Chapter 3

"There has been much Hollow activity in the countryside of Japan at the moment, thus we would like a team of shinigami to check it out."

The administrator for the 1st Division stood in front of us, reading out from a scroll sent down by the Commander-General himself. Of course, the Commander-General was too important to issue such trivial missions directly, thus he usually called upon an administrator to do the work for him.

The administrator began shouting off a list of names, most of which involved personnel from the 11th Division, and a small group from the 4th. It was a masterstroke from the Commander-General. It was extremely obvious that the hotheaded 11th Division-ers were more than likely to get hurt if any battle happened, and by keeping the group of healers small it also helped in reducing casualties. Even if the healers were wiped out, the battle-hardened fighters had a 0% possibility of stopping after a few wounds. For the 11th Division, wounds just made the fight more fun.

What struck me wasn't the nature of this mission. I enjoyed fighting like the rest of my friends in the division, but because that stupid bitch (Refer to the end of Chapter 2) was coming too! No doubt we needed a healer, but why couldn't they send someone else?!

Immediately, I had went to speak with the Administrator, who had calmly replied without looking up from his documents. "No, we cannot send someone else. She's one of the best we have. Guess you'll have to live with it." From then on, I knew that my arguments were futile. The administrators were not only misers, but people that hardly changed their minds once they decided.

"You'll be setting off tomorrow. Run along now, I'm sure you've got things to pack." Were the last words the administrator said to me, before I was ushered out of the room.

I was already packed, with my haversack of essentials lying on my bed in my quarters. There wasn't much I could do now, except pray that everything would go well and we wouldn't be delayed. I couldn't stand a week with that obnoxious woman in the human world.


The next morning, we were all set and ready to go. Each of us had bid their farewells to families and friends. Many of us knew that the life of a shinigami was dangerous. We never knew when we might get eaten up by a Hollow, or when we might die in battle. Tears were shed, and arms were waved, then we were off!

The hooded members of the Kido Corps stood on both sides of a portal, uttering eerie chants that radiated with power, making the air seem tangible. The swirling purple portal ahead of us was our ticket to the Human World. Once we step through it, we shall walk into the Human World. As simple as that.

Some of us, first-timers (Like me) were hesitant to step into the swirling nebula of energy, but encouragement from our companions gave us the courage to walk in. Upon entry, I felt a tingling sensation along my body, as a light appeared at the end of the swirling energy. My body naturally moved towards the light, propelled by some unknown energy.

A few minutes later we landed in the human world, a forest, to be exact. The air was humid there, and you could smell the freshness of the air. My guess was that it was the morning, though we couldn't be sure, since time was different in Soul Society. The forested area was covered in trees, naturally, but everything was alien to me. Everything was just, green. Heck, even the moss-covered rocks were green! There was the sound of wet earth every time we took a step, and the crunch of tree branches and leaves with every step.

"Come on, lets investigate and get lost already." Came the chillingly familiar voice. Snotty and overbearing.

Oh shit, I thought to myself. Please, please, don't tell me that I've got to deal with that girl already! I slapped a palm to my face as I continued walking forward with the group. No, no. Don't put me in a confrontation with her. I've got to save my strength for those fucking Hollows if we meet any! There's always time for a confrontation after the battles (If there would be any). One of the 11th Division members held a mobile phone-like device in his hand, which was beeping slightly. Simply put, it was a detector for Hollows. It was scanning the area around us for any Hollows. Nothing was showing up on the radar. However, that did not mean that the mission was complete. Despite its high-sensitivity to the spiritual energy of Hollows, it had a small radius of detection.

We moved as a group, though there was some sort of contrast. In the front were the big, burly and rough 11th Division-ers, but at the back the small and scrawny healers huddled together, as if it gave them some sense of security to be as one. The only exception was Ai, who was standing behind the group, a few metres away. Her nose was up in the air and her arms were crossed. She was walking slowly in her snotty manner, unwilling to be near the group.

I ignored her, and said to the person who was holding the Hollow Detector casually, "Hey, pass that over, will ya?"

The shinigami tossed the object over to me, which I caught deftly. The radar still registered nothing, though we have walked quite a long way from our original spot now. It was reported that Hollow activity was seen in this forested area, and we were nearing the boundary now. What the heck happened? The reports were never false.

Though, something nagged at me in the back of my mind. The Hollows were seen, but it was never written that they were detected, nor was it written that they were felt. All that the report wrote was that the Hollows were seen. Could it be .. ?

A piercing scream interrupted my thoughts from the back of the line, as we heard the guttural cry of a Hollow. The masked monstrosities have attacked! The whole group turned around, and all we saw was Ai lying on the ground, bleeding in one arm. The panther-like Hollow had slashed her across the arm, and the impact had sent her flying.

Why hadn't we detected this? Was the detector faulty? Definitely not. We had the 12th check the detector quite a few times already! Unless .. Has the Hollows come up with a way to hide from our detection? There was no time to think. It was time to act. The cry and roar had attracted Hollows from all direction. We had been scammed. Well, scammed was an understatement. The reports wrote that there was "some Hollow activity". But from what we're seeing here, there are dozens of Hollows in the area!

A few of the shinigami were snapped up immediately, having their heads or even their entire bodies eaten by the invading Hollows. I drew my sword and slashed through the mask of one, driving it into the ground. Using my blade as a pivot, I spun my body around, kicking into the chests of the surrounding Hollows.

We were outnumbered, and struggling. The Hollows had the element of surprise, and they had succeeded on dividing us. A few of us had been eaten in the first wave, and a few others had been killed subsequently. Parrying the claws of a particularly shark-like Hollow, I severed its head from its shoulders with a casual cut while I flipped away to avoid another Hollow's acidic tongue.

"Byakurai!"

My cry reverberated throughout the forest as a stream of concentrated lightning erupted from my fingertip. I drew my finger through the air, letting the stream of lightning travel in a straight line. A few Hollows were dead upon contact, vanishing in clouds of dark matter, whereas others fell to the floor, groaning in pain and clutching at heavy wounds.

A few of the other shinigami had released their swords. Some of them were now clutching axes, larger swords and other unorthodox weapons of unknown origins in their hands, fighting fiercely with the Hollows. For everyone one of them we killed, there seemed to be two others that took its place!

It looked bleak for us. We all fought to our best, but none of us could stand against that many. Not without a boost. We were all worn out by the long battle.

My strikes were getting weaker, and weaker. Was it the end of the road for me now? I could see my life flashing through my eyes. Sounds corny, but true. My arm went numb, as I parried another blow from a flying Hollow. The force of the strike drove me to the ground, as I was rammed against a tree. The Hollow's claw was raised in a single strike, and it came down. In preparation for the end I closed my eyes. My last sight will not be the sight of my killer. I never imagined such an end for myself. I had always thought my end would not come, as shinigami were ageless. Otherwise, I thought that I would get struck down in battle, by a strong enemy, not a pitiful Hollow like this!

I waited for the piercing pain to come, before black oblivion, but it never came. Instead was a metallic clash, and a grunt of exertion. This sound, this voice, was so, so familiar. Obnoxiously familiar.

Opening my eyes, I saw Ai in front of me, her sword pushing against the claw of the Hollow whom nearly killed me. Woah. I can't say that I was touched, but it was a nice surprise. The mutual hate between us seems to have evaporated for a moment.

"Get off your ass, Kentucky!" she shouted at me, as her head was half-turned.

Scrambling off the ground, I realized that the hate between us was still in place, just that she now takes me as a comrade. Standing beside her, I sliced off the arm of the Hollow who was attacking her, and leapt into the air. As I soared up into the sky, a voice entered my mind. Gravelly, just like those lead singers of rock bands.

Kentake.

Gitamaru?

Who else?

Iunno, god?

Bah. Smartass. Say "Its time to rock."

What for?

Just say it, bastard.

Fine.

When I landed on the ground behind the Hollow, unknowingly my eyes had lit up with a sort of fire. It was not of anger, not of hatred, but of hope.

"Its time to rock!"

My words rang over the din of the battle, and a sudden explosion of spiritual pressure ensued. A green aura of spiritual energy surrounded me, as my sword began to hover in the air. My arms were at my side, and my head was facing upwards. My blade, then got enveloped in a wave of white light before ..

A single note of music tore through the air, and then hopes started to rise. I felt the weariness get chased away from my limbs as my confidence grew. In my hands I felt a familiar object, an electric guitar. My fingers were strumming it repeatedly, as I rocked my body to an unknown melody. The music streamed out of the guitar in all directions as a green light. Throughout the area we could see the wounds on the bodies of the shinigami disappear, as their confidence was renewed. We were outnumbered, but we were confident. Individually we are nothing. Together we are unstoppable.

Music notes began to materialize from the guitar, and they flew towards the Hollows. The Hollows were buffeted by streams of musical notes, each of which was worth a decent punch. A stream of energy flew past me, and I felt a rise in the spiritual pressure too. An orange blur zipped past my body, as I felt the familiar reiatsu of Ai rise. Has she discovered her Initial Release too?

I brought my mind back to music as it filled my body with hope and power. The music kept me fresh and untiring. Perhaps it was the effects of the music, perhaps it was the thrill and adrenaline rush of releasing. I didn't know, nor did I care.

"Hey, Kentucky. Guess who released too?"

Ai blurred right in front of me, as she wielded two revolvers in her hands. She was firing beams of energy from the revolvers, destroying a Hollow in a single shot. Our numbers had dwindled down to half a dozen, but all of them had received a physical boost from my music.

The Hollows were made short work of, both by energy bullets and constant streams of musical notes, not to mention swords.

"Heh, nice music, I've got ta admit." Ai said, with a grin on her face as she continued to fire constant streams of energy into the fray. The Initial Release too, provided her in a change of uniform. From the standard shinigami uniform, she was now in an orange jumpsuit that matched her hair. There were two shield located on her arms, to protect her sides while she fired. Two jetpacks were lined along her shoulder blades, and I was jealous. Sure, I got something I liked, but why couldn't I get something cooler like her?

"Nice suit. Brings out your shape pretty well." I said mockingly.

I had to duck, and stop playing music for a moment as a beam of energy scorched my sideburns. What the heck was she playing at? She could of blown my head off, and we would of lost the edge.

When the last Hollow was struck down, both of us collapsed to the ground. The energy left us, as our Initial Releases were resealed. I soon felt dizzy, most likely from the effects of overusing my powers. I had heard that it was a common thing among people who just attained their Initial Release. They end up not knowing their limits and crossing it, though it could not be felt in that form.

All I saw was an inky darkness before the dizziness overcame me, and I fell into unconsciousness beside my arch-nemesis, and now comrade – Ai Etsu.