Two

It's so disrespectful that they use the call of an animal-like Hollow as their siren. Dark feels sick every year when she hears that unintelligent roar that reminds her the the ones shaped like humans such as herself aren't the only Hollows out there. To think that you're technically part of the same species as the ugly monsters! Yuck!

Rukia takes a deep breath. 'Come on... we'll only get into trouble if we're late.'

'I still don't see why humans and Soul Reapers have to attend,' Dark grumbles. 'It's not like they have to worry about getting chosen.'

'What if you were picked, and Byakuya and I weren't there to say goodbye to you?' Rukia asks quietly.

'I wouldn't care if Byakuya wasn't there. If he was there he'd put me under more pressure to win because if I died in the arena I'd 'bring disgrace to the Kuchiki name' or something-'

'You know that's not true!' Rukia says. 'Byakuya would want you to win because he'd want you to come back to us alive!'

'Yeah, so he can claim about how 'honourable' the Kuchiki clan is to anyone who actually gives a damn.'

'What if I wasn't there, then?' Rukia demands angrily.

'Well, you'd just get upset and then I'd leave District Twelve feeling even more wretched than I would do if you weren't there to say goodbye.'

'Thanks a lot.'

'No problem.'

'Rukia! Dark!'

'Hey, Renji,' Rukia says gloomily as their red headed friend approaches them, a grim look in his eyes but an optimistic expression.

'You don't need to look so worried, you two,' Renji says, trying to sound cheerful.

'And why's that?' Dark says irritably.

'Well, the Kuchiki clan is quite a wealthy family; you don't need to enter more times to feed your family, therefore you've only had to put your name in once so the chances of you getting picked are really slim.'

'True, but there's always the possibly of it being me,' Dark says moodily.

'Look on the bright side: it probably won't be you,' Renji says.

XxXxX

'Good luck, big brother!' Yuzu calls, trying and failing miserably to keep a smile on her face as Hollow is ushered away from his family by Peacekeepers. Karin nods at him, her expression calm but her eyes panicked. Isshin gives him a reassuring look which comes out looking more like a grimace. Ichigo mouths, Be careful.

Thanks, Ichigo. Really helpful. Fat lot of good that'll do me if I get picked.

He's taken off towards the line where various different Hollows, all ranging in ages from twelve to eighteen, are standing, waiting to have a little prick on their finger so the officials can have their blood samples. In front of him is a nervous sandy-haired youngster who he recognises from the face but who he doesn't know the name of. It is obviously the boy's first Reaping and he's shaking in fear.

Hollow remembers this kid because a couple of years ago Karin got into a fight where she was hopelessly outnumbered and this kid helped her and stopped the others from beating her up. She was quite badly hurt and he carried her all the way back to the Kurosaki home. Hollow remembers opening the door, and the boy handing Karin over to him, briefly explaining what had happened, and then leaving right after he'd been thanked. Hollow doesn't even know this kid's name, but he is quite grateful.

'Finger,' the official at the desk says, implying that the boy is supposed to hold out his hand for the injection. Shaking in fear, the boy does as he's told, and gives a little gasp when the needle touches his skin, tears forming in his eyes. Hollow rolls his own eyes in spite of himself. When it's his turn, he barely feels the needle, having had much worse injuries than a stupid prick on the finger.

'Hey, Hollow?' Sora Inoue calls from beside the official. 'Could you show him where to go? It's his first time.' He motions towards the sandy-haired boy.

'Fine,' Hollow says with a sigh. Sora Inoue is far too old for the Hollow Games, and so when he turned nineteen he got a job at helping other Hollows on the day of the Reaping. Hollow knows his younger sister, a human named Orihime. She runs a small market when she's not at school, serving bizarre mixtures of food to anyone who is actually willing to buy anything. Hollow is also aware that Orihime has quite a large crush on his brother, Ichigo.

'The twelve-year-olds go here,' Hollow says quietly, motioning towards the pen at the very front of the square, containing a large group of frightened-looking young Hollows.

'Thank you,' the boy squeaks.

Hollow rolls his eyes once more, and as he turns away to walk to the middle of the square where the fifteen year olds are being kept, he notices that there are far more Peacekeepers than usual. Are they suspecting to happen? Or...

XxXxX

'Listen up, everyone!' one of the Peacekeepers, evidently an officer, shouts, walking onto the stage. The whole square goes silent, wondering what they want to tell them about.

'This morning, there was a Hollow attack on an alive citizen and the culprit has not been caught yet, but you should all know that the death penalty awaits the one responsible.

Dark begins to feel nervous, even though she definitely knows that she is obviously not the one responsible. Somewhere in the crowd, one Hollow must be feeling terrified, knowing it can only be a matter of time before they're caught. Scary...

'And now, to get on with the Reaping!' comes Rangiku Matsumoto cheerful voice as she comes onto the stage. She makes her way towards the microphone in the centre, right next to two huge balls on stands with the names of all the Hollows in the Reaping.

'But before we begin, we must start with the video, brought to you all the way from the Sereitei!'

Yeah. The same crap they bring us every year. Dark sighs.

The movie starts blaring on the huge screens on each of the buildings surrounding the square so both the Hollows in the Reaping and the public (who are forced to attend the event) can all see.

'During the Dark Days, our nation of Karakura was in chaos and evil. Nothing could stop Hollows and their insatiable hunger. It seemed as if the human race was doomed, and these evil creatures would rule the earth. Then, the Sereitei was founded and the Soul Reapers began their job of protecting the human race from the Hollows. Through years of planning, there was finally a war which the Sereitei luckily won. And now, we have a bright future where people can live in peace. As a punishment for being heartless monsters, all Hollows throughout the twelve districts between the ages of twelve and sixteen must send a male and female tribute to the Annual Hollow Games.'

I'm gonna puke if I have to listen to any more of this crap.

Looking around, Dark is able to spot Rukia and Byakuya in the crowd. Byakuya's expression stays as neutral as ever and Rukia gives her twin a hesitant smile. Next to them, Renji gives her a thumbs up.

Only one name amongst hundreds... it won't be me...

'And now for the Reaping itself!' Rangiku giggles, skipping over to the huge sphere with the names inside on the left. She pulls the lever down on the side of it and the pieces of paper within begin to flutter around, before one finally pops out at the side. Rangiku's hand reaches down eagerly to get it and open it up. This is the horrible moment: the part where all the female Hollows and their families all gulp in fear inside, and if the Hollows had hearts they would be pumping violently against their chests. Rangiku holds the piece of paper up, her eyes scanning the contents, and there is a second of dreadful silence as the whole of District Twelve takes a deep breath.

'Dark Kuchiki.'

No.

How...? No...

Feeling a terrible sinking feeling inside of her, Dark blinks before the reality sets in.

Oh, hell.

She's been chosen.

Her feet react a long time before her brain does, guiding her to the stage without her even realising it. All eyes are on her. Complete silence. Then...

'NO!'

Rukia ducks under the roped barrier holding the public in her place, her large violet eyes locking with Dark's shocked lilac ones. Immediately, Peacekeepers are on the scene, pushing past people to reach Rukia, who is flashstepping towards her twin.

'NO, DARK, YOU CAN'T GO! DARK!'

She reaches the Hollow and wraps her shaking arms around her, shouting as loud as she can. Rukia does not cry; after all, she has always been a strong child and when Byakuya took the two girls in, he expected the pair of them to keep their emotions in check. Still, that does not stop Rukia from breaking the rules by trying to stop them from taking her twin sister away from her.

The Peacekeepers reach the two girls and try to wrench them apart. Rukia swings her arms out dangerously, then her right hand rests on the hilt of her sword, threatening to attack if they try again.

'Idiot!' Dark hisses. 'Don't make a scene, you'll just get in trouble! I'll be fine!'

Rukia gives her one last mournful look, then lets go of her sister's arm and allows the Peacekeepers to drag her back into the crowd. Turning around, aware that nothing can save her now because no one ever volunteers in District Twelve, Dark climbs up the steps towards the stage and towards her fate.

XxXxX

[Hollow]

I've never actually seen her properly before, but I know she's the sister of Ichigo's friend, Rukia. Dark Kuchiki... is so very, very unlucky.

Bit like me, then.

They'll know it was me. They'll wait for the Reaping to finish, then the Peacekeepers will capture me and will have me executed because I killed that living man. I am so unbelievably screwed. There is no way in hell I'll be able to get out of that. And what's worse is, they'll punish my family as well as me. I've seen it happen before, and now I know I've thrown the Kurosaki family into a load of trouble. Again.

'And now for the gentlemen!' Rangiku calls enthusiastically, reaching over for the lever on the other glass ball containing all the names of the male Hollows. She pulls the lever down just like she does every year, and even though I'm preoccupied with thoughts of the upcoming situation I shall find myself in, I still feel the whooping sensation in my stomach, all down to nerves. Ha! Me, afraid? … Yeah, I guess so.

A little piece of paper flutters out,and Rangiku catches it. She unwraps the little folded thing and stares down at the name, before looking up, her smile not leaving her face as she calls out, 'Len Kurmaki!'

I hear a small whimper from the male pen at the front of the square, which tells me that the male tribute is only twelve. Seriously unlucky I see a small figure detach themselves away from the other frightened twelve-year-olds, and I recognise the sandy hair.

Oh, crap. So Len Kurmaki is that kid. The one who saved Karin from those boys.

I have about two seconds to make up my mind as the possibilities flutter into my head. Yes. I know exactly what to do.

I push past the kids in my pen and duck under the rope so I can run up to the stage. 'I VOLENTEER! I VOLENTEER AS TRIBUTE!'

Never mind the emotional display that the other tribute and her twin showed. This scene that I've started is going to go down in history.

'Our very first volunteer!' Rangiku gasps, then squeals delightedly, 'DISTRICT TWELVE'S VERY FIRST VOLENTEER! What's your name?'

'Hollow Kurosaki,' I mutter, feeling sick at the overjoyed look on her face.

Rangiku blinks. 'Hollow? That's your actual name?'

'Yes,' I snap defiantly.

'Very well then!' she pulls me onto the stage and place me next to Dark Kuchiki, who doesn't look at me and instead seems to be finding the patterns in the wooden floorboards beneath our feet very interesting. I catch a glimpse of Len Kurmaki making his way back to his pen, a relieved but rather guilty look on his face, as if he believes it was his fault I decided to volunteer Well, that certainly is part of the reason I decided to do it. A fifteen-year-old would probably fare a lot better than a twelve-year-old in the arena. But this way, I can get away from District Twelve. They won't be able to do anything to me because I'll be safe in the Sereitei, awaiting my time in the arena. Also, as they won't be able to prove it was me, my family will be safe.

Great. So now it's time to die anyway.

I'm going into the Seventy-Fourth Annual Hollow Games.