Chapter 8: First Steps
Normally, Rukia would have been glad she was done with her patrol. However, such was not the case today. No, today she had something very important and very difficult to take care of.
In addition to the usual questions about the orange haired boy, Rukia had also been asking for directions to a specific location. Most people she interviewed didn't know; others were too scared to say anything. Finally, she had managed to cajole the information out of someone a few days ago. It had taken much of the past two days to work up the courage to act on that information though.
So, here she was, standing outside what had to be one of the more ridiculous houses she had ever seen. No, Rukia corrected herself, the house itself is rather normal. It's the decorations that are so outlandish. Flanking the entrance were two enormous stone arms which held aloft a banner proclaiming the name of its resident to anyone within several miles: Shiba Kūkaku.
Swallowing hard, Rukia strode stiffly towards the house, her gut telling her mind that she was better off somewhere far away. As she neared the two immense parodies of human limbs, a pair of hulking men stepped out from the behind them to bar her way. Identically dressed in eccentric costumes, the two men were obviously twins. Glaring down at her from nearly a two foot height advantage, the guards spoke in turn.
"Who are you?"
"What is your business here, shinigami?"
"I am Kuchiki Rukia," the dark haired girl replied, "My business is between myself and the Shiba family."
"We are Koganehiko…"
"…and Shiroganehiko."
"And we are the guardian's of the Shiba house! Without knowing your intent, we cannot permit you to see Kūkaku-sama!" they finished together.
"I see..." Rukia frowned, "Then you leave me no choice. Bakudō number four, hainawa!"
From Rukia's hand shot several ropes, which promptly bound the two brothers' arms and legs. Leaping deftly over them, Rukia gave the pair a light tap with her feet, sending the guards toppling over onto the ground.
"Oi! That won't be necessary!" came a shout from the house.
Sitting on the edge of the roof, a pipe clutched in her one good hand, was Shiba Kūkaku.
She's just as terrifying as everyone says she is, Rukia thought, warily taking in the fierce woman's rugged appearance and aggressive posture.
"Kūkaku-sama!" the identical sentries shouted from the ground, "Please forgive our-"
"Don't worry about it!" Kūkaku said gruffly, hopping down from her perch, and pointing her finger at them, "Kai!"
The bindings around their limbs disappeared, leaving them to clamber to their feet awkwardly.
"Now, what is your business here, Kuchiki Rukia?" Kūkaku said, her eyes narrowed keenly.
Rukia, struggling to stop her body from shaking, bowed low. "I-I'm-"
However, at that moment, a large boar crashed through the nearby trees, its disheveled rider crying, "Whooooaaa! Bonnie-chan!"
Calmly stepping near the path of the oversized pig, Kūkaku held her pipe tightly between her teeth and stuck her arm out, catching the rider in the neck and knocking him off his enthusiastic mount.
Rukia watched all of this with increasing unease, edging away slightly, in case that same amount of violence was directed at her. I shouldn't have come here, I shouldn't have come here! she mentally chanted, resisting the urge to wring her hands.
Choking slightly, the boar rider dusted off his clothes, which, Rukia noticed, were nearly as outrageous as the house he was standing next to. The man, whose face was among the more unbecoming visages in Rukongai, was dressed in large, baggy pants, as well as a flowered bandana, goggles, and a large black vest.
"N-nee-chan!" the man spluttered, still coughing, "You didn't need to knock me off Bonnie-chan like that! She would've calmed down eventually…"
"Eventually," Kūkaku growled, "wasn't soon enough! Not when we have a guest…"
"A guest!" her brother said in alarm, turning and bowing to Rukia, "Good evening! I am Shiba Ganju and who mi-"
He broke off abruptly, as his eyes met her face. "Y-you! You're…you're the piece of shit shinigami who killed Aniki!!" he roared, drawing a short, cleaver-like blade sheathed at his waist and charging forward.
Rukia braced herself, knowing that Ganju's rage was justified, yet unable to quell the fear that welled inside her that came with the knowledge that she was about to die. But if it will bring Kaien-dono's family peace, I will accept my fate, she told herself.
Her fears were short-lived, however, as Kūkaku rapped her brother hard on the back of the head, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"What the hell, Nee-chan?!" Ganju bellowed, rounding on his older sibling, "Don't you realize who this is??"
"Yes," Kūkaku said coldly, "But you should listen to what she has to say."
Seething with barely controlled wrath, Ganju re-sheathed his weapon and turned towards Rukia; his eyes boring into her, their miniscule pupils etched with an indescribable pain.
Rukia was nearly quelled then by the Shiba siblings' gazes. Kūkaku's stare was hard and expectant, as though she knew what Rukia was going to say. Ganju, on the other hand, looked like he was attempting to set her on fire with his eyes alone.
Bowing deeply, Rukia choked out, "I…I am so…very sorry for what I have done. I've always thought that I should have come to apologize immediately…but I am a fool and it's…it's taken me this long to work up the courage. I am so truly sorry…"
"That's enough," Kūkaku said dismissively, turning away, "Don't take too long to apologize."
"B-but…"
"I said that's enough!" the Shiba woman barked, crossing the distance between them in the blink of an eye and smacking Rukia violently across the head.
As the petite girl patted her head tenderly, checking to see that there was no blood, Kūkaku continued. "Ukitake told me everything already…including how it wasn't your fault, and how hard you took it. I'd already decided that if you ever came here to apologize, that I would forgive you."
"What?!" Ganju shouted, looking back and forth between his sister and his brother's supposed murderer, "Nee-chan, you knew about what happened back then and didn't tell me?! Why?!"
"I had hoped," Kūkaku snarled, bringing her face to within inches of his, "to tell you when you'd gained a bit of maturity; something that continues to elude you with each passing year!!"
Rukia spoke up, hoping to avoid anyone getting struck about the head again, "I…I can tell you what happened, Ganju-san."
Ganju blinked, and then frowned seriously, sitting against one of the massive stone arms, motioning for her to sit as well, "Go on then."
"I suppose…I suppose you know that Kaien-dono's wife was killed by a hollow?"
Ganju nodded solemnly, gripping his knees tightly.
"The very night she was killed, he pursued the hollow that killed her, even…even though we didn't know its…abilities. Since he couldn't be persuaded to wait, Ukitake-taicho and I accompanied him. When we arrived at its lair, I offered to scout its abilities first, but…but Kaien-dono insisted on fighting it alone. The hollow provoked him, and he took hold of one of its tentacles as he prepared to shatter its mask. Yet, when he touched the hollow, his zanpakutō was destroyed! I tried to step in to assist him, but Ukitake-taicho held me back. He explained that if I were to intervene then Kaien-dono's pride would be destroyed and he would never have forgiven me."
"That's bullshit!" Ganju interjected, looking very upset, "It would've been better for him to live! Pride's nothing compared to being alive!"
Rukia shook her head sadly, "That's just what I said. And…and I wish every day that I had stepped in! That I had done something! Because…what happened next…the hollow…Kaien-dono was able to fight it evenly with kidō. Then, the hollow…took over Kaien-dono's body! I…I just froze…I couldn't believe it! Ukitake-taicho held it off and told me to run. And I did! But…but I couldn't just abandon Kaien-dono like that! So I turned back to help. Ukitake-taicho's illness had begun acting up. He…he told me…that it wasn't Kaien-dono anymore…that I had to…"
Rukia broke off, looking away and burying her face in her hands.
"It's alright," Kūkaku said, her voice uncharacteristically quiet, "You don't have to go on."
Ganju nodded wordlessly, his eyes moist.
"It's just…" Rukia sobbed, standing up and turning to walk away, "he forgave me! As he was…but I…I couldn't forgive myself…"
"Please, wait!" Ganju said hastily, getting to his feet.
Surprised, Rukia turned to look at him.
"W-Why?!" Ganju said tearfully, "Why come here now?! After all this time…"
His sister promptly backhanded him. "Quit making that pathetic face!" she hissed, "You look weak."
As Ganju whimpered his apologies, Kūkaku gave Rukia a sidelong glance. "I would like to know what brought this on though…"
Rukia hesitated. Should I tell them? I just opened my heart to them and now…no, they deserve to know!
"There was this…boy," she began, staring out at the glow of the slowly setting sun, "This…stubborn, orange haired boy. I…I was protecting he and his family in the living world. But I…I couldn't save him! He died because of me! And…the worst part…the worst part is that he looked just like Kaien-dono!"
Rukia stared miserably at the fading reddish light on the horizon. It wasn't fair that she couldn't appreciate such a beautiful sight. Nothing feels right anymore. Nothing will feel right; not until…
Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud snuffling. The twins Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko were supporting one another as they cried loudly into one another's shoulders.
The fact that Kūkaku did not yell at them to be quiet demonstrated how much Rukia's words had affected her as well. The normally violent woman's expression was somewhere between sympathetic and uncomfortable.
"I've been searching Rukongai for him, hoping that I might be able to-"
"Go," Kūkaku said simply, "You have our forgiveness. Don't wait forever to find this kid."
Ganju nodded his assent before walking slowly back towards the house. Rukia had given him a lot to think about.
"Are…are you certain?" Rukia asked, surprised by Kūkaku's insistence, "I just-"
Smacking Rukia across the head, Kūkaku gritted her teeth. "Get going already! The sun's already gone down!"
"H-hai," Rukia said, turning to go and rubbing her sore cranium. Smiling sadly to herself as she made her way back to her hotel, Rukia thought, I don't know if I expected everything to be right in the world. But…maybe things are just…a little less wrong…
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Ichigo chuckled to himself as he strolled to Urahara Shōten. I can't believe a guy like Ishida is a member of the handicrafts club! Now that I think about it, it makes sense…he must've made that weird outfit of his himself!
Luckily for Ichigo, his new "after school job" was much closer to his school than the Kurosaki clinic, and was thus within walking distance. It's even farther away from home than the school though…I wonder if Urahara has a car…
Ichigo thought this over for a moment before shuddering. That man does not belong behind the wheel of a vehicle! I'll take my chances with the bus…
Upon arriving at the shop, he was greeted by the sight of Jinta pretending to sweep, which consisted of the red-haired boy pretending his broom was a baseball bat and swinging it violently at invisible pitches.
"Another homerun for Hankari Jinta!" Jinta cried, in an impression of an announcer's voice, "And the crowd goes wild!"
"Yo, Jinta!" Ichigo said, smirking at the young Urahara Shōten employee, "Shouldn't you be sweeping or something?"
"Agh! Don't surprise me like that, gaki!"
A vein pulsed in Ichigo's forehead, "Quit calling me gaki! You're younger than me!"
"Ah, says you!" Jinta sneered, pointing his broom at him, "I'm more mature!"
"Like hell," Ichigo scoffed, marching past Jinta and batting away the broom.
"Oi! You'll have to wake Tencho up if you want to talk to him!"
"Huh? He's asleep? Doesn't he have a business to run?"
Jinta scratched his head, mumbling, "Er, well…we don't usually get a lot of business, so he usually just sleeps in until the afternoon. Of course, Tessai gets us up at dawn…it's unfair I tell you…"
"What's that Jinta-dono?" Tessai said, poking his head through the door of the shop, "If an employee has a complaint they should really talk directly to their employer about it...Oh, good afternoon, Kurosaki-dono! Have you come to help out at our lovely shop?"
"Uh…"
"Wonderful! Please assist Jinta with stacking the boxes in the storeroom!"
Jinta glared at the orange-haired teenager, muttering at him as they made their way to the storeroom, "Now do you see what you've done? I was doing easy work!"
Ichigo rolled his eyes. His definition of work is a bit off…
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Half an hour later, when they'd just finished, Urahara finally decided to get up.
"Good morning, Kurosaki-san! What brings you by this fine day?" the man said lazily, sitting down outside the door that led to the living area.
"It's afternoon!" Ichigo growled irritably, taking a seat opposite him. The past half hour spent with Jinta was not a pleasant one. The boy had somehow managed to get him to do most of the heavy lifting. "I came here 'cause I've got questions for you."
"Oh, speaking of questions: how did your Quincy friend take it that you're a shinigami now?" Urahara asked, gladly accepting the breakfast-slash-lunch that Tessai offered him.
"He's not my friend! And he wanted to challenge me to some kind of duel or something. I talked him out of it though."
"Well, that's good news at any rate," Urahara smiled, before biting into an rice ball. Between munches, he asked, "So…what did you…want to know?"
Ichigo frowned thoughtfully, "I was just wondering…can a ghost take possession of a living body? Like say…an animal?"
"Hmm? It is rare but it happens. A lonely spirit will enter a smarter animal, like a dog, so that it may feel alive again. Why do you ask?"
"One of my friends at school brought in this parakeet that seemed a bit too smart to be a bird. Also, I got a really weird vibe from it," Ichigo explained.
"You don't have to worry. It shouldn't be dangerous by itself," Urahara said, sipping some tea, "You should still perform konsō though, since it could become a hollow."
"I see…" Ichigo murmured, "I just have to press the hilt of my zanpakutō onto its forehead right?"
"Correct! Now, how about a little spar before you go?"
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Urahara's idea of a "little spar" lasted for nearly an hour, and left Ichigo very sore on his bus ride home. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the canister that Tessai had called gikongan. Despite the assistant's claim though, the container was blatantly labeled "Soul Candy."
Shinigami keep getting weirder and weirder…At least I won't have to worry about not having Urahara around to take me out of my gigai.
Pulling the chord for his stop, Ichigo hopped down the steps and onto the street in front of his house.
"I'm home!" he called as he walked in the door.
"Welcome home, Onii-chan," Yuzu called back.
"Sorry! I was little later than usual because of my new job." Ichigo walked into the kitchen to find his father and Karin sitting at the table looking quite exhausted, while Yuzu did the dishes.
"What's happened? Was there some big emergency?"
"Mmm," Isshin muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly, "there was a big car accident earlier."
"We had to take in a lot of people and we didn't have the room," Karin chimed in.
"Yes, but luckily Tousan knows who to talk to at the hospital, and got most of them the care they needed," Isshin grinned, giving them a thumbs up.
Karin rolled her eyes at their father's enthusiasm, "Anyway Ichi-nii, we had to keep this one guy with a big burn on his back here though. In fact, he said he knows you."
"Huh? Who is it?"
"A big guy. He had a-"
"A parakeet with him?"
"Y-yeah…"
"Chado…" Ichigo whispered. This is too weird…Chado was injured today and now he gets hurt again so soon? It has something to do with the ghost inside that bird! It's got to…
"Where is he?" he asked, urgently.
"He's in Room 4 Onii-chan," Yuzu supplied, handing him a tray, "Please take some dinner in for him. He needs to keep up his strength!"
"Mmm," Ichigo nodded. Going down the hall and entering the second room on the right, Ichigo was greeted by the sight of Chad lying face down on his bed, blood soaking through his flowered t-shirt in a claw-like pattern.
Ichigo's grip on the tray tightened, cold sweat moistening his hands. A hollow did this to him! But there's no way Chado would attract a hollow on his own…it's got to be that parakeet! I've got to get it away from him!
"Ichigo," Chad murmured, opening his eyes and catching sight of him, "So this is your family's clinic?"
"Yeah," Ichigo said wryly, setting the tray down at the end of Chad's bed, "My oyaji may be a pain in the ass, but he's a good enough doctor."
Chad nodded his thanks, sitting up and setting the tray on his lap.
Ichigo leveled a serious look at his large friend. "What's going on Chado? Why are you getting injured like this?"
Chad paused, chewing his food slowly, debating how much to tell Ichigo. "The parakeet. It is said to be…bad luck."
"Bad luck?"
"Yes. Many of its former owners have…died…"
That makes sense…if a hollow's after the ghost inside the bird it'd probably kill anyone who got in their way.
"Maybe…you should get rid of it…just to be safe," Ichigo suggested; looking at the parakeet in what he hoped was a suspicious way.
"No," Chad said firmly, looking down at the bird, which was watching and following their conversation, "I cannot do that."
"Huh? Why not?" Ichigo asked confusedly.
"It is…complicated," Chad replied, avoiding his gaze.
"Alright then," Ichigo said, knowing better than to press Chad for answers. He must feel really strongly about this. "Just remember Chado: I've always got your back too." Even if you won't be able to see me…
"Mmm," Chad nodded gratefully, smiling.
After Ichigo had left, the parakeet turned to Chad, "Oji-chan! I wouldn't have minded if you had told him!"
Chad shook his head. "I will help you in any way I can, but I do not want to burden Ichigo or his family with this."
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Taking the food Yuzu offered him up to his room, Ichigo wolfed it down eagerly. He'd been especially hungry after his spar with Urahara earlier.
Digging into his pocket, he retrieved the gikongan canister Tessai had given him. The large man had shown him several of them and Ichigo had tried to pick out one that at least looked sort of cool. The head perched on top of the slender package was that of a human skull, albeit a cartoonish version of one with a bandage on its head and a top hat, but it was better than the other silly looking animal headed ones. Tessai had called it the "Alfred" model.
Holding it up to his mouth and depressing the top, a small green orb popped out of the gap under the skull's single row of teeth. Swallowing it, Ichigo felt a strange, almost electric sensation spread throughout his body. Without warning, the energy propelled him backwards, removing his spirit form from his gigai. Stretching his hands experimentally, Ichigo found that everything was a lot easier once he was out of the gigai. It's like I can breathe again. I guess I didn't notice earlier 'cause Urahara was hacking away at me…
Glancing down at his gigai, Ichigo gave it a nudge with his foot. "Oi! You in there?"
Standing up straight, the gigai turned to him, the artificial soul within contorting Ichigo's face into a stiff, pompous expression. "Certainly sir. How may I be of service today?"
Unnerved by the sight of his features making such a sickeningly pretentious face, Ichigo backed towards the door. "Er, just stay in my room for now. And if my family comes up just tell them to go away."
"But of course!" the temporary soul said, bowing regally at Ichigo's retreating back.
Creeping quietly down the stairs, Ichigo cracked the door leading to Chad's room ever so slightly. Peering inside, he was surprised to find the bed within empty of its occupant. Wrenching the door open and looking around the room wildly, Ichigo clenched his fist when he saw that the window was ajar. Kuso! Couldn't you have waited a few minutes Chado?
Leaping through the open window, Ichigo searched both ends of the street for some signs of Chad. Towards the left side, in the light of a street lamp, glistened several crimson patches of blood.
Don't panic, don't panic! It's just from where his back was bleeding…nothing to worry about…
Following this grisly trail along in the dim twilight, Ichigo soon found himself in front of a large abandoned warehouse. Approaching the nearest door, he took notice of its broken glass as he ran inside.
Silhouetted in a pool of moonlight, Chad sat on an egg crate, the bird cage sitting beside him.
"Oji-chan! Someone's here!"
Chad stood up, his eyes flicking about the room and his fists at the ready.
"Who's there?"
Since he knew that Chad would not be able to hear him, Ichigo addressed the parakeet. "I'm a shinigami. I've come to send you to the afterlife."
"N-no! I can't, not yet!" the spirit in the bird squeaked.
"Shibata?" Chad questioned, looking down at his pint-sized charge, "What's going on? Who has come?"
"He…he says he's a shinigami. That he's come to take me to the afterlife…"
"That's right," Ichigo said, kneeling down to the parakeet's eye level, "Don't you want those scary monsters to stop chasing you?"
"There's only one who follows me…"
"Only one hollow?"
"Mmm. He says that if he chases me for three months…then he'll bring my mama back to life!"
"Whoa!" Ichigo shouted incredulously, rocking back on his feet, "Bring her back to life?! There's no way a hollow would ever do that!"
"He…he won't do it?"
"I doubt it," Ichigo frowned, "Besides, I don't think it's possible to come back to life. Not that way at least…" My situation's a little different though…
"I see…" Shibata said dejectedly.
"Shibata? What is he saying?"
"He says there's no way my mama can come back..."
"Don't shinigami hold power over death?" Chad questioned, looking in Ichigo's general direction.
"No, it doesn't work like that. I can't revive the dead. All I can do is take care of bad spirits like the guy who's chasing you or send people on to the afterlife," Ichigo explained. Struck by an idea, he continued, "In fact…that's probably where your mama is right now! She's probably waiting for you."
"R-really? You think?" the boy stuttered excitedly, "Oji-chan, oji-chan! He says if I go to the afterlife, then maybe my mama will be waiting!"
Chad smiled slightly. "Good. I am happy for you. Maybe…when I die and go there, we will see each other again…"
"Mm," the boy nodded.
"Are you ready?" Ichigo asked, unsheathing his zanpakutō. At Shibata's confirmation, he pressed the hilt against the faint outline of the spirit around the parakeet, leaving a glowing impression in the boy's forehead.
A circle of light surrounded him and as he sank into the ground Shibata smiled, "Arigato oji-chan!"
Replacing his sword, Ichigo picked up the birdcage, whose occupant was now once again a normal parakeet. Glancing at Chad, Ichigo nearly laughed at the alarmed expression on his friend's face. I suppose I'd freak out too if I saw a floating birdcage…
Walking over to him, Ichigo placed the cage in his bewildered friend's hands, patting him on the shoulder for good measure.
"Arigato, shinigami-san," Chad murmured, turning to go.
Reaching inside his hakama, Ichigo pulled out the memory modifier that Urahara had given him, turning it over in his hands. Should I use it? I mean, it's not like he knew it was me…No! I'm not going to go around erasing my friends' memories if I don't have to. Besides, the thing probably doesn't even work right if Urahara invented it…
Just then, the hairs on the back of Ichigo's neck stood on end. Drawing his zanpakutō, he whirled around, barely missing the large, dull brown claw that had been aimed at his head.
"O-ho! That was a close one, shinigami! If that had hit, I might have had to make your death last even longer…"crowed the hollow, its mouth wide in a predatory leer.
The corrupt spirit looming over him resembled some grotesque mockery of a bat; its thin wings folded against its arms.
"So, you're the hollow who's been following the gaki who was inside that parakeet?" Ichigo scowled, sizing up his opponent.
"That's right! And I would've lured quite a few more delicious shinigami to their ends if you hadn't sent him off! I'll kill you real slow for taking such nice bait away from me," the hollow cackled, licking its teeth with its forked tongue.
"You've…killed shinigami before?" Ichigo asked, cautiously pacing around it.
"Oh yes," it grinned nastily, "And not just shinigami…I killed people back when I was alive too! In fact, I killed that gaki's mama. That's why I chose him. Because he grabbed my shoe, I tripped and fell off a balcony! And after that, I dangled the promise of bringing his mom back to life to keep him in l-"
The hollow's response was cut short, as was one of its arms. "What the hell??!!"
Flicking the blood off of his blade, Ichigo turned, his eyes narrowed angrily. "It's a good thing you're such a bastard. If you weren't, I might have gone easy on you."
"You…you son of a bitch!! I'll make you pay for that! We'll make you pay for that!!" it howled with rage. At that moment, about a dozen creatures crashed through the windows, quickly surrounding Ichigo. "Didn't you wonder how I bested those other shinigami? You thought that by taking away my ability to fly that you'd bested me? Ha! You're pathetic!"
Opening their mouths, the hollow's minions spat out streams of purplish blobs. Hurling himself forward, Ichigo hoped that whatever the little things were launching at him would be deadly to their master too. The hollow's back peddling confirmed it.
"Looks like those things are only good from far away," Ichigo jeered, slicing through the thin membrane of the hollow's wing.
"Gahh! You bastard!" it screamed at him, stumbling backward, "Fine! If I'm gonna' go, I'll take you with me!"
Its cronies then proceeded to cover the both of them in the globules. Sticking out its tongue, the hollow screeched, "Now I'll show you why they called me Shrieker!!"
Acting fast, Ichigo stabbed forward, slicing through its jaw and out the back of its head.
Whimpering in pain, a bright green light erupted from the wound in Shrieker's skull, its body flickering as though it were a mirage. All of a sudden, an enormous set of doors erupted behind it. Decorated with a pair of equally large skeletons, the eerie gates opened wide, revealing a vast, insubstantial field of red, which radiated an unbearable heat. The hollow's cries of agony increased as its mask disintegrated under the pressure exuded by the crimson abyss at its back. Then, without warning, a gigantic blade pierced its middle, ending its wails abruptly. Deep sinister laughter echoed, as the hand wielding the sword retreated back into the scarlet depths, taking the pierced hollow with it. Upon closing, the double doors shattered, leaving no trace behind.
"Whoa…" Ichigo marveled, dropping to his knees and using his zanpakutō for support, "What have I gotten myself into?"
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A/N: Wow! Thanks for the tremendous response to the last chapter. Everyone's reviews were very helpful. I really wanted to get this chapter out fast, but last week my internet stopped working for several days and I really needed a reference for the whole Kaien affair, so that held me up a bit. Oh and just a head's up, I'll be starting school again in about a month. Hopefully I can churn out a few more chapters before my schedule becomes really swamped.
Japanese Translations:
Hainawa- crawling rope
Gikongan- artificial souls
Gigai- artificial body
Oji-chan- old guy