Prologue

Amazed, the boy watched, as the disintegrating pieces of the monster fell to the ground.
Shreds of the energy that had come out of the white cloaked man still swirled around the immediate vicinity, bathing it in a surreal glow. It had all happened so damn fast, him dying, the chain on his chest, the appearance of the monster, followed by the mysterious man that shot something out of the palm of his hand. It all seemed like a bad dream, but somehow, a voice in the back of his head continued to remind him that it was all real, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.

As he thought back to the encounter, he realized why he was so convinced that it was all real.
The fear that had struck him when the monster appeared, it had been unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It had made a chill run straight through his bones, made his mind go blank, it had even numbed his entire body.

"Are you all right?", The man in the white cloak asked.

"I think so, yes, except for the fact that I'm dead I believe, I'm quite all right."

"Well, dying is kind of inevitable when faced with a hollow of this strength, especially when you're alive".

"Is that what that thing was called? A hollow? Never heard of it, what are they, some sort of evil spirits?"

"It doesn't surprise me that you haven't heard of them, they can't be seen by normal humans, so naturally, there aren't  lot of people that know about them and those that do wisely keep their mouths shut. As for the other question, well, they're somewhat like evil spirits, except that they were once normal souls, like you are, except they got caught up with something happening in the real world, preventing them from passing on to the Soul Society, the place where we guide all souls to, causing him to lose his heart and transform in what you just saw."

"I see, I think I can understand that explanation".

"Excellent, that means I won't have to draw it out for you", the man grinned.

"I have one question though, if that was a bad spirit, or hollow as you called it, and I'm a normal spirit, then what does that make you?", Kaito asked the man, studying him. He was wearing traditional clothing, a white kosode, a black kimono, a hakama and a white obi sash, topped off with a white haori with the symbol nine on it. The clothes seemed to complement his build perfectly, giving him an overwhelming presence. The look his avid eyes cast down would scare anyone if it weren’t for the smile his lips formed, calming every fibre in his body.

"Me? I'm a Shinigami, a Death God, we guide souls to Soul Society and purify hollows, sort of like the guardians of the souls."

As the boy watched the last shreds of the strange energy dissipate, he saw the shinigami draw his sword again.

"What's wrong? Is there another hollow nearby?"
"No, it's just that I need to guide you to Soul Society.", the man smiled, "don't worry, it won't hurt. And when you get there, make sure you report to the Shinigami Academy right away. I've got a feeling you've got quite a bit of potential. Just tell them Yoshikune Shinji sent you, they'll let you in."

"I will", the boy said, just as the shinigami let the hilt of his sword tap slightly on his forehead.

"Oh, before I forget, boy, what's your name?" the man in the white cloak asked.

"It's Kaito, Fujiwara Kaito", the boy said as he was enveloped by a soothing blue light.