6 Chapter 6: Yume Shiba

"Vice-Captain, no hollows have been found in the northwestern section of the Rukongai!"

"Vice-Captain, no hollows have been found in the southwestern section of the Rukongai!"

"Good, let's keep moving… Huh?"

As the group of shinigami was about to leave the forest to search other parts of the Rukon District, their leader noticed something off to the side.

The leader of the group wore a black kimono like the other shinigami, but she had an armband signifying her status as vice-captain. She had straight black hair and typically wore a delicate expression. However, right now she looked rather toughened.

"Kizuru?"

When he heard a familiar voice, Kizuru opened his eyes. He had been unconscious for who knows how long.

When he did, he saw a face he had not seen since he was a child.

"Cousin Yume?"

"You remember me? I haven't seen you since you were born."

'That's right, a normal child wouldn't have memories that far back. I should be more careful.' Kizuru thought.

Although Kizuru had learned about the cycle of reincarnation from his brother and mother, it seemed nobody else retained their memories after coming to the Soul Society. For now, he decided to keep his memories a secret.

"What are you doing here? It's dangerous to be this far out in Rukon by yourself."

Kizuru was surprised that Yume did not mention his bloody state or the destroyed surroundings, but when he looked around he noticed that he was not in the location he was attacked, nor was his face bloody. It seemed the man that attacked him had moved him to another location.

Kizuru stood up to talk with Yume. He saw Yume glance at his Zanpakuto, but she did not make any comment about it. Apparently, it was not too uncommon to get a Zanpakuto before going to the academy.

"I was just training my Zanjutsu. What are you doing here Cousin Yume? This Is a remote area."

"My squad and I were sent out to investigate the disappearance of some souls, but there appear to be no hollows nearby, so we are going to head back to the Seireitei."

Hearing about the disappearances, the image of the mysterious man that attacked him flashed in Kizuru's mind. Thinking of this possibility, Kizuru asked Yume:

"Yume, have you ever heard of the Wolfman Clan?"

"Huh? Oh, the Wolfman Clan… hmm… Yes, I have heard of the Wolfman Clan. Why do you ask?" She put her hand on her chin and looked upward in thought.

"Just curious. What is it?"

"I don't know much about it, but I've heard the Wolfman Clan is a cursed clan. The members of the Wolfman Clan have beast-like features fittingly beastly strength. I hear the 3rd seat of squad 5 is a member of the Wolfman Clan, but his head is always covered in a cloth - so it's hard to tell."

Kizuru thought back to the helmet-wearing man. He noticed the man's hands were covered in fur. Perhaps he was wearing that helmet to cover his beast-like features as well.

"Thank you, Cousin Yume. I will head back home now."

"Alright, be safe. Say hello to your mother for me, I haven't seen Misana since I visited during your birthday."

"Yes, I will tell her. Goodbye"

*************************************************************************************************************

As Kizuru moved through the dark forest, he reminisced on his first time meeting Yume. He was just born a few days prior and was still getting used to his new surroundings, and Yume was his first introduction to shinigami.

Now his brother was training to become a shinigami, and in a few months, Kizuru would be too. When he first arrived in this world, even the common culture and technology were completely foreign. Things like Kido and shinigami were even more world-image-shattering.

Thinking of his brother, he wondered how Isshin was doing in the Shin'o Academy. He knew Isshin was a prodigy, but he heard that some shinigami were extremely powerful. Just the Spiritual Pressure given off by some of the figures he had encountered showed him that he was still a frog in a well.

That child he saw in the woods the day he got his Zanpakuto also made him nervous. The child seemed to be the same age as him and Isshin, so if someone like that was also going to the academy, Kizuru was nervous.

While he was traveling through the woods, he realized he was approaching the Wolfman Clan territory where he was attacked by the Wolfman Clan member. Even though he wouldn't enter the clan's territory on his way home, he would still come a little too close for his comfort. He decided to take a small detour around the area.

'Not making that mistake again.'

*************************************************************************************************************

When Kizuru arrived home, his mother and grandfather were sitting at the table being served by attendants.

"Oh, Kizuru! You are home late."

His mother was happy to see him. His grandfather did not even look in his direction.

"Sorry mom, I'm tired. I'm going to go to sleep."

"Okay, goodnight."

Kizuru wasn't actually very tired. He had just gotten several hours of sleep in the woods earlier, after all. However, his mother felt worried when he trained at night, and he got the feeling his grandfather didn't like him, so he had no option other than to go to his room.

He lied down in his bed and looked at the ceiling. He no longer attempted to hide his Zanpakuto outside his window since his grandfather already noticed it, so it was laying on the floor beside him.

As he tried to drift asleep, memories of his previous life as a bounty hunter flashed through his mind.

He thought about fond times like when he got into gun fights with his criminal targets, and when he would order the whole menu at his favorite saloon after collecting a large bounty. However, he also thought of the bad times, like traveling across the desert on the back of his horse with the sun beaming down on him, or being caught in sandstorms and having to shovel himself out of his buried tent. All in all, Kizuru preferred this life to his first one.

"Child."

"Woah!"

Kizuru heard a voice from above him, and when he opened his eyes he saw a large figure perched in his open window peeking into his room. The moonlight shining from behind him made the face of the figure obscured, but he could tell by his silhouette that it was the helmeted man that guarded the territory of the Wolfman Clan.

"W-What are you doing here?! Leave my house!"

Kizuru was afraid that the man was attempting to finish the job he didn't finish earlier.

"Don't be so loud, kid. I'm not going to kill you."

"..."

Seeing Kizuru not respond, the helmeted man spoke on.

"I just wanted to ask you a question. Do you know Kioshi Shiba?"

Kizuru waited a second before responding. He had not heard that name for several years.

"He… he was my father."

"I thought so. You have very similar Reiatsu."

The figure and Kizuru stood in silence for nearly a minute, before the man spoke again.

"I am a member of the Wolfman Clan. The Wolfman and Shiba clans have occupied territory close to each other for millennia, yet we are neither friends nor enemies. When I was a child… your father saved me from a shinigami that was attempting to abduct me. He never asked for anything in return, and I never intended to give him anything in return - he was a human after all."

"However, when I felt your Spiritual Pressure today, I was reminded of that time. I have decided to return the favor your father gave me many years ago…"

"In what way?" Kizuru asked him, unsure of what the man was intending to do.

"I will help you out. When you were falling unconscious after my punch earlier today, I noticed that you are very close to releasing your Shikai. I will help you do so."

"Shikai? I don't know what that means."

"You are a member of one of the Five Noble Families, but don't know what Shikai means? Shikai is the activated form of a shinigami's Zanpakuto. Each Shikai has a unique shape and ability. Did you think Zanpakuto were just normal swords?"

'Released state?' Kizuru thought. His older brother, as the next Clan Head, was taught about such things by his grandfather. But for some reason, their grandfather barely talked to Kizuru at all. Even when he was an infant, Kizuru noticed that his grandfather looked at him oddly. Thankfully his mother took very good care of him, so he could not care less what his grandfather thought.

"Let's get this over with. Come with me."

With saying this, the man grabbed Kizuru's small forearm with his giant, hair-covered hand and pulled him through the window.