Broken Hearts.

Chapter 3: Hollow 101.

Miyuki couldn't help but enjoy how Ichigo handled his first Hollow as a Substitute Soul Reaper – not counting the one from the night before.

She'd easily kept pace with the two after she'd hidden Ichigo's body, and she'd gotten to the park in time to see the argument between him and Rukia in concern for the young spirit being chased by a spider-like Hollow.

She had no intention of letting the spirit be eaten by the Hollow. True, she liked to stay out of other Hollow's business, but if she came upon a spirit of a child being pursued by a Hollow she lent a hand. She wasn't surprised that she hadn't a need to worry. Ichigo acted as the protector he was, and showed Rukia just how unpredictable he was when he cut the spider's legs off.

"So, you've decided," Rukia said, almost smugly.

Ichigo looked back at her with narrowed eyes, nearly growling, though Miyuki doubted Rukia's hearing was good enough to notice it.

"I haven't decided squat!" he declared, shocking Rukia speechless. "You can't expect me to just stand by while someone needs help! I decided to save that boy because I wanted to, you hear me?"

Turning to look at her, Ichigo asked, "What about you?"

"Me, what about me?" she asked, wondering what the orange haired boy was referring to.

"I remember you went out of your way to help me and my family last night." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Tell me, were you really thinking about your duty when you came to my aid? Of course not! That's the last thing on anyone's mind when their saving someone!"

Ichigo hefted his large Zanpakutō up, and Rukia saw the Hollow return to it's feet and begin to charge at Ichigo. Before she could speak he beat her to it.

"At the very least...I choose," Ichigo began, eyes cold and determined as he turned to the side, sticking his blade out. "To be different!"

Rukia watched in slight awe as the Hollow was impaled through the mask on the blade, and began to dissolve. She didn't know him well, but she admitted she'd never expected this from him. Not only was he close to an Arrancar, a Hollow, but he had such a strange moral code.

He claimed to not care to save random strangers, yet he contradicted himself by doing just that. Yet his words contradicted the contradiction, if that made any sense. Rukia wasn't sure it did, but what she was trying to get across...was that she was impressed.

"Well done," Miyuki spoke up from her tree branch, making everyone turn towards her. "I especially enjoyed your speech, putting shorty there in her place."

The redhead snickered at the surprised, and then angry and annoyed air the Soul Reaper gave off. The short girl would be amusing to annoy, though she also felt the girl would be a good friend, if she could let go of her dislike for Hollows. Maybe learn to let loose, removing that stick-up-her-ass that she'd seen one to many times in the clans when she was alive.

Actually, the girl reminded her a little of the Hyūga clan, maybe there was some sort of relation?

"Miyuki," Ichigo said, and blinked when he saw the ice cream in the girls hands. It was a waffle bowl with vanilla, and chocolate ice cream, crushed cookies and hot fudge. He twitched for a second. "You stopped for ice cream, at a time like this!?"

Miyuki grinned, and shrugged, sticking a spoonful in her mouth happily as she walked over to them. As she got within feet of them she had to pass the boy spirit, who saw her, and began to crawl away slowly.

"NO! No more monsters!" the boy cried. "Please, don't eat me, I wouldn't taste very good anyways."

Miyuki froze, as did Ichigo, though he froze mostly in surprise at the boys words. She turned to the little boy, who looked terrified of her and shook for a moment. She didn't come in contact with many plus souls, she tried to stay away from them for this very reason.

Blinking once, the girl slowly pushed the hurt of the boys words back, and smiled kindly. She knelt and held out her hands, which held the remaining half of her ice cream.

"I won't eat you, I promise," Miyuki said. "I'm not even hungry, I swear on my mask. Here, do you want the rest of my ice cream, kid?"

her voice was as kind as she could make it, but she'd always liked kids and been good with them, even when she was alive. Sakura used to say she had a huge maternal streak, and would make a great mother, of course she'd never gotten the chance. Though, it wasn't like she couldn't even in death.

While Hollows usually didn't have reproductive organs, Arrancar's did. Of course, there had never been a recorded birth between Hollows. At least not for nearly two thousand years, if not longer. It was hard to keep track of time when you lived forever, unless killed in battle.

The spirit boy looked wearily at the girl with the scary mask fragment, and same presence as the monsters that chased him. Yet it was also different, not as malevolent, it was almost like a controlled chaos. Slowly he moved forward, reaching for the ice cream, something he hadn't had in what felt like years since he'd died.

He hadn't been aware he could eat anything, he was never hungry after all.

"Th...thank you, Fox-chan," the boy said, not knowing her name and recognizing the mask fragment as that of a fox, at least it reminded him of a fox.

"That was...kind," Rukia said, though she'd never seen or heard of Pluses or Hollows eating food, much less human food. She assumed it was converted into reishi in digestion.

Ichigo grunted, nodding before he walked over to the boy who was finishing the ice cream and knelt down.

"Listen kid, if you want monsters to stop findin' you, then you better hurry and move on," Ichigo said and tapped the boys forehead with his Zanpakutō's handle.

Miyuki smiled as the boy was bathed in light and disappeared to Soul Society. She'd only seen a few soul burials, but they were beautiful sights to behold. If only Rukongai was run more smoothly, as for how she knew anything about the home of most Souls in Soul Society, she had her ways.

She'd been there before, if only to try and find the ones most important to her in the past. A few had become Shinigami, others were content to live in Rukongai, but they had gotten assigned relatively good districts. A few were not so lucky. Most had died again, and gone on to be reincarnated. Those still around, well it wasn't like she could sneak in often, she hadn't been back to Rukongai – she stayed out of Seireitei itself – in over three centuries.

She smiled slightly as she remembered the few times her presence had been detected, of course by the time they'd begun looking for the 'Ryoka', she was long gone. She had a feeling the old man, Yamamoto, had an inkling who had gotten in and out pretty much unnoticed.

Good times, good times.

"That was beautifully done," Rukia said, approaching the orange haired teen.

Ichigo's usual frown deepened and he turned, taking a moment to acknowledge Miyuki.

"I'm out of here," he said, but after a few steps he stopped and glanced at Miyuki. "You coming too, Yuki?"

Miyuki smirked slightly and nodded, taking a few quick steps to catch up with the taller boy, leaving Rukia to stare at their retreating figures in surprise. It wasn't hard to sense the dark haired girl was unsure what to do.

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Ichigo stared at Miyuki, taking in everything he'd learned in the last hour and half. While he'd known there was a lot about the redhead he didn't know, he'd not thought she was anything more than a spirit.

True, she didn't have a chain, but he'd assumed the chain was either hidden, or she was old enough it simply fell off, like an umbilical cord on a newborn. Looking back he supposed it was a bit foolish to assume that much. She also didn't have any signs of being a Hollow, besides the mask fragment which made so much more since now. He'd never, not once, seen her without it. At the same time he'd never seen a hole that he saw on every Hollow he'd seen so far – which admittedly was only two or three.

Though it did explain a lot about Miyuki. The slit-pupil eyes, like a cat or more like a fox. The marks on her only revealed cheek, like three whiskers, and the way her canines were more like fangs you'd find on a fox or animal in general.

The darker undertone to her presence, though after being around her so long it really wasn't noticeable in the way the Hollows he'd fought was. It felt Hollow like, now that he had something to compare it too and was looking for it, but it lacked any evil or malevolent intent.

That was one reason he knew he could trust her, another being that he'd known her for so long. He had no doubt she'd have killed them long ago if she'd wanted too, but most of all there was a part of him, that made his chest feel tight and his heart beat strangely, that told him she could be trusted with his life. With his families life.

He'd always been one to trust his gut instincts.

"Why did you never tell me?" he asked, sitting on the roof of his home. "I understand why you didn't tell dad, Karin or Yuzu..."

"Would you have understood?" Miyuki asked. "I've always told those I've become attached to, like you mother and grandmother, who and what I am. I may leave things out, or omit details of my life – as you can imagine my human life is a touchy subject at the best of time."

Miyuki sighed, shaking her head, and Ichigo looked at her with a hint of concern, he hadn't meant to drag up memories of her past, if it was painful. He would admit he only knew that her name had been Uzumaki Miyuki when she was alive and in death. That she had been an orphan, and wasn't well liked in the village she'd lived in.

He'd always assumed she was a few centuries ol from this, since her use of the word village to describe her home, and villages like that hadn't been seen in four, three hundred years. He'd paid enough attention in history to know that much.

"But, with the exception of a few, I've always waited until they were ready. I had planned to explain when you were seventeen. True, it's not that much longer, about a year give or take, but I guess I was afraid you might not want me around if I told you sooner."

"I get it," Ichigo said, nodding. "I still wish you'd told me, but I understand." Especially after mom... Ichigo trailed off, unable to finish that line of thought.

"Thank you," she muttered, loud enough for him to hear.

"Miyuki... if you're a Hollow, than where is your hole? Do you not have one ?" he asked, the question and his own curiosity concerning the girl getting the better of him.

Miyuki snorted slightly, tilted her head towards him an smirked. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to ask where a ladies hole is, Ichi-kun?" she asked, her tone teasing, and one eyebrow raised upwards.

Ichigo's eyes widened, and he shook his head and waved his hands in front of him, as if in a frantic surrender.

"No! That's not what I meant, I meant your hollow hol..." Ichigo trailed off as he noticed the redhead burst into fits of laughter and he flushed red in embarrassment. "That was a cruel trick, Yuki."

Miyuki smirked wider as she stopped laughing.

"You're the pervert who assumed I meant another hole," she said, amused by how embarrassed this whole topic made Ichigo.

With a devious look in her blue eyes she grabbed onto Ichigo hand, and to Ichigo's surprise set it on the area just bellow her breast. This only caused the boy to resemble a hot pepper, if a hot pepper had orange hair, that is.

"Yuk-i, what..." Ichigo's eyes widened, and stopped trying to remove his hand, when he realized that with the pressure Miyuki was applying to his hand, pressing his firmly against her, that her white Chinese-style dress bent inward, as if that area below the fabric was hollow. "Is that your...hollow hole?"

Miyuki removed her hand from Ichigo, allow the boy to remove his own hand once she knew he'd realized what she was trying to show him. He had asked, and it wasn't like she was ashamed of the hole... she'd gotten over it a long time ago.

She would have shown him the hole, but it was kind of hard with the clothes she commonly wore, the shin length, white cheongsam.

"Well, you did ask where it was," Miyuki said, shrugging. "I'm not ashamed of what I am, Ichigo, though I do prefer the term Arrancar. Makes me feel a little more...human, what good it does me."

Ichigo nodded, he could understand that. Though, he was still confused. Hollows were monsters, like demons, how had she become one to begin with? Where Arrancar different, like breeds of the same species, or was it something else? He didn't think it right to ask, not after he'd already asked her about her hollow hole, which was probably kind of personal as far as questions went.

"I should go in," Ichigo said, standing. "Are you staying?"

Miyuki had a frown on her face for a moment as she decided, but finally she nodded. "Yes, but I'll probably leave sometime during the night. I have something I need to do."

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" he asked, and she chuckled, her eyes lit mischievously.

"I would, but why ruin the surprise," Miyuki said, more than asked. "You'll find out tomorrow."

Ichigo nodded, helped Miyuki up – though he doubted she really needed the hand up – and the to began to return inside the house.

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Rukia quietly made her way back to her closet, well Ichigo's closet, she was simply using it having nowhere else to live.

She was embarrassed by this, one reason why she hadn't told Ichigo. She knew eventually she wouldn't be able to hide it, but until then, she would keep out of sight. Added to the fact she'd just eavesdropped on a rather personal conversation, well it wouldn't do well to be caught listening in.

she didn't usually do such a thing, being a Kuchiki she was taught not to act out of her nobility, and eavesdropping was considered a big no-no, but she'd caught part of their talk and couldn't not listen afterward. The only thing she could say to justify it was at least now she had a little more of an understanding of Miyuki.

She'd been trying to wrap her mind around the idea of a Hollow – no, Arrancar, she reminded herself – that wasn't intent on eating every soul it took a liking too. A peaceful one, it was unheard of. But, she thought, staring up at the closet ceiling, maybe that was because they'd never tried to get the full story before they destroyed Hollows.

She knew she didn't exactly take to trying to find out if the Hollows she was sent after were evil or not before she attacked, but Rukia didn't think there were many Hollows like Miyuki. She was still weary of Miyuki though, it would take some time before she could trust the girl without second guessing herself.

"Ichigo, have you seen my pajamas? I can't find them..."

Looking to the side, at the doors, she heard Ichigo sigh in annoyance.

"No, Yuzu, I don't know where you pajamas are," he replied.

"That's strange, I'm missing a few dresses as well. Karin also mentioned she had some jeans and shirts missing, along with a pair of shoes."

Rukia grimaced at this, she hated having to borrow Ichigo's sister clothes, but they were the only one with clothes her size. She had been careful not to take much, but it looked like it had still been noticed. She didn't listen to the rest of what was said, but her thoughts were soon interrupted by the beeping of her phone, alerting her to a Hollow.

Flipping it open, blinked in surprise.

"A Hollow, now?" her eyes widened, and she sat straight up, throwing the closet door open and putting on her glove in nearly the same instant.

"Ichigo!" she exclaimed, jumping from the closet and shocking Ichigo and Miyuki.

"Huh, what the hell are you doing in there!? Have you been there the whole time and are those my sister clothes!?" Ichigo yelled, and Miyuki shook her head.

If he continued at this rate the whole house would hear him. It was a miracle no one had, but than again, there was a chance Isshin had – after all, she had her suspicions that he was already catching on to the fact Ichigo was a Shinigami.

"No time, we're not alone," Rukia said and shot forward, smacking her palm into his head, and knocking his spirit from his body.

Miyuki smirked, wondering if she could get her hands on that glove, or one like it? Even the second time, it still looked fun – though maybe not for Ichigo.

Seconds later Miyuki's eyes widened, and cursed her own recklessness as she jumped from Ichigo's bed and watched as a Hollow came through a black portal at the head of his bed.

"A Hollow," Miyuki said, eyes narrowed.

"Here?" Ichigo muttered, reaching back for his Zanpakutō. "Dammit!"

Ichigo jumped back once more, along with everyone before he had his sword in his hand.

"Don't just stand there," Rukia said. "Attack it, aim for the head!"

"I know!" Ichigo said, and attacked, slashing at the Hollow's head.

Miyuki twitched, her hand going towards her Zanpakutō. She wanted to help, Sasuke would say she had a hero complex, she just thought he was being a bastard. She didn't have a hero complex, at least...she didn't go around saving everyone, not anymore. Ichigo was one of her precious friends though, but at the same time she knew Ichigo would only get hurt in the future if she took care of battles for him.

As she took a step back, eyes narrowed, and watched Ichigo get rid of the Hollow, she knew she would have to talk to him about training. Ichigo had no experience, and he'd need that if he wanted to survive against stronger Hollows. Maybe if she asked nicely one of the others would help her, after all, her style of fighting might not be exactly right for teaching Ichigo.

She also knew she would help him, she knew herself well enough that she wouldn't stay out of every battle. She loved a fight, and protecting others was something even she couldn't stop completely. When the time came she would fight alongside him, but right now wasn't the time. The Hollow wasn't very powerful, probably a new one, and in the confined space, it was best only Ichigo attacked.

Miyuki closed her eyes, her own thoughts beginning to confuse her. Why did things have to be so complicated? Her thoughts were interrupted seconds later as she heard the roar of the Hollow. What surprised her was the echoing human undertone.

She wasn't sure if the other two heard it, but she knew the roars of a Hollow. She had heard many, even her own – though being an Arrancar now, and only being a Vasto Lorde for a short time, hadn't been often. She hadn't truly changed much when she lost her human life, and heart.

She gasped when she caught sight of the Hollows damaged mask before it escaped through it's portal. She moved over to Ichigo, knowing he would undoubtedly be shaken by the revelation. Neither she nor Rukia had outright told him what a Hollow was before it became a Hollow.

"It..it's.."

"Human underneath the mask?" Miyuki supplied for him, nodding grimly. "It's kind of obvious, after all, I once had a mask that covered the majority of my face as well."

Ichigo looked at Miyuki startled. "You were once like that..."

"Not exactly, I was never a normal Hollow. After I died I was instantly an Vasto Lorde, the highest evolution for those who don't know of Arrancar," she explained.

Rukia looked startled by her admission. "That's...impossible. I've never heard of a Hollow that started out at that level!"

Miyuki looked back at Rukia, and shrugged.

"Well, now days you don't, Shorty, but I'm older than I look, as I've said, and it is possible. It depends on the power the plus soul had before their chain erodes. Nowadays that doesn't even matter, unless they were spiritually aware and there aren't many strong enough to skip an evolution. It happens, but very rarely."

Rukia was at a loss for words. Just how old was Miyuki?

"Wait," Ichigo began, eyes wide. "You mean to tell me those things are humans? I mean, I assumed Miyuki was once human, but I thought that maybe she was another species or something, being an Arrancar and that it tied in..."

"It wasn't human, Ichigo, not anymore. Hollows are the souls that lose themselves to negative emotions. Regret, pain, loneliness, hate, rage, despair. Their chain of fate erodes over time and before a Shinigami can send them off they become Hollows, losing their hearts."

Miyuki nodded.

"That is more or less correct. The holes you see in Hollows are the symbol of our lost hearts, and some believe, our souls," Miyuki said, startling Ichigo as he stared at her. He'd never seen Miyuki quite so serious and grim before.

"I don't personally believe the latter, even Hollows have souls, if we didn't then Shinigami wouldn't be able to purify Hollows and send them to Soul Society, they'd simply be destroyed."

"Purified?" Ichigo muttered, understanding. "The souls of the Hollows are sent to Soul Society after their killed, then?"

Rukia and Miyuki both nodded.

"Along with any souls they've consumed and became part of the fold," Rukia said, sneaking a look at Miyuki who caught the look, and glared slightly. Ichigo missed this exchange.

So sue her for having to eat, at least she chose to eat other Hollows. Besides, she held a Zanpakutō, and since hers held a spirit, much like a Shinigami, any souls from the Hollows she ate were purified over time, while she kept the nourishment that came from eating.

Rukia could live without knowing that yet though, she wasn't in the mood to share the information.

"We should go," Rukia said, shaking her head. "The longer we wait here who knows what that Hollow is doing."

Ichigo nodded grimly.

"Right, but... that Hollow, I saw it's face, and it was Orihime's dead brother," he said, looking at the two girls who gasped in shock.

"We need to go, now," Miyuki said, grabbing the sleeve of Ichigo's Shihakushō and dragging him out the window, Rukia coming right behind them.

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Yuki cursed herself for letting her guard down as she sat up, looking over to where Ichigo was staring at the Hollow in shock.

She felt a deep sadness as she remembered the story of Orihime's brother. It was truly sad when a good soul was forced to Hollowfy, and it was obvious by the fact he was currently fighting the Hollowfication, that it wasn't simply his soul having lingered too long that had him become a Hollow.

"Wait, don't Sora..." Ichigo trailed off, only to be stopped by Miyuki speaking up as she began walking over to help Rukia with Orihime and Tatsuki.

"No, Ichigo," she said, and looked at Sora with sad eyes, and Ichigo was sure he saw the glazed over with a sheen of tears, something unusual for Miyuki. "He'd be better off moving on, when it comes to Hollows there are the lucky ones and the not so lucky ones. There is no saying he would be able to retain his conscience and mind... most do not. I wish there was another way, but it is clear Sora-san does not wish to continue on as a Hollow."

Ichigo swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat with all the emotions saturated in the air, and looked back to Sora who held the sword ready to purify himself. The Hollow nodded.

"You're friend is right," Sora said. "I didn't become this by my own choice and I don't want to live as one either. The pain, the hollow feeling is too much for me to bare. I proved this to myself by nearly killing my precious little sister."

Ichigo looked down, but nodded in understanding. He'd feel the same way if his and Sora's rolls were reversed.

Sora closed his eyes, and moved to impale himself, when Orihime spoke up, stopping the Hollow.

"Wait, please... I need to say something," Orihime gasped out, looking over at her brother with tearful eyes.

Rukia stood crouched at her side, tending to her wound, and Miyuki had reached where Tatsuki was not far from her, and was making sure she was alright.

"This hairpin... do you remember the argument we had about it, the day you gave it to me, Aniki? I said I didn't like it because I thought it didn't look grown-up enough for me. I know I hurt your feelings; and you left without saying anything else. And that was the last time I saw you alive." Orihime choked on a sob as tears fell, but she tried to smile slightly as she continued, finding the strength to sit up. "So now I want to say what I should have said to you when you went off to work that day. Bye big brother... have a good day."

Sora smiled.

"Thank you, Orihime, and goodbye. One day we may see each other again, Imouto."

They all watched as Sora ran the Zanpakutō in his hands through himself, and he dissolved in blue particles, and Orihime broke down into sobs, Rukia doing her best to comfort the girl. Even Miyuki had a hand on the usually bright spirited girls shoulder in support.

It had been a long time since she'd had to comfort anyone, though, so she was unsure if she was any help at all. Standing up, Miyuki removed her hand from Orihime's shoulder and moved to Ichigo's side. He had gone to retrieve his Zanpakutō.

"Hey, you alright?" Miyuki asked, and Ichigo looked at the spot Sora had once been.

"I should be asking you," he said, looking at her. "That was a pretty nasty hit you got earlier"

Miyuki waved it off, rubbing the back of her head where it had collided with one of the walls of Orihime's home.

"It's nothing, he just caught me off guard," she said. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

Ichigo nodded, for some reason not doubting that.

"Let's go, I'm sure Rukia has a plan as to what to do about Orihime and Tatsuki," Ichigo said, sheathing his sword on his back and turned to see Rukia using some device on the two girls – Orihime returned to her body.

Miyuki lingered behind as Ichigo asked Rukia what she had done to them, and thought of how things were really changing. She couldn't help but wonder how bad Ichigo's luck would get before it was over.

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She left early, around six, and was careful not to wake Ichigo who actually slept rather lightly at times.

She also didn't want to disturb Rukia, or the others in the house. Not that it was likely. As she darted across the town, yawning as she went she thought of how Ichigo would react to her surprise.

It had been a long time since she'd done anything like this, but it would be worth it If only to not be so bored, and to see the look on Ichigo's face when he saw her. If he recognized her, that is. Smirking, Miyuki came out of her thoughts as she stopped her run at a familiar shop.

On the sign she could easily read; Urahara Shōten.

Outside the shop, seemingly watching the sunrise, was a tall man in brown and green, wearing a white and green hat that covered pale blonde hair. His eyes were hard to make out, but she knew they were gray. In his hand he twirled a cane, smiling in her direction now.

"Kisuke, long time no see," Miyuki said, walking forward.

Urahara Kisuke, nodded before his smile widened slightly. "Yuki-hime, long time indeed."

Miyuki twitched at the nickname, an annoyance in her opinion, but she'd gotten used to it.

"Still the same," she muttered, shaking her head. "So, do you have it ready?"

Urahara nodded.

"I believe so, come in," he said, and the redhead followed him inside the shop, the door shutting behind them.