2: Shinigami
Ichigo lay awake on his bed. He found himself constantly looking over to the empty cupboard. It reminded him of his missing love, but he decided it was best not to dwell on her absence. He forced himself to get up and get something to eat. Anything to get his mind off of Rukia.
He lurched down the stairs, his head hung low. When he reached the bottom he noticed his father standing in the doorway, draping his arms over someone. Curiosity got the better of him and Ichigo decided to have a look.
He approached slowly, trying not to make any noise.
"What do you want, son?" Isshin snapped.
Ichigo stopped walking on the tips of his toes and straightened up. "What's going on?"
"It's not important. Just leave me alone."
"It sure looks important and-" Ichigo couldn't help but recognize the woman trapped in his father's embrace. "You're that woman from next-door! Sven's friend...Um...Ah..." He couldn't place the name to the face and it seemed to make her cry. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to forget your name it's just that-"
"Ichigo! Go away!" Isshin snarled. "Rins-Chan is not feeling well."
Ichigo frowned. "Well why isn't Sven minding her?" That caused her weeping to intensify. Ichigo bit his tongue and backed away. "What's wrong with her?"
Isshin opened his mouth to yell at his son but Rinslett pushed him aside and collapsed at Ichigo's feet. "Sven!" She cried. "He...He...He ran off...But...But..." She couldn't get it out. She had to stop constantly to take deep breaths or sob. Isshin helped her up and led her into the lounge room. He draped a towel around her and sat her down.
"Poor thing, you shouldn't have gone running about without an umbrella. You're soaked."
"Never mind me!" Rinslett croaked. "Sven's out there!"
"I know. You told me. I'm sure he's just waiting for the rain to stop. He'll come back." Isshin spoke reassuringly, his usually gruff tone discarded for a smoother one. "Ichigo, make yourself useful and get her some tea."
"Sure." Ichigo stepped into the kitchen and prepared the drink, all the while eavesdropping on their conversation. There was definitely something wrong. Why else would she be crying like a nervous wreck?
"Please calm down. I'm sure he's fine!" Isshin reassured her again, stroking a hand through her damp purple hair.
"No! You don't understand! We had a fight! He wanted to rescue Eve all by himself but I told him to wait! He didn't listen to me and he ran off!" Rinslett sniffed loudly and made a choking noise. "Then...Then...He called me and said...He was coming home."
"Well then, there's nothing to worry about!" Isshin exclaimed.
"No! He tried to say something else but...But he never managed. He went all silent and didn't respond! I-I think he's hurt or...Or worse!"
Ichigo's eyes widened. He dropped the cup and the scalding hot liquid splattered all over the floor. That final line struck a chord in his mind.
"Ichigo? Did you drop something? Hey Ichigo!" Isshin called from the other room. He got up and ran into the kitchen but the room was empty. "What the hell? Ichigo, where did you go? Ichigo?"
The door slammed shut and in an instant, Isshin knew what was going on. He shook his head and frowned. He made another cup of tea and returned to Rinslett's side. "Sorry about that. You know teenagers these days. It's all about drama."
Ichigo darted over rooftops, the solid rain pelting his back. The massive guardless sword shielded him partially but it wasn't enough. He was drenched within a few seconds. He wiped the large drops fro his forehead, stopping them from sweeping down into his eyes. He blinked out the worst of it and studied the world beneath him. The streets were bare except for the main road which was choked with grid-locked traffic.
Sven...I hope you're alive! We made an oath...To save them together! I can't let you die so soon!
It was an exhausting search. Leaping over rooftops was becoming incredibly difficult with his sodden kimono. He had to run on the ground like a regular person. He kept his senses wary of any weak presence but he never traced Sven.
After what felt like an eternity of scanning the darkened streets he discovered something lying in a gutter. At first it looked like a sandbag, but Ichigo knew better than that. He sprinted towards the object and slipped in a puddle. He crawled on his hands and knees unit he was above it.
"Sven...No..."
The unfortunate sweeper was curled up in a ball, most likely trying to shield himself from the cold. Deep rivulets of blood soaked into the pavement and ran with the rain down through the gutter. His suit was all dirty and torn in some placed. His skin was deathly pale and worst of all...A large bloody stab wound ran straight through him, front to back.
"Impossible...It...It can't be!"
"GAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHH!" A horrible, agonised scream echoed from a nearby alley. Ichigo ran down the man-made corridor and discovered something shocking.
Sven's soul was cowering between a dumpster and a corner wall. He was shaking uncontrollably and facing away from Ichigo. His arms were wrapped around himself.
"S-Sven?" Ichigo whispered cautiously.
Sven replied with a loud cry and he spun around suddenly. His eyes were wide and terrified. He stared at Ichigo and began to tremble.
"Ichigo...What's happening...To...Me?" Before an answer could be uttered Sven fell to his knees and roared again.
Ichigo approached slowly, taking note of the short length of chain attached to Sven's chest. There was no doubt anymore. Sven was dead and pretty soon he would become worse than dead...
The chain was only five links now and the encroachment was beginning to go through its final stages. Ichigo took his sword from his back and stared at it. There was no special marking for Soul Burials. Rukia would have been able to save him, but she was gone...There was no other way around it.
Ichigo bowed his head. "I'm sorry Sven. I can't stop the pain...All I can do is put you out of your misery."
Sven almost choked. "You're going to kill me? Please? You're a shinigami! Surely you can stop the chain eating me!"
"The chain won't eat you unless you interfere with it. However...You will cease to exist as you are once the chain is gone."
"What do you mean? What'll happen to me?"
"You will turn into a hollow." Ichigo said bluntly.
Sven fell silent for a moment but the chain links dropped down to only two and he screamed, writhing about on the ground. Ichigo stepped over him, raising his sword, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry Sven."
"No!" Sven shielded himself with his hands. "There has to be another way! Please...I have to rescue Eve!"
"There is no other way. I can't perform Konso so this is the only thing to do. I'll make it quick, before you become a festering, soul-hungry beast!"
"No! Eve...Rescue...AAAAARRRGGH!" The final link was beginning to turn on itself. Sven began to convulse.
Ichigo tried to fight back the tears but it was a downhill battle. He closed his eyes and sniffed. "I'm so sorry Sven...I promise I'll save Eve...I promise!" He tightened his grip on the sword and stiffened. He struggled to hold his sword steady in his shaking hands. He cursed at his inability to act. Time was running out. Ichigo had to act fast before-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHH!"
A large explosion threw Ichigo into the brick walls behind him. He was thrown into it and fell through into the building. He clawed his way out of the rubble and leaned against his sword. "Sven..."
The sweeper no looked like the man everyone knew. His face was covered in a melted white substance that soaked into his face and began to create a new mould. His arms began to bulge and rippling muscles tore through his sleeve and made his shirt turn to a tattered piece of cloth that fell to the ground. Spines burst out of his back. His fingers extended and claws grew on each tip. A blade tipped tail whipped about violently.
"No..." Ichigo whispered in disbelief.
Sven, or at least what used to be Sven glared at Ichigo with a single glowing red eye. Where his other eye should have been was a patch of mask with red markings. A single red line ran from the missing eye, up across the forehead to the opposite side, looking like an eye patch.
Ichigo took up his sword and tensed his muscles, prepared to fight to the death.
The hollow roared and charged, swiping its large clawed hands at the smaller foe. Ichigo ducked and weaved around the clumsy strikes and slammed the flat of his blade into Sven's gut. Hollow Sven reeled back but retaliated with his tail. Ichigo tried to block but the pale appendage coiled around him and lifted him from the ground before smashing him into the ground and surrounding buildings.
Ichigo roared fiercely and an explosion of reiatsu made the tail unfurl and return to its master. Ichigo stood his ground, the blue aura blazing around him, consuming the walls that trapped him in. He glared at the monster. It was no longer Sven. The caring, devoted sweeper was no more, merely a shell of a hungry beast.
"Sven would never have wanted to become this...For his sake I have to destroy you!" Ichigo raised his sword and cried, "Getsuga Tensho!" A massive blast of blue energy shot forth from his blade and the hollow leapt high into the air, dodging the strike which decimated the walled area around them and reduced the entire block to rubble.
Hollow Sven dropped to Earth with an earth-shattering boom. The ground cracked beneath him and a small tremor made Ichigo rock on his feet. He regained his footing and charged. With a great battle-cry Ichigo hacked at his former friend. The hollow stepped aside and scratched Ichigo, raking his claws into his back.
Ichigo fell forward but rolled to one side and swung his sword in a wide, horizontal arc, once again releasing a large blast of energy.
Hollow Sven had no time to react and the blast consumed him, blowing his midsection apart and bifurcating him. Dark blood splattered the area and the maimed upper half of the hollow stared up at the sky, unable to move.
Ichigo limped over to the fallen beast and stepped on its chest. Murderous contempt fuelled him on as he placed the tip of his sword against the beast's forehead. "I'm sorry Sven...I should have done this earlier!"
The blade sank through the mask and the hollow howled, its body contorting in its death throes. Within seconds its body disintegrated and vanished into thin air.
Ichigo threw Zangetsu to the ground and dropped on all fours. He stared into his reflection in a blood puddle and began to weep.
As he stared deeper into the rippling flood of death he began to see the faces of his missing friends. They all stared vacantly at him, betrayed looks in their cold eyes. Ichigo gritted his teeth and apologised to them. "Sorry...Sorry I couldn't protect you...I couldn't save you...I couldn't...I...I..." Unable to finish he broke down into tears. He sobbed endlessly until he felt the rain stop. He glanced up at the sky only to see a familiar face and an umbrella.
Ichigo sat in the back seat of the car, enjoying the warm air coming from the heater. He closed his eyes and tried to lose himself in the blissful warmth but the fresh memories of what he had done cut through him like a knife.
"I guess you found him." Isshin murmured. Ichigo glanced up at his father but said nothing. Even if he wanted to, words would only fail him. "I never wanted you to go searching for him. I was going to do it myself once Rinslett had calmed down. Death is never an easy thing to get used to..."
"Hollow..." Ichigo whispered under his breath.
"What was that son?"
Ichigo shook his head and felt a fresh wave of tears coming on.
"You know, slaying a hollow is not necessarily killing one." Ichigo looked up with a gleam of hope in his eyes. His father's words had conjured a memory of Rukia...An important lesson she had taught him in his early days as a Shinigami.
Ichigo and Rukia were in Orihime's apartment. Rukia cradled a dying Orihime, trying to bring her back from the brink of death. Ichigo stood opposite them standing his ground against a large hollow with a serpentine body and thick, muscly arms. The cracked mask revealed the identity of the beast and it was Orihime's older brother, Sora.
Their battle had ended when Orihime took a hit from the hollow in order to save Ichigo. As her dark blood gushed down her front and into the carpet she apologised for making her brother sad. Sora's fangs remained deep in her shoulder. Orihime hugged him, keeping him there while she whispered soothingly to him. As her legs began to tremble Sora held her steady but inevitably she fell.
Rukia began to heal her while Ichigo and Sora had their silent stand off. Knowing the grave mistake he had made, Sora grasped the shinigami's sword and pressed it to his own throat. Ichigo tried to stop him, not wanting Sora to die after regaining his humanity, but something Rukia said made it all right.
She smiled sweetly. "It's okay Ichigo. To reap hollows is not to kill them, but merely free them of sin."
Ichigo's eyes widened. The final words remained trapped in his head for the whole car ride home...
"The zanpakuto cleanses them...So that they can pass on to Soul Society..."
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