A/N: This was supposed to uploaded on Halloween, but the Amphibia one took up more time than I expected.

So enjoy this kinda Halloween themed entry!

Also, I was informed that this series now has a TV Tropes page! Big thanks to Literary Lord and his firend for creating it!

And, to my surprise, so does Witch and Heroes.

Thank you to whoever made those two!


One week had passed since Amity Blight, the Soul Reaper, had come to Gravesfield. Her mission was to investigate this town and find the cause of the disappearing Hollows. What she turned up was that an Arrancar, a dangerous, and powerful Hollow, was taking up residence in this town. Not only that, but it was walking among the humans in a Gigai and went by the name Luz Noceda. For whatever reason, the shop owner, Eda, did not seem to notice. What was weirder still, was the fact that the Hollow had friends. One of whom was a Quincy, a race of humans who have the ability to kill Hollows and are supposed to hate Hollows due to the poisonous nature of a Quincy coming into contact with one, was very protective of Luz.

However, out of all these things, those were taking a backseat at the moment as Amity was trying to figure out another mystery. The mystery of Willow Park. She was a human as far as he could tell, but Willow looked so much like the slum girl she was friends with back in Soul Society, she even had the same name and looked exactly like her. Amity had regrets, what person doesn't. But in this case, her biggest regret was never finding out what happened to her first real friend.

Even now, on her day off, Amity was standing outside the flower shop where Willow worked, in her spirit form. The green haired girl with the green thumb worked happily inside, tending to the plants and moving around heavy bags of plant food. She remembered that the Willow had a stout build like this one and was quite strong for her age. And it looked like this Willow was no different.

She had been following Willow for almost five whole days now, figuring out her routine. She would go to work, chat with customers, ring up purchases, and then head out for lunch. Sometimes she have lunch alone, and other times she would meet up with Augustus or…ugh…Luz. After her lunch was over, Willow would return to the flower shop and continue her work until closing time. After work, she would meet up with Augustus and Luz to hang out a bit, after the sun went down, the trio would go their separate ways and head home. Amity continued to follow Willow all the way to her home. Inside she saw her two fathers, whom she found out their names were Gilbert and Harvey.

Harvey was a bulky man with dark skin, a thick beard, brown eyes, and was mostly bald save for a small tuft of hair in the middle of his head. Gilbert was lighter skinned, with grayish blue eyes, dark hair, and a bit thinner than his husband. Amity realized when she first saw them that she never met her Willow's parents, not in all the times she had Willow over or snuck out to see her friend. Probably for the best…If I ran into them in Soul Society, I don't think I could look them in the eyes after what I did…

From there, Amity watched as Willow would go upstairs, and take care of her own personal potted plants before changing out of her clothes. Amity made sure to turn away when she saw that happening. I am NOT Luz! I don't peep on people! After Willow changed her clothes, she would go back downstairs and spend time with her fathers and help with dinner preparations. Once they were done, the family of three would sit down and enjoy their meal together as they each talked about their day. Amity had taken that time to search their house, walking through the hallways and looking at all the different family photos that were lined up on the walls.

Some of them showed Gilbert and Harvey from when they were kids, of those some showed the two men from when they were on a lacrosse team back when they were younger. The photos fast forward to when they were in college, having fun, and going on dates, and then came the wedding photos. Amity was not sure how much time passed, but it seemed like not much did before Gilbert and Harvey were holding a baby Willow in their arms with a label on that photo that read, "Our Precious Baby Girl". There were more photos of holidays, momentous events in young Willow's growth, and of course there were photos of Luz and Willow.

Seeing that girl next to Willow made her feel…irritated for some reason. Not jealous, oh no, there was no way in hell she was jealous of that Hollow. However, seeing those photos made her wonder even more about Luz's origins. The photos clearly showed the Arrancar as a young child, and there were more of them growing up together. There was definitely something strange about Luz Noceda, and it didn't sit right with her, even more so after seeing those photos. Anyway, once dinner had concluded, Willow would go back upstairs or sit downstairs in the living room and watch TV with her fathers or play video games with them. When it was closer to bedtime, she would text Luz and Augustus, chat with them for a few minutes, and then after bidding them goodnight, she would shower and head to bed.

And the cycle would repeat itself the next day, with some variations here and there.

But even after a whole five days spent watching Willow, Amity was no closer to figuring out if this Willow was the same one she knew way back when. Was this Willow a reincarnation? If that were the truth, then that would mean something happened to the Willow she knew back in Soul Society. Although reincarnations were rare, they were not unheard of. Or maybe the Willow from Soul Society did become a Soul Reaper without her knowing and she was already assigned to his place.

No, that wouldn't make sense, there's too many holes in that theory…

Currently, Amity was standing at the counter of the Owl House. Lost in thought about this girl who may or may not be her old friend. But as she thought about it, another question arose in her mind.

If it turns out she is that Willow…what do I even say to her? If she does remember me…then she'll remember how much I hurt her. Maybe it's time I faced the consequences of that day?

"Surprise boob grab!"

Despite the blatant announcement, Amity was still caught off guard as Luz slipped her hands under Amity's arms and grabbed ahold of her breasts. Giving them a squeeze and eliciting an embarrassed cry out of the purple haired teen's mouth. After about three squeezes, Amity finally snapped out of her stunned state and whirled around to clock Luz with her elbow. But as usual, the Latina was too fast and easily dodged the blow.

"AUGH! Damn you, Noceda! Will you stop that!" Amity growled.

"Awww, but they're just so fun to hold. Firm, but with just enough softness to let your fingers sink in. Perfectly balanced as all things should be," Luz replied.

"I swear I'm going to cut your head off one of these days."

Luz chuckled at the threat and asked, "So, what's got you so deep in thought? Normally you're a lot more on guard. Let me guess." Luz put on a faux serious expression. "Are you trying to figure out my evil plan for this quaint little town?!"

Amity rolled her eyes at Luz and replied, "As a matter of fact, yes. I haven't stopped trying to figure that out."

"Called it."

"…But right now, I have something else on my mind," Amity confessed.

Luz raised an eyebrow when she heard tone shift in Amity's voice. The Latina walked over to the counter and leaned on the space next to Amity. Which made Amity scoot about a few steps to her right to put space between them. After a moment of silence, Luz bluntly asked, "Are you crushing on Willow?"

"PFFFFFFFFFFTTTT! Excuse me?!" Amity yelped.

"You know I know you've been stalking her for the last few days, right? I can understand why you would. My friend is very cute, thicc, has a wonderful and loving personality, and has a nice pair of sweater cannons. But if you're not stalking her for those reasons, this conversation will go in a very different direction."

Amity's face was turning tomato red now. "W-W-What?! How dare you accuse me of doing something like that! I'd expect you to do something like that! But I–!"

Luz whipped out her cellphone and showed a few pictures of Amity hovering outside the flower shop, following Willow, and some that were inside Willow's house.

Amity's jaw practically hit the floor when she was presented with this evidence.

"I take the safety of my friends very seriously, Blight. So, I wanted to make sure you weren't trying to hurt Willow. And so, I stalked the stalker," said Luz.

"H-H-How did you get these photos?! Human technology can't take pictures of us!" Amity asked.

"Don't change the subject, Blight. This is about you following my precious cinnamon roll of a friend around without her knowledge. And I need a good reason for why you're doing this or else."

Amity saw Luz's eyes briefly flash yellow, a silent warning telling her she would do best not to lie to her. The Soul Reaper was backed into a corner and sighed heavily. "Okay…yes…I've been watching and following Willow – But it's not to harm her! I swear! I would never want to harm her!…Not again."

"Huh?"

The young Soul Reaper groaned loudly, she hated that she was about to tell this monster something so personal, but if not, Luz would take it as hostile action and possibly kill her. So, without any other choice, Amity explained her reasons why she was "stalking" Willow, everything from when she was in Soul Society, she told Luz about. Including that infamous moment when she made Willow run out of her house in tears, treating her first friend like some kind of common street rat.

"And…now…I ran across this Willow. She looks, acts, and sounds so much like the Willow I once knew…I never knew what happened to her after that day, but…I don't know, maybe this Willow is a reincarnation or something?"

Luz had remained silent for the majority of the explanation, and finally said, "Wow, no offense, Blight, but your mother sounds like a royal fucking bitch."

Amity supposed she should feel anger towards a Hollow calling her mother that, but after dredging up those old memories, she was very inclined to agree with the Hollow. "Now you know why I've been following Willow. Not to harm her. Not out of some crush I have. I just wanted to know if she's my old friend, or if she has her memories."

Now that she had the full information, Luz leaned straight up and patted Amity on her left shoulder. Amity made no attempt to shrug off Luz's touch, she felt lower than a Hollow right now, so she had no right – in her mind – to shrug off Luz's touch. So long as it wasn't something perverted anyway.

"Amity, that's…wow…" Luz seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to stop looking into Willow. The more I do, the more this'll deter me from my mission." Amity stood up and brushed off Luz's hand. "I need a break…tell Ms. Marilyn I'll be up in my room for fifteen."

Luz watched as Amity went into the back and listened as she ascended the stairs.

"Hmmmmm…Yep, no, I can't let this stand. Girl needs closure! And by God she's going to get it! Whether she wants it or not."

BLEACH

Amity lay in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was nighttime, and usually she would go out on patrol to ensure that there weren't' anymore Hollows running around, well, except for the one, but that particular one was annoying, and she did not want to see her right now.

*Knock*

*Knock*

"Amity~ I'm fully respecting your privacy by knocking but asserting my right as an employee here and coming in anyway~!"

Amity bolted upright upon hearing that voice. "Wait! What?!"

The door to Amity's room was practically kicked open as Luz entered in her traditionally bombastic way. "¡Hola chica! Guess who!"

Amity sprang to her feet and glared at the Hollow in disguise. "What the hell?! Why did you just barge into my room?!"

"What? I knocked," Luz retorted.

"Common curtesy dictates you wait until the person on the other side gives you permission to enter!" Amity stated.

"Eh, I'm more of a 'better to ask forgiveness than permission' kinda gal," said Luz.

"Something tells me the 'forgiveness' part of that is lacking." Amity sighed heavily as she resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Why are you invading my private space this time, monster?"

"Oh, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a little outing. To a haunted hospital a little bit on the outskirts of the town," said Luz. "It'll be spoooooky. C'mon!"

Amity deadpanned. "Okay, A: you do realize you and I are spiritual beings and that we communicate with souls every day, and B: why would I go anywhere with you?"

Luz leaned against the doorway, trying to look suave as she replied, "Cause you know you want to hit this, hermosa."

Amity raised her left hand and pointed it at Luz. "O Lord, mask of flesh and bone, all creation–"

"Okay, okay, real talk." Luz raised her hands up to try and diffuse the situation. "Look, I thought you could come with us and have a fun night out."

Amity lowered her hand and gave her a curious look. "Wait, did you say 'us'? By 'us' you mean…?"

"You, me, Gus, aaaaaaand Willow! They're actually out here in the hallway," Luz informed.

"WHAT?!" Amity pushed Luz out of the way and entered the hallway, and that's when she noticed Augustus Porter and Willow. Gus was dressed in a dark blue hoody, a black t-shirt, jeans, and a single gold earring on his right ear. Willow was dressed in a pair of jean shorts, a green shirt that read "Lean and Green", and she had a brown bracelet that was woven with rope and had one big pink flower with two smaller white flowers on either side of it. "W-Willow, you're going too?"

"Yep, but you don't have to come with us if you don't want to," said Willow.

"Preferably, don't," said Gus, snidely.

Willow lightly bopped him on the head, "Gus, behave, please."

"N-No! I mean, yes! I mean – I'm not really doing anything right now! I don't mind joining," said Amity quickly.

"¡Excelente!" Luz exclaimed as she hooked an arm around Amity's shoulders. "Let's move out!"

"Personal. Space," Amity warned.

"Letting go."

BLEACH

Luz, Amity, Gus, and Willow drove out to the location in Willow's car. The group of four arrived near the outskirts of Gravesfield and stood before a fairly large hospital. There were several broken windows, some were intact, but most were broken. Vines grew over some parts of the hospital, showing how nature was reclaiming its territory. The name had faded on the side of the hospital, but it was semi legible. Overall, it was a creepy looking place.

"Welcome everyone, to Our Lady of Misery Psychiatric Hospital!" Luz announced.

Amity glanced about the property, trying to figure out why they were here. She gave up and just asked. "Okay, I'll bite. Why are we here?"

"Oh, we're doing that old cliché of a group of teens exploring creepy haunted places," said Luz.

Amity deadpanned as she walked over to Luz and quietly said, "How exactly is this going to be scary? You're a Hollow and I'm a Soul Reaper. Seeing and conversing with the departed is not exactly frightening."

Luz sighed. "Just go with it, please."

Amity rolled her eyes and went back to the others, she briefly glanced at Willow who smiled at her, making the Soul Reaper chuckle nervously.

"Okay, so a quick reminder of how we do things. On the first month of summer, we always pick one haunted location to go to and roam around in. We stay for an hour and document any supernatural happenings!"

So dumb, thought Amity.

"Now normally we go in a group, but since we have Amity with us, we can split up into two teams," said Luz. "And I already have the teams set up! Me and Gus! Willow and Amity!"

"What?!" Amity exclaimed.

"Aaaaaannd – three-two-one GO!"

Luz grabbed Gus and quickly dragged him into the hospital, leaving Willow and Amity alone.

Amity nervously glanced over at Willow and said, "I guess we're a team or something."

Willow smiled back at Amity and replied, "Glad to be your partner. Now let's get sleuthing!"

"Y-Yeah," Amity responded.

Willow led the way and Amity followed right next to her. Luz and Gus were already gone, off searching some other part of the hospital. The inside was even creepier than the outside. There were some wheelchairs creepily left out, as if waiting for someone to be seated into them, or more like someone was already sitting there and watching them enter. Some of the overgrowth from outside had gotten inside through the broken windows and cracks in the cement, allowing some of the grass and some weeds to grow in little patches here and there. The lights above no longer worked and were dingy and dirty from decades of neglect.

"I'm not sure which way they went, so I guess we'll just choose a hallway," said Willow. "Eenie, meenie, miny – this way."

Amity followed Willow as they went down the east facing hallway.

BLEACH

Ten minutes had passed as Luz was casually strolling along with her hands behind her head, without a care in the world, while Gus had his phone out and lighting the way. Every so often he'd peek over his shoulder, not in a nervous way, but more in a serious, worried fashion. Luz noticed this and asked, "What's up, Gus?"

"Are you sure it's a good idea to leave Willow alone with that girl?" Gus asked.

"Look, I don't think Amity's all that bad. And you can't really blame her for feeling the way she does about Hollows. I mean, I was literally eaten by one, and became one a moment after, and I hunt them down and kill them. Or eat them when I need to," said Luz. "Plus, she kinda needs this."

Gus raised a curious eyebrow. "Wait, why?" then his expression became one of shock. "Does Blight have a crush on Willow?!"

Luz couldn't help but laugh when she heard that. "Oh man, that was my first thought too when I talked to her. But no, that's not it. And honestly, it's kinda personal to her so I'm not about to spill the beans. You're just gonna have to trust me on this Gusmeister."

Gus rubbed the back of his head as he sighed and said, "I do, always will. The Soul Reaper on the other hand…well…"

Just then, the two teens felt something and yelled at the same time, "DUCK!"

Luz and Gus dropped to the floor as something was thrown at them and sailed over their heads. The object banged against the walls a few times before eventully hitting the floor. The two teens got back up as Gus shined his cellphone light, allowing them to see that the object was a wheelchair. Luz and Gus turned around quickly, but when they did, they saw no one there.

"What was that?" Gus asked.

"I don't know," Luz answered.

"Do you think it's a Hollow?"

"No way, I patrol the town three times a day for Hollows. And even when I don't, my Pesquisa is strong enough for me to sense any Hollows around the town, even this far out. I checked before I picked this spot, there's just…" Luz paused as she thought for a moment. "…Gus, do you sense any souls in this area?"

Gus took a moment to feel out the hospital, and replied, "I don't sense anyone else here besides you, me, Willow, and Blight."

Luz's eyes widened.

"What's wrong?!" Gus asked.

"There were more spirits here when I left…bound spirits that hadn't left this world. A good twenty or more…I figured if any of them were aggressive Amity could just take care of them and use her sword to send them to Soul Society or something…but now…they're gone," said Luz.

Gus understood what Luz was getting at, between when she scoped out this location and came to gather them together, something happened here. Either the spirits managed to leave the hospital, which would've been impossible since most of the time a spirit was bound to the place they died, or it meant…they were devoured.

"What if it's a Hollow? One that can evade detection?" Gus pondered aloud.

"I've never seen one like that, and Eda never told me about ones that can do that. Unless it's one of those things she forgot to tell me about, in which case I need to bap her on the head when we get back," said Luz in an annoyed tone. "Alright, this ghost adventure is officially cancelled, we need to regroup with Willow and Amity before–!"

"Heads up!"

Gus quickly took out his silver cross and transformed it into his spirit bow as another wheelchair was thrown their way from behind Luz. At the same time, a gurney was coming down the opposite end of the hall behind Gus. Luz balled up her right fist at the same time Gus notched an arrow, and together Luz fired her Bala at the same time as Gus' Spirit Arrow. The Bala smashed into the gurney, making it fall out of the air and onto the floor, while Gus' arrow tore through the wheelchair and had its parts scatter onto the floor. However, that was not the end. The shadows seemed to move on their own, undulating as if alive. More pieces of medical equipment, along with broken off pieces of glass started to rise into the air and point themselves in their direction. The shadows started to release barbed tentacles and coiled in their direction like snakes.

"Oh, this is going to be annoying," said Luz.

"I heard that," Gus replied.

BLEACH

(2 minutes earlier)

Amity was nervous the entire time she was with Willow, despite the stout girl's happy demeanor, Amity was on pins and needles. Feeling as if at any moment Willow was going to confront her about their past. They had finished exploring the lower level and proceeded to the second floor, ending up in the surgical ward. The scary vibe was even stronger here when you realized that this place was once used to cut people open.

"Sooo…what do you know about this place?" Amity asked, trying to fill the silence.

"Oh, from what I remember, this place does not have the nicest history," said Willow.

"It doesn't?"

"Nope. Luz told you about the town's history, right? The whole 'Witch Trials' and all?" Willow asked.

"She did."

"Well, unfortunately, some of those old practices didn't completely die out here in Gravesfield. This hospital was a perfect example. It's on the outskirts of town, far from where people can keep an eye on it. Back then a lot of mentally ill people were sent here, and they were not treated kindly at all," Willow informed.

The two teenage girls entered a surgery theater room. There was a metal operating table set up in the center of a rotunda, with trays that had several tools lined up for use. But again, years of neglect had rendered them rusty and cracked. Up above were stands where other doctors and nurses could watch the surgeries from a high vantage point.

"I heard this hospital was run by a cult of 'witch hunters' who believed the mentally ill were victims of witchcraft or were in the throes of becoming 'demonic vessels'. There were others who sent here because of differing views that weren't exactly in keeping with society as it was back then. And as you can guess, the staff/cult labeled them as witches. For years they were allowed to do unspeakable things to them, and even in places like this. The patients were subjected to needless surgeries, believing that they could 'extract the demonic essence' from the person," said Willow.

Amity looked at the operating table with disgust. This was supposed to be a place of healing, but instead, it was just a glorified torture chamber. "Sometimes I forgot how humans can be monsters, too."

"Well, there's no doubt about that," said Willow.

Shit! I said that out loud! Amity thought.

Willow continued her story, "But eventually, one brave person managed to escape this place and ran to the police. They had every right to bring her back here and not believe a word she was saying. But it also took another brave person to believe her claims. And it was thanks to the both of them that they were able to uncover the horrible things they did here and got this place shut down. The staff was placed in jail, sentenced either to death or life in prison."

The girls exited the theater room and headed down the hall into an examination room.

"This place was shut down, and never reopened. No one wanted to come to a hospital that had so many bad things happen to it. And rumors say that the wrongfully dead still roam these halls, waiting to exact revenge on the leaving. To make them experience the same kind of pain and anguish that they were subjected to."

Hmm, if that's true, I should perform a Konsō on the spirits in this hospital. They deserve to pass on from this evil place, thought Amity. But even so, I haven't really seen or sensed any souls here.

As Amity walked about the room, she slipped on a discarded blanket, making her flail as she fell forward. Willow heard the commotion behind her and turned around just in time for Amity to barrel into her and send both of them to the floor. Amity groaned as she managed to prop herself up but paused when she realized she was quite literally on top of Willow. The Soul Reaper blushed when she saw the position they were in, as well as finding her left hand precariously perched atop Willow's prodigiously perky pillows and scrambled off of her as quick as she was able.

"I am so sorry!" Amity squeaked.

Willow got up and dusted off her clothes. "It was an accident, Amity. No harm done."

"Still, I didn't mean to do that! I'm not like Luz!" Amity assured.

The bespectacled girl giggled at the mention of her friend. "I know. Luz is Luz and I'm used to it. But can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, of course, anything!"

"Do you have a crush on me?" Willow asked.

"Wha-What?!"

Willow placed her hands on her hips as she said, "I'm actually pan so, if you wanted to date me, I'm not opposed to it."

"NO! I mean, I – just – what made you think I have a crush on you?" Amity asked.

"Luz said you've been watching me lately, so I thought that was the case," Willow answered.

Amity clenched her left hand into a fist as she growled angrily. DAMN YOU, NOCEDA! Amity took a moment to calm down and said, "No, Willow, that's…that's not the reason."

"Oh?"

The purple haired teen sighed again, heavily, as she sat down on the examination table. "It's complicated."

Willow sat down next to Amity as she said, "I'm a pretty good listener, if you want to talk about it."

Amity kept her eyes on the floor. "You just remind me of a good friend I had when I was little. I mean, you really remind me of her. You look, sound, and even act like her."

Willow blinked with surprise. "Wow, guess I have a doppelganger out there somewhere."

"Y-Yeah…and it's just…I don't know how to act around you because of that," Amity admitted.

"Why's that?"

"Because I hurt my friend. You see…I'm from a wealthy family, and my mother has made plans for me and my future. I didn't have many friends, until I met one girl who became my friend. She was from a poor family, but she was happy. And I was happy playing with her. Sometimes I'd invite her over, but most of the time I'd sneak out to see her. Then, one day, I was told by my Mother to either stop being friends with her, or she would make sure my friend's life would be a harsh one."

Willow gently placed her right hand on Amity's left shoulder as she said, "Oh, Amity, I'm sorry."

"Don't be…because in order to keep her away…I had to hurt her. I told her I was just using her. That she was just a playmate and nothing else. I even threw money at her for her time…I had to do that…I had to or else her life would get harder than it was already, and it would be all my fault…She ran out of my house in tears, and afterwards I was shipped away to a school. I never checked up on her, not even once. 'Til this day I don't know if she's alright, or anything…"

Willow watched as tears began to form in Amity's eyes.

"I never got to say I was sorry…and seeing you…just brought back all those memories…"

"And that's why you've been looking at me a lot?" Willow asked.

Amity nodded.

Willow removed her hand and then wrapped her arm around Amity and brought her into a hug, startling Amity a little. "I know you said I look similar to her. And I can't really speak for your friend. But, if she knew why you had to do what you did, I don't think she'd be mad at you. If anything, I'd say you're an even better friend for doing that. Yes, sure, if Luz said something like that to me, I'd be devastated, hurt. But if I knew the reasons why, I would forgive her."

Amity couldn't hold it in anymore as she leaned into Willow cried on her shoulder. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…"

Willow used her right hand to gently caress the top of Amity's head. The flower shop girl assumed that Amity trying to say sorry to her old childhood friend through Willow. So, she decided to help Amity get some kind of closure. Willow leaned her head atop of Amity's and spoke in a kind tone, "I forgive you, Amity."

"Thank you, Willow," Amity whispered.

Just then the two girls heard something, a crashing sound that unfortunately ended their moment.

"What was that?" Amity asked.

"It sounded like something crashed against the floor," said Willow.

Suddenly more sounds echoed through the building, and not long after those they heard something akin to a small explosion. Amity and Willow immediately sprang to their feet and went out into the hallway, but there was nothing there that they could see that would cause those noises. Something felt off to Amity, the air inside had grown heavy, and there was a sense of foreboding that was coming over her.

"Willow, I think we should leave," Amity suggested.

"Something tells me you're right," Willow agreed.

The doors to the surgical theater burst open and from them appeared the various rusted cutting tools that were left out on the trays. The tools were floating in the air and aimed themselves in their direction. Amity and Willow took a couple of steps back, slowly. The surgical tools launched themselves at the girls, making Amity move quickly as she pushed Willow to the side to allow them to fly past them. The girls looked to see where they went but noticed that they did a complete one-eighty and came right back towards them. Amity and Willow scrambled as they ran down the hallway, eventually ducking into a room to avoid them and slamming the door shut.

"What's going?!" Willow asked.

"I don't know!" I can't sense any spiritual pressure, and my phone hasn't gone off either! What's causing this?!

Suddenly, the shadows in the room began to move on their own, forming inky black barbed tentacles. The two girls looked at each other and unanimously agreed to vacate the room immediately. Unfortunately, as soon as they exited, some of the scalpels passed by and managed to cut Willow across her left bicep and right thigh, while Amity got slashed across her right cheek, and one of them managed to impale itself in her right shoulder.

"AAAH!" Amity yelled in pain.

"AMITY!" Willow cried out.

"I'm fine, or I will be in a minute." Amity reached into her left pocket and took out the Gikon dispenser. She knew Willow would not understand what was about to happen, but it was the only way to protect her right now. "Willow, things are about to get a bit crazier, but trust me. I will protect you!"

Amity popped the Gikon pill, and immediately upon doing so, her true form separated from her Gigai just in time to draw her sword and cut down the incoming scalpels, hooks, and bone saws.

Ginnosuke Amity looked at the wound in her left shoulder and stared at it curiously. "Wow, that looked like it hurt, nyah."

"It did, and you're lucky you didn't feel it," Amity responded.

"That's true." Ginnosuke Amity grabbed the rusty scalpel and pulled it out like it was nothing. The bleeding had stopped, and it seemed as if the right arm was still useable. "Okay, what's the plan, nyah?"

"We're getting Willow out of here, and then I want you to keep her safe until this is over," Amity ordered.

The shadows of the room started to move again, creating the black barbed tentacles that were slowly rising and getting ready to attack them.

Amity, however, smirked. "Oh, if there was ever a worse place for whatever you are, it's here. Engulf them in my power! Imawashiki!"

The blade of Amity's Zanpakutō transformed into a purple and pink goo substance. "Tsudzurao no Ichigeki (Nine Tails Strike)!"

Imawashiki suddenly sprouted nine long tentacles. The shadow tentacles launched themselves at Amity, but with a flick of her sword, all nine of the tentacles attacked. They slashed through the shadow tentacles with ease as Amity utilized Imawashik's acidic properties to burn through the shadow tentacles.

"Behind us, nyah!" Ginnosuke Amity called out.

Amity made three of the nine tails disengage from the frontal assault and swoop around to strike at the ones attacking them from behind.

"Amity, we need an opening, we're cornered in here!" Willow stated.

"Um, why are you looking that way? I'm right here, nyah," said Ginnosuke Amity.

"Because you're not Amity, she's standing right in front of me."

Amity paused as she looked over shoulder and noticed that Willow was indeed staring right at her. "Willow…you can see me?!"

"I can, and like I said, we need a way out of here!" she repeated.

More medical equipment began to float around and was launched at them, adding to the other things that her nine tails were slashing through. "I can cast a spell that could get make one, but this shadow stuff is unpredictable!"

Willow nodded. "In that case, I'll make our escape route."

"What?"

"What, nyah?"

Willow's flower bracelet suddenly glowed bright green, and within seconds, it flashed as the light wrapped itself over her entire right arm. The shadows seemed to stop attacking and Amity took this moment to look over her shoulder, and what she saw shocked her. When the light faded, Willow's right arm covered in armor made of bark. There was an emerald gemstone embedded in the top of the hand, and a second on the side of the shoulder. Around the shoulder small branches grew out with lush green leaves on them, and the grooves of the wood were gold in color.

"Wi…Willow! What is that?!" Amity exclaimed.

"I call it Gaia. Now hang on, this is going to cause some property damage."

The two emeralds glowed bright green. Willow dropped down to one knee and slammed her bark covered fist into the floor. Upon doing so, the bark suddenly grew out and expanded within seconds, smashing through the floor beneath them. The bark swooped and molded itself into a slide within seconds, and once it was done, Willow easily detached herself from it and yelled, "HURRY!"

Amity nodded and recalled the nine tails back and slid down with Willow and Ginnosuke Amity right behind her. More of the shadow tentacles began to form, but Willow wasn't about to have that happen again. She pointed all five of her fingers down the hall with her arm outstretched. And from the tips of her fingers, she fired out several seeds. The seeds flew like bullets as they embedded themselves in the walls and floor. Willow clenched her right hand into a fist, causing the twin emeralds to shine as all the seeds suddenly sprouted bramble vines. The shadow tentacles were getting assaulted by all of the vines, making it hard for the tendrils to form.

Willow formed a shield out of the bark armor and began charging straight down the hallway with Amity used Imawashiki to cover them as they got out of the hall and managed to get back into the lobby area. Once there, all three of them got out of the hospital and stopped running once they were twenty feet away from it. Now that they were outside, they could see shadows starting to wrap around the building, rising higher and higher as if it was trying to swallow the entire building.

"Where are Luz and Gus?!" Willow asked.

As if to answer her question, a Cero beam blasted through the roof and out of it jumped out both Luz, Gus, and Claudia Luz. The shadow tendrils shot towards them, but Willow slammed her palm into the ground as several tree roots sprouted out of the dirt and wove themselves together. The roots quickly formed a sphere around the trio and pulled them back, bringing them down to where Willow, Amity, and Ginnosuke Amity were. The sphere unwove itself and returned to the earth, allowing its occupants to move around.

"Nice save, Willow," said Luz.

"What's going on?" Willow asked.

"Some kind of Hollow, it ate all the spirits that were here!" Gus informed.

Amity glared at the Arrancar before her as she walked up to her and said, "You brought us to a place that had a Hollow?!"

"It wasn't here when I checked this place out! I couldn't sense it before, but now that it's fully attacking, I can," Luz replied. "The important thing is to destroy it! Before it goes anywhere."

Willow narrowed her eyes as she took a few steps forward. "I'll take care of it. This place has been a source of pain to people. I think it's time it was gone forever."

"Oh, wait, save me a piece!" Luz added.

"Got it!"

Willow stared down the building, and as she did, the shadow engulfed the entire building and from it appeared the face of Hollow. Its teeth were rectangular in shape, and it had four wavy horns from the sides of the top of its head and below its jaw, forming an "X" pattern. The tendrils began to rise, some taking shape into full on claws. The Hollow looked down upon the assembled teens with its yellow, glowing eyes and released its wailing roar.

"Such strong spiritual energy, I'll enjoy making a meal of you all!" it threatened.

"I have just one question, are you responsible for eating the souls that were here in this place?" Willow asked.

"And what if I am?"

"Then I'm going to enjoy this more than I was at the beginning."

The Hollow lashed out with its claw arms, aiming right at Willow. Amity was about to rush to Willow to protect her, but Luz grabbed the Soul Reaper by her collar and stopped her from going further.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I HAVE TO PROTECT WILLOW!" Amity yelled.

"Just watch, Pequeña Señorita Segador. Don't underestimate a Fullbringer. Willow is a powerhouse when she's upset," said Luz.

The gemstones on Willow's Gaia, as well as her own eyes, glowed bright green as a wall of tree roots rose up and blocked the arms from getting her. The roots were shrouded in a thin layer of green light, showing their connection to Willow. The Fullbringer waved her right hand and made the roots weave together into an oriental dragon with glowing green eyes. The dragon roared and charged straight for the Hollow, and immediately clamped its jaws around the Hollow's neck. The Hollow roared in pain as it thrashed about, trying to get rid of the wooden beast. The ground began to rumble, and within seconds a second wood dragon burst from the ground and bit down on the building that had become part of its body. And then a third, then a fourth, and fifth. Some of the arms grew out and tried to rip off the dragons, while others started heading towards the caster. But at that moment, the tree leaves glowed green and with a flick of her wrist, the leaves detached and began flying like shooting stars, slashing off the tendril limbs just as fast as they could reform.

Amity was at a loss for words. Willow was powerful, she was a human, but she was able to do things like this. No wonder Noceda told me not to interfere…she's using the plants around us as a weapon. We're in her domain right now.

"I think you need a little sunshine," said Willow.

Willow slammed her right fist down until it was buried under the dirt. A moment later, three huge sunflowers burst forth from behind the group. All three soon blossomed, opening their petals wide and showing that the interior of the petals were sparkling while the center was bright white. Particles of yellow light started to gather towards the center of the sunflowers, building up more and more energy until they were glowing like an intense sunlamp.

"Burn to ashes!"

All three sunflowers fired at once, releasing three beams of golden yellow light. The wooden dragon that was clenched around the Hollow's neck bit down harder until its sharp wooden teeth cut through and ripped off the Hollow's head. Once it was decapitated, the triple beams struck the building all at once, incinerating the shadows covering the building, and within seconds began incinerating the building itself until it was completely destroyed, leaving only ashes behind. The severed head of the Hollow lied on the ground, coughing up blood, but somehow very much still alive.

"Damn you…human…! How dare you do this to me…! When I reform myself, I will…"

"So, you ate all those souls, huh?" Luz questioned.

The Hollow went quiet as it sensed an intense presence walking towards it. That's when it saw Luz and noticed the hole above her navel.

"Y-You're a Hollow?! A-A Vasto Lorde?! No, you have no mask! You're an Arrancar!"

Luz smirked and said, "I am."

"Forgive me! I knew not that this was your territory!"

"It's my home." Luz was now upon the Hollow's head, looking down on it. "And anything that threatens my home and the people in it, are my enemy. That includes the souls who still linger here. And you went and ate some of them. Now, I think it's time you understood what it feels like to be eaten. And I am hungry."

Luz smiled broadly as her teeth suddenly became very sharp like that of a predator, along with her irises glowing yellow. The Arrancar descended upon the severed head and began taking huge bites out of its mask. The Hollow roared in pain as Luz began eating it, bit by bit. Willow busied herself with something else while Luz had her meal. While Gus was still on alert in case there was something else waiting for them. Amity, well, Amity was just standing there dumbfounded by what she was witnessing. She had read about Hollows cannibalizing each other, but this was the first time she had seen it firsthand. If it wasn't for the fact that it was a Hollow and had eaten all those innocent souls, she might have felt sorry for it, but she didn't. Still, it was an unsettling sight, but for some reason she could not tear herself away from this scene.

After about two minutes Luz had completely devoured the Hollow until there was nothing left. She stood back up to her feet and wiped her mouth clean. "Hmm, for an evil bastard, he tasted good."

Amity looked around and noticed that neither Gus nor Willow were fazed by what they saw.

"Guess we should get going, I don't sense anything else in the area," said Gus.

"One last thing before we do." Willow got down on knee and placed her palm against the earth. A wave of green light layered itself over the ruins of the hospital that once stood before them. In a matter of seconds flowers began to bloom all over the property, and over what remained of the building's foundation. "A gift for the dead. And something beautiful to replace the ugliness of that place." Willow waved her hand over the trees in the area and had them regrow their leaves, she was not about to leave them barren. "Now we can go."

BLEACH

They had taken Willow's car back to each of their houses, but Luz decided to head back home on her own. After dropping Gus off at his home, Amity was the only one left. Her and Ginnosuke Amity was riding in the backseat, while Amity herself rode in the front. No one could see her, so it wasn't as if anyone was going to ask why she was dressed like she was.

"So, you two didn't seem fazed at all at seeing Noceda eat that Hollow," said Amity.

"No, it's not our first time," Willow confirmed.

"How long have you known that she was a Hollow?"

"The whole time. We're going on a year and half now."

Amity glanced at Willow and asked, "She's been here that long? Wait, but you said you've known her since you two were little."

Willow grimaced a little as she said, "It's complicated."

"How complicated? Willow, if she's threatening you I can–"

"It's because of Luz I'm still alive," Willow interrupted. "Do you know how Fullbringers are made?"

Amity shook her head.

"Fullbringers are what happens when a human is attacked by a Hollow and survives. I was attacked by a Hollow, and almost got killed. But Luz saved my life. And it's thanks to her and Gus I was able to learn how to tap into this power of mine. So, now I can protect myself, and more importantly, protect those I care about deeply."

The car pulled up to the Owl House and Willow put it in park.

"There's a reason why Luz does what she does, and a reason for why she is what she is. But it's not my story to tell, and it's not Gus' either. All I can tell you is that Luz is my friend, and someone I trust with my life. Can I ask you to at least trust me?" Willow asked.

Amity was about to retort, but as she looked upon Willow, her mind flashed an image of the younger Willow from the Seireitei, and her argument died right then and there. "I…I will trust you, Willow. But…I don't know if I can trust a Hollow."

"Fair enough," said Willow. "Can I ask you question?"

Amity nodded.

"The friend you were talking about, was she from Soul Society?" Willow asked.

"Yes."

"And she really did look like me?"

"She does. Or did?"

Willow reached over and patted her on the shoulder. "I don't know if it's a coincidence that I look like her. But I meant what I said, if I was her, and you told me that, I would forgive you."

Amity smiled and mouthed a "thank you" before exiting the car. Ginnosuke Amity was right behind her as they watched Willow drive away. Once she had, both entered the Owl House, finding Eda on the couch sipping on some red wine.

"Whoa, what happened to your Gigai?" Eda asked.

"Things got…interesting tonight," said Amity. "Can you fix my Gigai's arm?"

Eda got off the couch and checked the damage, after a quick look, she nodded her head. "Oh yeah, it's a quick fix. Once I've patched it up you won't feel it. Were you in it when you got stabbed?"

"Yes."

"Ouch, that must've hurt like a bitch," said Eda.

Amity decided to head up to bed while she waited for Eda to fix the damage. She laid down in her bed and looked up at the ceiling as her mind went over everything that happened tonight. It was quite the emotional night for Amity, and her mind was left with more questions than answers when it came to Luz Noceda. Everything about this mission revolved around her, she could feel it. She just needed more information on that Arrancar.

"Hey, kid, you forgot this," said Eda as she came into Amity's room and tossed her cellphone at her. "Also, you got a message."

Amity caught the phone and checked her messages. She and Willow exchanged phone numbers so now they could text each other. Amity opened the text, read it, and then blushed as she let the cellphone plop onto the mattress.

[Oh, and FYI. I knew you were in my house and outside the flower shop. But now that we're good, you can just text me, call me, or just come in and we can talk.]

Amity grabbed the pillow and placed it over her face as she let out a yell of embarrassment and frustration.