Starrk watched the spirit make her way out of the store in silence. She seemed to walk with a new air about her. He took slight pride in seemingly lifting her mood.
But, the thought also reverberated in him a further feeling of loneliness. Despite how much he wanted to talk to her and befriend her, he knew he shouldn't, and he knew he couldn't.
His presence would tax her soul after so long, and like so many others, she too would deteriorate and die. He was a Hollow, she was a human soul.
It was ethically wrong. Yet just like so many other times, it bothered Starrk.
He could recall countless events of wanting to meet people and befriend them. His envy seemingly knew no bounds. Humans have it so easy.
He tried to calm his mind. His vacation to the human world wasn't treating him too well this time around.
That's when the thought came to mind. The entire reason he came to the human world in the first place.
That time was coming around.
He lay motionless in the bed, unsure if he should go to see it or not.
After much contemplation, he decided he should. The Arrancar figured if he had gone through this much trouble to come here, he may as well follow through with the entire goal of his trip.
He lazily rose from the bed, stretching slightly.
Again, he felt his mind wandering to the girl he had just met.
Starrk wondered what she would do. She said she was going to go find those soul reapers, who, judging from their spiritual pressure, were currently fighting a Hollow. He wondered if she'd see them in mid-combat.
To a human, that'd be one amazing sight.
He found a little humor in the thought of her staring at the battle like a little kid watching an anime episode. He slowly began to make his way to the store exit, taking his time. The soft music gave way to emptiness as he walked into the halls of the shopping center.
The empty place made Starrk uncomfortable.
The Arrancar was used to seeing it packed with people of all ages, race, and gender. Seeing it empty was just a symbolic way of reminding him of himself.
He silently began making his way to the doors, his mind ever bothering him as his footsteps echoed down the halls.
Hisagi felt the blade in his hands phase into its released form, a slight tingling sensation running through his palms as the weapon began to glow as it morphed and contorted.
His released Zanpakuto, Kazeshini, spread into his free hand and solidified. He grasped both handles, and wasted no time reacting.
He threw the glowing blade in his right hand at the on coming truck, allowing his blade and the spiritual pressure it gave off to slice the vehicle in half.
Both halves of the semi fell to each side of Hisagi and Kira, offering a clear line of sight between the Hollow and Hisagi. The crash of the truck tore up concrete and shook the ground, tossing up dirt around the two Shinigami.
Hisagi held his hand above his head, his blade still in the air spinning from his attack on the truck. It quietly fell into his hand, and he brought the weapon down to his side, hearing the chains of his weapon clang as they fell to the concrete road while the glow dissipated from his completely released Zanpakuto.
He now held in each hand a double-bladed scythe, one blade inverted on each weapon, the handles being nearly as long as his legs. A long chain connected each weapon at its base.
Hisagi took a moment to gaze at his opponent, allowing the dust to settle from the destroyed semi truck.
The Hollow reeled its head back, and let out another fearsome roar. The road they were on was lined with multi-story apartment complexes on both sides, hindering Hisagi's freedom to battle.
He knew he'd have to end this soon before the Hollow ran deeper into the packed city.
The screech from the beast soon caused the windows in the apartments at its back to shatter simultaneously, causing the Lieutenant to recall the windowless cars in the parking lot.
The Hollow let its war cry dissipate, and slowly lowered its head to stare down its opponent. Glass shards smoothly rained down on the Hollow.
That was when Hisagi caught his fault.
He had been waiting for the beast to attack first, so Hisagi may counter and hopefully end this ridiculous battle. Unfortunately, the Hollow now had its new weapon.
Its gaze unwavering, the glass silently stopped falling, and the shards held suspended in mid air.
"Bakudo, 39!" Hisagi quickly called out, raising his fist to the Hollow. "Enkosen!"
He felt his spiritual pressure twist around his raised arm, condensing together just off of his fist. The feeling made his back feel heavy, though his chest and arm comfortably warmed as his energy flooded across them.
A gold, spinning shield appeared in front of Hisagi, providing a line of defense between the Lieutenant and the Hollow.
The shards of glass that were suspended quickly shot through the air at an alarming speed, colliding with the shield just as it successfully formed.
They slammed into the spinning wall of energy, burning up upon impact. The assault continued for several seconds, Hisagi crouching behind the shield, holding it with his fist.
Hisagi waited for a lull in the oncoming glass, and hurled the blade in his left hand through the shield, shattering it in the process. The golden chunks that were clumsily falling to the ground revealed the Hollow to Hisagi, who was hoping his surprise attack would work. Hisagi heard the broken portions of his shield evaporate as they hit the ground, and listened as the chains on his weapon rattled.
The Hollow again showed its surprising agility, and side stepped the spinning blade, causing the pin-wheel looking weapon to wedge itself into the apartment. More shards of glass shot at Hisagi's location. He leapt into the air, the shards passing harmlessly under him and harmlessly over the injured Kira, who was still lying on the ground.
Hisagi could sense his spiritual pressure, so he knew he was still "alive."
In mid air he pulled the chain with his left hand, jerking the weapon free from the building. He caught the weapon and fell toward the Hollow, who jumped away from Hisagi as the Shinigami swung at the location the fallen spirit was a split second before. His blade hit glass on the concrete, and Hisagi realized he had landed on a pile of glass.
The Lieutenant didn't hesitate to attack again, however. He immediately took a step forward and threw the weapon in his right hand at the Hollows waist.
The Hollow jumped strait up into the air, Hisagi's blade flying under the beast. The Hollow landed heavily, the chain still flying past it.
Hisagi felt movement under his feet, and glanced down. The shards he was standing on began to vibrate slightly.
The Lieutenant desperately threw his entire body backwards, performing a back flip as the shards fired strait up into the overcast sky.
He landed on a knee, and pulled the chain with his right hand. The air-borne blade several yards behind the Hollow came back toward Hisagi, the beast oblivious of the weapon flying toward its back.
Kazeshini cut into the back of the Hollow's hip, the blue scales on its back being torn out of the way. It cleanly worked its way through, exiting the creature and causing a spinning trail of dark blood to splash across the road.
Its gold eyes expanded from the shock, and it let out a cry of pain as Hisagi caught his Zanpakuto. It brought one of its spiky arms down to clutch the gash that extended from its umbilicus to its waist, its long fingers successfully hiding the wound from sight.
Hisagi was momentarily surprised that his attack had worked. However, he quickly pulled his weapon back to make the finishing throw.
But as he did, an incoming spiritual pressure caught his attention, and held him in place.
It was a powerful spiritual pressure, and it sent a chill down his spine. The intent to kill was ridiculous.
He began to turn his head around to see the oncoming assailant.
The speed at which the entity was approaching was phenomenal, and the closer it got, the deeper the feeling of concern etched its way into his head.
He was now facing completely away from the Hollow, completely ignoring the fact that the beast was still there. He lowered his arm as he turned.
The spiritual pressure closed in at a faster pace than when he had first sensed it. The closer it got, the more he realized what was causing such a ferocious feeling.
His back was now rigid, entirely turned away from the Hollow. The sudden flash of movement just barely caught his attention in the peripherals of his left eye.
The world seemed to slow down as the spiritual pressure screamed past him. He turned his head as fast as he could to follow the source of it, but it seemed that no matter how quick he turned, the only thing his eye could trace were the toes of a black Chinese shoe.
He noticed glass reflecting the sun in the air glittering around the toes, realizing they were the pieces the Hollow had tossed at the sky moments before. As his head turned, the falling shards swept toward the shoe, altering their original downward path.
Hisagi turned around, the shoe now out of sight, and was surprised by a sudden gust coming from behind him. The burst of air was enough to toss several trashcans and the broken glass past the Lieutenant.
Finally facing the Hollow once more, he saw Soi Fon covering the front of the beast. She had one leg on its front left knee, the other on its right shoulder. Her right arm was placed in the Hollow's chest.
It took Hisagi a moment to take in what had just happened, but he knew that Soi Fon had flown in out of nowhere and had successfully stabbed the Hollow with her Zanpakuto.
She pulled her hand from the beast's chest, revealing her released weapon. Suzumebachi covered her right arm almost down to her elbow in an ornate gold and black armor, with a single blade covering her middle finger. Hisagi knew of its ability, but had never seen it in person: Nigeki Kessatsu, Death in Two Steps.
She began to bring her arm back down to deliver the second stab, thus finishing the beast. However, to Hisagi's surprise, her white Captain's jacket suddenly lurched away from the Hollow and toward the Lieutenant at an alarming speed.
He realized the Hollow had used its ability to hit the Captain with something, though Hisagi wasn't able to tell what she got hit with. The Lieutenant also wasn't able to correctly judge the speed at which the Captain of the Onmitsukido was flying at him.
He got hit hard in the sternum and fell backwards, his eyes shutting in response. He felt the wind leave his body and his weapon drift from his grasp. His back hit the ground, and he could tell he had been rocked.
Soi Fon landed on her stomach. Though she wasn't entirely sure what she had landed on, she was thankful it didn't hurt too badly. The only thing she was positive of was that a car door had flown out from behind the Hollow as she was preparing to stab the creature, and it hit her in the collarbone. She had flown back so far not because of the force of the blow, but the door actually carried her away from the beast. That led her to believe the Hollow had some kind of ability to move its environment.
She didn't know the specifics of how it did this, but she didn't want to. One more stab and the confrontation would be over.
She cringed at the though of failing to kill it on the first try, and placed her left hand on what she thought was going to be grass or dirt, yet she placed her palm on something far from either, however, and the feeling surprised her. It felt like muscle.
She suddenly felt pressure on her butt, and the Captain wasn't sure how to react.
Startled, she raised her head up slightly and quickly turned her head. To her surprise, her nose politely bumped into Hisagi's.
Hisagi lay paralyzed. It took him a moment, but he found that Soi Fon was lying on top of him, stomach to stomach, and his hand was where it most definitely should not be.
The two lay there for a time that felt like forever, though in reality it was probably only around two seconds.
The Lieutenant was terrified.
He knew no way to react. Now, if this had been Matsumoto, no, any other female in all of Soul Society, he could react effectively in a situation like this. However, given the current circumstance, he knew of no reaction that could safely resolve the current situation.
He removed his hand, feeling a nervous sweat bead drip down his face. He could feel his eyes widen as his fear grew.
Without warning, Soi Fon flash stepped off of the Lieutenant, several steps away, her back to him. He nervously sat up, thankful for the weight of the tiny woman to leave his body.
"Hey!"
He recognized Kira's voice and was thankful, both that he was conscious again and for the interruption of the current scene. The blonde Soul Reaper had stumbled out from behind the remains of the semi truck, and judging by his facial expression it was clear he had walked onto an odd scene.
But his face quickly turned serious, and he gestured with his Zanpakuto.
"The Hollow's escaping!"
He had entirely forgotten about the creature that he had been fighting just moments before. He looked where the beast had been, and saw it running toward the mall parking lot yet again, its long tail swaying as it ran.
"What are you idiots doing?" Soi Fon yelled at them while turning to face them. Hisagi was surprised to see her face slightly pink.
His combat gears began turning again, however, and he grabbed his fallen weapon and stood up.
"After him!" Soi Fon ordered.
The three began their pursuit in silence, Hisagi scared, Kira nervous, and Soi Fon pissed off.
Despite beginning the chase at the same time, Soi Fon naturally pulled ahead of the group in a short amount of time.
Maria walked through the empty parking lot, somehow not surprised that it was devoid of both life and windows. She began to pick up her pace, unsure where the "Soul Reapers" had gone to.
She got to the edge of the parking lot, and came to an interesting sight.
Various dumpsters and signs were lying around the outside of an apartment complex, which was also missing all of its windows. A semi truck lay in the middle of the road, split clear down the middle. She noticed a few people daring enough to poke their head out of the windows, though she didn't acknowledge them.
It's not like they could see her anyway.
She looked for clues as to which way to go, surveying the battle field.
She tried to imagine what kind of battle could lead to the devastation here. Who would cut a truck in half and why? Was it necessary to throw a traffic sign and dumpsters? And why did everything seem to be missing their windows?
The Plus looked to the sky, somehow hoping for either an answer or directions. She was given neither, though noticed that the sun had began its decent.
She pushed a lock of her blonde hair out of her face, realizing her pony tail has somewhat fallen apart. She removed the hair tie and let her hair down for a moment.
She shut her eyes, and felt a slight breeze run its cold hands through her hair. The feeling of simply relaxing was nostalgic. For a brief moment, while the wind was rushing by her, she let everything go. At that moment it didn't matter that there is a crazy monster running around the city, it didn't matter that she could cease to exist if she messes one thing up, and it certainly didn't matter that she was dead.
A small grin tugged at the sides of her mouth, the wind letting go of her hair.
It was a nice feeling.
Her empty mind subconsciously caught on to something.
Her eyes tore open, shocked at the feeling. She couldn't wrap her head around it.
Somehow, she could feel where the "Soul Reapers" were, and there were now three of them. She couldn't believe it. It was as if she had a radar in her head that just suddenly turned on and pointed her where to go.
She tried to focus on the feeling more, afraid to let it go, though she found the more she concentrated on it, the less she could feel them. Her stomach got queasy the harder she tried.
The Plus gave up trying. The feeling she had was completely gone.
But, she didn't let that get her down. Somehow, she had a direction.
She smiled, now determined to track these guys down.
Maria put her hair back up, and ran down the street after the Soul Reapers.
Hisagi leapt on top of another roof, barely keeping Soi Fon in sight. Every step she took made her drift farther ahead.
The Lieutenant turned, and saw Kira lagging behind. The injured Lieutenant was struggling to keep up Soi Fon's monster pace.
Hisagi turned to Soi Fon's direction, preparing to shout something to the extent of "Do you even know where the hell we're going?" but kept his mouth shut as he saw the Captain land on a building and stop moving.
The tattooed Soul Reaper landed behind her, Kazeshini's chains rattling as they met with the rooftop. Kira landed soon after, clutching his wound.
"What's wrong, Captain?" Kira asked, only partially out of breath.
"I lost him."
Hisagi raised an eye brow.
"I can't sense that Hollow anymore. And if I can't, it's not like you guys can."
Hisagi and Kira gave a passing glance of, "did she really just say that?" to one another, but both were wise enough to stay silent.
"Well then, what should we do?" Hisagi asked.
"We wait," Soi Fon replied. "It's a wounded, wild beast. It can't stay hidden for long. It'll jump at the nearest opportunity to feed."
"So we use some innocent person as bait?" Kira asked.
"That's right." Soi Fon turned to face the Lieutenant. "Got a problem with that?"
"Of course I do," Kira boldly replied. "What if we can't catch it in time and someone gets hurt?"
"What else can we do?" Soi Fon asked, the look on her face unchanging.
Kira got quiet.
"There's no other option, Kira." Hisagi told his friend. He placed a comforting hand on the wounded Lieutenants shoulder.
"And besides," Soi Fon announced as she turned around. "I can catch anything in time."
Maria jogged around a corner, somewhat surprised she hadn't seen many people around. Guess news of the haunted mall spread quick.
She slowed her pace, and eventually came to a stop. She had been running for a good twenty minutes, unsure of where to go now.
She looked around where she was at, a dark road, with high buildings on both sides of the street. She figured she'd mix it up, and instead of following the road, take an alley or two.
"Why not?" she thought to herself.
She turned into the alley, catching her breath as she walked. The alley was filthy, with overrun dumpsters, wood pallets, and sheet metal littering the sides. She shut her eyes as she walked.
She put both hands on her face, and began to rub her tired eyes. She was tired.
It clicked in the blonde's' mind that she hadn't slept since she had died.
She removed her hands from her face in time to see that the dark alley ended abruptly in a brick wall.
Sure, she was expecting a chain link fence or something like that, but not a wall.
Frustrated, she turned around to exit the alley.
As she turned, to her horror, there was something standing at the alley's opening.
The hollow let out a fearsome growl.
