Something inside Keigo tried to repress it. He could feel it... but he also saw them in his minds... pain... sorrow... anger... he remembered something: A creature with orange hair. It's hunting him... it's abusing him... it's treating him badly... Keigo start to roar in anger. His whole fury seemed to focus now on Yuzu, who was still standing on the other side of the window, watching him. Keigo was definetely not himself anymore...
Yuzu shied away from the window when Keigo beat it again from the other side. This time he was even able to crack it. The present Shinigami were shocked. This was special reinforced glass, able to withstand even some bankais. And Keigo (who was called a weakling) was able to crack it. That could only mean that he was way stronger than everyone first expect.
"Get away from the window!" a Shinigami screamed, while three others stormed into Keigo's room to 'calm him down'.
Years of neglect, sorrow, anger, fear and other bad emotions that had bottled up gave the hollow inside Keigo more and more power. They had to excorzise it out before it devours Keigo from inside...
Yuzu meanwhile, burst out in tears. She felt guilty. Like it was her fault that Keigo freaked out so terribly in his last days of life. Her father tried to comfort her while he left with her and Karin again. It was good to know that Keigo was found, but now they could nothing do for him. They could only hope that the 'treatment' re gets does not make things worse, like they always did in the past.
Ichigo and Orihime meanwhile, were sitting with Yupa's mother in the living-room of the Taramasaki's house, having a conversation about thier children...
"We hope our son's presence is not bothering you?" Orihime asked carefully. She was grateful, that they took Kazui as long as they renovate thier destroyed house.
"Oh no, of course not. You would do the same for us." Yupa's mother said cheerfully.
It was really scary: She really forgot everything! And her husband, too. They forgot that they send thier son to the nuthouse to let him get 'cured' from the 'Kurosaki-curse'. The same 'curse' everyone believed they put on Keigo. They forgot thier fear of them. It was a weird conversation for Ichigo and Orihime. Knowing that every wrong word, could cause a disaster. They only sat thier and listened to the 'replaced memories' of Yupa's mother...
"...the past weeks feel so weird... like they were not real... Do you know that feeling?" the woman asked. Ichigo and Orihime just shrugged awkwardly. "Do you know what I found in the mail? A letter from a psychatric-clinic?! About my son's treatment? I was totally shocked, I would never send my baby to the nuthouse voluntarily..."
'You did!' Ichigo and Orihime both said in thier minds, continuing listening.
"... weird things are going on in this town Kurosaki! One day, some of my husbands colleagues were found locked up in arrest-cells down in Naruki-shi. And nobody knows how they got thier. And the local Chief found his office empty and his name removed from the door one morning. Everything looked like he left by himself, but nobody can imagine why..."
'We can! He resigned, because I allowed the local forces to become corrupt and incompetent.' Ichigo said in his minds. He really wanted to say it out loud. He really wished that all the changes Keigo triggered with his interview (and that were all positive changes) were going to happen and not to be forgotten. Ichigo had sworn to never abuse his Shinigami powers for his personal… But he really thought about using his powers to make some noise in this town.
"…But enough of this chaos in this town. How is your family dealing with all the changes?"
Ichigo was very carefully when he told the story, he and his family prepared together: His father retired because he got un- injuries in the explosion. He moved to Hokkaido, to live with Karin, who moved in with her fiancee. Yuzu's death was officially declared an murder. But 'the North Koreans' drugged her. Ichigo and Orihime were ordered to avoid to mention thier connection to Keigo, just to be safe.
They were talking for a while. Always checking thier watches. Ichigo and Orihime didn't want to miss thier appointment with Shino in Keigo's penthouse. And Yupa's mother was waiting for her late husband. He didn't call her back and she was already a bit worried. Ichigo and Orihime said goodbye to thier son who still did everthing he could to help Yupa to recover from the time in the nuthouse. Both left around an hour before Yupa's father returned home…
"You won't believe what happened today…" he said shocked to his wife without even greeting her properly.
"You are so late. Something terrible happened?"
Kazui and Yupa were about to walk downstairs when they could hear Yupa's father wailing. Both hid upstairs to eavesdrop…
In the Soul Society, everyone tried to calm down Keigo. Yuzu suggested to try it with her brothers book. And so Keigo was about to be the first soul to read, or get… Ichigo's not authorized inofficial autobiography ‚'Don't dare to write a book about me. The Ichigo Kurosaki story.'
A Shinigami was sitting on a chair to read out of the… while two others hold Keigo and keept sure that he listens. The Shinigami tried to find passages that could wake some memories. But there were actually no passages, Keigo was even indirectly mentioned.
"Any other ideas, Kurosaki-san?"
Yuzu just shrugged, while just hearing the name Kurosaki, let Keigo (or at least that what was left of him) freak out again...
Kazui and Yupa meanwhile, sat on the upper end of the stair and listened closely to Yupa's father, telling his wife about the recent happenings. He was totally upset, disappointed and on the verge. Telling all about the sudden arrival of some internal investigators and about that some of his colleagues (including some friends) have been exposed as corrupt and that they have been arrested. Yupa's father and some other 'honest-cops' now feared that they could be pulled into trouble, too…
"...and I thought all the storys about this town beeing the most corrupted spot on the planet were just scary fairytales. And now guess who came to give a statement and to film a report for TV about it: Makoto Hirabata!"
"Really? I love her reports…" Yupa's mother cheered, while Kazui and Yupa hold thier mouths to repress thier screams. This was not good…
Ichigo and Orihime meanwhile, left a train and walked threw Minato to get to Keigo's penthouse. Not knowing that not Shino was waiting for them there. Thier son continued listening to Yupa's father, who told more about found footage and other proofs and that the next big reveal will follow soon. The kids knew that there was only one more big reveal left…
In panic, Kazui and Yupa ran down the stairs and left the house. Kazui wanted to call his father from the phone at home…
His parents left the train at Hamamasutcho Station and walked threw Minato to reach Keigo's building a few minutes later. Kazui and Yupa meanwhile arrived back at the clinic, stormed inside and found the phone behind the counter. Kazui hammered his fathers Smartphone number into the phone, hoping that he is not too late…
Ichigo, saw the clinic's number in the display but he pushed the button to ignore the call from Kazui. He was too upset now. Because now was the moment, he and Orihime returned to the 'crime scene'. The traffic was flowing normally. The damaged car, whose windshield was shattered by Keigo's dead body, was repaired and stood on the same spot. Keigo's blood was removed from the street and there was no trace about what happened here just two weeks ago… already two weeks have passed. And it still felt like it just happened…
Both entered the lobby. Now taking the time to look around in the nice building. Keigo's housekeeper left her office after she mentioned the couple.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
Ichigo and Orihime told thier names and that they have an appointment with Shino in Keigo's penthouse. The friendly woman knew about the 'appointment' and led them to the elevator and went with them upstairs. Telling them that Shino told her to let them in if they arrive before him. Ichigo's smartphone rang again while they stood in the elevator. Ichigo decided to pick up…
"What's up, Kazui?"
"Father… no… Hira… TV…" the elevator was disturbing the signal and Ichigo was not able to hear Kazui's warning.
"Please what… Kazui, I can't hear you…"
"IT'S A TRAP!" Kazui screamed again. But his father was not able to understand him. Kazui and Yupa looked on each other, not knowing what to do now.
"Kazui, I'll call you back later…" Ichigo said and hang off.
The doors of the elevator slipped open and he and Orihime were led to the door to Keigo's penthouse.
"Terrible what happened to him. Really terrible. He was such a nice guy. Always a smile on his face. Always polite and friendly… what a loss…" the woman said while she used her keys to unlock the door and opened it.
Much to the couple's surprise, it was pitch dark inside. It was bright day outside but inside Keigo's penthouse, it was as dark as in an underground dungeon.
"Huh… pretty dark in here." Orihime said while she and Ichigo entered.
"Ma'am, where is the light-switch?" Ichigo asked before the door was smashed close quickly and both could hear the keys turning again, locking the door. "HEY…"
"Aghh… Ichigo, we are trapped…" Orihime realized shocked when she tried to open the door again. "What's going on here…"
Suddenly a bright light went on. It was so bright that it hurt in thier eyes. Both were not able to see anything. Just a shadow standing in the light… a woman…
"Good afternoon, Kurosaki!" a shockingly familiar voice said.
Ichigo recognized that voice. The same voice that exposed them: Makoto's voice.
"YOU!" Ichigo yelled shocked. He hold his hand to protect his eyes from the bright light of the super trooper. He was only able to see Makoto's outline. He wasn't even sure if this was really her or just a double, or a cardboard mate. "What do you want from us?"
"You talk to me like we already know each other." Makoto realized surprised. "So you neighter expected me to find you or Keigo told you about me before he was able to escape your capture…"
"Capture… We… we…" Ichigo was shocked.
"We didn't capture him. We just…" Orihime hold her mouth. She already said too much.
"You just what?" Makoto's voice asked.
Suddenly the bright light was switched off and it was dark again. So dark that Orihime got a bit panicked. Ichigo tried to open the door again by jolting violently on the handle. But the door was still locked and there was no other way out.
"…tell me what happened there…" another familiar voice said.
Ichigo froze when he heared that. That was Keigo's voice… No doubt.
"Keigo! Where are you? Is that you…?"
"… did you really think that you can get rid of me, that easy…" Keigo's voice asked.
"No, please Keigo… we never wanted to hurt you. I am so sorry…" Ichigo yelled and fell on his knees. He forgot everything around him and the fact that that was never the real Keigo, who was in the Soul Society and could never talk to him right here. Ichigo just thought that it could be really him, that he never went to the Soul Society and that he was still here. "Please Keigo show yourself. I want to apologize…"
Makoto was stunned. She expected another reaction when she played some of Keigo's old recordings she got from the archive of the dubbing-studios. The Kurosaki's could hear some squeaking from a tape that was switched to fast forward before Keigo's voice continued: "...talk to me..."
"AGHHH... OH KEIGO-KUN... WE ARE SO SORRY THAT YOU GOT HURT!" Orihime yelled, falling on her knees...
Makoto was honestly confused. She expected everything but not that. It was like both expected Keigo to be still here. It looked like they tried to talk to his ghost... ghosts... why it rings a bell in her head... ghosts... Kurosaki... soul... soul... soul-eater...? Just good that the camera was already running. Makoto pushed some buttons on her remote-controller and turned another light on. Revealling Keigo's big couch. Everything else in the room was gone.
"Keigo-kun, where is your furniture?" Orihime asked still shocked.
"Gosh how crazy…" Makoto murmured confused. "Take a seat… we have a lot of things to discuss and our special guest will arrive in a few seconds, too…"
"Special guest?" Ichigo and Orihime both asked confused before both could hear the keys turning again to unlock the door.
All lights went off again and the stunned couple turned around to see the special guest arrive: Tatsuki!
"Huh… Ma'am, where is the light switch…?" Tatsuki asked before she was locked in, too. "HEY…!"
"Tatsuki-chan, it's a trap…" Orihime wailed.
"Orihime?" Tatsuki asked before she was blended by the super trooper, too… "Aghh… What's going on here?"
Tatsuki came here, because she was visited by Keigo's girlfriend Akira at work. She told her that there was some stuff here that confused her and wanted to show her. Tatsuki feared that it was something about the Shinigami bullshit again. And as she didn't trust the Soul Society anymore, she not even told Ichigo and Orihime that she comes here. She came to safe her ass but was now trapped here, too…
"Ahh… Arisawa-san has arrived, too…" Makoto said satisfied and switched the lights again, so that the couch became visible again. "Let's start…"
"YOU!" Tatsuki screamed angrilly when she realised that it was really a trap.
"I would suggest to all of you to stay calm and sit down. And if anybody tries to make a scene, the security and the police will arrive within seconds. And than it could become really embarrassing for you."
Ichigo and Orihime both took Tatsuki by her hands to calm her down and to prevent that she freaks out as much as when Keigo had the panic-attack, that led to his death. There was no chance that she remembers any Shinigami stuff. So why she lured them into this trap? Was it because of Keigo? Was his ghost in touch with her? Was she, or his girlfriend able to see him? Thousands of questions, clues and thoughts shoot threw thier heads… including the deep wish that this was not real and only a nightmare…
Makoto pushed some other buttons, changing the lights again so she became fully visible, too. She was wearing an all white, expensive looking suit, her hair was the same like they saw it in the interview with Keigo. And according to her expression she was here to force the truth out of them. And that was her plan. With some help from Keigo's friends (the real ones) she turned Keigo's living-room into a studio. Two cameras and several microphones hidden behind the black curtains, to record everything. She was convinced that one of them was the killer. And she wanted to expose him here and now…
"Ichigo and Orihime Kurosaki from Karakura-cho. And Miss Tatsuki Arisawa from Karakura, too. Thanks for comming…"
"You lured us!" Ichigo yelled shocked. "What do you want from us? What is this? What did you did with Keigo's place?"
Orihime just start to cry. Tatsuki became paniced and went pale and silent. Makoto remained cool while she pointed on the couch again, telling them again to sit down. There was one of Keigo's armchairs, for her to sit down, too. The three trapped ones, thought that they could get out of this without beeing exposed again, if they remain cool and avoid telling that they were here the evening Keigo died…
Latter was still suffering in pain. He could feel that he was 'eaten' from inside… Three Shinigami were needed to fix him on the ground while a fourth one tried to wake up some memories in him. They had to figure out if there was still any 'Keigo' left in him. But Ichigo's book was not helpful. Yuzu, her sister and her father were thrown out of the building, but Yuzu managed to sneak back in to watch Keigo threw the window. Her father and her sister meanwhile were walking home, before someone approached them…
"Kurosaki… Kurosaki, wait! You have to see this…" a Shinigami was yelling to them.
Toghether Karin and her father listened to the other Shinigami's story about the recent events in Karakura… they realized that there was only one explanaition…
Ichigo, Orihime and Tatsuki sat down on the couch as ordered. All three were horrified. And all three hoped that this was not about the Shinigami secret again. They could bear the… that they bullied Keigo. They already… the fact that everyone was convinced about that and they understood why. Most important was that they keep calm, but thanks to thier previous outbursts, Makoto was already convinced that she was right…
"I am sorry that I had to use others to invite you here. But I guessed that you wouldn't accept an invitation by me… not after everything what happened between you, Keigo… and obviously me, too." Makoto said with a creepy calmness that let everyone else freeze. "We came here together, because a very good friend of me died right outside this building a very cruel death."
Suddenly Ichigo's smartphone rang again. Kazui tried it again.
"That… that is my son." Ichigo said worried. "I have to answer that one."
"Sure." Makoto said. She was not afraid of them.
Ichigo answered the call and everyone could hear Kazui and Yupa screaming.
"…Hirabata… it's a trap… police… corruption…" both boys yelled so loud that everyone could hear thier fear.
"Kazui… Kazui, please calm down… please… call your grandpa and tell him. And don't forget Yupa. I'll call you back as soon as we finished this. We are… in a meeting now…" Ichigo said and hang off. He was mad on himself for not answering his calls before. The boy tried to warn him.
"Kurosaki, I am here to figure out what really happened to Keigo." she said, opening some kind of file. Her 'prisoners' got more and more panicked. "But let's start from the beginning. How did you met…"
"Stop it." Ichigo yelled terrified. "Please, I don't endure this psycho-game. I can't hear it anymore that everyone believes that he was nothing more than just an easy victim for us…"
Ichigo was on the verge. Just the presence of Makoto was enough to break him. At the same time, Kazui was able to contact his grandfather in the Soul Society. Telling him about the possible trap and that his father was propably already in trouble. Ichigo meanwhile was comforted by Orihime. But his breakdown was also a big surprise for Makoto who expected them all beeing cold, mercyless and vicious.
"This reaction is honestly not what I expected." Makoto said. "But my suspicion that you know more about his death is proven …"
"HE WAS OUR FRIEND! HE WAS!" Ichigo screamed now, loud enough for the neighbours to hear, too. "WE DIDN'T WANT IT TO HAPPEN!"
"What?" Makoto asked in a threatening manor.
A tear ran down Ichigo's face. All the memories came back: Keigo's anger, his fear, his disappointment... he saw it again. He saw how Keigo left in fear and anger. How the truck suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Ichigo's whole body was trembling. He start to breath hardly. His body felt like it was on fire... Makoto mentioned all of this.
"You were here, that evening! Admit it! Keigo was not alone. I talked to the neighbours. They all confirm that they could hear a loud fight. The coroner confirmed that someone slapped him hardly, shortly before he died..."
Tatsuki shrieked. She became pale...
"That was obviously you? Is your sick jealousy and your obsession of Keigo beeing a loser not compatible with his sucess and the fact that he was in a relationship..."
"THAT'S NOT TRUE! I AM NOT OBESSED OF HIM BEEING... AGHHH..." Tatsuki burst out in tears. "OKAY! OKAY, I CONFESS! I CONFESS EVERYTHING... I KILLED HIM!"
Tatsuki slipped off the couch and fell on her knees, hammering with her fists on the wooden floor. Orihime tried to comfort her but Tatuski pushed her hand away. Just to be careful that she does not hurt Orihime, too.
"Tatsuki-chan, no..."
"BE QUIET ORIHIME! IT'S ALL MY FAULT! HE WAS RIGHT! KEIGO WAS RIGHT WITH EVERYTHING! AND I MADE EVERYTHING WORSE!" Tatsuki continued screaming.
Tatsuki could see Keigo's face again in her memory. The anger, the disappointment, the fear and the disgust he felt after she slapped her. Than she felt the pain from the slap back in her own face. The very first time he slaped back, after she hit him. He saw in his face that he didn't enjoy it. He didn't enjoy it to slap her. He just snapped after she dared to hurt him more than he already was. She became what his parents expected her to be: a sadist, a bully and a monster...
"TATSUKI, STOP TALKING!" Ichigo screamed and fell on his knees, too. "THAT IS NOT TRUE! I KILLED HIM! IT WAS MY FAULT! IT ALL BEGAN WITH MY LIES! IT BEGAN WITH MY REJECTIONS! I AM THE REASON HE TRIED TO GET AWAY FROM US! AND I SCARED HIM THAT EVENING SO MUCH. I KILLED HIM! I!"
Makoto was surprised. Extremely surprised to be honest! But of course she remained cool and didn't show any sympathy, sorry or anything else. She had two confessions. Just good that the cameras were filming everything.
"I am excited to hear what you can tell me to explain it..." Makoto said. Her calmness scared Ichigo and Tatsuki much more. Orihime just burst out in tears, too.
In the Soul Society, Keigo was laying in his 'cell' on the futon. After a high dose of sedatives (which was enough to kill an elephant, according to the fourth division Shinigami who gave him the dose) he was relatively calm. Now sleeping on his futon, but breathing loud and hardly.
"If he is not able to supress the Hollow inside of him, again he won't make it." the fourth division Shinigami explained. "The problem is, that the Hollow uses Asano's bad memories of his life to keep controll over his soul..."
"Is there anything we can do for him?" one of the guards asked.
"I am afraid no! In a couple of hours, the Hollow will completely be take over him. If not a miracle happens... Asano had a very strong will when he was alive. If there is a possibility to wake up this ability again, there might be a chance for him, too..."
"WHERE IS HE?" Rukia yelled worried, when she suddenly stormed in and cut of the other Shinigami. "IS HE OKAY?"
"Taichou-sama, I am afraid that Asano will..." one of the guards began to say, before suddenly a loud bang occured and the wall to Keigo's cell began to shatter...
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