Fear
"W-What the hell are you doing, asshole?" I coughed out, grabbing onto Isamu's wrist. "Get o-off!" His arm dropped and I slid down to the ground, grabbing my now sore throat. This damn Gigai didn't have enough strength, and being caught completely off guard was of no help either! I glared up at my friend in anger.
"Nice to see you again too, Kumiko."
"What the hell is wrong with you? You see me for the first time in months and you strangle me!"
"Be quiet. If anyone around here hears you, they'll think you're crazy. They can't see me, remember?" I mumbled a few curse words under my breath, wanting to clobber him more than I had before he left, but in this fake body I was useless. "I can't trust you to keep yourself safe."
"Well things don't generally come out and strangle me!"
"I told you to be quiet." He hissed. "You're such an easy target here. Why did you accept this mission?"
"What was I going to do, Isamu? Say no and look like a wimp in front of everyone in my division? It's just the Human World-"
"You're in danger, and you have been since Ukitake saved you that night. If you're not careful…" He looked deep in thought for a moment, but I was still processing what he had said.
"Isamu… You're hunting that hollow, aren't you? The one who destroyed the village and nearly killed you?"
"I am." He smirked. "It took you long enough to figure that one out; I knew I was the smarter one of us two. But all my hard work of tracking it down isn't going to matter if you make yourself an easy target for him."
"You… You mean he's here?" A tiny feeling that felt like fear began to build; I wasn't afraid of much but that hollow… Ever since I was a child, I'd have terrible dreams of it coming back to haunt and kill me. It had made an impression on me, and it was hard to get rid of this fear. I was still anxious whenever I had to face hollows, even though that was what my job was all about. Facing other shinigami, that's no problem, but those evil, demons lurking in the dark, waiting to eat my soul… Those were terrifying.
I had thought I had gotten over this fear, but the horror seemed to come back in full force whenever Isamu came around. Had he reminded me of the village so many times before in our conversations because he wanted me to remain afraid? Had he been an asshole for a reason, or was I over thinking how kind my good friend could truly be?
"He was. I've lost track of him when I found you, which means he's gone back into hiding. He probably knows you're here."
"But, Isamu, how did you-"
"Don't worry about it. I have to go now before any other shinigami come around. Goodbye."
Before I could yell for him to stay, he disappeared, and I was alone again.