first encounter with a Gillian Menos, Ichigo purified the Hollow with ease. However, as Ichigo may have forgotten, Menos appears in packs and behind him was another Gillian, readying a cero, preparing to fire it.

Hajime observed Ichigo from behind a building, but she knew Ichigo was unaware of the incoming attack and called out to him in panic, "Kurosaki-San, behind you!"

With the suddenness of the scream, Ichigo turned around and fired his Getsuga Tenshou at the cero and Gillian, hiding, purifying it.

Then, as if by plan, another Gillian fired a cero at Ichigo, and before Hajime could yell out to him, she heard a chant, "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki, First Dance, White Moon." A large pillar of ice trapped the Gillian before the cero reached its intended target and shattered, purifying it.

There's another-! With the same robe, those powers, what are they? Focusing on the two beings in front of her, Hajime was unaware of the Gillian behind her, who grabbed her causing her to wince in pain as Hollows possess an acidic touch.

The scream startled Rukia and Ichigo, but before they could attack the Gillian, they heard another incantation, "Howl, Zabimaru!" A segmented blade rushed through the air and made its way into the shoulder of the Hollow. Reacting to the pain, the Gillian threw Hajime aside with an intense amount of force. Renji quickly shunpo-ed to catch her and Ichigo finished purifying the Hollow.

"Hey, you all right?!" Renji asked as he put Hajime down. He noticed the burn marks on her arm, and she clenched her teeth as if she was in terrible pain.

She opened her eyes and immediately a vision of Akashi appeared. "Aka…shi…?" Renji's eyes widened as something within his body reacted to the name. No, Akashi is dead…

Hajime's vision was becoming clearer, and she focused her attention on the people surrounding her. A long crimson-haired man with a bandana covering forehead tattoos, a petite girl with shoulder-length black hair and a strand of hair falling in between her eyes, and a teenage boy with a head full of a bright orange color. Hajime's eyes met Ichigo's, and he remembered the sparkling silver eyes he saw earlier this morning.

"Ah! You're from this morning!" Ichigo noted as his memory was resurfacing. Hajime looked into Ichigo's eyes and tried to give a faint smile.

"Kurosaki Ichigo… I should have known it was you."

"You two know each other?" Rukia asked.

"Better yet, she can see you—us?" Renji asked.

"Shinigami, right?" Hajime spoke as she tried to sit up, "You three aren't the first ones I've seen. But… I'm hoping you'll answer some questions that I have."

"Well, why don't we get that arm of yours healed up first, and then we can talk. Come on, I'll take you to Inoue."

Just then, the school bell rang, marking the end of the day. Despite the pain, Hajime quickly picked herself up and ran back to the school.

"Hey! Where are you going with your arm like that?!" Renji exclaimed. However, Hajime was already out of sight trying to make it back to return the pass to her teacher.

I have to hurry. I can't afford to lower my GPA all because of a stupid pass. Mama's future depends on it! As Hajime sprinted at full speed to the classroom, she made it just in time before her teacher left.

"Ah, Kisumoto-San, good, you're here. I would hate to have given you a failing quiz grade for being so irresponsible with my belongings, so, my pass please?"

Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji were regrouping when Ichigo noticed something hanging on Renji's robe.

"Hey, Renji, what's that?" Ichigo reached for the shining object and read the message on the back, "'Class 4-A, Yuuko-Sensei's English Class. If Found Please Return, Or Else.' Well, that's not good. I've heard about her; she likes to hand out failing grades if people don't return her things. We gotta get this back to her."

"I'll give it to her, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind while I'm at it too," Renji explained as he grabbed the pass out of Ichigo's hand and used shunpo to get to the school. In the meantime, Rukia and Ichigo went to go find Inoue to ask for her help.

Back to Hajime, she looked through her bag and didn't see the pass anywhere. She looked through her bag's zippers, pockets, everywhere and she couldn't find it.

"Kisumoto-San, did you lose my pass?" Yuuko asked in a stern voice of disbelief since she warned Hajime not to lose it. Hajime froze. I just had it. Where is it?! She looked through her bag once again and suddenly saw the pass drop into her bag. She glanced up and Renji was just centimeters away from her face. "looks like you dropped something," he said with a smile.

Hajime gave a small smile back at Renji and grabbed the pass for Yuuko. "Here it is Sensei. It seemed to have gotten buried under all my books. Thank you and have a nice day!"

As she made her way out of the classroom, the pain in her arm kicked in. Staggering against the wall, she leaned against it for support, but it became too much to bear, and she dropped to her knees.

"You really are something else, you know that?" Renji said while giving Hajime a pitiful look. Hajime returned Renji's look with a gentle smile.

"Oi, Renji!" Rukia called out as she ran down the hall with Ichigo and Inoue.

"Inoue, if you could please heal her arm," Ichigo asked.

"Of course. Do you mind?" She asked as she kneeled beside Hajime and healed her arm with Soten Kisshun.

The pain subsided, and the wounds from the acid faded. Amazing… Does everyone he knows have some sort of power?

"Thank you," Hajime said. Inoue responded with a smile.

"But um, if you don't mind, Kurosaki-Kun, there is something I would like to talk to you about," Hajime stated as she turned her attention over to Ichigo.

"Sure, what is it?"

"I have so many questions, and I feel that you may have the answers to them. What… What is Soul Society and what happens to the souls that cross over? I heard some souls can become monsters. Uh, what were they called… Hollow! What can you tell me about them? And-"

"Whoa whoa, calm down." Ichigo butted in, "You're lucky these two are here today," he stated as he pointed to Rukia and Renji. "Anything you want to know about Shinigami and Soul Society, they'll have the answer for you. Why don't we all meet at Karakura Park, everyone's leaving the school grounds soon.

"I understand. I'll grab my books from my locker and head my way there. Thank you!" Finally, I'll have some answers!

. . .

"So, you want to know more about Soul Society? Can I ask why? And how do you know about us—about Shinigami?" Ichigo asked.

"I first met a Shinigami about ten years ago. My only friend was… murdered, and the Shinigami told me he sent his soul to the afterlife—to Soul Society. I wanted to know if maybe you knew him?"

"It's more complicated than that," Rukia explained, "Once your soul is sent to Soul Society, it will find its way into one of the 320 districts as they wait to be reincarnated into the Human World. The odds of seeing a specific soul, let alone finding one, is slim."

"So, when I die, my soul will be sent to Soul Society, and I will live as if I was still alive?"

"Mostly. Living in Soul Society is like living in the Human World except, people don't get hungry unless they possess spiritual energy." Renji explained.

"And with that spiritual energy, that is how I can see the two of you?" Hajime asked as she turned her attention to Renji and Rukia.

"That's correct. You possess an impressive amount of spiritual energy. I guess it's no surprise you can see us." Rukia stated.

"But wait, do Shinigami know when a person is supposed to die?" Hajime asked suddenly out of the blue.

"Hmm. There are certain groups of Shinigami who oversee that area. They're called Schedulers. The Schedulers know of everyone's time of death for a certain time frame and purify that person's soul when scheduled. Why?"

"Nori, the Shinigami I met back then, he told me it wasn't my time to die when a car hit me. He knew my name without having been told and even healed some of my injuries."

"Schedulers have that kind of knowledge," Renji explained. "Knowing when a person's going to die and how, their job is to guide the soul, and they are forbidden from preventing a person's death."

"I see," Hajime said as she was taking all the information in.

"Have we answered all your questions?" Ichigo asked.

"I have one more question if you don't mind. When a soul arrives in Soul Society, does that soul continue to have the same memories it did when it was alive in the Human World? For example, will they remember their name and what kind of life they lived?" As Hajime asked her last question, she looked at Renji for her answer.

"It depends on multiple factors." Rukia answered in place of Renji, "If your soul entered when you were a child, your memory of the world wouldn't be as strong, so if they can understand their decision, why not. But as souls enter when they're older, they will possess memories of their old life until they reincarnate. Some souls have the option of erasing their memory and only choosing to remember their names. Though, that option is for those who have lived a tough life in the Human World. Some also rewrite their history as well. If a soul has lived an unfortunate life in the Human World, we allow them the option to live as a different person under a unique name with hardly any memories."

"Is there any way to regain those lost memories?"

"The only way to do that is to talk to the Shinigami that passed the soul over to the afterlife."

If that were the case, then Nori would be the one Akashi has to search for. If he gave up his memories, that is.

Then, as if right on cue, Hajime's phone rang. "Ah, excuse me for a second, it's my mom. It's getting late, she must be worried." Hajime answered her phone and walked away from the group to avoid disturbing them.

"You sure it was okay to tell her about all this, Rukia?" Ichigo asked.

"It's fine. She doesn't seem like someone with ill intentions, and it only seems as if she wanted information on her friend that passed away."

"Ah, I'm sorry everyone. I'll have to get going now. My mom is heading to work soon, and I have to watch over the house. Thank you very much for everything today." She bowed at the group of three and made her way home.

. . .

Aiko already left for work, but she made some curry before she left with a note that read: "Eat up! Rest well and be safe. I love you. -Mom"

Hajime ate her dinner, cleaned up the table, and started her lockdown routine. She locked all the doors, all the windows, and covered everything. All the lights had to be turned off, as well as the heat, and the only source of light and warmth that Hajime had would be one candle that was placed in her room.

After everything that happened today, Hajime lay in her bed and thought back to when she was caught in Renji's arm and saw a glimpse of Akashi. She gave a big sigh and closed her eyes as an image of Akashi appeared in her mind.

Could he really be Akashi? He doesn't seem to have any memories of me, and it may not be him but… there's just something about him… I have to find Nori, he's the only one that can tell me.

. . .

The next day at school, Hajime almost forgot about the fiasco Dia caused yesterday morning, and so she snuck into the back entrance to avoid being seen by others. On her way to homeroom, she saw Ichigo in the hallway. Trying to not ruin the reputation she learned about, she gave a small nod and tiptoed past him.

"You know," Ichigo spoke as he turned back to Hajime, "You don't have to pretend you don't know me."

Hajime turned to face him. "I'm sure you've heard of the rumors—about my family, about me. There's no need for anyone to associate with me. Thank you for your help and for answering my questions yesterday but it's best if you just let me be."

"I doubt that. Why don't you join us for lunch later?"

Hajime's heart almost skipped a beat. Even if it was an insignificant gesture, she was happy.

"You don't owe me anything…"

"No, but I'm asking as a friend."

"A… friend?" Hajime repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah, you could use some, can't you?" Blunt but true.

Hajime gave a smile. "I'll see you at lunch then." And she made her way to homeroom.

. . .

Three months have passed since Hajime's and Ichigo's paths entwined, and she could finally say that she had a group of friends who accepted her for what she was. Ichigo introduced her to Ishida and Chad, and her curiosity about their powers grew.

"You excited to finally get out of here, Kazuto?" In Karakura Jail, in cell number 78315, a familiar muscular man lies on the top bunk of the bunk bed.

"How much longer do I have, Jun?"

The man named Jun possessed long purple hair and piercing amber eyes. He got up from his bunk bed and approached a small calendar that hung on the wall in their cell. Taking the red marker on the desk, he crossed off today's date: May 2nd, and responded, "Two more weeks and you're out of here."

Hearing the news of finally escaping his prison cell in two weeks caused a smile to form on Kazuto's face.

Two weeks, huh? After ten long years, you're finally going to receive your punishment, Hajime.