A ball of light broke the dark. The sun rose over the cliffs and canyons of the state of Arizona, covering the desert land with the orange light of dawn. Some of the dark fled into the safe haven of the canyons. Other fled behind the tall rocks forming shadows.
The light continued until it finally covered something juxtaposed to the desert, a camper van a mile away from the lone road and another mile away from the canyons. It was an old 90's Dodge xplorer that saw better days. The once white paint was now darkened to a very light tan from ages of dirt. The blue stripes that once proudly accompanied the sides of the van was now completely fragmented. Numerous parts were chipped and peeled age. Numerous scratches and dents accompanied the sides as if it passed through a storm. A fine layer of sand hugged the van.
The van's side doors were wide open. And sitting on the step with his legs stretching on the earth, was a man. He was a rather young man, no older than the early twenties. His appearance was rather unruly, his black hair unkempt as it was slightly spikey, and a thick 5 o clock shadow adorned his jaw and cheeks. Heavy bags were underneath his brown eyes as if he had one too many restless nights. The man was slightly tall, having an average build. However it was hard to tell his build due to the dirty brown long coat that he wore. Underneath the coat was a baggy brown shirt, and on his legs adorned faded blue jeans that went down to the heels of his boots.
The man stared as the sun rose over the canyons. While watching the spectacle he slowly brought a cup to his lips and took a swig of a homemade coffee that was incredibly bitter. He had a faint smile as he stared at the crimson sun. It was a personal ritual for him to see the sunrise, one that he performed since he was a child. He remembered those early days as a kid, waking up on the desert ground as he bathed in the new days light. Seeing the orange glow in the morning brought out many memories in him, some good, others bad, but all nostalgic.
He was about to take another swig of coffee when loud snores interrupted him. Turning he looked to the back of the van, where a full size bed was located. On top of the bed was a large mound, buried deep within the blankets. The snoring while loud was muffled, due to the blankets. The man silently thanked the heavens for that, as the person beneath the blankets could wake the dead by snoring. Many a night did that sound keep the man up, eroding the pillars that held his sanity, almost to the point of collapsing.
The man sighed as he turned to the front of the van. Both the driver's and passenger's seats were turned until they they met. A table was set low with a cushion on place to make a spare bed. The makeshift bed was occupied by another individual, almost completely covered in blankets like the other lump. The only thing visible of the person was a head of bright orange hair.
Another sigh exited the black haired man as he looked out the door to the sun. For years he travelled alone, until he met the two with him around 2 years ago. Both had the habit of taking over the van that was his. Both companions took over the beds, and he was relegated to sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. It was already hard for him to catch a good night's rest beforehand. Now it took forever to sleep.
The man sighed before finishing his mug of coffee. He started to push himself up from the steps as he retreated back into the van. He placed his mug in the sink near the door as he pulled out a new mug, and filled it with a new batch of coffee. He then walked to the front of the van until he hovered over the orange haired figure. It was hard waking the orange hair figure up. Every time the black haired man tried to, it always landed him with a black eye.
Another sigh left the man's mouth until he spoke with his slight gravel voice "Hey Ichigo, time to get up. I've got coffee." The silence from now identified Ichigo caused the man to be irritated as he raised his voice "Ichigo, up now!" More silence met the man and he was now short of yelling "Ichigo you dumbass, get up!"
Nothing but silence came from Ichigo. Ichigo didn't move or grumble, but instead just laid on the makeshift bed. The man's blood began to boil as his annoyance rose to the height of the canyons. Simply deciding that action spoke louder than words; the man raised his mug over Ichigo, before dumping the bubbling liquid onto the mop of orange hair.
A loud yell was heard and the blankets shot to the ceiling as Ichigo jumped from the bed before landing on the cold ground. Ichigo was revealed to be a man no younger than the former, but at the same time far taller. His orange hair was rather long, the back going down to his neck and his bangs meeting the tip of his nose. Ichigo sported a worn leather jacket with a yellow shirt underneath, followed by long jeans and a pair of brown boots.
The one thing that stood out with Ichigo besides his orange hair was the blindfold he wore. A long strip of brown leather was tied tightly around his eyes, making it impossible for any onlooker to see them. Somehow that didn't stop Ichigo from looking at the precise location of where the man who woke him up was.
As he stood up, Ichigo's face became red in anger as he shouted "What the hell do you think you are doing Chaim?!"
The now identified Chaim snorted as he answered "I'm waking your lazy ass up."
"You could have just told me to get up!"
"I did for 3 damn times! The last time I pretty much shouted!"
"Well how about giving me a light shake?!"
"After what happened last time?" Chaim was close to shouting again "Are you crazy? Sorry but I'd rather not get another black eye!"
"Well, you're about to get one now!"
Ichigo bolted like a track runner and tackled Chaim to the ground. The two tossed and turned on the ground, swinging and grappling each other. The scene resembled two children roughhousing. The scuffle then eventually shifted to Ichigo sitting right on top of Chaim, repeatedly punching him in the face. Despite wearing the blindfold Ichigo was still the superior of the two in hand to hand fighting, due to his his abnormally sharp reflexes and Chaim's rather weak skill at fisticuffs. And just as Ichigo promised, Chaim received another black eye.
"Will you two dumbasses knock it off?!"
Both Ichigo and Chaim stopped fighting as they looked over to the bed. Blankets now thrown to the ground, the lump was revealed to be a girl, still in her teens. She was rather average height, towered by the other two, and was of a slender build while also being rather athletic. Her hair was rather short and swept to one side only meeting her chin. She wore a black tank top and a black biker jacket, with some regular jeans and boots.
The most notable features were her eyes. Despite being slanted in the typical Asian fashion, they were baby blue and could hurt a person's eyes with how bright they were.
The girl looked at the two in anger as they slowly got up from the ground and shouted "How the hell is anyone supposed to get any sleep when you two dumbasses are having an MMA match in here?!"
It was Chaim who first spoke as he dusted himself off "Oh please, an MMA fight sounds like a whisper compared to your snoring."
The girl almost busted a blood vessel when she heard that "What did you say?!"
Ichigo decided to but in "He's right Aine. I woke up in a panic because I thought I heard the canyons crashing; only to find out that it was you snoring away."
"Now wait just a min-"
Chaim cut her off as he looked towards Ichigo "If the canyons did collapse it would be because Aine's snoring."
"Don't ig-"
"Her snoring can cause an earthquake." Ichigo responded.
"Hey y-"
Chaim chuckled "Not only an earthquake. Aine can destroy the tectonic plates with her snoring."
"THAT'S IT!" Chaim turned right back to Aine, whose face was red in both embarrassment and anger. "YOU'RE DEAD CHAIM!"
Aine then leapt from the bed and tackled Chaim while in the air. And just like the scuffle with Ichigo, it left Chaim straight on the floor being repeatedly punched by the shorter girl.
Half an hour passed, and Chaim was found locked outside the van as he sat on the hot desert ground. In addition to the black eye he was given from Ichigo, he now sported a rather large bump on the top of his head. The desert sun was now brightly shining down on the man, burning his skin. The sunburn was only a minor discomfort next to the burning shame that he lost in a fight to a man wearing a blindfold and a teenage girl.
Chaim heard the sound of footsteps behind him. They were very faint as if most people wouldn't hear them at all. Chaim knew it was Aine as she never put her weight on her feet, unlike Ichigo who sounded like an elephant walking around.
Aine's voice hit the back of Chaim's head "Hey Chaim, it's time for breakfast."
Chaim didn't respond. He stared at the canyons and sulked as his back was still towards Aine.
"Hello, earth to Chaim. Is anybody there?"
Still no answer
"Are you asleep?"
No response
Aine let out an audible whimper "Are you mad at me?"
Silence
"All right." Aine sighed "I'm sorry."
Motion stirred in Chaim as he then turned towards the teenage girl. "Sorry for what?"
"I'm sorry for hitting you."
"And?"
"And?" Aine seemed confused until she finally caught on and sighed "And I'm sorry for kicking you out of your own van."
Chaim said nothing, only got up and smiled at the teenager as he rushed back into his van. Aine sighed as she walked back into the van as well. When she entered she saw that Chaim was already at the table shoving a large portion of the breakfast that she made onto a plate. Most of the eggs, bacon, and hash browns were gone. The only thing Chaim left in abundance was the rice that was for both Aine and Ichigo.
Aine sighed as she saw Chaim sitting on the Driver's seat chair already back in place thanks to Ichigo. Chaim started to wolf down handfuls of food before he finally stuck his face into the plate. It resembled a pig eating out of troth. In the passenger's seat was Ichigo, who was eating far more mannerly with a pair of chopsticks that they bought.
Aine then turned to Chaim and lectured him "You can act like a child you know that? And what did I tell you about eating all the damn food?"
Chaim took his face from the plate and wiped his face clean of dirt with the sleeve of his coat. He stared at Aine before snorting "Sorry mother."
"Sometimes I wonder if I am considering that I have had to tend for a man-child these past two years."
"I was doing fine before I even met you two. Seriously why do I even let you two stay with me to begin with?"
Ichigo chimed in "Because you suck at fighting and need me as muscle."
Aine then smirked as she responded "Because you suck at cooking and need me to make edible food."
Chaim only grunted "You two can be major pains."
Aine gave a hearty laugh looking at the grumbling man. This insulting was something that was a constant between the three of them, a game of banter. Usually it resulted in Chaim grumbling as he got piled piled on from the other two. He always wondered why he continued to deal with it.
Chaim then sighed before turning towards Ichigo. His sigh stopped in the middle as he looked at the sight in front of him. Aine stopped laughing, a look of confusion on her face as she looked at chain before turning towards Ichigo. Ichigo was giving something particularly rare today. He was giving a smile. It was faint; most people wouldn't have seen it at all. But to Chaim and Aine, it was a full blown smile. Ichigo smiling was rare; He usually had that scowl on his face as if it was stuck there. So when the two saw him smile, it was a grand treat.
Both Chaim and Aine were taken out of their thoughts when Ichigo asked "Chaim? Aine?" Worry was audible in his voice at their sudden silence.
Aine only chuckled "Don't worry Ichigo, I'm just thinking how you don't look like a complete bum with a smile on your face."
The smile fell and Ichigo adopted that all too familiar scowl. A loud "Tch" was heard. Aine started to holler again, and even Chaim gave a chuckle.
Moments passed until Aine stopped laughing and she then spoke "Anyways, I need you to take me grocery shopping again Chaim."
Chaim groaned "Are you kidding me? You went last week."
"Well with such a little fridge we are limited to what we can pack."
"Well sorry but that's the fridge that came with the van."
"The fridge is not the problem. The problem is that your big appetite causes that limited supply to end up gone quick."
Chaim glared at her "What did you say?"
"I'm saying that you have the stomach of an elephant."
It was Chaim's turn to give a Tch. "Well you're going to have to make with."
"What do you mean make with? I'm not going to be eating that spam crap that you have in the cupboard."
"I hate to break this to you Aine" Chaim spoke in heavy sarcasm "But were pretty low on funds right now."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. We only have enough for gas right now."
"Didn't you have at least 800 dollars a month ago?"
"Yes"
"Then how the hell did you spend all of that in only a month?"
Chaim started to get angry "I didn't spend it! You did! Your shopping trips bleed me dry!"
Aine started to fume at that response "You're blaming me?!"
"Well let's see how much was spent on your last trip to the store. You spent 200 on food and another 100 on clothes."
Aine's face became blood red in anger as she glared at Chaim "You-"
"So what are we going to do about money problem?" Both Aine and Chaim turned back to Ichigo "You got an idea Chaim?"
Chaim sighed "We're going to drive to Phoenix. It's only an hour away from here. When we get there, we'll do some odd jobs until we get enough to leave."
"You'll mean you'll do some odd jobs and leave." Aine butted in.
"Nope. There are many places that will take you in for a job position, and I also pretty sure that Ichigo can find work there."
Ichigo scoffed "Yeah I'm pretty sure they'll let me work with my condition."
"You're little problem has never hindranced you when it comes to anything. They'll hire you."
"But why do I have to work?" Aine asked "I swear I should be paid for taking care of a man-child like you."
"Yeah, because spending 100 dollars on clothes was really taking care of me."
Aine said nothing. Instead she sat back on the bed and fumed. This caused Chaim to smile. Without any delay Chaim turned around to the driver's wheel and started the van up. A heavy stuttering was heard from the engine before the wheels started move. The van moved on the desert ground before moving onto the asphalt road, and finally driving down its long path. The canyons soon became barely visible in the drivers mirror. Bushes and stones on the desert sand whizzed past them as they went down the lonely road.
As Chaim predicted, it was an hour before they reached phoenix. The city was bustling and teeming with life, a complete juxtaposition to the barren desert outside. Numerous people were walking around. Many far more pristine vehicles passed by Chaim's beaten van.
Aine looked in awe "Damn this place is big."
Chaim chuckled "first time?"
"Hey, most of my life I was stuck in that damn orphanage."
Chaim became a little sheepish "Right sorry." He then turned to Ichigo "What about you Ichigo?"
Ichigo simply responded "Yeah, first time."
"Largest city in Arizona, 12th largest population in the states, There is a lot to do in this city."
"Including work?"
"Especially work." Chaim looked back to the road "So let's get job hunting."
Hours passed as the sun started to fall. Late dusk was etched into the sky, with only a few streaks of orange visible. The van drove through the dark, cutting it with its headlights, as the trio continued to drive.
Aine snorted "Especially work. Let's get job hunting" heavy sarcasm dripped from her voice.
Chaim grunted "Shut up."
Things were not going well for the trio. Every time they applied for an odd job, they were turned down. The employers wanted employees with permanent residency. The idea of hiring a group of nomads was completely out of the question. They talked to more than 50 people during the day, only to be turned down completely. They were so desperate that they started to drive through the deserted parts of the city trying to find at least someone.
Ichigo then spoke "Well you screwed up everything today Chaim."
"You shut up too."
"What? You said we were going to get an odd job or two around here. Now we haven't got jack."
"Sorry! Last time I was here there were tons of jobs lined up I could take!"
"Well obviously there aren't any now!"
Chaim and Ichigo were getting ready to pounce on each other. They stopped when Aine then interjected "Maybe we should just go to another city and try there."
Chaim sighed "We can't. The van is on fumes and the gas money won't fill the tank enough to last us another trip outside the city."
"So were stuck here?"
"For right now yes."
Aine grabbed her head "Argghh. What are we going to do?!"
"I'm thinking!"
Ichigo then grunted "That's new."
"Didn't I tell you shut up?!"
Chaim was close to exploding. Today was just one of those days that everything went wrong. He didn't want to run out of gas. That would be like a ship without the wind. He didn't want to be dead in the water. Numerous thoughts rushed into his head. He searched for any possibility he could try and find. Desperately he kept thinking.
He stopped as something in the distance caught his eye, the only light in the far darkness. Driving to it he slowed down as he looked at the site. Right in front of an abandoned park was a large fight club. The light was the combination of a large flood light of a generator and the lights from many cars. Numerous men were there muscled up and shirtless ready for a fight, while a few good looking females were eyeing the scene. The current fight was between a freak, obviously roided up due to his Kimbo slice like physique, and another well-built individual. The freak was beating his opponent down, close to curb stopping him until numerous others pulled him apart. The freak started to cheer while the others tended to the seriously hurt loser.
Chaim started to grin as he pulled up to the spectacle parking right in front of it. He turned to see both confused looks of Aine and Ichigo.
This caused Chaim to grin even more "I got an idea follow me."
Chaim left the van. Moments later he heard his companions follow. As he walked up to the crowd, he saw the man in charge. He was a rather lanky man, bald headed and Hispanic. A small goatee adorned his face. He wore a cheap suit. He waved cash around shouting about betting on his fighters. A pistol was jammed into the front of his pants, larger than him and mainly used for intimidation factor. Right next to him was a knockout babe, Hispanic like him with long flowing hair. She wore rather skimpy clothing, a wife beater and daisy dukes.
Chaim walked up to the man, a grin on his face. The Hispanic didn't even take notice of him first. However when he did, the man smiled.
"Hey man" The Latino said "My names Stix. You want to make a bet on a fight, or maybe fight yourself?"
Chaim simply chuckled as he looked past Stix and to the victor "Is Kimbo there your strongest fighter?"
Stix laughed "You're not the first one to call him that. Yep Bear there is the strongest fighter in Arizona. One time he killed a guy in a bout. We're lucky he doesn't have claws otherwise he would maim every fighter."
"What are the odds on him?"
"Betting or fighting?"
"Fighting."
"Then there are no odds esse, only the pot. It's been growing for years now from fighters trying to constantly take him down."
"Really? How much?"
"Twenty G's.
"Shit, that much?"
"Yep, of course you have to add to it."
"How much is the fee then?"
"50 bucks."
Shit. That was all of the gas money. Yet for some reason Chaim felt rather confident about the risk.
"Can I pick one of my own fighters."
Stix raised his hands high in a shrug "Shit esse, pick however you want."
Chaim turned behind him to see where his two companions where. Both were standing in the crowd diverting some attention from the the ring. Some onlookers mocked Aine claiming that this was no place for a teenager. Others whispered at the ever scowling Ichigo, wondering why he wore the blindfold.
Chaim motioned his companions "Ichigo, Aine! Get your asses over here!"
Both moved without hesitation towards Chaim until they were standing on either of Chaim's sides. Chaim then turned back to Stix as he put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder.
"This is Ichigo. He's going to be my fighter."
Stix looked at Ichigo examining everything about the man. He took a long hard glance at the blindfold before turning back to Chaim "Is this your idea of a joke essay?"
"Nope, Ichigo is a monster. And to make things even more interesting" Chaim's smirk turned deadly "I bet for double the pot that he can take down Bear with the blindfold on."
"And how do I know for a fact that that blindfold isn't see through?"
Chaim shrugged "If it bothers you that much, you can blindfold him with anything you want."
Stix smiled "Ok esse, double the pot but if you lose you owe me big." He then turned to Ichigo "Ichigo huh, follow me"
Stix walked off with his lady, as Ichigo followed shortly behind. They walked to one of the cars before Ichigo sat down on the hood, his back to Chaim. Chaim's eyes never left them, even when a certain nagging could be heard behind him.
"What the hell do you think you are doing Chaim?" Aine shouted "If we lose we are fucked!"
Chaim snorted "Oh please, we're going to be fine."
"Fine? Sending Ichigo to fight that maniac is fine?"
"Ichigo will pull through. That freak is no match for him."
Chaim tuned out any more of Aine's nagging as he looked at the three. Stix girl just took Ichigo's blindfold off. Both Stix and his girl looked at each other before looking back at Ichigo. Stix looked shocked to say the least as he started to wave his hand in front of Ichigo's face. Chaim smirked at the reaction Stix gave when Ichigo gave no response to the waving. Stix and his girl looked at each other, before putting Ichigo's blindfold back on. The three then walked back to Chaim, and Stix had a sly smile on his face.
"You crazy esse." Stix laughed "I guess that a new blindfold isn't needed." He then turned to the crowd before shouting "Oi listen up!" The crowd gathered around "Believe it or not, we got another crazy motherfucker trying to take his chance at Bear. This time however on two conditions. One, the pot has been raised."
Stix laughed at the gasps from the crowd "And two the challenger must be blindfolded." He pointed towards Ichigo. "This is Ichigo. This crazy motherfucker is going to try and take down Bear blindfolded."
The crowd erupted in laughter. The idea of fighting Bear without vision seemed suicidal. Ichigo said nothing, While Stix continued.
"So, here's what's up. For this night only I'm doubling the odds on this fight against Bear. Now who wants in?"
The crowd erupted. Some hollered. Others waved their money in the air. Stix's lady went and collected all the bets before handing them to her man. Then she went past him and collected two brief cases before turning to the crowd and opening both. There were large stacks for hundred dollar bills in both briefcases. It looked like a scene straight out of a movie. The crowd looked in awe.
Stix then yelled "There it is ladies and gentlemen, the legendary pot, times 2!" Stix's girl then closed both briefcases while Stix continued "Fighters get ready!"
The crowd formed a large circle all around them. Bear went to Stix, pumping up shouting. He seemed closed to hitting his chest like a primate. Ichigo simply took off his jacket and shirt before handing it to Aine.
"So I need to beat this Bear guy?" Ichigo asked as he turned to Chaim.
Chaim responded "Yep. Beat that roided up freak and we get 40,000 dollars."
"Alright. This will take only a minute."
Ichigo and Bear walked towards each other, the only things between them were foot of length and Stix whose hand was raised up high in the air. Silence followed. Time seemed to slow as Stix hand dropped.
And as it reached back down to the earth, Stix shouted "FIGHT!" before running into the crowd.
Bear was the first to move as he charged towards Ichigo. The plan was simple, take down the arrogant idiot down in a hold and beat his brains out. However everything backfired as Ichigo slipped to the champion's side, kicking his leg which caused him to fall face first on the ground.
The champion got up and screamed, charging at Ichigo and throwing a right hook to his face. The blow that could decapitate a man, was stopped when Ichigo shot a straight punch to Bear's face. Bear staggered back and tended to his broken nose.
Bear then looked at Ichigo who was grinning, before seeing red and charging at him. The large man kept punching and punching, unleashing numerous strikes that would reduce men to piles of goo, wanting to kill this smirking bastard. Ichigo however kept dodging. Each time a strike came he would slip to one side. The punch would only miss him by an inch.
The crowd looked on shocked, seeing a sight they thought was suicide. A man wearing a blindfold was fighting the unbeatable Bear, and holding his own rather well. Stix looked nervous, like the deal went south. Chaim and Aine however smiled, not because of the money. It was always a treat to see Ichigo fight. It was the only time that he ever looked alive, the only time he ever felt at peace.
Ichigo decided to stop dodging and intercepted the next punch with one of his own. Ichigo's fist connected with the inside of Bear's forearm. A large snapping sound was heard, and Bear howled in pain before somehow shrugging it off and charging at Ichigo in pure fury. This time Ichigo didn't move and let the large man grab him. Ichigo shifted his weight, used Bear's momentum, and in a pure form of skill, he threw giant man three feet from him.
Bear started to get up ready to get Ichigo yet again. However when he saw him, Ichigo was already close to him. He was soaring in the air, his foot centimeters from Bear's face.
A large cracking sound was heard, and Bear fell to the ground. His eyes rolled back into his head while he was bleeding heavily from his nose and mouth. Silence filled the air. The crowd was frozen stiff save for one brave person who kneeled down to check on Bear.
The crowd member sighed in relief before saying "It's alright. He's only unconscious."
A large sound of thunderous applause came after. Many praised Ichigo shouting thanks for bringing the bastard down. Chaim started to laugh as he and Aine walked towards their friend.
"Good job Ichigo" Chaim laughed as he patted Ichigo on the back "You did well."
"Thanks" Ichigo smiled.
Chaim walked away from his friend, who was putting back on his shirt and jacket. Chaim walked towards Stix, who had a glint of murder in his eye.
Chaim chuckled "Well Stix, seem like the bet payed off. I'll be taking the pot, times 2."
Stix could only spit at the man in front of him "Fuck you asshole! I aint paying anything!"
Chaim stopped laughing and began to frown "So you're breaking the agreement?"
"You're the one who broke the agreement asshole! You cheated!"
Chaim sighed "How did I cheat. Ichigo beat Bear blindfolded which was the bet."
"He could see through the blindfold!"
"No he couldn't. And even if he could we gave you the ability to change the blindfold to one of your choosing. Yet you didn't change his blindfold for whatever reason."
"I thought he couldn't see!"
Chaim sighed "Well that was just a stupid assumption now wasn't it? Either way we won and didn't cheat so if you'd give me the money..."
Stix pulled out his pistol and aimed it right towards Chaim. The crowd screamed and dispersed running off in any direction, getting in their cars and taking off, afraid that they were going to get shot. Both Ichigo and Aine tensed, coiled, ready for action.
Stix laughed as he gave a smug grin towards Chaim "You got anything else stupid to sa-"
Stix stopped in his tracks and visibly winced when he saw Chaim's face. Chaim's expression darkened a great deal to the point that he was wearing the shadows as a mask. He glared at Stix, his eyes suddenly so piercing and… terrifying. Stix started to sweat as Chaim glared at him.
"So Stix" Chaim spoke slowly "Are you going to break your deal? Because I hate assholes that break their deals."
Stix gulped but chuckled nervously "So what are you going to do about it asshole?"
"Last chance Stix."
Stix said nothing. His finger moved on the trigger and started to slowly pull.
*SCHWING*
The gun dropped and Stix started to scream as massive pain shot through his hand. He instinctively tried to grab it only to be blocked by some object. Looking down his eyes widened at the object blocking him from tending his hand.
It was a cleaver, sticking in his hand where the thumb meets the rest of the fingers.
Stix fought through pain as he turned to where the cleaver was thrown. He saw Aine, her hand extended after throwing the cleaver, another one in her off hand.
Immediately Stix's girl dropped the two cases and ran towards the gun. Aine immediately moved and was two quick for Stix's girl. She was already in front of her before she even touched the gun. Aine did a swift chop to the back of her neck, knocking her out, before turning back to Stix.
Stix screamed and tried to get away, slowly crawling back. However Aine pinned him down to the ground with her foot. She juggled the cleaver in her hand as she stared down at the man who was now pissing himself.
Before she could do anything however, Chaim kicked her in the back of the head, pushing her off of Stix. Aine immediately got up and glared at Chaim. Stix immediately stood up and ran screaming in the night, leaving the pot behind.
"What the hell are you doing Chaim?!" Aine shouted "You let him get away!"
Chaim only snorted "Sorry but I'm not letting you waste another cleaver on some lowlife." Chaim then walked towards the two briefcases and picked them up. "Besides we got the pot. There's no point killing him."
"Well there was no reason to kick me!"
"That was only minor compared to the stuff you did to me today"
"I apologized for that!"
"Whatever. We got what we need. Let's go."
With that the trio got into their bus and drove off into the night.
It was pitch as the van drove down the deserted streets of the abandoned parts of phoenix. Eventually Chaim pulled up to a parking lot and stopped the van. It was good enough of a place to make camp as any. Chaim doubted that Stix would come back. And even if he did, the three of them could take care of anything that came their way. Chaim looked towards his two companions. Aine was reading a book, and Ichigo was sitting quietly.
Chaim then cleared his throat and got their attention "Well then, what do you two want to do?"
Ichigo asked "What do you mean?"
"Do we want to stay in Phoenix for a while, or do we want to leave first thing tomorrow?"
Aine answered "I vote for staying."
Ichigo responded in surprise "Well that was quick."
"While we were looking for a job, I saw something that caught my eye."
"And that is?"
"There is a book signing here in Phoenix. And guess who is going to be there?"
Chaim guessed "The author of the book you're holding right?"
"Yep. I really have to ask him something about this book. Something about it has been plaguing my mind."
"All right, when is this book signing happening?"
"Tomorrow."
Chaim went a little wide eyed "tomorrow?"
"Yep. Talk about a coincidence huh?"
"All right then. We'll stay in Pheonix for a little whi-"
Chaim stopped when a large ripping sound was heard. A heavy sigh exited his mouth as he spoke
"Great just my luck."
"Chaim?" Chaim turned to Ichigo "You ok?"
"Nope. A Garganta just opened right above us."
"How many?"
"From what I'm sensing… around 20, all lower class ones."
Aine then chuckled "Ahhh does Chaim hate having to be the supernatural exterminator."
"Oh piss off." Chaim then stood up before opening the van door "I'll be back in a few minutes."
And with that Chaim walked out of the van, and looked up in the sky. The sky itself was ripped open and numerous monsters flew from the tear. They were all hideous beings ranging from small to big, adorning numerous unique disfigurements. However there was one constant. They all wore a skull shaped mask, and they all had a hole in their chest.
The monsters landed on the ground. Each one stared at Chaim, sizing him up like he was just a slab of meat. This caused Chaim to sigh. Of course they were here for him. Chaim sighed and looked for a place that he could lead them in order to keep Ichigo and Aine from being involved. It was then he saw an abandoned warehouse at one end of the lot. It would have to do.
Chaim then turned back to the monsters and shouted "Attention Hollows! Would you please follow me to that warehouse so we could get everything underway?"
Chaim then started to walk to the warehouse before entering. The hollows looked confused at first, but quickly shook that off as they entered the warehouse, after their prey.
As the last one entered, a gunshot filled the air, followed by a large crash. Several more gunshots were heard with the sound of metal colliding with each other. Now standing outside of the warehouse was both Ichigo and Aine, waiting for their friend.
"Hey Aine?" Ichigo asked "I know that you can't see spirits, only the outlines, but can you try your best to explain what is happening with the hollows?"
Aine watched the spectacle as she tried to explain "Well from what I can gather. Most of them must be dead, because I'm seeing blurs rip through the roof, only to disappear after being shot."
Ichigo said nothing. He instead faced the warehouse as if he was able to watch the spectacle. It was honestly tough knowing that his friend was fighting things that devoured souls but he couldn't do anything.
Because he could no longer see ghosts.
Ichigo was cut from his thoughts when he heard Chaim's voice.
"What are you two doing out here?"
Ichigo said nothing. Aine only looked on at her friend walking out of the warehouse, who now had a large black decorative 1911 in his hand.
"We were making sure you didn't get eaten." Aine spoke out mockingly.
Chaim rolled his eyes "Please, when you have ever seen me lose to some low level hollow?" He then walked past his friends "Well I'm beat. How about we catch some shut eye?"
They didn't respond. They simply turned around and followed Chaim back into the van.
This is an idea that I've had in my head for a while. I wanted to at least write a chapter down of it.
I'm not sure if I might continue it, so don't get your hopes up.
The reason this is under western is because there will be numerous characters in this story well be inspired or will have characteristics of the taken from Spaghetti westerns (the best type of western).
And before people get worried I will still be updating The Dark Shinigami. I already have a few pages of the latest chapter written down. Like before it has to do with whether or not I'm interested enough to continue writing it.
