Of Shinigami And Love

Prologue

A little girl dressed in ragged clothes, with unkempt, icy blue hair ran desperately for her life. She could hear the flurry of footsteps following her closely. She was in no position to think of what might be her next set of actions. She needed to get away quickly and maybe, hide - if she was lucky enough.

The people who were after her were dressed in black hakamas with sheathed katanas hanging by the side of their waists. They were a familiar bunch. The child had seen a lot of them patrolling around the area she and her brother was living at, in the past.

She knew that they were there to secure the safety of the people living in Rukongai. However, she was skeptical and a little curious as to why they were chasing after her. She did not do anything to cause them trouble, did she?

'Brother,' she thought, as she remembered a certain memory of her brother smiling brightly at her and reassuring her that everything would be alright. Tears welled up in her eyes as she willed her legs to run faster than it already were. She ignored the burning sensation as she ran. When she finally spotted a place where to hide from her pursuers, which is the bushes, the little girl quickly jumped out of the way and made sure she doesn't make a noise.

The same, old scenario had happened just yesterday. She was lucky enough to be able to get away from them although she did have a hard time because their strength was completely different than hers. The good thing was, they seemed like ordinary shinigamis and not the ones who seemed to visit rarely, wearing white haori. Those people just have an intimidating air around them and they seemed to be strong.

A sudden, sharp pain in her head made her keel over the patches of grass. She could hear voices getting nearby her hiding place, as she writhed in pain while clutching her head. A quiet whimper managed to escape her lips. However, she tried to keep it down, still conscious of the fact that the shinigamis were still on her tail.

"Let me tell you my name, child."

She heard a voice speaking in her mind. It was a voice of a woman; soft and melodious. It was as if water flowing in a river or like the gentle sound of the waves of the sea and ocean on a calm day-not that she have had the chance to see nor hear what it was like.

The young girl moaned loudly, not being able to bear any longer the pain in her head. The loud sound she made immediately caught the attention of a few shinigamis nearby where she was currently situated at. The poor girl was clutching onto her head tightly, trying to take steady breaths.

"She's here!" Someone called out from the group. The girl felt arms wrapping around her frail form and felt herself being carried away by someone. Her small hands clutched onto the person's garment tightly, as she willed herself to get away from his grip.

"LET GO OF ME!" The child screamed, struggling from the grasp of the person who is responsible for her capture. The person holding onto her nearly dropped her. Suddenly, there was a heavy spiritual pressure, making the people around the two to stumble and kneel on the ground.

The young girl was glowing in a light blue shade of spiritual energy, as their surroundings were suddenly covered in mist. Her eyes were glaring as she unsteadily scampered away from the group of five shinigamis, where one lost consciousness and the rest stared at her in fear, sweating profusely.

-.-.-.-.-

In the Gotei, captains and lieutenants hurried to their designated conference rooms. One after another, shinigamis dressed in white haoris stood in two lines, facing each other. An old man holding a staff walked to the center, in between of the captains standing. He had long, white beard and his eyes were closed, forming slits.

The tension was so thick that it seemed like it could be sliced through. No one dared to talk. Not until the oldest among them had decided that it was the right time for him to speak.