Why, do you care. I've always been alone, I'm a monster.
"Not to me."
"Fu..."
"Hey I think he's waking up."
"Really? And I thought that is the way he snored."
"Little punk."
"Hey, shush shush! He's a patient."
"Fuu-chan," Yae wearily opened his eyes, his chest burning as he tried to take deep breaths. He looked up into the smiling and the relieved faces of those that cared for him.
"Where is she? Where is Fuu-chan? Wh-where is my Furiae?!"
Yae looked frantically at the faces of those who watched him. One of them wore a green and white striped hat and had blonde hair that helped to hide his eyes. The other was a young wide-eyed boy with flaming red, slicked back hair. The third was Ichigo.
"Relax," the man with the hat said, "You've been hurt pretty badly."
Yae jumped and grabbed the man by his collar
"Re-RELAX?! WHERE IS SHE? WHERE IS FURIAE!?!?!"
Yae suddenly let go and clutched his chest. Blood began seeping through his bandages. He dropped to his knees, his long black hair flowing over his shoulders.
"Fu- Fuu-chan. Where...she just..."
Ichigo looked at the wounded boy then looked at the man in the hat.
"Well, you took a direct hit from Ishida's arrow after you jumped in front of her. Rukia and I brought you here to Mr. Urahara's shop because you were still alive an-"
"I don't care about that!" Yae interrupted, still holding his chest. "Furiae, tell me, is she okay?"
"Uh, well..." Ichigo began "Urahara, you tell him."
The man in the hat looked down with sympathy at Yae.
"She was taken away."
Yae's eyes went blank.
"Wha? What do you mean 'she was taken'? Who? "
"A captain from a place called the Soul Society captured her. They must have sensed her power."
Yae's breathing became heavy. He gripped the yukata that was around his body bringing it closer to himself, almost as if he had a chill. He started to snicker as he brought a shaky hand to run through his long hair, his snickering soon turned into full blown laughter.
Everyone jumped back.
"What the Hell, I think he's lost it," Ichigo looked nervously at Yae.
"Something's definitely wrong." Ishida murmured to Rukia who hastily agreed.
Yae whipped his head towards the voice, a grin distorting his face into that of a monster.
"It's YOU! "
He lept off the bed and landed on the floor like a cat, his long hair falling about his face like a cloud. The boy peeked through the curtain of his hair.
"You know where Furiae is!!" He began to charge at the Quincy.
Ichigo tried to intercept however he was quickly pushed away. Yae slammed into Ishida and pushed him to the ground, gripping his throat with both hands.
"Tell me, where is SHE!?" he screamed at the archer, spit flying into his victim's face.
Ishida gagged and clawed at Yae's hands, trying to get him to release his hold. He bucked his hips trying anything to budge the person that was straddled above him. Rukia panicked and started to beat Yae on the back. She stifled a gasp as the yukata started to stain with blood and her hands quickly after. Ichigo rushed to help Rukia pry off the insane boy. Urahara just opened his fan and began waving it gently back and forth.
"Hmm?"
He walked so he was beside Yae and looked down at him to see black veins running through Yae's tensed hands.
"Tessai!" Urahara signaled to his shop assistant.
The big man nodded mutely as he walked to the other side of Yae and brought his meaty fist down on his head.
THUMP
Ishida scrambled from beneath the prone figure of Yae.
Everyone visibly relaxed.
"I TOLD you that is was a bad idea to wake him up." The redhead pointed his finger at Urahara in accusation.
"Oh, sorry Jinta. My bad!"
Urahara's hat shaded his eyes from the others. If they would have seen his eyes they would have noticed them intently fixed upon Yae's unconcious body.
"What sort of fun we will have, Yae Umomoto…." He mumbled to himself with a grin.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Not to me."
"Why do you care so much?"
"Because I love you."
A prisoner scrambled along the floor of the cell as they heard the rusted door open.
"Master says that you should eat."
There was a woman's silhouette at the opening, she spoke in an airy and lifeless manner.
"I-I'd rather die first…" the prisoner snarled lunging foward enough to be jerked back by chains.
"You shouldn't try to do such things. Master only just allowed you to be taken down from the wall."
"NEMU!"
The woman jerked her head to the right. "It's master, he's calling for me."
The figure began to walk away.
"I won't like telling Master about your lack of appetite. He'll be very disappointed."
The figure caught the light which accentuated a short shinigami outfit and the purple hair caught in a braid.
"NEMU!!!!"
The woman turned towards the stairs, "Master is angry." and she made her way briskly up them.
The prisoner rose with the clattering of chains and gripped the bars on the window. She looked at the endlessly cloudly, night sky and began to sob.
" Yae…"
------------------------------------------------
Nemu gently placed her hand on the door to open it.
SMACK
She fell to the ground, where she stayed still as a doll.
"What took you so long! Every minute you waste is more time taken from my research!!" Mayuri screamed at his assitant.
He had a wild look about him, from the black mask accented by gold knuts to the white headdress.
"The council is considering putting her into normal prison and taking her out of my care, since I can't get any solid research!"
He walked over to his assistant and began to repeatedly kick her in the stomach. Mayuri panted from the phyisical exgertion of his rage. He adjusted his rumpled clothing and moved to regain his seat behind his desk
"So tell me, has my pet shown any signs of hunger?"
Nemu lifted her self off the ground and began coughing up blood.
"Well will you speed it up? I haven't got all day." Mayuri began to tap his fingers on his desk.
His injured assistant wiped the blood from her mouth and straightened herself out.
"The experiment still refuses to eat, sir."
Mayuri's face filled with displeasure. He brought his fist down on his desk, his eyes catching the flickering little souls in the jars to his sides.
"Fine, we'll just have to change our tactics a little."
He got up from the chair and walked up to his assitant and looked down at her.
"Well what are you waiting for? Come on!" and with that he left the room, Nemu slowly trailing behind him.
Furiae pulled on the bars of her cell window. If only she had enough strength to break them. She continued to violently pull on the window until losing her grip and falling back onto the cold cell floor.
"Damn it..." She muttered. "Yae, I have to get out of here. I'll avenge you...I will..."
The hollow girl began to shake vigorously, a small purple glow emitting from her body.
"YAE, I WILL...I WILL...I-"
Furiae stopped, shuddering in fear.
"N-no...I can't let it take over. I can't." she breathed.
The glowing light faded as she crawled over to a wall, her chains weighing her down. Tears fell from her eyes as she leaned her body against the concrete.
"Y-Yae..."
"Because I love you"
The hollow girl furiously scratched her nails down the sides of the wall, and then banged her head against it over and over until her forehead began to bleed. Her vision was starting to blur.
Then for a moment…all was black.
"Where am I?"
Furiae tried to get her eyes open, but it was as if something held them down.
"I was in the cell..." she tried moving her fingers as the coldness of the table finally registered to her sleep addled mind,
"Move! Why can't I move!?"
She fluttered her eyelashes making them kiss the softness of her cheeks and let out a groan as the harsh hanging light above pained her eyes. She closed them quickly. There was a haggard breathing to her right. Furiae tried to even out her breathing, to make herself seem like she was asleep.
"So you are awake. Now, now there is no need to pretend to be asleep. I already saw the fluttering of your eyes."
Furiae's heart started to race, and the bottom of her palms became coated in a thin sheen of sweat.
'I know that voice…' was the thought that she chanted in her mind.
She screwed her eyes shut. Thinking that she could will the voice away.
"Yes," Mayuri leaned down so that his face was level with the girl's on the operating table,"you are quite the specimen."
He drug his finger along the girl's jaw and gripped her chin harshly, so that the sound of bones grinding together could be heard," The delicate little insect that has all of Soul Society spun into a frenzy."
The girl tried to turn her head away from the mad scientist's cold yet blinding gold eyes only to be forced back by a rough hand.
"L-let go of me..."
Mayuri stared hungrily down at the figure on the table,"If you were mine I would cut you open and spill your beautiful insides on my table."
He rested his right hand on the knot that kept the girl's purple yukata from opening.
"Sadly you belong to the Soul Society. Your all is not yet for me to reveal." He undid the tie making the clothing part and show the pale flesh beneath it, "But some secrets will be mine to know."
Mayuri smiled wickedly and brought his cold flesh to rest on her belly. Furiae gasped, a chill running through her body.
"G-get away from me!" she began to squirm.
Mayuri brought his fake arm up and snapped his fingers,"Bring me my souku."
Nemu bowed and grabed a strange translucent tube from a table of equipment.
"You desired this master?" Nemu knelt beside him, holding the object above her downturned head.
Mayuri grabbed the item from her, his eyes never leaving the figure on the experimenting table
"Go and get me a soul, make it the one on the third shelf above my desk."
His assistant got up, bowed and left the room momentarily.
"Ah," Mayuri sighed as he brought the souku to his face, "I have heard disturbing reports from my assitant. She says that you refuse to eat the meals I so carefully prepared for you."
Furiae looked at the man in disgust. Her eyes filled with hatred, yet quivered in fear.
"W-what makes you think that I would eat..." her voice trailed off as she began to feel weak. "I would never-"
"Never eat a soul?" Mayuri interupted the girl, "Oh how strange, a hollow with a heart. Now I have seen everything!"
He looked up as Nemu re-entered the room, a jar with a bright glowing sphere inside of it.
"Ah yes, here it is." Mayuri took the object from his assitant.
"I know of your repeated refusals to eat souls, I believe we've already covered that." Mayuri's smile fell, "That is why I have this souku." he brought his hand holding the tube up to the girl's line of sight, " Since you don't seem to ever to eat them, I will just forcibly make you take the nourishments."
"N-no!" Furiae's body shook vigorously attempting to escape the horror that was to come. "Stop it…you can't! No, please!"
A small tear threatened to fall from her right eye.
Mayuri snarled and brought the jar he held in collision with the girl's face, "SILENCE!".
He began to smile again, "However will I work with all that racket. You there, go get a scapel."
Nemu nodded to him walking back to the equipment table and then returning to his side.
"I want you to make the incision on the test subject's abdomen."
The hollow girl lay in shock. She had stopped squirming and was now hopelessly looking at the scientist and his assistant hovering above her.
"Why are you doing this to me? Is it because I'm a monster? Or...is it" her voice became hot and raspy. "Yae...".
Mayuri smiled maliciously, his eyes lighting up with glee, " Yae? Is this another hollow, more like you? Yes, yes, if I get this 'Yae' then I could keep them without the court of pure souls knowing. I could experiment on them until my hearts content."
He lowered his face to the girl's, "Tell me girl, where is this 'Yae' you speak of?"
"Yae is not...he's..." her eyes became glazed and hollow as her mouth made less and less sense "...dead."
His face slipped into rage,
"Dead..."
Mayuri snapped his fingers.
Nemu raised the scapel over the body and plunged it into soft flesh.
Furiae let out a painful yell as she threw her head back. She could hear the ripping of her flesh as the scalpel worked its way inside of her. Despite the pain, her body lay still.
"My sedatives are such a miraculous invention," He chatted idly as he popped the top off the jar and hurried inserted on one end of the souku, "You can feel everthing but you are powerless to stop it- Make the incision wider."
Nemu jerked her hand making blood squirt up and hit her face.
The hollow screamed again, this time her eyes rolling back into her head. Furiae struggled to bring her body up but the sedative was too strong.
"ST-STOP!" she shrieked.
He cackled and jabbed the souko into the cut, "There is more than one way to feed a child that refuses to eat."
"Get the ties!" he yelled at his assistant
Nemu grabbed seven long red stips of red, handed two, to her master then began to tie legs and arms. Mayuri wrapped his around the stomach, the leather cutting into the wound, he wrapped one around the neck then one around the forhead.
Furiae sobbed, still fought, the weakening sedative, and now, the straps that bound her to the table.
"What...are...you trying...to do!" she grunted, straining against the bonding. "What…WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT WITH ME!? "
The hollow girl's eyes glinted red as she began to pant slightly. Growls erupted from her thought as her teeth lengthened and gnashed together.
"It's beautiful!" Mayuri grinned.
Furiae snapped at his hand that came closer to her face, Mayuri quickly pulled his injured hand back. Her pulse became in time with the thrust of her hips as she tried to lose the bounds that held her, the sedatives no longer reigning over her half transformed body.
Mayuri ripped of his injured fake arm, "The sedatives are wearing down go get two more—no, make that five more doses."
"But, master that will kill most subj-" Mayuri's hand collided with Nemu's face.
"Do as I say!"
Nemu scrabbled and hastily got out of the room.
The hollow's body lifted off the table, her convulses shaking the platform and the walls of the room. Mayuri's eyes widened as the binds around the girl's arms began to snap.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yae carried the warm plate of cookies in his hands, the warm streams of steam curling visibly against the backdrop of the night sky.
"Cookies, cookies, one for you, one for me. Cookies, cookies, all for you, all for me."
The boy stopped skipping, having already reached the selected destination.
He knew this place even though the sign marking it as the cemetery had long since fallen over and been taken over by rogue weeds. Yae looked into the deepths of rowed granite and marble stone squares and let obsidian coloured eyes lock on the solitary figure sitting against the grave diggers shack.
"And who might you be?" Yae breathily whispered.
The figure looked up, the action causing the moonlight to dance on alabaster skin and fall into blue eyes that existed outside the spectrum of normal colours.There the moon stayed highlighting the free strands of red hair that caressed the currents of the air.
Yae's breathing seemed to hitch and one word was uttered, "Furiae", as if it had been known all along.
"Wakey-up time, Wakey-up time, wakey up,up,uuup!"
The injured person groaned, either from the wounds that were barely healed or from the ugly voice that spewed such an obnoxious song.
"What the hell?" the figure smacked it's face and rubbed away the sands that collected in the corner of it's eyes.
"I see you are awake."
Yae stiffened at the voice, clenching the bed sheets with both hands.
"There is no-one who would hurt you...Well, not maliciously anyway."
The man leaned into the light, and Yae caught a brief glimpse of the man's eyes beneath the shadow cast by his white and green striped hat. Yae searched the man's face, as if looking for the answer to an unspoken question.
"I am Kisuke Urahara, the man that treated your wounds and bandaged you." he opened his fan and hid a smirk behind it.
Yae shuddered slighlty.
"While doing so I came across some unusal markings. I haven't told anyone about them yet but, I'll make sure to let them know as soo-"
"Please don't."
The request hung in the air and Urahara requarded Yae for a quite moment.
"How far would you go to keep your secrets?" Urahara asked leaning foward.
"How far would you go to keep yours?"
The man grinned again behind his fan,"I will not mention it to anybody. However I will aquire some services later to keep my mind off such information."
Yae squared his chin defiantly, "I am not that type of pers-"
"And I am not the type to molest children."
Both stared at each other, Yae with uneasy relief and Urahara with an unknown emotion.
"Can you tell me what happened to Furiae now?"
Urahara requarded the patient cooly, "If I do you'll just explode like you did last time."
Yae looked down at his hands,"I am in more control now."
"Hmm," The man said closing his fan, "I suppose it's safe to tell you."
He tilted his hat back so that he could look Yae in the eyes.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
Yae shivered unexpectedly at the question, he gripped his arms and tried to stop his teeth from chattering. He breathed in and out and tried to calm down,
"I would give my life for her. She is my reason for living, her and searching for her happiness," Yae's eyes flashed dangerously, "and you dare to question me if I want to hear where she is?!"
Urahara lowered his hat back down as Yae continued.
"And let me tell you, I know she's alive. If she were dead then person who killed her would have already been hand delivered to hell!"
The man frowned slightly; "Very well then," Urahara inched toward Yae as his voice turning into a loud whisper "she's been kidnapped."
Yae's eyes widened, then they slowly narrowed,
"By who?" he growled.
"The Soul Society."
Yae stood up from the bed quickly only to have Urahara push him back down
"Let me go! if she was really taken by them, then we don't have much time to get her back!"
"Calm down kid!" Urahara struggled to keep Yae down, "What makes you think we can just get up and go there?"
he looked down at the boy solemly, "Do you even know what Soul Society is?"
Yae shrugged off Urahara's hand and adjusted his robes,"Well from what I can gather it is a society of souls."
"Smart ass."
"And from what I've heard, I can guess that it's the home of death gods...or shinigami as they like to be called."
Urahara raised one eyebrow, " My, my, how would someone like you have gotten hold of information like that?" he smirked, "Would it have anything to do with the strange markings I found?"
Yae blushed heavily, "S-somewhat," he coughed and brought his attention back to the hat wearing man,"I've had the experience of strange teachers...the rest you will learn if fate permits it."
Urahara fanned himself as he and Yae entered into a staring contest. Yae was the first to break the silence.
"How are the others, have they asked any questions? Have…have they told you how they feel about Furiae now?"
Urahara tapped the fan to his chin in thought, "Oh you mean now that she is captur-"
"DON'T MESS WITH ME!!!" he was cut off as Yae grabbed him by the collar and brought them face to face, "You know damn well enough that Furiae is a hollow, and with that interesting attack that Ishida had I'm pretty sure he and the others know as well."
Urahara looked boredly around the room, "Well they haven't been thinking much about your situation," his eyes rested upon an occupied futon "seeing as Miss Kuchiki has been taken by Soul Society as well."
"What the hell is going on?" Yae looked down at the scowl that twisted the sleeping Ichigo's face, " How long has he been out?"
Urahara Looked over from his perch on the step, "Rukia's capture happened two nights after Furiae's capture, and it's been two days since then. So, he's been in and out of conciousness for two days."
Yae's eyes were still focused on the punk. He was covered in bruises and bandages and seemed close to death, yet he was snoring peacefully.
"So where is Ishida?" the boy looked up at Urahara.
"Everyone has split up."
"Split up? For what reason?"
"Hmmm..." Urahara lolled his head in the direction of Yae," well it seems that you are not that only one eager to get to Soul Society."
Yae leaned forward "You mean there are more people that know about this?"
Urahara was about to speak but was interrupted by the sound of rustling of sheets.
"Uggghh."
Ichigo sat up slightly holding his abdomen. Yae and Urahara turned to look at him.
"Ru-Rukia, where is she?"
Urahara sighed, "Geez, how many times do I have to explain this."
Ichigo listened as Urahara told him everything he had explained to Yae, minus the secret bits.
"Oh yeah," he responded with a breathy voice, "I remember now. That Captain what's-his-face took Rukia."
He stood up, ignoring the pain in his body.
"Well then, I guess I'll have to go and get her."
Yae rushed next to him.
"I'm coming with you!"
Ichigo looked down at the boy.
"No, its too dangerous."
Yae narrowed his eyes, " And your point is?"
"Look kid, you don't even know what's been going on--"
"Fuu-chan and Rukia have been stolen by that 'Soul Society' place. Fuu-chan for her differences and Rukia for a reason probably concerning why you wear the robes of a shinigami."
Ichigo gaped like a fish," How di-"
"I saw you before I passed out."
Yae crossed his arms huffily and looked through his bangs, "I'm going, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me!" he stomped his foot for good measure.
"Excellent, excellent! Now that it is decided that you both shall go, maybe we shall deal with how you'll get there, and exactly what you will do when you get there." Urahara's eyes glinted from beneath the shadow of his hat.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ishida looked around at his surroundings. He had traveled deep into the woods to isolate himself.
"Perfect, I can train here without any bothering me. Now-"
"HEY THERE HE IS!"
The Quincy sharply turned to see who had yelled only to spot Orihime and Chad followed by a black cat.
"Hey! Ishida-kun!" Orhime waved as they moved toward him.
"M-Miss Inoue and... Chad?" Ishida said with surprise while adjusting his glasses. "What are you doing here?"
"Well," Orihime began "we thought that you might like to train with us so we can be strong enough to go to Soul Society!"
"Who would be teaching you two?" he inquired, doubtful that the two were going to train on their own.
"Oh, our teacher is Mr. Yoruichi. He's with us right now."
Ishida's eyes became alert as he jerked his head back and forth. "Has he covered his presence somehow? I can't sense him at all!"
"It is I."
Ishida looked behind him to see a sleek black cat.
"Wha-what is this?!"
"A kitty." Chad and Orihime said in unison.
"I know THAT but why is it talking?!"
Yoruichi scoffed. "Hm, just because a cat talked. What a disgrace."
"GAHHH STOP TALKING!!!" he swatted at the cat that then jumped from his reach.
"Ishida-kun, what's wrong with a talking cat?" Orhime asked him.
"Well it is a little unusual..." Chad quietly mumbled.
"Anyways," Orhime smiled "you're planning to rescue Rukia and Fuu-chan, right? So you should train with us!"
Ishida turned his head down slightly. "Sorry Miss Inoue but I must decline your offer."
"Oh but Ishida-kun, Mr. Yoruichi is a really good teacher!"
"Its not that I doubt Mr. Yoruichi's power," He looked into Orihime's eyes. "it's just that I prefer to train alone. Besides, I have no intention of rescuing Miss Kuchiki or Miss Asato. They mean nothing to me."
"Ishida-kun," Orhime said, her voice becoming soft "if you change your mind then let me know. We'll be waiting for you." and with that the group left him.
"I'm sorry Orhime, but this training can't be witnessed by anyone..."
He listened intently until the footfalls of the intruders died down completely. He brought his hands together, breathing deeply.
"I must get stronger."
Ishida cringed as a mental image of Furiae's aguished faced flittered through his mind
"No! I must do this for my Master! I musn't allow myself to be beaten by the shinigami!" He tried to ignore the quilt that slowly began to ebb away at him.
He was a Quincy.
And by the honor of a Quincy, he would not feel sorrow for a hollow.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Mr.Yoruichi, will Ishida-kun be okay? He was acting kind of strange." Orihime swung her arms to and fro as she walked beside the cat.
"I do not know Inoue-san, however that excuse about wanting to train alone stunk with lies."
"Why do you say that Mr.Yoruichi?"
Chad cocked his head slightly showing that he wanted to know the answer as well.
Yoruichi stopped underneath the shade of a nearby maple and licked his paws
"Quincys as they once were, were very secretive. He probably didn't train with us not so much because he did not want to, but because he needed to. Do not worry, Miss Inoue, I'm sure that he will be just fine."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Tell me again, Nemu, how many souls has she eaten today?"
"Twenty five, sir."
Mayuri laughed, a crazed grin reflected in his eyes.
"Good, good. I knew she wouldn't hold out on her hunger for too long."
He grabbed a jar from his desk and handed it to his assistant. "Give her this one too. We'll have to gather more souls if her eating habits keep up like this."
Nemu took the jar and bowed as she exited the room. Moments later she was making her way through a dark torch lit staircase. Nemu headed towards Furiae's cell, jar in hand, and gently began to remove the top.
"I have brought you another meal."
Furiae's eyes fixated on the source of the voice that uttered the word 'meal'…