I hope you enjoy this :3

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:::…

They had once been duel protectors.

The spirits of the dead and the exorcists of the living had a mutual relationship. One dealt with the spirits of the departed, and the other with the Demons of Gehenna. Although it was believed originally the Death Gods maintained both realms, but it became too much for the species to handle.

So they sought help.

They began to train humans as exorcists. To manage the never ending flow of demons between Gehenna and their world. They taught them to use their talents and weapons to defend those they cared about.

However there was one rule. Never go after Hollows.

Most of the humans trained to fight demons possessed little spiritual energy. The Death Gods taught that should an exorcist go after the spirits of the dead they would be unable to protect themselves from their power, and would soon join them. The humans were quick to agree with them and did not seek out hollows.

So many generations passed. Until the leaders of the now thriving exorcist council decided they had no need of the Death Gods, for they believed that they were demons themselves. That these 'Hollows' did not really exist. That their 'allies' were out to eliminate the one protection humanity had against the demons. So the council planned in secret, wanting to nip this threat in the bud. They informed the elite fighters of their organization to be ready. They planned to make their move when the Death Gods came on their monthly visit.

When a week had passed and a group of three Captain Class Death Gods arrived in headquarters, they were met with an ambush of over 1,000 exorcists. The council read the charges accusing their once allies of being demons themselves, and ordered their soldiers to attack.

Enraged at the betrayal, the Death Gods released their blades and slaughtered the council members. They then announced that the Soul Society would no longer protect the exorcists from the spirits of the Dead, and that they should prepare themselves.

Before any of the stunned humans could move the three were gone. For the first time the assembled exorcists heard the howls of the Dead on the outskirts of their city.

The Hollows were very real.

…:::…

Yukio closed the story book with a sigh.

"This is the story that has been passed down through generations. Although no one is sure of how true it is, it is one of the only remaining records going back to the founding of the exorcists. Any questions?"

Surprisingly, Rin's had shot up in the air.

"Yes Rin?"

"What's a Hollow?"

Yukio took out a piece of chalk. "I'm glad you asked, instead of sleeping as usual." He then began to tape a copy he'd made of the cover of the storybook onto the chalkboard. He wrote 'Hollow?' in capital letters underneath it.

"Although not much is known about these mythical creatures, they supposedly feasted on the souls of living humans to satiate their unbearable hunger. They were said to come in many forms, no two hollows being exactly the same. But there were some constants."

He then circled the face of the 'Hollow?' and the hole through its abdomen. "The creatures were said to wear a white mask, and have a hole where its heart would be. This was said to represent the loss of human heart and emotion that a human spirit goes through to become a Hollow. Other than these two features, their forms were extremely varied."

He then placed his piece of chalk on the table again. "Any other questions?"

Shiemi nervously raised her hand. "Yes Shiemi?"

"That story can't be true can it? Hollows don't really exist right?" she asked nervously playing with her skirt.

He let out a long sigh and adjusted his glasses. Why did they always have to ask the difficult questions? "No one really knows Shiemi. No one really knows."

...:::…

So…. I'm thinking of keeping this as a one shot, but who knows? I kind of like it though :3

Constructive criticism is appreciated, but flamers will be burned.