Episode 7: Comrades

My body won't move...Every breath I take allows another rush of pain to pulse through my veins. My vision fades as my final glimpses of life catch the feet of a few hollow. My carcass will feed them for another day...

Black swirls fill my consciousness. Am I dead? I really can't tell. I've already died once before. When will this end? I reach out into this void with my hand but it slips away from my body. Where are you going hand? I swim through the dark space until I catch it. It's human!

This is a miracle! I'm back in my human form!

I look around my naked body (I don't care I'm a human again!). Every little bit of anatomy I once took for granted has returned.

"Hello brother..."

I gasp and to my complete surprise my brother appears at the end of a light source.

"Michael...is that really you?" I rush over and try to hug my long lost brother. I'm just a few steps away....closer...closer...closer...

He fades to dust as I try to hug him. I'm confused and saddened by this illusion.

"You will never see your brother again...pitiful hollow." A familiar voice disrupts me.

"Mitzuki!" My sworn enemy has returned.

He raises his sword high in the air. "You measly hollows must be slain...I'll finish you off for good."

I open my arms wide. "Can't you see I'm a human now?" But he doesn't listen and charges towards me. I have nothing to defend myself with. "Hey wait! Please don't!"

"DIE HOLLOW!"

I cower in fear at the approaching death. "HAAAAAARRRGGGHHH"

"Huh!" I wake up suddenly in yet another different world. It's still dark, but not pitch black. Trunks of immensely large trees reaching up to the night sky surround me.

A dark shadow crouches in front of me.

"Ah get away!" I bring up my hands...

What's this? I'm still a hollow? It must have all been a dream...

"Please don't overexert yourself...you have been severely injured and need rest."

"Who's there?" I call out to the figure which appears through the penetrating light. He looks inhuman and the mask and hole suggest to me he is indeed a hollow.

"Please don't eat me." I beg to the beast but he raises his palms assuring me.

"We do not wish to eat you comrade."

Comrade?

"My name's Fishbone D and we saved you from a group of hollows."

I begin to calm down. "Why would you want to save me? You could have just eaten me by now?"

"You are not like the other hollows. You are intelligent like us. We like to stick together and keep away from our more beast-like counterparts." The humanoid hollow explains. He has silver skin and black markings. In a way he kind of resembles a fish. Probably explains his strange name.

"So when you say 'we' there are others like us?"

"Sure come with me if you feel better." He helps me up but I tense in pain. A hard slimy paste has covered my battle wounds.

"We patched you up well so you should be better in no time."

He guides me through the prickly forest into another small clearing. Several hollow circle around a small fire. They make chewing noises so they must be in the middle of their soul-meal.

Fishbone D clears his throat to gain their attention. "May our new friend join in the feast?" He speaks in a posh manner; I never would have thought hollows could retain so much sophistication.

One of the hollows snorts like a pig. "Why should we...this was our kill we earned it."

"Another hollow which seems more like an octopus speaks. "I agree this hollow's not worth it." She sounds female.

Fishbone D clenches his fist. "How can you be so cold? We brought him here for a reason and you won't let him have a bite?"

"If he comes any closer I'll pulverise him." The bulbous faced one threatens me.

"How dare you challenge him when he's like this?" Fishbone D looks as if he's about to fight.

"I'll sort you both out." He advances and begins grappling with the fish-like hollow. Somehow I'm less convinced how intelligent these creatures really are.

"DIE!" The other hollow tries to break apart Fishbone's mask.

"THAT'S ENOUGH YOU TWO!"

Everyone is silent and the two cease fighting when another hollow appears from the darkness. "Sorry Shrieker..."

"Shrieker?" These names are beginning to bother and disturb me.

A half bat half frog appearing hollow emerges. His mask terrifies me as his teeth are revealed in a strange fixed grin. "Our guest must be hungry..." His voice is sinister. "Please eat..."

"Um okay thanks..." I slip between a spider hollow and one with a snake lower body.

"Dig in there's plenty for everyone."

I stare at the strange substance. They appear to be pure black orbs. "Um so I just eat these?"

Everyone seems to groan as if I had said something idiotic. "These are concentrated souls. We keep them in this for so they last longer." One of the other hollows explained.

"Oh ok!" I munch on the orbs. They are actually quite delicious and rich in flavour. "Th...k...yfff." I try and say with my mouth stuffed.

"You are quite the eater." Shrieker comments.

"Yeah I was when I used to..." I stop and reflect on my days as a human. The foods I used to enjoy will remain in memory alone.

"It's alright if you don't want to tell us your story." Shrieker seems a bit less terrifying now. It seems even hollows can have a bit of empathy.

"It's not that it's just..." Fishbone D rests his hand on my shoulder.

"We all have memories of our previous lives. We become hollows due to our attachment to something in our lives. I was so upset my wife could never see me I remained in the human world for too long and eventually became what I am today."

"I'm sorry to hear that." I feel selfish in a way. I had a great life and everything was going to plan. "I wish to find my brother."

The snake hollow adjacent to me speaks. "Your brother eh? Did he die as well?"

"Yeah, only he was allowed to go to Soul Society whilst I was left behind."

He shakes his head. "That's tragic. My younger sister used to pray for me every day after I died and now she doesn't even worry about me anymore."

"I see...But do you guys think it may be possible to become human again."

A large furry hollow with a deep rustic voice creeps up behind me. "Once you become a hollow there is no way of becoming a human again."

"Ah! You startled me."

He lowers his massive head. "What's that sonny?"

Shrieker sides with me. "Please Grand Fisher leave our guest alone."

"O'right then." He sits down and joins the circle. "Now what was I sayin' oh yes...although there is no way of becoming human again, there are other ways we can become more human-like."

I'm curious and listen attentively.

"There is a special method which allows us to become half hollow and half Shinigami."

"No don't tell him about that!" Fishbone interrupts.

"Silence sonny. Now the theory is if you break off a bit of your mask and some other magic shit happens you become what they call an Arrancar."

"Arrancar eh?" I like the prospect of recognising myself again.

Fishbone D interjects "You idiot Grand Fisher. Most of the times it doesn't work and they die...And Even if you didn't, a hollow of our level will never truly look human."

"So there are stronger hollows out there?" I quiz the group.

The bulbous faced one responds "Oh you betcha...we try to avoid those guys as well. They would eat us without batting an eyelid."

"Shit!"

"But we're safe here in the Menos Forest."

"Menos Forest?"

The octopus female explains. "We are in an underground forest within Hueco Mundo...it is very spacious and most of the other hollows keep to themselves.

"Hueco Mundo?"

Shrieker cackles. "Oh didn't your friend tell you?" He leans forward, an eerie shadow swallows part of his mask. " You're in Hueco Mundo…the realm of hollows..."

'Realm of hollows?' I don't like the sound of this place...And it seems I'm now aquainted with a rather unconventional bunch of friends...What does fate have on store for me now? Find out in the next exciting chapter!