"So you're the little Shinigami that's terrorizing all the poor hollows around here." The hollow known as the Grand Fisher said playfully. "What's your name?"
"Toshiro Hitsugaya."
"Yes. You smell delicious." A tendril shot out of the hollow's side, it's end as sharp as a blade. Toshiro leapt away from the attack over to where Rukia was standing.
"Take him." He said, dropping the mod soul.
"Toshiro, I think we should retreat." Rukia said.
"To where?"
Rukia looked away. "I don't know."
"What's so special about this Grand Fisher anyway?"
"He's evaded the Shinigami for over fifty years. He's classified as a priority one threat. I can't even imagine what he's doing here."
"Escalation."
"What?"
"It's a police term, Rukia. It means the bigger guns the cops get, the bigger guns the criminals bring in to counter them. He already said he had heard about me."
'Can that be true?' Rukia wondered. 'Could just the word of Toshiro have brought the Grand Fisher here?'
"Here I thought I couldn't hate this job anymore."
"As long as you understand that he's much more dangerous than any other hollow you've faced so far."
"Yeah. You don't have to tell me to be extra careful." Toshiro stepped toward the Grand Fisher again.
"Done saying your goodbyes?" it sneered.
"Yeah. Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Don't die too quickly, boy. I like to play with my food before I eat it."
Two tendrils shot at Toshiro from either side, and he again jumped over the attack, this time at his opponent. He brought his sword down as hard as he could, but the Grand Fisher had already moved out of the way. Bits of concrete and plaster flew through the air from where Toshiro had struck the roof.
'He's faster than the other hollows.'
More tendrils attacked Toshiro, and this time he was forced to roll to avoid them. Coming out of the roll, Toshiro swung his Zanpakuto to the right, slicing off the two tendrils that had been able to follow him.
The Grand Fisher laughed, and Toshiro scowled.
'That stuff's part of his body and he didn't react when I cut them! Does he not feel pain?'
Nearby, The mod soul was close to panicking.
"Um, what's wrong? I thought Toshiro would have killed that thing by now. He looks less confident than before."
"Shut up." Rukia commanded, wiping sweat off of her forehead.
'I never thought Toshiro would have to go up against an opponent like this. I've only ever faced one hollow this dangerous, and that was with my captain and lieutenant!'
She took a deep breath. 'It's not about winning this time. It's about surviving.
'Live, Toshiro. Please.'
"Are you really the soul reaper the other hollows are so afraid of?" the Grand Fisher asked. "You're one of the slowest Shinigami I've fought, and believe me, I've eaten plenty."
"You want fast?" Toshiro asked, raising a finger. "Hado number four! Byakurai!"
A beam of blue energy shot out of his finger, striking the Grand Fisher in the center of its mask. It shook its head, then leered.
"Is that really all you've got, little Shinigami?"
Toshiro's eyes widened in fear as he kept his finger in place. "No effect."
"Want me to tell you why that attack didn't work?"
"Don't mock me." Toshiro warned, assuming a defensive stance.
"You wanted to cast it quickly, so you left out the incantation that comes before the spell. But kido is much weaker when cast without the incantation."
"Crap." Toshiro breathed.
"Only a truly powerful Shinigami can get any real power in a kido spell while skipping the incantation. And besides," the Grand Fisher said disparagingly, "that level of kido wouldn't hurt me at its full power.
"This is really disappointing. I thought the Soul Society had sent one of its elites here, but it turns out to be nothing more than a child out of his depth."
The Grand Fisher took in a deep breath, then yelled. Its fur exploded off of its body, moving as if it was a liquid with a mind of its own. The fur surrounded Toshiro on all sides. He attempted to slice through it, but there was too much, and he was seized by all four limbs.
Toshiro screamed, struggling to at least move his sword arm, to no avail. The Grand Fisher reeled him in, opening its mouth wide to swallow him.
"Good bye, little Shinigami."
"Hado number thirty-three! Sokatsui!"
A large burst of blue energy tore through the fur between Toshiro and the Grand Fisher, breaking the hollow's hold on him and allowing him to cut through the fur still holding him. He braced himself with one hand and knee as he landed.
"Thanks, Rukia." Toshiro said, looking to his side. Smoke was still coming out of Rukia's hands, both of which were raised at the Grand Fisher.
"Let me take charge of this fight." Rukia said. "I'm still better at using kido than you are, at the very least. Back me up."
"Right." Toshiro responded, moving behind Rukia. "With his power he can attack from any angle, so surrounding him is going to be useless."
"I know."
"What's this?" the Grand Fisher asked playfully. "Are you a Shinigami too? That was a much better kido spell, but you're not wearing a kimono or holding a Zanpakuto."
"You don't need to know." Rukia said, "since you're about to be destroyed."
"Ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Are you serious? With that kind of power both of you combined can't even scratch me!"
'He's right.' Rukia thought. 'I still can't put much power into my kido spells, even with the full incantations. A weak thirties level is the best I can do.'
"But you, boy. You smell familiar. Have we fought before?"
"No." Toshiro said.
"Really? How long have you been in Karakura town?"
"My whole life! And what does that have to do with anything?"
"Just wondering. If you've been in Karakura town your whole life you must actually be a human, little Shinigami. Now, what lure did I use the last time I was here?"
"What's he talking about?" Toshiro asked Rukia.
"The Grand Fisher uses a bait attached to the top of its head to lure spirits and people with strong spiritual presences. The baits allow him to trap and eat people with a minimum of effort and increase his strength very quickly. It's by far the most dangerous thing about him."
"Ah," the Grand Fisher said, "that's it."
A tendril extended out of the hollow's head, settling above the ground in front of it. At the end was the form of a person.
"That's-" Toshiro said in shock.
"What?" Rukia asked.
The form was of a small girl, younger than Toshiro, with long black hair and dead eyes.
"Two years ago," Toshiro said through clenched teeth, "I tried to save this girl."
"Two years ago?"
"Momo, what's that girl doing."
"What are you talking about, Toshiro? There's no one there. Come on, or we'll be late for dinner."
"Okay."
But he looked back. The girl bent her knees, as if to jump in the river.
"Stop!" he yelled, breaking away from Momo and running toward the girl.
"Toshiro! Wait!"
He reached her in time, but his hand passed through her.
"What?"
"Toshiro!"
The world went black.
"When I woke up," Toshiro continued, "Momo was dead."
"Toshiro…" Rukia began. 'I don't know what to say. I haven't felt this helpless since-'
"So you have seen this form before." The Grand Fisher said. "You must have been one of those people with high spirit power I try to catch. You're lucky to have survived." he leered.
"You must have had a woman with you at the time. Even if I have targets with high reiatsus, females are just so tasty."
"Rukia," Toshiro said, looking at the ground, "I'm changing the plan. You back me up."
"Fine."
"Why are you acting so butt hurt all of a sudden?" the Grand Fisher taunted. "If she was anyone of any importance, I'd remember eating her."
"You…" Toshiro muttered, still looking at the ground. "You…How dare you!" he screamed, charging at the Grand Fisher while swinging his sword.
"Whoa!" the Grand Fisher yelped, leaping off of the building. The pavement cracked beneath each of his four feet as he landed on the street below.
"Damn that brat. Where'd that sudden speed come from?"
"Toshiro!" Rukia yelled. He turned his head to her, and his eyes silenced her.
They were glowing blue.
Without a word, he leapt after the Grand Fisher. Rukia and the mod soul ran to the edge of the roof to watch.
"Aren't you going to go down there to help him?" the mod soul asked.
Rukia shook her head sadly. "I can't. This has turned into his fight."
"If you help him now, you might save his life, but is that all he's fighting for?"
Memories flowed through Toshiro's brain as he arced towards the Grand Fisher.
'After I switched grades, Momo was the only one who supported me.'
"Wow, Toshiro. You're first test in my grade and you get the top in the class!"
"You're not jealous?"
"Why would I be jealous?"
"The other students are."
"Oh, come here." She pulled him close and hugged him. "My little brother's a genius! I'm not jealous, I'm proud! So very proud!"
'And when I was picked on, she was the only one who stood up for me.'
"What are you doing!?"
The large boys dropped Toshiro, and she ran over to him. One of his eyes was swollen and he was bleeding from both nostrils.
"Why are you doing this to my brother!?"
"Because he's a freak!"
"Well, you know what? It's people like Toshiro who are going to be running the world soon, and you'd better watch out when that day comes!"
'Even when she died she was trying to protect me.'
"Rooaaaaaah!" Toshiro screamed as he landed, swinging his sword down in an overhead strike that the Grand Fisher just avoided by moving to the side. A handful of his hairs fell to the ground.
The Grand Fisher looked back as the force of Toshiro's attack smashing into the ground continued to crack the pavement for six meters past the tip of his sword.
"You took her…" Toshiro growled.
"Hmmm." the Grand Fisher mused. "Maybe you are worth eating after all." His fur expanded at Toshiro again, but he just sliced through the top fur tendrils and leapt out of the way.
"Damn you." the Grand Fisher said, shooting more concentrated tendril attacks at Toshiro, who just cut through them. He pressed the Grand Fisher back across the street, angling and timing his attacks to keep it from escaping to the right or left, and into an alley.
"Shit!" the Grand Fisher exclaimed, realizing that his size had just been rendered a serious disadvantage.
"I'm going to kill you, hollow."
"Are you, now?"
Toshiro raised his sword for the final blow, but a figure appeared in front of him, making him freeze in mid-swing.
Appearing to be twelve years of age, with flowing black hair, blue eyes, and a standard schoolgirl outfit, was the one person Toshiro had never expected to see again.
"Mo…mo…?"
"Please stop, Toshiro." The figure said. "You wouldn't hurt your sister now, would you?"
"I-I-ack!"
A tendril shot out from behind the figure at the distracted Toshiro, piercing his left shoulder all the way through. He staggered back, holding his sword with his left hand and the wound with his right.
"You…"Toshiro spat. "Killing her wasn't enough for you, you evil…" He raised his sword again.
"Stop!"
The figure of Momo appeared in front of him again, and Toshiro froze in his tracks. His hands began to shake.
"I protected you your whole life, and this is how you repay me, Toshiro? Put down that sword."
"Momo…-arg!"
Another tendril pierced his right shoulder.
"Toshiro!" Rukia screamed running towards him.
"Rukia…" Toshiro said weakly. "I can't…"
"You've got to look past her, Toshiro! She's not real!"
Toshiro tried to lift his sword, but his arms were frozen.
"I know that!" he screamed. "I know she's just an illusion he's using to try to kill me! But when I look at her, I-I just can't…"
"That's right, little Shinigami." The Grand Fisher said triumphantly. "Everyone, no matter how bloodthirsty, has one person that they can never kill. It is a fatal flaw I've used against countless Shinigami in the past."
A tendril pierced Toshiro's chest, and he collapsed.
"Toshiroooo!" Rukia screamed.
"Toshiro, why are you crying?"
"I'm not crying!"
She smiled. "Of course not. Why are you upset?"
"I'm not upset. I'm just thinking."
"Very well. I'll leave you to your 'thinking,'Mr. Einstein." She turned to leave.
"Momo?"
"Yes?"
"Why does everyone seem to hate me?"
"I don't know." She said sadly.
"This school, this whole world, why is it so cruel!?"
She took the sobbing boy and embraced him tightly, lending him her shoulder to cry on.
"I'm not crying." He insisted.
"I know you're not.
"I don't know why this world is so cruel sometimes," she told him, "but I do know one thing. If anyone can come up with a good reason why, it'll be you.
"So promise me, Toshiro, that when you find the answer you'll share it with me? Cause I'd really like to know too."
"I promise, Momo."
His head bowed down to the ground, Toshiro rose.
"What?" the Grand Fisher asked in shock. "You still intend to fight in that condition?"
"I couldn't keep my promise to you, Momo," Toshiro said to himself, "but this promise I'm going to keep. I'm going to kill him."
Toshiro swung his Zanpakuto around. It cut through the image of Momo, which dissipated.
"You-you-you cut down your own sister!" the Grand Fisher screamed. "What kind of kid are-arrrrrrrrggggggggg!"
Toshiro, still looking at the ground, stabbed his sword into the Grand Fisher's flesh. He raised his head, and at last the Grand Fisher realized the truth.
"You-you son of a bitch, you've been fighting with your eyes closed!"
"All I pictured in my head," Toshiro said venomously, "was your ugly mug."
The Grand Fisher pulled back, screaming as the release of the Zanpakuto from his body drew more blood with it, and leapt onto the nearest building as quickly as he could.
"Come back, you coward!" Toshiro screamed.
"Fighting with your eyes closed may have seemed like a good idea," the Grand Fisher yelled, "but because of that you missed my head!
"Don't worry, though! There will be a next time! You wounded me, and that is something I cannot forgive! The next time we meet, Toshiro Hitsugaya, I will kill you!"
With that, the Grand Fisher vanished.
"No!" Toshiro screamed. "Come back! We're going to settle this now!"
He collapsed backwards, into Rukia's arms.
"Easy." She said. "You're lucky to be alive. Those wounds are terrible."
"No!" he screamed at her. "I've got to go after him! He's got to pay! I've got to-to-to…"
Toshiro broke down completely.
"Toshiro…" Rukia said.
She took the sobbing boy and embraced him tightly, lending him her shoulder to cry on.
"I'm so sorry."
Rukia took in the sight of Toshiro: gravely wounded, crying uncontrollably.
"I'm so sorry."
'You're an exceptional child,' she thought, 'but still just a child. And I've made you carry my burden, a Shinigami's burden for far too long. I should never have asked so much of you.'
"I'm so sorry."