Bleach: Shadows of Destiny

Yamahiko couldn't believe his luck – he had somehow landed in the realm of Shinigami, and on top of that, he found himself face-to-face with Rukia and Renji.

"Bleach" was practically his manga bible, and this manga – despite its not-so-perfect ending – had always kept him excited each week. He had a deep affection for every character, especially Rukia and Renji.

Rukia was one of the leading characters of this whole Shinigami saga, and Renji was like the second male lead for him.

But here they were, stuck in this corner of the South Rukongai's 78th District, the Inuzuri District, still far from the prestigious Shin'o Academy and years away from Rukia being noticed by that Kuchiki bigwig, Byakuya Kuchiki, and adopted into the Kuchiki family.

Yamahiko blinked, staring at the two standing in front of him. Seriously, this had to be some weird dream.

Renji shook his head, grinning, "Quit gawking, kid. Come on, let's go."

Guided by Rukia and Renji, Yamahiko stepped into a small shack. It wasn't much, just a bunch of straw mats on the floor and not many furnishings.

As they shuffled in, the room somehow felt smaller than before. Renji chuckled, "Welcome to our humble abode. You're crashing here from now on."

Yamahiko's heart swelled with gratitude, "Thank you."

Despite being mentally more mature than these two combined, he couldn't deny that he was just an eleven-year-old inside. Living all alone... he'd rather not think about that.

Renji waved it off, "Don't sweat it. As long as we're there for each other, no one can mess with us."

Renji's words struck a chord with Yamahiko. It seemed their unity was the secret to surviving the harshness of the 78th District.

In the manga, Rukia was thrown to the wolves and still managed to rise in the Inuzuri District, all thanks to these very people. And they didn't brag about it. When Byakuya showed up, Rukia hesitated, but Renji was like, "Go ahead, join the Kuchiki family. No worries."

Guess that's how they roll – always there for each other, which probably led them to becoming a couple after everything settled down.

The fact that he was now a "new soul" was kind of unsettling, but Rukia and Renji insisted he stick around in the Inuzuri District.

Yamahiko quickly bonded with them and their way of life. It was during one of these moments that Renji glanced outside and suggested, "Grab a wooden bucket. We're going to fetch water."

The trio stepped out, making their way towards the street. Two of them had buckets, the other sported weapon – basic protection.

Once off the street, a wild wasteland greeted them, all overgrown with weeds. As they moved, it was clear they were on alert.

They trudged through the wasteland for a bit before the sound of trickling water reached their ears. Soon, they spotted a small stream gently flowing.

Renji's face lit up, "Let's go!"

The three dashed to the stream, busy fetching water. Buckets filled, Renji and Rukia hoisted theirs while Yamahiko tagged along. With their bounty, they headed back to their place.

But wait – just a few steps in, they stumbled upon a couple of scrawny figures ahead. These guys perked up at their arrival, but seeing Renji's bamboo sword, they just shook their heads and wandered off towards the stream.

"Keep moving," Renji said with a swish of his wooden sword, urging them forward. So they picked up their pace, heading home, with Yamahiko chipping in on the water-carrying duty.

Back at the house, buckets were put down and Renji produced a porcelain bowl, passing it to Yamahiko, "Alright, time to eat."

Yamahiko accepted it but hesitated. Eat? Wasn't this just water?

He glanced between Renji and Rukia, puzzled. With a grin, Rukia explained, "This water has reishi in it. It's not as potent as reishi-infused food, but it replenishes your energy. Drinking this is like a lifeline."

"Got it," Yamahiko nodded. This wasn't Earth, after all. It was the Soul Society, and souls were made of reishi. So, drinking reishi water, it was.

He scooped some water and drank. It was refreshingly cool, slightly sweet, and he could feel a burst of energy within. It spread through his body, filling every nook and cranny, rejuvenating him.

Finished with the water, he looked at Renji and Rukia, curious, "Aren't you guys drinking?"

Renji grinned, "I'm a Fourth-level reiatsu, and Rukia's got Third-level reiatsu. We don't need water – we can pull reishi right from the air."

Yamahiko's eyes widened, not understanding what these levels were.

Rukia stepped in, "Reiatsu is the density of reishi in a soul. It's categorized into levels. The lowest is First-level – regular humans. They can't sense reishi, so they need reishi-infused food and water. Second-level can sense reishi and absorb it without needing food. Third-level, like me, can actively gather reishi and use it. Fourth-level can ignite reishi, even use low-level Kido spells."

Renji was still grinning, "Third-level is the bare minimum to enter the Shin'o Academy. Rukia just hit Third-level recently, and that's why we'll be trying out for the Academy next spring. Graduating from there means becoming a Shinigami."

"Sense reishi for Second-level, gather for Third, ignite for Fourth?" Yamahiko tested it out, raising his hand. To his surprise, the air around his hand swirled and formed a reishi vortex.

What was this?

Rukia was amazed, "You can gather reishi like Third-level?"

Renji couldn't believe it either, but then Yamahiko's gathered reishi burst into flames – reishi fire!

Renji gaped, "You can ignite reishi? How is that even possible?"

Rukia grabbed Yamahiko's hand, wanting answers, "How did you do that?"

Yamahiko shrugged, "I just thought about gathering reishi and, well, lighting it up. Isn't that hard?"

Renji's eyes practically bugged out, "It's definitely not easy! It took us a hundred years to get from Second to Fourth level. You've just been born here, and you're already at Fourth level?"

"A hundred years?" Yamahiko couldn't believe it.

Rukia nodded, explaining, "Yes, Renji and I are both over a hundred. We slow our physical development by replenishing reishi. That's why we look like teenagers."

Yamahiko finally understood, remembering Rukia's words in the original story about being centuries older than Ichigo. It all clicked.

Rukia continued, her eyes shining with excitement, "As your body grows and absorbs more reishi, your reiatsu will increase. And once you're in the Shin'o Academy, with proper training, it could go up even more. You might hit Fifth or Sixth level."

"Fifth or Sixth level means what?" Yamahiko was curious.

Renji chimed in, "An ex-Shinigami who landed here once told us Fifth level lets you use intermediate-level Kido spells. In squads, you'd be ranked as Fifth or Sixth seat officers. Sixth level is like a Vice-Captain or Third Seat strength. I got to Fourth level with that Shinigami's help."

Rukia smiled, "Our aim is to be strong enough to earn a seat among the Gotei 13."

Yamahiko was fascinated, considering that Renji joined the 6th Division fifty years before the main story started. He was already a Vice-Captain level then and became a powerhouse rivaling Captains.

Rukia even climbed her way up to become the Captain of the 13th Division, a full-blown Captain-level fighter.

Yamahiko chuckled, "Wow, aiming high, huh?"

Considering Renji made Vice-Captain fifty years before the start and reached Captain-level power by the end of the story, Rukia becoming the 13th Division's Captain was quite an achievement.

'So, sorry, but your future is far greater than you think.'

Yamahiko grinned and fired his most burning question, "Can I join the Shin'o Academy?"

He realized he was in the world of Shinigami. His aspiration to become one had just taken root – the chance to change his destiny.

Rukia nodded, "Absolutely. Next March, we'll enroll together."

Renji chimed in with a grin, "And we'll teach you how to train your reiatsu. Who knows, you might level up before Academy."

Yamahiko felt warmth spread within him. Renji had saved him, brought him in, and now they were willing to guide him, all while seeing potential in him.

Beyond that, Yamahiko could see Renji's character – fair, protective, and responsible. No wonder he'd become the respected Vice-Captain of Squad 6.