"You got a death wish, pal?! Nobody jumps one of my boys and lives to tell about it!"
"Hmm."
Chiharu Hideyoshi sighed, watching her best friend, Ichigo Kurosaki, stand in front of a group of thugs. One of them was unconscious on the ground, having already been beaten by the orange haired boy.
"He doesn't need to do this," a small voice, slightly behind Chiharu murmured. Chiharu glanced towards it. Hiding behind the pole Chiharu was leaning against, was a young girl, almost as tall as Chiharu herself, who stood at a measly 4'4". She was transparent, and most of her height was due to the fact that she was hovering five inches off the ground. Chiharu rolled her dark blue eyes and leaned her head back against the pole. Her white-blonde hair glinted in the light of the setting sun.
"Shut up and let him help, kid," Chiharu replied, crossing her arms, turning her gaze back to her best friend.
The thug was still shouting at Ichigo.
"THAT'S ALL YOU GOT 'TA SAY?!" he pulled back a fist to hit Ichigo, who delivered a swift kick to the man's face. When he dropped to the ground, Ichigo brought his foot down anywhere he could. The thug yelped with each connection. Chiharu placed her hands in the pockets of her hooded jacket and stood up straight.
"Boss is down! We have to help him!" One of the lesser thugs cried, before charging. There was a blur of color, and before the thug could take more than a step, he was met with a swift knee in the gut. He let out a wheezing breath as all the air was pushed out of his body from the impact. He hit the ground solidly, and Chiharu stepped on his back, right between his shoulder blades. She looked up at the two remaining thugs.
"I wouldn't," she warned quietly, before fixing the pair of chunky headphones around her neck.
"S-should we help?" one thug whimpered.
"Are you crazy? There's no way I'm taking on either of those psychos!" the other protested.
"Now listen up, you pond scum!" Ichigo snapped, finally through with beating the lead thug into the ground, "Do you see that?!" He pointed at the telephone pole. On the ground at it's base was a spilled vase of flowers. "First question! What do you think that is? You! The one on the left! Answer!"
"Gah!" The thug on the left flinched. "I guess somebody left those flowers for some kid who got killed here…"
"CORRECT!" Ichigo moved to kick the thug so quickly that the breeze his body created on his way past Chiharu ruffled her skirt. She didn't seem to care much, picking at her fingernails. "Next question. Why is that vase lying on it's side?"
"I-I-I guess one of us knocked it over when we were skateboarding by here. We didn't see it!"
It was Chiharu who delivered the next blow, punching the last standing thug in the chest so hard he stumbled back a good few feet.
"Wow, boys," she smirked, "you catch on fast."
Ichigo came up behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder, glaring at the thugs darkly.
"Now go and apologize or next time the flowers will be for you!"
The thugs squealed with terror and ran off, apologizing all the way.
Ichigo instantly softened, going back towards the pole.
"There," he murmured, "that ought to keep those punks from showing their ugly faces around here," he smiled at the ghost girl, "sorry about that. I'll bring you by some new flowers tomorrow."
"Thank you both for coming to my defense," the girl smiled slightly, "I think now I'll finally be able to rest peacefully."
Chiharu smiled back and knelt to set the vase right again.
"No problem," she said, standing up, "it's the least we could do."
"After all," Ichigo grabbed Chiharu's hand and started tugging her away, smiling over his shoulder at the ghost girl, "you deserve to rest in peace!"
The girl watched as the two walked to the end of the street before separating and turning opposite directions. She faded from sight when she could no longer see them, a pleased smile on her young face.
"I'm home!" Chiharu called, as she strolled into the dark shop, owned by her uncle. She paused when she noticed how quiet it was. "Uncle?"
The sound of air whistling and the glint of metal in the darkness were her only warnings. Chiharu rolled out of the way as Benihime's sealed form was embedded into the wall where her head had been. When she popped back up, there were two of her, one standing, wearing a Shihakusho, and one crouching on the ground, holding what looked to be a candy dispenser with a cartoon skull on the top. The standing Chiharu held a katana in her hand, the sharpness of the blade evident as it glinted in the moonlight shining in through the windows.
"Ah! So your guard is up!" Kisuke mused, flipping on the lights.
"Uncle!" Chiharu protested, easing up on her stance, but not lowering her blade. He grinned at her, eyes twinkling.
"Oh, Chiru!" he easily wrapped an arm around her, despite the blade, "I taught you so well!"
"Uncle," Chiharu repeated, closing her eyes in annoyance and sheathing her Zanpakuto, "look what you've done." She broke away from Kisuke and literally threw herself at the wide eyed, shocked version of herself, the force knocking them both over. Within seconds, she sat back up, once again herself, gasping and coughing up the Gikongan Soul Candy. Kisuke grinned again and pulled her up.
"I'd say you're just about done with your training, Chiru. Just stay out of the sight of other Soul Reapers until I'm positive you're ready to face your first Hollow."
Chiharu swallowed thickly. She had learned about Hollows long ago, and they terrified her. She knew Soul Reapers hunted Hollows, that it was one of their main duties, but she had hoped she wouldn't need to face one for at least another year. But as usual, Kisuke Urahara had other plans.
"Get some sleep, kiddo. You've got school tomorrow."
"Good morning, Miss Chiharu!" Ururu greeted softly, bowing deeply when a yawning Chiharu came into the small kitchen of the Urahara Household.
"Morning, Ururu," Chiharu responded, tying her school tie sloppily with one hand and grabbing a piece of toast with the other. Before she ate it, she asked, "Where's Jinta?"
"He's still asleep. He wouldn't wake up when I asked him to help with breakfast."
There was a slight pause, then Chiharu's eye twitched and she turned sharply back towards the bedrooms. Ururu listened as Jinta started shouting, followed by several loud thumps. Moments later, Jinta was running into the kitchen, grumbling and nursing the bumps on his head.
"Sorry I didn't help you with breakfast," he said grudgingly, "I'll clean up today."
"There, Jinta," Chiharu leaned against the counter, toast still in hand, "was that so hard?"
Jinta grumbled again, looking away. Ururu smiled and turned on the television. It was already on the news station, which was showing footage of what appeared to be the aftermath of an explosion.
"The massive explosion occurred outside of Karakura station just after 7:30 AM as the morning commute was getting into full swing. Witnesses report hearing a loud crash and feeling the ground shake beneath their feet. The area has been cordoned off. Further details are not available at this point in time."
"Hey, Miss Haru! What's wrong with you?" Jinta demanded loudly, seeing the look on the older girl's face. Chiharu shook her head.
"That's near here," she replied, "I wouldn't be as concerned if I thought it was actually an explosion."
"You think it was a Hollow?" Ururu asked, bringing her knuckles to her lips and resting them there.
"ALRIGHT!" Jinta punched the air, "We finally get to see Miss Haru in action!"
"You idiot!" Chiharu brought his fist down onto Jinta's head, stopping his excitement, "Hollows are never a good thing! Do you think you can behave long enough for Tessai to wake up? I'm gonna be late for school."
"Whatever," Jinta scoffed. Chiharu's face softened, and she placed her hands gently on both children's heads.
"Be safe," she told them.
Jinta's scowl turned into a smile, "You too, Miss Haru. Have a good day at school! We'll see you when you get back, okay?"
"Yep yep!" Chiharu waved a hand at them before slipping out the front door, picking her bag up as she did.
She met Ichigo in the same place they'd parted the day before. He knocked his knuckles gently on her forehead.
"Morning, Runt- ooph!" he received a blow to the stomach for the nickname. He rubbed the tender spot, grinning, "Did you hear about the explosion?" He gestured behind him, where the police tape blocked the entrances to Karakura station.
"I heard about it. Hey…Where's the kid?"
They had reached the pole, but the little ghost girl was nowhere to be found.
Ichigo's eyebrows furrowed. He took a step forward, calling out, "Hello?!"
A loud roaring made Chiharu drop her bag. Her hands were halfway to her ears before she caught herself. She was a Soul Reaper, now. She couldn't run at the sign of a Hollow anymore.
"Chiharu, let's go!" Ichigo grabbed her hand and ran. He was running towards the Hollow, however, not away from it. People were running in the other direction, but Ichigo stopped only because a cloud of dust and smoke was blocking his path. The cloud was moved towards them, pushed by air and intense Spiritual Pressure, and Chiharu jumped up to wrap her arms around Ichigo's head, protecting his eyes.
When it cleared, the gruesome death mask of a Hollow was visible. It roared again.
"What the hell is that?" Ichigo demanded, feeling Chiharu grip his hand tightly. The ghost girl from the day earlier suddenly ran by them, crying for help. "Run!" Ichigo shouted, yanking Chiharu after the girl.
"What is that thing?!" The girl asked.
"I don't know!"
The girl suddenly tripped, landing face first on the ground. Ichigo stopped to help her up, so Chiharu took the opportunity to start searching for her Gikongan Soul Candy. It was no use. The dispenser was in her bag, and she'd dropped it.
"Crap," Chiharu turned her attention back to the Hollow, and saw it was about to step on Ichigo and the ghost girl. Chiharu gasped and ran forward. "Ichigo!"
He didn't have the time to move. Chiharu grabbed him by the arm and tugged him away, just as a black butterfly flew past their noses. Right before their eyes, the butterfly became a woman. Not just any woman. A Soul Reaper. She unsheathed her Zanpakuto and sliced through the Hollow's mask horizontally, then jumped again and sliced vertically. The Hollow roared in pain before vanishing. The Soul Reaper didn't stick around long enough for Ichigo to snap out of his shock.
"What? Hey, Wait!"
"Ichigo!" Chiharu warned, grabbing his hand, alerting him to the people gathering around them, gaping at the destroyed sidewalk where the Hollow had been. They hadn't seen the Hollow, of course. They just thought it had been another "explosion".
"What was that thing?" Ichigo whispered, letting Chiharu pull him away from the scene.
"I don't know," she lied, "I just don't know."
"You idiot!"
That night, Chiharu stood in the bathroom of Ichigo's home, staring at her reflection in the mirror. On the sink in front of her sat the skull-topped Soul Candy dispenser. "How could you have been so careless? Keep your Soul Candy on hand at all times. It's the first god damn lesson you were taught! Damn it!" Chiharu hung her head in shame. She could have gotten one of the most important people in her life killed today. If it weren't for that other Soul Reaper, Ichigo would have been gone, forever.
It took Chiharu another 10 minutes to pull herself together. She slipped into Ichigo's room, closing the door behind her quietly. He glanced over at her from where he lay on his bed.
"There you are, Haru, I was beginning to think you fell in!"
"Because that's likely," Chiharu replied sarcastically. She pulled her hair over one shoulder and climbed over Ichigo to rest against the wall. Ichigo didn't even bother to sit up. He just turned on his side, placed his cheek in his hand, and looked up at her with his brown eyes.
"You saw that woman today, didn't you? Who do you think she was?"
"I don't know," Chiharu lied, turning to lay down, facing Ichigo in the same position. "She felt like a ghost. But she wasn't. She couldn't have been. I've never seen a ghost like her."
"Me either," Ichigo agreed. He turned onto his back again, sighing in frustration. Then he gasped. A black butterfly was fluttering into his room via the open window. In the blink of an eye, the Soul Reaper was standing on Ichigo's desk. "What the hell are you doing here?!"
She didn't answer, simply placing her hand on the hilt of her sword. Ichigo shouted, grabbed Chiharu and used her as a shield, shouting, "Put that thing away! You're not slicing me up!"
"Ichigo!" Chiharu protested, moving to grab the Soul Candy off the desk as the Soul Reaper jumped off.
"It's getting closer," she muttered, "I feel it."
Ichigo suddenly launched himself off his bed, planting his foot in the middle of the woman's back, sending her crashing to the ground.
"WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" he demanded, foot still in the air. Chiharu flipped on the light, going to stand next to Ichigo, Soul Candy hidden in her fist. "If you think you're a burglar, you're not a very good one. For starters, you shouldn't talk to yourself!"
"Don't give her tips, you idiot!"
"You kicked me!" The Soul Reaper gasped, "But I can't be seen by ordinary humans. Are you two saying you can see me?"
"Considering that was my foot I just planted in your behind, you tell me."
"You two were in town earlier. I remember!"
"Nothing gets past this one," Chiharu muttered, nudging Ichigo. The Soul Reaper grabbed both of their faces in her hands, turning them back and forth.
"How very strange," she mused, "you both look normal, but you must be defective in some way."
"I'll show you defective!" Ichigo growled, going to kick her again, but the Soul Reaper dodged by jumping onto his leg, then his head, knocking him to the ground.
"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo demanded, standing up again and placing Chiharu behind him.
"You really want to know? Then I'll tell you. I'm a Soul Reaper."
"Okay, so you're a Soul Reaper."
"Mmm-hmm."
"And you were sent here on a mission by something called the Soul Society."
"Mmm."
"To deal with Demons like the one we saw in the street today."
"Mmm-hmm."
"Which was chasing after that girl's soul."
"Mmm-hmm!"
"That's all believable to me," Ichigo sneered, before flipping the table out of his way, "ALONG WITH FLYING PIGS AND THE TOOTH FAIRY!"
"How dare you?" The Soul Reaper demanded, "Why wouldn't you believe in Soul Reapers when you just admitted that you can see spirits?!"
"I've never seen or heard of Soul Reapers before, and frankly your whole story is just too incredible."
"Ichigo," Chiharu murmured, "she's telling the truth."
"Ehh?" He turned to Chiharu, eyebrows furrowing, "You can't be telling me you believe this kid's story!"
"Oh, I'm a kid, am I?" the Soul Reaper's eye twitched, "Bakudo Number 1: SAI!"
Ichigo grunted as his arms folded themselves behind his back and he fell to the ground. The Soul Reaper smirked smugly at him as Chiharu went to his side, placing her hand on his back.
"I can't move! What did you do to me?"
"Paralysis. I've used what's known as a Kido on you. It's a high level incantation only we Soul Reapers can cast. It's useless to struggle against it, you'd just be wasting your energy. I may appear young to you but I have lived nearly 10 of your lifetimes. I would kill you on the spot if it weren't against my orders, so you, little brat, be grateful."
"Killing humans is against more than just your orders," Chiharu growled, standing up. "Soul Society may have different laws, but I'm pretty sure murder is still frowned upon there."
"Chiharu," Ichigo murmured, "What-?"
"You will release Ichigo, now."
"I don't have to listen to you," the Soul Reaper snapped, "and don't stand there like you're ready to fight me. You will lose."
"You shouldn't underestimate your opponents," Chiharu popped a Gikongan into her mouth, and, in a flash of Spiritual pressure, she stood there in her Shihakusho, hand on the hilt of her blade, "now release him."
"That's impossible!" The Soul Reaper made no move to fight Chiharu, but her pretty violet eyes widened in shock. "There are no other Soul Reapers stationed here. Who are you?!"
"Chiharu Hideyoshi," Chiharu informed, dropping her fighting stance slightly, but still resting her fingers on the hilt of her blade. She had an uneasy feeling in her gut, and it prompted her to stay on guard.
"Chiharu…You're one of them?" Ichigo sounded betrayed, "How long? Do I even know the real you?"
"It's not official," Chiharu promised, "but I've been training with Uncle ever since my parents died."
"You've been training since I've known you? Why?"
"Ai and Daichi Hideyoshi were dispatched to destroy a Hollow 11 years ago, but they were killed," the Soul Reaper recalled, "and their young daughter vanished from the Soul Society, never to be seen again. I knew she would be about my age, but I never thought…How long have you been in this town?"
"Eleven years. I was four."
"No," The Soul Reaper shook her head, "You're my age, 150 years old. You were 139 when you disappeared. Don't you remember?"
Chiharu's lips pulled down into a frown. She struggled to remember, but all she got was flashes of a beautiful blue sky and stone buildings before her mind blanked suspiciously. Furrowing her brows, she tried, instead to remember her life in Karakura. Memories of playing with Ichigo in preschool, of Tatsuki and Orihime, and Chad, of Mizuiro and Keigo filled her brain. Memories of a life well-lived. They were real memories, but something told her the flashes before had been just as real.
Finally, she tried to remember the training her uncle had given her. There was nothing but blankness. Up until a few months ago, there were no memories of the years she was so sure she'd spent training, no evidence to the constant work she knew it took to achieve the level of skill she possessed. She knew she'd done the training, she had to have, otherwise she wouldn't be a Soul Reaper, but when she thought of it, there was nothing.
"What the fuck?"
"Strange," the Soul Reaper muttered, "maybe you should talk to your uncle…."
"What's all this about Hollows?!" Ichigo demanded, deciding to interrupt the intense conversation, if only to remind the girls he was there. Chiharu took pity on her best friend.
"There are two kinds of spirits in this world. Good ones, known as Wholes, and bad ones, known as Hollows. Hollows attack people, living or dead, in order to devour their souls."
"Mmm," The Soul Reaper nodded, "The higher your spiritual energy, the more likely you are to get attacked. Soul Reapers have two main jobs; to lead Wholes to the Soul Society through the act of Konso, and to exercise the Hollows wherever we find them."
"That Hollow with the bug body this afternoon. Why was it chasing that girl?!" Ichigo demanded.
"I've been wondering that myself," Chiharu admitted.
"We have yet to understand what motivates the Hollows to do the things they do," The Soul Reaper explained.
A loud roaring sound made Chiharu partially unsheath her sword. She looked towards Ichigo's window.
"What was that?" Ichigo shouted.
"One thing we know for sure is that there is a second Hollow prowling around." The Soul Reaper continued, obviously having not heard it.
"Well what are you waiting for?! Go out and kill it!"
"I would, but I can't seem to detect its location. Usually I have no trouble finding a Hollow that's close by. But here my senses are jammed by some powerful force. And from the look on this ones face earlier," the Soul Reaper nodded to Chiharu, "I'd say that was the first Hollow she'd ever seen, that she remembers, anyway."
"What are you, deaf?!" Ichigo snapped. The Soul Reaper blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"There's a Hollow howling out there somewhere," Chiharu warned, fully unsheathing her katana now.
"A Hollow? What do you-" The Hollow roared again, and this time the Soul Reaper gasped, standing up. "I hear it now," she said, "definitely a Hollow!"
Downstairs, there was a crash, and one of Ichigo's sisters cried out.
"That's Yuzu!" Chiharu cried, running to the door. She flung it open, and the Soul Reaper rushed past her, stopping in the center of the hall as Yuzu came stumbling up the stairs.
"Ichigo," Yuzu muttered, half conscious.
"Yuzu!" Ichigo gasped, struggling against the Kido, "What happened?!"
"Karin's been- Ichigo, you have to save her!" Yuzu dropped like a stone, and Chiharu, invisible to the girl, grabbed her and brought her into Ichigo's room and lay her on the bed.
"Chiharu, untie me!" Ichigo begged. Downstairs, Karin screamed.
"I can't! I haven't been taught that yet!"
"Then please! Help Karin!" He began forcing himself onto his feet.
"Right!"
Chiharu ran down the stairs, freezing when she saw Karin trapped in the Hollow's hand. Ichigo came tumbling down the stairs behind her. He forced himself up. The Soul Reaper seemed awed.
"Stop!" she ordered, "The Kido is too strong for a human to break! If you keep trying, you'll only cause damage to your soul."
"What did I say about underestimating your opponents!" Chiharu asked, as the Kido around Ichigo began to falter. Ichigo gave a roar, and the Kido broke completely. Ichigo grabbed a chair and charged the Hollow before either Chiharu or the Soul Reaper could stop him.
"Wait! Ichigo!" Chiharu threw out a hand, but he was already too far from her.
"Chiharu, Ichigo! GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Karin cried. Chiharu winced as the Hollow threw Ichigo to the ground.
"I found you!" it growled, reaching for Ichigo. Chiharu jumped into action, instinct taking over. She plunged the blade of her Zanpakuto into the Hollow's hand, at almost the exact same time the Soul Reaper put a deep slice in it's arm. It roared and dropped Karin to the ground. Ichigo was quick to catch her as the Hollow vanished in a shimmer of darkness.
"Karin! No!"
"She's fine," Chiharu moved to Ichigo swiftly, Zanpakuto clattering to the ground. "Karin and Yuzu are both fine. Both their souls are intact."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," the Soul Reaper cut in, "it's looking for a specific soul to devour; one with a higher concentration of spirit energy. In fact, the Hollow earlier was hungry for that soul too, not the girl's!"
"But why?" Ichigo demanded.
"Normally I'd say it was the soul of a Soul Reaper that the Hollow was after, such as the Urahara girl's, but since even I couldn't tell she was a Soul Reaper, it isn't likely the Hollow could tell. That leaves only you. For some reason most of your Spirit Energy was hidden deep within you until now, when you needed it to save your sisters. That's why I couldn't sense anything unusual about you when I arrived, and why they haven't come after you."
"I don't understand…" Ichigo murmured, looking up at Chiharu. She stroked Karin's face gently.
"I noticed the the Spirit Energy you have bottled up inside you start pouring out when you made contact with that kid's ghost. I've been trying to find a way to mask it, but I couldn't in time. They detected your soul through that girl, and they were using her to track it down."
"Which means," the Soul Reaper looked over her shoulder at Ichigo and Chiharu, "the Hollows are really after you."
"Those things…want me?" Ichigo's voice was quiet, but Chiharu could hear the horror in it. She opened her mouth to say something, when the Hollow reappeared, mouth open in a scream.
"It's back!" The Soul Reaper held her Zanpakuto out in front of her, widening her stance. "Get out of here!"
"No!" Ichigo protested, standing up. His hands were clenched tightly at his sides, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "So the vicious attacks on that little girl were because of me? And Chiharu, too?"
"That's one way to look at it…"
"And now my sisters could wind up dead and the whole thing is our fault?" Ichigo whipped around to glare at Chiharu. "Why the Hell wouldn't you tell me something so important?"
"Can we have this fight some other time?" Chiharu demanded, picking Karin up and bringing her to a more sheltered area. Ichigo grunted and ran out in front of the Hollow.
"Hey, stop!" The Soul Reaper cried. Ichigo ignored her.
"Coward! Quit attacking others! If it's my soul you want, come and get it! Fight me one on one, you ugly bastard!"
The Hollow roared and launched itself right at Ichigo. Chiharu and the Soul Reaper both moved at the same time, but the Soul Reaper, being closer, got there first. The Hollow's teeth ripped into her shoulder. Chiharu lashed out, catching the Hollow in the neck, a shallow gash appearing there. It roared and backed away, slashing Chiharu across the back with it's claws and leaving four long gashes.
Ichigo started at her cry of pain, and he reached out to stop her fall. The Soul Reaper was face down on the ground, bleeding and panting in pain.
"Chiharu! Hey, Chiharu!" Ichigo shook his best friend, panic rising in his voice with each syllable. He felt Chiharu's knuckles bump gently against his forehead.
"Quit it, moron," she grunted, "Stop jumping in like that."
"You're both stupid," the Soul Reaper lifted herself painfully, "If you don't stop interfering, we're all going to end up as it's food." She crawled to the sidewalk and leaned against Ichigo's garden wall. "Chiharu Hideyoshi and I are now too injured to fight. Do you want to save the ones you love?"
"Of course I do!" Ichigo snapped, carrying Chiharu over to the Soul Reaper, setting her gently against the wall. "If there's a way, then tell me how!"
"It will only be temporary," the Soul Reaper informed, "but you must become a Soul Reaper yourself."
"What?"
The Soul Reaper took her Zanpakuto and held the point towards him. "Take my Zanpakuto and run it through the center of your being so that I may send my powers into you. I cannot guarantee that you'll live."
"Hell," Chiharu's blue eyes fixed on the Hollow as it screamed and thrashed in rage, blood pouring from the wound she'd inflicted. "If it doesn't work, it won't matter, will it?"
"I suppose not," the Soul Reaper agreed.
"Then give me that blade, Soul Reaper," Ichigo ordered, taking a step forward.
"My name is Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki."
The Hollow began running for them. Chiharu's eyes moved to study Ichigo's face for what was possibly the last time. He was determined, and that made her smile.
"And my name is…" he wrapped his hands around the blade, "…Ichigo Kurosaki," and pulled it into his stomach. A bright light erupted around them, and Chiharu had to cover her her eyes to avoid being blinded. There was a crash, and when she opened her eyes, Ichigo stood there with a shihakusho and a Zanpakuto as long as his body. The Hollow's arm had been sliced clean off and lay twitching on the ground behind him.
Rukia was in a white robe now, her violet eyes wide with shock. Chiharu chuckled.
"Show off," she murmured. And of course, as Ichigo charged the Hollow head on, his crippling Spiritual Pressure fluctuating, he couldn't stop himself from showing off just a little.
"Feel the wrath of my blade!" He cried, slashing downwards. The Hollow gave a final scream, disintegrating into nothingness. Ichigo landed on the ground, resting the giant sword on his shoulder with ease.
And just like that, it was finished
