Now this is a story I've been itching to write, I got the thought while I got writers block on my other story. So I'm doing this to release some of it, it's going better. But this one... Oh boy are you in for a treat. ^_^
Okay so the setting is today's Japan, only it's crumbled. The Hollows have been rampaging for many years and mankind needs to fight back. Just how, you will find out. Let me just add that some characters are made up.
Disclaimer : I do not own anything.
Chapter 1 : Introducing.
She was still awake. Not to her surprise, she didn't sleep much these days. She got up, seeing as it was quite meaningless staying in bed if she wasn't gonna sleep. She walked up to her window and stared out into night. Everything seemed so peaceful, and yet it wasn't. Out there were Hollows creeping around. They had for centuries. Orihime still was uncertain of how they came to be, some said they were souls that had been tortured into their appearance by the Devil. But she didn't think to much of it. She looked at the horizon and saw the small shade of orange, meaning that the sun was on it's way up. She wondered if the people working the night shift were okay, they usually were. She got away from the window and started to dress. When she was done putting on her white uniform a gentle knock was at the door. She knew it all to well.
" Come in Rukia. " The door opened and in stepped Rukia, she had her black hair tied up and walked in very carefully. Orihime looked at her friend and wondered why she always was so timid around her.
" Hey, I thought I'd check up on you. I mean since you don't sleep. " Orihime smiled at her and grabbed her hand.
" I'm fine. I've actually slept tonight, and now I'm ready to work. " She lied, but the work part was partly true. She gave another big smile and walked past Rukia, still holding her hand. She let go when they were in the corridor. Orihime was her cheerful self and walked next to Rukia through the badly lighted corridor. Orihimes room was at very end and there wasn't too many rooms in this particular corridor. HQ maybe was kinda run down, but it was better than nothing. They walked into the gathering room and was meet by very few of their comrades. So everyone still wasn't up, or had gotten back. The gathering room was small and filled with tables and sofas. She always wondered why there were never any chairs. She and Rukia sat down and Rukia yawned.
" And you nag at me for not sleeping. What the hell was that? " Rukia stretched her arms and laid her head at the table.
" Byakuya kept me up all night. He just did not wanna come back to HQ! He kept fighting those Hollows even when we were told to go back. He's such a pest! " Rukia was frustrated and banged her head against the table. In all fairness Byakuya was indeed a strong fighter, but he got carried away easily. Orihime looked around, he wasn't here.
" And I! Have to make certain that idiot doesn't die! And it is wearing me out! Just look! " Rukia shows her white uniform sleeve, it had blood stains all over it.
" Dear Gosh! Did you get hurt?! " Orihime panicked and grabbed Rukias arm. Rukia pulled it away and punched her lightly.
" No, the idiot worked himself so hard that he started spitting blood! " She tried rubbing it away, only for the blood to get smeared and extend over her sleeve. She growled in frustration and Orihime giggled a little. She felt that someone sat down next to her, and was very glad by who it was.
" Hey Momo. " Momo smiled at her. She was pretty ruffed up, having dirt and scratches in her face.
" Late night? " Rukia asked, but since they had the same shift she knew the answer.
" Very... I'm completely drained. I could sleep for a 100 years. " She laid back in the sofa and let out an enormous sigh.
" Please don't... It would be annoying to fight without my partner. " Momo's cheeks turned red and she nearly broke her neck when she turned her head around.
" Hi, Shiro- Chan. " Hitsugaya merely sighed and sat down next to her. He was beaten up too and his white hair was a complete mess. Momo blushed again as he sat pretty close.
" Orihime, I see your doing well. " Orihime smiled at him and he rolled his eyes. He really didn't like too smile, even do Momo tried to make him from time to time.
" Hitsugaya! Your bleeding! " Orihime cried, he looked at her with an raised eyebrow and touched his forehead. Blood was flowing from his forehead.
" Looks like it. " He looked calm and simply tried to ignore his bleed. Momo looked terrified at him, and if her hands weren't so dirty she would tend to him immediately. He got up and walked towards the corridors, heading for his room probably. He kept his hand on his forehead and Momo sighed.
" Well I have to go tend to him, he's useless with wounds. " Momo smiled and walked away after him.
" Can you believe that does two bonded? He's such a douche and she's so sweet. " Rukia puzzled over the two and Orihime simply smiled, she looked over at them. Momo seemed irritated at him and they were having a slight argument, he sighed and she smiled in triumph and then they disappeared. Orihime liked the thought of them maybe becoming a couple in the future, if only Hitsugaya weren't so oblivious to Momo's feelings.
" Rukia? Are you the light to Byakuya? " This question had itched her mind for a while and Rukia simply sighed and got a very sad look.
" According to him, he is my light. Even do I shield him, he won't admit that I AM his light. " Orihime shared Rukia's distress, it was kinda hard to figure out who was the light of two people. Orihime was lost in these thoughts when a small boy named Hanatarō approached them. Orihime smiled at him and he blushed.
" Well how's it hanging shrimp? " Rukia teased, but Hanatarō turned red and mumbled to form a comeback.
" He's not a shrimp. He's a cute little goldfish. " Orihime patted his head and he smiled. Orihime really was nice to him, she patted the seat next to her and he sat down next to her.
" So how's the life as an errand boy? " Rukia actually seemed interested and he stumbled on his words, as nobody used to seemed interested in him.
" It's pretty decent, even though I need to do a lot of inventorying. But so far it's actually kinda fun. " He was actually happy about his luck to work here, even as an errand boy.
" Aren't you jealous of us Fighters? We get to fight and even get a partner that is out light, or the other way around. " He looked at Rukia. She suddenly seemed interested in him, that was kinda weird. She usually got irritated at him and insulted him a lot. He didn't answer and wondered why she seemed interested in him now. Then it hit him.
" You don't want me to talk about Kurosaki? " Rukia's eyes stared into his, he felt how his inside died and realised far too late his mistake.
" It's okay. But I think my shift has started. " Orihime removed herself from the sofa and walked away, waving goodbye to her friends. When she was out of sight, Rukia smacked Hanatarō in the back of his head.
" You big loud mouthed idiot! " She proceeded to hit him several times, ignoring the stares from others. She finally stopped, she breathed fast out of pure frustration.
" I'm sorry... But why don't you wanna talk about Kurosaki? " Rukia smacked him again and he wept away a small tear.
" You know about Lights right? " Be stared blankly at her, Rukia's jaw dropped open. Did no one really had the time to tell the kid how this war worked? She sighed at her luck.
" Well... Since I'm only an errand boy, they don't think I need to understand. " He explained. Rukia growled in frustration, this kid needed to do a lot of reading.
" Okay let me do a summary then. We fight hollows. But one person can't fight alone, they need help. The hollows, they try to get into your head sometimes. Turn you into one of them, but that's were your partner come in. When you join HQ, your partnered up with someone they think you might bond with. Usually this happens pretty fast. " Hanatarō looked confused.
" Bond? " He asked, Rukia sighed.
" Yes. When the partners bond they work like a machine. One is the Fighter, the one that fights the Hollows. And the other is the Light, the one that protects the Fighter. " He looked less confused and took it in.
" Do continue. " Rukia actually liked to explain it.
" Let's say that the Fighter is attacked from behind, the Light can protect him. But only for periods of time. It's also the Lights job to help them heal. And as you maybe remeber... Orihime was Ichigo's Light. " She looked down sadly into the table. Hanatarō got a sad face too, as they remembered Ichigo.
" Do you think he is still alive? I mean he has been missing for nearly a month. " Rukia avoided to answer and looked over the room. Everybody had liked Ichigo ( To some extent ) but even when he was gone, everything went on as normal. The small chats between shifts, playful fights, arguments about fighting technics. How could Orihime stand it? All these memories, and they proceeded even without him. Rukia looked out the small window close by and saw the rising sun, it was pretty light for a while then everything went to it's usual blackness. The sun didn't shine for Earth anymore. She gave one thought to Ichigo. Come back here, to her.
/.../.../.../
The Hollow attacked sharply against them and they fought back as good as they could. Trying their best to keep up a fight, the Fighters fought with all their might. Their partners working in the shadows. Finally the Hollow fell, his arm chopped off by the sword of Liko. Mikaro was quick to end the Hollows miserable existent. Liko ran his hand through his silver hair and sat down on the crumbled ground. Mikaro stood still and looked at his sword instead, it practically shined when covered in blood.
" Liko, why do you get so hurt? " Perin sat down next to him and started to tend to his hurt arm. Her blonde hair was dirty with dust and a small drop of blood ran along her cheek.
" I could ask you the same. " He smiled at her, making his blue eyes glow. She sighed and returned to heal his arm by placing her hands on it and letting a small blue light emit from them. He felt an enormous pain and let out a small cry.
" Well it hurts to rebuild bones! " She yelled at him. Even though she seemed angry she was just worried. This he knew for a fact, as she always acted this way when he got hurt. He smiled and tilted his head so it touched her forehead. She blushed and continued to repair his arm. Mikaro rolled his eyes at them, they were to much sometimes. He looked to his side were Erona stood, she was playing with her light brown hair and seemed to wait for him to give his permission to touch him. Even though he didn't like to bother with wounds, she was like a child. He held his hand in front of her.
" Do your job. " She blushed and started to heal his hand, a green light surrounded his hand and she blushed heavily. He simply sighed and looked over at the remains of the hollow. It had taken a lot of strength to take it down, but it was almost to easy.
" And what's on your mind? " Liko asked, his left leg was shaking by the pain and his voice was trembling. Mikaro pulled his black hair back and tied it up in a small knot.
" It was too easy. " He placed his sword into the ground, looking at the hollow with searching eyes. He was looking for something, and he didn't even know what.
" You are too dramatic. Be glad the bastards dead. " Liko's leg stopped shaking and he moved away from Perin. But Mikaro's words got to him. He started looking at the hollow, searching for some sign of life. But it was dead. A creepy feeling traveled up his spine.
" Quite a performance. " They turned their heads and saw someone in the shadows, clapping their hands slowly while leaning against a wall. Mikaro grabbed his sword and Liko stood up.
" Who are you!? " Liko stood in front of Perin, and grabbed his own sword. The person stopped clapping and took a more serious position.
" Your quite good Larokno Mikaro. But this Hollow was among the weaker ones. " Mikaro froze, nobody knew his last name. Liko noticed his reaction, and raised his sword. Mikaro looked angrily at him. Liko lowered it slowly.
" Who are you? I asked you a question! " Mikaro yelled. Erona trembled at his voice.
" But if you were against my sword... Who would win? " A long sharp blade stood out of the darkness, and Mikaro gave a cooky smile. He raised his sword to eye sight.
" Me. " He rushed against the shadows, where the figure stood still. Liko screamed after him and when the sound of swords clashing, Mikaro lost all sense of hearing.
" Mikaro! " Erona cried out. Mikaro didn't understand a thing. He had heard how their swords clashed, yet he still had a hole in his chest. He stared at the pool of blood forming under him, falling to his knees. Liko trembled at this sight. Mikaro was beaten. But he couldn't be. The figure stared at them, and his appearance terrified them. Liko raised his sword rushing angrily at him. The figure made a quick movement and had a grip around Liko's throat.
" LIKO! " Perin screamed at the top of her lungs and Erona had to hold her back, so she wouldn't rush into battle. Liko felt the figures hand around his throat and he tried, to no avail, to get lose.
" Weak. Your so weak. " Liko felt how the grip hardened and how his lungs were struggling to breathe. He was gonna choke. Suddenly he got thrown away, like a doll. He hit a wall and gasped for air. Perin ran over to him with Erona in pursuit. The figure said nothing and merely stared at them.
" Who the hell... are you? " Liko tried his best to keep his voice, but it failed him and he struggled to formulate his words.
" Your weakness is ridiculous, how on earth could you have become a Fighter? " The figure stepped towards them, his eyes piercing through Liko's soul. He picked up Mikaro's sword and studied it, apparently admiring it. He then broke it in two.
" Why?! Why did you do that?! " Erona cried, her cheeks were wet with tears and at the sight of the thing Mikaro treasured most being broken caused her to cry even more.
" He won't be needing it, he's going to die in at least ten minutes. " Erona's eyes widened in chock, she tried her best to feel something from Mikaro. But they hadn't bonded, she couldn't feel him being neither dead or alive. She buried her nails into the dirt and felt how teardrops landed on her hands. Perin grinned her teeth and held placed a comforting hand on Erona's shoulder. Liko stood up and grabbed his sword.
" For those words, you will die. " A smirk appeared on his face and Liko felt his insides freezing. What in gods name was he? He raised his sword and with a scream he attacked.
/.../,.../
Orihime stared at the picture she had of Ichigo, he was smiling and holding his arm around Orihime. This was probably the only photo she had of him where he smiled. Or maybe even the only one she still had. The picture got teardrops on it and she realized she was crying.
" Why are you crying? He's fine. He's probably just out and fighting on his own, like he usually does. " She calmed her self with these words, but they weren't too comforting. She wanted to sleep, thinking of him was exhausting. As she only thought of all the bad things that could have happened to him. Her door bursted open and Rukia stood in the doorway, she looked bewildered.
" Orihime... Come... Quick.. " Rukia struggled to get the words out and tried to breathe as slowly as she could. Orihime got up from her bed and walked over to her.
" What's happened? " Rukia calmed down and then grabbed Orihime. They ran through the corridors and Orihime didn't understand a thing. But if something had gotten Rukia this worked up, then something must have happened. The entered the gathering room and ran towards another corridor, to the infirmary. Orihime was scared by this, and Rukias behavior. Could this mean...? No. It can't be him. Please don't let it be Ichigo! Rukia opened the door and Orihime stared at the sight. Two girls was sitting on the table, being tendered by Uryu. He looked up and invited them in. Orihime understand the gesture of bringing her here. Uryu tended to the blonde while Orihime placed her hands on the brown haired one. She stared with blank eyes into the floor and tears ran down her cheeks. The light to a fighter could heal others too, but it took a lot of energy to heal someone that wasn't their bonded object. Thankfully the girls wounds weren't to sever.
" What happened to you two? " She finally asked, neither of them answered.
" Well, you two will be okay. But you better stop being so silent, Aizen is on his way. " The blonde looked up and nodded, before bowing her head again.
Uryu went over to Rukia an Orihime.
" Why did you bring me here? " Orihime seemed a little irritated, but she really wasn't. It was just that by the way Rukia acted it seemed so important.
" Well, I don't know everything but... " Uryu didn't have much time to speak, when the door opened up and in walked Aizen. He was a very high ranked leader in the organisation and along with him came Ritsu unohana and Gin Ichimaru. Uryu ran up to them and bowed. Ritsu was also a highly ranked leader, Gin however was just Aizen's underling.
" So what happened? " Aizen was very direct and the girls looked shocked, Ritsu gave him an angry look and smiled at them.
" Take your time, and tell us what happened Erona. " Erona looked up and didn't seem like she had understood, The other girl then started to talk.
" We were attacked. A figure came out from the shadows an attacked Mikaro and Liko... He was so fast, it seemed like he just stood there. He killed Mikaro in the blink of an eye. And then he went after Liko... " She stopped to wipe her eyes and Ritsu gave her a tissue. Orihime stared at them, who could have done such a thing?
" What did he look like? " Aizen asked, moving his glasses. Ritsu gave him a hard stare and he smiled at her. He really was to direct on things.
" He looked looked like a human... But his face... Just like any other hollow he had this terrifying mask. But he had horns. He wasn't a hollow, nor a human. " Perin stopped, looking at them with tears in her eyes.
" And then he turned to us. And he said tell those idiots that they need to train their fighters better and to prepare for the coming war. " Erona had ended, and Aizen and Ritsu exchanged concerned looks. Gin as well looked troubled.
" And Liko said he knew who it was. " Perin cried out. Everyone looked at her.
" Did he say who? " Aizen asked, he looked with big eyes at her. Perin shook her head. The door was opened once more. In came a surgeon, they all looked at him. Perin with hopeful eyes.
" I'm sorry but we couldn't save Liko's life. "
End of chapter 1... Sooo what ya think? Good? Bad? Average? Kill it with fire? Leave reviews and make me happy :)