Chapter 11. A shinigami and a pure heart

A half moon along with its shimmering, dancing stars, kept a close eye on everyone in the spirit world as they were falling asleep.

Leaving every lunar creatures hovering and took their territories at night, which explains the noises at the distance. On that lazy, faithful night, Ichitaro sat down and kept on staring at the sign near a building.

Curiosity was lingering, while questions kept popping right in his head.

' STARRAGE ʼ97..... I wonder what it is? 'he thought.

And just as he was about to answer himself that question, a door opened and a body of a man flew right at him, but Ichitaro got up and ducks further away from the door. What was more strange was not only a man was a soul reaper, but also Ichitaro was unharmed. Even though he had a cut on his right leg that he tied up with his hooded jacket.

".... And stay out!" shouted the other man as if he despised his action. Ichitaro spotted that the man was as drunk as a fish and nearly crush him. He stepped aside from him. Then the man, who viciously threw a drunk man away, turned onto Ichitaro.

" What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" he asked as he tilted his long marooned hair.

Ichitaro turned to the man that called him and answered :

" Nothing much, really. Just curious about that sign."

The man sighed and said :

" You know it's better to be inside containing drunken men, such as this fucker, and whores, rather than outside. It's pretty cold and dark. It's not safe for anybody, especially kids like your age. "

Not knowing which places he'd might have gone to, Ichitaro finally 'agreed' to the man, despite never being able to trust anyone but himself.

" Alright, I'll stay here for one night and I'll leave early in the morning. " said Ichitaro as he stepped forward towards the building.

The man stepped backwards, just to let him in and quickly Ichitaro got in. He saw that this place was much more than an 'ordinary' building - it was a bar filled with heavily intoxicated entities, both men and women whilst playing a loud piano music, like a western and medieval music combined.

Ichitaro tightened his things as he kept looking around, not knowing whether or not they were thieves.

" Relax, kid. Even if they could steal your stuff, they won't be messing you around when I'm here.", he said., " You can sit right in this chair."

Ichitaro was grateful when he took a seat on the chair.

" This place seems.....interesting." he said.

" Yeah, it's been around since the beginning of the war. It used to be a headquarter for Quincies. But after the war ended and they've abandoned it, Onis then make it as their own home." said the man.

" So it's a hotel, right?"

" More like it. "

Ichitaro was amazed by how this place was, the man called the bartender for order. She had a scarlet red hair and wore some kind of a vintage steampunk leather dress and goggles on her hair. As she gone closer towards them, she spotted Ichitaro's wound on his right leg.

" Are you sure he's alright, Toru? He seemed to have a bitter fight. " asked the bartender.

Toru looked at Ichitaro's wound and answered:

"Save your parental energy, Masami, he 'll be fine. Anyway, give me a bottle of Sake* and two glasses----"

" I don't actually drink." said Ichitaro.

Everything stopped dead from their tracks. The piano player was abruptly stopped playing his music, whilst everyone else at the room turned their heads onto him as they've lifted their eyebrows from their eyes.

" Is that boy amusing us? He isn't drinking like the other kids at his age, is he?" shouted an old man with two younger women at his sides.

" Kid, how old are you?!" shouted another man

" I'm actually 15 years old. I'll be turning 16 pretty soon.", he answered.

" Maybe a glass of warm milk will do. It's actually comes from Kirin, but it tastes like cow's milk since humans called it then."

" Weird, but I'd like that. "

Everyone went back to their own ways in a disappointing manner and the pianist continued with his song. She left both of them alone, leaving Toru to talk to him.

" So, how did a kid like you ended up here? Did you die or something? "

" Very funny.", he said sarcastically, then added seriously, " I actually came here from a tombstone. Now, I have to figure out how I'll get back home."

Toru was left speechless in disbelief.

' Wait..... Is that kid.... No, it can't be.... That means that I have to finish the job as soon as possible. Even if it means taking three of those zanpakutos* with me.' he thought.

Ichitaro didn't care how much Toru knew about him, he peeled and took a bite of a banana shaped fruit. Toru sensed his spiritual energy flowing through his entire body. As terrified as he was, he excused himself and went to Masami in his own pace.

" Are you done?" he asked her, as he was sweating quicker than usual.

" No, I'm not going to do that to a kid. Have you seen how powerful he is? I'm not doing this. I've done it once and I'll never do it again. Especially when I have a kid that rely on me. " she answered.

" Alright, I'll do it myself." he grumbled, grabbing the glass of milk and pour a purple powder. He mixed it all together with a spoon and created an `almost` invincible, tasteless milk.

Whilst they were busy warming up the milk, eyes were staring at them. Knowing very well that Ichitaro was in deep trouble.

Meanwhile....

Ichitaro seems like he's been having `fun`, while everyone else in the bar were drinking and being merry to one another, singing a song that he doesn't know about. Seemingly, he ignored his leg injury as the pain worsened him even more. The more pain he'd felt, the more he had no option but to checked it out. That was, until someone said towards him.

" That's a pretty brutal wound you got there." someone said.

Ichitaro began looking at the figure and saw a soul reaper. But this time it was a boy, nearly his age. He was carrying his long blue bag on his shoulder. He had blue eyes and short black hair.

" Can I ask you your name and how did you get here?" Ichitaro asked.

" Oh, silly me. I didn't tell you that, didn't I?," he chuckles nervously, " I'm Hanataro Tsunayashiro."

" Named after a flower? How cute." said Ichitaro. He saw Hanataro chuckles lightly, but Ichitaro wasn't impressed at all. He even forgot how painful his wound was as he glancing at him with an emotionless face.

" Why don't I heal your wound? Besides, it's seems pretty bad. " said Hanataro.

" Are you sure you're not going to give me a bl*w j*b?" Ichitaro asked.

" I'm not one of them. I'm a soul reaper."

Ichitaro, simply took his stuff and struggled to stand up. It was too much for him as the pain on his right injured leg became unbearable. Hanataro, as sympathetic as he was, assisted him all the way towards any rooms.

Unfortunately, all of them were occupied. Ichitaro felt as if he's body was made from the coals of hell. During a fight between him and the masked figure, he must've had put poison on him that would kill him within hours.

But since he'd prevented the poison from taking all over his body, it'll only took a few weeks before it could finish him instantly. As soon as they've had reached to an unoccupied room, Hanataro was a little bit disappointed at first. Yet, at least he could try his best to help Ichitaro. That room was actually a stable, filled with magical horses drinking water and eating grasses.

" We don't have a choice, Ichitaro. I may not be a best doctor, but at least I'll try my best to heal you myself." said Hanataro.

As Ichitaro noticed what he'd said to him, his personality somehow reminded him of Orihime.

~~~~~~

Everyone at the bar were minding their own business. Never even noticed that Ichitaro was gone. Toru and Masami were finished with a certain powder diluted in milk.

" Are you sure it's a good idea?" she asked.

" Yeah, besides we need the money to pay back everything. Don't worry about it, it'll be over so---."

Tori's words were disturbed as a tiny beam of light destroyed the glass into shattered pieces at a palm of his hands. The milk was spilt all over his shirt and Masami's dress and even on the table next to another group of men that were intoxicated with alcohol.

Realising the entire milk was spilled instantly, he shouted at his top of his lung :

" WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?!"

The sounds of music and laughter died down to silence. Everyone were looking at each other in suspicion. It doesn't take long before someone stepped in. It nearly left everybody in shock, as if they were seeing a ghost.

It's the same soul reaper that Toru kicked him out, but this time he wasn't going to let this incident `slide` completely. He noticed that he was intoxicated and seemed pretty tensed about it.

" Surprised, Oni?" he asked.

As angrier as he was, he simply dropped its base of a glass before went straight towards him.

" Alright, buster. What the fuck do you want?" said Toru.

" A rematch, remember? And don't even think of drugging a ghostly kid you've brought a few minutes ago."

" Oh, you're talking about that kid? Too bad. He's actually right----."

" Don't bullshit yourself, Oni. You and your hallucinations aren't for me." he said, as he rapidly disturbed his words. He then punches him right to the jaw of his face.

" You wanna fight, soul reaper? I'll give you a fight you'll never forget. " he grunted, fixing his jaws.

" Gladly. " he rejoiced, with a smirk on his face.

The fist fighting started as usual as fists were flying around. The soul reaper punches Toru right in his abdomen and sent him flying towards the table.

" Hey! You've splitted me drink, you asshole!" cried the bearded man as he flipped the table off him in anger, and hardly nudges another man.

By then, the brawl started with a pile of anger towards the room. With biting, screaming, kicking, punching and magical spells and bullets that nearly destroyed the wall and caused damages onto furnitures.

At the stable, Hanataro tried healing Ichitaro's wounds. Ichitaro was sitting down on a tiny, clean stool, whilst Hanataro was trying his best to heal him on his right leg.

But it was no use. Ichitaro's black tight pants had prevent that from sustaining his wound

But it was holding the poison really tightly, at the same time.

" Ah man, this is quite a pickle. This poison had already infecting your wound." he said disappointedly.

" You're not going to help me?" Ichitaro asked.

" Of course I'll help you. It's just that it's impossible to do so. However, there is one person who can. But she's at the Soul society. I'll take you to her as soon as possible. " he answered.

Before he could tell him who that healer was, both heard brawling and screaming of men and women.

As they peeped through the door, they saw everybody were fighting. From witnessing a man slapping a woman, but got kicked in his testes to a man stabing another man with a broken glass on his neck, splattering blood like a red paint.

" They're too many of them and it's a bit crowded.", Hanataro then asked nervously,

" Now, how are we going to pass these guys?"

Ichitaro though about what he'd said. By the time he thought about a plan, he saw someone was starting a fire, whilst a soul reaper had used his staff to attack all of them, including Toru.

Then, he saw a window that could fit through a horse and gave him a good plan.

" Hanataro, I have an idea. It might be stupid than the other plans, but it'll work out pretty soon." he said.

Hanataro was confused and decided to get along with it. Ichitaro opened every door, so that all of the horses runs freely through the door and the window. Hence left Hanataro and Ichitaro, they took their stuffs, including Ichitaro's flip phone to get one of the horses and went straight to the broken window with ease.

As the fight intensified even further, Masami quickly used her magic and shot a rooftop to silence everybody.

[ SPIRIT BULLET]

{ KABOOM!!!!}

She used her finger to the roof and shoots a massive explosion, killing the entire sounds of the bar. Everyone stopped at their motion and paid attention to her. Her spirit energy was super tense with anger, that no one would dare make it worse. As silence continued to solidify, she asked everyone in a deep angry tone :

" Now, WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT YELLOW HAIRED KID!?"

When that question soon pops in, it was too little too late.

‹ Neigh›

One of the horses cried outside and just as they were checking outside, all of the horses were roaming around freely. However, they didn't spotted Ichitaro anywhere, but turned their heads onto a soul reaper that simply disappeared from their existence.

" Umm... Where's that baldie soul reaper?" said another man, which another one threw him a bottle right in his head.

The soul reaper ran as fast as he could when he saw Hanataro riding a brown horse.

" Ikkaku, hop in!" shouted Hanataro as he reached out his left hand. Ikkaku, then tried to grab his hand until he finally manages to do it and hop in.

Ichitaro, on the other hand, was riding a black horse as it was his first time riding it. However, his visions were blurry and the poison had got the best on him.

" Hey, Ichitaro! ", shouted Hanataro, " I can send you to the Soul society, follow me!".

Ichitaro had heard his voice and followed him. As the moon fell asleep, the stars followed its lead like a mother duck to her children. A little star stayed a little longer before catching up along with the others.

Dawn kicked in and both of the soul reapers made it out alive and well. All thanks to Ichitaro's plan.

~~~~~~~

{ Katsuya's POV}

" Is it done yet, Jupiter?" asked Katsuya the shadowed figure at his room.

" Well, he sure is pretty skilled, like his other siblings. But the poison I've planted in, will kill him for the next day." he answered.

Katsuya smiled at him, deviously and said to him before he stepped out of him:

" Thank you."

He went to another certain room and opened the door. The room was dark and gloomy and Katsuya seemed keen on having no plans whatsoever. In happiness, he said to the darkness :

" Everything seems to have gone as planned, Yato. The blood of a boy would be your freedom."

" Ahh, good news. Good news indeed." said Yato as he was trapped in a crystal-like cocoon, glowing in happiness with a pale blue and dark purple.