Strawberry Protector

Chapter 4: Not so Black-and-White

As per usual the lizardlike hollow was following along side his self-proclaimed charge, although instead of hiding he was walking atop a wall just above the boy on all fours. There was no reason for him to stay out of sight today because they were nowhere near his sisters so they didn't have to worry about him being spotted. Which was preferred by both parties involved, although Shiro was use to skulking around in the shadows.

This day was a bit different than other days Shiro was quick to note as the boy approached a large building with multiple floors and a large outdoor area that was walled off from the street. It seemed that the orange haired kid was finally up to going back to school, it's probably best for him to get back to something semi-normal. Way better than several hours wandering aimlessly along the river which eventually led to training sessions. Not that the hollow minded the training sessions because they helped to break up the mundane and he somewhat enjoyed them.

Hopefully they would be able to get some training in sometime soon, it had been a few days since the funeral but Ichigo had spent a lot of that time reconnecting with the rest of his remaining family. It was good for the kid, the hollow knew this but it did make him feel a little left out. That was until Ichigo would return and share in great detail everything that he did with his hollow friend.

Drawn out of his reminiscing by the sound of a passing car, Shiro paused on the corner of the wall of the T intersection that they had just reached. He absently watched Ichigo as the boy looked both ways before darting a crossed the crosswalk to the school building just on the other side of the road. Sitting there for just a moment more, he couldn't help feel a bit of amusement when he noticed that orange head turned to glance his way; as if to make sure he was coming.

Letting out a low chuckle, the lizardlike hollow crouched slightly like a cat would when preparing to jump. Which was exactly what he did, however he didn't simply jump off the wall and cross the road. No, he jumped from the wall he was perched on to the one that circled the building with all the grace of a feline. And when he glanced to Ichigo, he couldn't help but puff up a little bit in pride at the awed expression he received accompanied by a big grin on the boy's face. "Better not stand there starin' for ta long, people might begin ta wonder."

The teasing tone of his monstrous friend did not seem to bother the boy who simply nodded in response before turning and heading into the large courtyard before the front door. There was a number of other children out and about playing, trying to delay entering the building for as long as possible.

The hollow followed along as best he could while making sure to stay on walls, ledges or trees in order to keep off the ground. Average people might not be able to see him but they could still walk into him. Although he was quick to note that Ichigo stayed near such areas so that he could follow closely, not that he minded.

However this kept him a little further away from the other students which led to unwanted attention. "Would you look here! It's the crybaby! Are you done crying away in your room crybaby?" Came the snide remark from the slightly larger boy that approached Ichigo. The other kid that accompanied the bully snickered in response to what was said.

"Leave me alone." The orange haired child was quick to say as he confidently stood his ground and met the larger boy's gaze without fear. Whether it was because he'd gain some confidence or because of the hollow perched on the wall behind him, Shiro wasn't sure.

"And what are you going to do? Run home and cried to your mommy? Oh wait! You don't have a mommy anymore!" The second kid stated in a rather cruel manner but seemed to only find amusement in the things he said. And his companion's laughter was only fueling the fire.

Letting out an inhuman growl, Shiro crouched down slightly as he narrowed his eyes at the pair of would-be bullies. He had every intention of making the ignorant children pay for the insensitive words they were spewing out at his charge. But he was pleasantly surprised when the orange haired boy was the first to react in a way he wasn't exactly expecting.

Without warning or hesitation, Ichigo punched the second bully square in the face and knocking the smaller of the two onto his rear end; this brought an abrupt laugh from the hollow. There was a scowl on the boy's face as he stared down the stunned student in a threatening manner.

The larger bully was also stunned at the change of behavior from one of their usual targets. They could usually pick on this kid rather easily so long as his black haired female friend wasn't around. He was quick to recover and moved to strike at their would be target.

However Shiro moved faster, in the blink of an eye the hollow was on the ground and sweeping his tail at the back of the larger student's feet. This resulted in the bully landing flat on his back, he gazed at the sky in confusion. Which was quickly accompanied by pain as Ichigo followed up the attack with a kick to a very vulnerable spot.

As suddenly as it had begun, the fight was over and the two bullies were scrambling away as quickly as their feet could carry them. "That's right! Ya run away ya cowards! Go home and cry ta yer parents like the insecure crybabies ya are!" The hollow called out after the pair which was followed by a bout of loud laughter as he paced back and forth along the top of the wall he had returned to after the skirmish, once again on all fours.

"Shiro..." Upon hearing the slightly disapproving tone of voice he paused and focused his gaze upon the kid with a tilted head. "That's not very nice..."

"But extremely accurate, people like that pick on those that are weaker ta make 'emselves feel more superior. Give 'em an inch and they'll walk all over ya. Besides, they can't hear me anyway." The hollow responded with while shrugging, to which he received a heavy sigh although he could still see the slight smile upon Ichigo's face.

Before any more could be exchanged between the two, a bell tolled somewhere from within the building and immediately all the students began heading inside. Although the orange haired child paused momentarily as he glanced toward the school then back to his hollow friend. "By the way... Thanks Shiro. I'll see you after school." And with that he was off and would have disappeared into the crowd if not for his hair.

The kid did eventually vanish from his view upon entering the structure but he did not disappear from the hollow's spiritual senses. He eventually felt the boy come to a stop in one of the rooms and out of curiosity he headed toward that location. Setting himself within the branches of a tree that was just outside the window, Shiro sat and watched the every day mundane that was school.

In all honesty, the hollow thought that he would've been bored but in reality it was actually rather interesting to watch. Being the experiment that he was he actually had no real knowledge of what a normal life was like. Sure he had general knowledge on things but he had no personal experience to go by, so it intrigued him to see it firsthand.

Of course the school day eventually came to an end without any other incidents, bullies or otherwise, and all too soon the pair returned home. Once again Ichigo spent some time with his family before retreating to his room for the rest of the evening into the night. It seemed that the kid had some catching up to do in school in regards to homework and assignments. And that's what he began as soon as he sat down at his desk.

For a time, Shiro was content to simply lay in his own bed and watch the orange haired boy work. But then he started become restless as well as... "Bored..." Stated the hollow in a slightly drawnout manner as he rolled over onto his side, the tip of his tail continuously twitching to show his mood.

"Sorry Shiro but I have a lot of homework to make up..." Came the quick answer from Ichigo as he paused and turned to glance toward the white form sprawled out on the makeshift bed upon the floor.

"I know... School's important for ya. Doesn't change that I'm bored. Was just statin' a fact anyway, don't mind me." The hollow stated in a rather neutral manner, his eyes were currently closed but he was still closely paying attention to his surroundings.

"We'll do something together tomorrow after school, I promise." Responded the child as he returned his focus to what he was currently working on.

"Alright but ya better keep that..." Immediately Shiro cut himself off and snapped up into a sitting position, his gaze focused on a certain direction. He was sensing a spiritual energy approaching their location at a steady rate, one he immediately recognized as something that was not hollow.

Sensing the sudden tension, the orange haired boy immediately set down his pencil and turned to face his monstrous looking friend with a frown. "What's wrong?" He had never seen Shiro so uneasy before, he could still somewhat pick up on the hollow's emotions despite the mask covering his face.

"I have ta go... I have ta go right now!" Came the panicked reply as the lizardlike being lept to the window with ease. "No time ta explain! If I stay I'll die! I returned when I can!" Shiro was quick to explain to the confused child rather bluntly, in his panicked state he saw no reason to hide that information.

And as soon as the last word left his mouth out the window he went, Ichigo rush into the window after him. But his hollow friend was already out of sight, however movement drew his eyes to the roof of a nearby house. And there stood a figure dressed in robes of black, one hand casually resting on the sheath of a sword that was tied to the figure's side. The sight of the black robed individual unnerved him a bit for some reason, was this the reason why Shiro fled? Then the figure glanced in his general direction and he quickly found himself ducking back inside.

After that Ichigo tried to get back to work but he couldn't concentrate, his mind kept drifting to his friend as well as the black robed figure. And he often found himself gazing at the window without realizing it, his mind hoping to see the form of his white friend returning. But as the evening became night, there was no sign that Shiro would return anytime soon. Eventually the orange haired child simply sat on his bed and gazed out the window with a deep frown of concern. He remained like this for some time after he was meant to go to bed until he eventually fell asleep.

It wasn't until early the next morning that Shiro finally did return and as soon as he stepped off the windowsill onto Ichigo's bed he plopped right down with a heavy sigh. This of course unintentionally woke up the sleeping boy with a start, his gaze darting around the room before resting upon the weary looking hollow. "Shiro! Are you okay? Where did you go? Why did you take off like that?"

Letting out a slight sound of irritation that was half a groan and have a growl, the lizardlike hollow placed his arms over his head. "One question at a time!" He demanded with no real heat in his voice but this did cause his charge to pause the barrage of questions. "I'm fine... Tired but fine..." He finally answered one of the questions asked after a moment of silence.

"So..." Ichigo started with in a slightly hesitant manner after a pause of silence. "Why did you leave last night?"

There was a moment of stillness before the boy heard Shiro exhale, his arms finally lowering from his head to lay folded in front of him. "Because there was a Shinigami..." Vaguely the hollow realized this would bring about a conversation that he had yet gone over with the kid. And he really wasn't in the mindset to come up with half truths and vague answers.

"Was a Shinigami?"

"A Shinigami is a soul with spiritual energy that has learned ta use that energy ta fight... They're the self-proclaimed protectors of the afterlife. As such they help lost souls ta pass over and purify corrupted souls... Also known as hollows." The lizardlike hollow explained in a rather neutral sounding tone but quickly continued before any other questions could be asked. "And yes hollows are corrupted souls that go around devourin' other souls, I however am the exception ta that... I don't feed off of souls but off of spiritual energy." He knew that telling the orange haired child that might change the boy's opinion of him but after spending all night dodging the Shinigami he was too tired to care currently.

"Is that who that black robed person I saw standing on a roof last night was?" Inquired Ichigo after a moment of silence to which he received the sound of confirmation. He took another moment to think before speaking again. "Why don't you try talking to them? Tell the Shinigami that you're different and that you don't want to hurt anyone."

"Ain't that simple... See, in their eyes I'm still nothin' but a corrupted soul and I'll do or say anythin' ta avoid bein' on the receivin' end of their weapons. At least, that's how they view it. So its better for me ta dodge 'em as best I can if I can't find an appropriate hidin' spot." Shiro stated as he focused upon the orange haired child for the first time since he returned. Although he was finding it hard to focus due to the fact that he was exhausted, this meant he would need to feed soon. This led to the thought of feeding off of Ichigo's spiritual energy but that was quickly discarded since he didn't want to do that to his charge because it would make the boy tired from the sudden drop in energy. That meant he would either have to find another source of spiritual energy or return to the hollow world temporarily, the latter was not appealing in the least.

Shiro could tell that it was still bit hard for Ichigo to believe that the Shinigami couldn't be reasoned with due to the expression on his face but he was glad that the child didn't push the matter. "Then I'll help hide you." He declared instead with a determined expression upon his face that brought a smile to hidden lips.

Letting out an amused chuckle the lizardlike hollow rolled over onto his side to better face the boy without turning his head. "That's easier said than done... Remember when I told ya spiritual energy can lead ta enhanced abilities or unique powers?" He paused long enough to receive a nod before continuing. "One of those unique powers is the ability ta sense others who have spiritual energy. While there are different levels of mastery ta this ability it's still pretty common. Shinigami and hollow both have spiritual energy and can track one another by that energy. So unless I can completely hide my spiritual energy they can still track me."

There was another extended moment of silence as the orange haired boy thought over the information given to him then proceeded to voice another question. "If Shinigami can track you like that then how did you get away from that one last night?"

It was certainly a valid question and Shiro couldn't help but be slightly proud at just how darn perceptive the kid was. "I used an ability that's unique ta me, somethin' that allows me ta hide my presence completely but I ain't sayin' any more than that." As this was stated it was done so with a tone of voice that left no room for argument. It was obvious that Ichigo wanted to know more but once again the hollow was glad to see that the topic was dropped, at least for the time being. The technique he used would probably be considered disturbing to anyone that wasn't a hollow, so he decided he didn't want to tell the kid about it if he didn't have to. "Don't ya have school?"

The abrupt question through off the orange haired boy for a moment as he blinked in confusion before his eyes widened with realization. Immediately Ichigo hopped out of his bed and began to get ready in a frantic manner which caused the hollow to chuckle slightly in amusement.

Soon enough Ichigo was ready and rushing downstairs to grab a quick bite to eat before bolting out the door. As per usual Shiro followed along after but at a much slower pace for obvious reasons. They arrived at the school just in time to hear the bell chime to signal that the children should head inside.

Once again the hollow watched his charge entered the building then checked to make sure he was settling into class. Satisfied that the boy would be fine for the time being, Shiro switched his focus to his own well-being and began to seek out a potent source of spiritual energy that he could feed from.

That's it for this chapter and I'm actually rather glad my inspiration is still holding strong right now. On a different note, here we have Ichigo's first time fighting bullies and his first glimpse of a Shinigami from a distance. And it most certainly won't be the last but hey we're not there yet.

At this point we're just about past the grieving stage in young Ichigo's life. And that means some time within the next few chapters or so I'll be doing time skip scenes. More or less random bits of shenanigans, training sessions or the occasional bully smacked down. What comes after that? You'll just have to wait and see. Until next time. R&R.