Disclaimer - I do not own Bleach

The Hollow Attack

The first thing I notice as I step out of the small hut that I call home is the fact that the sun is shining brightly overhead. There isn't a cloud in the cobalt blue sky and the sun feels warm on my face. Standing in the backyard I let my thoughts wander, planning how I'm going to spend my day, however I'm brought back to the here and now by a strange feeling.

I sense a familiar presense, like an energy pulsing through the air. I can tell that Momo is approaching my small hut, although I'm still unsure why I can feel her coming, and I walk around to the front yard and direct my gaze toward the path that she always takes when she comes to visit me. Sure enough I see Momo walking toward me, not that I'm the least bit surprised by this fact, and the first thing that I notice is the fact that she's wearing a simple yukata today instead of her Academy uniform. Guess she has the day off.

Momo walks toward me and when she arrives at the spot where I'm standing she smiles down at me and places her hand on top of my head, ruffling my already unruly white hair. "Hello Shirou-chan."

The smile annoys me but the nickname annoys me far more, not to mention the fact that she knows damn good and well that I hate it when she messes with my hair. Why must she always seek to annoy me? Seriously, it's as though she goes out of her way to do everything in her power to anger me. And it always works. I glare up at her through narrowed eyes. "I told you to stop calling me that!"

Of course she's completely accustomed to my outbursts by this point so it doesn't even phase her. That maddening smile of hers only widens. "Tell you what, when you graduate the same time I do then I'll use your real name."

I scoff at the deal that she's just offered me. It had to be the stupidest thing that I'd ever heard come out of her mouth, which was saying something since the competition for that was fierce. As if I'd really agree to such a thing. "Like I'd go to some stupid Shinigami school."

"You should." The smile was still on her face. "It's fun."

"Why do you always come home on your days off anyway?" This action had always confused me. She seemed so happy with her life as a student so why did she come back to the Rukongai? "If that school's so great why don't you just stay there?"

The expression on her face changes and my eyes widen in surprise. There's actually a sad expression on her face as she turns and stares at me with those big, chocolate colored eyes. "I come home to visit you Shirou-chan."

"Well I don't remember asking you to."

She continues to gaze down at me for a few moments more and then abruptly seizes me by the hand. Her sadness never seems to last for long and I envy her somewhat for that. "It's such a pretty day. Let's go for a walk Shirou-chan."

And again with the nickname. I growl low in my throat however she doesn't give me the chance to further protest. She starts walking toward one of her familiar trails, pulling me along behind her. To be completely honest I had almost, and I repeat ALMOST, missed these little nature hikes of hers however as Momo pulls me along, all the while happily chatting about her classes at the Academy and how great it is there, I begin to grow annoyed.

I just don't get what could possibly be so great about that place. I mean I know that Momo's obsessed with it but I just don't get the appeal.

My thoughts are interrupted at this point by another ripple of energy but I can't identify this one. It's completely unfamiliar. What the hell is that? And why the hell can I sense it coming? I turn my gaze to Momo. "Do you feel that?"

Momo nods her head in the affirmative, a concerned expression on her face. Momo is an extremely carefree person and the look on her face does not bode well. Whatever is heading toward us isn't good, this I know without a doubt.

Mere seconds pass and then I can hear as well as sense whatever is approaching us. The sound of it's approach echoes through the forest and Momo and I await it's arrival, both our gazes focused in the direction from which the sounds are eminating. Judging by the sounds the creature is moving at an incredibly rapid pace and I don't think that we'll have to wait for very long.

A loud roar suddenly pierces the air and an instant later a huge beast bursts through the underbrush, heading straight toward us. The creature is huge and has a body that resembles some grotesquely formed insect, it's face covered by a white mask. My gaze shifts toward Momo, who seems to be reaching behind her back for a sword that isn't there.

"Hollow." Her lips form the word but no audible sound emerges from her mouth.

The beast makes a move toward her and yet she doesn't make a move. She merely stands there and stares at it in disbelief.

"Don't just stand there you idiot, MOVE!"

I quickly shove her out of the way of the attack and then turn toward the beast, my eyes narrowed in anger. I have to get it's attention away from Momo somehow but I'm unsure how to go about this. In the back of my mind I vaguely remember watching Momo and some of her classmates from the Academy practising what she called kidou and, holding up my hands, I recite, "Ruler the mask of flesh and blood, all things in the universe fly. That which names all in nature, gathering of heat and war. Beyond the seas in reverse, take steps to the south. Hadou 33 Shakahou Red Flame Cannon!"

The name of the attack is shouted and much to my surprise a burst of energy erupts from my hands. I see a stunned look appear on Momo's face as the blast strikes the beast in the center of it's chest. Honestly I'm just as shocked as she is but there's no time to debate how the hell I was able to do that right now. Plenty of time for speculation later, if we escape this with our lives that is.

My focus is brought back to the beast as it slings it's claws forward in an attept to claw my face to shreds. Obviously my attempts to get it's attention away from Momo were successful but unfortunately my attack had only managed to stun it. Barely managing to dodge the razor sharp claws in time I do a backflip in mid air to keep from falling in a heap on the ground. Having apparently regained her composure Momo runs to stand beside me and she gazes at me with an intense expression in her eyes. "We have to destroy the mask," she tells me as she holds up her hands. "Aim for the center."

Nodding I hold my hands up in a mirror image of hers.

Together Momo and I recite the same spirit chant that I'd used earlier and as before a burst of energy flew from my hands. The energy from my attack combined with the burst that Momo had fired and struck the beast's mask dead center. The mask shatters and the creature gives one last scream of rage before it disintegrats before our eyes.

"We did it!" There's an elated expression on Momo's face as she jumps up and down in excitement, beaming a broad smile in my direction. "That was amazing Shirou-chan!"

"I can't believe what I just saw," a voice calls out from a short distance away, interrupting Momo's celebration.

Surprised my gaze shifts toward the sound of the voice and I see a stranger standing just inside the clearing where our battle had been fought. I can sense her presense now and must have been too engrossed in the battle to notice her arrival in the clearing. The woman has strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes and is dressed in the black shihakusho that marks her as a Shinigami. Not just a student like Momo but a full-fledged Shinigami.

My eyes narrow. I'm angered by the fact that she just stood by and watched the fight, not even bothering to step in and offer us aid. "So you just stood there and watched while that thing tried to kill us?"

"Calm down kid." The woman holds up her hands in a placating manner. "I would have stepped in if it looked as though the Hollow was gaining the upper hand. But that didn't happen. You two did an amazing job. Are you students at the Academy?"

Momo addresses the unknown Shinigami in an almost reverent tone. "I am but Shirou-chan isn't."

Dammit, now she's spread that vile nickname to others. I swear one of these days I'm going to get even with her for all the torment that she puts me through.

"Are you kidding me?" There's surprise in the woman's voice and I turn my attention back to her. She's gazing at me with a strange expression in her blue eyes, as though she can't believe what Momo just told her. "That attack was amazing and you're telling me that this boy has no training."

Momo nods her head. "Apparently he picked it up when he watched me and a couple of my friends training. I always knew he was smart."

"Unreal. I'll have to have a word with my superiors about you kid." This said the woman turned and made her way back into the forest.

Shaking my head I watch as the unknown Shinigami departs without so much as another word to us. I can't believe this happened. Momo dragged me into the forest, we were attacked by a Hollow, and now some Shinigami is going to tell other Shinigami about me. Could this day possibly get any worse.

"Did you hear that Shirou-chan? She's going to tell her superiors what you did. I'm sure they'll want you to attend the Academy. Then you and I can go to the same school. Won't that be great?"

"No."

A/N- and thus ends chapter four. This one was slightly longer than the previous one and now Shirou's on the Shinigami's radar. This chapter didn't turn out exactly as I had originally planned it, rethought the plot a little, but I'm happy with it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.