"Toshiro!"

Toshiro groaned into his pillow. "Damn it, dad. Need more sleep."

"Toshiro! Get up! Look what happened outside!"

"Out...side?"

Toshiro's head shot up as memories from the previous night flooded into him.

'No. Please let have all been a dream!'

But when he got downstairs the hole in the front of the house was still there. His sisters and father were standing in the front yard, inspecting the damage to the house.

"Look at this! A truck hit the house last night? It's a miracle none of us were hurt!" he said angrily.

"More like a miracle none of us woke up." Karin said dryly. "So the driver got away scott free."

'She doesn't remember almost being eaten?' Toshiro wondered. 'Could I have really just imagined it? I've been having strange dreams lately.'

Two girls, one with short, black hair, the other with long, orange hair, left their second period class together.

"Did you remember to bring a lunch, Orihime?" the one with the short hair asked.

"Uh huh." Orihime answered cheerfully. "I made it special! Fish shaped sweet bean bread and ramen with wasabi and honey! Do you want some, Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki cringed at the thought of Orihime's cooking before regaining her smile. "I'll pass today."

"But it's delici-ohh!"

Orihime walked into someone and was knocked to the ground in mid-sentence. "Owww."

Toshiro blinked. "Oh. It's you, Orihime."

Tatsuki was in his face. "That's all you've got to say! You're the one who knocked her down, you little sleazebag! Maybe if you picked your head up once in a while instead of staring at your toes all the time you'd be able to see where you're going!"

"Um, yeah." Toshiro stuttered. "Sorry about that. I've got a lot on my mind right now. Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Orihime said.

Toshiro bent down and offered his hand to Orihime. "Here."

Orihime did not take Toshiro's hand. She stared at it as if in wonder for several seconds before jumping to her feet. "No thank you! I'm just fine, really!" She began babbling indecipherably as Toshiro and Tatsuki stared at her nonplussed before turning around ad running in the other direction.

"What's with her?" Toshiro asked.

"You've got white hair and a permanent scowl. It scares people off."

Toshiro turned to head to class himself. "Tell me something I don't know."

'But,' Tatsuki thought as she watched him go, 'how did a midget like him knock down someone so much bigger than he is?'

Toshiro was still lost in thought over the previous night, even as he entered the third period classroom.

'Even if it wasn't a dream, I shouldn't have to worry about it. I haven't seen monsters like that before, so they can't be all that common. That girl probably just went back to that soul place she was talking about.'

"Hey, Toshiro." A deep voice said.

"Hey, Chad." Toshiro answered the giant of a teenager.

"Keigo said a truck hit your house last night. Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Thank god no one was hurt."

"Yes." Chad said. "That is good. Do you need any help cleaning up?"

"No. We're getting professionals to do that. Our house is a clinic too, so the insurance covers it."

"So everything's worked out, Toshiro?"

Toshiro's eyes widened at the high pitched voice behind him. He slowly turned around.

"Hello." A short, black haired girl in a school uniform who looked far too familiar said. "I'm Rukia Kuchiki. It's a pleasure to meet the top student in the class."

Toshiro raised a trembling finger. "Y-you!"

"Her family just moved to Karakura town this week." Chad said. "It's an odd time, but she had no choice but to transfer here."

Rukia held her hand out to Toshiro. He looked at it and had to struggle not to scream in terror.

Written in ink on her palm was the sentence 'Make a scene and you're dead.'

"Um," Toshiro stuttered, trying to find something to say, "I'm actually tied for top."

Rukia giggled. "So modest!"

Toshiro shuddered. 'God, that high pitched voice she's using is creepy.'

After school ended Toshiro was not surprised to see Rukia waiting for him outside.

"What are you doing here? I thought you went back to where you came from?"

"Idiot." Rukia said, using the deeper voice she had the previous night. "Only Shinigami can go to the Soul Society, and right now you have my powers."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "So you want them back? Fine. I don't know how to use them anyway. I thought they were gone after last night."

"I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. Eventually my powers will return," she said seriously, "but until then you're the only Shinigami in this area."

Toshiro grimaced. "I'm not going to like where this is going, am I?"

"You're going to have to take over my duties and destroy the hollows that appear in Karakura town."

"No."

"What?" Rukia asked with venom in her voice.

"No way am I fighting monsters like that again! Once is quite enough for a lifetime!"

"That's absurd! Last night you fought magnificently!"

"Last night my family was being attacked! I had no choice!" Toshiro walked past her. "Sorry, but I can't help you."

"We'll see." Rukia whispered, pulling a red glove embroidered with a white skull out of her pocket and putting it on her hand. She leapt at Toshiro, pushing the back of his head.

Toshiro fell down, and something heavy fell on top of him.

"Ugh. What is this thing?" Toshiro rolled over to push the object off of him.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaarg!" Toshiro screamed. Rukia pulled the small, white haired body off of him.

"Don't act so shocked. It's just an out of body experience."

"M-m-me-my b-body."

"You can't fight hollows in a human body, Toshiro. I thought you knew that by now."

Toshiro looked at the version of himself that was standing. It, or he-he was not sure-was wearing the black kimono he had worn when he had killed the hollow in front of his house.

"Come on, Shinigami." Rukia said, pulling Toshiro along with her by the arm.

"Where are we going?"

Rukia took out a cell phone and looked at it. "We're close now."

"Close to what?"

"Here."

They stopped at the entrance to a small park.

"What's so special about this park?"

"I received orders about a hollow appearing near here."

"A hollow!?" Toshiro began to back away. "I told you, I'm not doing that!"

"Heeeellllllp!"

Toshiro and Rukia turned towards the source of the scream. A young boy with a chain attached to his chest was from running away from a cloud of dust that had erupted in the park.

Out of the dust came the hollow. This one was also monstrous in size and had the body of a scorpion.

Toshiro leapt over the fence at the edge of the park, bringing his hand to the hilt of his sword.

"Stop!"

Toshiro looked behind him.

"What do you mean, 'stop?!' That kid's going to be eaten!"

"He's a complete stranger, not part of your family."

"That doesn't mean I can't do anything when he's being attacked right in front of me!"

"Don't be selfish!" Rukia yelled.

"What?" Toshiro asked, taken aback.

"Shinigami must treat all souls equally." She said seriously. "Wanting to save only those you see in front of you, this line of work is not that convenient."

Toshiro turned back to the boy and the hollow.

"Don't save him!"

"You…" Toshiro growled.

"If you want to save that child now, be prepared to save all other spirits in the future. Be prepared to chase hollows wherever they may be, and even to sacrifice yourself to destroy them!"

Toshiro lowered his head, his hands shaking.

"Now choose, Toshiro!"

Toshiro screamed leaping at the hollow and slicing its head open with an overhead slash.

The boy began to back away, his terror transferred to Toshiro.

"Don't be so afraid, kid." Toshiro said. "I don't bite like those things."

"Hey, Rukia!"

"What is it?" Rukia asked, joining him.

"How do I send this kid to the Soul Society?"

"Touch the bottom of the handle of your Zanpakuto to his forehead. That will initiate the konso."

"Right." Toshiro bent down, and the boy reflexively pulled away. "Look, kid, do you want to be attacked by monsters again or not?"

The boy shook his head.

"Then let me help you. I can send you to a place where there are no monsters. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded. "I think so."

Toshiro placed the handle of his sword on the boy's forehead, and the boy began to glow. Toshiro sighed as the body disappeared completely.

"So," Rukia asked when they were alone, "are you prepared?"

"No."

"What do you mean, 'no?'" Rukia spat, aghast. Toshiro glared at her.

"Maybe it is selfish of me to only save those people I see in trouble, but you're 'choice' is just sadistic! I'm not going to be bullied into being a superhero! I'm only eleven years old, for crying out loud!"

Rukia looked down. "That is true. You are far younger than any Shinigami alive. Perhaps I was too forceful. But the hollows are still out there, and still need to be destroyed."

Toshiro began to walk away. "That's not my problem. I'm gonna get my body and go home."

Across town, a ghost watched over his little sister, smiling as she answered the questions on her history assignment correctly. He turned to leave as she shut the lights off to go to bed.

He had been so afraid of how she would cope without him

"Please don't leave me! Please!"

But she was doing well, and had made friends since his death.

Outside, he sang to himself a sing he had loved while he was alive.

"Come stop your crying, it will be all right. Just take my hand, hold it ti-iiigh!"*

Two monsters had appeared behind him and grabbed him with their tentacles. He screamed and struggled as they reeled him in closer.

"Wait." A deep voice behind them said.

The two monsters turned around. "What is it, boss?"

"I believe it would be better if I eat this one."

The two monsters let the ghost go, and when he saw what stood behind them, he could do nothing but scream.

"Noooooooooooooo!"

Rukia continued to follow Toshiro after school the next day.

"You're gonna keep hounding me until I say 'yes;' is that it?" he asked.

"You bet."

"Figures."

They continued walking in an awkward silence. "Hey, Rukia, I didn't think about this yesterday because I was in so much shock, what with being pulled out of my body and all, but how come all of my classmates and teachers can see you? I thought you Shinigami were supposed to be invisible to most people."

"We are. I'm in a gigai right now."

"A gigai?"

"It's a faux body that weakened Shinigami enter until their strength replenishes."

Thud!

"What was that noise?" Rukia asked cautiously.

"That sounded like someone got hit by a car!" Toshiro said, running to the end of the block. An orange haired girl was lying in the middle of the road.

"Orihime!" Toshiro yelled.

"Owwww." The girl said, starting to get up.

"Orihime, what happened?"

"Oh," Orihime said, "it's you, Toshiro."

"Did you just get hit?"

Orihime thought for a second. "Um, yeah. Probably."

"Probably?" Toshiro asked incredously. "Did you hit your head?"

"Oh, no! I'm fine, really!"

"Are those tire tracks?"

Toshiro and Orihime looked at the place Rukia was analyzing with an intense expression. A pattern of dark bruises had formed on Orihime's left leg.

"Oh. I guess."

"Why don't you come over to my place and get that checked out at the clinic?" Toshiro suggested. "That looks serious."

Orihime put her hands up. "No! It's not, really! I'm all right! Really, I am!" She turned and ran off.

"She seemed scared of your family's clinic." Rukia observed.

"More like scared of walking with me." Toshiro corrected. "Half the grade's scared stiff of me."

"Why?"

Toshiro shrugged. "Who knows? I guess it's cause I seem cold and have funny hair."

"That's not an explanation for fear."

"Is there an explanation for fear?"

Rukia hesitated before answering. "Sometimes."

Toshiro resumed his walk home.

"So you don't have any friends at school?" Rukia asked.

Toshiro stopped and thought. "Not really. There's Chad, but I wouldn't call him a friend really."

"What makes Chad different?"

"He isn't afraid of me or resentful. Since he came last year I haven't been beaten up like I used to be."

"You were beaten?"

"Yeah." Toshiro looked at his toes. "It was pretty bad, too. I took karate to try to defend myself, but one undersized ten year old against several twelve and thirteen year olds-I never stood a chance. But the first time Chad saw me being attacked he put his foot down about bullying, and people basically stopped because they were even more afraid of Chad than of me, and he can defend himself."

"So why didn't the two of you become friends?"

Toshiro narrowed his eyes. "I don't know. We just didn't."

That night, Orihime answered the doorbell to find Tatsuki bearing her mother's beef stew.

"Yum!" Orihime exclaimed.

"My mother and I worry about what you eat here all by yourself."

"I eat plenty!"

"It's what you eat plenty of that worries us."

Toshiro sat on his bed, flipping through his literature textbook.

"Go out looking for those things. Who does she think I am?"

Beep…beep…beep…

"Huh? Is that a cell phone?"

"Toshiro!"

"Whaaaaa!?"

Rukia had opened Toshiro's closet, from the inside. She was dressed in a set of yellow pajamas.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" he yelled.

"No time! There's a hollow coming this way!"

"A hollow!?"

Rukia put on red her glove and pushed Toshiro out of his body just in time. A gigantic hand appeared out of the wall and attempted to grab him.

Toshiro drew his sword as the body of the hollow followed the hand. It had a humanoid head and torso, but its lower half was serpentine.

"Aim for the head!" Rukia yelled.

Toshiro screamed as he leapt and swung his blade down. The hollow caught the sword before it could slice open the beast's head, but not before it impacted the hollow's white mask.

"It's stronger than the last two!" Rukia yelled.

Toshiro and the hollow stared each other down, each gripping an end of the sword. "It's not its strength that stopped my swing. My sword is caught in its mask."

"What?" Rukia asked. Toshiro growled and attempted to press down harder. Cracks began to appear in the mask, until a portion around the left eye broke off completely.

"That's-" Toshiro began, finding himself looking into a human eye.

The hollow began to roar in agony, and its tail swung up and struck Toshiro in the side. The impact sent him flying into the wall.

"Toshiro!" Rukia yelled as the hollow disappeared into the ceiling.

Toshiro gripped the chair near his study desk to pull himself up.

"I'm alright." he said, breathing heavily. "But…but…"

"But what?"

"Is that thing…a person?"

"So hollows are fallen humans?" Toshiro asked as he ran across the rooftops carrying Rukia on his back.

"Yes. When we met two nights ago I described the job of a Shinigami as cleansing the hollows. The Zanpakuto frees the spirit from the corrupting influence and sends it to the Soul Society. They are not destroyed."

"That's a relief. I couldn't fight them at all if I thought I was killing people."

"Shinigami don't worry about that."

"Speaking of things Shinigami don't worry about…"

"What do you want to know now?"

"When I got thrown into the wall, I should have broken half the bones in my body, and there's no way I should be able to carry both you and that sword like this at the same time. How much has my body changed from being a Shinigami?"

"The physical strength of a Shinigami and his ability to absorb punishment is proportional to his reiatsu, and yours is a high one."

"And why," Toshiro asked through gritted teeth, "did another hollow just attack my house?"

"I told you; hollows are attracted to large reiatsus. Most of the ones in karakura town are probably going to come after you at some point."

"What!?"

"We're close now!"

Toshiro stopped. "So where's the hollow?"

Rukia looked at her cell phone. "It's going to materialize in one of these houses."

"But why? There can't be anyone around here with spirit energy like the two of us."

Rukia gave him a grave look. "The other kind of person hollows are attracted to, are people they were close with when they were alive."

"What?" Tatsuki exclaimed. "You got hit by a car and refused to go to the clinic just be looked at?"

"I was fine." Orihime said. "Do I look hurt to you?"

"No." Tatsuki admitted, "but that doesn't make it smart."

"I guess not. Hey, Tatsuki, you'll never guess who was walking home with Toshiro today."

"Who?"

"The new girl, Rukia."

"Really? The biggest loner in the grade is already hanging out with the new transfer student? Interesting?" Tatsuki rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"What is it?"

"Probably nothing. Do you have any idea what they were doi-"

Crash!

"What was that?" Tatsuki asked.

"I don't know." Orihime looked around.

Crash!

"There it is again!"

Tatsuki's eyes darted from right to left. "There's something in her wi-arggg!" She flew into the nearby wall as if struck by a cannonball.

"Tatsuki!" Orihime yelled.

Thunk

Orihime looked down at her torso. It was pierced by a gigantic claw.

She fell.

"Orihime…."

Orihime was caught by a large hand and lifted into the air. She could now see the monster that was attacking her.

"What-what are you?"

"You don't recognize me!?" the monster screamed, throwing her to the floor.

"Owww." She moaned before looking up in terror. The monster was raising its hand to strike her again.

"I'm sad, Orihime."

"Sad?" she wondered out loud.

"You make me sad!" It brought its hand down upon her again, and Orihime shut her eyes.

All she felt was a gust of wind.

'Wha-what happened?' she thought, opening her eyes.

A white haired boy in a black kimono had blocked the monster's attack with a large katana.

"Back off." The boy said, pushing the monster back. He and the hollow stared each other down again.

"Toshiro?" Orihime asked.

Toshiro's eyes widened, and slowly he turned around. "You can see-" His eyes widened even further.

Coming out of the center of Orihime's chest was a metal chain. Toshiro's eyes followed it to-

"Oh, God, no."

-Orihime's body.

"Is that me?" she asked, also just noticing the other her lying on the floor.

"Damn it!" Toshiro yelled.

"That's right." The hollow said triumphantly. Orihime is already dead!"

"Noooo!" Toshiro screamed, charging at the hollow. It clenched its hand into a fist and smashed it over his head, dropping him to the floor.

"Toshiro!" Rukia screamed. She was bent over Tatsuki, examining her wounds.

Toshiro rose to all fours and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm still okay."

"Don't be so reckless! You need a strategy to deal with this one!"

"I'm beginning to realize that."

'I thought that mark on her leg earlier was from a hollow.' Rukia thought.

The hollow passed over Toshiro to confront Orihime again.

"You forgot about me, Orihime. You used to pray for me every day, but now you've stopped completely. That makes me sad."

Yo-you are…" Orihime stammered.

Toshiro struggled to rise, and as soon as he reached his feet his body fell sideways again. He smashed into a cabinet, knocking many of Orihime's most treasured possessions off of it.

"Ugh. I'm too groggy from that last hit…" he muttered, putting his hand on the floor to push himself back up again.

His hand found a picture frame, which he turned over.

"This is-"

"I gave everything to you, Orihime." The hollow said. "And how did you repay me?"

"Is this you?"

The hollow, Orihime, and Rukia turned to Toshiro, who was holding up a photograph of a handsome young man with long, brown hair.

"Put that away!" the hollow yelled.

"Brother," Orihime breathed, "it is you."

The hollow roared and lunged at Toshiro, but he slid under its grasp.

"Go away! Orihime is mine!"

"What the hell's wrong with you!?" Toshiro yelled. "What kind of brother tries to kill his own sister!?"

"Shut up!" the hollow screamed, almost hysterical. "You don't know what it's like! The loneliness, the pain! Orihime is all I have!"

Toshiro tried to raise his sword, but found his hand shaking. The hollow took advantage of his lack of composure, swinging its tail around again and launching Toshiro out of the window.

Toshiro landed headfirst on the paved street. The hollow made to lunge out of the window at him, but Orihime got in his way.

"Stop this!" she commanded.

The hollow hissed. "You side with this brat over your own brother? I've watched over you for years, Orihime. I've seen how much he terrifies you. I'm going to remove the source of your fear."

"I won't let you." she said firmly.

"What!?" the hollow bellowed, grabbing Orihime and squeezing her. "Are more afraid of me than of him now!?"

A sword sliced through the hollow's hand at the wrist. It writhed in pain and backed off as Orihime dropped to the floor.

"Of course she is." Toshiro said. His breathing was heavy and he was bleeding profusely from the forehead. "You're trying to kill her while I'm fighting to protect her. That's all that matters right now."

"How dare you." The hollow hissed. Toshiro raised his sword over his head.

"Goodbye, hollow."

"You don't know what it's like! The loneliness, the pain!"

The hollow lunged at Toshiro, mouth open so as to swallow him whole.

"Stop!"

Orihime had interposed himself between her brother and Toshiro. One of the hollow's teeth dug into her shoulder.

"Ori….hime." it whispered in surprise.

"Please stop this." She pleaded, beginning to cry.

'I thought of it as human again,' Toshiro thought, 'so I hesitated. Now Orihime's paid the same price Rukia paid three nights ago-to protect me!'

"This is all my fault." Orihime said through her tears. "When you were dying, I couldn't take it. I begged you not to go, and for that reason you didn't pass on. And now you're this-this thing. I'm so sorry.

"But please-please stop hurting Tatsuki and Toshiro, It's my fault, so just punish me."

"Orihime…" the hollow said. Toshiro readied his sword again.

The hollow began to scream and writhe in agony. "Brother!" Orihime exclaimed.

"What's happening?" Toshiro yelled at Rukia, who was holding glowing hands over Tatsuki.

"The man he was is starting to fight the hollow within!" Rukia said. "He must have only transformed recently!"

The hollow gave one final, ear-splitting scream, and its mask shattered.

"B-brother? Sora?" Orihime asked. The handsome face from the picture was restored, though a great deal larger and sadder.

"Yes." he said. He then looked at Toshiro. "Boy, kill me now, before I turn back into that monster."

"No!" Orihime screamed.

"Listen to me!" he yelled. "I can't maintain control for long! This is the only way to keep me from hurting you again! I'd rather die than do that!

"I'm waiting." He said to Toshiro, whose eyes were fixed on his toes and whose sword was shaking again.

"I can't." Toshiro said.

"Toshiro!" Rukia warned. "Listen to him! He's taking sense!"

"I can't kill him while he's a person! I-I know it's a cleansing, that he'll go to a better place, but I just can't do it!"

Rukia sighed. 'Too young.'

"Then give me the sword." Orihime's brother said. "I'll do it."

"Is there no other way?" Orimihe pleaded again.

'I'm afraid not." Her brother said with a sad smile.

Toshiro took a deep breath and dropped his sword. It hit the floor with a clanging sound. Sora picked it up and held it to his neck.

"The head is the vulnerable part." Rukia said.

Sora smiled. "Thanks." He turned to Orihime one last time.

"At the very least, Orihime, I'm glad I was able to say goodbye this time."

"I am too." she answered, wiping her eyes.

"Live life to its fullest, Orihime."

"Can you hold on, for just a minute, Sora?"

"What is it?"

Orihime pointed to the side of her head. "I still wear the hair pieces you got me, just before you died. I said I hated them at the time, because I thought they were childish, but I-I really do like them now! I wear them all the time!

"I guess, I'm trying to say, 'thank you."

Sora leaned close to her.

"Thank you, Orihime. I can pass on in peace now, thanks to you."

Orihime, Toshiro, and Rukia closed their eyes as Sora stabbed himself with Toshiro's sword.

The battle over, Toshiro collapsed against the wall. Orihime said a short prayer to herself for her brother's soul, then addressed Rukia.

"Oh yeah. How's Tatsuki."

"She's fine, now. I've spent this whole time healing her."

"Thank goodness." She then turned to Toshiro. "Thank you, for everything tonight."

Toshiro gave a small nod, then looked at Rukia. "What about Orihime? He said she was already dead."

Rukia walked over to both Orihimes, inspecting the chain connecting them.

"Her chain of fate isn't broken off from her body. She can still return to it."

Toshiro sighed in relief. "Then there's only one problem. The cat's out of the bag."

"I'm serious!" Orihime exclaimed. "A ninja broke into my house last night!"

"You always have the weirdest stories, Orihime."

"Why doesn't anyone believe me!?"

Across the school lunchroom, Toshiro and Rukia sat alone.

"That memory trick, you did the same thing to my sister." Toshiro said.

"Yes."

"It seems kind of cruel, though, to make Orihime forget being able to make peace with her brother's spirit."

"Maybe, but we couldn't have her remembering us."

"I guess, but I still don't like it."

Toshiro finished his chocolate milk and wiped his mouth.

"That's pretty impressive, how you healed all of our wounds."

Rukia smirked. "I was top in my class in kido spells."

"Kido….The same thing you used to bind me the other day." Toshiro rose and walked towards the nearest window.

"If I'm going to take part in this Shinigami business, I'd better learn how to use that kido stuff."

Rukia's eyes narrowed. "You mean you're ready."

Toshiro spun around. "Hell no!" He looked at his toes.

"I've fought three hollows in the last three days. They're much more common than I imagined, and you say they'll be targeting me and those close to me because of my higher spirit power." He met her gaze with a piercing one of his own.

"As much as I hate the idea, I can't afford to not take this business seriously."

Rukia smiled and pulled out her cell phone.

"I'm glad to hear it, because I've just received orders."

*You'll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins