The air was hot and dry. It stifled all life and forced what was
left into hiding. There was no refuge from the burning wind as
it whipped through the desolate town. A lone figure walked
barefoot through the deserted alleys, imprisoned by dilapidated
wooden structures on either side. The dust swirled up from the
barren earth in tiny whirlwinds to dance around his ankles. He
was alone. He'd always been alone. He'd never known love, or the
warmth of a mother's touch. From the moment he'd awoken to find
himself in this place, this desolate hole on the peripheries of
civilization, he'd fought to survive.  In the distance he could
see what the others called Soul Society. It was rumoured to be a
great city full of important people called Shinigami. He would
sometimes sit and watch them wander in and out of their great
white city wearing black robes. They looked proud and strong. He
longed to belong to their world, but there was no place behind
those perfect walls for one such as him. So unlike him, the
buildings we