It was not the first time, Keigo's mind did not say that what it should say. But this time it was different. Like there was a whole other person inside his head. Keigo shaked his head and decided to forget it. He is tired, worried, hungry, thirsty and eagerly as always, waiting for the Soul Society to fix it.
„Oh, please if they are really able to fix this mess they would have already done it?" Holeigo said inside Keigo's minds. And of course, Keigo thought that that were his own minds.
„Yeah!" he murmured and sat down on the bed.
Holeigo was surprised. That was awesome, for the first time since he began to excist, inside of the soul of this guy, he was able to communicate with him. At least. But if he realy wanted to be free, he had to weak him much more...
In Karakura meanwhile,... Yupa finally woke up. Still coughing but now able to talk with his parents and listen to thier worried crys. Not knowing that the Kurosaki's were already gone, he tried to convince his parents that it is not like they think.
"I am no... cough... jinxed!" Yupa coughed. He felt the pain in his chest while he talked. "I... I... left with him on my... cough... own!"
"Yupa... my son please..." his mother cried. "Please, don't tell me that you knew about... 'that'!"
"Know about what?" the boy decided to act dumb. But his parents immediately saw that he was lying.
„Yupa, you knew everything. Admit it!" his father said harshly.
Yupa only turned his head away and start to cry. For his parents it was a confession and they were shocked...
Two levels below them, Yuzu Kurosaki opened her eyes for the first time since her crash agains the wall the afternoon before. She had headache, her mouth was dry as dust and she had absolutely no idea where she was, and how she got here. The last thing she remembered was that she and Karin were in the park and talked about Karin's 'kind-of-relationship' with Toshiro and that she did not want her to tell anyone about. Especially not her father, as he was once Toshiro's captain and not Ichigo, who would do something really stupid like starting a fight or something.
Yuzu looked around. She slowly realized that she was in a hospital-room. She was connected to an infusion and had a tight bandage around her head. Did she had an accident? Or was she attacked by someone? She had no idea! And her head felt like it was going to blow up every second. She looked for a call-button. Every hospital-bed had a call button for a nurse. Finally she found something that felt like a remote-controler with a cable and knew that she found it. Just a minute later Ishida's thrustworthy nurse entered.
"You're awake!" she said relieved and came closer. "How are you?"
"Wa... ter..." Yuzu begged. The nurse filled some water into a glass and took a straw to let Yuzu drink something. After that she suddenly felt better. "Where am I?"
"You're in Karakura General!"
"What happend? Why... I am here?" Yuzu asked still dazed.
"I don't know exactly! The police told that they found you in your living-room. It looked like you ran against the wall! You have a broken nose, a skull contusion and a concussion." the woman explained.
"How? I... why did I... Where is... my family?"
"I don't know. In the Soul Society maybe!" the nurse told and Yuzu looked on her with big eyes. "I am aware, don't worry. I took care that nobody gets close to you as long as you are here. The whole country is hunting your brother and your father. Your sister in law is displayed as a witch..."
Suddenly some memories came back... "Gosh... I need to go... The police... The crowd..."
"Ssshhh... Don't worry! You are safe here!" the nurse said and went closer to whipser into Yuzu's ear. „Listen... Your name is Haruna Kobayashi and you are here because you fell down a stair! Got it?"
Yuzu nooded. The nurse nooded, too and prepared to leave. "Ishida-san told me, that your 'friends' will arrange everything! Everything will be fine!"
"Are you... a Quincy, too? Why do you help me?"
The nurse shrugged. "I don't know! Maybe I am jinxed, just like they tell in the news. Remember, Kobayashi-san! Right?"
"Right!" Yuzu nooded again and the nurse left.
Now Yuzu had some time to think about what happened. She saw the gate! They all passed! But why she didn't?
The same question was asked in the Soul Society...
"Why she didn't pass the gate?" Ichigo yelled mad.
"We still try to find out!" Rukia said. "What ever happened we will figure it out! For now she is safe. She is in hospital under a wrong name. Ishida took care of it! The boy who was with Kazui in the shop is in hospital, too. He was not as lucky as her... where is Kazui?"
Kazui was in the other room with Ichika and was forced to tell her the whole story. Of Yupa who quit thier friendship, because of the secret and how Kazui told him the whole secret despite his parents order, to safe it. The whole time Ichika hold her Zanpakutou against his throat. But after hearing this heartbreaking story about secrets, lies and friendship she lowered her sword and hugged him. She felt so sorry for him...
"And what do you think, when we will be able to return?" Ichigo asked Rukia, still mad.
"As soon as we found the orgin of the..."
"The orgin!" Orihime cut her off. "I can tell you the orgin! Makoto Hirabata! She told everyone in the morning 'City-Report' and later in her prime-time show."
"And who told her?" Rukia asked.
"Is that important?" Mizuiro asked curious.
"Yeah... He is right!" Ichigo said and went closer to Rukia. "When Aizen destroyed the half city, you needed ten minutes to replace everyones memories. When Kon ruined my image after... you know..." (Ichigo remembered her on Kon kissing Tatsuki and Orihime in class but did not want to mention it when Tatsuki stood right behind him) you needed five seconds! Why is it this time so difficult?"
Rukia looked on him worried. "I have to admit that I don't know it! I never expierienced something like that! It could have any reason? Maybe someone spied you out? Or you accidentely told someone?"
"Please, noone of my friends would ever do that! Right?" Ichigo asked and looked on Tatsuki and Mizuior who both nooded.
"There will be a meeting of all captains and lieutenants in 15 Minutes! This is not just affecting you. The whole Soul Society got exposed. You are all invited to join us." Renji told before calling for his daughter. „ICHIKA!"
Ichika entered the room. "May I and Kazui stay here? He doesn't feels good!"
The Abarai's were surprised. Thier daughter got the chance to join a top-priority-seireitei-meeting and she refused? But than they remembered Kazui, and that it was propably to much for him. His friend injured and he almost caught by a SWAT-team. So they left without the kids and Ichika tried to get some more informations from Kazui...
In his hotel-room in Okinawa, Keigo meanwhile thought that it was really just his own stress that talked to him and he took something from the minibar. After drinking a mouth full of Whiskey he didn't feel better... ever and ever again he tried to call one of them. But nobody picked up. There was no service in the Soul Society.
"Are you kidding me?" Keigo yelled and gave up. Angrilly he throw the smartphone into the trash-bin.
"And once again I am the one who is left out!" Holeigo said. This time like he is Keigo himself.
„Yeah... as usual!" Keigo believed it.
Holeigo figured out that if he talk to Keigo like he is a diferent person, he would just scare him and run to the next aviable Shinigami who will find him inside here and kill both of them instantly. But if he talks to Keigo like he is his own minds, he will listen to him. And with the truth of this whole shit he willl definetively hit a nerve and weak his will much more. And once he is weak enough, he will be able to break out and swallow him. And he will be delicious. He knew the hidden power and the strench of his soul, despite the weak human-body.
"If I really count for them they would have already called to ask how I am at least, or not?!" Holeigo said.
"Why I even dare to believe that?" Keigo thought by himself. His Hollow could hear it and was satisfied.
Keigo switched threw the channels. Next to the reports about the Kurosakis, there was normal programme aired as well. One channel aired his detergent commercial.
"Gosh, why I realize how humiliating that was just now?" Keigo asked himself.
"Ichigo and the others won't even laugh! They will just slap me and reproach me. As they reproach me for realy everything I do. No matter what I do. I will ever be only the loud, annoying nuisance..."
Holeigo's words hurt, especially because Keigo thought that it were his own words. But they were true anyway...
Suddenly the news about the Kurosaki's disappearance aired in TV...
In the Soul Society, everyone arrived at the hall were the meeting was going to be held. After checking that everyone was there, one of the present Shinigami suddenly asked...
"Not everyone from your list is here?" he asked and pointed on Keigo's name. "Asano Keigo? Where is he?"
Ichigo shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't seen him for a while." Two years to be exactly, but Ichigo didn't want to talk about his 'friendship' with Keigo now. "He is... pretty busy I think! He works as an Seiyuu!"
"A what?"
"He is dubbing... animes and movies... for television!" Ichigo explained. "Why? Do you want to interview him, too?"
"Well, if our information is correct, his spiritual powers are much bigger than that of these two you brought with you, toghether." he explained.
"What? Are we talking about the same Asano?" Tatsuki asked. "And now that we talk about it... how much is he 'stronger' than I?"
The Shinigami explained everything. Everyone of them was on the Soul Society's radar since the Ryoka-Invasion. After Aizen's defeat, when they learned about Ichigo's powers and the Soul Society, they had been watched as thier Spirituall-awareness came from Ichigo's powers. There was a bowl of fruits standing on a side-table.
"Imagine... this apple is the whole amount of spiritual-power of Mr. Kojima-san." he explained and pointed on Mizuiro. "Arisawa-san's apple is a little bit bigger! Asano's apple..." he sighed. "... Asano's apple has to be as big as a cantaloupe! A that were the data from 12 years ago..."
Tatsuki was surprised.
Keigo meanwhile, suddenly got appetite for fruits. Luckily there was some fruit liqueur in the minibar. He just learned that his so called friends were gone. They left to safe themself to the Soul Society. A place, if he was honest, would really love to see some day. But not after he dies. What shall he do? Does he have to kill himself to hide there, too?
"I will loose my memory on everything when I go there! But friends like them I really want to forget." Holeigo said and a tear ran down Keigo's face. "What I am talking about... my parents were right, our classmates were right... everyone was right! I have never been a part of this group..."
Keigo got flashbacks... the slaps he always recieved, thier cold behaviour. Yeah, they were never the kind and friendly friends he wanted them to be and he would had needed sometimes. And there were so many situations where he had needed them and when they pushed him away...
Holeigo could feel Keigo getting weaker and weaker every second. But that was not enough. He had to go further. And than suddenly he could feel that he was able to control him a little bit. The pills...
Present...
„My soul was able to restrain him! But that morning I was not strong enough..." Keigo told.
10 years ago...
"Come on, Tatsuki! Slap me!" Holeigo yelled to upset him more.
"OH... I wish Tatsuki can see me now! She would slap me into my face and tell me to stop wailing! Looks like it's true and the only way she is able to talk to others is the language of violence. Sometimes I ask myself why I didn't believed my parents and left that stupid cow behind!"
Holeigo somehow managed to let Keigo put around 10 to 15 pills into his glass that was already filled with Vodka.
"Agghh... My parents were right when they told me that I will regret it. If you didn't want me to be involved in your business then you shouldn't have dragged me into it in the first fucking place! But I won't give you the chance to to see how I fail. Fuck you... IF YOU CAN HEAR THIS IN SOUL SOCIETY, FUCK YOU ALL!... I don't want to be your clown anymore!"
Keigo closed his eyes and drank the spiked Vodka in three big gulps. Keigo coughed and trembled. The Vodka burned in his throat horribly. He start to choke and sound like he was going to puke. He was always the one who overact and who was always over emotional in a very offensive way. That were enough drugs to kill him. But Keigo was so lucky, that someone found him on time... or he would be dead now...
"I wish you good luck in Soul Society." Keigo murmured dazed. His view became blurred and darker when he threw his glass towards the TV where it shattered on the screen. A photo of them was aired. A photo of the whole group, except of Keigo! "I hope it's true that you forget everything when you are 'konzoed'. Friends like you, you simply need to forget! You, my sister, these Shinigami... And when you send them to get my soul, don't dare to send this Ikkaku nor this Yumi-what's-his-name... It was worse enough to share my room with them without beeing asked before... Till today, I even don't know why I had to..."
Keigo took the empty Vodka-bottle and threw it towards the TV, too. It hit the screen and shattered...
Present...
"You know, Holeigo was inside me all the years. He was trapped... he wanted to be free!" Keigo told.
"Luckily he didn't!" Tatsuki moaned. "It was worse enough to watch it happen in your memory!"
„Yeah... but why he didn't just came out?" Keigo asked, surprising everyone. "I mean... that was his chance?"
Suddenly Keigo felt his Zanpakutou talking to him.
"What..." Keigo said and lift his Zanpakutou to look on it... "...YOU..."
Everyone was surprised...
"Ehm... what has this Katana to do with it?" Akira asked confused. "Oh my gosh... don't tell me that there is really a person inside that?!"
10 years ago...
After Keigo closed his eyes and fell asleep to wait for his death... his Inner-Hollow felt that he was free. Full of excitement, Holeigo prepared to take over the soul... he could feel it. He felt a body. Keigo's body...
While Keigo's own soul start to loose it's strench more and more Holeigo felt more and more like he has a body. He is not just a spot in this Soul anymore... he grows more and more to be an full person. But than, suddenly and out of nowhere, another spirit appeared... and attacked him...
Keigo's Zanpakutou choosed him already before his death. When he was on the verge of death, to be exactly. And so a fight inside of Keigo's soul began... a fight that was also mentioned by other people in the hotel. Including his manager...
Shino Midori, just entered the hotel to look after Keigo. On the set he learned about Keigo's sudden 'fever' and was worried about the screening shedule. While walking threw the corridor... Keigo's body was pushed across the bed. Keigo was too dazed to realize what was going on with him and that he even float over the bed. The fight between the Zanpakutou spirit and his Inner Hollow was so intense that his body didn't endure the forces and he puked the whole poisioness cocktail out...
"Keigo? Is everything allright?" Shino yelled from outside after he could hear him puke. The door was locked. And suddenly it was quiet inside.
„KEIGO!" Shino screamed and hammered with his fist against the locked door.
The silence inside was scary. Something terrible must have going on in there. Shino's loud screaming echoed threw the corridor and so he catched the attention of a maid who just finished cleaning another room and aproached him madly.
„Excuse me! Would you please don't make such noise!" the maid said with a harsh voice.
„Open the door! I need to get in there!" Shino said and looked on her in a kind of begging way.
„Please what? I will not allow that you enter a foreign room! Who are you? And why do you even dare to ask?"
"Please, open this door! I'm afraid, something terrible is going on in there! Please, I take the full responsibility!"
The maid looked on Shino and into his begging eyes. She could see that he was really worried and she felt bad. Maybe he was right and there was really something terrible going on inside this room. She mentioned the 'Do-not-disturb-sign' and did not enter the room. She didn't know why, but suddenly she took her key-card and opened the door. Not thinking about that she could possibly loose her job.
"Thank you so much!" Shino said and opened the door. "Keigo... I come in now... Keigo?"
Shino and the maid entered the room. The curtains were closed, a shattered vodka-bottle laid on the ground, the TV was running and there was this terrible stench of alcohol, sweat and ciggarette-smoke in the air.
"Keigo... Are you here?" Shino said and walked closer to the sleeping area. The shock was great when both found the 'liveless' body on the bed. "KEIGO!"
The maid screamed when she saw Keigo. With open mouth, pale skin and without breath he laid in the bed. He wet himself in. Empty packagings of pills laid next to him. This was definetely an overdose...
"CALL AN AMBULANCE! HE IS STILL ALIVE!" Shino screamed after he felt Keigo's pulse.
The maid ran out to get her phone...
The reason Keigo Asano survived his overdose, was that his Zanpakutou tried to safe him from beeing swallowed by his Inner-Hollow. Forcing him to puke the deadly cocktail out before it hurt him more...
Present...
"Shino and I didn't need long time to figure out that it may had to do something with this whole... Shinigami stuff!" Akira told while a tear ran down her face. "The following two weeks, we did our best to hide it. Do you know how difficult it was to let everyone believe that you just had a phneumonia?"
Keigo looked on her. He could see that it hurt her very much. And now it was way more difficult as she was talking to a 'living-dead' now.
"I know this might be realy strange for you!" Keigo said. "But how you figured out about our son's fullbring? And why you are able to see me?"
"Do you think I am so stupid?" Akira asked. "Do you think I don't hear you two talking everytime you show up?"
Keigo shrugged.
"I knew I couldn't ask your family, as your sister is still in the psychiatry and your parents smashed the door close when I tried to ask them about you..."
"You talked to my parents?" Keigo asked shocked. "And you told them about Junior? When?"
"Several weeks ago... your mother was so shocked that she became unconscious. And your father treatened me with lawyers and 'legal steps' if I don't let them see him. But I knew how you would think about and I denied to let them see our son..."
"Of all humans in this world... you had to tell my parents. After that what happened at the class reunion, they are really the last people I want to have close my son."
"Class-reunion? Which class-reunion?" Orihime asked.
"Ours! Ogawa, you never told them what happened?" Keigo asked, Ogawa became red and shaked her head.
"No! I thought you did?"
"What?" Orihime asked again. She knew that there was a class reunion when they were in Soul Society and that they missed it. But now it sound like something realy terrible must have happened back there.
"We tell you later, but now I really want to know what my parents said when they figured out about Junior?" Keigo asked harshly.
Akira smiled innoncently. But suddenly she felt pretty worried, too. Right the same moment, when in Karakura someone knocked against the door of the Kurosaki's house...
The teens were with the kids in the living-room and tried to convince them to do anything else than telling them about Kurosaki-Gate! When they heared someone knocking, they were surprised. The clinic was closed and the power was still off. It rained hardly outside. They didn't expect someone.
"Huh... Who could that be?" Kazui asked and lift up to open the door... not knowing that outside someone stood neighter the Kurosaki's nor Keigo wanted to have inside...
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