Chapter 1: The Unwoven Thread
The memories of a past life were a heavy cloak upon Kenji Tanaka's soul. He had died with regrets, a spectator in his own life, and was reborn into the vibrant, dangerous world of Bleach with a mind that was a perfect, terrifying library of the future. He knew the heroes, the villains, and the tragedies yet to come. And above all, he knew one truth: to survive the storm that was brewing, he had to find her.
---
The first time he saw Kuchiki Rukia, it was from a distance.
She stood on the sidewalk outside Karakura High School, a small figure in the standard uniform looking utterly out of place. The afternoon sun glinted off her severe, dark bob. To any other student, she was just a new, unusually serious exchange student.
To Kenji, she was a landmark. A confirmation that the story he remembered was real, and that the clock was now ticking.
His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the calm he was desperately trying to project. It's her. It's really her. The knowledge was a living thing inside his head—a catalogue of future battles, betrayals, and heartbreaks, all centered around this one Shinigami.
He had a plan, of course. A fragile, house-of-cards plan that hinged on a single, upcoming event. According to his memories, today was the day Orihime Inoue's brother, Sora, would be targeted by a Hollow. A minor, early skirmish in the grand scheme, but it was his best, most controllable entry point.
Kenji lingered near the school gate, pretending to be engrossed in his phone, his every sense screaming. Then he felt it—a sudden, spiritual coldness washing over the street. The air grew heavy. It was time.
He didn't wait. He broke into a run, cutting through a side alley he had memorized days ago. His lungs burned, but adrenaline kept him going. He turned a corner into a quieter residential street, and there it was.
The Hollow was a monstrous, pulsating thing of white mask and black ooze, its grotesque form towering over a cowering figure—a young man with Sora's face, his soul already twisted by grief. And there was Rukia, standing between them, her substitute Soul Reaper badge in hand, raised to perform a Konsō.
This was his moment.
The Hollow lashed out with a clawed limb, faster than Rukia had anticipated. She dodged, but the attack grazed her arm, disrupting her concentration. She hissed in pain, stumbling back. It was a minor setback for her, but it was the opening Kenji needed.
"Hey!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the unnatural silence.
Rukia's head snapped towards him, her violet eyes wide with shock and then sharp with anger. "A human? Get out of here! It's dangerous!"
He ignored her. His focus was entirely on the Hollow. He knew its weakness. In its frenzied state, it always led with its right side, leaving a blind spot on its left for a crucial half-second. Kenji didn't have a Zanpakuto. He didn't have spiritual power. But he had a metal pipe he'd hidden behind a dumpster earlier that day.
As the creature lunged for Rukia again, he sprinted, not away, but towards it. He dove into a roll, coming up on its left flank, and with all his strength, jammed the pipe into the gap between its mask and its body.
It wasn't a killing blow. It couldn't be. But it was a distraction. The Hollow shrieked, a sound of pure rage, and turned its terrifying attention to him.
That was all Rukia needed.
In the split second he had bought her, she finished the incantation. "O barrier, crumble and decay. Konsō!"
The tip of her Soul Reaper badge touched the Hollow's mask. A blue light erupted, and the monster dissolved into particles of spirit energy, ascending peacefully.
Silence returned to the street.
Kenji stood there, chest heaving, the pipe clattering to the ground. Rukia stared at him, her expression a storm of emotions. Confusion, suspicion, and a dawning, unnerving realization.
"You..." she began, her voice low and dangerous. She took a step forward, her small frame radiating an authority that belied her size. "You are not a normal human. You moved with intent. You knew where to strike."
He met her gaze, letting her see the calculation in his eyes. He knew he didn't look like a terrified civilian. He looked like someone who had just executed a risky maneuver.
"That thing," he said, keeping his voice level. "It has a blind spot on its left side when it lunges. I saw it."
"Impossible," Rukia stated flatly. "A human without spiritual awareness could not perceive such a thing. And you did not 'see it.' You knew it."
She took another step closer, her eyes narrowing. The suspicion was a tangible force. "Who are you? And don't lie to me."
This was the precipice. The first thread of fate he had pulled. He had her attention, but it was the wrong kind. He needed to pivot, to turn suspicion into curiosity.
"My name is Kenji Tanaka," he said, offering a slight, weary smile. It wasn't the smile of a victorious hero, but of someone who had just shouldered a great burden. "And you're right, I'm not normal. I know things, Kuchiki Rukia. Things I shouldn't."
He let his gaze drift to the fading spiritual particles in the air, then back to her stunned face. The use of her full name had the intended effect; her breath hitched.
"For example," he continued softly, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "I know that the man you just saved will be fine. But I also know that you won't be. Not if you stay here, following your current path. A storm is coming for you, Rukia. And I... I might be the only one who sees it."
He turned and began to walk away, leaving her standing alone in the quiet street. He could feel her gaze on his back, a physical pressure. The seeds of doubt and a desperate, gnawing curiosity had been sown.
The first thread had been pulled. And Kenji knew, with a chilling certainty, that the tapestry of destiny was already beginning to unravel.
End of Chapter 1