Chapter 1

Murasaki Hisana's eyes narrowed as she approached a large tent. Her friend, Kodokuna Hana, was right behind her, an empty sack resting over her shoulder. Hisana raised her hand, and her friend understood that she wanted her to stop walking. Crickets chirped, and time dragged by before the tent's light was turned off, causing the forest to turn darker. Hana walked a few more steps, but Hisana grabbed her wrist and shook her head. Someone came out of the tent and began walking towards the opposite direction of where the two young women were.

"Stay here," said Hisana in a barely audible tone. Hana nodded and handed her the sack. Watching Hisana approach the tent, she took out a small dagger. If anything negative were to occur, she was prepared.

Hisana's eyebrows were creased together as she slowly opened the tent flap. A light snore was all she heard, and she took the opportunity to tip-toe in. As always, time was her enemy. She was lucky that her eyes had been trained to see in the dark. Opening the sack, she began grabbing whatever she could from a table that she was assured contained the food that Hana had tod her about. Then her fingertips touched something cool. She picked it up and put it near her nose. The smell was of strong metal and she quickly put it in the bag. Perhaps it was a chain of money she could use to pay shinigamis to help her find her younger sister. Once the sack was filled, she turned around and began walking towards the exit.

Suddenly, the flap opened and in entered a tall man wearing a shihakusho. He grinned and reached to grab her, but she ducked away from his grasp and began running out. "Wake up! They are here!"

"Hana! Run!" she yelled and her friend began speeding back to their shelter. Footsteps echoed behind them, and Hisana caught up to her friend. Panic was evident in both of their faces and Hana tossed Hisana a knife.

"Give me the sack," Hana yelled over the shouts of the shinigamis telling them to stop. "Meet me at Point A."

Hisana nodded and gave her the sack. Not running anymore, she stopped and turned around. A few shinigamis surrounded her, while the rest went after her friend. Focus. Hana can take care of herself.

"Surrender or you will die at the spot," one of them sneered approaching her. Hisana took no time to let him get closer to her. She jumped on the shinigami and brought her hand down, aiming for his chest. Before the blade could impale the man, someone kicked Hisana in her chest, causing her to roll off. The blade grazed her arm, but getting up quickly, she ran faster than she had done the last time she was chased. Shinigamis were harder to outrun than angry, drunk men. She tripped over a rock and felt her head hit something hard. Colorful stars engulfed her vision and something cool was placed against her neck. "Take her."

"No!" she yelped and try to move as they binded her arms against her body tightly. Pain stung the back of her neck and then everything went black.

---

Cold water was splashed on her face, and she began coughing. Opening her eyes, she shook her head. All she could see was black.

"Whoops!" exclaimed someone. "Forgot to take off the blindfold." Sunlight shone in her eyes as the cloth covering her eyes was mercilessly ripped off. She shut her eyelids together until someone threw more water on her. "Don't glare at us like that. You're the one who stole from a noble clan!"

Hisana grimaced. It was a noble clan. I'll be executed for sure. She turned her head slightly and felt her eyes shoot wide. Next to her was Hana, tied to a post, gagged, beaten, and blindfolded. "Hana!" Her friend turned her head to where she heard the voice. "Hana, how?" Tears slicked down her face. What had they done to her friend? Her face was swollen from the amount of punches she had received and her cheek was bleeding, as if they had scraped her against chopped wood. She turned to glare at the shinigami who was in the cart. "Why did you do that to her?

"We'll be doing it to you if ya don't say where ya put the chain or tell us for who ya work for."

"Chain?" she repeated before receiving a kick on her stomach. On instinct, she tried to roll into a ball but the ropes that bound her prevented her from doing so.

"Ya know which chain! The thick silver one that was going to be given to th-"

"Don't let out too much information," said a voice from beside the cart.

Hisana shook her head. "It's in the sack."

The shinigami grabbed her by the front of her shirt. "We had yer friend clear the damn sack but there wasn't anything. Who did you give it to?"

"I-I put it there!" she yelled as the shinigami punched her on her jaw.

"Lies!" he yelled at her, slapping her face. The cart stopped in front of a large manor and a dark-skinned man came out of the wooden door leading into the estate.

As the shinigamis all went to have a discussion with him, Hisana began trying to take off the rope that tied her hands together. "Hana, do you still have that?" The beaten girl nodded, and Hisana removed the rope. She extended her arm and put her hand in the pouch under the top of Hana's hippari. She removed the dagger and closed her hand, not bothering if the blade would cut through her rough skin, befor putting them behind her back again. She watched as two shinigamis approached her, talking about how they hoped that they could get a higher position.

First they removed Hana's binds and took her off. When they approached Hisana, she lunged at the one closest to her. Both bodies flew out of the cart and landed on the ground, Hisana on top of the shinigami. The shinigami grabbed her by her neck and slammed her against the hard, gray ground. She stabbed his side, but the shinigami had great endurance.

Before she could try stabbing him again, a female voice yelled, "Stop!"

The shinigami on top of her moved and bowed to a woman with short purple hair, wearing a haori. "Shihoin Josei," everyone except herself, Hana, and the dark-skinned man chanted.

"I didn't asked to be bowed to. What are you doing?"

"She stole from us. The chain we where supposed to deliver to th-"

"Oh, so these are the girls." She got closer to Hisana, who tightened her grip on the handle of her small blade. "They've got spunk!"

"Nee-San," said the man, whom Hisana now realized looked a lot like the woman they called 'Shihoin Josei'. "What do you want, Arata?"

"We're gonna be in big trouble so we're gonna hand 'em to the Kuchikis to deal with. What do you think?"

The purple-haired woman rolled her eyes. "They'll just hand them to Central 46. Kill them and put them out of their misery."

Hisana gritted her teeth and jumped on the woman. "You're not killing anyone."

"Shihoin Josei!" yelled all the shinigamis and the sound of their swords coming out of their sheath echoed. The woman, however, was chuckling as she pinned Hisana to the ground. One of her hands held Hisana's left arm to the cement while her other manipulated the Rukongai girl's right hand to put the blade near her own neck.

"Would you like to know the feeling of cutting your own self?" she asked, clearly amused. Hisana tried to move her legs, but to no avail. They were pinned under the woman's weight. "Would you?" she repeated, moving the blade closer. She heard the muffled voice Hana, trying to scream. A sharp pain and she felt the slightest bit of a warm liquid trickle down her neck.

"No!" she yelled. "I- I want to live."

A smile graced the woman's lips. "You do?" It stained Hisana's pride, but she nodded. If she had to beg for her life, she would. She had a goal in life, and she wasn't just about to die. "Interesting," the woman said getting off of Hisana, and taking the blade from her at the same time. She extended her hand and the Rukongai girl stared at her in disbelief. "I haven't lost my mind. Take my hand."

"Don't need it," muttered Hisana as she stood on her own.

"My name is Shihoin Yoruichi."

"Oh," was all that Hisana responded before she felt a shinigami grab her arm.

"Oi! Don't detain her."

"But, Nee-"

"I want this girl and her friend taken to my part of the estate."

"Ne-"

"You heard me," she said, before turning around and entering the manor.

The shinigami behind Hisana sighed. "We'll leave this to you and your gaurds, Shihoin-Sama." With that he released her and left, followed by the rest of his friends.

Hisana ran to Hana and removed her gags and ropes. "C'mon, let's go." Hana nodded, and stood up. Someone put a hand on Hisana's shoulder and she turned around. The man Shihoin Yoruichi had called 'Arata' was standing next to her, his yellow eyes speaking for him. He wanted Hisana and Hana to follow him, and the two knew they had no choice but to comply.