Sanagu Shopping Trip // Life of a Stranger (SRS)

"Listen up kids!" Gitanasaki Korotaka said cheerfully, "My sister and I are going to be your escorts to Earth. We're going on a little field trip to Sanagu City, in Japan. But before we go, I must tell you of the following conditions of your trip." She paused and drew in a breath.

"First, you will be loaned a gigai. Do not damage it, as it is quite expensive, any students who damage their gigai will have to report back to twelfth division immediately to get an inspection on the damages. Second, this trip has two purposes; the first purpose is that you are to blend in with the culture of the people, in the event that you need survive for one reason or another, and the second purpose is to stock up on some certain goods to bring back to the Soul Society. On that part, I will hand out your duties. The third condition of our trip is that no one shall initiate combat with a Hollow. IF you find one, we want you to page one of us escorts to deal with it."

Gita had to pause to catch her breath, for which her sister then continued.

"Fourth condition of your trip is that you not reveal the Soul Society to anyone. You are supposed to be infiltrating the human society, not enlightening it." Natsuchiko ordered. "Anyone who breaks any of these conditions will be hauled back to the academy by me personally." She jabbed a thumb at herself.

The two sisters were both similar and different. Gita had large, brown, innocent eyes, with long blond hair pulled into a ponytail at the top of her head, with a moderate bust, and a strong frame. She wore the ordinary Shihakusho of a Soul Reaper, but with the badge of one of the Gotei 13’s squads on it and her Zanpakto kept in its saya at her right hip. Natsuchiko had hard, sharp brown eyes that hinted at the madness within. Her blond hair was longer than her sister's, and gathered into a long ponytail at the nape of her neck, with her ponytail dyed black, and wrapped around her slender neck. She had a smaller bust on a semi-muscular frame, wearing a different kind of shihakusho, with the back and sleeves missing, and her Zanpakto is kept in its saya at her left hip.

Among the two sisters were also another four Soul Reapers, who Gita introduced. A lanky man with black hair and blue eyes was called Leiyo Huang; A small woman, only four and a half feet tall with a hardy look and a sword as big as her was Miyo Getsu; another young man, this time with a blue mohawk and sunglasses was called 'Moonsing'; and lastly was another young man, with blond hair and angry red eyes called Kuto Loon. These four were also to escort the students and oversee them in their duties.

After all introductions were made, Gita approached one of the students, a Rei Inazuma, having recognized her from the Squad Four Barracks.

"I remember you." Gita said calmly, "You gave flowers to my friend, Ankou. Here, I'll hand you these duties, and the money you will pay for them with. Have a fun day in Sanagu! And don’t forget to make friends!"

With that, Gita handed Rei a small sheet of paper, and a couple of receipts and then Shunpo-ed away into the distance.

Grocery List

Spoiler:

Nira was out today to accomplish some of the household chores that needed doing, firstly, she had to pick up some rice from Jiung's, and then collect curry powder from the Every Bulk Store, along with some chicken and fish from the supermarket. And before she got all of that, she was hoping to pick up some new clothes too, and maybe get herself some five-fingered discounts when the prices weren't right. Though, from her job a few night's back, she had netted herself a nice chunk of change, and work for her father and uncle had been rather good too, as they had a surplus of funds and could afford to pay the rent and repair some things around the apartment.

Walking around Sanagu, Rei seemed a little lost. She wasn't used to the area at all. "This city is like a maze." Rei thinks to herself. Rei still slightly adjusting to the feel of the gigai decides to stretch a little bit. After stretching she spots a little fountain and decides to look at her reflection.

Today she was wearing her light blue tank-top and red skirt with her black rose embroidered leggings. Her nails were painted white today, seeing as this is the first time back to the world of the living since her death. Rei also had her hair tied back in a ponytail. "I don't look to bad today."she says. After inspecting herself and finishing getting used to the gigai, Rei sets off once again. "This would have been a lot easier if I actually came to this place while I was alive." She says in her head. While walking around the city Rei stumbles across a building that looks like a town hall, She walks in.

Rei stands there in bewilderment, she thought the building looked beautiful. The floor was white marble with small faded black lines all throughout the floor. 4 giant pillars went from the floor to the ceiling, 2 on each side of the door, spaced about 10 feet apart. The bottom and top trim of the pillars we're a dark and shiny brown. while the pillars themselves supported vine/leaf pictures. She then looks around the walls were painted a cream/eggshell color, with trim lining the top and bottom of the wall (the same type of trim as the pillars). There were 2 windows on the front door wall, and the 2 side walls. Each window lined with trim as well. The few doors inside the building that Rei could see were painted the same Dark shiny brown as the trim. Spiral staircases sat in both back corners of the building. Finally Rei spots what she is looking for.

In the center of the room sat a wall/desk type structure, square in shape each wall spanning about 15 Feet. With an elderly women sitting on the opposite side to Rei. She walks up to the desk. "Why hello there young lady, how can I help you today?" the Receptionist inquires. The Receptionist was an elderly women, about in her late 50's. Her has was grey and tied up in a loose bun. She was a little thicker in build and about 2 or 3 inches taller than Rei (from what she could tell). She was wearing A Light brown colored dress shirt, and Black pants. "Um, well... I'm kinda new to this city" Rei informs the receptionist, feeling slightly embarrassed. "And I was sent out to go do some errands. The only problem though is I don't know where these stores are located." Rei hands the shopping list to the lady. "ah yes I know these stores" states the lady. She reaches under her desk and grabs a map and 7 different colored markers. "You, are here." She says, as she circles the spot where the town hall was located with the red marker. She then circles each one of Rei's destinations with different colored markers, while explaining to Rei which color was what store she had to stop at. "Jiung's would be the closest store from here." The receptionist informs. "Thank you for all your trouble...ummm." Being caught in the moment Rei realizes she forgot to ask the receptionist's name. "Molly" says the lady. "I'm sorry for not asking before, I'm Rei. Thanks for all your help Molly, and I hope you have a great day." Molly smiles. "You have a good day yourself Rei, and no worries I was glad to help. Goodbye." With that Rei turns and leaves the building.

Walking down the street towards Jiung's, Rei is focused on the map as she doesn't want to get lost again. She is so absorbed into the map that she isn't aware of her surroundings and walks into somebody knocking Rei to the ground. "Owww." Rei says as she looks up to see who she bumped into. Rei was surprised to see a women, Rei would say to be in her mid 20's and some few inches shorter than Rei standing there. This girl was wearing black Jean shorts with a picture of a cog on the side, a blade bound in a leather sheath at her hip. The girl was wearing black leather gloves. For a top the girl was wearing a black halter top with a geometrical wolf’s head on the back. The girl Rei bumped into was also wearing a black backpack. "It's a hot day. How can this girl be wearing all black" Rei thinks quietly to herself. She continues her inspection of the girl. She was also wearing a silk scarf that was black white and gold in pattern. This girl also had short sandy brown hair. What Rei thought was the most attractive and most appealing part of this girl were her vividly green eyes. "I'm so sorry" Rei says, getting to her feet. "I didn't mean to."

The sun was high in the sky, and she was happy. She was on her way to Jiung’s when someone bumped into her, which was something odd, since no one ever bumped into her unless she intended for it. But to tell the truth, she had been distracted by the sudden increase in spiritual presences in the past few minutes. Some were far away, but exerted enough pressure to be felt even at a distance, as it normally was for those stronger presences. She turned around, slightly bothered by the fact that she had let her guard down so and sized up the perpetrator.

She looked like a tourist, someone just visiting the city. Unlike the majority of people in the city, this girl was white, likely an American, maybe even someone from Europe, and stood out amongst the people. Her frown turned into a smile and she held out her hand to help the girl up, even though she appeared to ignore it and got up herself. She shifted her weapon more behind her, to try and make it less notable. It was illegal for people to walk around carrying weapons, but everyone seemed to do it, and the police sometimes asked them to surrender their weapons, but mostly just left well alone.

“You must be new to Sanagu. I’m sorry I wasn’t paying attention to my environment. My name’s-“ she paused and bit her lip. “-my name’s Teal, Teal Thuggee.”

She had to pause as she realized the power this woman held. It wasn’t very strong, but it was evident that she wasn’t like the majority of the population. Nira ignored the warnings going off in the back of her head, and asked the girl a question when she saw the young woman’s map.

“I see you’re looking for the sights of….” She paused when she could actually read the map. “Oh, my mistake. You’re shopping. You’re just in luck! That’s what I’m doing too!”

Deftly, with a speed that would dizzy others, she took two steps and a light spin, planting herself besides the girl and jabbing a dark finger into the map. She noted some of the points circled on the map. Jiung’s was there, as was the Every Bulk Store, even the postal office was marked down. Then there was the mall, and lastly she could see some store elsewhere, which she had never been too before.

“Maybe I can help you out, I know my way around town too. I live here. I can help take you to Jiung’s, and even Miyoto’s afterwards, that’s the owner of the Every Bulk Store, so you know.”


Gita was standing on a balcony with her sister, watching over the students below. She could identify Rei below her, having exited city hall with a map. That’s it. Use the resources around you to further yourself in this world. She stopped when Natsu tapped her shoulder. She had activated her Zanpakto, which made it into a red metal bow. Gita knew she was using her shikai’s second ability, which allowed her to identify people’s powers and such.

“Rei Inazuma’s interacting with a Fullbringer.” Natsu interrupted. “What should we do? What if the Fullbringer realizes what that student is? It might be a problem.”

Before Gita could respond, Natsu notched an arrow, this one large and white, produced by 12th squad’s science division, and shot it through the air in a different direction. Natsu had seen that one of the students was causing trouble in an alleyway, and had gotten into a fight with some local thugs. The arrow flew unnaturally true, and struck the student in the back, sending him and his gigai to a detention area back in the academy, and leaving a group of injured thugs confused by the sudden disappearance of their attacker.

“There’s only eleven students to look after now. Should we interrupt Rei and this Fullbringer?” Natsu asked.

“No. I don’t think there’s anything to it, but I’ll follow along just in case.” Gita replied, before using Shunpo to put some distance between her and the two of them.

But Gita’s movement’s did not go unnoticed to the dark-skinned girl with the green eyes.

Rei could gauge the spiritual pressure of the people around her and she could tell that this girl Teal, had more spirit pressure then the others around them. Rei could sense that one of the instructors overlooking this field trip was keeping a close eye on her and the girl she just met. Rei looks over at the new girl. "I'm Rei, pleased to meet you Teal." She says to the new girl while smiling, but she had a feeling that Teal was just an alias. After all the formalities/introductions were out of the way, they headed off for Jiung's together.

On there way to Jiung's, Rei spotted a couple of spirits here and there. If she remembered correctly from her studies they were called 'Wholes'. Rei ignored most of them, because the rules were clear not to let on you're different from the others. There was one spirit that kept following Rei Just because it knew she could see it. "Yoohoo, the spirit calls. I know you can see me!" The whole was short and chubby, with a circle of hair missing on his head. He was well aged and had a Fu Manchu. "I can't help you right now." Rei says under her breath. "Please go away and leave me alone." The spirit continued to follow and bother Rei, so she decided to just ignore it. Rei then, hoping Teal didn't hear her, attempts to strike up a conversation with her. "So, have you lived in this city your whole life?"

Nira smiled again. This girl she had met was sizing her up also, which was not a good sign. On their walk to Jiung’s, they chatted a little, and a persistent little old man bothered Rei while they walked, which was strange, since he made mention of things in a peculiar way that she didn’t understand. Rei hissed and muttered under her breath to the short man, which was rather funny, and she chuckled at the sight. She was going to point out some things to the woman, and even ask her some questions, because she had already guessed that the woman wasn’t what she was pretending to be at the time, but what her intentions were, she couldn’t guess. And the girl was also being followed, or perhaps it was her that they followed, either way, she didn’t like the feeling she was getting.

“Well,” she began, replying to Rei’s question, “For the most part of my life, I’ve lived here. I was born in India, and after my mother died, my remaining family moved slowly in this direction, until we settled here. I live with my father, brother and uncle.”

Honestly, she knew the dangers of explaining her life to strangers, but when she had to tell so many lies for the most part of her life, it sometimes felt good to tell someone the truth. But to be safe, she made pauses like she was conjuring up some of the details to either exaggerate or boldly lie about herself. As they made their way to Jiung’s she deftly avoided a few unsettled bumps and sinks in the street, watching Rei to see how she fared. Eventually, they made their way into Jiung’s, and the smells inside were intoxicating.

From the outside, the little store wedged between the old apartment buildings looked like little else than some boarded-up old store that had gone from business years ago, for even the windows were cracked, and a little sign in front of the wood that sat in shambles in the window read “Jiung’s Far Eastern Foods”. On the inside, the store was long and narrow, and the smells of spices penetrated the air. There were only two aisles, which stretched long into the building, filled with little boxes of hand-packed foods. To the right wall one could find several plants hung and dried out, from tobacco leaves and some five-fronded bundles of plants, to what one could distinctly identify as strips of cacti, since the needles were still in them. On the left wall, one could see some various posters for strange movies. Some of the posters showed people of Indian descent, like Nira, and others showed Asian actors and actresses. The posters were of Bollywood films, and some Japanese theaters, but lined the left wall completely, even though many had water stains from a leak in the wall, which had since been fixed years ago and the posters never replaced. And the aisles were filled, as said before, with hundreds of containers filled with hand-packed goods, done by Jiung and his sons themselves. Walking through to the back, they could meet Jiung.

“Hello Jiung,” Nira greeted cheerfully.

“Hello Niradhara,” Jiung returned in his high raspy voice.

Jiung was a small man, of a stature of only four feet in height, and with no hair on his golden-skinned body; for he had no eyebrows, or mustache or even the faintest hint of ever having had hair before. His frame was withered with age, though he was still capable of serving the functions required of him, but his eyes had fogged over with white, and he was blind. Behind him one could see several pictures of his family, stretching back to his great grandfather, and extending down to his own great granddaughter.

“Rei,” Nira introduced. “I’d be pleased to introduce to you Hyao Jiung, of Jiung’s Far Eastern Foods. He’s a bit of a family friend, since over the years I’ve been buying food for my family from him since I was little. Jiung, this is Rei, she’s come to buy some things from you.”

Jiung nodded his little golden head, then made a loud squawking noise, which served to force Nira and possibly Rei to flinch. Stepping from behind a silk curtain, a strong older man, younger than Hyao himself, but also hairless and golden-skinned, appeared.

“Yes father?” the son asked. “I see. Customers. Hello Nira, my dear. I see you brought a friend.”

“Hello Shao-Lu. I’m here for the usual please.”

He nodded his head wisely, and then turned to grab hold of a bucket and then scoop from its place some rice into the bucket from a large sack that had been nailed to the wall, but extended a full four feet to the ground. Hyao slapped his hands on the old gnarled wooden counter and then put his hands underneath it, producing a monkey’s paw, and the phallic member of some animal.

“Here. These ward off evil spirits. Wear monkey paw and grind bear penis into tea. Drink twice to ward off evil spirit!” Hyao half-shouted eagerly. “Keep you safe from evil.”

Gingerly, Nira accepted the items, gently cradling the paw before wrapping it in a silk handkerchief in her bag and slipping it into the bag as well. As for the…other item, she accepted a plastic bag from Shao and then put it into her bag as well, blushing all the while. Afterwards, Shao handed her the tub of rice, and she turned over some money to him, despite his father’s vehemence that Nira not pay. Then Shao looked to Rei and asked her what she would like.


Outside, Gita was trying to sense the interactions of the two inside of the little store. She had followed them from a safe distance, and the Fullbringer had not shown any idea that she knew of them, and no ill will towards the student. But to be safe, she followed anyways. She watched as Rei ignored the Pluses that tried to bother her, even though the Fullbringer made fully aware that she could see them, though strangely, she had thought that those dead unsent souls were ordinary people. Could it truly be that this girl was un-introduced to the spirit world? If so, that made her both naïve, and a danger, to herself and everyone around her. When given the chance, Gita performed her duties as a soul reaper, sending the souls of the Pluses on their way to the Soul Society.

But now her student was inside of a building with at least six other spiritual pressures. True, they were masked, but for someone actively trying to look, you could tell. Worried of a trap, she had tried to enter the building, but found herself physically incapable, as if a barrier had been erected around it and the two buildings around it, but it was a strange one, and not identifiable as anything she had been put against before.

Worried, she waited patiently atop another building across the street, waiting and watching those inside as she could. But she couldn’t tell that there was no malicious wills acting inside of the building, nor that those pressures meant no harm to anyone, all she could tell was that the student she was watching could have been in trouble and she was unable to help.