Chapter two: Pierce thy heart

Sode no Shirayuki observed from her inner world as Rukia jumped from rooftop to rooftop. Together they searched the shadows, looking for the hollow they were sent to Karakura town to kill. The last time the hollow had been sensed by the two of them it had been somewhere around this area, but now it was nowhere to be found.

Shirayuki sighed deeply, still on edge, "we've been jumping around like... chappy for the past half hour and we still haven't seen a single thing!"

"This is indeed quite frustrating." Rukia added, in a huff. "it seems as though the hollows reiatsu was easier to sense from a high place, but now that we are closer to the ground, the surrounding spiritual pressure is creating some sort of unseen filter, and the hollow is nowhere to be found."

"A filter? Strong enough to block our senses? Such a thing is almost unheard of..." Shirayuki chided. "Just concentrate more so we can locate the hollow, we should get back to Soul society as soon as possible. Time is of the essence."

Sode no Shirayuki sensed that Rukia had closed her eyes and was concentrating on locating the hollow with all her might. Once again, Shirayuki was worried. 'That's starting to get a bit old' she thought to herself. Of course while she had said that there couldn't possible be a filter strong enough to block the ultrasharp senses of a Shinigami, she knew that there could be one. Shirayuki's mind flashed to an image of a scowling, orange haired boy, tossing back and forth in his bed from nightmares...

And Rukia was definitely having enough trouble with this 'ridiculous' filter that she found herself unable to sense even a hint of the hollow.

"S-Shirayuki-sama..." Rukia began cautiously.

Sode no Shirayuki let out a long sigh "Yes Rukia?" Shirayuki replied. Blast, she had interrupted her train of thought.

Rukia took a deep breath before continuing, "I need your help Shirayuki-sama. I can't find the hollow here in this town without your help, it seems virtually impossible."

"Hmph, I suppose you're right. It just goes to show what a shinigami is without their zanpaktou. I'll help, although I shouldn't have to."

Shirayuki smiled as Rukia tried to thank her for her help and apologize for her own incompetence at the same time. She would never let Rukia see it or say so out loud, but sometimes she just thought her wielder was too adorable for words. Though having such a thought known wouldn't do. It would thoroughly ruin her reputation. Such childish thoughts would not befit a noble zanpaktou spirit such as herself.

Snapping back to reality Sode no Shirayuki concentrated as hard as she could alongside Rukia to locate the troublesome and elusive hollow. Their combined spiritual power summoned the rieroku (spirit ribbons) of the entire town for them to see. They examined them together. As expected, the majority of the rieroku was white, the colour of normal humans. Several were also white, but slightly transparent - the colour of plus souls. Rukia didn't notice them, but Shirayuki also noticed three faded red ribbons. Even faded, red was the colour of a shinigami's rieroku. That was definitely odd, there wasn't supposed to be any other shinigami stationed here. Shirayuki dismissed it after some thought, it was probably just that Byakuya-sama had sent some guards to watch his little sister.

"Found you!!" Rukia shouted with glee as she grabbed onto a black spirit ribbon. It was fairly far off, the both of them had been heading in the wrong direction. And it seemed in roughly the same place as a plus soul... The shinigami and zanpaktou cursed as Rukia shunpoed as fast as she was able towards the hollow and the helpless plus soul.


"Arrrrrgh! What the heck is going on!" both of them yelled as they got there. The hollow had disappeared from the scene. All that was left was a bloodstained patch of road. There appeared to be something there and as the pair went to investigate they were shocked to find that it moved. "Rukia, it's the plus soul." Shirayuki mentioned as Rukia knelt down beside the plus and used kidô to heal her wounds.

As the small plus soul came around, Sode no Shirayuki prompted Rukia to question the young girl.

"Hello?" Rukia started' "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm f-fine now. Who are you?"

"Rukia Kuchiki. Don't worry, I'm a friend... I'll have those wounds fixed up in a moment." Rukia added upon seeing the girl's worried face.

When the young girl's wounds were healed Rukia continued to question the plus soul.

"What happened here sweetheart?" Rukia questioned gently, not wanting to scare her.

"Um... there was a monster here and it attacked me."

"OK, what else happened here?"

"I-I think it was playing with me for a while. It was asking me questions too..."

"What kind of questions?"

"It was asking me about someone. A boy, he helped me earlier today. I think the monster smelled him on me."

"Who was he? Can you describe him?" asked Rukia, curious. In her mind, she added to Shirayuki, "He must have high spiritual pressure, to see a ghost."

"Indeed." Shirayuki replied. With this information, she was starting to feel nauseas.

"Err, the boy was really, really tall, but I think he was about fifteen..."

'Oh dear.' Thought Shirayuki.

"He had brown eyes, and he was scowling all the time..."

'Don't say orange hair, don't say orange hair.' Shirayuki prayed to herself.

"Umm....... oh! And he had really ridiculous spiky, orange hair.

(At this point Sode no Shirayuki muttered multiple profanities to herself but I won't list them here)

"OK." Rukia continued oblivious to her partners cussing."Which way did the boy go?"

"That way." The girl pointed in a general direction. "I think he was heading home."

"Thank you. That should be it" Said Rukia, before performing konso on the girl.

Rukia stood up and dusted off her hakama.

"Rukia, we need to get rid of this hollow fast. Otherwise this could get very, very bad." Sode no Shirayuki warned.

"I agree, at least we have a lead now." Said Rukia, then drifting off, lost in her own thoughts.

"Well what are you waiting for? Let's get going." Sode no Shirayuki snapped her out of her reverie and they shunpoed in the general direction that the plus soul pointed out.


"WAIT!! Rukia stop here!" Shirayuki cried and Rukia skidded to a halt.

They stood outside on a small rooftop. Rukia looked in the direction that Sode no Shirayuki had mentally pointed out. A building, it had a sign on the front of the house. It read: Kurosaki clinic. "Where are we Shirayuki-sama? Why are we stopping here?"

"Just a feeling." Shirayuki replied quickly.

"Now that you think of it..." Rukia mumbled, lost in thought, "There's a weird presence here, like when we were up above the town."

"Really!?" Shirayuki drawled, sarcasm dripping of every word, "You just noticed?"

"Oh..... Sorry." Rukia replied. Then sat down on the roof and patiently waited for the hollow or any other abnormality that might happen near here. While that was going on, Shirayuki decided on a plan of action. She was sure that this was where she had sensed the boy before. What would she do? She knew it was common sense to stay as far away as possible, she should even tell Rukia about this; but she was just so curious. And she wanted to keep her wielder safe, which was a must. Sode no Shirayuki could feel the boy moving around the room, and she could feel the power inside him. It seemed to keep one eye out on him all the time, and cast its other eye out to its surroundings, like something had caught its interest. Shirayuki felt a ghostly presence slide over her and she shivered inside her inner world. As soon as the presence came into contact with her, it perked up.

'Is it looking for me?' Shirayuki thought, when suddenly there was a massive flux in reiatsu. Rukia jumped with the sudden force of it.

Okay no the curiosity was really getting to her. So she decided to prompt Rukia into entering the house so she could just get it over with.

"It seems there is something in that house..... Rukia, go take a look." She said without any tact at all.

'Smooth Shirayuki, just smooth.' She muttered to herself. But Rukia followed her direction without a second thought. 'Ah the wonders of having someone like Rukia as your wielder.' She thought to herself again.

Rukia jumped across the street and entered the house through the wall on the second floor (don't ask me why, they just do.) and they felt another spike in spiritual pressure. "It is close." Rukia said to herself, looking around.

"HOWS THAT FOR CLOSE JERKOFF!!!" Came a shout followed by a sharp kick in the head. Shirayuki felt it as Rukia slammed into a wall and fell to the ground. Rukia rubbed her head and glared upwards at her attacker. Shirayuki gasped to herself. Their attacker was a fifteen year old boy. He scowled down at Rukia with brown eyes, and had a shock of bright, orange hair. It was him, and he could see them.

"So let me get this straight...." The boy started. Rukia waited patiently for him to gather his thoughts. "You are a soul reaper and you have been sent by this Soul Society place to exterminate some monster called a hollow." Rukia nodded, thinking that he had understood, although Shirayuki could see the scepticism in his eyes. She was proven right when he suddenly shouted "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO PULL!"

Not that Shirayuki was paying too much attention to the conversation those two were having. She was more interested with the opportunity to study the power this boy seemed to have inside him. The first thing she noticed was that it was really, really big; ridiculous for a fifteen year old human boy. And he didn't even seem aware of it. He couldn't control it very well either; it oozed out of him randomly and filled the space all around him. 'How can he not be aware of that?' Shirayuki wondered, 'His control is terrible too, no wonder a hollow is after him.'

After Sode no Shirayuki had fully observed the boys power. She looked at the boy himself again. She had payed attention just in time for the boy's arms to be restrained by a bakudo number one and draw a moustache on his face. "Rukia, was that particularly necessary?"

"I will not stand for being called a snot nosed brat!" Rukia cried defiantly in her thoughts back at Shirayuki, who was quite surprised. Not even Renji, Rukia's best friend could make Rukia show such emotion anymore. It seemed that this boy was quite special, in more ways than one.

And then just like that, Sode no Shirayuki was shocked again. She would have sworn that the presence that the boy harboured had just laughed. Well, not laughed, more like a feeling of amusement was coming from it, or him, she wasn't sure. Shirayuki watched curiously, if she didn't know it was impossible she would have sworn it was a fellow zanpaktou she was looking at, and not something else. But that couldn't be true, could it?

"Greetings." Shirayuki thought to it, just as a test.

"********" she got static in reply.

So that meant whatever it was hadn't been recognised by its wielder. To Shirayuki, this mystery seemed to get stranger by the minute....

The reiatsu that it/he leaked out felt like it was suffocating her, she couldn't breathe properly because of it. It had a personality, a consciousness separate from its master, and it appeared to be much more mature and grave than this hot-headed teenager. It bore many similarities to a zanpaktou spirit, although that was impossible for a human. It was one of the most amazing, and confusing things she had ever seen in her 150 year existence.

Sode no Shirayuki became confused when all of a sudden she whatever it was seemed to snap its head up and its aura quickly shifted from being amused and curious to cautious and wary. The boy's attitude seemed to change too and he mumbled something to Rukia. Shirayuki was about to ask what had happened when she heard what they had seconds before.

WROOOOOOOOAAAAAAR!!!!!!

The bloodcurdling howl of a hollow.

"How in the world did he hear the howl before we sensed it?" Rukia chimed in her thoughts.

"I don't know, but we have work to do." Shirayuki calmly responded Shirayuki urged Rukia up and they ran out the door, past the small black haired girl who had collapsed there moments before.

"H - Hey!! What about me? Let me go."

"Unacceptable." Rukia interrupted him "This isn't something you can even face. Just stay there and let me do my job." And then Rukia walked out of the room with Shirayuki, preparing for battle.

"Well, at least we found the hollow, and after we cleanse it, we can go back to Soul Society. Both women sighed at the thought of going back home. Rukia could go back to her family and friends in her squad and Sode no Shirayuki could go and gossip with the other zanpaktou. She wondered if her more experienced comrades could solve the mystery of this mysterious power the boy holds. Oh well, kill hollow first, ask questions later.

A snapping sound drew their attention from the hollow raging around just outside. The orange haired boy was straining his arms as hard as he could. Rukia shouted "No! You will only hurt yourself if you..."

SSSNNAAAP!

'The.... kido.... broke....?' Shirayuki thought, fascinated and horrified at the same time. Somehow, he had seemed to call upon his vast power, and he managed to get out of a shinigami's kido spell. It was truly something to marvel over. Just what was this boy.

Shirayuki snapped out of her daze when she noticed what the hollow was holding. "Rukia! Get that girl away from the hollow." Bringing Rukia back to reality as well, she quickly reacted and chopped of the hollows hand, letting the boy, she assumed now he was her older brother, catch her where he fell.

"Yuzu." Said the brother, peering down into his sister's face, looking for any signs of life.

"Don't worry, she lives." Rukia consoled him briefly "None of you family have lost their lives."

"Really?" his voice was quiet.

"Trust me." Rukia replied and gave one of her rare smiles. His mouth twitched in reply.

"But.... why has this thing suddenly shown up, what does it have to do with us?"

"It's probable that the hollow sensed some high spiritual pressure, and your family was just in the way."

"W-What are you saying?"

"I think the hollow was after you."

The boy stared horrified as he heard her answer. Shirayuki saw that Rukia tried to reply but was knocked aside by the hollow, which had recovered from losing his hand.

"Ugh… I didn't guard my side, how careless." Rukia moaned.

"Damn right it was careless." Shirayuki yelled, "Now get up and finish this hollow off!"

Rukia struggled to get up and fight, but she sagged back down after a moments struggle.

"Hey, ugly, you want my soul?"

The boy's face drew the attention of both women, who stared horrified at the scene. He was facing off against the hollow alone, a human facing a hollow alone. Shirayuki believed another word for that is suicide.

"Then come and face me like a man you fish faced freak!"

The hollow roared in indignation at the boy's remark and triumph at finally having him out it the open.

"Oh no…" breathed Sode no Shirayuki.

Rukia didn't even think. With no time to spare, she lunged in front of the hollow, its jaws closed around her but she held it off with Shirayuki's sword form. Both of them felt explosive pain and were thrown aside, although not before Rukia had torn a large gash in it. That would at least disable the hollow for a few minutes.

"Foolish boy!!" Rukia shouted angrily, "Did you think if you gave up your life the hollow would spare the rest? Hollows never stop! After it was done with you it would have gone onto the rest of us and then even more people would suffer." She stopped when she saw the look on the boys face, and took a deep breath.

"Sode no Shirayuki. Are you there?" Rukia asked within her mind.

"Yes Rukia?" that was odd, Rukia almost never called her by her full name anymore.

"I want you to know that love you like the sister I never had, and I hope you can forgive me." Rukia sounded different, more serene that she should be in a situation like this.

"What in the world are you talking about Rukia? We need to fight this thing." Shirayuki was starting to get a bit frantic at this point.

But her voice reached deaf ears as Rukia turned to face the boy.

"But now I am too injured to fight. Boy, do you want to save your family?"

He responded straight away, "Of course I do, ill do anything."

"Rukia…" Shirayuki was definitely getting frantic now, "What are you saying?"

Rukia continued. "There is a way, that is… there is only one way."

Rukia pointed Shirayuki's sword form at the young boy. "You must become a shinigami."

"NO! Rukia, you can't be serious?!" Shirayuki finally lost it. It was crazy. The plan was insane, she would wind up killing herself, let alone the human child.

"Pierce this sword through your chest, and I will give you half of my powers. It may kill you, but if we don't do this we will all die anyway. Do you agree?" Rukia looked into the boy's eyes, pleading him to go along with this.

"No! No! Don't do this!" Sode no Shirayuki begged. It was no use, her wielder refused to hear her.

The boy's eyes looked scared for a moment, but his gaze hardened and he said "Give me the sword shinigami."

"Its not shinigami, its Kuchiki Rukia."

"Oh, Kurosaki Ichigo, lets pray this won't be our last meeting."

And with a last, desperate cry; Sode no Shirayuki shouted "No!" just as the boy known as Kurosaki Ichigo took her sword form and plunged it into his chest.

And then the pain began.


AN/: Waaaaaaah im so sorry (shields face from rotten tomatoes) I know its late, but I can explain!!! For the holidays, both me and my trusty editor TsugiNoMai were going away a lot, so we had no time to co-ordinate writing chapters. Secondly, I had a bollocking mountain of homework (take into account that I am in year nine so things will pick up) and thirdly, my attitude for the entire holidays was just: don't wanna work, wanna play. Not motivated, rely on others in a pinch. So yeah, that's about it. Hopefully my chapters will come more regularly in the future. P.s if you are the first to correctly guess the anime reference in my authors note and where it is from, you get a magical PREVIEW of the chapter!!! Ja nee.

C-AN/:
And with a bloodcurdling cry "YOU MUST REVEIW 'OF BUILDINGS AND A PLAIN OF SNOW'!!!!!" the hollow fell to its death, the last words the Ichigo muttered before passing out were... "LOL. What?"