Vietvn: WOWW I haven't updated in forever.....and I'm SO sorry T.T School is being a pain in the butt D: I barely had enough time to type so I could only manage a few sentences a day . But here it is! Chapter 10! In all honesty though, I was stuck on what to write near the end so I had to ponder for a while to finally come up with something LOLL I apologize if this is crap or too cliche but.....mehh T.T I thank all of the readers and reviewers for waiting patiently 3!!
Chapter Ten: What Are the Chances?
No sooner had I just revealed Ichigo about my inner hollow, we had both seated ourselves by the curb under a street lamp comfortably for me to start telling how it all happened.
I sat pondering to myself on how to begin as Ichigo waited patiently beside me. First of all, it wasn't a long story and a little side of me was being a bit too prideful and didn't want to deadpan the reason why this happened; I was careless. But then again, it was the damn hollow that always took the cheap shots when I had my back turned to it. But I thought it was dead....Garh! Fine, I'll just tell Ichigo straight up. I took a deep breath and finally started to word my story.
"Well, it's nothing complicated. It happened back when we were in Soul Society defeating the mass outbreak of hollows that Kusaka had summoned."
"That's when it happened? Don't tell me that one somehow possessed you in the middle of fighting..."
I slump my shoulders, letting out a sigh. "Yes, that did happen but it was a hollow I was fighting and when I thought it was dead, it just rose up from its grave and possessed me!"
"Wow...Tough luck..."
I nodded my head reluctantly. I have to admit, it was always trouble coming to look for me now instead of the other way around.
"I was hoping Urahara-san could help me out; you know, find a way to get rid of it."
"I don't think there's a real way to get rid of it."
I felt my heart stop and I immediately whipped my head towards Ichigo. "What do you mean....?"
Ichigo started to laugh for whatever reason I have no idea. I was on the brink of having a heart attack and all he could do was laugh at me. What a nice person...
"I mean you can't get rid of it for good, you can just suppress your inner hollow so it won't bother you and in turn, you'll be able to use their powers."
"Use their power? You can do that?" I asked mildly surprised.
"Haven't you seen me do the same thing?" asked Ichigo, an eyebrow raised and looking rather incredulous at me. I should be the one with that expression. I thought about what he said; did I ever see Ichigo use hollow like powers...? I don't recall seeing something like that, or maybe I simply forgot but even if I were to, I still wouldn't be able to recognize it as hollow powers. I shook my head no but then asked;
"So does that mean you have an inner hollow?"
Ichigo scratched the back of his head almost sheepishly. "Uhh...Yeah...We're what some refer to as Vizards. They're shinigamis that can use hollow abilities. Just like Arrancers who are hollows that can use shinigami abilities."
I nodded; I guess it made sense. If hollows could obtain a human like appearance and have a blade that acted like a zanpakuto, then why couldn't shinigamis learn how to use a cero shot? It made me feel slightly better, knowing that this cursed thing might come in handy.
"How did you suppress your inner hollow then?" I asked.
"...Umm...I had some help by a group of Vizards."
"There are more than just you and me?"
I noticed that I've been shooting a lot of questions at Ichigo but this whole thing was new to me despite all my years as being a shinigami. I mentally praised Ichigo for having so much patience.
"Yeah, there are more. They usually hang around this abandon warehouse. I'll let you meet them."
Seeing as how it's about time to wrap up the discussion, I nodded my head eagerly and started to stand. After brushing and straightening out my robes, I turned to Ichigo once more who also stood to head home.
"When can I meet up with you for that?"
"Depends on you, does anyone besides me know about this?"
I lowered my head, almost out of embarrassment. I could have the heart to tell Ichigo but not Toushiro? But wasn't it for the best? I mean he would kind of freak and constantly worry about me. He doesn't need to know. Besides, I was lucky enough that Ichigo used to be in the same situation as me and he could help me. I would have this hollow thing fixed before anyone notices.
"I'm guessing that's a no...." I heard Ichigo sigh. "Well...I could show you the next morning if you're up for the early rise...."
I nodded my head; the sooner the better. Even if I wasn't a morning person, I wouldn't throw this opportunity aside. We soon parted ways as we both agreed that I would meet him at his house at around 9:00am early in the morning. As I began to make my journey home, I slipped my cell phone from my robes to check the time and almost heaved a loud sigh of exasperation. The digital clock on the screen read that it was 2:45 in the morning. Getting back would mean I wouldn't be getting to bed until 3. Begrudgingly, I carried on walking home; the thought of getting only six hours of sleep to function the next morning haunted my thoughts.
-
"Reimei..."
"...."
"Reimei....wake up..."
"....nngh...."
"C'mon...."
I faintly felt someone nudging me gently under my covers. I peeled an eye open, seeing nothing but the faint light through the sheets. My blurred, drowsy vision soon cleared and I slowly lifted the blanket that covered my head from the sun's beams. Wait....Its morning?! I threw the covers off precariously as I sat up, not caring if whoever that had tried to wake me would see my disheveled bed hair.
"What time is it?!" I blurted out frantically, looking around for any sign of a clock.
"Its 10'o clock." came the muffle reply of someone who sat underneath the covers I had thrown off.
"10?!" I wailed once again without giving it much of a thought. I could care less if I was making a scene in the early hours of morning which were not so early to me anymore. I was late with meeting up with Ichigo! He was probably waiting for the past hour! Did he call me?! Did he even have my number?! I made a grab for my cell phone which was lying peacefully next to my pillow on the futon. I hurriedly skittered across my room and headed towards the bathroom without a second thought, all in the while dialing for Ichigo's number. I remember Toushiro gave it to me once.....Aha! Found it.
I selected the contact number, shouldering the small hand phone as I looked in the mirror, blanched at my appearance and hair and began to comb it with my fingers as the phone began to ring. After a while the phone was answered.
"Moshi moshi....?" asked a groggily voice.
"Ichigo?" I asked, unsure if this was the person I needed to speak to.
"Uh huh.....Reimei...?"
I sighed in relief. "Ichigo have I kept you waiting? I overslept this morning and didn't realize it till now; I've only gotten up."
"Huh?...Oh...No, I'm actually still in bed...Guess last night's walk must've tired me out more than I expected."
I nearly died of relief but at the same time couldn't help but shake my head at his answer. But I can't blame him; we stayed out pretty late last night. It was also nice to know that I wasn't the only one who had overslept; I could take my time in getting ready for the day now.
"So we're still meeting up right?" I asked as I slowly turned on the faucet, letting cold water run into the sink.
"Yeah, lucky we both overslept." Ichigo chuckled. "I'll see you in a bit then."
"Okay."
With that I flipped the phone closed and heaved yet another sigh, placing the phone off to the side of the counter and began to rinse my face with cold water.
After I had finished with my morning routine, I stepped out of the bathroom dressed in the same attire I had worn earlier when I got here and ready for the day. My hair was no longer disheveled. I made my way back to my room to check if whoever had woken me up was still sitting there. I'm pretty confident that it was Toushiro who woke me up. I'd have to apologize for my freak out....and make up an excuse as to why. I poked my head into the room to find that my sheets and pillow were neatly folded at the head of my futon. I smiled, mentally adding another thing to thank Toushiro. Wasting no time, I started to head downstairs to the kitchen where I'm sure Orihime had cooked something up for us to eat...Woot.
The high white socks I had on made my steps light so I didn't think anyone heard me when I came downstairs. I spotted a familiar white hair captain sitting at the small traditional Japanese table in the living room while his lieutenant and our host were busying themselves near the kitchen area. Toushiro glanced up from fiddling with his cell phone and lightly smiled at me as I approached him. I smiled sheepishly in response and took a seat beside him, sitting on my knees.
"Ohayo..." I greeted.
"Ohayo."
"You wouldn't happen to be the one who woke me up...right?"
He gave me 'that' look that told me it was indeed him that was left with a blanket strewn over him in my rush to the bathroom. I mean who else would it be? I laughed lightly and a bit embarrassingly.
"Gomen Shiro-kun, I remembered I had to do something early in the morning but I overslept so I panicked..." I said lamely and later added in gratefully. "But thanks for waking me up...and fixing my bed."
He only chuckled slightly and went back to pushing buttons on his cell phone. "No problem. As long as you didn't knock me out with some sort of reflex in your sleep."
I giggled and leaned over, pressing a quick kiss on his cheek before pulling back. "No, I was too tired to do that."
"Did you sleep well last night?" Toushiro asked, looking at me with his turquoise orbs intently. I then figured he was referring to the lack of sleep I told him before coming here. I nodded reassuringly.
"Yup; best sleep I got."
Toushiro smiled at this and also leaned in to place a small kiss on my lips. He pulled back and rested his forehead against mine.
"I'm glad."
Smiling, I couldn't help but think that Toushiro worried for me too much. He should know very well that I could take care of myself.
"So what were you late for?" He asked.
"Umm...." I started, hesitating a bit. "Just some errand I had to do..."
He lifted his forehead from mine. "Where are you going?"
"Around town." I said, careful with my answers. I prayed mentally that Toushiro would take the bait and thankfully he did. He nodded his head, not questioning me any further.
"Make sure you're aware of your surroundings. If anything happens call me, I'll be around too."
I nodded my head, keeping a mental note to be highly aware of my surroundings. If Toushiro would be 'around' then that would mean he would be wondering around town too. This means I can't be seen with Ichigo....
"Hey you love birds! Breakfast is ready!!" Sang Matsumoto as she appeared out of nowhere, startling both Toushiro and I. She placed two plates of....I wasn't sure what was on the plate. At first I thought it was just burnt looking pancakes but on closer inspection, it didn't look like it was supposed to be burnt....
"Matsumoto...What is that...?" asked Toushiro slowly, shifting a little bit away from it.
I wondered the exact same thing as both he and I stared at the concoction Orihime and Matsumoto had conjured up and labeled breakfast. As much as I love the two; I just wasn't in the mood to guess what it was by taking a bite out of it...
-
I groaned as I made my way down the streets of Karakura to Ichigo's house. Toushiro and I had managed to escape the perils of breakfast. I insisted that I was late for a previous engagement while Toushiro just downright refused to eat whatever they cooked. Eventually, we escaped the house before Matsumoto could tie us down and force feed us. I gave Toushiro one more quick kiss to the lips before bidding farewell though I was disappointed that I'll be starting my day on an empty stomach. I still haven't told him where I was going to but he never pestered me; he just gave me some more reminders of being alert and if anything happens, report to him immediately, etc.
At this time, I started to feel guilty of lying to Toushiro who was so caring and understanding. Most people would pester where their partner was heading out to alone till they go deaf but Toushiro trusted me enough to let me do my own things without giving much details. I shook my head, trying to get rid of my guilty conscience. I was on my way to getting this problem fixed; everything will be back to normal before he even notices.
"Oi, Reimei!" called out a rough voice. I glanced up, snapping out of my thoughts to find the tall orange head teen standing not too far away from me, one hand stuffed into his jean pockets. Ichigo dressed casually, wearing a long sleeved white shirt with the shoulders and sleeves being navy blue and white sneakers. I hurried over to Ichigo.
"Did I keep you waiting long?" I asked.
"No, not really." He replied casually, ruffling his orange hair a bit. "So you ready to go meet the other vizards?"
I nodded eagerly; of course! That's the only reason I would be out here early in the morning (I shouldn't say morning anymore, it's more like 12 in the afternoon now). Ichigo smirked and then turned around to lead the way while I followed obediently like a lost puppy. We walked for a couple of minutes, chatting idly about whatever comes into our mind. It was pleasant and friendly; it helped keep my mind off of being anxious and nervous which I was thankful. Soon, we reached what looked like an abandon warehouse. The ground was dirt covered, no grass was anywhere in sight. Other old warehouses and storage houses surrounded the larger, main warehouse where we were currently looking up at.
"So they hang around here...?" I asked unsurely as I surveyed the outside of the warehouse.
"Yup, it's their hideout or base." shrugged Ichigo as he began to walk towards the entrance. I followed in tow, wondering who these people were. We entered through the two large wooden doors. I glanced around to find that most of the building on the inside was totally ruined. Only about 4-5 levels of broken ledges stuck out in different angles above us and it was then that I noticed there were multiple shadowed figures perched on each broken ledge, peering down at us. Ichigo seemed to have noticed too because he stopped in the middle of the room, facing towards the mysterious group of people who I am now assuming were the vizards he spoke about.
"Oi! Shinji! I need a favor from you." Ichigo spoke, loud and clear.
Shinji....I thought; it sounded familiar. One of the taller figures moved closer to the ledge, allowing me to get a better view as to who it was. It was a man who seemed tall with short, straight cut dirty blonde hair that just stopped at his chin complete with straight fringes. He wore a black, buttoned up, long sleeved collared shirt that was tucked into his white pants and belt and wore a slim white tie to go along with the whole black and white theme he had going on. Where have I seen this man before?
"Kurosaki Ichigo...." He spoke in an almost bored tone, looking down at us from his ledge. "A favor from you isn't always a good thing; so it depends on what you're askin'...." His sharp eyes drifted towards me and we locked gazes. We stared at each other for a few minutes as if trying to figure the other out. I knew for certain he was trying to identify me but was unsure as to whom I was. He furrowed his eyebrows in a thinking manner, slightly frowning.
"And who...might you be?"
"Tanaka Reimei; captain of the 5th squad of the Gotei 13." I replied back confidently. He leant back incredulously to speculate me; as if wondering what I had just said was what he just heard. He made a leap down and landed right in front of us a few metres away. He then began to approach us in long stride steps but Ichigo and I still kept our grounds. The tall teen standing beside me was staring confusedly at Shinji as he came closer to us. When he was within arm's reach, he stopped and bent down to me; further inspecting and making me shift uncomfortably under his close proximity. A few minutes of just looking at me, he spoke.
"So YOU'RE the new captain of the 5th squad..." he mused. I huffed a bit; he said it like he was in disbelief.
"So what of it?" I answered back.
"HAHHH? She's the new captain of 5th squad?!" exclaimed a much more feminine voice from above. A white blur dashed down and landed on the ground before bounding over to us. Whoever just arrived was a girl who looked no older than 16 with bright, lime green hair that looked almost neon in a short, bob cut with goggles over her head. She wore a white and orange jump suit with a short orange scarf tied around her neck. She peered at me with bright grey eyes and I had to lean back to avoid her actually kissing me.
"Mashiro, can you get out of her face...?" A girl with a sailor like school uniform approached us. She wore red glasses and had her dark, black hair tied into a short braid. Person after person came out to greet us one way or another until there was eight people in total standing around. I remain quiet the entire time they were questioning Ichigo the reason why I was here. I wasn't paying attention to any of it because I was caught up in trying to figure out how these faces were all very familiar. After a few minutes or so, it all finally clicked into place. My eyes visibly widened.
"You're Hirako Shinji!" I exclaimed, staring at the tall, blonde male who always had the funny Cheshire cat-like smile; reminded me of Ichimaru Gin which scared me. He peered down at me again, hands on either side of his hips.
"So what of it...?" He asked with a deadpan look.
"You're former 5th squad captain of the Gotei 13. I remember now; I was still under Yoruichi's command at that time before I left. I didn't recognize you at first because I remembered you had longer hair...." I said thoughtfully.
His expression became even more deadpanned if that was even possible. Hiyori who was off to the side, had burst out in hysterics probably from remembering a mental image of said ex-captain with longer hair. After calming herself down, she made her way to stand in front of me, crossing her arms and looked at me with judgmental eyes; her one sharper canine teeth sticking out from under her lips.
"Yeah, I remember you; that little brat who Yoruichi favored in training every morning. What's someone like you doing here?" She looked over to Ichigo who stared down at her in an almost hateful way. "And with this carrot-top." She made a gesture to Ichigo.
I stared a bit blankly at Hiyori before letting my eyes drift around to the faces of the other people. Former captains of the Gotei 13 and lieutenants and what was more surprising was a former kido corps lieutenant. It finally dawned on me as the reason why I was here was connected to the people I was supposed to meet; these people were all what Ichigo referred to as vizards, shinigamis who possess hollow-like abilities.
"You all have hollow like powers...?" I asked slowly. They all stared at me, their gazes piercing as if I had just said something wrong. Shinji, Hachi, Love, and Rose were probably the only ones who didn't look too hostile about me bringing up that fact so bluntly.
"Ah, we're what you call vizards." Shinji replied. "What are you gonna arrest us now or somethin'?"
I raised an eyebrow questioningly but decided to brush off his comment. "I need your help Shinji..."
"Depends on what kind of help. If it's fighting against Aizen with the Gotei 13 then to hell with that..."
"No..." I said but then hesitated to reveal my real reason. "I....I need help controlling my inner hollow..."
His eyes visibly widened and again, he leant back a bit to look at me incredulously. "HAHH?? Are you serious?"
I nodded my head almost embarrassingly.
"So did you get possessed or somethin'?"
I nodded again. I looked up at Shinji who was scratching his head with that deadpan look still on his face.
"Geez...."
"Were you being stupid or what?" Hiyori asked with the same deadpan look. I glared at her even though she ranked lieutenant already by the time I got into the Gotei 13.
"It's not my fault the hollow took a cheap shot!" I seethed and crossed my arms.
"I don't know kid," Shinji finally said. "The process itself takes a while and even so...we can't guarantee an outcome that is in your favor...."
I furrowed my eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
"I'm sayin' that durin' the process, you'll have to fight against your hollow. Depending on your strength, you might come out as a loser and a full fledged hollow."
My eyes widened considerably at this fact; depending on me, this process could actually change me into a hollow faster than if I were to solely suppress my inner hollow on sheer willpower. But that's the thing; how long will I last till I turn into a hollow that way? That would mean I would have to avoid Toushiro all together and there's no hiding the secret from him that way; he would surely notice. Should I take this gamble....?
"You should come back when you've made up your mind...." Shinji said boredly as he placed a hand on my head. "Don't push yourself..."
I nodded, sighing a bit in depression. Ichigo who had remained relatively quiet during the entire conversation, turned to me and asked silently if I wanted to leave to think about my decision or stay and go on with it. I turned to Shinji.
"I'll think about it...." I said. He huffed a sigh and boredly made his way back to whatever it was that he was doing before we got here.
"If you decide you'll go through with it, you know where to find me..."
"See ya everyone." Ichigo said plainly as he and I began to exit the abandoned warehouse. We walked back into the town of Karakura and wandered into a cafe since I never got to eat breakfast this morning. Ichigo ordered a coffee while I had a bagel and French vanilla cappuccino. I silently tore my bagel into chunks and ate silently, contemplating to myself about my life-changing decision. I weighed out the pros and cons of either side but to me, it seemed too close to a 50/50 chance. Finishing off my bagel, I let out a heavy sigh and stared out onto the streets of Karakura, watching people walk the busy streets.
"I think you should go through with the process." Ichigo said suddenly from across the table. I looked back to him with a questioning stare but he just continued to watch the people walking on the streets. I waited for him to continue.
"It's not as bad as it seems. When I first went through with it, there was a time when I thought I was going to lose to my inner hollow. I won't lie to you and say that this is a simple process. The outcomes don't really depend on your level of strength, it's your trust in your instincts."
I took his words into thoughts; instincts?
"What do you mean by instincts?" I asked him.
"You'll see when you're actually facing your inner hollow. It's kind of hard to explain...." Ichigo said, shrugging. "And I've been meaning to ask,"
I perked up a bit from staring at my French vanilla cup, showing that I was listening.
"Why are you hiding this from everyone? Especially from Toushiro."
I let out a breath and took the white ceramic cup in my hands. The heat radiating from the cup immediately warmed my palms. "It's just that..." I paused, trying to think of the right words to explain myself. "I didn't want anyone to worry about me; there's already so much going on and adding this would just make everything more bothersome. Besides, this is my problem that I have to deal with."
Ichigo scoffed a bit and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. "You sound exactly like Toushiro and look what happened to him; he caused an even bigger problem. Shouldn't that be a lesson learned?"
"I know...but I honestly think that I could get this fixed before anyone notices that something was wrong."
"Then why aren't you?"
"I was gonna but now this...." I trailed off.
"I know you're scared inside, but this is your only chance to prevent something dangerous from happening that might end up hurting those you care about. Who knows how long you can keep your inner hollow back before it eventually takes control. Trust your instincts; you're a captain of the Gotei 13 for crying out loud."
I remained silent, staring down at the swirling beverage in my hands. What am I doing...? This is what I wanted right? My only chance to defeat my inner hollow so that I know for sure it won't bother me. I guess all of this thinking threw me off balance. So I guess whatever happens happens. I sighed mentally to myself; I over analyze too much.... Taking a sip of my French vanilla cappuccino, I breathed out steadily as its sweet taste washed down my throat. I'm not sure whether it was the caffiene or Ichigo's advice, I felt like the weight off my shoulder has been lifted.
"I should go..." I said suddenly while getting up, startling Ichigo.
"Where to?" He asked as he also stood with me.
"To see someone...about a certain method to suppress my inner hollow...."
I could almost feel Ichigo's smirk as he and I both left the cafe after we paid. We stepped out onto the streets, the sun still shining in the afternoon. Ichigo stretched his arm over his head and breathed out. After doing so, he turned to me.
"Ready?"
I nodded my head confidently and shot him a smile. "Yes."
He smirked down at me in response. "Then let's go."
As we began to walk back to the abandon warehouse with my head held high, a sudden 360 degree turn of events made my confidence level drop to zero and my anxiety and nervousness sky rocket. I felt my eyes widen in shock and surprise, my heart suddenly started to beat quickly in my chest at what was standing in front of us. Ichigo had too stopped in his track but more out of surprise. He just didn't realize that hell could break loose any minute if either of us made the wrong move.
"Toushiro..." His name slipped from my mouth slowly. Just where I least expected him; standing a few meters from us, one hand in his pocket, cell phone in the other with surprise reflecting in his turquoise eyes.
Bwahaha LOL. Yeah I just had to make it more complicated for Reimei...so evil.......XD I'll probably add more action scenes in the next chapter...it's kinda slow right now but we gotta add in more drama right? XD R&R! Thank you all so much for continuing to read this story! I'm trying my best to deliver a satisfying chapter each time! I really appreciate you all! 3