Chapter 5: Go Fish
The South Kanazawa Aquarium was quite full that day. Not with people, but, with an assortment of many different kinds of fish that had just been added. The original design for the place was as a water park, and as Hito and Hattei walked with their class through the front gates they definitely saw where that came from. In the very center of the spacious front lawn rested a square pool about the size of a baseball diamond turned on its tilt. Before the receptionist's front desk sat another in ground pool with a few red and black speckled fish swimming in it. There were four main hallways branching off in different directions (two to the right, two to the left), down each was a special event being held just for their field trip that day.
Upon getting their hand stamped, most of the students chose to go peering down the tunnel with the exotic animals like Sharks, Whales, and Swordfish. Those that didn't chose either the 'standard' fish that were miniscule in size and very normal looking, or the hall that would display any ocean dwelling creatures of other phyla in the Kingdom Animalia. Hattei looked at his watch, and it bleeped a few times. When Hito looked over the blue haired boy's shoulder, he saw that the watch seemed to have some kind of map on it, and an arrow was pointing towards the lower left tunnel- a darker passage that had Eels, and Seahorses and more exotic animals rather than just fish. Hito looked towards the tunnel with Hattei and they both noted that there were few people there.
"Whoa, I know seahorses look kind of lame, but I figured at least someone would want to see an Electric Eel!" Hito exclaimed in surprise.
"Don't be stupid- just because humans can't see Hollows, doesn't mean they can't feel their darker energy. It's the reason why people get a cold chill in an empty room." Hattei informed Hito. Hito frowned, but then shrugged off Hattei's superior tone.
"Well, whatever. Let's just… Get this over with," Hito admonished, taking a step towards the tunnel. Hattei nodded and walked after the redhead.
Despite his bravado, it would be a grave understatement to consider Hitonari Jirai ready to "get this over with". In fact, thoughts were swirling through the boy's head now on so many things. Such as: 'How am I going to explain this to my dad?! How am I going to live to explain this to my dad?! Maybe, if I don't die, I'll be able to get a reprieve…. I mean, how useful could a kid be?!!"' Hito sighed, looking down and closing his eyes with his thoughts now swirling madly.
"Hey, stupid," Hattei yelled back to Hito. Hito immediately got angry, glaring at him.
"What?"
"Don't forget to keep track of time. We have to be back out of here by 2:00 according to that obnoxious lady," Hattei said, pointing over his shoulder towards their Biology class' teacher, Iroku-san. Hito nodded and rolled his eyes a bit, then dashed to catch up with Hattei to ask him some of the more normal questions whizzing through his head.
"Hey, how exactly am I suppose to fight this big bad Hollow without a weapon?! Even you had that weird chain last night!" Hito pointed out. Hattei kept walking silently. Hito gulped, wondering if perhaps the Court of Eternity wouldn't give him a weapon, being such a new member and all. "And that's not even dealing with the bigger problem of me possibly dying again…" Hito's voice almost trailed off as he muttered the last statement to himself. He then shook himself out of it and looked back at Hattei's back (as Hattei had taken up the front of the two). "HEY! Are you listening?!" Hito yelled, walking a bit faster to keep up with Hattei's pace, "I'm taking a shot in the dark here, but I doubt you guys could bring me back to life twice, right?!! So what if I die again doing your stupid Hollow Hunt?!" Hito yelled at Hattei.
The next movement was lightning quick. Hattei had turned around, ran forward, and jammed his fist into Hito's unsuspecting stomach with such a force the boy flew back into the reinforced glass of a very surprised Nursing Shark's tank. The newest member to the Court of Eternity gasped for breath, doubling over and coughing a bit as Hattei towered over him and spoke.
"It's not for me… It's not for you… Those aren't the reasons we do this! We as members of the Court of Eternity shouldn't worry about ourselves and selfishly walk away from a fight after all the strength we've been given!" Hattei began. The boy's body was trembling with rage as he spoke to Hito, whose eyes were now wide as they looked at the floor before his doubled over frame. "It's for them!" Hattei waved his hands over the all of the few people milling around- they were all far too far away to see the commotion, and even from Hattei and Hito's perspectives just specks in the central connecting hallway, but Hito got the point. "We do this so they don't lose their souls and become Hollow beasts, flailing around meaninglessly. WE do it because were the only ones who can," Hattei finished.
Hito's wide eyes returned to normal size, and now they had a look of shame within them. "Hattei, I-" the boy was cut off as Hattei shook his head.
"Don't talk, just think… What if you'd been devoured immediately?!" Hattei queried. Hito took a moment to let the words sink in, going over the horrible attack that had wrenched him from his body and replaying the other events of the night before. "You'd be one of them- a hopeless beast- if that was the case. Do you want that for them… For your dad?" Hattei finished. Hito looked silently at his companion.
"I'm sorry," was all the boy said. It seemed to be enough. Hattei turned around and continued walking. Hito straightened himself and did the same.
"I wonder how far back this hall goes… Well, I guess it circles if we're seeing sharks- or maybe they have two separate displays of sharks…" Hito mused as they continued. They had covered quite a bit of area in the aquarium with Hattei continuing to anxiously check his watch for the signs of the Hollow.
"How close are we?" Hito then asked nervously, this was the first time since their previous, emotion filled conversation that he'd brought up the Hollow.
Hattei checked his watch on that cue, and then with slight shock apparent in his eyes, turned to Hito. "Hold on," he said. Hito blinked as Hattei closed his eyes and began to glow. The glow as a velvety red at first, then a deep purbly, and finally, night sky black. Soon the glow enveloped Hattei completely- not giving Hito a chance to inquire about it before he realized that Hattei might not be inside it. He was about to shout out for the boy, but then it dispersed, and Hito gaped. Hattei was now wearing the familiar Court of Eternity dress- the black robe, shoes, and gloves, and holding the chain dagger by keeping part of it tied around his neck with chain links nearest to the dagger end in his hand. "Surprised?" the blue haired boy smirked.
"How, What, When?!" Hito spluttered in shock. Hattei laughed, twirling his chain egotistically.
"This what happens when you release your Shiki- your physical body and spiritual body switch places…. Kind of," Hattei explained vaguely. Hito blinked, clearly confused, which made his black cloaked companion sigh. "Never mind the technical stuff right now, you need to do the same thing because we're close to the Hollow," Hattei informed.
"Okay…. Only… How?" Hito asked sheepishly.
"Remember last night? When you fought Yomi? Just like that," Hattei said, only to receive a blank look from Hito. The blue haired boy sighed and repeated, "Do exactly what you did last night when you took the trial- battle cries and all, if you need. It should come to you." Hito thought back, and then remembered the sword arm he had taken possession of, and the eye, and the losing control of one of his limbs…
"Oh, like the-" Hito began, but whatever he was about to say was discountinued as, with alook of deep concentration crossing his face, he disappeared in the same black glow. A moment later, he was wearing the Court of Eternity's cloak, gloves, and boots and he also had the pale white blade arm attached to his right arm, along with the sheathed long, double edged blade laying diagonally on his back.
"How did I do that?!" Hito queried. Hattei's right eye twitched in annoyance.
"Don't be dim, I just told you!"
Hito blinked, then shook himself and, with a look of determination, began walking forward without Hattei. "Alright… let's go!"
"…Moron…. I have the map…." Hattei pointed out. Hito sweat dropped.
"So… What is this thing exactly?" the silence that had resumed after the boys' change in attire had once again been broken- this time about ten minutes later in the dark hallway that seemed to go on for quite a ways. Hito, the questioner, was pointing to his right blade-arm.
"I'd say a sword," Hattei said nonchalantly. Hito rolled his eyes.
"I knew that I meant, why the heck did it take the place of my right arm?! And besides, I've already got a sword!" Hito moved his left arm to take a hold of the hilt of the blade on his back. At that, Hattei turned around to look at him, alarmed.
"B-but you can't use it… Can you?" Hattei asked the last part with a bit of fear- if Hito was hearing him right. Hito thought that was a rather stupid question. How in the world would any boy with a TV not know the basics of sword fighting. But he didn't point this out, and just nodded, reaching with his left hand for the hilt and pulling. He pulled the whole thing off its holster- that is, the sword AND the sheath still attached. He blinked in amazement while Hattei's expression went back to normal, with a little relief shown afterwards.
"Wow, that was weird, huh?" Hito remarked with a small laugh. He picked the blade up and held it upside down. The sheath didn't fall off as he expected, so he jerked it up quickly. Again, the sword was not unsheathed. He began to pull at the sheath, using his foot to hold the sheath (as his right arm was still a blade) then he hacked at the sheath with his blade arm. All to no avail. The sheath refused to be removed. Hattei laughed at the failed attempts.
"What did you do to my sword?!" Hito yelled, putting the blade back on its holster and glaring at Hattei. Hattei managed to stop giggling to explain.
"That sword is your Zanpakutoh- Soul Cuttter." He pointed to the blade. Hito blinked, wondering why Hattei was jumping to something so random, but then Hattei continued. "That one," Hattei pointed to the blade arm, "Is the form of your Shiki." He explained.
"What?"
"Okay, listen closely because I'm not going to go through this again," Hattei said, getting into lecture mode. "Basically, there are 3 Zanjutsu, or Sword Arts, for fighting Hollows at the disposal of the Court of Eternity. The first sword art is the art of using your Shiki's true form to fight. All the Shiki you have has a certain level of stability, and when one learns to control it, they create a specifically shaped weapon that houses and helps them channel their Shiki for destruction." Hattei held up his chain as he explained this, and Hito realized that was an example of a Shiki Zanpakutoh. "Now that's simply your Shiki's forming a weapon so you can fight for yourself- notice you have little control over it, because you have little control over Shiki now. When you form a true connection with your Shiki, and thus, your soul, you'll be able to unsheathe that sword, and it'll tell you it's name." Hattei was then graced with a "your crazy" look by Hito.
"That's completely crazy," Hito gave voice to his look with this statement, and Hattei sighed.
"I know it sounds weird, but it's how things work. Anyway, this is the first release- or, well, that is," he pointed to Hito's sheathed sword. "We call that 'Shikai' and the second release is when-" Hattei had begun, but what the second release was, Hito wouldn't get to know that day, as, with a ferocious roar and a beeping of Hattei's wristwatch, the shark tank nearest to them burst open and flooded the area. Hito swiveled around in time enough to see Hattei dashing toward the wreckage of the tank in which a huge white masked beast was quickly emerging.
Hito quickly realized how drastically different each Hollow was when compared to the next. The one that had attacked him before was reminiscent of an ape. This beast, on the other hand, had two long, spiked fins the shape of shark fins on its back, and webbed hands and feet and misshapen gills were noticeable on its neck, each one oozing a thick black substance Hito could only guess was Progressed Hollow blood. The hugest difference, however, came in its size and teeth. The previous hollow was big, but it had more girth than pure height, while this Hollow towered over them at what had to be a 20 ft. difference in heights.
The beast roared again, and, simultaneously, picked up a helpless, washed up Hammerhead shark and, like it was candy, take a bite out of it with its gigantic 2ft. long teeth. Nausea hit Hito as he saw the shark being chewed- half of its body still in the hands of the Hollow. While Hito was struggling not to throw up, Hattei had taken action. The blue haired boy had kneeled before the Hollow in a ready position. He swung his chain dagger around in a circle as shark blood squirted past him and squirted the walls around him.
"Sayonara," Hattei murmured, releasing his dagger chain at the apex of a swing and smashing the dagger into the Hollow's right arm. This time Hollow blood squirted past him as the Hollow roared again and tossed the shark away with the injured arm in such a way that the chain went with it- and, due to the fact that Hattei was holding on to the chain, he was forced to let his weapon go. Only for his habit of looping it first around his wrist to backfire as, with a snap signaling a joint had been dislocated or, he was swept off his feet and into a wall.
"Ugh," Hattei uttered weakly after slamming into the wall and breaking through the first two layers or so. The steel framing had stopped his indenture in the wall, but he was still weak from such a throw. Then, before he could even get up, his limp right arm was forcing his body back across the room- the Hollow was still thrashing in pain, and Hattei couldn't focus on getting his wrist unfurled from the chain. After three more walls were crashed through, however, Hattei was lucky enough that the dagger was removed from the beast's arm, and their connection was cut short. Hattei now lay in a heap at the bottom of a pile of rubble from his last broken wall. The Hollow paid no more heed to the dagger, or its owner, after it was removed, and instead turned to the next tastiest thing in the room: Hito.
Hito's eyes were still wide with shock at how easily Hattei had been dispatched. He couldn't believe it- he'd only seen Hattei face on Hollow before, but that Hollow couldn't even touch him. 'I-I-I'm nowhere near as strong as Hattei, even, how can I fight this thing?! How can I even survive?!"' Hito pondered as his body continued to stay still. Fear was ensnarling his insides, furling around everything in his body. He knew he had to move, but he just couldn't.
The Hollow continued to walk towards him, its long pearly white fangs revealed as it opened its mouth. "HUMAN!!!!" The beast began to speak sensibly (though Hito couldn't really care about such a thing) and continued to stalk towards Hito. Its mouth gleamed as sunlight from a broken wall hit its teeth, and then, in a flash, it bent its head down and snapped its mouth at Hito.
Luck was on the red head's side. At that precise moment, his courage completely failed him, and his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell backward and fainted- the beasts mouth got only air as Hito collapsed. The beast blinked for a few seconds, wondering where its prey had gone, then it sniffed the air, and realized it was right before it all along. With a roar, it smashed the fishtank next to it to pieces in anger, sending water gushing over the area. Hito's eyes snapped open when the water hit his skin, and took in his surroundings, blinking in curiosity before images infiltrated his memory and he realized what kind of situation he was in.
'I'm going to die!!!"' Hito leapt up and turned to run away, but uninjured hand of the Hollow was too fast, it slammed down in front of Hito and the Hollow itself soon followed. Hito backed away as the beast growled, then reopened its mouth for attempt number two at eating Hito. Hito's brain was slowing again, his courage leaving him, but this time, he wouldn't get to faint… The beast snapped at him ferociously fast, and Hito yelled and covered his face before… Wetness was against his cheeks. He peeked open an eye, that became two eyes wide with shock. Hattei had risen from the depths of the rubble, and now had his chain intertwined over the lower half of the Hollow's huge mouth. This made it impossible for it to close its mouth, and, though Hito was standing directly below its top row of teeth, it could do nothing but drool for a moment.
The moment ending quickly as, with an enormous effort, Hattei pulled the Hollow back completely enough that it fell on its back, and then the blue haired boy removed his chain and jumped over the beast to join Hito. The Hollow roared, grasping its jaw in pain now. Hito blinked in surprise, but Hattei didn't let the beast regain its footing. He slashed with his dagger at the beast's already injured right arm. This slash removed the arm completely, and the beast was forced to get up using only its left.
With an angry snarl, the Hollow bent its knees when it returned to its feet. Hattei stood directly in front of one of the larger holes in the wall, and spun his chain with his left hand and a smirk. The Hollow leapt straight towards the boy- mouth open wide- and Hattei leapt from the way at the last second. The Hollow broke through the wall, and flew quite the distance away. Hito finally snapped back into it and looked after the Hollow. He saw it land, with a gigantic splash, in the outdoor pool they had seen when they came in. The shocked tourists dashed from the edges of the pool as it splashed without warning or (to them, at least) without reason. Hito then turned to Hattei with shock evident in his face again.
"That was-" he began, but was cut off as Hattei hit him over the head.
"STUPID!" Hito blinked in surprise, but then Hattei hit him again and shoved a finger into his face. "I'm talking about you, STUPID! You just froze up like an idiot! Don't you realize that a Hollow like that's a small fry?! Freeze up when you see a Menos Grande or something!"
Hito didn't bother to ask what a Menos Grande was or retort. He only reached over, grabbed Hattei's wrist, and pulled, then pushed on it. Hattei, who was too surprised by his companion's weird movements didn't manage to do anything until he felt the incredible pain, and then was yanking the previously dislocated bone into place. "There." Hito said with a smile.
"OW! What the heck did y- Hey, my arm's good… How did you learn to do that?" Hattei asked incredulously.
"Doesn't matter, really," Hito said. He looked towards the pool. "Shouldn't we be going after that thing?" Hattei followed his gaze and then frowned.
"Yeah, you're right. Let's get going," Hattei dashed through the hole in the wall, and Hito followed.
"Hey, Hattei," Hito yelled after him. Hattei looked back, both boys still running, to show he was listening as they kept pace. "…Thanks… for saving my stupid behind." Hito said. Hattei shrugged.
"Yeah, whatever- just make sure you don't freeze up here." Hattei remarked as the two finally reached the edge of the pool. Hito noted that all the tourists seemed to have dispersed after the random (but gigantic) splash of water when the Hollow hit the pool.
"Right… Only… Where's the Hollow?" Hito asked. Hattei looked at his watch, then sighed.
"What?"
"You want to know where the Hollow is? Well, let's just say I hope you can swim," Hattei finished. Hito blinked in confusion, then his eyes widened in comprehension. He looked at the pool, knowing that somewhere a Hollow was lurking beneath its depths.
"I hate my luck," the red haired boy muttered.
To be Continued
Next time: "Jeez! Can't a guy catch a break?! First I end up dying, then I find out I have to take some weirdo trial to live, and then I become one of the weirdos that established the weirdo trial, and NOW I've got to take on a gigantic fish that's just a little too hard to catch. But I know that there's a way I can beat this freaky fish- especially with Hattei's help! I'm glad we have a plan… Wait a minute, his plan is a distraction… ME?! And why is the Hollow becoming all scary and black?! I'm not liking this one bit! Next time on Bleach: The Court of Eternity: Embracing Your Fear –Don't you need a fishing license to use live bait?!"
A/N: Whew! Another chapter done! This chapter covers SOME important info on the Court and Shiki, and a whole lotta stuff. If anyone has any questions about Shiki, feel free to ask, but note that I will be explaining pretty much everything you should query about at a later date… If I keep my updates up to date (heh, get it? Updates… Up to date?!) Well, keep reading and reviewing…. Or at least reading….