Chapter 7
"Grand Fisher, the hollow thats been the cause of many shinigami deaths is the one responsible for moms death. I found that out earlier." Ichigo spoke. "What we need to figure out now, is how to lure it out of hiding, and kill it."
Hiro sat cross-legged on the floor across from Ichigo. He had spent the past few hours listening to Ichigo's stories about being a shinigami, and how Rukia had changed him. It was an odd few hours for him, even though this was the way he'd imagined family was. He was away from home for far longer than he realized it seemed. Ichigo had a way of telling stories that wasn't overly boastful, nor impossible to listen to, and Hiro's mind flashed back to memories of his childhood.
"So, you've fought it. What is it like? Strengths, weaknesses." Hiro replied.
Ichigo rubbed the back of his neck. "It's power is immesurable. Its hard to say. From what I did see, its capable of hiding itself, and it has a lure. Thats how he got mom."
Hiro thought about his mother, and felt a twitch of an emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time. Like an emerging problem that had been hastily repressed. His eyes started to sting, and his gut sank. He tried to block the tidal wave of feeling, but being back in the family home, and reconnecting with Ichigo made things difficult.
"I don't hear any yelling coming from here, so I'm going to assume that you're getting along." Yuzu's voice came from the hall. She peeked her head into the room, holding a tray with some food on it. "I brought some snacks."
"Thanks Yuzu, you can leave them on ny desk." Ichigo replied.
Yuzu pouted, indignantly glaring at the back of Ichigo's head. "You could at least look at me while I talk to you."
Hiro stood up, using the distraction to stave off breaking down. He quickly walked over to Yuzu, and smiled while grabbing the plate from her.
"Thanks Yuzu. This looks delicious." He happily stated.
The sudden change in demeanor surprised both Ichigo and Yuzu, making the latter turn and watch him suspiciously. Hiro wasn't the most expressive, and Ichigo thought that something was up with him.
Yuzu smiled, tilting her head as Hiro took the tray from her. "Thanks Hiro! I hope you like it!"
Yuzu turned, and left the room, leaving Hiro with the tray. He looked down at the food, and everything was expertly packed, and sorted. She had the skills of a five star chef, and seemed to be passionate about cooking. He was thankful for an actual meal for the first time in a long time.
"Right then, you ready to head out?" Ichigo spoke out loud.
"Head out? What?" Hiro asked, turning around to see Ichigo in his Shinigami form, and Rukia wearing a black and red glove.
Hiro placed the food down, and walked toward Rukia. "I take it that glove is how you do this? Alright, lets get going."
Rukia approached Hiro, and in one swift motion, pulled Hiro's shinigami form from his body. A sense of freedom filled Hiro, and he finally felt like he could strech his legs. He raised his hands, and bent from side to side.
"I'll just get you into your bed's and we'll get going." Rukia stated.
Hiro watched as the tiny girl effortlessly picked up both Ichigo and Hiro, placing them into their beds. He made a mental note to not piss her off.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
The cool summer nights air brushed past Hiro's face as he sailed through the air. He thought back on his training with Yoruichi, and remembered that even he had his limits. He looked over to Ichigo, and saw him sailing with ease, even though he was carrying Rukia. They seemed close, and even though it was none of his buisness, he thought they were good for eachother.
"Ichigo, hollow. Over there to the left." Rukia said, checking her soul pager.
Hiro heard, and leapt over to where she was pointing, and landed on a street light. He scanned the area, and noticed a small disturbance near the river. Leaping from street light to street light, Hiro made his way closer to the disturbance. His senses flooded with negative hollow energy, almost becoming too much to handle. He looked around, and found nothing. The amount of pressure was staggering, and seemingly out of nowhere, his head began to pound, his ears began to ring, and his vision blurred.
"Hiro!" Ichigo shouted.
Hiro turned around, and saw the barrier the hollow was emerging from open inches away. He jumped away, landing on the roof a warehouse that Ichigo and Rukia were standing on. Ichigo unsheathed his large Zanpakuto, and Hiro followed suit, taking a defensive stance each.
"Wait until it comes through, we shouldn't rush in." Hiro stated.
Ichigo smiled, prepared for a fight, and itching to relieve some stress. Hiro's sudden appearance had given him a lot more anxiety than he thought it would, and this was the perfect catharsis. Rukia stepped back, ready to assist the brothers if needed, as she had explained, her Kido still retained its potency.
The tear opened fully, and a hollow emerged. It fell directly to the ground, landing with a thunderous bang, kicking up dust and dirt. The cloud concealed it from the trio's eyes, and they waited for a moment more.
As the cloud cleared, the red/orange coloured scaled monster was slowly revealed. The long, spine covered tail swung dangerously behind it, knocking into the light post that Hiro had been standing on. The beast had a relatively simple mask, a long, singular horn adorned the top of it, which curved back behing its neck.
"Big guy here, so speed it key. Unless it's a hell of a lot faster than it looks." Hiro said as he examined the hollow. "So, if we-"
Hiro saw Ichigo leap off the warehouse, and raise his Zanpakuto with reckless abandon. He looked back at Rukia, who was smirking, yet still annoyed.
"He's your brother. Don't look at me." Rukia exasperated. "Better go make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
Hiro turned back and saw Ichigo bury his zanpakuto into the back of the hollow, effectively getting it's attention. Hiro leapt down, trying to aim for the far side of the hollow, where it wouldn't know he was, and launch his attack from there. He descended quickly, spinning past the large beasts head and back, landing where he aimed. He recovered, and turned back, only for its tail to smash into his chest, sending him flying down the road.
"Hiro!!" Ichigo shouted.
Hiro landed on his feet, skidding to a halt a few feet back. Aside from winded, and a scratch, he was okay, but he was furious with Ichigo. There best bet was surprise, and he jumped into the fray without so much as a thought. He decided to play it up, and dropped down to one knee.
Ichigo landed beside his younger brother, concern ppastered on his face. "You okay?!"
"Damn it Ichigo! You need to take a second, and use you god damned head for once!" Hiro screamed.
Rising to his feet, Hiro stood next to Ichigo and readied his Zanpakuto. Ichigo grumbled obscenities, and adopted his own defensive stance as well.
"Right, let's go over how we'll kill Fisher." Hiro confidently said. "And act it out with big guy here."
"Well, I've fought it before, so follow my lead." Ichigo replied.
The brothers jumped to either side if the hollow, splitting to get it to focus on one of them. The bait worked, and Ichigo found himself being chased by the hollow. He leapt from the ground landing on a small shack next to the building that Rukia was on, and turning. He raised his zanpakuto and brought it down in time for the hollow to strike at him. Sparks and blood sprayed the ground as the blade dug into the palm of the hollow.
Hiro slid under the hollow's stomach, digging the blade into it as he passsed. He tried to find purchase, but the armoured scaled caused his zanpakuto to deflect away. He emerged from the backside of the hollow, and after side stepping it's tail, jumped to safety. Hiro looked over at Ichigo, who was airborne again, swinging erraticalled at the hollow.
"Sokatsui!" Rukia shouted.
Nanashi saw a blue, electirc flame crash into the hollow, sending it careening to the ground. Ichigo landed beside Rukia, and Hiro leapt toward them as well. The hollow crashed into the ground, and laid on its back as it tried to recover.
"It's armor is too thick, I can't pierce it." Hiro stated.
"I saw that, so my kido should have compromised it." Rukia replied.
"Ready Hiro?" Ichigo asked. "Together this time. Got it."
For the first time, the two brothers had a similar goal, something to press them forward. They knew that every battle, every bruise would be worth it. They knew that if they would be able to stop Fisher from killing anyone esle, then they might save another family from grieving a premature death. It was enough for Hiro to drop his guard, and to want to work with Ichigo. He owed his mother that much at least. With new found ferocity, Hiro and Ichigo erupted toward their target, with the image of Masaki in their minds.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
Chapter 7 of Brothers Lost, for SketchyWolf
Hiro and Ichigo are learning to fight along one another, rather than against each other. Character growth y'all.
As with Memories, I'm looking to upload a chapter every 2 - 3 weeks at a time. Gives me a chance to give these chapters and stories the care they deserve. As always, let me know what you think!
Spooky