Sabitsura District

[jetxtreme]

Lying on the east side of Rukongai, Sabitsura is a district not much famous of anything. Souls live a rather simple life though sometimes threatened by Outlaws from other districts as this district is often unmonitored. It's main town is populated mostly by commoners and lots of street dwellers. Houses are usually made out of scrap materials and only a small part of the streets are paved.

[jetxtreme]

Along the streets of Sabitsura's main town sits a teenage Shinku playing his Shamisen waiting for alms to be thrown on a can beside him. It was almost sunset when a group of three rascals approached him.

"Hey now what do we have here! Earning for himself without any approval from us eh!", shouted the tallest guy while approaching Shinku holding a bat on his right hand. He then noticed the can beside Shinku with some coins on it."Well at least you can give us the coins on the can over there as a downpayment."

Shinku continued playing his shamisen without uttering a single word.

"Well silence means yes!", again in a loud voice as the rascal reached for the can with his left hand. Shinku stopped playing and reached for the rascal's hand stopping it from touching the can.

"Hey boss the little kid wants to play", mocked an oranged haired guy positioned behind Shinku's assaulter.

The leader tried to move his left hand but he seems not strong enough to challenge Shinku's strength so he swinged his bat to beat Shinku who is able to evade the hit.

"Stubborn eh!", he then tried to kick Shinku who then quickly shielded the kick with the back of his shamisen. With the pain through hitting the wooden body of the shamisen, the leader backed off skipping back an forth holding his injured foot. "You bastard! you will pay for this! Akimichi! Kazuko! Give that boy a lesson!"

"YES BOSS!", simultaneously answered the to as they rushed to hit Shinku.

Akimichi, the orange haired guy approached Shinku from his left with a kick while Kazuko attacked from a safe distance swinging a chain aimed at Shinku's head from his right. Shinku quickly blocked the kick with the back of his shamisen and caught the chain with his right hand followed by sliding his right foot towards Akimichi's causing the rascal to lose his balance and fall down. With his strength, he forcibly pulled the chain instantly leaving Kazuko no time to let go causing him to fall face down the ground. He then returned into playing his Shamisen.

"ARE YOU MOCKING US! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN BEAT US UP THAT EASILY! HEY YOU TWO BASTARDS STAND UP AND SHOW THAT KID WHO'S BOSS AROUND HERE!", shouted an enraged rascal as he rushed toward Shinku violently swinging his bat on the youth. "TAKE THIS! AND THAT!", as he continuously attacks Shinku who simply evades and block each and every attack while sitting.

"You can cut that now boss, he'll pass away soon anyway", uttered Kazuko with a grin in his face.

True enough, Shinku suddenly felt a bit dizzy, with his body slowly feeling numb. He then looked at his right hand and saw wounds from thorns. "Hehehe...it may not be that visible enough but these chains have small thorns on the end you held earlier treated with poison. They may not wound you that much but it can penetrate enough to inject poison on your body."

"HAHAHA! Way to go Kazuko!", laughed their boss as he stooped down Shinku, "How do you feel now boy! Feeling sleepy now! hahaha!"

Fighting the dizziness, Shinku tried to stand up but with no avail, he can no longer feel his hands as well as his feet.

[Azula]

"I'd leave off that, if I were you. Poison isn't something you toy around with."

A young woman, appearing to be in her mid-twenties, approached from behind the three who had attacked Shinku. She wore a plain shinigami uniform and had a zanpakuto worn around her waist. She also wore a white haori, although with the wind blowing one couldn't tell what it signified, as the symbols on it were hidden. She appeared to be around 5'7" or so in height and her hair was pulled up in a long ponytail that hung to her waist, with bangs framing her face. Hey eyes were the color of steel and her expression was just as inviting.

She stopped about a foot behind the assailants, not at all intimidated by their weapons or their intimidating demeanor. She simply gazed at them with her eyes of steel, awaiting a response.

[jetxtreme]

Shinku still a bit conscious tried to stare at the woman. "Mmmotther is that you?", he uttered in a very soft voice that no one was able to hear it. His vision is a bit blurred that he can't distinguish a face of anyone around him anymore. He stared as the three rascals turn their attention away from him towards the Lady. His vision got dimmer till it completely went off. He can still hear mumbles but can't understand any conversation as all the sound slowly fade away until he completely went unconscious.

[Azula]

Mother? She thought, curious. Did she resemble this boy's mother? That would be a first. As he slipped into unconsciousness she decided to act swiftly and treat him before dealing with these smug hooligans. She suddenly vanished, only to reappear beside the boy, kneeling next to him and lifting his right arm. Pulling a syringe from her pocked, she uncapped it and stabbed it into his flesh, pushing the plunger down.

The effect would be almost instantaneous, both swiftly clearing the boy's body of poison as well as lessening the pain from the cuts in his hand, and accelerating the natural healing process. Satisfied, she stood again and looked back to the hooligans.

"Why don't you three leave...if you know what's best for you."

[jetxtreme]

The hooligans' boss doesn't seem to care about the lady's warning.

"AND WHO ARE YOU TO BOSS AROUND HERE? I'M THE BOSS HERE DO YOU HEAR THAT! I'M THE BOSS!", he shouted in an enraged manner.

"Hey boss I think we're getting a bit overboard here. That white coat over there shows the she is one of the Gotei 13 Captains. You won't want to deal with her or we'd surely be done for", uttered a frightened Kazuko as he slowly backs of from the area.

"YOU COWARD! GIVE ME THAT CHAIN AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW IT IS DONE!", He then grabbed Kazuko's chain by the tip and swinged it towards the lady.

[Azula]

As the chain shot towards her, the woman didn't even seem fazed. As it neared, she simply lifted her right hand and caught the blade; it didn't even scratch her. She tightened her grip then, and squeezed until it shattered.

The wind died down somewhat, and her haori settled. The mark of the Sixth Division was now plainly visible. "I'd do what your friend suggested, if I were you. I don't want to have to dirty my hands." She said, looking at their boss with a look of disgust. She then turned to the boy, checking to see if he was still unconscious.

Hmm, he has a nice amount of reitsu...is he a new recruit? She wondered.

[jetxtreme]

Stunned at what he saw, the hooligans' boss stared blankly at a moment and after he snapped back, "AAAKIMICHI! Do something! Assault her from  the left! I go to the right!", he was able to shout a bit in a stuttering voice.

"Bbbut boss you saw what she did to the chains didn't you?", answered the shivering Akimichi.

"I SAID...", the leader's speech was stopped by a sudden pain in his stomach. As he look down, he saw Shinku with the boy's fist touching his stomach. "When did you...", as he slowly fall out of consciousness and then fell off the ground.

[Azula]

The woman smiled. Impressive, from one just recently poisoned and then cured.

"Well, looks like your boss needs some medical attention....care to remove him from this place?" She said cooly, glancing at first Akimichi then Kazuko. She made shooing motions at the unconscious man on the ground.

She then turned to the boy. "Well done...what is your name and division?"

[jetxtreme]

"Division? now what is that?" answered a confused Shinku, "But anyway I'm Shinku, Ashikaga Shinku and thanks for the help lady."

He then returned sitting on his post and played his shamisen. "As you can see I'm just a lowly beggar"

[Azula]

The woman was surprised. "You mean you're not a shinigami?" Amazing, that speed and the recuperative powers...true, he had a serum, but that alone shouldn't have gotten him on his feet for another 5 minutes.

"You're strong; if not for the poison, you'd have won that fight. You're lucky I was in the area, there were some hollow detected nearby. That particular poison would have killed you within 5 minutes." She noted. She was irked still that she hadn't found the hollow yet - they seemed to be hiding their presence, or had left.

"Tell me, do you train at all? Or better yet, have you had interest in becoming a shinigami?"

[jetxtreme]

"I don't know of a hollow, I haven't seen one yet but anyway yes, I indeed train every night. I don't know about being a shinigami, I just want to become strong. Let's just say I have vowed to accomplish something. If you can help me with what I need to do then I'd gladly join your company.", uttered Shinku while staying in a sitting position still playing his shamisen in a very soft tone.

He then stopped and stood facing the lady, looking her in the eyes in a determined gaze, "Lady, can you make me stronger?"

[Azula]

She gave him a slight smile. "I'm sure we can. You are strong, and shinigami need to be to fight hollows. I'm confident we can train you up right. Especially once you get a zanpakuto."

She laid a hand on the hilt of her sword, her thumb rubbing at the tassel on the end. "It is not uncommon for one to join with the initial intention just to become strong, for some purpose known only to themselves. But no matter, you will have to learn to follow orders. You might be behind some of those with similar training, due to the fact you never went to the academy...but I can sense something in you, you are a worthy candidate."

She gave a wry smile. "I'll put in a word for you to get int a good Division...sure, they're all decent, but some have preferable...methods of training."

She turned to leave. Pausing after walking about 10 feet, she turned back and said, "Come to the sereitei gate tomorrow and you should be given entrance. If they refuse, just tell them Azulana Ukatakko told you to come; they'll let you in."

[jetxtreme]

"So fate is still on my side after all.", thought of a now determined Shinku as he stares on the vanishing figure of Azulana. "Just wait mom and dad, I will soon be strong enough to get back to those who killed our whole clan."

As soon as the lady disappeared in sight, Shinku packed his things strapping his shamisen on his right shoulder. He reached for the can and and then poured the coins it has in his left hand and then placed it back on the ground while putting the coins in his pocket and started walking.

He walked a few blocks to the southern part of the town and arrived at what seemed to be a small abandoned storage house. He entered the house making his way to a barrel on the northeastern corner of the house.  He reached for some shirts made of sackcloth and placed them in an old bag. He then reached beneath a pile of Hay just beside a barrel and put out a sword resembling that of a katana with a crimson red hilt. "I think I will be able to finally use this Hotaru-sama.", he thought as he paused to stare at the sword and then placed it in the bag leaving it's handle and hilt exposed. He then got out of the house and paused by the door and breathed deeply, "Now here's my journey to becoming strong, just wait you all, I'll be back to avenge for my family's blood!". He then started his journey towards the Sereitei.

[jetxtreme]

Shinku's journey to continue in Seireitei (Court of Pure Souls)>Blue Stream Gate (Shōryūmon) : "Entrance of the Crimson-haired brat"

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