Reborn Into Innocence - Bleach (boyxboy)

Chapter 2

AN: Yay, I have chapter 2 up and running now! I hope you'll like it and don't forget to leave a review or comment to let me know what you think so far. This is my first Multi-shot, so any hints would be great. Enjoy!

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Chapter 2:

The winter wind was bitingly cold, easily penetrating the thin material of his loose white shirt, but Ukitake did his best to ignore the way his body was now beginning to tremble violently. His main concern was keeping Sosu-chan warm, and his large jacket wrapped around his tiny, prone form saw to that.

The need to protect him was what was driving him on, though he had little idea of what to do or where to go. He still hadn't a clue what occurred to place him in such a situation in the first place or who this child was, but now was not the time to think about it. He needed to find a suitable place to get out of the cold.

At least the suspicious amount of money he was carrying will help pay for another hotel room for the night.

The streets were currently sparsely populated, most likely due to the cold. But what people he did encounter either took one brief look at him and then cross the street, pretending to see nothing, or do a double take, their gazes wide in alarm, but did nothing to aid him.

Not that they could do much for him, of course.

Ukitake had lost track of time, so how long he had been wandering now he did not know. All he knew was that he could no longer feel the presence of his fellow Soul Reapers, so knew he was at a safe distance.

Now, he could go into survival mode.

First things first, he needed to get some supplies as well as some clothes for his child charge. While his large jacket was keeping Sosu-chan warm for now, he needed proper coverage. That shirt he was wearing just won't do. And he knew without a doubt that Sosu-chan will be hungry; while Ukitake himself could go days without food, a child could not, and should not.

Glancing at his surroundings, only mildly familiar with the workings of the World of the Living, Ukitake soon spotted one of those convenient stores which appeared to be conveniently close to a nearby hotel, hence their namesake.

Good, he'll duck in there, get what he will need before making his way to the hotel, which hopefully still had a room left.

Entering into the convenience store made Ukitake realize just how cold he truly was. He had become numb to the wind outside, but now that he was out of it and standing in a place that was somewhat warm, brought on uncontrollable shivers to racked his growing weaker by the minute frame. Even his teeth were starting to rattle.

Scanning the shelves quickly, Ukitake grabbed what he thought he might need, thankful that this store had a small collection of children's clothing in one corner. He'll have to make a wild guess as to what size Sosu-chan would wear. Even if he got a size too big, something was much better than nothing after all.

Fearing that he might have lingered in this store for a little bit too long, he carried his chosen goods to the counter, grateful that the store was nearly empty.

The cashier took one look at his face before abruptly looking elsewhere. Even as she scanned the items and recited how much this will cost him, she refused to look at his face. It was at that moment that Ukitake realised how hideous that bruise that marred his face truly was. He had forgotten that humans saw wounds differently that he and his fellow Soul Reapers would.

Balancing Sosu-chan on his hip, Ukitake dug around in the bag, pulled out some money, how much he wasn't sure, and gave it to the cashier's awkwardly held out hand. He decided not to wait around to see if it was the right amount or not and simply scooped up his chosen items that had been placed in a plastic bag and hurried left the shop. He ignored the cashier's voice telling him that he had change and shivered violently when he stepped out into the freezing cold air.