A rose by any other name still has bloodstains

Chapter 3.-Arrival of the hollows.

Hello, my dear readers! Welcome to the third chapter of my story. In the last chapter, we saw how Sayuri is coping with her new life in the Soul Society. We also witnessed her first actual fight. In this chapter, Sayuri is going to have her first real encounter with hollows. How will she respond? Read to find out. As always, leave a comment or two about anything you wish, I'd greatly appreciate if you do. Nothing here sans Sayuri is mine. Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. With that out of the way, enjoy😊.

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Light shone through the windowless hole in the wall of my room, covering my eyes with brightness. I stirred from my sleep and rose my hand to block the pesky rays. My vision slowly but surely cleared after I opened my eyes, as begrudgingly as I did.

I lifted my body up in a sitting position on the bed. Stretching my arms, I yawned, hearing my bones popping.

"Alright, alright, ya pesky Sun. I'll get up. Geez." I say, cranky that I got harshly woken up after a good sleep, having kicked the arses of those thugs last night.

I quickly rushed down the stairs, having no need to change clothes since I've been wearing the same rags I came here in (disgusting, I know). Once I got to the bottom, I yawned a second time, taking my place at the table in the kitchen.

"Feeling sleepy still, dearie?" Asked Aria, the old woman who took me in, Juzo-jii's wife, with a gentle smile.

"Yeah. Darn Sun, can't even bother to avoid my room." I said. Aria placed a cutting board on the table, knife and bread already on it. I took the knife and helped myself with a few slices of bread and butter. Something I've been eating for the past few weeks, since the 49th district isn't exactly famous for being particularly wealthy, so we had to make do with what little variety of food we had.

"Oh, sweetie, I almost forgot." Aria spoke. "I'm glad you woke up now of all times, since I need you to run a little errand for me."

"What is it?" I ask, having already finished my breakfast.

The woman continues. "Well, you see, we are running a little low with a few things, and the marketplace is always quite crowded, so I can't buy anything. I was wondering if you could go out and buy me a few things."

"Sure thing." I accept. The woman sighs in relief, handing me a paper with what looks like various groceries written on it. She hands me a basket as well, and a large one at that.

"Here's the money, sweetie. This is the little few earnings we've saved up for these kinds of things. It's not much, but it should still be enough to let you buy most of the things on the list. Have a nice day, honey." Aria says, planting a kiss on my cheek. Honestly, my heart is melting from the sheer affection she is showing me. She has always been kind, ever since I first got taken in by her and Juzo. I bet whoever was a relative of hers in the living world was also showered with her love.

"Bye, miss Aria. I'll try to be back in an hour. Be safe!" I yell out to her as I head out.

As I walk down the street, I am greeted by a number of people, all of which I've helped during my time here. A few children even approach me, asking me to play with them. I refuse, as much as it pains me to say it. I always loved kids, and playing with them was one of my favourite past times back when I was alive. Yet another thing I will probably never experience again.

"No. I promised myself I won't be bothered by those thoughts. What's done is done, I can't come back. End of story." I shake my head to get rid if the depressive thoughts. I am still having a hard time getting over my pain, but it is getting easier to cope with.

"Come on, something random distract meeee. Come on!" I look around, hoping to get distracted away from the sad thoughts by something on the street, when I suddenly spot a vendor surrounded by fruit. "Bingo!" I smirk.