Bleach: Gods of Darkness

Chapter 1

The streets of Kakura town was bustling in the midday lunch-rush as people walked down busy streets from their jobs to restaurants and eateries. Students walked in small groups chatting and laughing as the sunlight beamed down through a partially cloudy sky. Most thoughts were turned toward daily matters such as the latest gossip about the latest teen idol or the new bakery opened around the corner. On one specific street, not a single person whether in a car, on a bike, or on foot, had a single thought about death...at least none of the average living at least.

A young girl around the age of eight turned the corner sharply onto this street. As she ran she nearly tripped on her own feet. Her bright pink laces kept catching under her faded white shoes, the ones her mother had gotten for her birthday. Stumbling against a wall, she let out ragged breaths and continued desperately while casting a panicked look over her shoulder. There was a flicker of a shadow as something big crossed the intersection heading down the street she had just turned off of. She turned to the oncoming crowds shouting and screaming at the top of her lungs,

"HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE!"

Her cries fell on deaf ears just as her desperate appearance fell on blind eyes. She didn't understand. Why would no-one help her? Why couldn't anyone see her? She reached up and grabbed jacket sleeves and shirt tails but to no avail. Not a single soul could feel her terrified presence. No one could hear her whimpering pleas. No one could see her tears as carved their way down her dirty face. The broken chain on her chest was why. As a lost soul, she could not look for salvation among the living. The living can't even find salvation among the living. Not realizing what she was, she screamed louder and sharper,

"MOMMY! I'M SCARED! PLEASE!"

Even if they could hear her heart wrenching cries for help or see her panicked expression, none could actually help her against the things in the area that could hear her.

A large white face suddenly stuck its head around the corner. The girl looked back and seeing her pursuer, her screams started once more and louder then before. She could feel her vocal cords tearing as she continued running down the street. A large gray tongue snaked its way out of a pale plaster mouth to lick the creatures carved lips. The mask pulled back into a wicked grin as its shrill cry rang through the air. Suddenly more white masked monsters where approaching from every alley and clinging to every roof-top. Each one varied in its hideousness, some with reptilian scales and others with slimy rubber skin, some even took on the forms of ferocious creatures that do not exist within this world and are unimaginable to a human's mind.

The girl turned down the only clear path, swiftly followed by a group of the monsters. The only exit that wasn't blocked was a road that led to a side street, but unbeknownst to the girl it was a dead end street.

The Hollows knew this.

Their cries grew fiercer as they began to close the distance between them and their prey. They were already imagining what it would feel like to dig their teeth into her flesh, what her blood would taste like on their tongues, what her soul would feel as it was consumed by them. They began to foam and drool at the mouth as they rushed down the final turn.

The little girl saw the dead end.

The little girl saw her end.

She turned back to her pursuers once more to see the gnashing of teeth and the flashing of sharp fangs.

She believed there was nothing to stop them from ending her existence.

She believed there was no one to hear her or see her.

The little girl tripped once again on her laces, this time falling and sliding across the asphalt.

Her tears weren't enough to block out her vision as the Hollows came in for the kill. She managed to scream out one final time as the claws and fangs descended.

"SOMEONE SAVE ME!"

...

There was a sudden rush of wind and the sound of fabric blowing in the wind along with a metal clash. The little girl suddenly felt the security of arms embracing her and the rough feel of cloth against her skin. She looked up to see a strange sight.

There was a Gaijin cradling her with one arm. He had strange spiky orange hair, like a delinquent or a thug, but his brown eyes were bright and strong as well as soft as he turned them on her. He was wearing strange clothing, almost like a priest or someone from the feudal period and underneath his robes was a strange gray armor with black straps that crisscrossed his chest and wrists, but what most shocked her was his other arm. He was holding a HUGE black sword with a silver hilt and silver wrappings. It reminded her of the cleaver that the butcher used. It must have been twice her size or about the same height as the teen who currently held her. Not only was he holding it one handedly, but he was also holding back the foremost hollows with it. His gaze was curious as he looked down at her,

"Hey," he said nonchalantly as he scrutinized her. "Are you hurt, girl?"

She stared up at him in shock and slowly shook her head.

He gave her a warm smile, "Well that's good."

Suddenly, one of the previously stunned Hollows impatiently struck out at this new prey, only to lose its clawed hand in the process.

The boy hadn't even looked as he swung the blade almost lazily at his assailant's attack. The monster screamed in pain as its hand fell to the ground and dissolved into darkness, like a shadow when light is shone directly onto it.

"Oi! Ichigo!"

A voice called out from behind and above them and the boy turned his back to the foes and looked upward. The girl followed his gaze upward. The street ended at an eight-foot tall concrete block wall with a chain-link fence. Riding up the very center of this wall was a tall street light, and standing directly on top of this street-light was a girl. She was wearing the same black outfit as the boy and carrying a sword as well, but she was much smaller and had black hair a cropped bob haircut. One rebellious strand fell between her luminous violet eyes. Her rough voice contrasted her gentle and feminine looks,

"Ichigo, don't dawdle! A battlefield is not the place for conversations!"

"Alright," he said with a little sigh. "No need to get pushy."

A roar from behind made the boy, apparently named Ichigo, turn back to their attackers. The monster that had lost its hand was furiously charging at them. Ichigo acted swiftly. The girl felt the quick rush of wind as she flew up into the air. Ichigo called out to his partner while tossing the girl,

"Here, Rukia! Take care of the girl!"

The little girl only had the time to make one small peep before the older girl caught her and soared over the group of Hollows. Rukia then turned to watch as Ichigo engaged the mass of dark spirits muttering under her breath to no one in particular,

"That Idiot, he has no idea how to treat a girl properly." She then looked down at the little girl in her arms and gave her a kind smile, "Don't worry. You are safe with us, we are Shinigami and we are here to help you."

The little girl was still in awe of them and she turned to look back at Ichigo. His sword was like a twister or a storm of blades, every time he struck his sword would blur from his speed and you couldn't keep track of his movements. He shot almost straight through the Hollows, hacking and slashing critical blows with practically no resistance. The last two decided to run, but he flashed for a moment and reappeared in front of them. In one clean sweep of his blade he shot out a crescent wave of light. The slash halved one of the monsters and took the head off of the other. Along with the other monsters, their bodies dissolved into nothingness and there wasn't even a trace that a fight had even occurred.

The soul reaper walked casually up to them with his sword resting on his shoulder. Jutting upward, the blade looked as if it wanted to split the sky and scar the heavens. Rukia regarded him crossly as he looked curiously down at them.

"What?" He asked, oblivious to any reason why she should be mad at him.

She scolded him once more, "Ichigo, you moron! You don't just throw people without a second thought like that!"

Ichigo had to cover his ear with his free hand as to block the noise, "Hey, you caught her didn't you?"

"THAT IS NOT THE POINT!" Rukia was practically roaring at this point.

The little girl stared up at her rescuers as they bickered back and forth, slowly coming to grips with the whole ordeal she had just come through and how close to a painful demise she had just come. Her grip tightened on Rukia's shirt as her tears began to flow anew. Upon realizing her crying, Ichigo was readily confused.

"Hey," he said leaned down to get a better look at her. "What's the matter kid?"

When she didn't respond he continued, "Look, I'm really sorry about tossing you, but I was just trying to keep you from getting killed."

This did not have the effect he desired as she began to sob harder. Ichigo then began to wave his hands and motion in a wild manner that he originally thought was calming, as if the movement would actually have some effect.

"Hey! Please stop crying, I'm sorry!" He prayed for forgiveness with his palms pressed together in front of him.

Rukia was about to tell him off when a trembling voice stopped her.

"You saved me...thank you." The girl stared up at them in gratitude before lowing her eyes again.

Ichigo gave her a soft smile and placed his hand on her head, rubbing her hair gently as he bent down and met her eyes, "No problem."