Hollow Side Story 1
Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach or Kamen Rider Kabuto.
Mizuiro Kojima had just turned fifteen when he found the belt. He and Keigo had travelled downtown to the arcade to see the new Don Kannoji merchandise on offer. To be honest, Mizuiro didn't really care for the show, but Keigo was a rabid fan. It was hard not to laugh along with him when he went "Bwahahaha!"
As they were walking back to the bus stop, Keigo's arms full of DVDs, toys and treats, Mizuiro felt something kick him in the leg, sending him sprawling. He fell face forward into a puddle on the pavement. Keigo walked on, unaware.
As he stood up, his hand went to his nose. It was bleeding. Looking around, he caught a flash of green that bounded into an alleyway off to the side of the pavement. Mizuiro bounded after it. He chased the blur through the turns and twists of the alleyway. Eventually, he reached a dead end.
There it lay, before him. A silver belt, with a protruding rectangle buckle. Next to it was the flash of green – a grasshopper.
Wait, what? A grasshopper tripped me over? Mizuiro's confusion only increased when he realised the grasshopper was mechanical. Oh, that's it. I've obviously gone crazy. I'm chasing robot bugs.
Keigo was on the bus before he realised Mizuiro wasn't with him. He got off as soon as he did. As luck would unfortunately have it, he got off in the worst part of town to do so – Boss Yokochini's territory. He ran as quickly as he could back to downtown. It wasn't fast enought to escape the gang leader's clutches.
Mizuiro was still compentalting insanity when he received the phone call. He answered automatically.
"Mizuiro Kojima speaking."
"Mizuiro! Help me!"
Mizuiro started, recognizing Keigo's voice. "What happened, Asano?"
"It's Yokochini, that nosechain freak that Ichigo stomped a while back. He's after me!"
The fear in Keigo's voice was real. Boss Yokochini had returned early after Ichigo Kurosaki has scared him off two years ago. He wanted his revenge to be complete, and had started gathering information about Ichigo's friends to do it. Keigo was the perfect victim – weak enough not to be a problem, close enough to hurt Ichigo. And he'd practically fallen into Boss Yokochini's lap.
"Where are you? I'll get Ichigo and save you."
"Tha-at would not be a good idea-a, phone man." Yokochini yawned the words into Keigo's phone. "How about you come down to the steelworks factory on Tsuno Street, huh? Alone? Or I might just start hurting your little partner a bit more than I am now." Mizuiro flinched as he heard Keigo scream. The transmission cut out abruptly.
Mizuiro was almost certain hours passed as he stood at stared at his phone. It wasn't until he felt a certain kick in his legs that sent him falling before he was able to snap out of it. Sitting on his butt, in the middle of a dead-end alley, he considered his options. He obviously couldn't go. He'd just get hurt too. But if he went and got Ichigo...
Keigo's scream still echoed in his ears. He looked up at the grasshopper. It kicked the belt across to him. He held it in his hands, still in shock. The anxiety twisted his brain a little. He found himself examining the belt, focusing on anything but that phone call.
He traced his fingers over the indents in the belt's buckles. He pressed down, exploring every nook and cranny of the belt. For lack of anything else to do, he put it on. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the grasshopper light up. It rushed towards him as he scrambled away. He cried out in pain as it slammed into the palm of his right hand.
Eventually relaxing, he looked down at the robot insect in his hand. On closer inspection, he saw it had grooves matching the slot in the belt. What have I got to lose? Do I play 'match the puzzle' with this stupid robot bug thing, or deal with... Mizuiro narrowed his gaze and slammed the grasshopper into place.
"HENSHIN: CHANGE – KICK HOPPER."
Boss Yokochini drummed his fingers on the steel pipes in the foundry. He was still regretting crushing the phone without giving an exact time. He'd had his boys slap the scrawny dude around some more, but after a while all he could produce was a whimper. He motioned to one of his lieutenants.
"Keep an eye out for any guys with bright spiky hair or big muscles, okay?"
"Yes Boss."
He sighed. It was so boring, waiting for the weaselly guy's little friend to show up. What he needed was some excitement. He got it.
The wall exploded in a shower of dust and masonry. Yokochini whirled towards it, his thugs doing the same. Some of the smarter ones started picking up steel pipes. An even smarter one legged it. Yokochini covered his mouth while he peered into the rubble. Before long, two red circles glowed in the dust, and moved forward. Keigo raised his head, eyes swollen, mouth bleeding.
A green-and-black figure walked through the smoke. His left leg bore a yellow mechanism. His arm rose, and pointed at Keigo.
"Give him to me."
Yokochini sputtered at this impertinence. "Bash his fucking skull in!" he yelled, and his thugs rushed forward to do his bidding. The hopper man dropped his arm, and shook his head.
"Then I will take him from you."
His right arm slapped the side of his belt. Keigo saw the hopper man disappear, and bodies fly through the air. As he succumbed to the blood loss, two words rang in his ears.
"CLOCK UP."
Keigo woke up to see Mizuiro sitting beside him, at the Kurosaki family clinic. He went to get up, but found his body swathed in bandages. He looked like the world's worst mummy. Keigo turned his head as much as able, and saw both Isshin and Ichigo Kurosaki standing nearby. Ichigo walked up to him, and started talking. It wasn't until the substitute death god was halfway through that Keigo could actually hear him.
"-I got there ten minutes after Mizuiro called me, but like I was saying, all of Nosechain's thugs had the crap beaten out of them. Yak-chin himself was beaten black and blue." He patted Keigo, and left, his father following him after giving his patient a quick thumbs-up and a smile. Keigo turned back to Mizuiro, and tried to speak.
"Mmmk. Hnngk." Mizuiro smiled weakly, and stroked Keigo's hair.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there earlier, partner."