Unlimited Soul Works Chapter 1: Help (Patreon)

Beta read by Fabled Life

Here is the promised bleach chapter that won the poll.

I'll be posting the regular poll soon and no worries, Taimanin updates will be the same as usual since this bleach chapter was supposed to be like a bonus bonus.

Next update is To Love a Sword

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-Twelfth Division-

It was not every day that the entirety of Soul Society would exude a rather jubilant atmosphere. Most days were rather monotonous with the chore of handling duties, going on patrols, and keeping the balance stable as their duties intended.

But just for this particular day, most of the Soul Reapers were given permission to put their duties to the side and attend a rare event that brought together not only every single Captain and their lieutenants, but also the Captain-Commander came forth to gather within the halls of the Twelfth Division. For today, the entire place bathed in the mouth-watering fragrance of spices, grilled meat, and alcohol — all of which was accompanied by a faint but soothing shamisen music playing in the background.

The entirety of the Thirteen Court Guard Squad felt alive as most of the available Soul Reapers gathered around the tables and spoke to their peers with enthusiasm while also keeping a respectful posture without causing any trouble. Long tables were buried under platters, and the air smelled of roast meat along with sake. People from every division packed the place, their voices bouncing off the walls in a loud, chaotic celebration.

Amongst them, a certain dark-skinned captain and princess of the Shihōin clan attended the place, wearing a sleeveless and backless Onmitsukidō uniform — all of which was covered by the white captain's haori. Styling her neck-length black hair, Yoruichi Shihōin then leaned back in her zaisu, tipping a small cup of sake to her lips. The drink was smooth and warm. She let out a quiet hum, her golden eyes half-closed as she watched the crowd. "This is life," she muttered to herself. “Kirio really outdid herself with this. I can't remember if I even had something this flavorful in the past.”

While not exactly a rarity, high-quality sake such as this was tricky to acquire with the old man breathing down their necks. Even as the one in charge of the Onmitsukidō, she had to be careful when getting something like this.

But for there to be a near infinite supply to be available during such an event, it became clear that their Captain-Commander was in a good mood today to let it slide.

"Ah, Captain Yoruichi," a voice muffled by food rumbled next to her. "You haven't touched your plate."

She glanced over at her Lieutenant, Ōmaeda Marenoshin. A man whose physique could easily be mistaken for a bear, but that ridiculous pompadour and gold jewelry helped make him less… scary. Yet his current behavior certainly did not help with that image, for he was a disaster zone of eating to say the least. A stack of empty plates sat beside him, and he was currently plowing through his twentieth plate, his chopsticks moving fast, to the point they had become a blur. Looking like he was having his last meal before execution.

"Slow down, Marenoshin," she said, propping her chin on her hand. "You keep eating like that, and you'll pop. Then I'm short a Lieutenant."

He swallowed a huge bite of braised beef, barely pausing. "I can't, Captain! This is food from the legendary Captain Hikifune Kirio! It's the best thing I've ever eaten in decades, even my wife's cooking cannot compare! I think my power is growing just from chewing!" His eyes, wide with joy, landed on her full plate. “Also, you always have Soifon to take my place; she's been eyeing my neck a bit too much lately.

"Pft!" An amused chuckle escaped her lips. "What's the matter? Afraid Soifon's going to slit your throat in your sleep? With how thick your skin is, I doubt a dagger will even make it that far." She took another sip of her sake, her golden eyes glinting with mischief. "Besides, I'm pretty sure your boy is also aiming for that spot. How's the brat doing, anyway?"

Marenoshin let out a long, weary sigh, the sound of a man carrying the world's troubles on his shoulders. "If I'm not going to die from stress dealing with Soifon glaring daggers at me every day, then it'll be from dealing with the antics of my lazy, ungrateful, and useless son." He stabbed a piece of meat with his chopsticks a bit harder than necessary. "Marechiyo. He's spending more time wasting my money and buying useless junk than focusing on becoming a proper Soul Reaper. Just last week, he tried to buy a bed frame made entirely out of gold like mine. I made sure to teach him a painful lesson. The kid's supposed to enroll in the academy in a few years!"

Yoruichi shrugged, a gesture of complete near indifference given how often this father-son dynamic she continued to hear along the past decade alone. "Just snap the kid in place. Hit him a bit, you know? That's what fathers do or whatever."

"It's useless," Marenoshin lamented, slumping slightly in his seat. "No amount of strict parenting seems to work. The boy just keeps finding ways to slime his way out and not take his training seriously. He's quick on his feet, I'll give him that, especially when he's running away from me. I doubt he'll become a proper Soul Reaper, much less a lieutenant."

She hummed in agreement, swirling the last of the sake in her cup. "Parenting sounds like a pain."

He nodded, his face grim. "It is."

The guy soon turned his attention towards her own plate and put on a pondering expression. "Um… You gonna finish that?"

Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "If your chopsticks touch my plate, I will rip that pompadour off your head with my bare hands."

The Lieutenant flinched and immediately focused back on his own food, muttering an apology. “Sorry.”

Her gaze drifted across the room to Hikifune, who was surrounded by people, her bright face smiling as she was in the middle of having a conversation with both Ginrei Kuchiki and Retsu Unohana. While it was rare to see them together, she did not expect them to actually be this friendly towards one another. The head of the Kuchiki clan, to others, always looked like he had a stick up his ass, though he was actually quite friendly towards her.

‘Oh right, I agreed to pay him a visit one of these days… good opportunity to tease little Byakuya. He must be pushing himself again.’ A promising talent but one with a very short fuse, similar to Soifon and prone to basic taunts. A part of her was eager to see how far he came with his flash-step training.

As for Retsu, well, despite being a former Kenpachi, she also had quite the social circle and got along with basically everyone. ‘I doubt anyone is suicidal enough to be on her bad side. No one makes an enemy of those who are tasked to heal you, not even the Captain-Commander.’

Hah, she kept getting distracted. Either way, today's event, while jovial, could also be seen as rather bittersweet. The Twelfth Division without Hikifune felt wrong; that beautiful woman and her cheerful demeanor always made it fun to visit this place. The thought soured the sake in her mouth, but a clear sound cut through it all.

Tap!

Tap!

Tap!

“...”

While the noise was small, it killed the chatter in the room instantly. Everyone stopped what they were doing. All eyes turned to the front. Captain-Commander Yamamoto stood there, his wooden cane on the floor, his squinted eyes looking over the entire Thirteen Court Guard Squad.

The room went dead silent under his stare.

First, clearing his throat, he spoke with a low, gravelly voice that everyone could hear. "We are here today to celebrate an ascension, not mourn a departure. Hikifune Kirio has served the Thirteen Court Guard Squad for a long time, serving and fighting alongside us through countless calamities that have threatened our realm. She has been a strong captain for her division, a trusted Soul Reaper, and an asset to all of us. Her promotion to the Royal Guard is an honor she has earned through countless tribulations. She will now serve the foundation of our world. I am proud to have called her my comrade, and I wish her well in the realm of the Soul King."

Applause broke out, loud and sincere. As it died down, Marenoshin leaned closer to Yoruichi, whispering, "Captain, what does the Royal Guard even do? I've never seen one. Not to mention, the others who got promoted… they never visit. Won't it become boring just to be a plain bodyguard all day and no longer be allowed to visit your family?"

Yoruichi took another sip of her sake, looking at the wall. "The Zero Division is a special case, so to speak. In comparison, it's true that they guard the Soul King. They don't just protect him but also protect the Soul Palace… You can also think of them as representatives of the Soul King himself. They're on a level above us since they were chosen by the Soul King.”

“Do they get a raise in salary?”

Why was she not surprised by that question… But then again, it was not a stupid question. “Who knows, does one even need a salary at that point? You can just demand anything, and you'll get it. I doubt anyone will be stupid enough to ask a Royal Guard to pay for it.”

The Lieutenant's eyes got big. "Really? That sounds kind of neat, but I'd still prefer physical money itself to just be given everything for free. It's not as fun. Speaking of which, above us, huh… Then the Twelfth Division Captain's spot is open. Who's taking over?"

A slow smirk spread across the woman's face. "I've got someone in mind. Already sent the recommendation."

Marenoshin paled. "You don't mean… Urahara Kisuke, do you? Captain, are you sure about that? He's smart, yeah, but he's weird with those dangerous ideas of his. I wouldn't be surprised if one day this entire division exploded due to one of his experiments. Not to mention, Soifon doesn't like him, so she will definitely be against the idea." He glanced over at the dark-haired girl standing stiffly, her face blank but screaming disapproval.

"Oi, first of all, why are you so afraid of Soifon? You're a lieutenant for goodness sake! Have some balls! Second, both you and Soifon underestimate him," Yoruichi said, munching on some dessert treats given to her earlier. "You see him as some weird inventor with a few screws loose. I see a brain that will change this division and give it a more important role in the Thirteen Court Guard Squad. Kisuke's the guy who can bring those changes, and he's got the skills to be a captain." She swirled her cup.

"If you say so.” The head of the Omaeda clan did not sound one bit convinced.

“Speaking of which, where is he? He should be here for this, shouldn't he? Pretty sure I gave the guy a notice along with Soifon."

"That's the other thing, Captain," Marenoshin said, his voice dropping even more. "That's why he's not here. You sent him and Soifon to investigate those weird phenomena in the Rukongai, remember?”

“Eh? Oh!” It just now came back to her, quite recently, several mentions of Hollows being exterminated began to reach her ears. That in itself would not raise any suspicions whatsoever, given their role as Soul Reapers. But the strange thing was that no Soul Reaper on duty reported subjugating those Hollows.

This matter did get investigated by another division, but all of them would come back empty-handed, at one point even frustrating the old man who tasked her to intervene and uncover what the hell was going on.

Having the Onmitsukidō involved sure made it clear that this matter had started to worry Yamamoto.

“More signs of combat were found, several reports of locals and scouts mentioning hearing roars from Hollows but seeing no sign of them."

More of them.

Either someone from the Thirteen Court Guard Squad was getting too antsy and went outside to vent by killing any Hollows they could find, or something more worrisome.

The fact that more Hollows were showing up than usual also raised several alarm bells in her head.

Yoruichi nodded, her expression getting serious. "Tch. A dozen Hollows sightings and all killed by this unknown person. It's clean work, not something a rogue Soul Reaper would do, and not even the strongest Rukongai gang will be enough to kill a Hollow so quickly." She shrugged.

“I honestly think it's some runt from the Rukongai who got the ability to use their spiritual energy and are now going around hunting Hollows.”

"A normal soul, huh. Not a bad theory, in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case. It would explain how they are able to hide so well from us. Some people around her just can't fathom the possibility of a bunch of nobodies being gifted with spiritual energy and not necessarily being a part of the Court Guard Squad." Marenoshin's suggestion made enough sense for her to consider it genuinely. Such people were rare but not non-existent.

"Then wouldn't sending the second division to handle this matter be a bit overkill?"

"Maybe," Yoruichi said, her eyes going back to the party, though her mind was somewhere else. "Just leave this matter to Kisuke, he'll know how to handle it. We'll see what he and Soifon find. For now, let's not worry about it. Tonight, we celebrate." She raised her cup. "To Captain Hikifune."

Marenoshin, still looking worried, raised his own. "To Captain Hikifune."

“Shihōin! You took the whole box of sake, didn't you!?” An angered voice came from the other side of the hall, with the woman letting out a cheshire grin, the person who shouted at her showed countless times in the past, and waving her bottle almost tauntingly at her fellow captain.

“If you want more, you'd better be able to catch me, Shinji.”

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-Rukongai outskirts-

Two shadows cut through the forest, moving away from the 13 Court Guard Squad and the distant village. Their speed was beyond the standard flash step taught to the rank-and-file. They were blurs against the trees, their steps so efficient they barely disturbed the leaves on the ground. They shot past ancient trunks and over gnarled roots without a sound, their movements a fluid dance of speed and control.

The blurs resolved into two figures in a small clearing. The first was a man in his late twenties with light blonde hair, wearing a simple green robe over a shirt and pants. The second was a Soul Reaper in a black, sleeveless ninja outfit, a black mask covering the lower half of her face. The woman's leg shot out, smacking the man's calf.

"Ow! What was that for, Soifon!" he whined, hopping on one foot. He wasn't angry, his voice holding a playful whine.

"You should not be wandering around without your proper uniform," she stated in a cold voice.

"I don't need it. Everyone knows who I am," he said, rubbing his leg.

"That is because you never hide your identity to begin with!" She shot back. "This is not how someone from Onmitsukido should behave! You're ranked third in the division, so act like it or else I will report this to Yoruichi-sama."

He rolled his eyes. "This is the tenth time this week you've threatened that. You're running out of steam." He turned away from her, his gaze sweeping the clearing. "But enough about that. It looks like there was a battle here."

The signs were obvious. Deep gashes, like from giant claws, were torn across the ground. Trees were splintered, and boulders were split in half. It looked like a creature had gone berserk, tearing up everything in sight.

"Appears to be a single Hollow, most likely," Kisuke said, scratching his chin. "Any reports of a Soul Reaper purifying a Hollow in this area?"

"No," Soifon replied, her eyes also scanning the destruction. "There has been none."

Kisuke pondered this for a moment, his hand on his chin. "Let's go further ahead."

Soifon gave a short nod, not disputing his words. They started moving again, their steps just as fast as before. After a moment of awkward silence, she spoke. "What are you planning to do?"

"All those subjugations without an official report happened around a certain perimeter near the Rukongai village," he explained. "We might find some information if we ask around a bit."

"Do you believe this is a defector? Or a Soul Reaper on duty?" Soifon asked.

Surprisingly, Kisuke shook his head. "It's none of them."

This made her stop. "Then what? A random nobody from the village who gained spiritual energy and started hunting Hollows?"

"Unlikely," he said, not breaking his stride. "A soul that has awakened spiritual energy cannot hunt down Hollows without a Zanpakuto. No matter how powerful they are, unless they're a full-on captain-level entity, they can't just kill Hollows. They'd be a beacon, attracting more of them. Unless, of course, they got their hands on some kind of weapon capable of killing such creatures — but that's even more unlikely."

As they got closer to the village, he pointed to a nearby tree. "I don't think it's a Soul Reaper at all. Because of this."

Confused, Soifon looked. She saw a hole in the tree trunk. "A hole?"

"Not just a hole," he corrected her. "A hole made after an object went clean through it. Most likely a projectile fired from a bow."

“—!” Soifon's entire body went rigid. "That cannot be possible. There are no more of them in the Soul Society, not after the last war."

"There are no absolutes in this world," Kisuke said calmly. "It could be a special case. Or some other weapon that has nothing to do with them."

They arrived at the village on the outskirts of the Rukongai. The few people on the dirt paths immediately stopped what they were doing. Some bowed their heads in reverence, while others looked on with fright before quickly ducking into their homes. Soifon's jaw tightened. "Impolite fools," she muttered under her breath.

"Don't blame them," Kisuke said, his hands in his pockets. "Some Soul Reapers don't know how to control themselves. They let the power get to their heads and act like local warlords."

"We are tasked to keep them safe from Hollows," Soifon argued. "The least these people could be is grateful."

Kisuke didn't reply to that. He just walked ahead, heading for a particular house, a store more accurately, where a distinct sweet fragrance came from the interior. Showcasing a woman smoking a long pipe and surrounded by various sorts of confectionery and candy. She wore a simple, faded brown kimono, the fabric frayed at the sleeves and hem. Her hair was tied back loosely with a worn piece of cloth.

To anyone's eyes, nothing more than just a regular store clerk.

The woman greeted him with a smile. "Back for your usual stranger?"

"Maah~! Why call me a stranger after all that we've been through, Miss Takana~! I'm here on different business today," Kisuke said. He tossed her a small, heavy coin bag. "But yeah, same as usual. Know anything about what's been going on with the Hollows lately? The ones being subjugated without any reports."

The woman caught the bag, weighing it in her palm. She looked back at him. "And why would I know anything about that?"

Kisuke gave her a goofy smile. "Come now, Oba-san. You know everything around these parts. And we're old friends. Let's not act like strangers."

She rolled her eyes and pocketed the money. "Tch, calling me by my name when you're being all chummy and now oba-san because I didn't give you a response? You've become petty, Urahara. Fine. I genuinely don't know who's behind the attacks. But for the last few weeks, the village has been peaceful. No Hollows. They get killed the moment they show up, and no one's spotted the person. Some have even tried to find them to give gifts, but no luck."

Kisuke's face fell slightly. A dead end, huh… Well, he didn't have much of an expectation, given that other Soul Reapers also got nothing, but still, there had to be something for him to use. "Know anything else? I paid you well."

The woman thought for a moment. "There is something. But I doubt it's important."

"Anything will do. And even if it's not related, I won't ask for a refund."

"As if I would give you a refund," Takana snorted. "A particularly young demographic of my customers has come by lately to sell me belongings that once were used by a Soul Reaper. You know how expensive the sword tends to go for, even if they can no longer use it. I don't ask where they get it; store policy. But they will definitely come by again to sell more. Makes you wonder where they find this stuff and how they're not in danger out there." She took a drag from her pipe. "Oh, and there's a crater I came across a few days ago. It looked like there was a fight there. Maybe you'll find something from it."

It wasn't much, but she would not give him such information for no reason. With that, both Kisuke and Soifon left the shop with differing opinions on the meeting.

They walked out of the shop, the small bell above the door chiming softly. Kisuke held two cones of frozen custard, the white swirls already beginning to melt in the afternoon sun. He held one out to Soifon, “Here, have a taste. You'll love it. Apparently, the old hag used some real mangoes for the filling. Do you like mangoes?”

She eyed it with suspicion. "What is this?"

"Eh, I already told you, didn't I? Bah, I guess I'll use another way, it's basically a frozen custard dessert," he said, taking a lick of his own. "Introduced in the world of the living, Japan, a few decades ago as “Aisukurin”, which is similar to kakigori but more fancy, I guess… but with less shaved ice and more cream. You should try it. It's quite nice."

She tried to slap it from his hand. He sidestepped the swing with ease, not even looking at her. Almost as if he predicted her actions long before. "We are on a mission, not here to have fun!" she hissed, her frustration clear.

He took another slow lick of his ice cream, a low moan of pleasure escaping his lips. "Mmm, but this is the most delicious thing I've had in years. So sweet, decadent, and smooth! It makes all the frustration and tiredness just seep away. Helps me perform at my best."

"You are just using it as an excuse to goof off!"

"What a shame," he said, pulling the cone back slightly. "I'll just give it to Yoruichi, then. It's her favorite treat after all. She has been pretty bored lately, so I figure this to be the perfe—oh my~!"

Soifon's hand shot out and snatched the cone from his grasp before he could finish the sentence. Pulling her mask down, revealing a pale, heart-shaped face with pointed dark eyes, short hair around the same length as Kisuke, and a rather cute face. She hesitated for a second, then gave the frozen dessert a tentative lick. Her eyes went wide. She stood there, frozen in disbelief.

Kisuke grinned. "How is it? Better than mochi and that green matcha tea we keep being given at the second division?"

She struggled for a moment, her pride warring with the taste. Instead of answering, she just stayed quiet and took another, larger bite. “It's… it's acceptable.”

Well, that was as good an answer as he would get from her.

As they walked away, he spoke casually. "Tanaka used to have her own ice cream and candy store in Japan when she was alive. Quite successful. Had a side business of buying and selling information, too. At least, that is what she mentioned to me when remembering the memories of the past."

"You get along quite well with her," Soifon noted, her mouth still full.

He shrugged. "I admire her craft. It's an ingenious way to make a living here, of all places. Just a shame that not many people can afford her delicious treats. She is also a very shrewd woman who can get anything she wants in enough time. I always felt that sounde pretty impressive. Who knows, one day I might open my own little shop."

They continued out of the village, the dirt path giving way to untamed wilderness. The further they got, the more Soifon recognized the route. "Isn't this the path that leads to the outpost that surveys this area?"

"Yep," Kisuke said. "But it was apparently destroyed a few weeks ago. Guess what, an asteroid."

The black-haired woman stopped walking and stared right back at him. "An asteroid? That doesn't make sense. Asteroids do not fall upon Soul Society."

"Hey, don't blame me, I'm just saying what I read. That's just one of the explanations I got from the reports," he said, tapping his chin. "Others mentioned an explosion, a natural gas leak... all sorts of things. But curiously, now that I think about it, this happened right before those cases of subjugated Hollows started to pop up. Might be a clue."

They reached the area. The place was strangely clean, with a large hole in the middle. Weeds and small plants were already sprouting inside it. Nearby, the frame of a half-finished new outpost stood, and the rest of the construction material sat by the side collecting dust.

"This is unacceptable!" Soifon fumed, her hands clenching into fists. "This should have been built in less than a week! These people are clearly slacking off! I will report them and have them investigated!"

Kisuke let her vent, a small smile on his face as he walked to the edge of the crater. He jumped down, landing softly in the center. He squinted his eyes, staring at the ground. His hand brushed through the grass, grabbing a handful of dirt. "An unusually high concentration of energy here," he murmured to himself. He looked up at the sky, almost tracing the pathway of the impact in his mind. "A garganta? That's the only explanation for how such a large object could fall from this distance and create such an impact." He shook his head. "But it can't be a Hollow with the sole fact that the shape isn't right. The crater is too neat for a Hollow. It was something … smaller."

As he continued to ponder, a high-pitched scream came from the other side of the crater. Soifon's figure appeared at the edge in an instant, holding a struggling individual in her grasp. "A kid?" Kisuke called out.

The kid looked barely ten years old, a girl with vibrant blonde hair covered in a thin layer of dirt. She was feisty, trying to pry Soifon's fingers from her arm. "Let me go, please! I didn't do anything! I was just getting my things!" she begged, tears and snot streaming down her face.

Kisuke let out a small chuckle. "Come now, that doesn't look like the one we are after. Let her go, Soifon."

"She'll run away," Soifon said with a cold huff. “Also, she may not be the one, but perhaps she has some useful information.”

He raised an eyebrow. "As if you couldn't catch up to her if that happened."

Soifon didn't argue. She let the girl go, who fell onto her butt with a loud "Ow!" Kisuke climbed out of the crater and approached the child. He looked her over but saw nothing out of the ordinary. "Hey there, little girl, my name is Urahara Kisuke, and this bundle of joy next to me is Soi—”

“Don’t.”

—Let’s just call her Angry Face for now. Mind answering a few questions we have about what happened here~? Oh, and what are you doing out here~? This place is dangerous, even for a regular Soul Reaper. Full of Hollows and nefarious criminals who would kidnap a young girl like you."

The girl went pale, either because he gave a bit too much detail or because of his partner's deadly glare. "I-I just came here to scavenge whatever I could find. To exchange for food. I'm so hungry…"

“Ah, I see. Sorry for interrupting you then, we didn't mean it.” Kisuke mentioned with a lazy smile, "Do you know anything unusual that happened around here? Like this crater, for example, any idea how it even happened?"

The young child just shook her head. "N-No. I just heard a rumor about an outpost getting destroyed. I came over to see if I could scavenge something, that's it, I swear! M-My friend is probably waiting for me back at the village. Please, let me go."

Soifon groaned. "Just ignore this brat and let's continue our investigation elsewhere. There's clearly nothing here."

Kisuke said nothing for a moment, then agreed. He ruffled the girl's hair and handed her a piece of candy from his pocket. Bringing it close to the person they caught with the biggest smile he could muster, which, for some reason, made her pale. “Have this, I got way more if you accept what I ask~.”

The young blonde girl flinched back. "I… uh, I don't offer those kinds of services!" she stammered.

Soifon smacked him on the back of the head. "What the hell are you doing!"

"I'm just trying to give her something to eat," he said, rubbing his head. "A reward for answering our questions, I guess I could have worded it differently."

The girl looked surprised. "Really?"

“Yup~!”

“You aren't going to steal it back or hit me for accepting it?”

“Well, that just sounds straight-up mean. Why would I do something so cruel?”

“Oh,” The Young blonde seemed a bit lost with how easily and directly he answered that question. “S-So you're not a bad soul reaper…”

"Yes," Kisuke said with a warm smile. "Not all Soul Reapers are bad guys. It's a bit unfortunate that I have to clarify this point. We're just here to do our jobs and make sure nothing bad or dangerous gets into the village."

“I see… t-thank you…”

She accepted the candy and ran off. Neither of them gave her chase, and instead, he even waved goodbye at her. As they walked away, Soifon couldn't help but huff out loud, "That was a waste of time. The brat had nothing to give us."

Kisuke stayed silent for a long moment. "Heh… I wouldn't say so, exactly. We actually learned quite a bit from her. I wouldn't have given her a free candy if she had not.”

“What?”

The woman looked at him and, in confusion, having not understood his point, he decided to elaborate by answering it with a single phrase. “The girl was lying."

Soifon stopped. "What? How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Because of her clothes," he said, looking in the direction the girl had run. "They were too pristine and recent. Not something a scavenger from the Rukongai would have. She also kept avoiding my eye contact every time she lied; she knows what happened, but for some reason, she is not telling us the truth. How interesting~!”

“Tch, can't you just behave normally for once?”

“Nope.”

{Break}

(Around the same time)

Rangiku ran deeper into the forest, the branches snagging at her quickened footsteps. Not stopping until she reached the empty shack, huffing and being tired. It looked just as rundown as before, the roof sagging and the walls warped. Before she could step inside, a hand shot out from beside her and grabbed her cheek.

"Ouch! Ouch, that hurts!" she whined, trying to pull away.

The one holding Gin did not listen and continued to play with them as if they were putty. His usual squinted eyes were slightly open, and he looked at her with a serious scowl. "Where have you been?"

Rangiku looked away, her voice quiet and innocent. "Just going around seeing if there was anything I could scavenge to sell."

"You don't need to do that," Gin said, his grip loosening but not letting go. "The man already gave us plenty of valuable trinkets."

"We haven't exchanged it for money yet," she argued. The items were mostly jewelry and ornaments, things she had seen him conjure from thin air.

"You went to find him again, didn't you?" Gin pressed with a dry stare that she knew was one that immediately saw through her lies, and no amount of saying otherwise would save her. Thus, Rangiku went silent.

The silence was its own answer.

The boy sighed. "Hah, look, he clearly wouldn't go back there. So why would you even look for him? And he clearly doesn't want to be found. Even if you tried, you wouldn't have any luck."

"But… I just wanted to thank him," Rangiku said, her voice small. "He appeared and disappeared so quickly before I could even say anything."

"I'd advise you to forget that event even happened," Gin said. "Don't meddle in the affairs of such people. They could bring trouble to you."

"Okay," she said, her face visibly saddened, but she did not try to argue against him anymore.

Her expression made his stern look waver; unable to keep up the same look, he just tapped her shoulder. "I'm grateful for his help, too. But that doesn't mean we should lower our defenses around him. It's not normal how he arrived, falling from the sky itself. He doesn't even look like a Soul Reaper, and we don't even know where he came from. We literally don't know anything about him. Trusting him blindly is a mistake."

"But if he was a bad person, he could have killed us for trying to steal his stuff," she argued.

Gin didn't argue with that. "There are multiple factors we need to take into account, not just one guess. Still, perhaps we could meet him again in the future and thank him. I'll keep a lookout for him when I go out."

That got her attention, with the young blonde raising her head and looking at him with surprise. "You're going out again?" she asked.

"Yes," he said, pointing at the bag filled with jewelry. "I still need to exchange the rest of it. We can use the money to find somewhere better to live… no, it would be much better if we'd just repair this shack honestly."

"Why is repairing the shack better than finding a better home?" She asked out of genuine curiosity.

"No, it will be far too noticeable. A bunch of kids like us having enough money to rent a new place would look very suspicious," Gin explained. "It would attract people with bad intentions who'd want to steal our money. I'd rather stay low-key."

"Can I come with you this time?" Rangiku asked.

He hesitated, then reluctantly agreed. Excited, she grabbed his hand. They both headed to the more populated Rukongai area. Gin carried the bag of items while Rangiku stayed by his side. As they walked, she recalled something. "We didn't even ask for his name."

"That man didn't ask for our name either," Gin said. "It's normal. We barely spoke for five minutes before he left in a hurry after asking for some directions."

"Is he one of those secret mission ninja Soul Reapers I keep hearing rumors about?" she wondered.

"Unlikely," Gin answered with a shrug. "I didn't see a sword on him."

Rangiku nodded. They slowly made their way towards the more crowded areas. Her eyes then landed on a stall selling karinto — deep-fried sweet batter sticks glistening with sugar. Her stomach let out a loud growl.

The silver-haired boy looked at her with amusement. "Hungry? Despite us having a full meal just yesterday. Just how big is that stomach of yours~?"

Rangiku's face turned red. She gently hit his shoulder several times. "Don't say that! It makes me sound like a glutton!"

"You technically are," he said. "You ate enough to fill the stomachs of two full-grown adults."

“Don't say that out loud!”

Without another word, he led her toward the stall. He addressed the vendor, an old woman with a greasy apron. "Three sticks of karinto, please."

The vendor narrowed her eyes at first, but then he flashed a handful of coins in his hands, and she instantly scooped the golden-brown sticks into a paper cone. "That'll be six kan."

Gin placed a small coin on the counter. The old woman squinted at it, then bit it to check its authenticity before nodding and handing over the treat. Gin passed it to Rangiku, who took it with a small, uneasy look.

Staring at the karinto in her hands, the sweet smell did not bring the usual smile to her face.

Gin paused mid-chew, his curious eyes observing her and noticing how she stayed so quiet. "What's wrong? You're not eating it, is it perhaps not your favorite?"

She sighed, placing the treat on her lap. "No, not that. It's just...you didn't need to spend money on these sweets. We could have bought almost a week's worth of flour with this."

Gin continued eating his own share, his voice low. "It's not wrong to enjoy some sweetness in life from time to time. Besides, we have enough to continue living without feeling hungry for a while. This gives me the opportunity to find somewhere to work and get some income to keep us from starving again. Then I can seriously start preparing for the Soul Reaper Academy entrance exams."

“The entrance exams?” Rangiku looked up, curiosity in her eyes. She was not surprised by this, given that he had mentioned it several times in the past. "What are the qualifications?"

"One needs to have a good enough intellect to pass the written exams," Gin explained. "If you succeed, you can get a position keeping records, becoming a bookkeeper, or doing administrative work rather than being in the field. But if you also pass the requirements to become a Soul Reaper by having a sufficiently big spiritual energy reserve, then you can apply to become an official Soul Reaper and join one of the thirteen Divisions."

"I'm confident you'll pass the written exams," Rangiku said with little to no doubt in her tone, "but how will you pass the spiritual energy one? Isn't that something you're born with?"

Gin smirked, his fox-like smile spreading across his face. "I have my ways."

She pouted, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. "I wouldn't mind becoming one either. It sure beats just staying inside this shack doing nothing forever."

Gin ordered more of the Japanese sweets and handed them to Rangiku. She shyly accepted them. "Don't say a word."

"No promises," he replied as he stood up. "Wait for me at the stall. I'll exchange these things for money and be back as soon as I can."

"Why can't I just accompany you?"

He immediately shook his head. "It's not a wise decision with both of us going at the same time. That will attract attention. I always go there secretly so no one sees me entering. You're not exactly stealthy with your approach."

Rangiku looked a bit offended, but couldn't deny his words. "I can be a bit loud at times."

"We already raised some attention when both of us went there last time. I don't want to create a pattern." Gin headed toward the door. "Take care."

"You too," she replied as they waved to each other.

Sitting alone, the girl focused on eating her sweets while indulging in her thoughts. "Soul Reaper Academy, huh," she uttered to no one but herself.

Being admitted to that place was never her lifelong dream, but it did sound quite enticing.

She was being serious with her prior words, though not so long ago, she had held quite a bit of weariness against Soul Reapers. But one couldn't deny that becoming one was the one-way ticket out of this hellhole and for her to have a good life. Life was tough around these parts, and unless one was super lucky, ruthless, or came from an influential family, they were destined to live in poverty forever. The more she thought about this, the more she grew certain that perhaps this was the only way for them to escape this hellhole.

"But how do I get stronger?" Rangiku asked herself out loud.

As she brainstormed this topic, time slowly passed. Seconds turned into minutes and soon turned into hours. The clear blue sky showed signs of orange as evening approached, and Gin still hadn't come back.

The old lady who sold her the treat earlier came over. "Is everything all right? It's been a while since your friend hasn't come back."

"Maybe there are a lot of people where he went, and he's just taking longer than usual?" Though she said so, the girl did not believe her own words and started to get worried.

"Someone as young as you should not be wandering the streets this late at night," the old lady said. "Perhaps you should go check on him and hopefully leave the area and go back home before sunset. I'm about to close the shop very soon."

She nodded and left the place, heading over to where Gin had gone to exchange those things, a store called "Tanaka's Candy Store." She made sure not to waste any time and followed the same path as she had taken the first time they came over to the old lady. She tried not to draw too much attention when going inside and saw the old woman at the counter who greeted her with a wrinkly smile.

Rangiku waved at her. "Hello! How are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine," the woman replied. “I was wondering when one of you would show up, then I thought it would happen so early.”

“Eh? Where's Gin? He was supposed to come here to exchange earlier."

“Hm?” The woman gave her a weird look. "I'm sorry to say this, young child, but he never came."

“What?”

Rangiku's eyes widened at the old woman's words. A bad premonition soon befell upon her, her guts twisting inside, telling her that something terribly wrong had happened. She didn't waste a second, turning and bolting out the door, not even stopping to shout his name until she was in the middle of the street. "Gin!" Her voice cut through the evening air. She ran, her bare feet against the dirt paths of the Rukongai district. "Gin!"

Checking every place they had ever been together. The small clearing where they sometimes napped, the dried-up well where they played, the corner where they shared stolen fruit. With each empty location, her calls grew more desperate. "Gin! Where are you!? Gin!"

The sun dipped lower, casting long shadows. Hours passed. Her voice grew hoarse, her lungs burned, but she didn't stop. Not once did the thought that he had abandoned her cross her mind, for that would never be the kind of person he was; the fact that he was simply gone worried her even further.

“Gin!”

Finally, as true night began to fall, her ears picked up a faint sound from a narrow alleyway to her left… a low, pained groan. “—!?” She froze, her heart hammering against her ribs. She peered into the deep shadows and saw a twitching figure on the ground, covered in bruises, with a dark pool of blood spreading beneath it.

"Gin!" she screamed, realizing who it was. She rushed to his side, her knees hitting the ground hard. He was heavily wounded, beaten black and blue. "W-What happened?" she asked, her voice trembling as she fought back tears, her eyes growing moist.

He tried to chuckle, but the sound turned into a wet cough that made him flinch in pain. "Ended up having some bad luck," he rasped, his voice faint. "People took notice... followed me... stole everything." His eyes fluttered closed. "I'm sorry... should have known better."

"Gin!" she shouted, shaking him. "Don't say anything for now, we need to find help! Don't you dare die!" But no matter how she shook him, he didn't respond, his complexion getting paler by the second.

Panic seized her. Ignoring the warm blood staining her clothes, she slung his limp arm over her shoulder and hoisted him up with all her strength. Staggering toward the only doctor she knew, a man who ran a small clinic several blocks away. She aggressively knocked at his door, her breath coming in ragged sobs.

A middle-aged man with a tired face opened the door. "What is it?"

"Help him! Please, help my friend!" Rangiku pleaded, gesturing to the unconscious boy in her arms.

The doctor looked Gin over with a dry, assessing gaze. "It costs fifty kan for treatment."

“F-Fifty?” Rangiku's heart sank. All their money had been with Gin. She frantically searched her pockets and pulled out a few small coins he had given her recently. "This is all I have... ten kan."

The doctor sneered at the amount and shook his head. "This won't be enough to even cover the cost of the basic material, let alone the bandages and my own personal time. It's not even enough to clean the surface wounds, so he stops bleeding. With internal injuries like these, he needs more than just medicine. Without it, he won't survive. If you don't bring me the rest of the money,”

“W-What? T-That can't be… please! I'll give you everything I have! W-We have a she—”

“Enough! I already said that I can't treat him for nothing. I am not running a charity case where I'll make an exception for anyone with a sad story; I've already done it before and paid the price — not again. You must understand, I have a family to feed; I can't play favorites." With that said, he closed the door in her face even as tears started to stream down her face.

Rangiku bit her lip, holding back a fresh wave of tears, and nodded. She carried Gin away from the doctor’s clinic, who unceremoniously closed the door to her face while looking back for a bit.

She spent the rest of the night going from person to person, begging on the streets. "Please, can you spare some money? My friend is dying... he needs a doctor." Most people ignored her, walking past without a glance.

“Could you spare a few coins?”

Others told her to fuck off. Yet through persistence and stubbornness, she managed to earn a few coins here and there, but it wasn't even half of what she needed. “Ah!” Some were repulsed by the blood still covering her clothes and pushed her away, sending her sprawling into the dirt. Her pristine appearance from earlier this morning was gone, replaced by that of a beggar.

As the night wore on, her hope diminished. She sat in a corner, hugging her knees, her cupped hands still held out. Her throat had grown sore from begging for hours and had become raspy and dry.

“...”

Hundreds of people walked past her, not a single soul sparing them a glance. She was about to lose hope when a shadow fell over her.

A familiar voice asked, "What are you doing here?"

“Eh?”

Rangiku snapped her head up as soon as she heard the familiar tone. It was him, the man who had fallen from the sky.

Wearing a large white-beige cloak that hid most of his features, but the white strands of hair peeking from under the hood made her certain. Tears streamed down her face. "You came back!" she cried. "It's Gin... he was beaten when he tried to exchange those things for money! We're sorry, we lost it...b-but I can't repay it, I-I need the money for him first…"

The man looked down at Gin. Much to her surprise, he reached out a hand and touched the boy's forehead. Rangiku watched, confused by his action. "His state is not as bad as you may fear," the man said. "Some basic first aid will be enough to keep him stable, along with disinfecting the wounds. Oh, and something to keep his arm from moving much, a few fractures, but nothing too bad."

To her shock, he carefully picked up Gin as if he weighed nothing. He looked down at her. "Do you have a place to stay?"

"Y-Yes," she shouted, "but it's far."

"Humph, not ideal with the things roaming around these places, but it'll do. Let's go there then," he said. "I will take care of him. It was my fault this happened in the first place."

Rangiku was stunned, not knowing what to say. She watched him walk a few steps before he looked back and gestured for her to follow by extending his hand. She hesitated, then reached out and grabbed his palm, feeling its warmth. The man didn't seem to care that she was covered in dirt and grime; he gently pulled her along with him through the streets.

"U-Um… w-what's your name?" she asked, not wanting to miss the opportunity for a second time. Also, she did not know how to address him during their conversation.

"Hm? Oh, you can call me Archer or Emiya. Whatever suits you or is easier to remember.”

Archer? What a strange name… the other one sounded normal at the very least.

{Break}

It was not every day he found himself in another reality entirely by accident, with no frame of reference for where he was, where to go, or what to do. From the moment he landed, the two children who tried to steal his belongings had given him a general direction to the closest settlement. It was a rather large town, and just by looking at its people and the style of the buildings, he was certain it was in Japan. Which area exactly, he could not be sure, nor the time period, but he had a rough estimate. A strange singularity, to say the least, but not the strangest he has encountered.

As the days went by and he traveled from one corner to another, it felt like no matter how far he went, the land remained unrecognizable. Throughout this entire time, he had been unable to re-establish communication with Da Vinci — which mostly consisted of him waiting. But in this strange land, he did encounter creatures he had never seen before.

‘It looks like a bigger Lahmu with a mask… and eyes.’ Though he was pretty certain they were not the same.

Emiya stood before one.

It was a large, bipedal beast, its skin a dark gray color. Its most defining feature was a bone-white mask that covered its face, with a simple set of teeth carved into it. It possessed no particular intellect; it simply charged towards him, intending to eat him. A single projectile flew through its skull, and it died instantly… just like the rest that attacked him. Watching as the body dissolved into nothingness, the Heroic Spirit figured out that this thing was made of pure energy.

“Strange that they all have a hole in their chests, must be a reason for that.” It could be of use to him, a way to sustain his existence. While the atmosphere itself had plenty of dense mana, similar to the Age of Gods, that did not mean he could fight infinitely. During battle, there was a real chance he could eventually run out, even with the help of his Independent Action Skill. But if his fights were against these creatures, he could go on for as long as he could kill more of them.

“What should I call them?” In most cases, he would just call them phantasmal creatures. But after gathering some basic information around the Rukongai, he finally learned what they were called:; Hollows. Corrupted souls of those who could not pass on and lived with regret in life. This revelation was the first time he truly started to grasp just how lost he was. If this meant he was in the afterlife, it was a very different image from what he had in mind and certainly not the same as the one he was familiar with. Everything was so confusing and headache-inducing that he decided to just continue gathering more information until everything would eventually click into place.

He even started to contemplate heading inside the giant compound at the center, seeing several people in black haori walk in and out of that place. Others called them soul reapers, but they certainly did not have the demeanor or appearance of what he thought would carry such a title. He kept his distance from them for the most part.

But while walking through the streets, he did not expect to meet the two kids from before, and much less with one of them at death's door. Upon finding out what had truly happened, a pang of guilt struck him. Emiya knew it was his fault; he had given them compensation without truly realizing the consequences of his actions. ‘I shouldn't be focused on this,’ one part of his mind reasoned. ‘I should be focused on finding out where I am and establishing a connection back to Chaldea.’ But another part of him, growing in strength, eventually won over.

The man sighed and went over to help them.

Now he found himself inside a dilapidated shack, cleaning the blood from the boy's face while applying basic aid. He disinfected the wounds, put on plasters to make sure the boy's limbs would not move, and used some herbs he found in the area that he, surprisingly enough, recognized, to make a basic blend. This further proved to him that this couldn't be a simple afterlife. What kind of afterlife had forests, people living and breathing, and was even capable of dying and bleeding? Everything about it did not paint the picture of an afterlife. It had to be something else. But for now, he put those thoughts aside and focused on helping the kid.

"The boy's name?" he asked.

"Gin," the girl said. "Ah, a-and I'm Rangiku!" she added enthusiastically.

Emiya finished applying the last bandages, using projected sutures to close up any open wounds so the boy wouldn't continue bleeding before applying another disinfectant to the skin.

"Will Gin be alright?" The young child asked.

"While it may look quite severe, he will survive," he said. "He could wake up in a day or two. For now, he just needs to be given water and kept in a clean environment." He looked at his surroundings, which were not exactly the cleanest or safest. Even the shack's door was nothing more than a drape that would not keep out wild animals. He looked at Rangiku. "How long have you lived here?"

"A couple of years," she said. "We found it, and no one was living inside, so we took it for ourselves."

This made him even more certain that these two would not survive for long if he just walked away.

"Are you a Soul Reaper?" she asked.

He contemplated how to answer the question, instead asking, "Do I look like one?"

Rangiku shook her head. "You don't have the black haori Soul Reapers tend to have, but you give off a similar feeling with how dangerous you feel."

The man found her words amusing. "You think I'm dangerous?"

"Eh, uh… I know you're not dangerous, but I feel like something inside keeps telling me you're dangerous, but that also doesn't make sense… I guess I'm just tired. But you did fall from the sky and crush a Hollow and survive," she said. "So what would that be if not dangerous?"

"You have a point," he told her. Opening a box to see a bag of flour and a few wild vegetables and herbs that were already starting to rot. "This is not a good way to store stuff."

"We usually don't store any food," she said. "We eat the moment we get it." She still had a lot to learn. The more he learned about them, the clearer it became just how desperate they were for help.

Right as he was about to contemplate what to do next, Rangiku asked, "Will you be leaving?"

He turned his head and looked at her. She repeated her question. "Will you leave?"

"I don't know yet," Emiya said. "I'm trying to get in touch with some of my workmates, but I'm just not sure how to do that. And I'm not familiar with these parts of the land, I kept getting lost and sidetracked again and again these past few days. Everything feels familiar, but it clearly is not the place I'm familiar with, so I was just wandering around aimlessly."

"Oh," Rangiku said with disappointment. "I wanted to thank you for helping us, but I don't know what to say now that we lost your gift. You shouldn't blame Gin."

"Why would I blame him?" He asked with amusement. "I'm happy that at least the two of you are alive. At the end of the day, it was my fault for giving you those items rather than the local currency instantly." He then asked her, "What do you plan to do now?"

Rangiku was at a loss. It took her a few minutes to answer, her voice as shallow as a whisper. "I-I'll try to find some work... in order to get enough money to support myself and the unconscious Gin."

"And you're not going to ask me for help?"

She shook her head, avoiding his eyes, her fists clenching. "I can't. You already helped us. This is the second time you've done so, and I feel like I won't be able to pay you back for all of this."

Rangiku then heard a chuckle and saw him laughing. Before she knew it, a pair of hands was gently caressing her head and ruffling her hair.

"You don't need to pay me back. I don't expect anything in return," he said. "Helping someone does not necessarily mean that they are required to give you something in return."

Then he got up. With her, expecting to see him walk away, stepped aside from the door, holding back from begging him to stay, a desire he could clearly see in her eyes. But instead, he grabbed a leather bag from the ground and threw it at her. She caught it with surprise. She looked at him in confusion.

"You'll need it to put some of the food we'll buy and perhaps some herbs we could find on the way that could help you," he told her.

"What?" she asked, still confused.

Archer just ignored her and looked over at the entrance, scratching his chin. "This place really needs some improvements. I'll do it tomorrow. For today, let's focus on getting the food and feeding both of you. Guide me towards the marketplace."

“Eh?”

Rangiku was stunned, still having a hard time believing what his words implied. She was even afraid to believe it, fearing it would be false. He continued, "I might be here for a long time, and I figure you could also be of help to me by gathering the information I need. Because of that, I don't need to travel too far and will be staying as a guest for as long as you want. Don't worry, I'll make sure to pay my rent for staying over, if you'll have me, that is.” He said so with a cheeky grin.

Before Rangiku could get so happy that she started crying and ended up hugging his leg, saying "Y-Yes! Thank you, thank you," many times. The man just smiled, and both of them ended up going to the local market, with him having finally found the guide he was searching for.