Chapter 2
The Rise of Chocolate Thunder
Sasune Ishida discovered himself at a complete loss for words. He wasn't even aware such a thing was possible. Indeed, he had been voted 'class chatterbox' three years in a row during middle school, he had accidentally ruined his answering machine one time by recording too long a message, and even his own mother would often wear earplugs to spare herself from his incessant chattering. What made the situation even more like an episode of The Twilight Zone was it was a woman of all things he was finding himself unable to speak to. His already confounded brain nearly short circuited at this realization. Of course, it wasn't just any woman he was speaking of here.
"Well, I'm used to being checked out while at the café, but it's actually kinda weird when I'm in the middle of fighting a Hollow!" Kana Mitarashi giggled at how taken aback Sasune was. "What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? You were a lot more chatty back at the café, handsome!"
"You're...a Shinigami?!" Sasune replied after rubbing his eyes to ensure they were actually working. "I thought there was something odd about you back at the café, but I'd be lying if I said I predicted this!"
"Oh, so you know what I am then! Pretty astute!" Kana gestured her blade toward the glowing, crimson bow Sasune was holding. "Say, that's pretty cool! What's it supposed to be anyway?"
Sasune, legitimately miffed by her question, suddenly aimed the weapon she was so interested in straight at her. "I'm glad you like it. Shinigami like you should know the weapon of a Quincy well though. You all must've seen it enough when you massacred my people a few years back. Or maybe we were just too low on the food chain for you to remember. You Shinigami always treated us like trash, so I guess I shouldn't expect anything different now."
The intrigue on Kana's face soon became confusion, and she scratched her head at Sasune's ranting. "Uh...okay? You seem kinda mad, and I'm sorry about that, but I honestly have no idea what you're talking about!"
It took everything in Sasune had to stop himself from falling over in astonishment. "Y-You've gotta be kidding me! You're an actual Shinigami, right?! You're not just cosplaying or something?!"
"Of course I'm real! I didn't take all those classes at the Shinigami Academy for nothing! Well, I totally skipped a lot of them because they were really boring, but still!"
"Then how could you not know something as important as the feud between the Shinigami and the Quincy?!"
Unsure of what he wanted her to say, Kana answered, "Look, I've never even heard the term Quincy before today! Yeah, I'm not really the kind of girl who reads books or turns in homework."
Possibly feeling neglected, the Hollow in the background emitted a horrible cry that resounded across the entire forest. Kana and Sasune slowly faced it, both seconds away from tearing the creature a new one for rudely interrupting their conversation.
"We can finish this little history lesson later," Kana relayed. "I don't get paid to stand around unless it's in a maid costume, so..."
"Wait!" Sasune's call made her stop in her tracks.
"Huh? What's up now? If you're going to ask me for my number, I have to inform you that while I'm totally not against giving it to hottie like you, my boss said I can't hand out any personal information to customers anymore! For some reason, I always attract the really creepy guys, and the boss said that's bad for business!"
"N-No, not that! That really sucks though! Are sure I couldn't…?" Getting off track, Sasune cleared his throat and became infuriated again. "You may not get it because you didn't go to class or whatever, but that Hollow is mine! You've no right to butt into matters that don't concern you, lady!"
"Uh...hello? Killing Hollows is kind of my job!" said Kana with a hearty chuckle. "See my clothes? Oh, you're so silly!"
Unfortunately for Kana, Sasune wasn't remotely joking. In fact, this was the most humorless he recalled being in a very long time. Kana, picking up on this, gulped.
"While I don't have anything against you personally, Miss Mitarashi, you're still a Shinigami, and that's a problem for me. In simple terms, what I'm trying to say is that you have no right interfering with matters here in this world," he bitterly made clear. "You people only seem to care about Hollows around these parts when it concerns you personally. Otherwise, you've got no issue with the innocent being killed by them. With that in mind, you Shinigami should leave the Hollows here to people like the Quincy. Of course, if you disagree with me, feel free to end my life. You all seem keen on settling your affairs with violence anyway."
Kana grumbled under her breath awkwardly and struggled to come up with a suitable response to whatever it was Sasune was seeking to communicate to her. The situation had abruptly become akin to a ticking time bomb, one she would need to defuse before she got an arrow in her back while she wasn't paying attention.
"Oh boy. Okay, I'm starting to think this whole thing is a bit of a personal matter for you. While I may not understand this beef between Shinigami like me and Quincy like you, that doesn't mean I don't care about helping people! I'm not a total jerk! I'm here, aren't I?!"
"...You think that's enough to change my mind?! You're only here because your superiors ordered you to! That's all you Shinigami care about! Humans are just inconveniences to you, aren't they?!"
"Hey now! If we really didn't care, we wouldn't be here! It's not like we get some sort of shiny award for going out of our way to slay Hollows! We do it because we really do care about protecting people! I know you do too, so just stop all this nonsense! It's totally not cool!"
Like a brick wall, Sasune remained rigid and unwavering. "'Not cool?!' You know what's really 'not cool?!' Having your entire race slaughtered by a bunch of conceited beings that go so far as to refer to themselves as 'gods of death!' Yeah, we Quincy could have handled the situation back then a little better too, but we never talked about destroying the Shinigami to get our way! Everything...everything was just fine until you people had to get in the way! If it weren't for you people, my mother…!"
Kana, on spur of the moment, slapped Sasune across the mouth. The event, and the corresponding pain, sank in at a snail's pace for her victim as he put his hand on the afflicted area.
"...I didn't want to have to do that, but you were really pushing it, mister!" she asserted. "You can yell at me all you want, but I can't bring back the dead! I'm sorry the Shinigami did what they did to your people, but you can't blame me for what happened! That's not fair! I had nothing to do with it! I wouldn't blame you if the situation were reversed! More importantly, there's a Hollow over there who needs taking care of! While you're here screaming at me, it could've used the opportunity to escape and cause some serious havoc! Would you want that on your conscience after you were boasting so much about caring for helpless people?! Now then, are you gonna let me do my job? I don't want to ruin that charming face of yours to get past you, but I will if I have to!"
As the Hollow let out a second, bone-chilling roar, Sasune glared at Kana in total silence. Honestly, it was beginning to give her the creeps because she hadn't the slightest idea what was on his mind. He didn't break his gaze, not even when the Hollow leapt into the air and readied to pounce on them both.
"...My mother was the only one who ever hit me like that," he finally stated casually. Shrugging, his features became considerably less stern, and he added, "Do whatever you like, lady. It's not like I get paid to go around killing Hollows, so what the hell do I care what you do?"
Now Kana was the one taken aback. "Awesome! Thanks a million, handsome!"
Kana suggestively winked before disappearing from sight.
"Shunpo? Haven't seen that in a while," Sasune said at Kana's blinding display of speed. "Still ain't faster than my Hirenkyaku though."
A part of him was questioning his current logic. He was allowing a Shinigami, an enemy he was expected to despise with every fiber in his being, to do as she pleased. It was wrong, he thought. In spite of this, he didn't feel nearly as guilty as he should have.
"She is pretty cute..."
Reappearing right in front of the unsuspecting Hollow, Kana chopped off its remaining arm in a single swing of her sword. It hit the ground with a wicked thud, whereas the Hollow made it known how much pain it was in by howling as deafening as possible.
"Hey, hey, hey! Watch the outfit!" Kana told it, sidestepping the spray of blood from its wound. "Better yet, watch my hair, you noisy, little brat! I have to get back to work right after this, and it's gonna be impossible to explain why I'd be all covered in icky blood!"
The Hollow took advantage of her berating it by fashioning a literal tear in the dimension and stepping into it. By the time Kana realized what was up, it was too late, and her sword cut nothing but air.
"Dammit! Get back here, you jerk!" she exclaimed, blowing a raspberry afterward. "That was a Garganta! Then it must've just gone on back to Hueco Mundo." Though irritated by this turn of events, she sheathed her blade and supposed the fighting was over for the time being. "Well, you better run! I was about to get all up in your…!"
"Nice fighting there, Tex." Sasune, stretching his aching neck, strolled on over to her just then. "You're not bad there with that Zanpakutou. I wouldn't lower my guard though. It'll likely be back the second it tends to its wounds."
"You're probably right." Kana reached for Sasune's glasses, which were covered in his blood, betwixt some grass and handed them over. "Like it even matters! If it does, I'll be here to give it another spanking!"
While Sasune placed his broken spectacles back safety in their case, he looked as Kana flexed her arms and laughed haughtily. "You...really aren't like other Shinigami, are you?"
"Ha! My parents always told me I was one in a million!"
"I have no doubt. Still, I..."
The two got on guard and reached for their weapons at hearing shuffling behind them. They relaxed however when they not only felt no malevolent spiritual energy in the vicinity but also when they saw it was merely Aaron and Hitomi approaching.
"Don't scare me like that, man! You were about to get an arrow in the kneecap!" cried Sasune. He lowered his spirit bow and informed his racing heart to settle down. "I thought it was a ghost or something sneaking up on me!"
"There was technically," joked Aaron. "Anyway, we heard things quiet down, so we decided to see if you were okay. Judging by the looks of it, it seems you were showing off too much, Sasune!"
"Hmph! What would you know?! Real heroes always come out of fights with a few scrapes and bruises!"
"Idiot." Aaron shook his head and then found his attention drawn to Kana, who happily waved at him. His mind connected the dots bit-by-bit, and when it did, he pointed at her and endeavored to put his befuddled thoughts to speech. "I-Isn't this…?! B-But aren't you…?! Wait, how can you be…?!"
"Well, my response wasn't as colorful, but it was about the same," chimed Sasune.
"Master Chocolate Thunder! It's so good to see you again!" said Kana.
A pulsating vein arose on the side of Aaron's temple. "I thought I made it perfectly clear that wasn't my name! Please, just call me Aaron! Aaron!"
Kana gave him a salute and retorted, "Sure thing, Master Chocolate Thunder!"
Despite desiring to hit something, or preferably someone, the teenager that was frequently misidentified as Chocolate Thunder managed to keep his psychotic impulses in check.
"Well, I guess I better introduce myself to everyone again!" Kana made sure her clothing and her dark blonde hair were in proper order ahead of her bowing toward the three sets of eyes fixed on her. "Hello! My name is Kana Mitarashi! Though it's painfully obvious at this point, I'm a Shinigami!"
"A Shinigami, huh? Sasune told me about you guys a long time ago, but this is my first time meeting one in the flesh. You're...not really what I expected!" said Aaron.
"My sentiments exactly," added Sasune. "You'd think she'd be off cheerleading somewhere instead. She's not as delicate as she looks however. My face is still sore."
"Well, I'll just take all that as a compliment! I'm just amazed you guys can even see me! I haven't heard of too many humans who can see Hollows and Shinigami!" remarked Kana. Every time she spoke, it felt like an arrow of love was penetrating both Aaron's and Sasune's hearts. That was because she made even the most basic of speech sound utterly adorable.
A slight blush painted Aaron's cheeks. "Uh...I've been able to see ghosts and Hollows since I was a little kid. I guess I can add Shinigami to that list."
"Makes sense to me! Anyway, who's this you've got here?" Kana inspected Hitomi up and down, humming a pleasant tune as she did so. She then clapped her hands together and stated, "Oh! Thank you boys so much for bringing me a juicy, little Plus to send back to Soul Society! I knew there was one in the area, but I couldn't find it!"
The instant Kana drew her sword, Hitomi froze on the spot. "W-Wait a second! W-What are you planning to do with that?!"
"Me? Oh, it's not what you think! I promise! Scout's Honor, in fact!"
"So what are you up to?" inquired Aaron skeptically.
"She's about to perform Soul Burial," elucidated Sasune. Grimacing, he massaged his stinging neck again. "Gonna need to see my doctor and ask for like fifty painkillers. He's not gonna keep buying that 'I fell down the stairs' excuse though."
"You were saying something about 'Soul Burial?'"
"Oh, yeah. Basically, Shinigami have the ability to send Pluses like Hitomi to Soul Society. It's the base of operations for Shinigami like Kana here, and also the closest thing to a 'heaven' I suppose."
"Great! She'll cross over then? That solves our dilemma!"
"Wow! You sure know a lot about Shinigami, handsome!" said Kana, impressed. "I thought you didn't like us though?"
Sasune shrugged. "It's better to know your enemy than remain ignorant, right?"
Aaron couldn't help but note that his friend solely acted like such a stick in the mud when the subject of Shinigami was brought up. He had an idea why, although Sasune hadn't confided anything to him to prove his theory. Still, it was clear the Quincy disliked them, even if one of them was as beautiful a woman as Kana Mitarashi.
Aiming the back of her sword's pommel toward Hitomi's forehead, Kana cheerfully asked, "Okay, are we all ready to go?"
Hitomi feverishly shook her head. "I-I still have something I need to do! I...I can't leave until I do it! I just remembered what it was too! I…!"
"It's alright, Hitomi." Aaron smiled at her reassuringly. "We know you really wanted to inherit your family's cake shop one day and become a wonderful baker like your mother. It's okay though. You may not have accomplished everything you wished, yet you still accomplished more than most can ever say!"
"Huh? How do you know about all that? ...You talked to my mother, didn't you? Well, even if you did, I don't understand what you're trying to say! I died...without doing anything really! Oh, I just know my mother is so disappointed in me! If only I could've...!"
Sasune stepped forward next. "Listen, kiddo. Your mother told us you've been sick your whole life. It's true, right? The doctors said you weren't even supposed to make it long enough to be dreaming about becoming a world famous pastry chef! The fact that you did is a testament to your will power! Even though they gave up on you, you never did! You never let your illness get in the way of your dreams! That's damn impressive! It's like Aaron said: most idiots just sit on their asses and let their dreams pass them by. You might've died before your time, but you've got nothing to be ashamed of, sweetheart! Your mother certainly wasn't ashamed of you!"
It was embarrassing; Hitomi craved to hold them back, yet there was no stopping the tears streaming down her ghostly face. At the very least, they were tears of joy, joy that she had managed to make such wonderful, new friends, even after her passing.
"Thank you! Thank you both!" she said to Aaron and Sasune alongside a few sniffles. "I still don't understand why you two went out of your way to help me, but thank you so much! W-Wait! I don't even know your names!"
"I'm Sasune Ishida, sweetheart!" Sasune exclaimed, proudly pointing to himself. "And you don't have to thank me! I'm just doing my honest to goodness work as a responsible Quincy!"
"And though you've been hearing otherwise all day, my name is Aaron. Aaron Higuchi," stated Aaron. He might have been talking to Hitomi specifically, but he was scowling at Sasune and Kana, who both whistled innocently.
"O-Okay! I-I'll never forget you two! Never ever! Please, tell my mother I'm okay if you see her again! Tell her I miss her so much, but I'll be just fine from now on!"
"You got it!" Aaron assured her.
"Hey, what am I, chopped liver?! I'm the one who's sending you to Soul Society!" whined Kana. Sticking out her tongue playfully, she then said, "Ha! I'm just kidding! You ready to go now? I'm not trying to rush you or anything, but I told my boss back at the café I was going to the restroom, so he's gonna start to wonder if I don't get back soon!"
Hitomi nodded. "Ready when you are!"
"Awesome! Oh, I always get really pumped up before a Soul Burial for some reason!"
Hitomi closed her eyes and braced herself for the unknown. Debating on reciting some magic words to enhance the event, Kana opted not to and simply pressed her sword's hilt against Hitomi's skin. Soon afterward, a glorious light, one that Aaron and Sasune had to protect their eyes from, enveloped the ghostly girl. She wiped her face clean and waved her new friends goodbye as she gradually vanished from the world.
Kana looked ready to weep herself. "I just love a happy ending!"
"Man, I'm glad that's out of the way. I was really worried about her." Aaron sighed in relief. "Do you think she'll be alright in Soul Society?"
"I'm sure she'll manage okay. It's better than being gobbled up by a Hollow, that's for sure," replied Sasune.
"Wow! I didn't think I'd hear that coming from Mister Anti-Shinigami!" said Kana.
Sasune, chuckling, couldn't argue.
"Okay, I just gotta get this outta of the way already. What's a Shinigami of all things doing working at a maid café in a backwater city like Hino?" asked Aaron.
Kana opened her mouth, eager to answer, but was cut off when she and the others picked up a familiar spiritual pressure closing in.
"Looks like our 'guest' has returned," said Sasune.
"Yep. Guess you'll have to put that question on hold, Chocolate Thunder!" remarked Kana. Aaron wanted to say something, anything, yet decided he could save his complaining for later. "As a maid, it's my number one responsibility to make sure my clientèle are taken care of! Neglecting this facet of my job is the ultimate sin! So, I've gotta make sure this Hollow has a really good time this time around!"
"I didn't think someone like you took your job so seriously," stated Aaron. A bit of awe peppered his speech.
"Besides that though, I honestly just like wearing the outfit!"
A bead of sweat rolled down Aaron's head. "...You're kind of an idiot, aren't you?"
The Hollow from earlier reared its ugly head once more, quickly spotting the Shinigami that had caused it so much grief. The mere sight of it made Kana smack her lips.
"That one's called Fishbone D. It's a rather low level Hollow, although this one is throwing some pretty strange energy at us. Looks like it managed to regenerate its injuries. Cheater."
A burst of Shunpo, or Flash Steps, moved her directly in front of the creature. It howled at her presence, but the most this gesture did was toss a slight breeze at her. She unsheathed her sword and intended settle things once and for all.
"You think you're so big and bad just because you've got two arms again! Well, so what?! I don't care how many cheat codes you use to try to beat me! It won't work!"
She thrust her Zanpakutou toward Fishbone D's white mask, yet the Hollow leaped back in time to render the attack nothing more than a glancing blow. She tried again, but her target seemed to read her movements for a second time, and she only managed to slash it across the chest.
"Stay still already!" she hollered.
The Hollow did more than that. It reached for her using its massive hands, forcing a tiny shriek out of her. At the last second, she employed Flash Step to get out of harm's way. Fishbone D searched and discovered her by the sound of her voice.
"Up here! Ready for some service?!" she bellowed from high in the sky. Aiming her open palm toward the beast, she recited an incantation. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" A gigantic, red sphere of energy then formed in her hand. "I can't believe I actually remembered all that! Er...I-I mean Way of Destruction Number 31: Red Fire Cannon!"
The fireball headed straight for Fishbone D with a full head of steam. It connected, promptly sending the Hollow crashing into the ground.
"I'm not gonna lie, that was freaking awesome!" Aaron said jubilantly. Sasune could see his eyes illuminating like the lights on a Christmas tree. "What was that just now?"
"Kidou," the Quincy replied. "You can just think of it like magic for Shinigami."
"Man, you really do know an awful lot about Shinigami!"
"...Shut it."
A giggling Kana made a 'V' sign with her fingers and proclaimed, "Yeah! A total victory for me!"
"S-Shit! Don't celebrate yet, Miss Mitarashi! Look behind you!" Sasune shouted.
Kana hadn't noticed, but a massive shadow had blocked out all the sunlight over her. It stemmed from the Hollow that was seconds away from crushing her into dust. She managed to hear Sasune warning before then however and hastily moved her blade in front of her to shield herself. It worked to a certain extent; she didn't die, yet the force from the Hollow's blow sent her flying like a bullet out of a gun into a nearby tree.
"What in the…?! Where did that one come from?!" cried Aaron as he gazed at another Hollow that greatly resembled Fishbone D.
"Dammit! I should've known something was up!" exclaimed Sasune. "That one must've been hiding in the shadows and waiting for its chance to strike!"
"I thought low-level Hollows like that one weren't capable of doing something that smart!"
Sasune grit his teeth. "So did I..."
Without really thinking the matter over, Sasune formed his spirit bow by focusing energy into the red cross on his right wrist.
"You're gonna help a Shinigami? You?" said Aaron with a look of genuine shock.
"...Shut up. Just sit tight until I get back, okay?!"
"You sure you wanna go back out there with those injuries? Let me…!"
"Let you what? You don't have spiritual powers like me or Kana, so you'll do nothing more than get in our way! Seriously! Just chill here for a little while!"
As Sasune departed to be a big, damn hero, Aaron furrowed his lips at being shot down so hastily. His best friend had a point however; he really would be more of a burden than a help if he attempted anything. His pride might have been somewhat injured, but he knew it was better to keep his nose out of trouble than to try to prove a point. Even so, standing there all alone in the middle of the woods made something inside him stir.
"...Dammit. What's my problem?"
He always remained on the sidelines like this when Sasune had to hunt Hollows. His situation was nothing new, so he why did he feel so restless this go about?
"Ouchies! That one really hurt!" Kana, sluggishly standing up a sizable crevice in the earth, half near lost her mind when she saw a trail of blood drip down her forehead. "You've gotta be kidding me! That...stupid Hollow just totally ruined my beautiful face! I need it for work, dammit! Oh, that's it! That is it!"
Making her enemy pay for its injustices became her top priority, yet she couldn't help but stop and think how strange it was that she wasn't informed by her superiors of there being two nearly identical Hollows stalking the city of Hino.
"Did they just forget my phone number or something?"
Breaking her train of thought, one of the Fishbone D's nearly punched her into oblivion. She leapt upward in the nick of time.
"Jerk! You really don't know how to treat a lady, do you?!"
Her little temper tantrum gave the other Fishbone D the perfect opportunity to attack from behind. It might have succeeded too if it weren't for Sasune pinning the beast to an adjacent tree with the aid of his trusty arrows.
"You wanna pay a little more attention next time?!" he shouted at Kana.
Pouting her mouth, she responded, "Me?! How do you expect me to concentrate properly with my hair completely ruined?!"
"Your hair?! My hair is full of blood, yet you don't hear me whining like a girl whose date stood her up on prom night, do you?!"
"...Y-You don't have to yell at me!" Kana sniffled, clearly on the verge of tears.
"L-Look, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you!" Sasune paused. "...Wait, what the hell am I saying?! I don't care about your feelings right now! In case you've forgotten, we've got two bloodthirsty Hollows gunning for us!"
"I know that you...you...you big meanie!"
Kana began bawling her eyelids out for real. Genuine remorse made-up the lines on Sasune's visage. Causing a woman misfortune was something he long ago swore to never cause. In fact, it was utter blasphemy in his book.
"What have I done?!" he bellowed at the heavens. "I have failed as a man!"
"W-What in the world are you idiots doing?!" screamed Aaron in the distance. "Watch out!"
Kana and Sasune ceased their melodramatic performances long enough to see what Aaron was getting at. The two Hollows had opted to team up for their next attack, and they screeched at the top of their lungs before steering their fists at their unaware quarry.
"Dammit! Kana! Sasune!" yelled Aaron, fearing the worst. He could find no sign of his allies within the massive cloud of dust that had been whipped from the attack. "Where are those imbeciles?!"
His gut told him they weren't dispatched of so easily. He trusted it again when it informed him to peer upward. Waiting there were Kana and Sasune, and he could tell they were discussing something between themselves. Whatever it was called for them to wait until the Hollows separated, with one turning its sights on Aaron, prior to them executing their plan.
"Now!" roared Sasune.
"Right! Way of Destruction Number 31: Red Fire Cannon!" proclaimed Kana.
The Kidou impacted one of the Hollows, staggering it enough to give Sasune a clear shot at its mask. He didn't waste the chance, firing an arrow that nailed Fishbone D right between the eyes. The monster didn't even have thetime to react to its predicament as it disintegrated into nothingness.
"Yes! One down!" cheered Aaron. "The other should be a piece of cake now!"
Landing on solid ground, Sasune placed his hands on his sides and tried catching his breath. Kana did the same, though both saw they didn't have much time to recuperate. The remaining Fishbone D was making a mad dash toward them.
"Man, I thought we were dead back there for a second," said Sasune.
"Ha! I knew we'd make it! Say, weren't you bragging earlier about how Quincy are better than Shinigami? How come you're the one that looks ready to pass out then?" replied Kana.
Sasune couldn't help but grin. "Oh, be quiet! I'm the one who destroyed that last Hollow, remember?"
"Only because I softened it up for you with my Kidou!"
"You want a medal or something?"
"No! I just want you to stop being so darn crabby! What Hollow crawled up your butt and died?!"
Sasune sighed. "...Why are we even arguing about this? The Hollow is dead, right?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right! That's the only thing that should matter!"
The two nodded at one another moments prior to Fishbone D closing in on them. They readied to strike him down in one, fell swoop, yet neither of them anticipated the Hollow jumping right over their heads. It stayed on course fir its real target: Aaron.
"Y-You've gotta be kidding me!" he exclaimed. "W-Why does it want me all of a sudden?!"
Maybe it merely saw him as an easier target. Regardless of its reasons, Aaron got he needed to do something and fast unless he desired to become the creature's lunch. In spite of this, he found his legs rigid out of fright; he might as well have been standing in glue. This was the closest he had ever been to a Hollow, and it was only getting nearer with each second he wasted leering at it.
"Come on, Chocolate Thunder! Move! Go already!" yelled Kana.
Sasune, unwilling to wait for his friend to act, did so in his stead by wrenching his arm back and launching a number of arrows Fishbone D's way. None came remotely close to hitting the creature, much to the Quincy's dismay.
"Dammit! I can't hit a target that far away without my glasses!"
"Calm down there, Velma!" teased Kana. The way Sasune glowered at her told her that now wasn't exactly the right time to be cracking jokes. "Uh...I-I'll save him!"
Kana Flash Stepped her way in front of Aaron, creating a barricade between him and Fishbone D using her body and sword.
"W-Where in the world did you come from?!" said a startled Aaron.
"Real heroes always show up at the last possible second to save the day!" she answered. "Now then, Hollow, prepare yourself against my power of justice!"
All the hope Aaron felt at the prospect of being saved transformed into irritation at what he just heard. Had Kana been spending too much time around Sasune? He pondered that because she was starting to sound as stupid as him. He almost hoped the Hollow would just end him if it meant he wouldn't have to suffer dealing with either of their antics anymore.
A Shinigami might have been standing in his way, but the Hollow refused to back down. It balled its massive fingers into a fist and swung straight at Kana. The attack might as well have been in slow motion since she had no problem sliding right under it.
"No you don't, buster!" she cried. Targeting Fishbone D's mask, Kana prepared her Zanpakutou. "Time to send you to…!"
Her eyes became as wide as saucers when the Hollow opened its mouth, allowing her a clear glimpse at the blood-red orb of energy it was charging.
"A Cero?!"
"Cero?! A weak Hollow like that can perform Cero?!" exclaimed Sasune.
"Cer-what?!" added Aaron.
He learned the hard way when Fishbone D unleashed the blast. Presuming she was screwed, Kana shut her eyes and readied herself for the worst. Her indecision was enough to finally spurn Aaron into action. He dived forward and grabbed her, pushing them both out of the Cero's path. The resulting explosion from it flung them violently across the forest. Thankfully, Kana managed to break their falls before anything serious happened.
"Oh my God! I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes! I'm way too young to die! I'm barely over a hundred and forty!" she said while laughing at her stroke of good luck. "You really saved my life there, Chocolate Thunder!"
When Aaron did not respond or share in her celebrating, she glanced up at him. It was then she noticed she was holding her Zanpakutou pretty clumsily. It no doubt had something to do with it having gone right through the center of Aaron's chest. Unable to speak, his pupils dilated while he ogled Kana and then her blade in sheer disbelief.
"Oopsie..." was the only thing Kana could say.
"That...cannot be good," added Sasune in the same horrified tone.
The remaining Fishbone D hadn't the foggiest idea what was occurring. Rather than try to solve the mystery, it decided to lash out while its enemies were preoccupied. Nevertheless, it and everything else within the forest were momentarily blinded by a sudden and all consuming flash of light.
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Sasune, exhaling a drawn out moan, placed his hand on his throbbing skull and labored to get to a standing position. "Ugh! Feels like a truck just hit me! Alright, I seriously gotta lay off the liquor! W-Wait a minute! I haven't had a single drop! Well, not today anyway!"
His hazy thoughts pieced themselves together, and he recalled the predicament Aaron and Kana were in the last time he saw them. So, the first thing he did was scan the encompassing area for them. Even without his glasses, he made out two figures in the distance standing right near an unmoving Fishbone D.
"Kana? That's her, right?" He had to squint, but he was sure it was her. The sole reason he wasn't positive to begin with was because her black kimono was now pure white. He could barely even detect any spiritual energy radiating from her.
"Seriously?! White is so last season!" she yelled. Fashion aside, she immediately noted she had a much bigger problem on her hands. "W-Wait a sec! Y-You…!"
"Me..." stated Aaron in almost a whisper. Wearing a Shinigami uniform minus the sleeves, Aaron glanced himself over in wonderment. He then jumped at the sight of a wakizashi in his right hand. Power, power he had never felt prior or even dreamed of, coursed through every fiber of his being. "...God dammit. Crap like this is why I should've just stayed in bed today."
Kana, pointing a trembling finger at him, bellowed, "Y-You totally stole my Shinigami powers, you dirty, rotten thief!"
Aaron held his hands up in self-defense. "The hell I did! I mean, I didn't do it on purpose! How would I even know how to do such a thing?! I was just trying to save you from getting blown to smithereens! This is all your fault! You're the one going around and impaling people!"
"Hey, that was an accident! I-I think..." Kana panicked, touching all over her rosy face while she attempted to assess this bizarre turn of events in a calm, collected manner. It didn't work. "Okay, this is bad! This is really bad! Like, you seriously have no clue how bad this is! Shinigami aren't supposed to go off giving their powers to random humans unless it's an emergency! I mean, this is punishable by death! Oh God, I'm screwed! I am so screwed! What am I gonna do?!"
Aaron discovered it difficult to stay upset at Kana when she got all worked up like this. "Hey! No more waterworks! J-Just calm down! We'll...figure something out!"
"B-But...everyone back at the Soul Society is going to be so mad at me!" she replied, sobbing like a little girl. "I'm gonna be in so much trouble! Waaaaaah!"
"D-Don't cry! Dammit, why are you still so cute like that?!"
A sort of sixth sense hollered at Aaron to hurriedly look forward. He was glad he did because it enabled him to just barely block Fishbone D's attack with his sword.
Kana rubbed her tears away and asked, "Hey, how come your Zanpakutou is so short? It's actually kinda cute!"
"Is this really a good time to be asking me something like that?!" declared Aaron as the Hollow began shoving him backward. He could solely dig his sandals into the dirt to try to counter. "D-Dammit! None of this crap would've happened if this bastard hadn't come after me!"
"Is it because you aren't all that strong?" Kana hadn't heard a word he said. "Does that mean you're also tiny down…?"
"No! Stop! Don't say another word! You're seriously breaking my concentration here!"
Fishbone D soon overpowered him and whacked him through several trees. Kana and Sasune grimaced when they listened to each one of them snap.
"Uh...that wasn't my fault, right?" asked Kana innocently.
"How in the world did things end up like this?" Sasune mumbled.
Shaken up some, Aaron was surprised to find himself in little to no pain save for a gash on the back of his bleeding head. Clearly, the physiology of a Shinigami far surpassed that of a human's. That worked perfectly for him; he figured he would need all the advantages he could get against the nearing Fishbone D.
"...I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing," he admitted, grasping his wakizashi to the best of his ability. He didn't know the proper technique to hold a sword, so he just prayed he didn't accidentally cut a limb off. "Here goes nothing!"
Instead of waiting for his foe to come to him, Aaron began shouting at the top of his lungs and rushed straight at the Hollow.
"Uh...what the heck is he doing?" said Kana.
Sasune, stepping near her, answered, "He...just kinda starts screaming whenever he goes into panic mode. I remember he firor worsest did that when this girl was picking on him in grade school. I think she took his candy or something. He was a real cry baby then. Anywho, I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure he'll be fine!"
Kana wasn't so sure once she caught glimpse of Aaron wildly hacking and slashing at the air and only the air. With nothing to obstruct it from doing so, Fishbone D loosed yet another Cero. Aaron, unsure how to deal with it, relaxed his tense muscles when a red arrow took care of the problem for him.
"You alright there, Chocolate Thunder?" said a smirking Sasune, using Hirenkyakyu to appear next to his pal. "Next time, you might want try hitting the Hollow."
Aaron frowned "...I'll keep that in mind. They make using a sword seem a lot easier on TV. It doesn't help that the size of this thing is throwing me off."
"Why don't you just let me handle this? You can give Kana back her Shinigami powers in the meantime. The last thing we need is all of Soul Society coming here to tear us a new one. Besides, she might cry again if you don't, and I don't think my ears can take anymore!"
While his comrade made a good point, Aaron delayed with his reply.
"...No," he finally stated. Sasune faced him in confusion. "I'll hand her back her powers after we take care of this Hollow here."
"...I see." Sasune seemed intrigued, though merely replied, "Have it your way. Just try not to slow me down!"
"You took the words right out of my mouth!"
They backflipped to dodge another of Fishbone D's Ceros. Sasune then bombarded it with a storm of arrows, making the Hollow shield itself using its arms. In the interim, Aaron swooped in, relying more on instinct than actual skill, and set up to deliver the coup de grâce. Fishbone D caught on to him and dodged, rendering Aaron's strike against the Hollow's mask a slight graze.
"Come on, Chocolate Thunder!" shouted Kana. "You gotta swing harder than that! Use those manly muscles of yours!"
"Give me a break!" he shot back, huffing and puffing for air. "I already said I have no idea what I'm doing! And stop calling me that!"
"That's no excuse! You're a man, right! Stop complaining!"
Now gritting his teeth, Aaron barked, "Jesus, just shut up already!"
He was so enraged, he slashed at the first thing he could, which just so happened to be Fishbone D's right leg. His wakizashi went through it cleanly like a knife through butter, and the Hollow reacted by roaring and falling over.
"Whoa! That was so cool!" Kana gleefully exclaimed.
"And now she's goes back to being a cheerleader…" Aaron grumbled before going to admire his handiwork. "That really was sort of cool though."
"Yo! Stop standing around and finish that damn thing before it decides to run to Hueco Mundo and heal itself again!" yelled Sasune. "I ain't trying to be out here until tomorrow!"
Nodding, Aaron extended his open palm toward the enemy. "Way of Destruction Number 31: Red Fire Cannon!"
The intention might have been the same, yet the result of Aaron trying to use Kidou painfully paled in comparison to what Kana had accomplished earlier. Instead of a powerful fireball, he did nothing more than almost blow himself up, spreading red smoke all over. Sasune, fanning it away, coughed and visibly tried and failed to suppress a tirade of snickering.
"...Guess that didn't work." Aaron spat out some black fumes while lamenting his hair becoming a frizzy afro. "Pretty sure I said everything right too."
"You forgot the incantation, you big dummy!" Kana informed him. "Um...I don't mean to sound mean, but I wouldn't try doing something like that again! You kinda suck!"
Snarling like a rabid dog, Aaron made a mental note not to depend on someone like Kana for emotional support. "Looks like I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."
Despite solely having one leg, the relentless Fishbone D made an effort to keep on fighting; it nearly caught Sasune off guard with a swipe of its hand.
"Alright, who else is sick and tired of this guy?!" said Sasune. His friends raised their hands. "I say we grab the shotgun and put the dog down once and for all!"
"That was a pretty weird way to put it, but yeah, let's do it!" replied Aaron.
With the Hollow's mobility severely limited, Sasune chose to execute the same plan from before, though this time, he crept up behind the Hollow to pin it down with his spirit arrows. Aaron also switched things up by vaulting sky high to cut Fishbone D down from above. Unfortunately, he ended up going way higher than he intended as a consequence of him not being fully accustomed to his Shinigami form. This was worsened by his crippling fear of heights.
"Uh...c-could someone get me down from here like now?!"
Sasune was too embarrassed to look on. "Well, that would be handy if he were a professional basketball player!"
Rather than discomfort, Kana observed Aaron in awe. "Whoa! I wonder if he could get all the way to the Moon? I heard there's cheese up there!"
Aaron covered his mouth, feeling himself about to puke. He was able to suppress the urge and aim his Zanpakutou in front of him while he began to fall. If he could just land his blade on top of Fishbone D's mask, this whole thing would be over. Of course, the Hollow wasn't going to roll over and perish without a fight. Withstanding the multitude of arrows spraying its backside, it pointed its mouth skyward and prepped another Cero. Now doused in crimson light, Aaron realized that either he was going to die, or the Hollow was. Gulping, he garnered that with gravity working against him, he didn't have the option of backing down.
Becoming squeamish, Kana covered her eyes. "Oh God, I can't watch! I can't watch!"
"Forget about it, Aaron! Just get out of the way!" cried Sasune.
Aaron didn't falter. He squeezed the hilt of his weapon, shouted, and thrust his Zanpakutou forward. He punctured Fishbone D's face dead center, also causing the Hollow's Cero to overshoot him by mere inches. Unlike the other Hollow, this one began to fade alongside a glorious light, similar to the one surrounding Hitomi when she was sent to Soul Society by Kana.
"When a Shinigami kills a Hollow, their Zanpakutou purifies the creature's spirit," said Sasune after he noticed Aaron's puzzled expression. "The soul of the person they once were then gets sent to Soul Society just like a Plus'. It's different though when Quincy destroy a Hollow. We destroy both body and soul; there's nothing left to send to anywhere. Apparently, this screws with the balance of the worlds, hence the reason the Shinigami decided to get rid of us."
"Really? So that's what happened?" Kana moved her head to the side, still confounded about the whole matter. "That seems like an awfully lame reason to around slaughtering innocent people!"
"...We're in agreement then."
Aaron glimpsed at Kana and Sasune ahead of witnessing the last remains of Fishbone D depart to Soul Society. Somehow, he had done the impossible. Now he was ready to celebrate, yet he would need someone to dig him out of the forest soil before then. He had sunk himself into it pretty good—he was waist deep in fact—after landing from his finishing blow on the Hollow.
"Seriously, I can't get out! A little help would be nice!" he communicated to the others. Kana and Sasune stood over him and gave him a pair of disapproving head shakes. Neither could believe this was the man who had just finished saving them and perhaps everyone else in Hino.
"Are you two gonna help or not?!" a red-faced and squirming Aaron boomed.
END
