Here I am with the one-shot I promised last time. I still haven't had much time to work on WotH (plus I've forgotten to download the plans for it from google docs last time I could catch some free wifi in the city, so I... couldn't work on it safely without forgetting an important detail or something). But I will start working on it tomorrow, and it should be ready in the middle of next week or so.

Anyway this story is a series of background one-shots that revolve around the backstories -well, mostly- of the characters. Many are important for WotH as lore for the characters, while others are lighthearted and random. Basically it's, as the title suggests, various stories from all around Ransei.

This one revolves around the Shinigami, lore for which will be written extensively on the Anthology story at some point. It's also important for another character's backstory... let's see if you can guess!

(As a note, this is a little rushed, so there might be mistakes. I also wanted to include more 'Shinigami incidents', but it would have turned into a whole separate story. So for now, it will stay like that).

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Spirited Away

Illusio had always had a reputation of being a hotspot for spirits of all kinds to roam. Although it never even came close to Spectra's plethora of otherwordly beings, the people spoke that it was never safe for anyone, no matter how strong or how experiened a warrior, to roam alone the streets at night...

And so, it was only natural that the figure of a lone, young woman roaming the shadiest part of the city's slums would attract more attention than what anyone would have liked.

That is, if they would have been able to see her.

The girl walked slowly through the muddy, narrow streets of Illusio's darkest neighborhoods. No one would visit that part of the city without having a specific business in mind, business that more often than not involved cheap alcohol, equally cheap pleasures and not at all cheap substances that, to her knowledge, had been banned throughout all of Ransei decades ago. No wonder the dealers would chose such places to sell their... merchandise.

Yet she was there for none of these.

It was peculiar, she mused, that a kingdom as rich and well-developed as Illusio would house such neighborhoods. Most of Ransei's economy ran through the Kingdom of Crystals, as well as Terrera, seeing the two were situated right in the middle of the region -a truly advantageous spot that many Warlords envied and had tried to conquer throughout the ages, to no success.

How could Illusio's people be stricken by such poverty? It was only a tiny amount of the population that lived in this place, yet she knew Lord Tamekage to be a just Warlord, caring for his people. Had he never even tried to care for the poor souls that were forced to live in the slums?

But she hadn't descended to the Realm of the Living to question the laws of the humans. She was no Warlord, she had never aspired to be one, and her duties revolved around the management of souls rather than that of money. She glanced down to her loyal partner, a docile-looking Larvesta. He'd never failed her once during her... trips to the mortal world. She knew tonight would be no exception.

Yes, even Shinigami forged deep, unbreakable bonds with Pokemon. The only difference being that, just like them, the Reapers' partners were all spirits. Of course, that wasn't really an issue, since their task was not to assist their partners in battles, but in the escorting of departed souls.

The girl's slow, relaxed steps finally came to a halt in front of a measly wooden house, seemingly stuffed between an abandoned stone building the purpose of which she had been unable to guess, and a cluster of smooth, pointed crystals, the likes of which could be found in abundance throughout Illusio. Even for the slums' standards, the house looked pitifully small and unkept.

She supposed she could have entered through the door for added effect, but instead she just slithered through the unsteady-looking wooden walls, finding herself right in the middle of the only room of the house -she'd rather not make unnecessary noices that would probably stir up whatever occupants of the house had not yet slept beyond awakening.

Even with her enhanced vision, she could barely make out a couple of huddled shapes close to the furthest corner of the addmittedly tiny room. She waited for a few seconds, until her eyes adjusted to the suffocating darkness -then, as slowly as she could, she proceeded towards the source of tonight's visit to the Realm of the Living.

The Shinigami knelt down on the wooden floor next to the old, thin mattress. Under the tattered blankets, he could see two figures sleeping, having nestled close to one another -the figure of a lone mother and her daughter. However, only the latter still produced the unmistakable sound of short, steady breaths. The former had fallen completely and irreparably silent.

She didn't really feel all too pleased with herself for having to deprive the young human of the only steady landmark in her miserable life, but the mother's time had come, and it wasn't her duty to dictate who lived and who died. She only executed the escorting of the souls, being in no position to pick by herself. That, she supposed, was Arceus's job.

The young woman slowly peeled the blankets off the mother's fragile, sickly body. Another victim of the merciless winter cold Illusio was so infamous about. A victim none would speak of, besides her daughter, perhaps. A victim none would care to bury.

Pushing back all mortal emotions that could hinder her duties, she dragged a short, obsidian dagger out of her shrine maiden's skirts. It barely caught whatever faint moonlight seeped in from the only window of the house, that had been left slightly ajar, glinting for less than a second before its owner lowered it towards the left part of the mother's chest. She was ready to reach the next step of the ritual when...

"Who are you?"

Something that sounded suspiciously like a mortal's gasp came out of the Shinigami's lips, her hand jolting away as her head snapped upwards. Even in the almost complete darkness, her unblinking eyes caught the stare of the young girl that, up until a few seconds ago, had been blissfully asleep and unaware.

Poor creature, the Shinigami thought to herself, trying to put up a brave scowl, though her icy blue eyes were glimmering with fear, her lips trembling-

Wait.

How was a human able to see her?

"W-Who are you?" The child repeated, before the spirit was able to run every possibility through her mind. "What are you doing with that knife?"

Her voice was so quiet that the Shinigami did not suppose she would have been able to put up any kind of fight, even if she tried. Yet that still didn't answer the question of how on Giratina's forbidden name she was able to see her. She'd heard of mortals being able to sense Shinigami before -mortals that usually hailed from one of the old exorcist houses of Ransei. But as the exorcists had begun to distance themselves from these bloodlines, their ability to detect spirits that were not ghosts, demons or yokai had faded away. At least, that was what she'd been told...

Could this girl possess such a rare, unspeakable ability? An ability that was currently compromising her job?

"W-What... what are you doing to my mother?"

The girl's cracking voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she forced herself to concentrate on the matter currently on hand. No matter if the girl could see her or not, she had a soul to take and, unfortunately, that was not something that could be postponed or avoided.

Larvesta's thoughts echoed in her mind all of a sudden, in a scolding tone.

'She's a child. You're about to take away her only family.'

The Shinigami scowled. 'I know that. I'll try to be as gentle with her as I can.'

Letting out a sigh of resignation, she placed her dagger aside -not that she was going to use it to kill. It was only to be used as a way to form a path for the soul, so that it could exit the body and allow the Shinigami to transport it into the Realm of the Dead, where it would find peace. And obsidian was a metal that seemed to be extremely preferable for that job.

"Shh." She said softly, smiling at the girl in a manner that she hoped was reassuring. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm not here to hurt your mother either."

That was the truth, but she guessed that the girl couldn't tell the different between a Reaping Regalia and an assassin's dagger.

"I-I don't believe you. You're trying to kill my mother!"

Now that was unfair. Her mother was already dead, and all the Shinigami was doing was help her soul find peace. The girl should be thanking her -if she knew, of course...

"I promie that's not the case." Her words were probably contradicting her actions -she had just entered through the walls, and was ready to plunge a dagger into the woman's chest. What were the odds of the girl believing her? "I'm only going to take your mother to a better place. But I need you to lie back down, close your eyes, and be very, very quiet."

That must have certainly sounded unnerving, because the tears that the girl had been restraining through gritted teeth finally welled up in her eyes.

"Don't take my mother..." She whispered in a pleading, shattered voice that the Shinigami was sure would have pierced her heart if it was still beating. She let out another small sigh, attempting to take the girl's hand, that had been protectively placed upon the older woman's chest when-

Guardians above.

The Shinigami's eyes shot wide open, as she finally took in the shape of what she'd previously mistaken for an accidental scar carved upon the back of the girl's hand. Was it...?

It was. There was no doubt that the symbol was indeed what she thought upon the second she lay eyes on it.

What was a girl bearing the Seal of Diancie doing in the slums of Illusio, of all places?!

Lovely. Absolutely perfect. The girl could see her, talk to her, and bore a Guardian's Blessing at the same time. Anything else she should know? Maybe the girl could also grow wings and fly, for Arceu's sake!

Alright, enough was enough. Whatever this was about it was most certainly not her problem. Her job was to take souls, not to pamper unusually gifted teary-eyed children. If it ever came to it, Lord Tamekage or whoever the hell was responsible for such matters in the Realm of the Living could deal with it just fine.

Slowly, the Shinigami brought herself to smile again.

"I'm sorry, little one." She gently lifted her hand, placing it upon the girl's cheek, as if she was about to caress it. "Shh... I promise it won't hurt at all."

The girl's blue eyes widened as they locked onto her own.

Perfect.

The Shinigami's eyes flashed in a golden and red hue, and for a second, she could see her reflection in the girl's own eyes, before their lids drooped closed and, with a weak gasp, the girl collapsed on the mattress, unconscious.

Good. That should keep her until morning. She hadn't harmed the girl in any way, gods no! She'd only rendered her unresponsive so that she could perform the ritual without any additional hinderances.

Slowly, and under her Pokemon's watchful eyes, the spirit gripped her dagger again.

She forced herself to not look away, as she finally plunged it against the older woman's chest, and saw the soft, white light that was her soul slip into the abyssal dark depths of the blade...

It's probably expected of me to kick this off with an angsty-ish tale. Oh well~

As you've propably guessed, the Shinigami is Okuni. I know she sounds very cold and... well, sort of evil and indifferent in this. But she's a spirit, responsible of taking the souls to the afterlife. It's expected of her. But I also want it to signify the development she will be getting later -how she evolved from a practical, duty-bound Shinigami, to No's loyal junior Warlord, and all the likes. But that will have to wait.

Anyway, I don't think I have to add anything else (I probably do -but I'm forgetting it XD). Next update will hopefully be a WotH chapter.

Oh, keep an eye on the excorcist thing by the way. Let's say it's a small hint... :3

'till next time!