Prologue - This Is Who We Are

The sun beat hard on the citizens of the 72nd District of Eastern Rukongai. The afterlife was not as grand as it seemed when they had first arrived. As they were not nobility, they did not have the luxuries the rich indulged themselves in, and spent most of their days wandering about, sleeping, eating, and repeating all of that day in and day out.

Along the outskirts of the city, a lone boy knelt at the edge of a river, bending down to take a drink. Yawning and stretching, he picked himself up as he'd finished, and headed for a path barely visible in a clearing between the nearby trees. He ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it out, and the other dangled loosely at his side as he walked slowly back home. It was bright and hot, but the shade cast by the forest offered some protection against it, much to the boy's relief.

Moments later, Shizuma reached the small, worn-out hut he called home. Rubbing his forehead, he prepared himself for another long and uneventful day. Maybe a bit of sleep would do him some good. He stepped inside, and called out to -

"W-Wh…?!?! AAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHH!!!!!!!"

"HAAAH!!!"

"H-Hey, w-wait…oof!...STOP!!!!...ow…!"

THUD!

Shizuma fell fast and landed hard, lying sprawled on the floor as his attacker towered over him with a devious look in his eye. "Fool! You've let your guard down!" the giant barked. "And that's why we're stuck here!" Floor-ridden Shizuma clutched his head and groaned. "Aw, gimme a break, Shugo…hey, Hikaru…Hikaru, where are ya…?"

Behind the tall Shugo, a figure hidden in the shadows was stretched across a bed, apparently sleeping. Shizuma walked over to it and poked it in the back. "Hikaru…wake up!" The sleeping boy finally woke, moaning. The provoking Shizuma poked him again.

"Hikar – oof!"

He was interrupted a second time as a pillow connected with his stomach. "Ow…hey…" Hikaru leaned over sluggishly to grab the pillow, then covered his head with it. "Just shut up…! Let me sleep!!!" Shizuma snorted. "Aw, c'mon, Hikaru, you've been – ow!" The pillow found its mark a second time. He sighed, and yawned. "Hikaru…what's for lunch today…? I'm hungry…"

Shugo left the room, and Hikaru finally stood up from the bed, scratching his head. "…nng…"

-

An hour later, the three of them sat around a small, dirty, wooden table. A loaf of bread, a tiny chicken, and a jug of water was all that was set on it, but Shizuma's face lit up at the sight of it. Shugo gave him a playful shove, and reached for a slice of bread. "If you hadn't gotten us kicked out, we could've had better than this, you know… - " he started, exchanging sly grins with Hikaru knowingly. Shizuma's hand rushed from the bread plate to his ear, clamping it shut. "I don't wanna hear it! Every time, you go on and on about - !"

" – AAAAAAAAAIEE!!!!!

"H-HELP!!!! …aaaaAARRGGH!!"

The three of them from in shock. The screaming grew louder and louder, until a deafening silence blanketed over the noise, waking them up. The youngest Shizuma shuddered. "N-No…is it…a Hollow…?!" Hikaru made for the door, the grin long gone from his face. "Move it, stupid," he snapped. "You know it is. We gotta go." He kicked the door open, causing the weak structure to sway. Shugo grabbed the shivering boy by the scruff of his neck, and as a flailing Shizuma tried in vain to protest, dashed after their friend.

The three friends (two, with Shizuma stuck in a headlock in Shugo's arm, frantically trying to escape) ran hurriedly around the village, trying to locate the source of the screams. "Damnit!," the biggest growled, running faster. "Is it finished?!" Hikaru opened his mouth to reply, but stopped, skidding to a halt. His eyes widened at the sight before them.

A massive gorilla-like shape bent over a mass of bodies. Several houses around it lay in ruin. It turned its horrible masked face to look at the three boys, and laughed maniacally. "I'm sorry, but I've just eaten…I don't think I have room for more…eHEHEHEH!"

Shizuma fell to the floor on his feet, knees shaking madly. "Y-You monster…!!" The Hollow's evil smile grew wider. Shugo pulled the smaller boy back. "I'll keep him busy, you and Hikaru find a way to bring this demon to its knees…GO!" Picking the boy up and throwing him away, big Shugo walked up to the Hollow. "Hey, ape man, I'm your opponent now. Let's see how good you are at fighting people stronger than you."

Hikaru grabbed the coughing Shizuma and ran for cover behind what was once a house. "Alright, we have to find something we can use…Shizuma, you ready?" The other boy nodded. "Right…i-it's up to us to s-stop it until the shinigami get here…!" Hikaru smiled grimly and pat him on the back of his head. "You smart person. Now, let's go!"

The smarter boy glanced around and picked up a broken pole, while the other, still in shock, jabbed at the ground until he finally grabbed hold of a rock with his shivering fingers.

Meanwhile, Shugo was pushing himself to the limit as he barely avoided the Hollow's punishing fists. Gasping for breath, he clutched the gaping wound on his chest, struggling to keep the blood in. The Hollow laughed again. "This is amusing! You actually think you stand a chance!" Shugo growled. "Just shut up…"

Hikaru didn't waste any time. Seeing his friend in distress, he ran straight for the Hollow as it turned its back, and, leaping high into the air, somehow managed to latch himself onto the spirit's back. Roaring, it reached its massive arms behind its head and tried to throw the boy off. As the world spun wildly about him, Hikaru dazedly threw his weapon over the Hollow's head.

He had not miscalculated. Shugo grabbed the pole as it fell and jumped, ramming it straight into King Kong's mask. A piercing scream shook the village, and Hikaru was flung off by the flailing demon and hurtled right into his bigger friend.

Shizuma's knees knocked together as he watched the spectacle. "C-C'mon…m-move…!" He tried to stand up, and, feeling for the rock still in his hand, stepped slowly towards the rampaging Hollow. Gulping, he managed to convince his legs to break into a run. Seeing his two friends struggling to get up, he urged himself to finish what they had started. Hopefully, it wouldn't take much longer for the soul reapers to arrive.

Out of pure instinct, his arm shot forward before him, the tiny rock flying like a bullet. Fate seemed to smile upon the poor boy as the rock somehow hit the crack Shugo had carved on the Hollow's mask. It screamed even louder now, and fell to its knees. It had only taken that much more to cause it so much pain.

The two others finally managed to take a stand. Shugo smiled proudly. "We've got it!" Shizuma still shook with fear. "S-So much blood…" Hikaru shook his head. "It won't be over until they get here…"

As he said those words, something passed them overheard, too fast for them to see. The next thing the three friends knew, the Hollow was disintegrating, still screaming that horrible scream as it faded, and a group of shinigami stood where amidst the rubble, most of them looking bored. One of them, who seemed like the leader, stood forward to speak.

"You, the citizens of Western Rukongai, District 72, may rest at ease. The threat has now been terminated. Please leave the mess to the Soul Reapers."

The three boys blinked harmoniously. It had been rough, tough, and pretty painful to boot, but now, it looked like it would end well after all…