Chapter Six – Purged

There were three things I learned during and after the battle with Shrieker:

Hollows taste awful

Hollows Hunters exist

Never, ever, EVER piss off Kuchiki Rukia

I think I slept maybe all of two hours that night as Rukia alternated between yelling at me for eating a chunk of a Hollow and being horrified that I was a slime.

"Rukia-sempai, I was born like that, and I have just as much control over that as I do having disabilities – in other words, none!"

"The Soul Society would kill you if they ever found out you existed!" Rukia shouted back. "The last known slime-"

"What?" I asked.

Rukia finally shut up.

"I asked you a question, Rukia, and I need an answer," I replied. "I get it that the Soul Society is just as hateful as the Human World…but this is my life, and even if it ends here soon, I want to go out knowing the truth."

Rukia groaned. "The last slime…was the result of an experiment over a hundred and twenty years ago…less of an experiment and more of an accident. A rogue scientist in Squad Twelve-"

"Sosuke Aizen was a Soul Reaper?" I asked. It wasn't that much of a gamble to assume that the mysterious Aizen was in fact a Shinigami, but-

"No…Captain Aizen? He wouldn't-" Rukia trailed off as we sat on my bedroom floor in our pajamas. "But then…it makes sense. Maybe too much…"

Rukia then continued. "Slimes were a topic I researched in Soul Reaper Academy," she said, pulling out her drawing book. "These creatures are also known as Quasi-Hollows – they have the ability to devour just about any creature these things come across. Not only that, they can steal abilities from things they consume – you would be able to use Shrieker's exploding leeches, for instance. Some of the older, more experienced Slimes are able to fuse with individuals, giving them incredible strength and power. Couple that with the fact that they are practically invulnerable in slime form, and can also shape shift into anything they please, and you have a devastating combination. Head Captain Yamamoto wanted to create a Slime Division in the Gotei 13, but was shot down."

"Why are we so rare?" I wondered.

Rukia sighed. "Creating a slime is much like creating a tornado or blizzard in the World of the Living – there has to be a series of conditions that line up just right to create one."

I stared at the rabbit like drawings, not sure what to think, but playing along anyway. "First, a high amount of Spiritual Energy needs to be fused with pieces of a dead Hollow at incredibly high heat – usually several thousand degrees Celsius. This first step is the hardest, as the energy fused to the Hollow remains can quickly become a Hollow. Second, the mass needs either a Plus or the blood of a high-ranking Shinigami to become sentient. Finally, the newborn slime needs a creature to bond with for seven days. Without that bond, it will crumble and dissipate. But if all that comes together perfectly…you have a baby superweapon for about ten years."

"Why so short a lifespan?"

"Slimes don't have solid bodies. No organs to support life, no bones, nothing. However, if what I'm beginning to believe is correct – how old are you, again?"

"Sixteen."

"Then, as far as the records go, you are the oldest slime in existence," Rukia said, confirming Sourukuin. "The experiment was an accident from a rogue scientist, but was initially covered up. However, during this time, Captain Aizen…well, he went a little crazy."

"How?"

Rukia sighed, as if she really didn't want to tell me. "The Captain is a kind, gentle, equitable, and fair man. One of the best Captains you'll get, although he is rather firm about people following his orders. On the day the slime was born, an explosion was reported to have occurred around the Squad Twelve laboratories, and then-Lieutenant Aizen was the first one to the scene…

…

Squad Twelve Research Division, Lab Fourteen, One Hundred and Twenty Years Ago…

Lieutenant Aizen couldn't stop coughing as he ran into the building, startled. His eyes burned as he stumbled through the smoke, looking for survivors…but all he found were burning corpses on their way to Hollowfication.

"What in the world were they doing?" he thought as he stabbed the corpses with Kyoka Suigetsu, purifying them as they collapsed back into death.

Lab Fourteen was notorious for horrific experiments creating the Quasi-Hollow – a Hollow with incredible power, but none of the mindless destruction. This was the fourth safety incident the lab had had – and Aizen had only been the first one there that afternoon because he was visiting Captain Ukitake and on his way back to barracks.

"Hello?" he shouted through the smoke, now searching for a fire extinguisher. "Anyone?"

"'Addy?" a babyish voice replied. Aizen turned, staring in surprise at the table behind him.

On the table…was a grey, gloopy mass. No eyes, no legs, nothing…just grey goo. "'Addy?" it asked again.

Aizen wanted to refuse, wanted to say he wasn't "'Addy," but came up with another idea. "You mean, Daddy?" he said, reaching out his hand to the mass.

"'Addy!" the creature exclaimed. Then, the thing sent out a grey tendril, wrapping itself around Aizen's left wrist. Aizen coughed again, tears running down his face.

"Run, 'Addy! Run!" the creature said. Aizen complied, leaving the building with the slime becoming a thick viscous band on his left wrist, coughing as he went.

Captain Ukitake and a band of seated officers appeared as he emerged from the burning lab. "Lieutenant Aizen, are you all right?"

"Yes, but I couldn't find any survivors," he said, conveniently leaving out the slime and the two dead Shinigami. Then, a second explosion tore through the lab, sending flames and smoke through the air, throwing Aizen and the others to the ground.

Ukitake got up first. "Lieutenant, call squads Three and Four for-"

"Me fix!" the slime interrupted, sliding off Aizen's wrist and onto the ground, opening a strange-looking mouth. "Back!"

Ukitake looked at Aizen, who had finally gotten up. "I think it wants us to back up!" Aizen replied.

Ukitake stared at the creature, not sure what to think, but then gestured to the Shinigami to back up. Then, the tiny creature let out a burst of wind, twisting the flames into a rope as it pulled the flames into its slimy self, devouring them as though they were mozzarella cheese.

Aizen and the others stared at the creature, unsure of what to say. "Is that a…Quasi-Hollow?" Ukitake finally asked, his face wearing a bamboozled expression.

Aizen knew what would happen if he didn't act fast. "No," he lied. "That's Eve. Aizen Eve. My daughter."

Ukitake stared at Aizen as if he'd been drunk. "Are you sure-?

Aizen reached for his zanpakuto as the slime swallowed the last of the flames. "She is MY daughter, and that's the end of this discussion. No one is going to harm her."

"Mhmmm…owie, owie, owie!" the little slime whined, ending the standoff. Aizen picked up the slime, and he almost dropped it from the heat.

"Ooh…looks like little Eve bit off a bit much," he said. "Let's go cool you off, little butterfly."

…

"So, they thought he was crazy because he adopted a slime?" I replied.

"At first, people thought that Aizen was insane," Rukia said. "However, they built a camaraderie that became legendary in the Soul Society. They called Eve "The Shadow Lieutenant." Toward the end of her time, she even attained a human form, and became the first unseated officer to wield two Zanpakuto."

"What happened to her?" I asked.

Rukia sighed. "Eventually, Eve's true nature as a Quasi-Hollow was discovered. Central 46, in spite of everything that she did for the Soul Society over the course of fifteen years, demanded that she be executed, in spite of not committing a crime. Eve agreed to the sentence…on one condition."

"Which was?" I asked.

"That her father kill her with his own zanpakuto," Rukia replied. "He begged her…pleaded with her…but Eve was a stubborn bull. On the day of her execution, Aizen ran her through seven times, and his screams echoed across the Soul Society."

I yawned. "Captain Aizen erased her memory from Squad Five, and she largely went forgotten…but…I see some of Eve in you," Rukia said. "Mostly the eyes."

…

The morning came much too quickly. We were all gathered around the table, Ichigo and Isshin going at it. I, meanwhile, was half asleep, trying to eat what I could of breakfast.

Then, the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Ichigo said, running to the phone. "Hello…not you again," he said. The conversation went on for exactly two more minutes, then Ichigo about slammed the phone into the receiver.

"YOU BASTARD!" he screamed, startling all of us – even me, who was about to fall asleep in my rice. "YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE AND SAY IT TO HER FACE, CAT IN TOW!"

I gulped. This could not be good – was Rambo dead? My kitty – the one my parents got me so I would have something to take with me when I was deported – did he not make it? Tears stung my eyes.

"Ichigo-kun, give me the-" I started, but he had already slammed the phone back into the receiver. He then dialed another number.

"Yeah, Sado-kun, you on your way?" he asked. "You have Orihime with you? Okay. Drop her off and get over here, quick. No, I don't care that you have to take a day, just get your ass down here!"

Rukia came down the stairs with the Soul Reaper phone in hand. "Ichigo-," she started, but Isshin shot her a glare.

"Rukia, take Danielle with you," he said. "She doesn't need to see this."

"But she doesn't have a-"

I grabbed one of Rukia's gloves off the couch, punched my chest, and flipped into Soul Reaper Form, darkness falling over my vision. "Let's get it over with – I promise I won't slime this time."

Rukia stared at me. "Well, you sure know how to get to business."

…

The Hollow was a relatively easy task to complete…a newbie that wasn't very good at fighting, targeting Rukia while I managed to poison it. "Man, I kinda don't like my Zanpakuto's Shikai," I admitted.

"Why?" Rukia asked.

"It makes fighting Hollows feel cheap – the power is broken," I explained. "It doesn't even feel like a real fight. All I have to do is activate the Shikai and it's goodbye Hollow."

Rukia wasn't really sure what to say. "Normally, I would be insulted by such a comment, but…you haven't had things easy, have you? You…look like someone who feels very much alone and sad."

I nodded. "How…excuse me, I know this is rude…but how did you become disabled?"

I sighed. "It's not rude, Rukia. I got caught between needing to be born early or being a stillbirth due to a bacterial infection."

Rukia gasped. "As a result, my lungs weren't ready to accept air, as the lungs are last to form in a baby's body…and I got birth injuries."

Rukia looked me over. "Maybe you should come live in the Soul Society for a while. Captain Kurotsuchi has always been fascinated with brain injuries and how they impact souls, but has never had a chance to investigate on real people. When he's done, Captain Unohana would fix you up completely!"

I thought it over. "Your Central 46 doesn't sit well with me, but as long as they stay out of my life, I'm okay with the idea."

Rukia seemed curious. "Are all of you Americans so…repulsed at the idea of obedience to authority? Are all of you so rebellious?"

"It really depends on who you ask," I said. "Does the Soul Society study America?"

"We have several classes on cultural studies in the Academy, to help Soul Reapers blend in in the World of the Living," she said. "American Studies is the most difficult. Even the teachers really don't understand Americans! The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution…your history, religion, and culture…it all seems so strange! How can you all be so hardheaded and stubborn?"

"Well," I said. "Let's go to school. I'll talk about it on the way."

"You left…well, you need a Gegai anyway," Rukia replied. "Let's see if Utahata has a better temporary body than the one you have as a permanent body."

I nodded and we took off to Utahata's, and Kisuke was waiting for us. "You okay today, Danielle?" he asked, his face looking tired.

"Yeah. You?"

Kisuke then pulled up a chair. "You might want to consider scrubbing your plans for today…I got some bad news from-"

"She's here, Utahata-sama?" Robert suddenly said, popping up from a couple aisles away. "Oh, thank God…at least she'll be told by me instead of my asshole uncle."

Kisuke paused as I gave him his money. "You know your cover story is very flimsy, right? That Reiatsu of yours is some of the most disgusting there is. Hollows wouldn't even touch it."

Robert scowled while I ingested the candy that would restore me to human form for the day. "Listen, I know you think my story is a bunch of caca, but at least let me try to soften this shit! If he tells her, he's going to make it worse, and she-"

"Gentlemen, please stop- oh, you're here!" Sasuke Ashizora said, entering the establishment, and I suddenly felt like a cornered rat. Rukia put her hand on my shoulder, realizing the dread.

"We're leaving now," she announced, leading me to the back door. "Danielle-chan doesn't need to have a miserable day today."

"No, she can't-" the elder Ashizora protested, but I, suddenly empowered by my new Gegai, took off out the door and down a back alley, leaving everyone and everything behind.

I had had enough. Enough of Hollows. Enough of Soul Reapers. Enough of Karakura Town, Japan, the Kurosakis – all of it. I just wanted to go to school and disappear.

Lucky for me, the sidewalks led me to the high school, and I ran into the building – and right into Chad, sending me straight to the ground!

He turned. "Danielle-chan, you startled me! Why are you here?"

I pulled myself up off the floor as a dozen students came near me, all of them wearing the same heartbroken looks.

"Danielle-chan, please, go home," a girl named Tatsuki said.

"Yeah, Danielle-chan," another one of Ichigo's friends said. "Come back tomorrow, when you feel better."

"Go mourn your dead, Danielle," a third replied. "You'll thank me later.

"Her name is Danieru, all of you," Ashizora's voice said from behind me. I turned to see the Ashizora boys, Utahata, and Rukia behind me. "You would do well to-"

"Shut up, Ashizora-sempai," I replied, not turning to look at him. "I don't ever want to see you again…and my name is DANIELLE! Danielle Sanderson!"

Ashizora Sasuke tried to grab my arm, but Robert stopped him. "No, Sasuke, that's enough," he said. "You've already killed her family, her great-aunt, and her grandparents – leave her name alone."

"She belongs to-"

"Didn't she tell you to shut up?" Rukia demanded, starling everyone. "She is Danielle Sanderson, and if that is what she chooses to be called, that is her decision."

Sasuke was red-faced now. "How dare you-?"

"I happen to know about the skeleton you have been hiding in the closet," she said calmly. "Not to mention, this entire relocation and reintegration is illegal, as is the murders of her family. If you continue, I will report this entire situation to your real employer…and I guarantee you'll be taking the same walk a certain someone did a long time ago."

I stared at her, the dark revelations not sinking in. I felt like Rukia had to be talking about someone else's family…someone else's loved ones…it couldn't be…mine!

"Chad," Robert said, his blue eyes cold. "Get her out of here before I-"

I screamed then, the sound absolutely inhuman as I sank to the floor. There was another scream…then another…

My family…my whole family…had been Purged. This was the final piece of a relocation…destroy all close loved ones, including all other Rejected.

Sasuke, obviously not realizing how deep he was in, walked up to me. "Danielle, please…just accept what you've been told. Become Danieru and obey. This is better than that backwater dump you were in – you'll see!"

I looked at him, tears running down my face. "Shoot me."

He stared at me. "Dani-"

Chad plucked him up off the floor, "Escuhaste! (Listen to me)," he said, as the group of students started cracking their knuckles. Other students were filming the whole thing, no doubt posting the incident online.

"In a Mexican home, the woman is the centerpiece. She cooks, she cleans, she bears and raises the children. Everything goes through her."

"What…the hell…?"

"I'm not done," he said, not even changing his tone. "When you cross the woman, you cross her man…and you… have crossed me three times too many."

With that, Chad flung him full force against the wall, following up with a gut check that left my social worker spitting blood. "No jodas con mi mujer," he said. "In other words, don't fuck with my woman."

Robert stared at him, sufficiently cowed. "You need my car?"

Chad nodded, picking me up. I was a sobbing mess, and I wasn't hiding it. The other students had started punching, kicking, and beating Ashizora, taking out their personal vengeance on him, but Rukia and Utahata had taken positions around me, hiding me from the others as I screamed and sobbed.

"Should I-?"

"No. She's in full-blown overload, and I don't blame her. I should have waited until they finished that shit…why didn't…"

"I think Ichigo was going to tell her…oh, Danielle, I know, I know!" Rukia said. "Please…try to calm down."

I was lost…lost to the world and drowning in grief. It didn't matter that I had made a fool of myself at school. It didn't matter that I asked my social worker to end my life.

I had tried to hold it all in too long and failed. I failed.

…

I don't remember much of anything that day – I think they drugged me, because the next thing I remember I was back in bed, Rukia on one side of me, and Ichigo on the other.

"Do you think he loves her, Ichigo-kun?" Rukia asked as I came to.

"Chad doesn't fight back," Ichigo said, as calmly as if he was discussing the weather. "Him taking action the way he did today…that means he was probably just one step away from caving Ashizora's face in. With that said…he loves her, no question."

I stirred on the bed. "Chad…," I mumbled. "Where Chad?"

"Aqui," Chad replied, coming into the room with a bowl of ramen. "Please…sit up and eat."

The events of the day slowly crept into my head as I took down some more food. "You got three days bereavement, standard procedure for Purged Rejected," Ichigo said. "As for Ashizora, he is on house arrest for three days."

"Why?" I asked, tears stinging my eyes again.

"The whole thing went viral," Ichigo explained. "A Rejected does have the right to leave a Purging meeting, and can decline to know what happens to the families. In fact, you are officially Danielle Sanderson again, as the Japanese government has seized control of your case. You probably shouldn't have run out on Utahata like that, but-"

"She was cornered, Ichigo-kun," Rukia said. "If I'd have known what was coming, I would have used Hado on them all. That was awful - even my brother never would have agreed to that."

Things went quiet as I continued eating. "I want to go back to school," I finally said. "I've missed enough."

Ichigo and Rukia started to protest, but Chad stopped them. "Danielle needs a stable, quiet life. She needs normalcy – I read the books."

"Stay with her, Chad," Ichigo replied. "Until we get that fuzzball in here, you're all she has."

Chad nodded.