As the young man gazed at the familiar sight, he slammed his fist into the ground. He knew that many people would be overjoyed at the prospect of entering their favorite anime or show, but he was not thrilled with the reality of this world.
"Damn it, why, of all possible anime worlds, did I have to end up in this death trap? Couldn't I have gone to Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh!? At least they're not as deadly as this place. I'm sure others would find it amazing, but it's only fantastic if you're Ichigo. Without plot armor, who can survive living in a Soul Society secretly controlled by Aizen or the Quincy invasion afterward? Main characters die here, so how am I supposed to survive!?"
Deep in thought, the young man failed to notice a figure running towards him. When he finally noticed someone approaching, they were close enough for him to see it was one of the main characters, Yoruichi, in a Soul Reaper outfit. She had a slender and well-endowed figure, dark skin, golden irises, and purple hair. She pointed her index and middle fingers at him, causing his arms to lock behind his back.
"Well, what do we have here? A rogue soul with a Zanpakuto. Where did you get this?" Yoruichi asked as she picked up the Zanpakuto from the ground.
'Damn, this looks bad. How do I play this off so she doesn't kill me? I guess I'll just tell the truth.'
The young man, with a quivering voice, managed to say, "You're wearing the same clothes as that man. Please help him; we were attacked by a monster, and he's badly hurt. He said to bring the sword to the city, and that someone would come. Please, he's over there; you have to save him," as he turned his face in the direction of the body.
Yoruichi examined the young man thoroughly before picking him up with one hand and carrying him towards the direction he indicated. Moving at high speeds, they arrived at the body within a second, and Yoruichi dropped the young man on the ground to examine the body.
'This should work, right? I didn't kill him, and my story was believable enough for her to come here. Hopefully, she'll let me go after checking the body.'
Nearly five minutes passed before Yoruichi finished examining the body. She then released the young man's arms by pointing her index and middle fingers at him again and said, "Bakudō #1 Sai Release."
The young man inquired, "Will he be okay, or is he..." before trailing off, trying his best to convey fake concern.
"He's dead, and I found that your story checks out. So, for now, tell me who you are and the events that led to both of you being attacked," said Yoruichi.
"Hello, my name is Yuichi Toshikyo, and I don't know what's going on. I woke up in this forest, and as I tried to leave, a monster attacked me. It had a white mask, a spider body, and it could stretch. When the monster was about to kill me, that man arrived and fought it. When he was about to kill it, the monster's spider leg came out of the ground and stabbed him, but he managed to cut it in half. When the man fell, I ran over to check on him, and he said to run in that direction to the city and call for help since I couldn't carry him," explained the young man, Yuichi.
"Hmm, your story seems to match up with his injuries. So, Yuichi, you said you woke up here in the forest, right? Where were you before you came to this forest?" asked Yoruichi as she continued to scrutinize him for any signs of deceit.
'I don't know if the human world in Bleach matches up with the real world, so I'll just lie.'
"I was in a city called Karakura Town. Have you heard of it? If you have, can you please help me get back there?" Yuichi said in an anxious tone.
"Karakura Town, huh? I guess that's in the human world. It seems you're a new soul who recently passed on. I don't know why you appeared in this forest, but it's full of Hollows. By Hollows, I mean the monsters who attacked you. For now, I'll take you to Rukongai; you should be safe there," replied Yoruichi.
"New soul? You don't mean I'm dead, right?" asked Yuichi, putting on a confused and scared face.
"Yes, you're dead. This is the Soul Society, or what the living know as the afterlife. I'll take you to Rukongai, an area where regular souls live until they're reborn," explained Yoruichi. She then grabbed him and the deceased Soul Reaper before speeding off toward the outer town of the Soul Society.
Upon reaching the town, Yoruichi once again dropped Yuichi onto the ground, gently placing the corpse beside him. Before he could even say "ouch," a petite woman with gray eyes and black hair, dressed in a ninja-like outfit, appeared. The young woman looked different from how Yuichi remembered her, but he was sure this was Suì-Fēng.
'Hmm, so Yoruichi is still in the Soul Society, and Suì-Fēng still works for her. This has to be the Soul Society before the story starts. I remember that she and Urahara left the Soul Society 101 years ago, so that means I've traveled to the past of Bleach. I don't know how far back I've gone, but I need to figure it out so I can determine when I am. The best way to judge would be Urahara; I remember he was a captain for nine years before leaving.'
Suì-Fēng kneeled before Yoruichi and said, "Yoruichi-sama, please don't go off and leave me behind. How am I supposed to protect you if you leave me? Yoruichi-sama, what is that?"
"Ah, Suì-Fēng, good, you're just in time. I need you to take this boy to the check-in zone to get him assigned to a district. I would take him, but I have to take this body and Zanpakuto back to the Seireitei," explained Yoruichi.
Suì-Fēng stared at Yuichi, more like glared at him. She clearly did not want to waste time on him, but she agreed to Yoruichi's orders. Yuichi realized that if he wanted to speak, now would be the best time before Yoruichi left. Yuichi then asked, "Um, before you take me, is there any place I can get some food? I'm starving."
This statement seemed to surprise both Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng as they both turned to look at Yuichi with shocked expressions on their faces.
'Looks like it really is true that only souls with spiritual pressure have to eat, whereas those that don't can go without eating. When I felt safe, hunger came over me, meaning I at least have some spiritual pressure. Depending on how large my appetite is, these two ladies will most likely take me to train to become a Shinigami.'
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Bleach: Gazing Mirage
Fanfiction"Gazing Mirage" follows the journey of Yuichi Toshikyo, a young man who awakens in the dangerous world of Bleach. But to his surprise, it isn't the world of Bleach he knows; instead, he finds himself nearly 110 years in the past of the main story. S...