Szayel?

Szayel! Wake up!

Gabriel sighed and slowly opened his eyes to stare up at the dark ceiling of his room. Ugh…I'm so hungry… I should go get something to eat…No, it would be useless. Here. I would let you figure things out by yourself, however, I can sense you are going to end up wasting away because you don't understand a damn thing, Szayel. Yes, that's you. Climb out of bed. We are going hunting. Gabriel frowned and slowly climbed out of bed, knowing that Fornicaras was ri-he froze.

He felt different. "Um…What did you do?"

The sword on the bed was silent.

The sword next to his sleeping body.

Gabriel snatched it up, "What do you think you are doing?!" he yelled at it, "I'm… Here and yet, I'm over there!"

Well. I had to take you out of your body to go hunting.

"Hold up! We can't just leave! Can't I die?!" Gabriel cried, wanting to strangle the sword, but it didn't have a neck. "I mean-"

Maybe you would die if you stayed out of your body too long. I don't know.

Great. Just-Oh… wait a sec… why… Gabriel stared down at himself, suddenly realizing another fact. Why I am I… nude? Don't people who have out of-Wh…Why do I have a hole in- we need some pants here. That's all there is to-

The sound of footsteps outside his room, made Gabriel freeze.

"Fornicaras, I thought you said no one could hear me!" he whispered to the blade.

Yes. I know I did. People cannot-oh.

The door to his room opened to reveal a very tired Karri in her pink and white polka-dot pajamas.

Damn.

"Ugh…" she reached a hand up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Gabriel, what are you doing up at this hour?"

She can only hear us, Fornicaras tried to reassure, and not very well.

Really? Gabriel thought, hoping that his mother would go back to bed and-

"What…" Karri wasn't sure what to think as she stared at the scene and her son who was grinning like he was going to sneak out of the house or something. "It isn't very hot in here…and oh, what are you doing with sucj a panicked look on your face?

"What do you-" He clamped a hand over his mouth.

"What's that for?" Karri yawned again. "I'm your mom. No. I won't ask what you are doing in the nude, but you need to get back to bed and…" Her eyes laid themselves on the brightest, the most… brilliant pink hair she had ever seen. "Um… Why did you dye your hair without asking me?"

Gabriel glanced at his hair and gasped. "What?! Pink?!"

I…I like it.

"What are you gasping for? You dyed it." Karri stepped into the room and walked over to the window to close it so the cold outside air stopped coming in. "And I would have found the dye box soon enough. But…" She wasn't sure if it were just too dark in this room or, "What happened to your eyes?"

"Um.. My eyes?" Gabriel had no clue what she were talking about.

"Yes. They… they look amber-colored and-" Karri paused, her eyes looking over at the bed. She let out a long sigh and leaned on the desk facing her son who was such a sweetheart sometimes…. "Honey. Why didn't you just tell me you were a ghost?"

Gabriel's mouth fell open.

Fornicaras was speechless.

"Wh…what?!" he cried, his mind reeling. "What do you mean? I mean… you can see me?"

"Yeah?" Karri replied, so tired she did not care if she sounded sarcastic. "I can see you…and your lack of clothes… honey, aren't you cold?"

Gabriel paused and shook his head. "No…I'm not. But, what about the ghost?"

"Yes, the ghosts. I have been able to see them for a while; since I had you and Lyneth, actually. It began with a sense of knowing other things were there and that really scared you dad. So we agreed we should not tell you I could see ghosts or what not if you couldn't see them and I didn't want a scared little kid on my hands. Your dad can't really see anything, but I think he's getting more spooked. He told me recently he can see shimmers, which is how it started with me. There. Your mother's whole story about ghosts at… four in the morning when you should be in bed and not out of your body. So, tell me, what exactly are you doing out of your body, Gabriel?"

"I… I don't really know," he said, glancing nervously around the room. "I woke up and was told to get out of bed and…what am I doing up here? I was downstairs and I-"

"Well, your Dad carried you upstairs once you fell asleep," Karri said. "Connor overdosed on Pokemon and you slept right through it, amazingly enough."

"I'll say…" Gabriel laughed, "I'm honestly impressed by my sleeping skills as he likes to act it all out and…Mom. You like ghosts, right?"

"Yes?" she was going to get right to the point, "and I like sons too. They do a good job at mowing the lawn. Worth having around."

"And… some ghosts are not as-never mind. Mom, do you know these things called hollows?"

Karri glanced at the open door and back at her son. "Yes? Kind of."

"M…mom…I…" Gabriel knew it might break her heart and yet she was a mere human tha-Stop. Stop thinking like that! She… she much more than that. She's… "Mom. I don't want you to be alarmed and-"

"Do you think I'm blind?" Karri slurred, almost feeling like this conversation was hardly needed. She was his mother. She'd notice anything different. "And why would I care if you were a Hollow of all things when I'm tired? Or even when I'm not?"

Gabriel smiled a bit and shrugged. "I suppose you're right. Anyhow…I am sorry to have woken you."

"No, no. Think nothing of it. But…" Karri spun around in the desk chair a few times, trying to wake up. "Where were you going?"

"Out." Her son confessed. "Not to run away, though. I'd come back."

"Good. Because, Lyenth is so grounded."

"Agreed." Gabriel snickered a little as he imagined his sister returning only to hear her punishment. "But in honest, I…I am rather hungry."

"It's the sword, isn't it?" Karri figured she should get to the point. "Before this, you were not hungry. So… explain the sword, maybe? Because the two hollows I've seen didn't have any."

"Oh…" Gabriel sighed, glancing at Fornicaras in his hands. "Yes. I guess they wouldn't. And wait a minute! You saw hollows?! When?! Wh-"

"Shh!" Karri put a finger to her lips. "You dad might actually hear that! And yes, I did see two. Both when I was pregnant with Lyenth; they seemed to trail me, but the… people in black took care of them. And thankfully, one of them took the time to explain to your mother, who was just a little too close to becoming lunch, what these creatures were. Now, back to the sword."

"Yes. This sword. Mom… This is a long story that you're going to have to hear at some point, but, we have Soul Reapers over here?"

"Well, make it short as I'm tired and I need to know what is with you and that sword, yes, but I won't let them hurt you and I haven't seen any around for many years. Son and mother outing, so we can talk, okay?"

"Yes, sounds good. Now, the sword," Gabriel was so thankful she understood and yet, why was he still so feel so…confused? He sighed and held up the sword in his hands,"You know how hollows have those white masks, mom?"

Karri nodded. She knew what he was talking about, but she were too tired to let her son explain. "Yeah. I do. Go on."

"Well…I had mine ripped off and it came to form this sword. This stores my previous self. And yes, it talks, but it is me talking to me."

"Yeah…that makes sense," Karri said, pointing to the bed. "Get in, you look cold and eat tomorrow. I'll let you skip school so we can talk, school of which I completely forgot about."

"All right…." Gabriel wasn't going to refuse as he was actually starting to get cold. He climbed back in his body laying on the bed and closed his eyes, wondering for a moment… just a moment, who he was again. "Mom…I am sorry."

"What are you sorry for?" Karri asked, coming over to the bedside.

"I am just sorry about everything."

"No, don't be," Karri said. "Because, no matter what you are, I still love you. Is that clear, young…honey, why are you crying?"

"Be… Because…"

"Geez." Karri bent down to kiss her son good night. "I didn't know that a hollow really wanted to hear those words."

"I… I don't really." Gabriel reached a hand up and wiped some tears out of his now normal-colored eyes. "I am just so confused about all this and I… I love you too. And I don't want to, but I do. That… that stupid sword thought I could handle everything at once and mom, I am so happy. I am so happy that… I am not alone anymore."

"Honey…" Karri hugged her son tightly," you are never alone."

"I… I know I never am, but…I touched that sword and all my memories came back. Every single one of them and I… I lost myself. I… I couldn't remember who I was. Not, in the sense of my name, but… was I this person who loved in this happy family or… was I the person I once was and I… I felt so alone and I love you, Mom."

"I love you too." Karri kind of understood what Gabriel was saying, "and you know what? Don't worry so much! You're still you. Both people are you and there is nothing wrong with that, do you understand?"

"Th..thanks." Gabriel muttered, thankful that she truly meant it. "I… I was being silly."

"No, no, you weren't being silly, Gabriel." Karri scolded, never wanting her son to think that. "I don't know much of anything about past lives or what not, but I am sure I would be confused, so you are not silly at all. Now, to sleep so I can sneak a cookie from the cupboard downstairs. Don't tell anyone."

"I won't." Gabriel promised and after Karri kissed him goodnight, he fell right to sleep. Things had changed; but for the better. And that, he knew for sure.

Author's note: This is my favourite chapter so far. I re-wrote this so many times. I hope you enjoyed!