1. He'll never forget the way he looked at him.

"Oh! You must be our new recruit?"

Mutely, nodding.

"Don't have to be afraid, the only scary person around is Captain Unohana, but she protects us from the 11th Division, so don't worry. Oh! I'm your Seventh Seat, Yamada Hanataro, you can call me Hanataro."

It was a beautiful smile, and –

"It's nice to see you smiling today, Seventh Seat Hanataro."

He bows deeply, "Captain."

The matronly lady gives him a close-eyed smile in return.

"Are you practising your welcome speech? I'm afraid we won't be getting any new recruits this month. If you're interested, though, I'll send you with Lieutenant Isane to the Academy for the next recruitment drive."

He blinks, "But Captain! I just saw…"

Hanataro casts his gaze around the now empty corridor.

In the quiet – they hear the shuffle of robes along the wooden floorboard.

A door closing down the hallway and the Captain shakes her head.

"Perhaps it is a visiting spirit. Nothing to worry about since there is no malicious intent."

He purses his lips together, "But it nodded when I asked it… Maybe it's lost?"

"Then it will find its own way, I'm sure. Give your answer to Lieutenant Isane, alright?"

She walks down the corridor to her own destination.

Once she's out of sight, then Hanataro feels the presence again.

It forms again into the figure he saw before, and the figure bows deeply.

"I apologise for disappearing like that… I was surprised by the large power that suddenly entered the vicinity. But thank you for your warm welcome, Yamada-sama. Is there anything I can help with right now?"

Lightly stunned by the formal address, he shakes his hands in front of him, "Oh, you don't have to be so formal with me! Um, what's your name? How old are you?"

"You are a Shinigami, Yamada-sama, therefore you should be accorded due respect considering I am not."

The male figure thinks for a moment before continuing, "You may call me Shi, since that is this division's number. Please feel free to request my aid anytime, Yamada-sama."

Hanataro falls back to his routine, going to the medical supplies room to get the cart.

It's his turn to do rounds, and he's happy enough to have someone to share the time with.

While spirits turning up in Seireitei proper are not common, since Unohana-taicho didn't seem perturbed, he's happy to have made a new acquaintance.

Maybe spirits would be the wrong word.

Anomalies would be more precise, but cruel in wording.

"I don't suppose you remember where you came from, Shi-san?"

"No… You are the first person I've met, Yamada-sama. But I can heal, Yamada-sama, I can be of use here."

The spirit holds the door as he wheels the cart through.

It's the room meant for people with low-levelled injuries, Academy students with Reiatsu or, usually, Hado #4 Byakurai burns.

He shakes his head, nostalgically thinking back to his own Academy times.

Picking the board hung at the foot of the first bed, flipping to the back to see what has already been administered.

"Student, how are your hands feeling?"

The poor child is wide-eyed with fear, making out a startled, "G-ghost!"

He casts a look at Shi, and notes, indeed, they can look through him.

His companion bows formally, taking steps to ease the girl's fear.

"Good morning, miss. May I heal your hands?"

Hanataro and most of the other medical staff could have healed her hands the day she entered, but they'd rather not heal it up so quickly when the child would dive back into casting poorly formed Kido.

In this case, two day of bed rest have at least imparted to the student some sense of awareness, so he doesn't intervene when Shi offers.

He's curious to see what healing Shi can do after all.

Taking shaking hands in his ghostly ones, wide robes spilling onto the bed as Shi kneels down to eye level.

"Hm, you overloaded your hands?"

The girl shyly nods, Shi smiles gently, and Hanataro feels himself smile too.

Shi withdraws from his robe a small jar of paste, using a finger to dab, and the rough skin smoothens itself.

"In the future, when your hand begins to feel a bit of tingle, then you should know you've hit your limit. If you push beyond that then… maybe I'll see you again."

She nods obediently, and he thinks to himself, Ah Shi's good with kids.

Hanataro takes over from there, telling the girl that she's free to leave – she does so, thanking them both very politely and running out the door.

The room's other occupant is fast asleep but this kid's suffering from reiryoku depletion.

"Should I heal this student as well, Yamada-sama?"

"Ah, no need, Shi-san. It's just fatigue, so bed rest is all he needs."

"I can transfer him some of my energy, so he will recover faster."

Hanataro doesn't have as much reiryoku compared to Isane-fukutaicho of course, but he can barely feel Shi's.

He gestures for him to go ahead, "As long as you have enough reiryoku, Shi-san."

"Reiryoku?" the ghost questions as he presses a finger to the student's.

Making it seem simple, and the child's reserves are topped up in the span of seconds.

"Ah, yes, that's the energy in everyone. Reiatsu is the pressure you felt from Unohana-taicho just now. Just a fraction of her actual one, she has a seal on that restricts her."

"Ah, I see…"

They walk out of the room, Hanataro looking at his companion with something akin to curiosity.

But no soul ever remembers their past life, so asking Shi for answers is useless.

"Where will you go, Shi-san?"

"Now?"

The ghost, dressed in pale green robes and a dark green obi around his waist, hands tucked into his sleeves in front of him.

"Or whenever? Do you have a place to stay for the night? Would you like to see what the rest of Seireitei is like?"

He sounds doubtful as he holds another door open for Hanataro, "Is that okay? I appeared here, I was not aware that ghosts like me were very welcome."

Wheeling the cart back intoit's original position and signing on the duty board, "I'm off my round now, earlier than usual thanks to you, Shi-san. If you'd like, sure, I'd bring you around. We don't get ghosts often, but I'm sure no one will mind as long as you don't cause trouble!"

"How big is Seireitei, Yamada-sama?"

Hanataro looks at his companion, who looks around thoughtfully.

"I've never thought about it actually. But Seireitei is pretty big. That's why we usually travel in the inner circle, the distance is much shorter. If I run, I could reach the East gate in a half a day. A normal Shinigami would be able to use shunpo and reach in a few hours, though I'm sure Sui Feng-taicho can do it in one. "

"Ah… I woke up about here? And I walked through that gate with the 'Four' on top. It looked like a hospital."

"Um… I guess we are the Shinigami equivalent of a hospital. Though, if you just woke up, then you don't really know anything else, Shi-san?"

He ums and ahs a moment, before squatting down by the side of the road.

"Okay, so Seireitei itself is a big circle," he draws a large circle in the sandy ground.

"It houses the Gotei 13, which I am part of."

"Ah, so 13, for thirteen divisions? Of which you are part of the 4th."

"We!" Hanataro is quick to say, and Shi smiles, "So if anyone gives you trouble, Unohana-taicho will help you!"

He flushes at his outburst, before moving back to his drawing session.

"So, there's this outer ring, behind the walls of Seireitei itself, and it has all the shops, restaurants, clothes boutiques, the like."

Another continuous ring, slightly smaller, drawn inside.

The whole circle gets divided into quarters.

"Seireitei has four gates, North, South, East, West, all with a giant guardian. I guess the most famous one is West Gate's Jidanbou-san. He's also the friendliest I'd say."

A small circle, a quarter the diameter of the medium circle is drawn.

"This is the 1st Division's grounds. In this circle we also have the Senzaikyu, a tall tower used to house criminals, and Sokyoku Hill. The hill has the Sokyoku, who is only released to execute criminals of the highest class."

Hanataro splits the quarters into three wedges each, and Shi joins in, dragging lines across the sand, fingertips solidifying.

"Hm, so each of these wedges must belong to each of the twelve divisions?"

Hanataro proceeds to number all the wedges, "Yep! But the wedge shape is not precise. Seireitei houses the four Noble Families as well, and their huge manors. Also, here and there are the mansions of the other rich families but those are rare. I've never actually gone to any of such non-military compounds."

Drawing a tiny 'x' on the map, he plots their route, "So we were somewhere here, in the corridors of our division's compound… We walked," he casts a look at Shi, who gaily floats an additional foot more above the ground to amuse him, "You floated, Shi-san, till here."

"And we're drawing on the ground, just outside the 3rd Division's wall."

Pointing off, round the turn, "Their gate is just over there. They have a bunch of persimmon trees. It's not persimmon season yet, but when it is, Ichimaru-taicho dries them with his members as division bonding, and gives them out as gifts with paperwork."

"Paperwork?"

Shi sounds almost amused, though Hanataro groans quietly, "Yes, thankfully Unohana-taicho and Isane-fukutaicho do it themselves. That one time Isane-fukutaicho was ill, Taicho had me help, and even with help from 3rd Seat Iemura-sama, we took the whole morning to complete."

They move on after covering their drawing with loose dirt.

"Yamada-sama, perhaps we should go back to our division? I can feel a few people where you said the door would be. Will they be a problem?"

"It wouldn't hurt for you turn invisible, Shi-san, but the 3rd Division's members are generally kinder than others. Their Captain is easy going, and they're cool about most things."

Shi fades out of view, though he can hear him speak still.

"I can turn you invisible too, Yamada-sama," laughing softly, and robes covering him.

They walk/float silently past the contingent of 3rd Division members who joke among each other, all holding stacks of paper.

"This time, it's my turn to send paperwork to the 4th!"

"Ahh Taicho sent me to the 11th…"

"Too bad for you, don't worry, tomorrow you'll get somewhere nearer, Taicho's fair like that."

And by the time they make a full loop around the 1st Division's walls, the sun is setting.

Unohana-taicho is sipping tea peacefully on the patio outside, and both of them bow when within speaking distance.

"Taicho! Is there anything left for us to do?"

The lady arches her eyebrow, "You haven't spoken to Isane-fukutaicho, Hanataro-kun. Were you going around to help your friend find their way?"

The child bows contritely, before answering her directly, "I'd be honoured to go, Taicho."

She nods, before shifting her gaze to the lingering Spirit attached to her Seventh Seat.

"Are you bound to Hanataro-kun, Ghost-san?"

Her Seventh Seat jumps to his friend's defence, going along the lines of not a hollow, without combat abilities, suited for the 4th before shrinking back realising he's talking to her, his captain.

Unohana smiles, "I'm glad you're speaking up, Hanataro-kun. If Shi-san feels the most at home here and can heal, I'd be happy to accept him."

Extending his translucent hands to receive her offered badge.

"The bellflower is our Division symbol. While you are not a Shinigami, you should be respected as one of our division's healers. I expect you to report at the same time as everyone else, and share our duties. The badge allows me to call for you, track your location, reiryoku levels."

Shi fades out of existence, asking, "Even now?"

The Captain smiles wryly, "As long as you're visible. I will have to ask that you remain invisible no more than a day at a time. After which, I will declare you missing and send Hanataro-kun to look for you."

"I understand. Thank you, Unohana-sama."

"You should address everyone according to their title, Shi-kun, even though you are not a Shinigami."

"Of course, Unohana-taicho-sama."

Hanataro shakes his head as his taicho levels a questioning gaze, though she does not correct their ghost further.

"Is there a canon map of Seireitei?"

Welcome to my first NaNoWriMo (2017) [I've never written so fast in my life I'm going to start on the chapter for tomorrow... The ideas are all waiting to be fleshed out.]

Looking to hear all your thoughts and suggestions!

I do have some stored prompts that I know I want to write, but I really would appreciate it if you all dropped me the name of a Shinigami whom you want me to have 'Shi' interact with.

Not a must, but if you have something more specific, a question about a mechanic in Bleach that you would like me to tackle, please do say so :)

Look at the end of each chapter for this question, like above.

Through AoT, I hope to fill in some of Bleach's plot holes and make my own convenient plot devices. The question will not be addressed solely in one chapter, but I hope that by writing it into a story, it becomes an acceptable explanation.

So please don't be shy!

I'll be updating one chapter per day whole of this month with a final closure chapter so there will be 31 chapters in total (cough see why it's Shi-4)

(1st November 2017)