Bleach Chapter 4

"So I'm sure you all know by now what this hollow can do." Kisuke sipped his tea slowly, drawing out the tension.
Everyone looked at him. Ichi crossed his arms.
"No. Fact is, we don't know what the hell that thing was. All we know is that its spirit energy is unusually strong for a Hollow. But there was definitely something off about it as well."
Yoruichi squinted and Urahara smirked. "So Amber, did you feel anything different between the times of when the hollow had you and when he let you go?"
Amber stuffed a piece of sushi in her mouth. She thought for a moment, and then swallowed.
"Well, yeah. Kinda. When the Hollow had me, I felt really weak. Like I was being drained of all my energy. And..." She paused. "I felt like I was being looked at...inside. Like the Hollow was looking at my memories, and testing my weaknesses, and strengths. And my Zanpakuto...I couldn't get in contact with it. It was like I was being blocked from calling it up." Amber shrugged, tossing her hair back and looking up at them. "But it's no big deal. I can feel my Zanpakuto now, so I'm okay. My mind just feels a little fuzzy."
Alicia looked out of the window in thought. Ichigo poked at his sushi, while Urahara scratched his chin with his fan. Yoruichi stood up and stretched. She walked to the door, and in a puff of smoke, turned back into a cat and sauntered off.
"I have important research to look into. I shall be back shortly." She gave a last glance at the group gathered in the room. "Kisuke, will you keep an eye on them for me. There might be a possibility that more Hollows like that one are on the loose. And everyone, do your best to hide your spiritual pressure from the outside world."
Kisuke fluttered his fan, glancing at her from over its edge.
"I'll do my best." Yoruichi left the apartment.
Alicia turned to Ichigo. He looked troubled.
"I've heard that there was a rebellion of the Zanpakuto in the Soul Society some time ago. You don't think there might be another one do you?" Alicia asked; Ichigo just closed his eyes and shook his head.
"It's hard to say. It's not really acting like it did before though." He kept staring at the table. Alicia looked to Kisuke.
"Well is there? Is there something we should know about? What's happening in the spirit realm right now? I need to know!" Alicia glared at him threateningly. She was sitting on the edge of the couch, gripping the arm rest tightly. Kisuke stopped fanning himself and closed the fan, laying it in his lap. His brows furrowed together and he frowned.
"Hide your spiritual pressure, and you two only go into spirit form when it's an absolute emergency." he got up. "Thank you for the meal. And Ichigo, can I see you outside?"
"Yeah, sure." Ichigo followed Kisuke out onto the steps. He closed the front door behind them. Kisuke opened his fan again and raised it to his mouth.
"Lately, we've been seeing an upswing in Hollow activity in the Soul Society. But these Hollows aren't like the rest. Their behavior is very similar to what you guys saw this afternoon. And, we've seen the results. It appears that these Hollows have a special way of reincarnating themselves. When they find a soul reaper with enough spiritual energy, they grab ahold of him and drain him of almost all his energy. Research has shown that that Hollow can store it in a certain part of its body; condensing it and shaping it into a fixed point. Then, that Hollow will go after it's victim's Zanpakuto. It will analyze it's victim's memories of every instance that the soul reaper ever used his sword. Finding out its summoned call, name, type, and strengths and weaknesses. Then, the Hollow will turn its attention to the sword itself. It seems that the Hollow can make an imprint, a template of the Zanakuto's spirit. It then transfers that template to the spirit energy stored in side of it. It then transfers its own soul into that template. It appears that these Hollows are using these things to preserve themselves in the event that they die." Urahara folded his fan and held in front of his face. Ichigo started.
"Wait! So you mean that they leave a part of their spirit in..." Kisuke nodded.
"Make sure it doesn't happen. She isn't trained enough or disciplined enough." He added.
"But then what the hell do I tell everyone else?" Ichigo gripped the railing, his face contorted with worry. Kisuke stared up at the sky and sighed.
"Tell them nothing, and make sure no one finds out. That's all we can do."
Birds tweeted in the distance as they all flew towards their homes. It seemed like such a serene picture. But with the information produced about the new hollows, the peace seemed to almost be macabre.
"So...when you kill one of these Hollows, is there a chance that they can come back using an imprint they made?" There was concern in Ichigo's eyes. Kisuke cleared his throat.
"That's just a theory. So far, four of these things have been killed, but no one has seen anything odd yet."
"Has anyone else been imprinted upon yet? If that hollow we fought decided to come back, would it alter the physical appearance or take over Amber's soul?"
Urahara shook his head. "Like I said, there aren't any results back. Just whatever you do, try not to make it seem obvious something is wrong. And don't let either of them fight these things. They aren't ready." He rolled his shoulders back and yawned. "In the meantime, I'll be asking some captains and vice captains to come and help you out."
"What? Why do we need those? There was only one today, and nothing is happening now. And besides," Ichi crossed his arms. "I've got enough on my plate having to deal with those two Yanks"
The last time the other Soul Reapers came to help, it created a huge mess. They had no idea how to act without drawing attention to themselves. Kisuke chuckled.
"It's just a precaution. And look on the bright side; at least they are pleasing to look at." he laughed. Ichigo's face turned red. Kisuke only laughed harder!
"Anyways, the help will be here tomorrow. Goodnight." With that final word, Kisuke pulled his low brimmed hat over his eyes and walked down the stairs back to his shop. Ichigo sighed, wayching him go. The sunset turned a deep burnt orange, casting an orange tint over the world, while the sky shone starkly black against the sky. Amber poked her head outside.
"Hey you okay? You've been chatting an awfully long time."
"Yeah..." Ichigo said absently, as he watched Kisuke walk down the street. He took one last sweep of the horizon, and then went in himself, closing the door behind him. Amber plopped down in front of the TV, engrossing herself in another anime show. Alicia stood up and marched over to the orangette, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the kitchen.
"I know there is something you aren't telling me. What's going on here?" She hissed and glared at him.
"Nothing." Ichi couldn't look his friend in the eyes. He felt bad lying, but what else was he supposed to do? The chorus of an ending song could be heard from the TV speakers, and Amber stretched.
"Well, I'm running to the convenience store to grab a container of milk, so I don't go thirsty in the morning." She grabbed her wallet and jacket. Ichi took this excuse to get away from Alicia.
"Hey, you're not going anywhere." Ichi glared at Amber, coming back into the living room. Amber glared back.
"Who says?"
"I says, that's who." Ichigo went over and locked the door. Amber stamped her foot and crossed her arms.
"I'm just going around the corner! You can see the store from my window. It's not like someone is going to try and murder me or something. And I like milk first thing in the morning." She put her hands on her hips defiantly. Ichi stomped over to Amber. He bent down to face level.
"It's not safe at night. Besides, you can live without milk for one night." He said sarcastically.
Amber glared back. "Well you see, the thing is I can't. A normal person in America without coffee is what I'm like without milk in the morning. Secondly, who gave your permission to lock MY door? It is my apartment after all." Amber stuck out her tongue and darted to the door.
"She has a point with the door thing." Alicia interjected, watching the fiasco before her with a smirk. "Hey, I said you can't leave! It's too dangerous!" Ichi sprung after Amber. He caught her around the waist, lifting her into the air. Amber flayed her arms and legs.
"Hey! Let go of me!" She had to think quickly! Her life was on the line! She needed her milk! She was a monster without it! What would happen if she went into her Spirit form? She smirked to herself.
"Okay! Okay! Fine! You win!" she was set back down. She gave an indignant huff and stormed into her room.
"I'll be right back guys."
Amber casually went up to her room and closed the door. She silently locked it.
"Time to get my milk!" She whispered. She ran to her window and opened it. Under the window was a flight of escape stairs. She lowered herself onto the first wrung and climbed down. She had to hurry. It wouldn't be too long before Alicia and Ichigo would notice something was wrong. She wasn't normally a trouble maker, but how can getting a gallon of milk be dangerous? If anything, she'll just fall and scrape her hand.
"Everything is getting so weird here. I miss home." She whispered longingly as she hurried on her way.

Ichigo collapsed on the couch with a huff. He rubbed his temples wearily. Today had been too long. Now with the threat of a new and more dangerous Hollow species on the loose, he had a feeling things were only going to get longer. Alicia sat next to him. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. Ichi glanced to his side.
"What? Why're you looking at me like that?"
"There's something you're not telling me. What did that Mr. Hat'n Clogs say to you?" Alicia, was persistent.
"Hat'n what? Ugh never mind. He just said some things about the new hollow..." Ichigo trailed off. Alicia waited for him to continue. He sighed.
"Look its nothing you don't already know." Again, he wouldn't look into her eyes. Alicia noted this.
"I still don't believe you, carrot top. I know there's something else. You're a pretty sucky liar." Ichigo growled. He was getting annoyed with her.
"Look, if it's something you need to know in the future, then I'll tell you. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait." Alicia, on the other hand, wasn't going to take no for an answer. She turned around, and practically tackled him; she straddled his lap, grabbed the front of his shirt, and got in his face. Ichi didn't have time to react. He soon found himself pinned to the couch with a hot tempered red head mere inches from his face.
"Hey, hey! What gives, get off me!" He protested, struggling under her. But Alicia wouldn't let go.
"Listen you! I know you're hiding something about this Hollow!" Alicia's face was turning red. Ichi closed his eyes, trying to pry Alicia's hands off his shirt.
"You sure have one hell of a grip for girl, you know?" Suddenly, Ichi felt a white hot stinging sensation on his left cheek, he was momentarily blinded, and he vaguely registered falling sideways. He found himself sprawled on the couch and heard the angry footsteps of Alicia making their way upstairs to Amber's room. Alicia knocked steadily. "Amber, you okay? You've been in there a while." She waited. No reply came. She knocked a little harder.
"Okay enough with the jokes. I know you're mad, but you should come back out. I have to go home soon." Still no answer came. Exasperated, Alicia opened the door. A cold breeze hit her in the face. She scanned the dark room and saw the open window. Her eyes grew wide in fear.
"Oh no." She croaked. She ran to the window and called out.
"AMBER!" Without waiting for a reply, she raced back down stairs. She skidded to the kitchen where Ichi was applying a pack of ice to his cheek.
"Amber's gone!" She yelled. Ichigo whirled around.
"What?! What do me she's gone!"
"Just what I mean! I went into her room and her window was open. She's nowhere in sight!"
They both ran out the door and skipped down the stairs.
"Where's the nearest convenience store? She said it was close by here isn't it?" Alicia asked in a panic. "Yeah it's right there." Ichigo pointed to a brightly lit store front. The pair took off at a sprint. As they drew closer to the store, they could see Amber through the window. She had her milk and a candy bar in hand. She was walking to the counter.
"Man! She is so finished when I get through with her." Alicia huffed. "She acts like a little kid at the worst times!"

In the store, Amber was getting ready to check out. She pulled out her wallet.
"How much will that be?" she asked.
"50 yen" said the cashier. Amber paid and got ready to leave. Just as she turned from the counter, the lights above suddenly began to flicker, then stopped.
"Huh," said the cashier, "Need to get the wires checked." He closed the register. Amber shook it off and made for the door. The lights began to flicker again. This time, they wouldn't stop. Amber suddenly felt cold. She now wished she had stayed in her apartment. She trotted to the door, but stopped again. The air in front of it began to distort and change, like something was breaking through a space warp. Amber backed away as the distortion grew in size. She tripped over her feet and fell backward, dropping her bag and breaking the quart of milk in the process. The apparition before her stopped several feet away and began to take shape. It grew taller in size, reaching 7 and a half feet. Huge ram-like horns appeared on either side of its head. The head and face itself took on an ape-like appearance. A pair of four sharp fangs jutted from its lips. Its eyes were large and deep set. Two white hot points of light shone from them like flashlights. From behind it, a tail emerged, coiling and wrapping itself around its cloven hooved feet. Its legs, as well as its arms were thick and muscled. Its heavy hands had only three thick, claw-like fingers. The monster was covered from head to hoof in hard scales that glinted and sparkled in the now half-light of the store. It wore a flowing garment of a color Amber couldn't as yet make out, but it too, like its scales, shimmered. The beast sneered at her. It leaned over and whispered in a chilling voice.
"Hello there, remember me?"