From Hueco Mundo with Love

Chapter 2: Miracle and a Surprise

Shirosaki advanced on the young boy, his yellow and black eyes sparkling gleefully at the thought of bloodshed. His blue tongue snaked out of his mouth and licked his lips sinisterly. He raised his white zanpakuto over his head, and brought it swishing down with a cackle of laughter.

Just before the Hollow sliced Jinta in half, his descending sword froze in mid-air, the blade only a hair's width from the boy's head. "Are you- trying to interfere- again, King?" Shirosaki grunted inwardly as Ichigo fought for control. "You heard my friends. Your time is up. Now gimme- back- my- BODY!" The Soul Reaper cried, overcoming his Hollow and assuming control once again. He dropped to his knees as he changed back to his normal appearance, gasping to regain his breath, then standing up and sheathing his soul-slayer in his belt once he had reclaimed his energy.

"Jinta!" Ururu cried, running to her younger 'brother' and wrapping her arms around his chest from behind. "Jinta." She sighed in relief.

"Ururu-" He answered, dumbstruck at her reaction. She was really that worried about me?

"Jinta-" Ichigo whispered, still winded from the transformation. "I- Sorry, Jinta. I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me- for what I almost did."

The boy looked over at the contrite teenager, confused. He's never apologized before. Maybe this is a sore spot for him.

"That's all right, Carrot-top. Ya didn't hit me, so no worries." Jinta grinned, and Ichigo relaxed a little. "Although-" He continued, and Ichigo tensed up again. He looked down. "I think you at least owe me a new pair of pants."

Everyone laughed at that and Ichigo blushed, once again embarrassed.

"Wow, Nova!" Kurodo exclaimed a few days later. "You look great!"

The shy Mod Soul blushed, suddenly missing his old mask that he could zip shut to hide such emotions. Ririn fluttered down onto his shoulder and agreed. "He's right, Nova. You look good in that new gigai. It's not much different from your old one, though. 'Cept for the clothes. How come you picked the same body? You could've had anything you wanted, any design at all!"

"Hey, when you find a look that works for you, you stick to it. Right, Nova?" Ichigo joked gently, elbowing the red-headed young man playfully. Nova merely turned even redder and looked down at his feet. This time he wore a pair of light-colored tennis shoes, a pair of beige cargo shorts, a dark blue t-shirt that revealed his surprisingly muscular physique, and his old cross-patterned shield on his back to amplify his dimension-portal powers.

Kurodo's gigai hadn't changed much either- at the Mod Soul's request- and his outfit still resembled that of an English aristocrat of the nineteenth century, with tall boots, beige breeches, a brown overcoat with tails over a gray-and-red vest, a gray-and-yellow tie, and top hat. Even his spectacles were the same, now perched on the end of his nose.

Ririn was the one who changed the most. While before she had resembled an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, now she looked closer to fifteen, with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes that looked like sapphires. She wore a light blue summer dress that came to her knees, showing off pale, smooth calves and tiny bare feet. "This isn't my only outfit, either. Four-Eyes made me a whole closet-full!" She chirped happily, showing off her new look and strutting like a peacock.

"Pride goes before a fall." Ichigo muttered to himself, then snorted when Ririn tripped on the rug and nearly fell flat on her face. "Like I said." He chuckled.

"Shut up, Ichigo!" The flustered Mod Soul snapped, her face turning red like Nova's hair. The red-haired boy's mouth turned up at a corner, but then it quickly disappeared when Ririn looked at him. "What're you lookin' at, Nova?" She demanded, but the teenager just shrugged and silently excused himself from the room. He gave Ichigo a meaningful look, which the boy interpreted as a request to follow him outside.

Once out of the shop, Ichigo looked to his companion for an explanation, but the Mod Soul only shrugged and replied, "Fresh air is good for you." Ichigo couldn't argue with that logic, so he just shrugged too and nodded. They decided to go for a short walk around, just enjoying the warm spring day. First they walked past Ichigo's high school, then the museum, and finally came to the park where a group of kids were playing soccer. Among them was a very familiar young teenager with short black hair.

"Karin?" Ichigo asked, smiling at the coincidence of this meeting.

"Ichigo?" His sister asked in the same tone, then smiled and waved to her older brother as she called for a time-out. Her teammates sighed in relief. She had been drilling them vigorously the past few days, and they were glad for a break.

"Hey, bro. What's up?" The girl asked, walking over and looking up at her brother. She noticed the other young man with him and suddenly a jolt passed through her mind. This guy has beautiful green eyes. And really red hair. Where have I seen that combination before? She wondered to herself as she bowed and introduced herself. "I'm Kurosaki Karin, Ichigo's little sister. Nice to meet ya."

Nova nodded politely in greeting, a kind smile on his face. "Nova." He replied, his cheeks reddening a little in a moment of bashfulness. "It's a pleasure."

"Interesting name." Karin mused aloud, but then she shrugged. "This your first time in Karakura, Nova?" She asked, curious about the young man who appeared to be Ichigo's age, perhaps sixteen, maybe seventeen.

"No. I've lived here my whole life." He explained quietly, regretting the half-truth. It was true that he'd lived all of his second, modified life in this town- but he couldn't remember his past life. The first memory that he had before he woke up as a Mod Soul was of him standing in front of a young boy, facing a Hollow with green skin, orange-rimmed eyes on a white mask and magenta tentacles sprouting out of its back.

Where did that come from? Nova wondered. I've never been able to picture the Hollow that attacked us so clearly. Could I be regaining the memories of my past life? He shook his head violently to clear his thoughts, then looked back at Karin- who had an odd expression on her face. It looked like a little bit of concern mixed in with sudden excitement.

"You ever played soccer before, Nova?" The girl asked the teenage Mod Soul, and he raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was 'soccer', again? But then comprehension dawned on him and he nodded, accepting the unspoken invitation.

"Excellent. Maybe you an' Ichigo can help me teach these guys how the game is really played. How 'bout it, bro?" Karin asked, smiling at her older brother expectantly. Ichigo sighed and shook his head in mock exasperation, but then he shrugged and answered, "Sure. Why not. I haven't got anything else to do today."

"Perfect! You'll be on opposite teams of course, it would be too unbalanced otherwise. Nova, you're with me." The girl announced, and the Mod Soul humbly followed his new teammate out onto the practice field. Ichigo joined the opposite team. The referee held the ball in his hand over the player's heads, then he blew his whistle and dropped the ball, beginning the game.

"Pesche, how's it coming?" Neliel asked of her Fraccíon, who looked up with a smile. "Great. A few more tweaks and a few more days, and we should have Hollow and Shinigami completely separated from each other. The Hollow will unfortunately not survive, but I've got a good feeling that the Soul Reaper will." Pesche Gautische stated, running his long, thin fingers over the keys one more time in Szayel Aporro's restored lab, adjusting the energy-to-liquid ratio in the tank of fluid that suspended their little 'project'.

That's okay, if the Hollow doesn't live. Neliel thought. It would probably have to be destroyed anyway. It was too wild to control itself. Too dangerous. Besides, that Hollow 'Metastacia' always gave me the creeps. I can't believe Aizen had it attack and possess that young Soul Reaper all those years ago.

"You're sure he won't remember anything of what happened as Aaronniero Arruruerie, right?" Neliel asked of her friend, who looked at her with a gold eye that was filled with concern. "It's impossible to tell. Unfortunately, Szayel Aporro's memory machine was completely destroyed in his battle with Uryuu, Renji and that scientist captain of the Soul Reapers." Pesche ran a hand through his blond hair nervously, checking a few more figures in his notes.

"I'm actually surprised this guy survived." He commented after a minute, changing the subject. "There wasn't much left to save when we first found what remained of him in Aaronniero's palace."

"Maybe it was the will of the King that we find him and restore him." Neliel mused. "From what Lord Aizen- no, that traitor- told me about him, this guy deserved much better than the path Fate led him down."

-Later-

"Y'know, he looks a lot like Ichigo." Pesche observed as he continued to press buttons on the console. Neliel was thankful that her friend had always harbored an interest in science and machinery. She wouldn't know the first thing about how to save this man's life. "-'cept for the hair, and the eyes."

"They could be brothers." Neliel agreed, turning back to look at the former lieutenant of Squad Thirteen, the older brother of Ganju and Kukkaku. Thought to have been long deceased by his peers in Soul Society and his family. If all went well here, they should be able to send him back home to his loved ones within a few days. "Twins, even." Pesche agreed.

"Speaking of brothers-" Neliel began, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "Where's Dondochakka?"

"Oh, he's in that huge room with the fake blue sky with Bawabawa. I think he's training for something. I don't think he knows that the fight against Aizen is over already. I've tried telling him that a million times, but it seems the info just goes in one of his ears and out the other, never stopping at his brain." Pesche shrugged, pushing a few more keys and then leaning back in his chair. Neliel giggled. That was just like her second Fraccíon.

-A while later-

"Thanks for restoring us, by the way." He remarked as he watched the young man in the recovery tube heal. "I like this form much better than the old one with a full mask."

"I couldn't just leave my two best friends looking like any ordinary Hollows. Not when I know you two are so much more." Neliel answered, a few tears budding in her eyes.

Pesche's eyes were getting a little watery too, and he hugged his Espada like she was his little sister. His beautiful, strong, kindhearted little sister who just happened to be his commander. He'd follow her to the end of time, because moments like this made it all worthwhile.

Nova was concentrating with all his might on guarding the goal against Ichigo's team, and so far none of the shots had made it past the bars and into the net. He felt that it wouldn't be very fair if he used his powers, so he relied on his natural athletic ability alone to guard their team's goal. Opposite him- on the far side of the field- Ichigo had also been named goalie, and was blocking shot after shot like the best of them. After one particularly difficult catch, he couldn't resist grinning at the player who'd kicked the ball: his little sister. His eyes seemed to taunt: You'll have to do better than that, Karin.

"Shut up, bro." Karin laughed back, also grinning and knowing that her brother was only teasing. Then she ran off as Ichigo threw the ball back to the center of the field, continuing the game.

-At the end of the game-

Nova looked up at the clock on the scoreboard as a young boy ran at him, dribbling the ball for a final goal. There were only a few seconds left on the clock, and the score was tied at three-three. If this kid didn't score, the game would go into overtime. Ah, it's just a game played for the fun of it. It's not like anything's riding on one team or another winning. Nova thought to himself as the boy continued to approach. As he drew near, Nova began to notice some of the boy's features. He has red hair just like mine, maybe a shade or two lighter. And green eyes, though mine have more blue in them. He almost looks like- but that's impossible. That boy died a long time ago. Still, there's something about this child-

Nova snapped to his senses at the last second, just after the boy took his shot for the final goal of the game. Unfortunately for the goalie, it was on the other side of the goal from his position. Nova grimaced in annoyance and jumped for the ball. He stretched out his arms-

-And the ball flew right through his outstretched fingers and smacked into the net behind him. Nova fell to his hands and knees, disappointed that he hadn't caught the ball. I failed the team- the teenager berated himself mentally as the boy was lifted onto the shoulders of his teammates as they paraded around the field, celebrating their victory.

"Team captains-" The referee called, "-shake hands. Players, show your respect to your opponents."

Ichigo followed the other members of his winning team as they passed by their 'opponents', high-fiving the kids as they passed him in the opposite direction. When he came to the other team's goalie, he grinned and shook his hand, commenting, "Good game, Nova. Nice job." The Mod Soul nodded and answered with a grin of his own, silently directing the comment right back to Ichigo.

"Your name's Nova?" The red-haired boy from earlier asked, and Nova looked at him and nodded, smiling kindly. "I once knew someone with that name." The boy continued, suddenly looking sad. "He looked exactly like you, too." He revealed, before he remembered his manners and bowed. "Oh, right! My name's Shuichi. Shuichi Minamino*." [Pronounced 'Soo-ee-chee'.]

The name of the boy caused a rush of memories to come flooding back to the Mod Soul, and he put a hand to his temple in a vain attempt to slow the deluge and the headache that accompanied it. It was almost like a slide-show of all the times he had seen this boy before, though he knew for certain that he'd never met him before in this life. Suddenly he gasped. He did know this boy! He was-

"Shuichi! It's time for dinner!" A woman called from somewhere in the row of houses south of the park. "Okay, Mom! Coming!" The boy called, running off the field. "See you tomorrow, guys! Kurosaki!"

"Yeah. Later, Shuichi!" Karin called back as he disappeared from view. She walked back over to where her brother and Nova were standing, then addressed the Mod Soul directly. "You okay, Nova? You looked like you got a sudden headache there while you were talking to Shuichi. Everything all right?" She asked in concern, studying the young man thoroughly, especially since he looked like he was still in shock.

"That boy-" Nova began breathlessly. "Who is his family?"

"The Minamino's? They're really great people. His mother's a wonderful cook, and his father works in law enforcement- though he's a really nice, gentle person. Not someone you see every day in the Force." Karin answered with a smile.

"They had an older son too, but he- died, three years ago." Ichigo added solemnly. "Actually, I think it was the day before I became a Soul Reaper." Nova looked at him in surprise, and he continued. "It was a Hollow attack. Shuichi's brother protected him from the Hollow and gave his life in the process. He was already gone when they brought him to our clinic. Shuichi hasn't been the same since."

"I remember that." Karin put in. "His face was so badly cut up that I didn't recognize him. I can't remember what he looked like before that. Just that he was really handsome. Red hair just like his father, green eyes like his mother." Then she chuckled. "He'd always called Shuichi 'Yoko' after a famous legend of a demon fox, 'cause Shuichi was such a troublemaker back then. But now you wouldn't know it from the way he acts. It's like he's a totally different person."

"Grief affects people in a lot of ways, Karin." Ichigo imparted sagely. "Just look at how it affected our family. You were always a crybaby like I used to be, and now you don't cry about anything. Yuzu took on Mom's responsibilities around the house, and I-"

"Turned into a moody grouch?" Karin interrupted teasingly, trying to lighten the mood and playfully elbowing her brother in the ribs. He glared at her, and she just winked. "My point is, grief can have a profound effect on people- especially if the person lost was close, like a mother or a brother." He explained, rolling his eyes at her behavior.

Through all this, Nova listened carefully, adding this new information to his memory to process later. Kisuke must've fashioned my gikongan from the remnants of my soul still left in my body- but, that means-!

As the truth dawned on him, Nova quickly excused himself from the group, sprinting in the direction of Kisuke's shop. He never thought to use his powers of teleportation, so focused was he on his destination. My old gigai was never a 'gigai'. It was my real, human body! Kisuke must have got it from Isshin. They are old friends, after all. Why did he never tell me who I am? As he ran, he considered all the possibilities. Guess he thought I wouldn't be able to focus on the job with the Bounts if I knew the truth, who I really was. He thought I'd try to search for my family instead of helping Chad and the others.

The scenery flashed by him, but Nova took no notice of it as more of the pieces fell into place. I think that's the other reason why I wore a mask. It wasn't just because I'm shy. He didn't want anyone recognizing me and jeopardizing our mission. The Bounts came first, and then the Arrancar after that. Then my body was destroyed in that battle with the rogue Arrancar, Patras. I guess he saw no point in disguising me any more after that. It's been three years since I died. He must've thought everyone had forgotten me by now. That's why he's letting me reveal my face in public.

At last he reached the shop and shoved both the sliding doors open so they crashed against the walls. Kisuke himself was seated on the wooden step that divided the shop from the living quarters behind. "Welcome! What can I get y- Nova! You're back!" Kisuke announced happily, grinning and putting his fan in front of his face. "That's good. We were getting worried. You should tell us where you're going next time." He chided gently, feigning hurt.

Nova didn't pay any attention to the shopkeeper's antics, walking calmly over to the man who had literally changed his life and whispering, "Why didn't you tell me about my family, Kisuke? Why didn't you tell me that my little brother survived?"

End of chapter 2

Next chapter teaser: Into the Darkness

Ooo! Plot-twists ahoy! Brace yerselves, shipmates! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!

Uh-oh. Looks like somebody messed up their pants. XD Although, I don't blame ya, Jinta. Ichi's Hollow form is creepy enough to give anyone nightmares. It did for me, anyway. *shudder*

I never did like Nova's outfit in the show. Made him look weird. Kurodo was weird already, so I can forgive his appearance- but Nova deserves an outfit that doesn't make him look like a ninja crossed with a clown. I kept his shield though, 'cause I thought it was kinda cool. Ririn-chan's dress was based on the one Ishida made for Rukia, if any of you have trouble picturing it. I'm no good at describing fashion, it seems.

That Hollow that killed Kaien? It's back! And causing even more trouble, it seems. Poor Nova!

It's 'soccer' for those of us in the U.S., 'football' for everyone else. My first language is American English, so I'll be calling it 'soccer'. Just giving you fair warning.

Yay! My favorite Arrancar is back, with her Fraccíon [one of them anyway]. And she's-healing my second-favorite Espada? What's going on here? Oh wait, that was in the script. And the 'King' she was referring to? It wasn't the King of Hueco Mundo, since he's dead *cough*Barragan*cough*, it was the King of Soul Society. Don't ask me how she knows about him or why she obeys his will. I don't have all the answers- just most of them. XD

Kaien's back! And- d'aww, family hugs with Pesche and Nel. I agree with him, he looks much better in his restored form. *inner-fangirl drools*

I don't really care much for sports, and hardly ever watch soccer, except when my brother played in high school. I hope I did it justice for the little bit I did show.

*No relation to Kurama of Yu Yu Hakusho. XD I just put that in for some LOLs. And the 'Yoko' nickname.

I know. I'm taking a lot of logic leaps here, but bear with me. Sometimes those darn plot-bunnies won't leave me alone! Argh!

Until next time, later!

God Bless!

Tsunami Storm