4. First Day on the Job

MEANWHILE...:*

I've been walking these hellish deserts for what seems like years now. Although it's hard to tell, the moon never sets. I hate this place.

Another monster rises from the sand. Red eyes, white mask, body of an insect but at least twice my height. It lets out a shrill cry that synchronises in a way that sounds like thousands of voices. It faces me with its scissor like claws.

"You're in my way." I frustratingly call.

It doesn't respond, just rears up, ready to lunge at me with its claws.

Here it comes. I raise my hand. The monster is nearly within range of me. My range is farther. Rope-like extensions from my fingers impale the worthless insect in several places. The creature starts dissolving into the night, but not before I can devour it.

The hunger takes over as I claw into a chunk of the monster's arm. This one is weak and won't satisfy this hunger I've been feeling. I must continue on, a quest to nowhere.

I brush my long black hair and my fingernails tap against my mask.

*****

WORLD OF THE LIVING – TOKYO

MASANE:

I'm back now. Back in my home city. Somewhere out there, I will find my daughter. But Higouchi said for now, it is business. So I try to distract my thoughts with something else.

"Say, look at the funny guy dressed as a monster." I show Higouchi the funny looking costume in the distance. His look indicates anything but laughter.

"Masane, look closer, that thing over there is not a man dressed in fancy costume."

My eyes squint in focus as the funny man is at least fifty metres away from us. People walk past, oblivious to this stand out figure – that's one indicator of something. When I walk closer I notice the large, white, ovoid mask. His body, which resembles a gorilla, has a distinct hole in his chest.

A Hollow

"Come on Masane. I'll show you how it's done."

"Don't you think we should take it away from all these people first?" I advise Higouchi.

"Hollows don't usually feed on the living, unless it is their loved one. Often they feed on the wholes, which are souls with their chain intact. It should not cause any trouble for now – in fact – I normally wouldn't bother in this situation, but since you're here I might as well show you."

The hollow scampers around in search for fresh souls, lifting stalls and shifting objects. The people look bemused at what caused it.

"Are these people idiots?" I say but to no answer as Higouchi has already challenged the hollow. He brings up his sword in a diagonal arc but the gorilla hollow arches back to avoid the strike. The hollow responds with a swipe to his right side, punching him hard in the ribs.

"Higouchi!" I run over to his aid but just avoid another wild swipe from the hollow.

"Masane...I am injured but will live...remember what I told you...he collapses unconscious."

"Oh no! Now I have to fight him?" I say to myself as I draw my sword, shaking.

This is no good. My body is shaking.

I face the gorilla and close my eyes as I give a wild swing. No good, the hollow saw right through that one. I attempt a more graceful move as I swing my sword horizontally. The hollow stops it with his arm and only just gets grazed. It charges with a forward punch but I bring up my sword just in time. The force sends me flying past the crowd and into a wall. Finally the crowd notices something strange is afoot and start running in a panic running in various directions. Now the hollow is camouflaged in a fog of people. He's almost near me. But I'm trapped between two bins. I have nowhere to go but to just sit and wait for my death. I close my eyes as it is ready to strike.

SLASH. What was that? I open one of my eyes and see some red flickers withdraw into my hands. The hollow remains static for a few seconds before seams of blood appear across his body. Those seams turn to full blown cuts as his body rips apart into several pieces and dissolves.

"Did I do that?" I say again to myself as I stand up. The markets are empty now.

"Good work Masane." A suspiciously fully recovered Higouchi pats me on the back.

"Are you telling me you feigned injury, just so I could fight him for you?" Flames gather around my face.

He brings up his hands in defence. "Hey now. Boss said I must train you, well today was your first lesson."

"But I thought YOU were meant to deal with hollow and I watch and learn that way!?"

"Yeah but I was so impressed with you last night I thought I'd give you a go. Besides if he looked like a threat I would've still saved you."

"Tch" I storm off away from him but he soon follows.

"Come on now Masane. We have plenty more things to do today other than kill low-grade hollows."

"Wait, that thing was 'low-grade'? You got to be kidding me?"

"Eventually as you get more experienced you will see that there are much stronger types of hollow out there, some of which are stronger than even my Captain."

"No way?" I am awed.

After a few hours and a few kilometres later we arrive at an empty children's playground. A child's cries can be heard on a nearby swing. I only just notice that it is one of those 'wholes' that Higouchi told me about. Unlike hollows, these wholes look entirely human, and have a chain instead of a hole in there chest.

This whole appears as a small girl with very long and curly blonde hair. I walk over so she can see me. "Hey there. What's the matter?"

I brush her hair to reveal her fair skin and blue eyes. She speaks past her sniffs. "Mr. Boo didn't show up today."

"Mr. Boo?" I look as bemused as Higouchi does when he shows up.

"He is my only friend. He brings me candy every day."

"Well maybe we can find him for you." I seem to talk to her the way I used to with my own daughter. It makes me feel a little better. "What does Mr. Boo look like?"

She wipes away her tears and dries her hands on her long white dress. "Well he looks like a gorilla, but with a big white mask on."

My eyes widen. "Wait you mean your friend's a hollow?"

The girl shrieks at my loud outburst. "I don't know what you mean. He is my friend, that's all that matters."

Higouchi takes it from here. "Kid, I'm not sure how to say this but, your friend...well...he told us he was leaving town."

"What!?" Both the girl and I say in shock.

Higouchi give me a subtle wink so I step back. "Mr. Boo has a family in another town which he hasn't seen in a long time. He wanted us to tell you that he was leaving."

"No! Mr. Boo wouldn't do such a thing. And if he did, he would tell me first. We are best friends and you people have done something to him." The girl jumps off the swing, with a vengeful look in her eyes.

Higouchi draws his sword with the hilt facing the girl. "O'right, you wanna know what we did? We killed him."

The girl's face grew even paler and her jaw dropped in utter shock. Higouchi sought to perform the Konso on her whilst in this state. Before she had time to even mourn Mr. Boo's passing, she sunk into a blue pool of some strange substance.

"That's what a soul burial looks like Masane." Higouchi sheaths his sword. "We Shinigami are not just responsible for saving wholes from hollows but sending them to Soul Society."

"Yeah but that poor girl, we killed her friend." I look down regrettably, since it was ME who killed Mr. Boo.

"Remember what I told you. Almost all souls, wholes and hollow, end up in Soul Society. If she is lucky she will be reunited with him."

"If she's lucky...what's that supposed to mean?" A bit of angst in my voice.

"Well the sheer processing that takes place in Soul Society means that most family and friends end up separated once they enter Rukongai. Those two may be on the other sides of Rukongai or just end up a block away.

"Wow. So one day Rihoko will live with me in Soul Society."

He averted his gaze. "Yeah, sure."

The sky radiated orange as the sun descended into a beautiful sleep. "Well that about does it for Shinigami duties today. Come on; let's find a place to rest."

We walked for some time until it was moonlight. We found a ledge on a cliff overlooking the city.

"Wow! What a magnificent view." Higouchi commented.

"Yeah...I remember taking Rihoko up here once. We had a big picnic, it was so much fun." I pull an almost childish grin. Higouchi sighed.

"You must really want to see her again."

"Yeah."

"Does she have anyone taking care of her?"

"I could imagine that either her biological father has taken her in or she is staying with Tozawa and the others."

"So if you know she's okay then why haven't you let go of her?"

I sigh as I lay on the grass "I just couldn't do that myself. I told her during my last day with her that 'I'd still be around, she just wouldn't be able to see me'."

"Gee, it must be hard telling your loved ones that your gonna die." Higouchi seemed very interested now.

"She was upset at first but I said to her I wanted to still see her smile, and so she did after a while."

"Well I'm sure she won't ever forget you, and she's probably coping by now."

"Yeah but if I ever get the chance, I'd love to just say goodbye one last time."

Higouchi sat up from his rest. "Y'know what? I'm gonna make it up to you. Let's find your daughter tomorrow."

I lit up with enthusiasm. "Really, we can do that?"

"Yeah, why not."

"Oh thank you, thank you, and thank you!" I constricted Higouchi with my hug. The Tozawa look-a-like pushed me away as he grunted.

"Enough already...let's just rest some more."

He seems as grumpy as Tozawa as well

I chuckled at the thought. Then closed my eyes, now with something to look forward to. Tomorrow would be the day.

*The first scene is indeed set in Hueco Mundo, but who could the person be? You'll find out soon enough.