Wow, this one was pretty close to coming late! I have much of this stuff pre-written, but edits can take a while, especially with a chapter as long as this one. This is actually a personal favorite of mine, so I hope you all enjoy. FYI: We're already halfway through the first Arc!

Please enjoy.


Part I

"Wake up!"

Squeezing her eyes shut, Rukia bit back a groan.

"Come on, wake up!"

She could feel a small plush arm poke at her nose. She brushed it away with a hand and rolled over, pulling the covers tighter over herself. Five more minutes. She knew she had five more minutes!

"It's morning! It's morning!"

Great, the little demon was jumping on her now. Her tiny body let out a small squeak with every impact.

And she

just

wouldn't

stop.

Rukia violently shoved the covers off her body, sending the stuffed animal flying to the other side of the room. She hit the door with yet another soft squeak. Rukia's eyebrow twitched.

"Ow…," the toy groaned. Rukia was having none of it.

"Paku, I thought I said no more wake up calls!" she bit out, trying to keep her voice down. She wouldn't even know where to begin if Byakuya came up and found a walking talking Chappy Bunny in her room. Then again, if Paku were a more reasonable house guest, she probably wouldn't have to worry as much as she does about that possibility.

Not long ago, she let the Mod Soul into her home. She gave her a name (Paku, after the Japanese word for Mod Soul, Kaizō Konpaku), a roof over her head, and occasionally even let the little creep use her body.

For as useful as she could be, she was also obnoxious, rude, boy-crazy, and didn't know that if she woke up Rukia before her alarm one more time she was going to be thrown into the nearest garbage disposal.

Paku dusted herself off with a visible pout.

"It's not my fault all you do is sleep the day away," she grumbled. Rukia just sent her an icy glare.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

She groaned, falling back into her bed. That, of course, was her alarm. She kicked off the remainder of her covers and resigned herself to her fate. (If she, during her morning routine, kicked Paku around a little more than usual, she couldn't say.)

Fully dressed, she climbed down the steps. Paku was already shoved in her school bag, all complaints muffled by the leather, and Rukia was looking forward to the silence that would greet her in her home. Maybe this morning would be salvageable after all. She was surprised, then, to find her brother downstairs sipping a cup of hot tea while the local news played in the background.

She blinked for a moment. He was never here in the mornings.

"Good morning, Brother," she said hesitantly before heading toward the pantry. She'd have to get going soon.

"Good morning, Rukia," he said back with a glance.

"I didn't think you'd be home," she commented. She grabbed an apple. That might be alright for today.

"I have the day off," he said simply.

"Oh." As an afterthought, she also grabbed a thermos. If he made some tea, she was getting some for herself. He always used loose leaf and made more than he could drink by himself. He was pretty picky about his tea, too, which made it perfect for mooching. She poured herself a decent amount, eyes catching the current news story.

"Spirit Medium and TV Star Don Kanonji will be appearing next week in Karakura town, Tokyo to film a new episode of his show…"

She rolled her eyes.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Byakuya.

She shook her head, saying, "It's nothing. It's just… TV Mediums rub me the wrong way."

"Because they're frauds, most of the time."

"Yeah, something like that," she said with a frown.

"Are you sure he's a fraud?" her brother asked. "Have you seen his show?"

Rukia scoffed, "Oh, I saw an episode. He's a complete showboat, nothing more, nothing less, and no one else seems to see it."

Byakuya sipped his tea for a moment.

"It's not as if there's any harm in a program like this," he said.

"Well, maybe…" Rukia admitted. He might think differently if he knew just how obsessed some people got over it.

Rukia found everything surrounding "Don Kanonji" utterly irritating. She hated his weird looking pimp jacket, his wispy handlebar moustache, his giant hat and sunglasses, his whole superhero shtick, and his whole goddamn attitude. The guy was insufferable.

She spared the TV one more glace, just to see his stupid grinning face. This morning just kept getting worse. To spare herself from seeing him a third time she decided now was a good time to leave. She waved her brother goodbye and walked out the front door.

She wasn't surprised when upon walking into Class 1-3, she was greeted by Michuru and Chizuru with their arms crossed over their bodies giggling out "Bohahaha!"

She stared at them blankly.

"Huh, you think she got the reference?" Chizuru asked Michuru.

"I got the reference," Rukia answered plainly. "Ghost Hunter right?"

"So, you do watch it!" Said Michuru.

"Not really," she said, literally sidestepping a conversation about the newest episodes. Her classmates were nice people, but sometimes she just didn't understand them. She plopped her bag onto her desk.

Ichigo stood right next to it, doing "the pose" with a wide grin on his face. Thank god he didn't say "Bohahaha!"

"You too?" she groaned out.

"Hey, I think it's funny," he said with a shrug.

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Renji walk through the door. He wasn't doing a stupid pose or saying a catchphrase. He looked as normal as ever, walking toward his seat right next to her.

"You look down," he commented, leaning against his desk.

"It's this 'Don Kanonji' trend," she said with contempt. "I swear, everyone's obsessed with him."

"Ah, really?" He said a little too quickly. "I wouldn't know anything about that…" He wouldn't meet her eyes. Rukia stared at him, eyes narrowing.

"You watch it too!"

He gulped before saying, "My mom really likes it." He had the good sense to sound ashamed.

Nothing about this morning was going to be good, it seemed.

Lunch wasn't much better. Usually, it was relaxing sitting around on the school grounds, just talking with her friends, but with just about every conversation drifting back to the "Don" himself, she couldn't bring herself to enjoy it much at all.

"…and they're going to be doing the filming right here in Karakura town at the Abandonded Hospital," Keigo said excitedly. "We have to go together!"

"Sounds cool to me," Chizuru said with a grin. "We might even see a real ghost."

"You should come, too Shiba," said Mizuiro.

"I'd love to," he answered. Of course, he'd do something like that, probably to spite her.

"What about you, Rukia?" asked Mizuiro. Suddenly all eyes were on her.

"I'd rather sit this one out," she said carefully. "Ghost Hunter isn't really my thing."

"Aww," whined Chizuru, "but you might miss out on some ghost slaying action!"

"I think I'll live," Rukia answered dryly. The conversation passed over Rukia again after that, and she let her mind drift off. The day was already half way through. She could do this.

That was what she was thinking when Ichigo pulled her to the side on the way back to class, a serious expression on his face.

"You're going to the Abandonded Hospital, this week," he said matter-of-factly. She raised an eyebrow.

"I already hunt Hollows for you," she said. "I'm not going to a movie shoot just because you think it's funny."

"This isn't about what I find funny," he said with a scowl. "Places like that attract all kinds of Spirits, and the fact that a huge ass crowd is going to be there soon makes me nervous. You're going there because you have a job to do."

She hated it when he was right.

Part II

She hated it when he was right.

She was still thinking that exactly one week later. That day, after the sun had gone down, Rukia found herself walking toward a crowded set for a television show she grew to hate more with each passing day.

On a whim, she had decided to do some research on this "Don Kanonji" which mostly involved binging several taped episodes in Renji's apartment. Over the course of that research session, Rukia learned a few things about the Medium.

First: No, the catch phrase didn't get any more appealing over time.

Second: Not all his sightings seemed like complete hoaxes, so it was possible he did have some abilities, though she highly doubted it.

Finally: Even then, had no idea how to actually deal with Spirits.

With her excitement at an all time low, here she was, approaching her friends in her Sunday best in an effort to look like she cared about anything but the poor Spirit this goofball would probably end up harassing.

"Rukia, you did come!" called out Chizuru. The red headed girl was there, standing with the rest of their classmates that had decided to come. Surprise, Surprise, the turnout was great.

"I just thought I would drop by," Rukia said with a slightly forced smile.

"Well, we're glad you could make it," said Ichigo. She flashed him the exact same expression.

"Can we talk somewhere else?" she asked, smile straining.

"Uh, sure," he said with a raised eyebrow. With that, she grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him away to a thinner part of the crowd. Sadly, she couldn't get away completely without it looking suspicious, but hopefully this would do.

"Have you found anything yet?" she whispered.

"Huh?"

"Hollows, Spirits, anything?" she listed urgently. When he looked at her, confusion plain on his face, her jaw almost dropped. Angrily, she continued, "You said that Spirits show up in scary places like this all the time!"

His eyes widened, and his face broke out into a smile.

"Oh, I lied."

What?

Rukia swore she felt a vein pop in her forehead.

He continued, "Weird Spirits show up in all kinds of places, not just areas that you humans decide to call 'spooky.' I just thought you needed to get out more, so I lied."

Rukia took a deep breath.

"Do you know how many episodes of Ghost Hunter I watched for your fake mission?" she asked with a slightly hysterical smile on her face. Ichigo took a step back. "Hours of my life I will never get back. A catchphrase that I will remember until the day I die. Ichigo…"

"Shiba, don't tell me you're laying the moves on Rukia!" Keigo cried out. He and Mizuiro were setting down an ice chest nearby. Mizuiro cracked it open, causing a few around to cheer.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Keigo," Ichigo said. With a snicker, Keigo dug two cans out of the cooler.

"Well, I helped bring the drinks," he said, handing a can of orange soda to Ichigo, and grape to Rukia. "So, if you were, you're kinda obligated to tell."

"In your dreams," Ichigo said with a smirk, cracking open his soda (unassisted).

"Hey, what's going on over here?" Rukia turned to see Renji, his mom not far behind.

"Oh, the usual," she said dryly, idly watching Ichigo and Keigo's banter.

"I didn't expect you to be here, Rukia," said Miné. "I thought you didn't like Ghost Hunter."

"I was kind of dragged here, Ms. Abarai," Rukia said with an exasperated laugh.

Okay, maybe she had overreacted. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad. When you were spending an evening drinking sodas with friends on a TV set, it didn't really matter what show it was for, in fact, the "Don' rarely came up at all.

Ichigo was right in many respects, and though she did hate it when he was right, she had to admit that since starting as a part-time Shinigami, her free time has plummeted, and being the introvert she was, that meant that her social life took the harshest blow. Aside from Renji, she really hadn't been spending any time with friends outside of class. So, yeah, maybe she did need to "get out more."

"Hey, I think they're setting up!" called out Keigo, holding up his soda can to signal. Looking for herself, Rukia saw several badge-wearing crew members getting into position. She ended up having to actively dodge a man carrying what looked like some very heavy lighting equipment.

"Coming through!"

"Move to the right. No, back! Put it towards the center."

"Yes, sir!"

It was actually kind of exciting to watch. Rukia had never seen something like this in person before. There were so many moving parts, so many people involved. She watched, enraptured, as they made their way onto their location.

The second the first man's scuffed up sneaker touched the grounds of the dilapidated hospital, Rukia heard the screech of a Hollow.

"What the hell?" Renji whispered beside her. Ichigo froze, eyes darting to the building. No one else even seemed to notice.

Then again, she only just noticed the man struggling against incredibly long chains surrounding him and binding him to the hospital. He was screaming in pure rage. The chain was anchored firmly to his chest.

Or, not so firmly. It looked like he had nearly dislodged it, half a hole was already opened up.

Rukia quickly gulped down the rest of her soda. That was just her luck, wasn't it? The second she tries to relax…

"I think I left something at home," she said quickly. "I should probably go."

"I'll go help you with that," said Renji beside her.

"Yeah, I, uh, just remembered that my aunt wanted me to pick up some groceries," added Ichigo. Before anyone could ask any questions, and before Rukia could really process the confused looks on everyone's faces, the three quickly slipped away from the crowd and into the surrounding trees where no one else could see them.

"Was that a Hollow?" hissed Renji.

"I think so," said Rukia, shaking her head. "How did I not sense it earlier."

"Because, that's not a Hollow," Ichigo said grimly. "That's a Spirit."

"Explain," said Rukia. Ichigo grimaced.

"Remember when I said that there were Spirits that didn't want to leave, and how that wasn't something you'd want to see. I think this Spirit is one of those, one that's been allowed to stay just a little too long."

"Isn't that just as bad?" Renji asked.

"Maybe," he said. "It can take years for a Spirit to become a Hollow."

"The hole was already half formed," Rukia said urgently. "I don't think we have years."

"Correction," Ichigo said, holding up a hand. "It was only half formed. He still has a way to go, yet. We'd be better off laying low, not dragging any attention to ourselves, and taking care of him peacefully afterwards. Trust me, we've got the time."

Rukia let out a sigh of relief. Then the situation wasn't as dire as she had first feared. Heck, maybe she'd even be able to enjoy the little viewing party after all.

This was what Rukia thought at first. Then she saw the "Don", himself, descend from the sky with a goddamn parachute.

"How's it going, babies!" he yelled. The crowed chorused "Bohahaha!" back.

He landed with a flourish of his cape.

"Spirits are always with you!" he said with a grin, causing a wave of cheers to erupt from the crowd. Rukia rolled her eyes.

Making their way out of the trees, Rukia saw Don Kanonji start off with a "Pre-Special Interview." She wasn't paying much attention, or more accurately, she could barely even hear him over the Spirit's bitching and moaning.

"This Hospital is mine! I won't hand it over to anyone! I'll kill anyone who comes in!"

Rukia had to put her hands over hear ears to block out the guy's incessant shrieking about his father's inheritance and how he was going to live it up in West-Abazu. She saw Renji wince right beside her. She was starting to rethink the whole "lay low and wait" thing. Screw waiting if she was going to have to suffer through this for the next hour.

She almost didn't notice when Kanonji started walking toward the Spirit, his eyes firmly on the struggling figure.

Then I guess he's not a complete fraud, huh.

He circled the Spirit, inspecting the area in an obvious attempt to milk the moment.

"This certainly…" Don Kanonji started.

"SMELLS LIKE BAD SPIRITS!" the crowd cheered back. It looked like the show was finally started. Rukia already couldn't wait for it to be over.

"Hmm…this is bad, quite bad," he pondered.

"Are you sure this is alright?" Rukia asked Ichigo. "I swear that Spirit hasn't stopped shrieking since it was woken up."

"Hey, stop worrying so much," Ichigo chided. "I said it was fine, didn't I? Besides, you only really need to start worrying when it sounds like its in pain, and right now, the guy just sounds pissed off."

"Huh? What's with you?" The Spirit snarled out at Kanonji. Yeah, he seemed more mad than anything.

With a sigh Rukia started glancing around for the cooler. She might as well get something out of this.

"I'll finish him off with one blow," Kanonji announced, "with my Super Spirits Stick!"

He plunged his staff right into the Spirit's chest. It started shrieking in pain.

"Oh, no," said Ichigo.

Paling, Rukia reached for her backpack, tearing it open as quickly as she could. Immediately, Paku's head popped out.

"Do you know how cramped it is in there?!" she gasped.

"Save the whining for later!" Rukia yelled, pulling Paku out of the bag. She manhandled the bunny, prying its mouth open until she got what she wanted, a small green candy. Brushing off the bits of fluff stuck to it, she popped it into her mouth, separating herself from her body.

"Rude…" was the first think Paku said in Rukia's body.

"I'll go on ahead," Rukia said, ignoring the Mod Soul. "You try and find a way around the security team." Ichigo snorted.

"So, you're giving me orders, now?" he said with a smirk.

"Just meet me when you can," Rukia huffed. Not waiting for a response, she dashed away, darting through the crowd, ignoring the confused and offended sounds made by the people that she shoved aside. She wasn't paying attention to any of that, though. All she could hear was the Spirit, its screams getting louder and louder with every step she took.

She knew her time was limited, she could see it in the Spirit's eyes. Rushing past an oblivious security team, she launched herself at Kanonji's side. Together, they tumbled to the ground hard.

The impact shocked them both for a second. Kanonji seemed to have the breath knocked out of him, and Rukia wasn't much better. Still, he somehow was the first to recover.

"What's wrong with you, girl?!" He yelled. It was probably the only way he knew how to speak. "Why did you interfere?"

She just looked at him incredulously. That Spirit was literally screaming in pain. How oblivious was this guy?

"Oh, I see!" he exclaimed with a grin. "Even in death you're my fan. How sweet!" Oh, that was it.

"Your fan?! I came here to stop you fr–"

"AAAHHHHHH!"

She was cut off by the Spirit screaming, and it was even louder than before. He wasn't even forming words anymore, didn't even seem to feel anything other than agony. Then, before her eyes, he dissolved away.

She was too late.

The previously noisy crowd was now silent. Even those who couldn't normally sense anything knew that something was wrong. Rukia could see the pale faces of those in the front row, could hear a few young children crying incoherently.

And the Spirit was just gone.

"Yeahhhhh! Mission Complete!" Kanonji cheered. The silent crowd erupted into raucous applause.

"I can't believe it!"

"There really was a ghost, wasn't there?"

"Amazing!"

"Kanonji! Kanonji! Kanonji!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Kanonji said with a smug smile. "I'm receiving all of your wonderful vibes!"

A Spirit didn't just disappear. Something was wrong, but…

"Mr Kanonji?" Rukia asked.

"Yes, girl?"

"Did you really exorcise that Spirit?"

He laughed loudly and confidently before answering, "Of course! I'm the charismatic Spirit Medium of the new century, Don Kanonji! My exorcisms are perfect."

But that wasn't an exorcism. Rukia's seen a Konso. Hell, she's performed them before. She knows what a Spirit looks like when they pass on, and they aren't in agony. They fade away peacefully. Which meant there was something wrong here.

Kanonji was still behind her, babbling on about how big of a fan she must have been to follow him beyond the grave, and about how he'd find a way to give her an autograph somehow. She wasn't paying attention, not until his face grew three shades paler. He went quiet, eyes fixed on the air above the hospital.

"What the…" he trailed off. Her eyes followed his.

A Hollow was forming right above them. First came its bony arms, then its thick meaty legs. Its malformed torso came soon after. Its head was none other than the screaming Spirit from before.

His eyes were blank, and his mouth was wide open in agony. He let out one final scream, but this one no longer sounded human.

"GYAAAAH–"

A mask formed over his face, silencing him. A Hollow grinned down at them, perched atop the Hospital.

"What is that Monster?!" Kanonji gasped out. Rukia's eyes were still fixed on it.

"You've never seen one, have you?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not!" He shook his head furiously. "I'm the charismatic Spirit Medium of the new century, Don Kanonji! Monster extermination is outside of my field!"

"Well," Rukia said, steeling herself by reaching for her sword, "that monster is a Hollow, and it's–"

He cut her off, crying, "I'm sensing it! It reeks of a super dangerous Spirit!" Of course, he didn't listen to a single word she just said. "So, then he must be…" He stroked his chin, and his eyes narrowed. Rukia wasn't even bothering anymore. "The earlier Spirit's boss, coming back for vengeance!"

Rukia wanted nothing more than to tell Kanonji exactly where he could shove that stupid staff of his, but the Hollow wasn't going to give her that luxury. It launched itself down at them with a howl.

"Run!" she commanded, turning to the beast. She almost ran right into Kanonji's back. He held an arm out, standing between her and the Hollow.

"Run away girl! Leave this one to me!" That idiot didn't know what he was getting himself into, "shielding" her. He didn't stand a chance. The Hollow was descending, mouth wide open. There wasn't time to think.

With a yell, she shoved Kanonji aside and blocked the Hollow's bite with her blade, digging the sharp edge into its too wide mouth.

"Girl weren't you listening?" Kanonji shouted. "I told you to go!" Rukia shoved against the Hollow. It shoved back, harder.

"And I'm telling you," she grunted, "that you can't fight this thing!" With another yell, she shoved the Hollow to the side. It tumbled into the ground, hitting the side of the hospital with a heavy thud that shook the walls.

She adjusted her grip on her katana, watching as the Hollow took mere seconds to recover. It pushed against the hospital propelling itself forward. Rukia met it again, slashing at it, blade getting caught in its huge hands. Shit, this wasn't good. It pushed against her, not caring that its palms were bleeding. She slid back in the dirt.

In the meantime, Kanonji was sneaking to the other side of the beast, ridiculous winged cane hefted over his head. With a "mighty" yell he slammed his cane onto the Hollow's back.

Thwack!

It didn't even flinch. It just turned its head toward Kanonji, looking very pissed off, eyes focused on the cane. It cracked open its mouth, and let out an angry growl, shoving aside Rukia's sword, causing her to stumble, but not quite fall.

Kanonji suddenly looked much less sure of himself. He was holding his cane tightly in his hand, paling. Rukia hoped to god that he would do what his instincts were telling him to do and run, but he stood his ground.

Rukia did the first thing she could think of. She ran straight into Kanonji, tackling him shoulder first, sending them both to the ground yet again. She heard a loud impact barely a meter away.

She picked herself up quickly, eyes searching for the Hollow. It had managed to get itself stuck into the outer wall of the hospital, this time. It was having trouble prying itself from the hole it had made in its own anger, but like before, it was making quick work of its recovery.

All she could think of was how bad that would have been if the Hollow had barreled into the crowd instead of the building. She needed to get this under control.

"Ah! A Golden Chance!" Kanonji cheered. Rukia ignored him. She grabbed his jacket sleeve, hoisting him up and away from the Hollow. She ran.

Rukia broke the glass doors of the hospital with the blunt edge of her sword, and keeping a tight grip on Kanonji's sleeve, dragged him through, deaf to his protests. She could hear the Hollow, and it was definitely angry. She only hoped this would work.

"What are you doing?!" Kanonji questioned. "When I told you to run, I meant alone! I have to go back there!"

Rukia grabbed the front of Kanonji's jacket, and dragged him in front of her, bringing him down to eye level. She could barely contain her anger.

She said quietly, "If you want to go back there and face a three-meter-tall monster, be my guest."

He daintily removed her hand, saying, "Thank you! That's what I've been trying to do this whole time." He turned and began jogging away.

"Wait, I wasn't serious!" Rukia called to him, exasperated. "You'll get yourself killed out there!"

"I'll be fine," he said with a wave of his hand. "I am, after all, a hero." There was no way this guy was serious, Rukia thought.

She looked at him in his ridiculous hat and cape. He was definitely serious.

How did you even begin to get through to someone like this, someone so off in their own little world? She supposed she'd just have to pretend that world existed. She improvised.

"But, if you go out there," she said not even having to fake her desperation, "the Hollow might follow you. You'd be putting all those innocent people out there in danger!" Then she added, as an afterthought, "A hero would never do that!"

He seemed taken aback at first. He stopped dead in his tracks, and tilted his head, considering.

He eventually said, "I guess you're right, girl!" Rukia let out a sigh of relief. "You're quite the quick thinker, you know. We should be partners!"

There he was, back in the clouds. If she could get him to focus on the issue at hand for more than a single goddamn second it would be a miracle. Still, she got the result she wanted. Now, all that was left to do was wait for the Hollow.

Here in this abandoned building was the man it was royally pissed off at and the most powerful Soul in the city. There was no way that Hollow was going anywhere else. All she had to do was wait for it to make its appearance. Suddenly, Rukia felt the ground subtly shake beneath her.

Perfect!

Her eyes darted around the barren hall, nothing but bits of glass and whatever was nailed to the ground when this place was condemned. There, just behind them, near the receptionist's desk the ground started to swell and crack. With an ear-piercing shriek, the Hollow busted straight through the tiled floor.

Dust clouded Rukia's vision for a moment as bits of rubble fell near her feet. She tightened her grip on her katana, backing further into the hallway. She hefted her sword above her head, preparing for a strike. She tried to bring it down.

Tried being the keyword, here. She looked up and realized her mistake.

The tip of the blade was stuck in the ceiling. About a hand's length of it was wedged up in there, cutting a deep groove. She tugged and pulled at it. It wouldn't come back down. Of all the stupid mistakes to make…

She braced herself for impact, praying that however the Hollow attacked it wouldn't hurt too badly. She shut her eyes.

Shockingly, she wasn't eaten alive in the next ten seconds. Rukia opened her eyes again.

Kanonji's back was to her, and the first thing she thought was that maybe she should have given him a bit more credit. He stood his ground, unharmed, his ridiculous staff wedged in the Hollow's mouth, holding it open. Though his arms were visibly shaking, he was actually holding the creature back.

"Partner!" he called over his shoulder. "You have taught me a valuable lesson today. For this, I will protect you!"

It was probably the corniest thing Rukia had ever heard. It didn't even make sense, really, but she nodded anyway. She tried with new fervor to get her sword from the ceiling, pulling using her whole body. How did it even manage to get this stuck?!

She could hear Kanonji's staff start to crack. They didn't have time for this!

"Let me help you with that, Partner! I'll use Kanonji's Ultimate Final Technique!"

Okay, Ultimate and Final meant the same thing but okay.

He gathered energy around his clenched hand. The power she was feeling from it was actually pretty impressive, similar to whenever Ichigo casted a Kidō. Maybe this guy wasn't the idiot she took him for.

"Kanon Ball!"

He opened his hand, producing a ping-pong ball of energy that sputtered around with the energy and speed of a lazy bumble bee.

Rukia really should have known…

It very slowly reached the place where steel met sheetrock, and BOOM! Rukia ducked just in time to avoid the blast, tugging her katana away from the freshly created hole. Hey, as long as it worked.

"Thanks!" she yelled to him.

CRACK!

The cane finally snapped in half in that moment, Kanonji darting away just in time to not get his hand bitten off. He dived out of the way entirely after that, throwing Rukia a thumbs up. That would make things a little easier, at least.

The Hollow charged.

Part III

For this Hollow barely being an hour old, it sure could fight.

Dodge its claws. Strike before it can recover. SHIT!

Ichigo had said something about powerful Hollows being ones that have eaten many Souls. It certainly explained the power behind the psychopath that tried to kill Renji. It didn't explain this beast.

Duck, duck, DUCK!

It shouldn't have been this strong, but here it was, getting very close to kicking her ass.

FUCK, it almost got me!

She had no idea what she'd done to deserve this kind of crappy luck. Here she was stuck fighting this unreasonably powerful monster in a cramped hallway. One too-wide slice and she could end up getting her blade stuck in some wall. On the other hand, if she tried going to more open space, she'd be putting the lives of innocent people at risk. She was stuck in more ways than one.

"That's it, girl. That Hollow's in for it now!" Maybe she'd be able to think of a solution to this predicament if Kanonji could be quiet for even a single minute.

Her sword crashed into the same wall for about the fifth time, leaving a deep groove. She let out a yell of pure frustration, slicing at the Hollow again and missing.

"Partner!" Kanonji yelled. She didn't have time for this right now! "You can't fight properly in this place, can you?"

"Not really!" she yelled back. "This place is too damn small!" Normally Rukia tried not to curse (out loud), especially in front of strangers. Byakuya considered it crass and impolite. Right now, she didn't care.

The Hollow charged again, barreling right toward her. She tumbled to the side, avoiding it by a hair, causing it to fall into one of the open doors of the room, making that door frame just a little wider.

"This hospital has a very large roof upstairs!" Kanonji said quickly. "We can lead the Hollow there." That was probably the first useful thing the man's said all day. In the meantime, the Hollow was starting to recover.

"Use one of your Kanon Balls," she said, backing up slowly. "Get it right in the mask. It might stun it enough for us to make a break for it."

Kanonji sputtered for a moment, getting up from his original position on the floor. Rukia was already looking for the stairwell.

"I can't do two of those! Can't you see how worn out I am, now?"

"You're going to have to!" Rukia yelled. The Hollow had already climbed out into the corridor, brushing rubble off its body just as Rukia found the stairwell. It was now or never.

The second she saw Kanonji start to gather that same energy in his hand, she started gunning for the Hollow, angling her sword to clip it from below, the only angle she could safely use. She could hear Kanonji curse as the energy flickered, refusing to solidify.

She attacked the Hollow once again, driving it back with mild success. It came back at her snarling and angry. The energy flickered away again. She drove it back with the slash of her sword.

On the next strike, her katana embedded itself into the grout of the tile. The Hollow descended upon her.

BANG!

An explosion knocked the Hollow back. It screamed.

Rukia wasted no time using all her weight to leverage the sword out of the tile. She dislodged it, as well as some of the tile itself, and immediately started running, Kanonji right behind her.

"Follow me!" she yelled, running straight toward the sign labelled "stairs." She wrenched open the door, and the second her foot touched the first step, she could hear the Hollow thumping against the floor, running straight toward them. It didn't sound happy.

The two tore up the stairs, trying to block out the animalistic screeching of the Hollow pursuing them. As they went up the flights, they could feel the stairs rumbled beneath them, they could hear metal and sheetrock being torn to shreds.

They ran a little faster.

The roof exit didn't come fast enough, the structure of the stairs degrading by the second thanks to the Hollow's rage. She wrenched open the door, and they reached the roof.

A helicopter flew above, the noise of its propellers so intense it nearly blocked out the sound of the angry Hollow. All she could think was: Seriously, people are still filming this?

Kanonji immediately collapsed onto the rooftop. Poor guy probably hadn't exerted himself this much in his whole life. Rukia was exhausted, too, but she didn't let herself feel it. She moved to the center of the roof and waited. Kanonji scrambled back from the door when the creature grew close.

It ripped through the door, tearing it off its hinges entirely, and let out a great roar. It was angrier than ever, and seeing its face, Rukia understood why. Its bone-white mask wasn't so white anymore. It was covered in scorch marks and scratches, and one of its eye sockets was now wider than it used to be, cracks surrounding it. Rukia would never doubt the "Kanon Ball" ever again.

The monster seemed to know it was finally at a disadvantage, taking stock of its surroundings. It flicked its tongue out at her, taunting, and she kept her eyes firmly on it, keeping it at her front at all times. It charged again, but this time, Rukia had much more room to dodge. She tumbled to the side, letting it hit the railing of the roof hard.

She didn't wait for the Hollow to get back up this time. It barely turned to her, pieces of its mask falling away. It was weaker than ever, and before it could stumble back to its feet, she sliced it straight across the face, cutting the mask clean in half.

"You did it!" Kanonji cried out, sounding exhausted. "We defeated the beast!" He pumped his fists in the air, looking about as happy as he could sitting on the ground.

The Hollow's body began peeling away.

"Hey, what's happening to it?" Kanonji asked, breathlessly. "…It's that Spirit from before."

There in the Hollow's place stood the male Spirit from earlier, his face relaxed, hole still in his chest. It sealed over, and he melted away.

"I thought…I thought…" Kanonji stuttered. "I exorcised them. I sent them to heaven."

Rukia shook her head solemnly, sheathing her sword. Kanonji's shoulders fell.

"So, what have I been doing?" he asked. "All that time…"

Rukia walked over to him. She felt like she wanted to sit on the ground, too, every aching muscle making itself known. She instead held out a hand to Kanonji. He grabbed it numbly, hoisting himself up, and though he had to lean against the dented railing, he stayed up.

"Well, you weren't sending them to heaven," Rukia half heartedly joked. Kanonji hunched in on himself further. Her mouth fell into a grim line. "You can't change what you did before," she started, "but you can change what you do next. I mean, you helped me, didn't you?"

He looked down at her, and though his eyes were shielded by his sunglasses, she could read him like a book. He was completely crushed, he was remorseful, he was grateful. Maybe she had judged him too quickly.

Above them a helicopter's blades spun loudly. Below them a silent crowd waited in anticipation.

"Besides," she added, "everyone's waiting for you…hero."

With hesitation, Kanonji turned, and saw the crowd. Murmurs spread amongst them.

"Thanks, girl." A huge smile broke out on his face. He crossed his arms over his chest in his trademark pose and let out a "Bohahaha!" Every single person in that crowd did it back happily.

Rukia took that time to slip away from the roof, going back to the stairwell. Her work here was done.

"Wait, girl! Where'd you go? I wanted to make you my number one pupil!"

Part IV

Rukia felt every step she took climbing down those stairs. Her exhaustion was bone-deep, and she could already tell this fight gave her quite a collection of scratches and bruises. It certainly didn't help that the stairwell was near destroyed. Concrete steps had deep gouges and cracks in them, and parts of the railing weren't even there anymore. It was like walking through a half-finished demolition job or a haunted house. She let out a sigh of relief when she finally reached the bottom of the steps.

"Rukia!" yelled a voice that sounded a lot like her own but was just a little off. Paku was barreling toward Rukia at high speed. "We came as fast as we could!" Rukia braced herself for impact.

The Mod Soul skidded to a stop mere centimeters away.

"We're going to have to teach you about manners one of these days…" Rukia muttered. Paku stuck out her tongue childishly.

"Hey, don't go so fast!" another voice gasped out. Renji came in at a quick pace right behind Paku, looking a little winded. Behind him was Ichigo, jogging at a leisurely pace and inspecting his cellphone.

"You got the Hollow," he said sounding pleased.

"I got the Hollow," Rukia said. "Can I get my body back, now?"

It didn't take too long to get Rukia back in her usual form, and for Paku to be back in her stuffed animal body and placed in a (for now open) backpack.

"What took you guys so long anyway?" Rukia asked, straightening out her skirt. There was dirt and grass all over it…

"Oh!" Paku exclaimed loudly right in Rukia's ear.

"Watch it," Rukia warned, wincing. Paku, of course, ignored her.

"I faked a heart attack!" she said, as if that were something to be very proud of. Rukia let out a long sigh.

"Please explain."

"Apparently Paku can speed up her heart rate, too," Ichigo said. "She faked being in distress and then gave the guards the run around for a bit. It took longer than we thought it would to lose them."

"She was going so fast I thought the guards' heads would start spinning," Renji said through chuckles. "Don't worry, though. We did this in the back, so no one saw you twitching on the ground like a crazy woman."

Admittedly, she was a little worried about that, but those worries were replaced by images of Paku's over-acting. She couldn't help but giggle as she imagined the shocked faces of the security guards with her friends absolutely losing it in the back. The giggles soon turned into chuckles and before she knew it she was laughing out loud.

"Yeah, "like" a crazy woman," Paku snarked.

Still smiling, Rukia said, "I could always zip the backpack up again, you know."

"Oh yeah," Paku sneered. "Good luck getting away from the guards without me on your way out." Rukia rolled her eyes.

"How are we getting back out there, anyway?" Renji asked.

"Running's always an option," Rukia offered.

"My mom's in the crowd, remember. I can't just leave her there."

Ichigo dug around in one of his pockets, and after a moment pulled out his Memory Replacer.

"It's a good thing I brought this, then," he said with a smirk.

"That should work," said Renji. Rukia could hear Paku giggling manically behind her.

They went outside to five guards searching the area for them, flashlights out. They were spotted within in seconds, but before the guards could even touch them, Ichigo pushed the head on his Memory Replacer. The group immediately started sneaking away.

"…Hey, weren't we just doing something right now?" the first guard asked. The second one nodded.

"Yeah, we're supposed to be guarding the back, remember?" the third one said.

"Oh, yeah…"

The four of them were out of sight before the guards had even noticed they were there in the first place.

They came to a dwindling crowd. The shoot was over, it was late, and most everyone had already headed home, almost everyone, anyway.

"Renji, where were you?" Miné called, standing from her seat on a gnarled tree stump. "Don't just go disappearing like that, young man!"

"Sorry, mom, I was helping Rukia get her…" he stumbled across the words, eyes darting to the first notable thing he saw. It was Paku, staying stock still. He grabbed her from Rukia's open backpack, holding her carefully. "I was helping her get this!"

Paku looked like she'd start crying for joy if she could. Miné's lips pursed, suspicious, looking to Rukia for confirmation. Rukia kept her face perfectly blank, not saying a word.

"Well, that was nice of you," she conceded. Cracking a smile she continued, "You missed the best part, actually…" She went on to excitedly explain all that had gone on in that hospital from her perspective.

According to the othere woman, Kanonji, after a successful exorcism, was driven back by another more malicious Spirit. It dragged him into the hospital and trapped him in there for over half an hour. Just as all hope was lost, he appeared on the roof as a triumphant hero.

The inaccuracies were staggering, but to be honest, Rukia didn't mind the story.

"It sounds like we missed a lot, Ms. Abarai," she said eventually, "but I should probably get going. My brother will be expecting me home any minute."

"You should walk with us," Miné offered with a smile. "It's too late to be walking around alone."

"Thank you, Ms. Abarai, but I can handle myself," she answered politely.

"Come on," Miné insisted. "We'll be on the same road for most of the way, anyway. You too, Shiba. You should come with us."

"My place is a little out of the way," he said quickly, already walking in the other direction. "Maybe next time." With a wave, he left for…wherever he normally goes at night. Rukia wasn't really sure.

She was sure that he was avoiding her place for some reason, though.

Miné didn't look to happy about Ichigo leaving so quickly and turned that hurt/hopeful look to Rukia. Even after all these years of knowing the woman, Rukia was still weak to it.

"Lead the way," Rukia said with a shrug. Miné beamed and did just that.

Walking back to her home with the mother and son duo brought back all kinds of memories. She remembered being a little kid and walking back from karate practice with Renji every single time. Usually, it was Byakuya walking them back, but occasionally Miné stepped in. She was quickly dubbed "the fun one." She'd buy them ice cream, bring them to the park, and in general treat them any way she could.

It seemed like she was always doing one thing or another for others. It was moments like these that Rukia was reminded why Renji admired his mom as much he did.

They reached Rukia's house before she even realized it, and Rukia was forced to wave the two goodbye before she even felt ready for it. Almost in a haze, she walked into her quiet house.

"I'm home."

The TV was on in the background, warm lights on overhead. Byakuya was sitting at the kitchen table going over legal papers that Rukia didn't understand.

"How was your night?" he asked, briefly glancing up from his work.

Wasn't that the question of the year? A part of her wanted to spill absolutely everything and run through all the complicated things she felt and experienced. A part of her also knew that was a rant better saved for Renji tomorrow afternoon. For now…

"It was alright."

She walked quickly upstairs, and her brother went back to his paperwork. Some things were better left unsaid.


Feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think of the story so far. For those of you who remember this arc...You know who's coming next.