Tale of the Gallant Reapers — The Ending

Winter upon the Human World.

Hardly a time of hardship or strife. This is especially true for the residents of Rider City, who are gearing up for another holiday season as the month of December approaches. But work is in no shortage for the Shinigami of Soul Society. The increased activity of humans have drawn out large numbers of Hollows, forcing the Gotei 13 to take extra precautions. Not wanting to weaken the ranks of the Soul Society's military, Head-Captain Unohana enlisted the aid of both the Kawahiru Dojang and the newly reestablished Shakyaryū Dojang to keep watch over the Human World. For some, this was a job of the utmost importance, requiring a level head and readiness at all times.

And yet, for others... Not so much.

"Oi, bring the next child!" Seireitou Kawahiru, clothed in his gigai, shouted in a crowded mall.

Most Shinigami disguise themselves in gigai to blend in with the human population while stationed in the Human World. But Seireitou seems to have taken this too seriously. Dawning a familiar red suit and hat, as well as a fake beard, the legendary Shiroyasha has been reduced to a mere Santa Claus imitator, seated upon a mock throne among throngs of young children. At his call, a parent pushes their child forward, who then reluctantly climbs into the silver-haired Shinigami's lap.

"What do you want?" Seireitou snapped callously.

"I want a TV for my bedroom." the young child replied, full of youthful innocence.

"You know, if you want a TV then you need a J-O-B." Seireitou quips, pushing the child off his laps. "Next!"

This time, a younger, dark-skinned boy approached and takes his place in the Shiroyasha's lap. Its clear from the look on the young boy's face that Seireitou's appearance greatly unnerved him. Not that Seireitou cares, as he had already become annoyed with this "job".

"What do you want for Christmas?" he asked.

The child is silent, staring in a terrified manner at the Shinigami-in-disguise.

"You don't know?" Seireitou continued. "Ok, good. NEXT!"

Same as the first child, Seireitou proceeds to shove the young boy off of his lap and back into the crowd from which he came. Another boy approaches, this one with slightly longer hair, in addition to appearing significantly older than the previous two children. Seireitou can only offer a grunt of dismay as the child approaches, though this one doesn't sit, preferring to stand next to the visibly annoyed Shinigami.

"I want a stocking full of candy!" the boy exclaimed excitedly.

"You want a stocking full of candy?" Seireitou repeated sarcastically. "How about I give you a stocking full of ?! Now get the hell out of here!"

Seireitou continues his habit of shoving the children, doing so by pushing the boy's head until he runs off into the crowd. To his further dismay, a young infant is brought before him, and placed onto his lap. Seireitou had never had a way with babies, and it only served to increase his dislike of this gig he had picked up. Immediately, he became aware of a wet, tingling sensation upon his right leg.

"Woah, woah!" he cried out in surprise. "This one's wet! Wet alert! Wet alert! Who this one belong to?!"

Picking the infant up by its leg, he hands it back to his frightful parents, and again curses the fact that he is having to do this job in the first place. Another infant is brought to him, but just before the Shiroyasha can protest, his begins ringing. Ignoring the upset child in his lap, Seireitou picks up the phone and presses it to his ear.

"Where the hell are you?!" its Raian Getsueikirite, the leader of the other dojo, and Seireitou's best friend.

"The mall!" Seireitou replied. "They told me they were going to pay me five dollars for each child that comes and sits on my lap!"

"What kind of job are you doing?!?!" Raian exclaimed loudly through the speaker.

"They wanted Santa Claus, but he was on lockdown. You know how that is!" Seireitou shouted back into the phone as the child in his lap began to cry.

"...You're a mall Santa?!" Raian exclaimed exasperated.

"Hey, listen," Seireitou ignores him. "I need a scratch off— Who's child is this?!"

Tired of the crying child, the irritated Shinigami hands the young girl off to her foreign parents, still crying as he releases her to their custody.

"Don't bring that child to see Santa no more!" Seireitou screams angrily after them.

Finally at his breaking points, Seireitou snaps the phone shut, much to the protest of his friend on the other line. The noise and the sheer amount of children around him have brought him to his breaking point and so he angrily stands from his seat and begins to push his way through the throng of children and their parents.

"I've got to go! Get on out of here! Talk to Santa, hell, Sei-san is on strike!"

And with that, he departs the mall to locate his no-doubt irate best friend in the cold streets of Rider City...

The Calm Before the Storm
To be added...