Part 54: Hollowed Heart

The 4 Titans and one demon dog arrived in front of the Lee residence. Ryuki raised a hand to the door but then slowly withdrew his hand in guilt. Jinx asked, in concern, "What's wrong, baby?"

"This doesn't feel right," he said softly. "This was supposed to be Tazuka-niisan's mission, not mine." He looked to her, eyes sad, "I shouldn't even be here. I didn't recruit Juniper." Jinx held his hand in hers.

"Tazuka would've wanted you to do this for him," Jinx told him. "Now, knock the door, okay?" she knocked the door using his hand. Someone came shuffling to the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," an elderly voice spoke up and then the door creaked open. An elderly Chinese woman with a large build opened the door. She had a gentle face and her silver hair was tied into a bun. She wore an old Chinese styled dress. "Who is it?"

"Konbanwa, I'm Ryuki Hasuma, madam," Ryuki introduced himself.

"Ah," Jasmine Lee, known by Juniper as Ah Mah, said, "The young Dragon Knight. I've been expecting you."

"You have?" Gizmo spoke up.

"And who are these four?" Jasmine asked with keen interest.

"Oh," Ryuki blinked. "These are my friends, Baran, Mikron," he gestured to Mammoth and Gizmo respectively, before gesturing to Jinx "My girlfriend, Jennifer Wilcox," and finally to Brimstone, "And my dog, Brimstone."

Jasmine briefly narrowed her eyes on Brimstone. The demon dog was wearing the Doberman holographic disguise generated by his collar. Tazuka once told Ryuki that Jasmine had a very keen eye for magical auras and demon auras were also very detectable to those who could sense them.

"Come in, come in," Jasmine beckoned the 4 teens and the dog into the house.

"Lie down, Brimstone," Ryuki commanded as the teens sat down in the living room.

"You came to see Juniper, correct?" Jasmine asked. Ryuki nodded. "You look guilty," she observed, "Why?"

"I just…don't feel…its right for me to be doing this," Ryuki said regretfully, "I mean; Ichijyo said that those who recruited them were the ones who were supposed to evaluate them. Niisan was the one who recruited Juniper, not me. This…it's just a mistake. I have no right to be here."

Jinx frowned, eyes saddened and concerned. She placed a hand on his. Jasmine sighed and shook her head.

"Everything has a right to be where they are needed, young Knight," Jasmine said to Ryuki. "Don't think otherwise."

"But I…" he looked away. He still blamed himself for Tazuka's death. If it hadn't been for him…Tazuka would still be here with them today.

"Where's Juniper?" Ryuki asked.

"Oh, as the Te Xuan Ze, she's busy every time there is trouble with the Magical World," Jasmine reported. "Tonight is not so different. Tonight she's just doing what she does best."

"Fighting evil like the rest of us," Ryuki reasoned. Of course; that was Juniper's duty, her job, her mission, her responsibility. "When will she back?"

"It depends," Jasmine shrugged. "Sometimes minutes, sometimes hours. It depends on the level of the threat."

"Do you worry about her?" Ryuki asked.

"Of course," Jasmine nodded, "What grandmother wouldn't?"

"And her parents?" Ryuki asked. Jasmine sighed.

"I was very reluctant to allow them to know about all this," Jasmine said honestly, "But Juniper was very adamant in wanting them to know the truth. She didn't want to lie to them anymore and I think I was tired of lying to them too. Believe me; they were very…reluctant to accept about all this. Realizing another world exists along our own and that our selected members of out family have been entrusted with its protection."

"I know that feeling," Ryuki nodded. Telling his mother about the Knights and Mirror World was one of the hardest things he had to do in the past. He just couldn't lie to her anymore. True, she had been worried and truthfully she still was but she also knew there was nothing she could do to stop it and just accept it. It was Ryuki's destiny to be one of the 26 Zodiac Knights. "So, where are they?"

"On vacation," Jasmine said, "Only the children are here, though. Actually, Dennis and Ray Ray went along with Juniper to help her out."

"Hey, isn't Ray Ray that little hyper kid who's June's little brother?" Jinx asked.

"Correct. And Dennis is there to lend magic support," Jasmine said, still surprised that her eldest grandchild was a master magician, despite knowing about the existence of the magical world later than the others. But, even so, he had great potential. All of them did, in fact. It was just going to take a while for Ray Ray to realize what his was aside from being June's cheer squad.

"OK, I'm totally lost here," Mammoth said.

"You're not the only one, big guy," Gizmo replied to his friend.

"Oh, you are still new to all this," Jasmine said. Both ex-HIVE agents nodded. "Well, let me tell you about the history of the Te Xuan Ze and the Magical World."

Jinx was also interested to hear about this as was Brimstone, Ryuki too. They (minus Mammoth and Gizmo) had seen strange creatures of all shapes in the city and normal people didn't even bat an eye. It was because they were invisible because of the Veil, the barrier around Orchid Bay that separated the magical world from the human world. The Kaiser looked up and listened intently as Jasmine began her tale.

Juniper was fighting with a beast that woke up to cause trouble. It had two red eyes and curved horns. It also had a large muscular body, sharp claws that could shred and the legs of a ram.

Juniper, now a teen, was now leaner and even more beautiful. She had on tight jeans, combat boots with steel toes and a green tank top that had her purple dragonfly symbol on it. On her hands she wore a pair of black cut off gloves with steel studs on the knuckles. Her fist rammed into its head and sent it crashing into a tree, uprooting it due to the impact.

The beast glared at the Te Xuan Ze with blood red eyes and roared before charging again.

"YOU CAN DO IT, JUNE!" shouted a young boy in a red shirt that had a fist emblem on it and black pants. "KICK THAT THING'S BUTT!" This was Raymond "Ray-Ray" Lee, June's little brother.

"Hit it between the eyes, June!" instructed a small talking dog who spoke with a Scottish accent.

"June, just keep it steady," spoke an older boy who was wearing a cape and holding a wand and spell book. "Give me time for a sealing spell."

"CAN YOU PLEASE HURRY!?" Juniper yelled. "I MAY BE ABLE TO KEEP UP FOREVER, BUT NOT THAT LONG!"

Meanwhile, a blue clothed figure was watching from afar. He had on a blue zipped up jacket with black cuffs, black pants and blue boots. A black sash was tied around his waist and holding scabbard that had a sword in it. Atop his head was a strange helmet with a fin on it. His cold eyes observed the battle.

"She hasn't changed a bit," the figure said as he watched a Juniper laid a powerful haymaker on the beast. "Still as strong as ever." His eyes looked over her body, "And even more beautiful." His lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Oh, Juniper," he hissed, "You may be powerful, but I doubt you will be able to handle what I have in store for you."

He tapped his foot onto the ground and then vanished in a flash. His movement was caught at the corner of Monroe's eye. They narrowed. What had that been?

The Ghost Zone. The greenish atmosphere swirled as we gaze upon one of the many ghost lairs floating aimlessly in this area upon a purple rock. This lair belonged to the musical ghost known as Ember McClain.

And right now she was in bed, unclothed, and covered only by her blanket as she laid her head upon the strong chest of her boyfriend. He appeared to be in his late teens and had dyed short pink hair. He had an arm wrapped gently around her ghost white shoulders as she snuggled up against his naked chest.

"That…" she said breathlessly, "Was wonderful."

"Thanks," Ryan said, smiling. Ryunosuke "Ryan" Kazama was not exactly a normal ghost. He didn't really originate from the Ghost Zone. His first home had been the Soul Society but due to circumstances out of his control he had been forced to leave. In truth, he had been possessed by a weak Hollow that threatened to devour his very soul. Luckily, he had met a wise Vizard who helped him to suppress and seal the Hollow. After a while, Ryan chose to explore the human world. He was an outlaw so he no longer had a place in the Soul Society. With his musical Zanpakuto and his augmented Shinigami and Hollow powers, he set off to do some good. Along the way, he met with the Kamen Riders and became one of them and the rest was pretty much history. He met Danny Phantom, assisted against a massive Hollow invasion and met Ember. His life couldn't be better.

Of course, his cell-phone just had to ring. Orders from "The Order" no doubt. Grumbling, he got out of bed, clad only in a pair of black brief as he dragged himself to his discarded pants and dug into the pockets for his phone. Ember sat up, holding the blanket against her chest to protect her modesty.

"What's wrong, baby-pop?" she asked him.

"I need to go," he said as he pulled his pants on followed by his shirt. He strapped on his guitar and equipped his weapons onto his belt. "Something big is about to happen."

"Big?" she asked. She didn't like how that sounded.

"There was a brief detection of an Arrancar in the human realm," he told her.

Ember eyes went wide, "An Arrancar?" Arrancar were Hollows that had gained Shinigami powers and removed their masks to assume more human-like forms. The only clues to them being former Hollows would be the remnants of their skull-like masks and the Hollow hole on their body; a hole where the heart should've been but had vanished a long time ago prior to them becoming Hollows and then Arrancar. "Do you really need to go?"

"I have to, Ember," he said to her. "It's my mission. It's the only reason the Shinigami haven't busted me yet. I'm an agent of The Order."

"But-" Ember was halted when Ryan flash stepped to her and claimed her lips with his. Her eyelids lowered as she enjoyed the sensation for a few seconds before they drew apart.

"I'll come back, Ember," he assured her. "Trust me."

Ember sighed, "Okay…just come back soon, ok?"

Ryan smirked and teased, "So we can do it again?" She threw a pillow at him. "Hey!"

"Pervert," she snickered.

"Oh, you know you love me."

"I do. Now go get them, tiger."

With that, Ryan created a portal using his Trumpet Blaster, Ibuki, by blowing into it and then stepping into the portal. The portal vanished leaving no trace of it.

Ember, gaining inspiration, picked up a pencil and paper and began writing another song. Her eyes wandered over to the spot where Ryan had vanished. She cast it one last worried glance before focusing on the new song she was about to create.

She was going to call it 'Hollowed Heart'.

Ryuki was standing on the porch, leaning over the banister as he looked up at the sky. Both Brimstone and Jinx soon joined him. The pink haired witch leaned her head on his shoulder as the demon dog licked his hand.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked. She knew the answer.

"I thought I finally got over it, but the truth is I haven't," he told her.

"Tazuka, right?" she reasoned.

"Hai, I just don't feel I have any right to be here, doing what is supposed to be his assignment."

"Shadow thought you had the right. He was your best friend."

"He was more than that, he was my brother," he corrected. "And it still hurts," he said, placing a hand to his chest.

"I know the feeling. The pain never really goes away, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Ryuki nodded.

Suddenly, Yaminekoryu exited from Ryuki's body and looked really panicked. Ryuki was surprised to see his Spiritual Guardian like this. "Yaminekoryu, what's wrong?"

"Yaminekoryu?" Jinx questioned. She had not been able to see him ever since knowing about his existence through Ryuki and she still couldn't see him. Ryuki could see him just fine.

"Aibou, we got trouble, big trouble!" Yaminekoryu panicked. "Head's up!"

Realizing the danger, Draco grabbed Jinx quickly around the waist as well as Brimstone before leaping back when a large shape crashed into the porch, sending shattered wood and splinters flying. Mammoth, Jasmine and Gizmo quickly came rushing out of the house. The large brutish teen was wiping milk of his chin.

"What's going on?" Mammoth asked.

"Yeah, what happened?" Gizmo added.

Brimstone seemed to growl at nothing as he bared his teeth and glared, but Ryuki, Jasmine and Jinx could see what was right in front of them…A Hollow.

Hollows, spirits corrupted by darkness that had lost their hearts. They often appeared animalistic and demonic but shared two common traits. One was the hole on their chests where the heart had been and the second trait would be white skull-like masks they wore over their faces.

The Hollow in front of them had the traits of an elephant. It had a grey hide and big hole in its chest. It, like other Hollows, had a skull mask resembling an elephant and with a trunk. It also had spikes along its back. The beast trumpeted and stampeded towards them.

Mammoth and Gizmo couldn't see the Hollow, but Ryuki could. He acted quickly and charged at the Hollow, throwing a fist directly at its skull mask and sending it flying. It dragged along the grass and came to a stop over the bushes.

Ryuki turned to the others and then back at the Hollow as it came back up to charge at them. It swung its trunk from side to side and lowered its head. It wanted to gore them with its tusks and eat their souls. Ryuki would have none of that. He reached into his pocked and pulled out his Zodiac Deck. Jinx also prepared herself to summon her Inzecter. She was going to stand by him, no matter what. Brimstone was also by his master and his master's mate, ready to combat this threat.

The Hollow charged straight towards them but then there was a sudden flash before it stopped moving. It froze just like a statue.

"Why…did it just stop?" Jinx asked. Ryuki shrugged, not knowing the answer. His eyes were trained on the Hollow as it just stood there.

Then it made a move, but not a violent one. It body just shuddered and fell over onto its side as its skull mask split apart. The Hollow then dissolved into nothingness, not leaving a single trace of it behind.

"Uh…what just happen?" Jinx asked, dumbfounded.

"Can anyone tell me what the heck is going on!?" Gizmo yelled out.

"I think I can answer that," spoke a new voice that Ryuki recognized.

"Ryan-sempai!" Ryuki said as he saw the Vizard approach them, resting his Guitar Axe, Zanki, on his shoulder.

"Hey, kiddo," Ryan, also known as Kamen Rider Oni, grinned. "Sorry if I took care of that thing for you. I knew you could've handled it though."

Ryuki ran out to meet his senior Rider and bowed to him. He then asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Um…who the heck is he?" Mammoth asked.

"One of those Kamen Riders that Ryuki told us about," Jinx explained. She had met Ryan too. It was strange, in a good way, to see another person with pink hair, much less a guy. She got to know Ryan as one of the best musicians and, not to mention, supernatural fighters she had ever met.

"He's a Shinigami," Jasmine observed.

"Not exactly," Jinx shook her head. Jasmine could sense the Shinigami in Ryan, but not the other half of him.

"Just got a call, saying there was a Hollow problem here," Ryan said to Ryuki.

"Hollow…Problem?" Ryuki asked, slowly. That would mean…Oh, no!

"June could be in danger!" Jasmine reacted. She had not yet prepped June on handling Hollows since those were the Shinigami's department, not responsibilities of the Te Xuan Ze. None of the past Te Xuan Ze had ever faced a Hollow before. There were spells to drive them away but not completely destroy them. If June faced a Hollow with her lack of experience, she would be killed.

"June?" Ryan questioned.

'The Te Xuan Ze here, the Great Protector," Ryuki explained, "And if you're right about this Hollow thing, she may need our help!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ryan asked rhetorically. "Let's help this girl out!"

Gizmo and Mammoth stepped in to help but Jinx raised a hand to stop them. "You two aren't going."

"Why not?" Gizmo whined.

"Well, neither of you can see Hollows or any of the magical creatures here," Jinx reasoned. "And you both need to help fix the porch."

"Hey, I'm ready for some action!" Mammoth confidently cracked his knuckles. "Let me at these Hollow things?"

"Fighting against opponents you can't see, much less sense?" Jinx shook her head, "Doubtful."

"The dog's going!" Gizmo argued.

"That dog will go anywhere Ryuki goes, plus he's a demon dog so he can see these things too," Jinx shot back. Gizmo grumbled. "Now, please, for me, guys?" Jinx said, placing a hand on their shoulders. "I'm trusting you two."

"Okay," Mammoth muttered, nodding.

"Fine," Gizmo grumbled, crossing his arms.

Jinx smiled and then summoned her Scarab Inzecter into her hand before joining Ryan, Ryuki, Jasmine, and Brimstone. They were going to help June.

June screamed as she was thrown back and violently smashed into the ground. She pushed herself back up, shakily, as her eyes narrowed towards her opponent.

She had quickly and easily (for her) dispatched the previous beast, and now faced a beast of another kind. It had a black body with white spots, two long arms that ended with hands that had long claw-like fingers that glowed with an eerie energy, 4 spider-like legs and a pair of insect-like wings on its back. Its head was like a skull-like mask and insectoid in appearance as well. It had mandibles and a pair of antennae. The eye holes of its mask revealed a pair of cold yellow and eerie eyes. On its chest was a large hole.

June knew what this was from the stories she had been told by Danny. This was a Hollow, a lost soul. She had never encountered one before in her whole career as the Te Xuan Ze and lacked any sort of experience against it. However, that didn't stop her from trying.

With a battle cry, she charged towards the Horror again, despite the cries of protest coming from Monroe.

"No, lass!" he shouted, "Get back! You can't stop that thing!"

"Just watch me!" she gritted her teeth and swung her fist into its head.

It didn't even flinch and just clicked its mandibles before swiping at her with its long claws. She ducked but then got the wind knocked out of her as one of its legs hit her in the stomach, hard. It then used the same leg to hit her face, sending her sliding against the grass, scratching her skin.

"JUNE! YOU CAN DO IT!" Ray-Ray shouted in encouragement, but seeing his sister's state was having an adverse effect on his own confidence.

"Dennis, found anything?" Monroe asked the eldest Lee boy.

"Can't find anything! Hold on!" Dennis flipped through a notebook. "Hah! Got it!" he waved a wand and chanted the spell and a barrier erected itself around the Hollow. "Hah, beat that!" The Hollow passed through the walls of the barrier easily. "WHAT!?" Dennis yelled, shocked and then checked his notebook again. "Crap, that barrier only works on non-ectoplasmic beings and that thing is full of it!"

"Any offensive spells?" Ray-Ray asked as Monroe took out a potion and threw it at the Hollow. It only served to make the malevolent spirit even angrier. Taking its attention away from June, it dashed towards the dog and two boys. But, June was not known to thrown in the towel quite easily so she leapt up and landed on its head and clutched the antennae.

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY FROM ME THAT EASILY!" she screamed before slamming her fist against its head several times. The Hollow thrashed about, trying to throw the rambunctious Te Xuan Ze off it. Her punches were slowly making cracks in its mask. Just one more and…

FWOOSH!!!

"ARGH!" June screamed as one of the antennae pierced her shoulder, spraying blood. It then removed itself and June dropped down to the ground, clutching her injured shoulder. She seethed and hissed in pain. The Hollow clicked its mandibles and flexed its fingers. It would be eating a very powerful soul tonight.

Monroe growled and barked before lunging at the Hollow only for it to smack him away. Ray-Ray caught the unconscious dog as he and Dennis looked on in horror as the Hollow was about to have their sister for supper.

"DRAGON COMBUSTION KICK!"

"SCARAB SMASH!"

"GUITAR AXE CHOP!"

A red fiery streak, followed by a black and purple blur and a black flash suddenly struck the Hollow simultaneously. The Lees watched as the Hollows body was sliced straight down the middle in half before its entire head and body exploded and vanished without a trace. June knew who they were very well.

"Draco…" she breathed out, standing as Dennis helped her back to her feet. He was bandaging up her wound.

Zodiac Knight Draco turned to look at June before he reached up and removed his helmet. Jinx, also known as Masked Rider Scarab, also removed her own helmet. A glow surrounded Kamen Rider Oni's head before it faded away, leaving Ryan without his mask on.

"You okay?" Ryuki asked with his eyes on June's wound.

"I'll live," she said, hissing a bit.

"Good," the Dragon Knight smiled.

"Juniper!" Jasmine cried as she rushed towards her injured granddaughter. "Are you alright?" Her eyes were on the bandage. "You're hurt!"

"I'm fine, Ah Mah," June assured her grandmother. "Nothing I haven't handled before."

"Good," Jasmine sighed, relieved.

"Those Hollows are generally pretty tough," Ryan said, "Then again, for a human, you're pretty tough too."

"What's that supposed to mean?" June narrowed her eyes. Ryan held his hands up in defense.

"Hey, I didn't mean anything by it, Juniper Lee!"

"That looks pretty bad," Jinx said as she looked at the bandaged wound. "We better get that looked at."

"Aye, I agree," Monroe nodded.

"A talking dog?" Ryan asked. That was a new one. The again, he had heard from a friend that former captain Kisuke Urahara had a friend who could turn into a cat.

"Not too weird for me," Ryuki shrugged, briefly being reminded of Fu Dog back in New York.

Brimstone approached the smaller hound and sniffed him and Monroe barked back, "Easy there!" Monroe then narrowed his eyes, "Hey, wait a tick! You're not a real dog! You smell like a demon!"

Ryuki chuckled in amusement as all eyes were on him. "Looks like the secret's out." He pressed a button on his watch and the holographic illusion faded away around Brimstone, revealing his true hell-houndish self. Dennis jumped back.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!?" he screamed, pointing at the Kaiser with his wand.

"My pet," Ryuki answered simply, scratching Brimstone between the horns. The hell-hound barked.

"You tamed a Kaiser?" Monroe said, impressed.

"Long story," Jinx said.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" June asked. "And who are you?" she directed the question towards Ryan.

"Ryan Kazama," he answered, "With The Order." He didn't want to go too in depth about him being a renegade Shinigami. He barely knew June yet to trust her with that kind of information.

"And I'm here to…evaluate you," Ryuki answered, hesitantly.

"Evaluate me?" June asked.

"It was supposed to be Tazuka doing this…but…"

"I know."

"THAT WAS SO COOL!" Ray-Ray exclaimed, recovering from the shock. "THE EXPLOSION! THAT ARMOR! WICKED! AND YOU FIGHT WITH A GUITAR? SWEET!!!"

"Pretty hyper, isn't he?" Ryan observed.

"Too much sugar and caffeine," was Dennis and June's unison answer.

"So, when do we begin this evaluation?" June asked Ryuki.

But then everyone froze when they heard a clapping sound echoing through the woods. It was eerie since none of them was even clapping…

"What is that?" Jinx questioned, gulping in fright. Ryan had his eyes narrowed as he detected the spiritual pressure.

"Very nice, very nice," someone spoke as a blue figure faded into view. Ryan immediately tensed up, recognizing it. "Very nice indeed."

"An Arrancar!" Ryan gripped his guitar and re-summoned his black mask.

The Arrancar, obviously male, was dressed in a blue jacket with long sleeves and black cuffs. He wore black pants. Around his waist was a black sash that had his Zanpakuto secured to it. On his hands were black leather gloves. On his feet were black leather shoes. His Hollow mask was whole, strangely, since most Arrancar only had a fragment of their original masks remaining during the conversion. It had a fin on top and a grinning facemask. His eyes were concealed by the shadows of his mask.

"You are correct about that," the Arrancar said as he zipped down his jacket to under his chest, revealing a Hollow hole before zipping it back up again.

Ryuki was feeling something familiar when he stared at this Arrancar. It was as if he knew him.

'That voice…but it can't be…' Ryuki thought. "Who…who are you…?"

The Arrancar took a look at Ryuki and the Dragon Knight could feel those eyes piercing into his soul. Jinx stood next to him, grasping his hand in comfort. The Arrancar saw this and growled.

"I see you've found happiness," the Arrancar said. "Congratulations."

"Do I know you?" Ryuki asked but then Oni stepped up to face the Arrancar.

"I'm going to send you away!" Oni declared.

The Arrancar wagged his finger, "Manners, please. It would be wise if we were to introduce ourselves, but I don't see the need since I know who all of you are." He raised his hands up to his mask. "I am known as El Pasenderos Aguarius…but I think you all know me better as…" he removed the face mask and everyone's eyes went wide, minus Jinx.

"Surprised?" the Arrancar grinned, his cold blue eyes staring at them soullessly.

"Nii…san…?" Ryuki breathed out.

To Be Continued…

Who is this mysterious Arrancar? What does he want? Why did Ryuki call him 'niisan'? I give you all a cookie to those who guess correctly…

Oh, and thanks to both Shadow Element 13 and Ten Faced Paladin for being my betas and editing where it was needed! Read their fics too, k?