Okay, I know I'll have a hard time updating all these stories but I couldn't focus on my other stories {particularly Tiger's Sun} until this was posted. One of my problems are when I have a new story idea and I expand on it more in my head, before long its starts taking up my thoughts. Then I'm starting to write chapters for it in the time I have after updating my other stories and before I know it, my interest them as faded and I find myself impatient to finish them so I can post my new one. To ensure myself that I keep updating all of my stories, I'll just post this one and update it when I can. After this - to those awaiting Tiger's Sun next chapter - I'll get on it real soon!
Please enjoy and REVIEW!
Disclaimer: I am not the gifted person who created Bleach, sadly enough and I do not own the show's awesome characters. I own only my OC character, Rosalie Crest. And her parents and monkey
(Re edited 1/4/13 - I changed Rose's full first name from Laterose to Rosalie because I remembered that one of the Visored is called Rose. So my Rose was going to be called by her full name by them and "Laterose" just didn't fit in my mind when I pictured her being called that.)
(Re edited 4/8/14 - I realized that my description of Rose's scars didn't fit at all where I pictured they were. So I'm making the description short and to the point instead of being, what I feel, is overly detailed). Also I have made Rose pale - you'll learn why later in the story. She should have been pale in the first version but I made a mistake.)
Chapter 1
It was happening again.
Before her stretched a leafy forest filled with the sounds of life. She could hear the chirping of birds the screech of monkeys accompanied by the hisses of snakes and a low hunting growl of a panther. A moon hung overhead giving her faint light and where the moonlight hit she could 'see' the glow of the plant life.
It was beautiful.
Holding out her hand she stroked a damp leaf 'looking' at its faint glow intensely. Pushing stray red locks of hair from her face she sensed rain drops slide from the leaf onto another located further down, twinkling, as it splattered into smaller droplets of light upon impact.
"Rosalie"
She turned at the sound of her full name. It was always this way in her dream. She would be enjoying the energy of the landscape and its inhabitants until a whisper stole her attention.
"Ros…alie" The voice whispered again, drawing out her name. The voice was a deep and held the overtones of a growl. A voice that was not human.
A voice she felt she should know.
"Who are you?" She called out, suddenly desperate, suddenly feeling as if she was on a deadline, a deadline coming closer and closer. A feeling she knew would disappear if she could only say the name hovering at the tip of her tongue.
"My….name… is…"
As always the sounds of wildlife grew in volume, denying her the chance to hear the name.
"Please repeat it! I can't hear!" She shouted.
"….name….."
Feeling tears in her eyes the redhead cried out "I can't hear!"
The growls, hisses, howls and roars stopped. Wiping her tears she hugged herself forlornly.
This was the part when she would wake up.
But it did not happen immediately.
The voice spoke again astoundingly clear and she realized the voice was male, trembling she looked up and saw the shadow of a huge monkey, its form darker then the shadows surrounding it, in front of her possessing glowing white eyes tinged with blue.
"You will hear my name young one. I know you will, so do not weep. All will be well."
XXX
Opening her eyes out of habit thirteen year old Rosalie "Rose" Crest woke up.
Yawning Rose slammed her hand on her alarm clock, cutting off the flat female voice proclaiming the time and got out of bed. She got dressed quickly in the clothes she had to wear to school – her uniform in other words. Then she tied her dark red hair over her right shoulder where she also allowed a section of her bangs to frame the right side of her face; it reached just past her chin. {A/N: Picture Trisha Elric's hairstyle in the first Fullmetal anime.}
"Hiko!" She called out and felt her little monkey climb onto her left shoulder, his favorite spot, from where he had been lying on her pillow. Once he was settled she hurried downstairs to have breakfast with her adoptive family.
"Good morning Rose!" Yuzu Kurosaki said cheerfully. Rose smiled to herself; she'd never be able to confuse Yuzu's voice with anyone else. It was so lighthearted and bubbly.
"Morning Yuzu! Have the others woken up?" Rose asked, sitting in her chair at the table.
"They should be coming down in a few minutes." Yuzu said and put a brush in her adoptive sister's hand.
"Thanks Yuzu." Rose said and proceeded to brush out Hiko's fur. The times she wondered how Hiko looked like most often happened when she was brushing him, sometimes she figured it had to do with the completive mood brushing her companion put her in.
The Kurosaki family had told her that Hiko was a little white and black monkey with brown eyes. {A/N: For the sake of convenience picture him as the small Lau Shimin in D Gray man.} It was something that pleased her since black and white were two of her top three favorite colors.
As for herself… well when she asked they told her she had scarlet red hair that was wavy and ended just past mid back when it was loose. She was short, not much taller than the twins with pale skin though the scars on her face could still be plainly made out.
According to them the scars didn't distort her features… they were more like the nature of a hand-print. They didn't really change the surface they were on but they left an imprint of where they had been. This was the case with the scars.
You could see them in the shape of what looked like three straight lines on her face. They all started on her forehead, slanting diagonally to her right as they went down. To her right the first scar went over her right eye and ended on her cheek, the middle scar went over the bridge of her nose and ended to the right, just above her mouth, and the last one went over her left eye and ended just above her upper lip at the left ( and underneath) side of her nose.
It was because of these scars that hardly anyone asked her how she became blind. Though everyone she encountered was amazed by the fact that her eyes were unscathed and retained their golden flame color. It was something that puzzled the doctors too, along with the fact that her skin hadn't been… well more 'damaged' to put it lightly.
But it hadn't puzzled Isshin Kurosaki, in fact the eccentric man hadn't seem to care. He had taken in the homeless eleven year old when Social Services had nearly put her in an orphanage. Rose had been the pitiful, homeless, dirty little blind girl who refused to let go of the tiny infant monkey that had been left for dead by heartless owners, the small half-starved girl who would K.O anyone that came near her with a single punch despite being unable to see her targets.
To this day Rose still couldn't say exactly what it was that had made her trust Isshin, it had probably been something about his energy signature. A calm feeling had settled over her and she had felt safer than she had in years.
Nearly three years had passed since then and they had done wonders for her.
Now Rose had stopped hearing the roars accompanied with the feeling of death in the air, something that had always sent her running for her life. It was mainly because of this change that she had started being able to sleep at night and not jump at the smallest sound before throwing herself back first into a wall to protect herself and Hiko.
In short she was no longer the nervous wreck she had been three years ago.
The Kurosaki family was wonderful to her and Rose had quickly realized her odd ability to hear and touch the spirits of the dearly departed wouldn't be out of place with them. Nor her sensitivity to the energy she could feel in everyone and everything, the same sensitivity that allowed her a much easier time than most blind people.
Her thoughts were broken by the sound of plates being put on the table and the other Kurosaki members coming down the stairs. Gently Rose lifted a now brushed Hiko on her shoulder once again. She heard Yuzu put a bowl containing Hiko's feed near her left elbow. The monkey immediately jumped off her shoulder to devour his breakfast.
"Hey." Karin Kurosaki said as she sat down next to Rose.
She was about to respond when the redhead heard Isshin attacking his son as he did every morning followed by Ichigo easily deflecting said attack and the older man landing painfully on the floor.
'Home sweet home!' Rose thought happily as she ate her cereal.
School was normal and uneventful for both her and Ichigo who attended Karakura High School. Though Rose was more than a year younger than him, due to her surprising intellect and skills in her school lessons she was pushed up a grade and had ended up in Ichigo's class.
It had been a bit tough at first, while most kids were friendly or at least indifferent to her there had been those who were jealous of her and had bullied her… or at least tried to. Since Rose's last name wasn't Kurosaki no one had realized that Ichigo was her adoptive brother and that in turn it meant risking his wrath when harming Rose, physically or mentally.
Rose yawned as she reflected on those days while she and her brother walked home. In the end she had earned respect and fear from her tormentors when she had sent the biggest of them {or so she had been told} into the ground with her infamous 'K.O punch' as Ichigo called it when he was on the receiving end.
They were passing a pole that had a vase of flowers at its base, set there by the family of the young girl who had been killed there a few months ago. Rose turned her head in the general direction she felt the spirit was in and smiled.
Then the sound of skateboards rolling on pavement reached her ears and Rose stepped aside, Ichigo did as well a moment later not questioning her actions. Not much later he could hear the skateboards as well and watched as the skateboarders rushed pass… and knocked the vase of flowers onto the ground.
Eyes narrowed Ichigo roughly yanked the skateboarder just passing him and hurled him into the pavement. Rose calmly walked pass her brother and stopped next to the spirit who was hiding behind the pole and took the dead girl's hand in her own. The spirit jumped and then Rose felt the child hug her arm and pull her closer, seeking comfort. Hiko whined and tugged at her hair in agitation. He wanted his mistress to teach those boys a lesson too but Rose was content to let Ichigo dish out the punishment today and her monkey companion sulked when he realized this as well. Rose listened as the fallen boy's friends rushed to his side.
"You got a death wish pal? No one jumps one of my boys for no reason and lives to tell about it!" The leader barked.
"Hm." Ichigo said.
"That's all you got to say!?" The leader demanded and Rose heard the familiar impact of Ichigo's foot connecting with his unfortunate victim's face followed by a stomping sound that was no doubt the work of her brother pushing the leader's face into the pavement.
"Little Yama's down, we gotta help him!" She heard one guy shout.
"Are you crazy?!"
"There's no way I'm taking on that psycho!"
"Now listen here you punk scum! Do you see that!?" Ichigo shouted pointing at the fallen vase "First question! You in the middle! What do you think that is?"
"Uh… a cute redhead with a monkey on her shoulder?" Rose heard one guy asked. She sighed and heard Ichigo punch the speaker. Hiko chattered angrily.
"I wasn't talking about my sister you moron." Ichigo growled.
"Oh, sorry about that man… um… a vase of flowers for some kid that got killed here?" The same speaker tried a second time. His reward was a kick to the face.
"Correct! Now the next question! That vase… why is it lying on its side?" Ichigo questioned.
"I guess one of us knocked it over when we were skateboarding through here." A third guy whimpered "We didn't –"
The guy and other boy who had yet to be attacked hit ground the courtesy of Ichigo.
"You guys catch on fast... NOW GO AND APOLOGIZE OR ELSE NEXT TIME THE FLOWERS WILL BE FOR YOU!" Rose heard Ichigo shout and could feel the fires of anger rolling off him in waves.
"WE'RE SORRY!" The boys screamed and ran off.
"There, that outta keep those punks from showing their ugly faces around here." Ichigo said. Rose listened as his footsteps came closer and he lifted the vase upward again.
"Sorry about that, I'll bring you some new flowers tomorrow."
"Thank you for coming to my defense. I think now I'll finally be able to rest peacefully." The girl said.
"It's the least I can do, you deserve to rest in peace. Come on Rose." Ichigo said.
Rose nodded and grasped the girl's hands in her own, smiling brightly.
"Good bye Chi-chi." Rose said.
"Good bye Rose, please visit." Chi-chi said.
Rose nodded and walked away with her brother, Hiko chattering a good bye from her shoulder.
They arrived home and Rose could tell by the chill creeping closer as night fell that she and her brother were late.
Ichigo walked inside first saying "We're home!"
Isshin welcomed his son with a kick to the face and his adoptive daughter with a hug.
"Are you alright Rosie!?" Isshin wailed.
"I-I'm fine Isshin." Rose sighed as Ichigo got to his feet and started shouting.
"OH COME ON! IS THAT ANYWAY TO WELCOME YOUR SON WHO JUST RISKED HIS LIFE TO HELP A SPIRIT FIND PEACE?!" Ichigo shouted.
"Silence! So you're blaming the ghost now huh? I suppose it was the ghost fault that your sister was kept out after dark and your room was left a mess!" Isshin snapped back "When will you show some discipline boy?"
Rose walked toward the table and sat down as the two men of the household bickered Kurosaki style.
Sweet Yuzu immediately placed a bowl of rice in front of Rose and Hiko's feed which consisted of sliced fruits next to it. Hiko gave his own version of a 'thank you' in the form of a squeal to the girl and dug in.
"Thanks Yuzu." Rose said.
Yuzu nodded absently, forgetting that Rose couldn't see it, because her attention was more on her father and brother.
"Stop fighting you two and eat your dinner before it gets cold!" Yuzu called out.
"Let them fight more rice for me." Karin said to Rose's left.
"That's not very nice Karin." Yuzu said with a frown to her twin as Rose giggled.
After Ichigo successfully kicked his father into a wall he shouted "I've gotta tell you Dad, for any normal high school kid a seven o'clock curfew is totally uncool!"
Rose blinked as she sensed another spirit, she heard Karin sigh.
"Ichigo, speaking of uncool you have a new one." Karin said.
"Huh? How long have you been there? Take a hike you damn pest!" Ichigo shouted as he tried to punch the spirit, tried being the key word.
"I'm so done." Rose heard Karin say followed by the sound of her sister putting her bowl back on the table.
"Poor Ichigo, Dad or ghost it's always something." The raven haired girl added.
"I think he's kind of lucky to be able to see ghost. I sorta sense their presence sometimes but that's about it." Yuzu said.
"You don't need to see them Yuzu." Rose said as she put her bowl down "As long as you can sense them you can help them… though I guess I'm a bit biased. After all I can hear and touch them."
"I don't see what the big deal is I don't even believe in ghost." Karin said sounding bored.
Yuzu gasped.
"Karin I don't get how you can say something like that! I thought you have the power to see spirits too." The youngest Kurosaki said.
"I'm in permanent denial. Just seeing them doesn't make me believe in them." Karin said flatly.
"Icy." Rose commented out loud. Then she felt the energy around her shift and grabbed the hand of the spirit as it appeared beside her.
"I take it you want to go to the next world?" Rose questioned.
"Uhh… yes please." The spirit said meekly. It sounded like a middle aged man.
Reaching out her hand Rose waited until she was sure it was over the spirit's forehead and took a deep breath.
The spark formed on the spirit's forehead as always and Ichigo watched as the spirit turned into a black butterfly calmly perched on Rose's hand. He opened the window to let it out. As the butterfly flew into the night sky he spoke.
"I still don't get how you can do that." Ichigo said.
"Maybe it's because she's blind and more sensitive." Yuzu supplied.
She hadn't seen the event happen but she sure had felt it.
Rose shrugged "I don't think we'll ever know the true reason." As she finished speaking Hiko, his belly full, flopped onto her lap with a sigh of contentment, smiling the girl petting her companion.
"I bet my dinner's cold by now." Ichigo grumbled after a moment.
"You let your guard down again!" Isshin shouted.
'Poor Ichi' Rose thought while the sounds of fighting started up again. She heard Ichigo cried out in pain and some more blows being exchanged before Isshin spoke obviously beat.
"Got ya… no charge for the lesson…" Isshin said as he fell to the floor face first.
"Never mind dinner. I'm going to my room." Ichigo snapped.
"Wait Ichigo!" Yuzu pleaded but Rose heard the door slam close instead of Ichigo speaking.
"Wow you sure have a way with kids don't you." Karin said sarcastically.
"Me!? What did I do!?" Isshin cried out.
"Ichigo is kind of having a rough time right now." Yuzu said.
"Yeah he says he's seeing more spirits lately than ever before." Karin added.
"I've been sensing more spirits too lately." Rose admitted after a moment.
"What!? But why would he talk to you three about this and not his own dad!?" Isshin wailed "And Rosie why haven't you told me this earlier!? It doesn't make sense!"
Before Rose could answer Karin did.
"Sure it does. For one thing you're over forty and for another; emotionally, you're still just out of pre-school level Dad. Admit it." Karin said.
"Oh, my dear wife!" Isshin wailed and Rose knew he was 'sobbing' in front of a poster of his wife Masaki Kurosaki who had died a few years ago, long before Rose had come into the family.
"Maybe it's because they're hitting puberty but our daughters are being so cold to me! What do I do? What do I do?"
"For starters you might wanna take down that poster." Karin advised with annoyance.
With that said everyone retired for the night.
The next morning Rose walked into the kitchen hearing a newsman talk about an incident happening in town.
As she was sitting down Ichigo walked into the kitchen. She blinked. Ichigo energy output was much higher than yesterday….
"Where's Dad?" Ichigo asked.
"He had an early meeting, said he'd be late tonight too." Karin said.
Rose frowned as she attempted to calm Hiko, the poor thing was a nervous wreck, and he had barely touched the food Yuzu had set out for him.
"What's wrong with Hiko?" She heard Yuzu ask.
"I don't know but he won't calm down; he's scared out of his wits." Rose answered, deeply concerned. She was feeling wary herself… and tense, a shadow reminder of the days when those monsters had used to chase her. Could it be…?
"No." Rose said to herself "No it couldn't be."
"Rose! Come on, we've got to get going or we'll be late for school." Ichigo called out.
Stuffing the last bit of toast into her mouth Rose ran to catch up to her brother, a still frazzled Hiko in her arms.
Rose was still trying to sooth her companion as the two teens walked to school, it didn't help that all her own nerves were on end.
"What's wrong with him?" Ichigo asked.
Sighing Rose turned in the direction she heard his voice and footsteps and said "I don't know."
It was silent for a few minutes before Ichigo's next question stopped her cold.
"What's wrong with you?"
"What is that supposed to mean?" Rose managed to say.
"You know what I mean. You've been jumpy since this morning… it was a bit like how you acted when you first came home." Ichigo replied. Rose could hear the concern in his voice and bit her lip.
"I'm sorry… it's just I've been having weird dreams… and its making me anxious." She said. Well it was partly true.
"Okay then." Ichigo said, letting it go. Relief filled the girl's body.
Moments later the sound of her brother's footsteps stopped. Rose felt Chi-chi's faded spirit energy and remembered that Ichigo had promised to bring the dead girl a new vase of flowers.
"Hello?" Ichigo called out, but Chi-chi did not appear.
"I don't sense her here Ichi. I think she –" Rose's body suddenly froze, her mouth dry. She could feel death all around her and despair gripped her body. Trembling wildly Rose clutched her head as Hiko went ballistic.
"Rose what's wrong!?" Ichigo demanded grabbing her shoulders.
"M-monsters are back-k." Rose stuttered, tears pouring down her cheeks "T-they're coming."
"Monsters?" Ichigo asked.
A roar abruptly tore the air and Rose screamed.
"It's them! It's them!" She shouted as screams of terrified people assaulted her ears, one of them familiar. Terrible realization washed over her.
"Chi-chi! It's after her!" Rose shouted and recklessly ran toward where she could feel the spirit. Hiko howled and yanked at her hair in terror.
"Rose wait up!" Ichigo shouted running after her.
The young teen skidded to a stop at the corner of a street just as Chi-chi was turning said corner. The result was that the young girl crashed into Rose.
"Rose!" Chi-chi sobbed.
"Are you hurt!?" Rose demanded pulling the terrified girl close.
A huge crash cut off any reply Chi-chi would have made followed by another roar and earth shaking footsteps.
Rose felt Ichigo run up to them and gasp.
"What the hell is that?" Ichigo said.
"Something we don't want to catch us! Run!" Rose screamed and grabbing Chi-chi's hand ran for her life.
"What is that thing!?" Chi-chi asked.
"Don't know! Ask Rose!" Ichigo shouted.
"I don't know what those damn monsters are! All I do know is that they'll kill us if they catch us! Now shut up and run faster!" Rose snapped at her brother.
Chi-chi tripped as Rose finished shouting and fell.
"Chi-chi!" Rose gasped and fumbled for the girl's hands to pull her up. She gagged as she felt the monster reaching them.
"ROSE!" Ichigo screamed.
She felt Hiko bury himself in her hair, refusing to abandon her, and Chi-chi hugging her tightly. Rose trembled as she waited for death to take her.
Just as she was sure it was all over an energy signature that felt vaguely familiar covered her like a blanket. She heard the monster roar in pain and the feeling of death and despair dissipated.
Ichigo ran to her side and Rose listened numbly as people started to gather around her… or rather the sight of the accident. She realized Chi-chi was gone as she fell limply in Ichigo's arms.
"Hey Rose! Oh no don't faint on me! Stay awake!" Ichigo's voice sounded far away. Hiko's frantic chattering was the last thing she registered before darkness claimed her.
XXX
Rose once again found herself in the jungle where it was always pitch black night of her dreams. Normally she would dwell in the beauty she could feel in the place, the natural energy of the wild. But she sensed that something was off. None of the animals that could usually be heard made an appearance or sound to greet her and everything was as quite as a grave.
Turning around Rose could 'see' the shadow of the Monkey pacing back and forth in agitation. She couldn't help but be reminded of how Hiko behaved when he was impatient.
"Is something… wrong?" She asked uncertainly.
"YES SOMETHING IS WRONG!" The Monkey snapped furiously. Rose flinched and seeing this The Monkey took a deep breath to calm his anger.
"I apologize young one, I am not angry at you… it is the Kurosaki boy."
That got Rose's attention.
"That's not fair! Ichi hasn't done anything!" Rose cried out.
"Not intentionally youngling." The Monkey said stiffly.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"His spiritual energy output- his spiritual pressure -is becoming ridiculously stronger every hour, which in turn is attracting hollows! He may not mean to but he's putting you in danger!" The Monkey explained.
"What are hollows?" Rose asked her mind reeling.
"The monsters that tormented you after your parents died up until you were welcomed into the Kurosaki household. But unfortunately for you the Hollow drawn to your brother is too strong for you to kill on your own."
"They… have a name?" Rose demanded bewildered.
"It's a general term; they are essentially souls who have fallen into despair. But we don't have the time to go over this! Another hollow is approaching right this minute and Kurosaki's own power is blinding the Soul Reaper to its presence!"
Horror swallowed Rose.
"B-but it'll kill everyone! Karin, Yuzu… Ichigo! I need to wake up!" She cried out not even asking about the Soul Reaper. If one thing could be deprived of the name it was that whoever they were they could help her family.
"My thoughts exactly." The Monkey said and Rose felt herself being pulled out of her dreams and into the waking world.
XXX
Hiko was hysterical as Rose shot up from bed; she dimly realized she was still in her school uniform before grabbing the monkey and running down the hall to where she could feel her brother's energy signature and the energy signature from earlier today.
'That must belong to the Soul Reaper!' Rose thought. Arguing was coming from the direction of her brother's room. One voice belonged to Ichigo while the other was an unfamiliar young female voice.
She slammed the door open and the arguing abruptly stopped.
"Rose, are you alright? What's wrong?" Ichigo's frantic voice said.
'It must be my expression.' She thought distantly.
"That thing – the Hollow is coming back!" Rose shouted. Hiko's shrieks of terror grew as if to back up her statement. It was silent for a moment.
"How does she know that word?" The female voice demanded.
Whirling in the direction of the voice Rose reached out and grabbed the girl's hands clumsily.
"Please believe me! You destroyed that other Hollow this morning, right? You can do it again!"
"H-how can you sense my presence, how can you hear me?" The Soul Reaper asked in shock. Two humans able to discover her… what was going on? And judging from those scars the redhead was blind!
"Hey Soul Reaper! There's something huge howling out there! That has to be a hollow!" Ichigo shouted.
"It is one!" Rose said as the howls came closer. She griped the Soul Reaper's hands tighter.
"Please! Help us!" She cried.
"Something howling, you mean you can both hear it?" The Soul Reaper demanded, shaking herself out of her stupor. Another howl was let loose and Rose could feel the Soul Reaper's hands tense before they were pulled out of her grasp. She had definitely heard that one.
"I hear it now, definitely a hollow." The Soul Reaper said tensely. Suddenly there was a cry from downstairs.
"Yuzu!" Ichigo and Rose shouted.
Rose could hear the Soul Reaper run to the door and open it. The energy that swooped into the room made the blind girl cough and step back. Hiko tried to hide in her hair.
"Ichigo! Rose!" Yuzu's voice called out weakly followed by a thud as she collapsed.
"Yuzu!" Rose gasped and fell in front of her sister's body and felt around until she got her arms around the young girl's shoulders.
"What happened, Yuzu!?" Ichigo shouted.
"Ichigo… Karin's been… you've gotta save her…" Then Yuzu lost consciousness.
"Yuzu!" Rose cried as she felt Yuzu go limp.
"Damn it Soul Reaper! Let me go! Untie me!" Ichigo demanded.
Karin's scream tore the air and the Soul Reaper girl raced down the stairs.
Rose bit her lip unsure of what to do, she couldn't leave Yuzu alone! Then she heard Ichigo race past her and go tumbling down the stairs.
The redhead gritted her teeth.
"Hiko I need you to stay with Yuzu." Rose said and placed the small monkey next to her sister.
She then raced down the stairs herself, Hiko's outraged wailing following her. Just as her feet touched the last step she felt Ichigo's growing energy starting to flare.
"How can he be on his feet when he's under my spell?" The Soul Reaper's voice whispered in shock, a moment later Rose could hear her brother step next to the Soul Reaper.
"Fool! You'll only get in the way!" The Soul Reaper admonished.
"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped back before gasping Karin's name as the girl screamed louder. The sounds Rose heard following this sounded like Ichigo was trying to break free of something.
"Stop! The Kido is too strong for a normal human to break! If you keep trying you'll only cause damage to your soul!" The Soul Reaper shouted.
That was not how Rose felt. She could now feel the energy, very similar to the Soul Reaper's attempting to trap her brother and failing as his own energy began to engulf and destroy it. The resulting backlash had Rose stumbling and the hairs on the back of neck standing up.
"Stop, don't do it!" The Soul Reaper screamed as Ichigo's voice rose in a battle cry.
"Ichigo get me out of here!" Karin shouted.
"Brother!" Rose shouted and she heard a dull thud as something crashed against some sort of surface. The Hollow's roar echoed around her as it swatted Ichigo away.
"I've found you!" A deep male voice cried in triumph, the Hollow's voice. Then it screamed in pain when the Soul Reaper's blade cut through its arm.
"Karin!"
Rose ran to where her siblings were and fell to her knees beside them. Trembling she put her hand on Karin's face and traced it with her fingers to assure herself that the girl wasn't dead though she could still clearly 'see' Karin's life energy was strong and vibrant.
"Don't worry she'll be alright." The Soul Reaper said landing in front of them "The Hollow left without devouring either of your younger sisters' souls."
"Are you sure?" Ichigo said.
"Yes, it's seeking a specific soul to eat, one with a much higher concentration of spirit energy. In fact the Hollow earlier was hungry for that soul too not the girl's." The Soul Reaper muttered.
"But why?" Ichigo whispered.
"For some reason most of your spirit energy was hidden deep within you until now when you needed it to save your sister. That's why I didn't sense anything unusual about you when I arrived. It also explains why the hollows haven't come after you. The spirit energy you have bottled up inside you started to pour out when you made contact with that young girl's ghost. As a result your soul became exposed, those two hollows today detected your soul through that girl and they were using her to tract it down, which means those hollows are really after you." The Soul Reaper said, looking at Ichigo over her shoulder.
"Those things… are after me?" Ichigo whispered. Rose swallowed thickly.
The Hollow's roars shredded the air.
"It's back! Run for it!" The Soul Reaper shouted.
"No way!" Ichigo said. Rose started as he pushed Karin into her arms and stood up.
"So the vicious attacks on that poor girl were because of me?" Ichigo demanded.
"That's one way to look at it." The Soul Reaper admitted.
"And now my sisters can end up dead, and it's all my fault?" He continued; memories of Rose nearly being crushed by the first Hollow, Yuzu collapsing and Karin trapped in the second Hollow's fist playing in his mind like a broken record.
"Ichigo stop that! You couldn't have known!" Rose snapped knowing exactly what her brother was thinking. If anything the blame lied with her… she should have realized what his spiritual energy growing could do and warn him about it.
"Stop!" The Soul Reaper cried and Rose could feel a panic attack welling up inside her as Ichigo's energy ran up right in front of the Hollow's energy.
"Coward, quit attacking others, if it's my soul you want come and get it! Fight me one on one you ugly bastard!" Ichigo shouted.
"Oh no!" The Soul Reaper said and ran to him as the Hollow lunged.
"ICHIGO!" Rose screamed.
There was a crunch as the Hollow's teeth connected with something. Rose could hear the Soul Reaper's grunts of pain and her life energy flatter.
The Hollow howled and moved away, the Soul Reaper fell to the ground.
"Soul Reaper!" Ichigo shouted.
"You… are a fool… how could you possibly have thought that you were any match for a hollow? Did you really think everything would be over if you gave him your soul? One soul doesn't satisfy it for long, if you don't stop interfering we'll all end up as its food!" The Soul Reaper said weakly.
Rose had backed into a wall with Karin in her arms and heard the Soul Reaper struggle before she finally managed to sit against the wall next to her.
"I'm too injured to fight. Do you… want to save… your family?" The Soul Reaper gasped out.
"Of course I do! If there's a way tell me how!" Ichigo said.
"It will only be temporary but you must become, a Soul Reaper yourself."
Rose gasped out "What!"
"You must take my zanpakuto and run it through the center of your being so that I may pour my powers into you!" The Soul Reaper explained tensely.
'He has to stab himself!?' Rose thought incredulously. Then the Hollow roared again with clear rage and Rose realized that there might not be much of a choice.
"I can't guarantee that you'll survive but if doesn't work than it won't matter." The Soul Reaper warned.
"Then give me that blade Soul Reaper." Ichigo said.
"My name is Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki." The Soul Reaper said.
"And my name is Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo said.
Rose stayed silent as the names were said, recognizing this as a moment between them only.
The Hollow lunged for them.
Then Rose was knocked onto her back as a backlash of power exploded outward. A power that was largely the Rukia's but had portions of Ichigo's power in it.
The next sound was the Hollow once again screaming in pain and rage as Ichigo cut off its arm.
"How could this have happened?" Rukia said out loud in disbelief. Rose realized the girl's spiritual energy had lessened in power.
"This ends now!" Ichigo shouted.
As the Hollow lost another limb Ichigo said "You will pay the price for hurting my family you hollow scum, feel the wrath of my blade!"
With that said the Hollow was finally slayed.
I hoped you liked it.
Sign
Snowlily246