Furious scribbling sounds filled the air as I worked on another set of equations. While I wasn’t working on one of my more advanced projects since there was no way to secure my notes, it was still important for me to keep working at more aspects of my magic to fully understand how to use some of the high forms in my archive.

I didn’t want a repeat of my first foray into spell storage with jewel craft. Turns out even ‘knowing’ how to make a storage crystal and actually doing it are very different things. Though the experience did teach me to learn the foundations of any craft since the first few prototypes crumbled to dust...or melted…...or exploded.

I was just glad I had decades worth of experience available to use as a reference. Otherwise I would never get anywhere in making my various equipment. Even if what I had right now was fairly simplistic at the moment.

Finishing with the last line I started scanning through the pages I had written. Nothing seemed out of place…

Initial defining of spell structure? Check.

Matrix for containing mana input? Check.

Refinement of raw mana into spell sequence? Check

Trigger for spell activation? Check.

Limiter on mana draw? Not check?

Uh, what?

I started shifting back through my pages of notes. Each of the dozen or so pages was methodically scanned while I hoped that I simply had the pages out of order. But nope! Turns out I forgot to add a limiter for this spell formula, meaning if I actually tried to use the thing it would pull out every bit of mana I had at once. Probably killing me in the process.

With a sigh I incinerated the sheaf of papers with a small fire spell and blew the ashes out the window with an equally low level wind spell. Raw elemental manipulation was one of the fields of study I hadn’t put a whole lot of effort into developing but this much was pretty easy.

“Please do not play with fire while we are in such a confined space.” a disapproving voice said across from me.

With a small start I looked up to see Natsumi looking at me with an annoyed expression on her face.

I winced a little, realising she was right. “Sorry, normally I don’t have anyone around when I work. So, I kinda forgot you were here?” Because that definitely makes it better. Note to self: learn to not put your foot in your mouth.

Natsumi looked like she agreed with my internal thoughts.

“You spent the better part of two days working on those notes.” Natsumi said, choosing to ignore my comment, “Why suddenly destroy that work?”

“It was the theoretical work for a spell I was working on, but I left out a crucial feature that made the whole thing worthless.” I explained with a sigh. “Honestly, it would be easier to just start over than try and insert a feature into the formula at the end.”

“Another one of your weird Kido spells then?” Natsumi asked.

“Air walking actually.” I replied.

She gave me a weird look, like I had just seriously declared that the moon was made of pudding.

“You...do know that that technique is just a basic Reishi manipulation exercise, right?” She asked slowly.

I sighed again. While the Gotei 13 were allies at this point, I didn’t really like putting how unique I was out in the open. Getting on the radar of Captain Kurotsuchi wasn’t on my to-do list.

“I don’t actually use Reishi for my abilities.” I explained anyway. If we were going to work together she would need to know the basics of what I did anyway so we could coordinate. “I use a different energy called mana. Similar in some ways, but not the same.”

Of course Natsumi wasn’t satisfied with that explanation, so I launched into a full lecture about the differences between mana and reishi, how I used mana, and the basics of several of my abilities. In the meantime, our horse-drawn carriage continued down the road to our destination.

The same day that Ichigo and the others left through the Senkaimon back to the World of the Living, Natsumi had informed me the Onmitsukidō had tracked the illegal Senkaimon near Karakura to somewhere in District 49 of the South Rukongai. We gathered up a few things, then set out as soon as we could.

The first day was spent questioning Natsumi about where we were going and what we should expect from the area.

For once I had absolutely no foreknowledge going into a situation. I was aware of what the Rukongai was like in a general sense, but no specifics other than ‘gets worse the higher the district number’. It also didn’t help that Natsumi wasn’t the most talkative of people. Not to say that she refused to answer me. She would dutifully answer any question I asked as long as it related to the mission, but that was it. She wouldn’t volunteer information or answer anything personal.

I got the feeling she didn’t really like me being here, and honestly couldn’t blame her.

If it was Ichigo or one of the others, she probably would have been less difficult but I had personally beaten her in a fight twice, saved her life, and revealed a conspiracy that had slipped under her entire Squad’s nose. Then to rub salt in the wound, she was forced to accept my help because the Gotei 13 was too crippled by Aizen’s betrayal to keep this internal.

So I kept any jokes or teasing fairly light. No need to kick her while she’s down and all that.

Still, even with the curt explanations I learned a lot about the Rukongai. Turns out that while large areas of the Seireitei have modern amenities, much (if not all) of the Rukongai is stuck somewhere in the middle ages technology wise.

There are exceptions, but these are few and far between.

Another thing I learned was how the districts were numbered. Starting from the Seireitei, each district was numbered in a series of circles that were then split into north, east, south or west. Each district had its own committee of representatives that reported to Central 46 and enforced their laws. Well in theory, anyway. Once you got to the outer districts, laws tended to be enforced only when a Soul Reaper from one of the Court Squads was sent out or when it was convenient to the person in charge.

There were Soul Reapers permanently stationed in each section of a district. These tended to be members so weak they were refused by the academy and trained locally. So very few of them, if any, actually managed to get a shikai let alone techniques like Kido.

Basically, they were local police. Maybe slightly more capable than a normal person. But not even as durable as the grunts we went up against in our invasion. Their only real advantage over the souls in the area was the fact they were still given Asauchi Zanpakuto, which could strengthen and repair themselves with the user’s Reiryoku so normal swords would probably break given they were hit hard enough.

Eventually it became too dark for the horses to safely continue, so Natsumi signaled our driver to stop. Similarly to the last few times we stopped there was no town close enough to try and find shelter in a town. Luckily for us, the main compartment was more than big enough for Natsumi and I to sleep in, even if it was a bit uncomfortable. And the driver had a retractable cover that he could use as a tent.

Just before I turned in for the night Natsumi spoke up, “We should reach our destination sometime around midday if nothing happens. Please be presentable and try not to attract too much attention.”

I groaned miserably. This far out in the Rukongai there was no such thing as ‘presentable’ in my opinion. Everything was ancient japanese fashion. I’m sure the rest of the trip would be the two of us arguing about what was considered a proper outfit for this mission.

-o-

True to Natsumi’s prediction, we reached town right before midday. While I was sure the town had a name, I wasn’t really paying attention to Natsumi’s introduction to the District or the town we were in so it escaped me.

I was more interested in glaring at the Soul Reaper leaving the carriage.

As I expected, neither one of us agreed on what was considered acceptable clothing and not attracting attention. Granted I spent almost two hours arguing there was no point in me changing my look. Being several inches taller than most of the men I met wouldn’t change just because I swapped clothes. Let alone my eye and hair color which stood out in the sea of blacks and browns.

Natsumi finally won that argument by pointing out that while my coloring wasn’t nearly as rare as I made it sound, I should at least try to blend in and not announce to the whole town I was an outsider potentially investigating something in the area.

Of course she ruined it by trying to pass me off as a local. I was not going to wear the rags the locals were stuck with.

Furious arguments were made for several different choices of clothes from colors to materials. The only reason we stopped was that we arrived.

“Are you coming, or are you just going to stare at me?”

With a sigh, I followed the Soul Reaper into the street. After the driver confirmed that we were off, he snapped the reins and took off in another direction.

I watched him drive off for a bit, but when he turned a corner and vanished from sight I looked back to Natsumi. She was scowling as she looked over the outfit I had chosen, and while I knew why I refused to change anything any further.

My hair was in its normal style when I wasn’t expecting any trouble, meaning loose and flowing unrestrained down my back to where it stopped just below my shoulders. The normal black and red outfit I wore was replaced by a slightly modified Soul Reaper Academy uniform where the only difference it lacked the two pinwheel markings on the front.

I hated how loose it was, but it was the best compromise we could come up with. Of course Natsumi had her own issues with my outfit. While not an exact match, it still called me out as someone obviously associated with Soul Reapers and the only fact that I might be required to fight made her give up arguing harder for another outfit.

She hated my footwear though.

I put my (no pun intended) foot down fairly hard on not changing the combat boots I normally wore. No matter how many times Natsumi tried explaining how it would attract attention or clash with the rest of it, I refused to budge.

So in the end, we were both unhappy. Signs of a successful compromise.

“So now what?” I asked.

“Now, we check in with the town leader and stop by the closest Shinigami outpost.” Natsumi replied. “I have to meet with the local Onmitsukidō agents to narrow down our search area. You will be posing as my assistant so be sure not to wander off.”

’Because there was so much else to do otherwise.’

Looking around at the buildings you would expect to see in a history documentary, I tried to keep the bitter feelings I had being stuck in a place like this for several days from showing on my face.

Low tech living was fun when you were camping. Less so when everyone around you did because it was the norm.

I followed after Natsumi as she walked towards one of the better looking buildings in the area.

This mission was going to suck.