The air was still thick with dust when the giant collapsed.
Shattered stone and drifting particles caught the moonlight, falling like ash across the ruined shrine.
Akio's chest heaved. Each breath scraped like sandpaper in his throat. His legs trembled so hard he thought they might give out, but he forced them to stay locked. He couldn't—wouldn't—fall, not while those piercing eyes might still be on him.
The Gillian's towering mask lay split clean down the middle, a fault line glowing faintly before it crumbled away into nothing. Its monstrous Reiatsu, which had blanketed the district like a suffocating fog, thinned and dissolved. The silence that followed was deafening.
And in front of him—
A man stood with his blade lowered, posture relaxed, as though he'd just brushed aside a bothersome insect. The white captain's haori swayed softly in the settling breeze, the insignia of Squad 10 visible on its back.
Captain.
Akio's lips parted. His eyes shone with the unfiltered admiration of a child who had just witnessed the impossible. He looked at Isshin the way a boy from Earth might look at Superman descending from the sky—larger than life, untouchable, everything strength was supposed to be.
But inside, his mind spun faster than ever.
'That's Isshin Shiba. Captain of Squad 10. And if he's still here, alive and wearing that haori… then I'm at least twenty years before the main story begins. Twenty years before Ichigo. Twenty years before everything.'
His pulse hammered.
I hadn't thought a captain would show up, but this… this could work. The Hollow was bait. I needed a Shinigami to save me. Now I have one. And not just any Shinigami—a captain. My chance to get inside the Shin'ō Academy just fell into my lap.
Isshin slid his Zanpakutō into its sheath, but his eyes never left Akio. The playfulness that sometimes colored his smile was absent. His gaze was sharp, dissecting.
"…How did you survive that?" Isshin's voice carried authority that pressed down heavier than the lingering dust. "Most adults collapse the instant a Gillian's Reiatsu hits them. Yet you stood. And your own Reiryoku…" He narrowed his eyes. "It's quite a lot in quantity and density for a Rukongai brat."
[A/N: Reiryoku= Spiritual Power and Reiatsu=Spiritual Pressure]
"Rei… what?" he asked, tilting his head innocently. "What's a Gillian?"
Outwardly, he was the picture of confusion.
Inwardly—
'That was a Gillian? A freaking Gillian?! I was looking for death, wasn't I? Running from that monster thinking I had a chance—damn it, Akio, you're insane. I was baiting the Shinigami, but if Isshin hadn't shown up I'd be nothing but stains on the street. I survived because luck was on my side today and I know it may not be every time. Next time… next time I'll be more careful.'
Isshin's expression softened, though suspicion lingered in his gaze. He scratched at his chin thoughtfully. "A Gillian. A stronger Hollow. You faced it… and lived. Barely, but still. It's impressive."
Akio seized the moment. He widened his eyes in amazement, stepping closer. "You mean… that was a stronger Hollow? And you killed it like it was nothing! Old man, how did you get so strong? Can you… can you make me that strong too? I don't want to be weak anymore. I don't want to be bullied."
Isshin's gaze hardened hearing Akio, "You want to become strong? Becoming strong isn't easy. It is a road filled with hardship that you must cross with your tenacity and will. Can you do that."
Akio met Isshin's eyes, "Yes, I can." He said without any doubt.
The earnestness in his voice wasn't entirely feigned. Survival instinct, hunger, years of being hunted in Rukongai—they all poured into that plea.
Isshin's brows lifted. He looked down at the boy before him, his childish awe clashing strangely with the calculating glimmer that Isshin couldn't quite name. He exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"…Kid, you're a strange one," Isshin admitted. "But…" He let a small smile tug at his lips. "If you really want strength, I can take you somewhere you can learn."
Before Akio could respond, a voice like velvet and honey chimed in from behind.
"Ara~ Captain, what's this? Picking up strays now?"
Akio turned, and for the second time that night his jaw nearly dropped. A tall woman with long strawberry-blonde hair approached, hips swaying lazily, her uniform hanging just loosely enough to draw his eleven-year-old eyes where they had no business wandering.
Isshin sighed. "This is Matsumoto Rangiku, my vice-captain. Don't mind her, she's always like this."
Rangiku crouched down until she was eye-level with Akio, a mischievous smile curving her lips. "Well, well. Aren't you a cute one. You're not blushing, are you? Or maybe you're just happy to see me?"
Heat exploded in Akio's cheeks. "I-I'm not—!" he sputtered, words tangling in his mouth.
Inside, his mind screamed: 'I knew Rangiku's flirting was dangerous. But this is dangerous on a whole new level than any I faced until now.'
Rangiku laughed, brushing dust from her uniform as she stood. "Captain, the last Hollow pockets have been eliminated. The area's clear."
"Good work," Isshin replied with an easy nod. Then he turned back to Akio, resting a large, reassuring hand on his thin shoulder. "Alright, kid. Come with us. You'll go to Shino Academy. If you've really got the guts to chase strength, that's the place."
Akio's heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. He forced his eyes wide, shimmering with gratitude. "Really? You'll take me?"
"Yeah," Isshin said simply. "But don't expect it to be easy."
'Easy was never the plan', Akio thought, hiding the dangerous little smile tugging at his lips.
'Step one: survive. Step two: Shino Academy. Step three… power.'
They left the ruined shrine behind. The streets of Rukongai stretched ahead, eerily quiet after the storm of destruction. The distant lamps of Seireitei flickered faintly over the horizon, a pale glow above the towering walls.
For the first time since waking in this world, Akio felt his steps grow lighter. The broad back of Isshin Shiba led the way, Rangiku trailing with lazy grace, and he followed in their shadows.
Each street they crossed carried echoes of his past two years—alleys where he'd hidden, markets where he'd stolen, broken fences he'd vaulted while fleeing gangs. Now, he wasn't sneaking or running. He was walking beside a captain.
Akio let his gaze linger on Isshin's haori, memorizing the way it moved, the calm confidence it radiated. That overwhelming Reiatsu wasn't fear anymore. It was a goal.
The road ahead would be long. But for the first time since opening his eyes in Rukongai—
He had a path forward.
And he wasn't letting go.
[End of Chapter]