Victims of Fate

Prologue

Earth, the realm of Humans.

Hueco Mundo, the realm of Hollows.

The Soul Society, the realm of Spirits.

Three worlds that make up reality - and all interconnected with each other.

Humans either go to the Soul Society or become Hollows upon death.

Hollows either stay in Hueco Mundo or eventually are cleansed by Shinigami and sent to the Soul Society.

Souls within the Soul Society eventually become part of the reincarnation cycle and return to Earth or they are consumed by a Hollow and become a part of it.

Three worlds that make up the sum of all creation - but whether they be human, hollow, or spirit... each is a soul. A Person. Each with their own desires and goals.

Though sent to a different reality and separated by worlds, the promise between sword and sheath is remembered and kept. One forever waiting, while the other searches endlessly. Each waiting till they can meet once more.

The Soul Society

Within the world that was the Soul Society, there were two distinct sections: The Rokungai, where the majority of souls live after they die, and the Seireitei, where the nobility and Shinigami live.

As one would expect, life in the Seireitei and life in the Rokungai were two extremely different lifestyles.

The Seireitei contained the homes for the nobility, the Shinigami, the scientists, and the scholars. Government buildings, noble estates, barracks, and research centers could be found throughout the city known as the Court of Pure Souls. The size of such a place such that it would take ten days for a person to walk from one of the four gates to another.

And yet despite it's large size, the Rokungai easily dwarfed it. Surrounding the Seireitei, the Rokungai was composed of 320 districts that expanded ever outwards from the center.

As one would guess, the further one got from the Seireitei, from the heart of the government and the policing it provided in the way of the Gotei 13, the more lawless and brutal it became. Such that past district 50 it was more common to see people without sandals than otherwise.

It was the responsibility of the Gotei 13 to help patrol and keep the Rokungai safe. Even in the Soul Society, it was possible for Hollows to make their way there after all. Against a Hollow, most spirits would be completely helpless, so such policing was a necessity.

When described by most people, the Gotei 13 would sound like the epitome of nobility and honor, protecting the weak and upholding justice, however -

"HEY! GET BACK HERE YOU BRAT!"

That was not always the case.

On a dirt street, surrounded by old, dust ridden houses reminiscent of feudal japan, one could see a small boy running desperately away from two men with swords. His face the picture of panic, he ran through the street and alleyways, heedless of who he ran into.

The boy looked to be around 8 years old, but looks were often deceiving in the Soul Society. When a person can live up to several hundred years, it is often hard to determine a person's true age, and children often aged slower.

The two men chasing him wore the Shihakusho of a Shinigami, and held Zanpakuto in their hands. It was because of this that nobody dared interfere, simply watching the spectacle with jaded eyes, doing their best not to attract their attention.

The child continued to run until he was suddenly grabbed by another person and pulled into a hug, shielding him from the men. Looking up with watery eyes, he saw the scared face of his big sister, and he immediately burrowed into her side.