Strawberry Protector

Chapter 10: The Day She Came

Day after day it was the same thing, Ichigo would start of with a scuffle with his father before going out; sometimes to school and sometimes elsewhere. And all the while the lizardlike hollow would watch from within his soul. Sometimes he wondered if he should reveal himself to the moody teenager he had once helped train but then doubt would make him reconsider. This would result in him taking no actions at all, leaving the hollow at a constant standstill of indecision.

However something felt off that morning and Shiro had a hard time putting his finger on it. The day started off quieter than usual due to the fact that Isshin had left early for some sort of meeting. This of course was no any of his concern as he tried to pinpoint what felt wrong. It was when Ichigo had left home for the day then they both heard it, the wail of a hollow.

It was like a slap in the face to the white guardian because it was a spiritual pressure he should've recognized. But due to the fact he haven't seen another hollow in six years it had apparently dull his senses some. Alarm filled him when when he realized his charger was running in the direction of the other hollow.

The moment that the orange haired teen had laid eyes upon the creature is when he finally stopped and questioned what he was seeing. "Woah, what the hell's that?"

'Hollow...'

"What?" It had been so long since he had said anything at Shiro didn't initially realize he had spoken aloud within the high schooler's mind. But Ichigo had no time to consider what he thought he had heard as the spirit of a young girl came running from the general direction of the monster.

"Run!" Ichigo urged her as they both turned and fled from the insectlike hollow. But when the spirit tripped, the teen's protective instinct caused him to immediately placed himself between the girl and the monster.

From within his soul, the lizardlike hollow tensed as he prepared to make himself known. He had grown quite a deal stronger over the years of feeding off of his charge's energies and he was confident he could take on this one. It would be his first fight against another hollow but a familiar, and unwanted, surge of energy caused him to pause.

A split second after that a black robed figure materialized in front of the attacking hollow's mask. Then with two decisive blows, the creature dissolved away into thin air leaving silence in its wake. The Shinigami then slightly glanced in their direction, allowing Shiro to determine that this was a female, before turning and walking away; leaving behind a confused Ichigo.

Rest the day went on normally but Shiro couldn't help but hear the constant questions running through the teen's mind of the events of that morning. This went on all day and late into the night. This made the lizardlike hollow wonder if perhaps he would have the opportunity to reveal himself. Although he would at least wait until he knew the Shinigami was definitely away from the vicinity.

However he would find no such luck as she appeared within Ichigo's room that very night and after a very... Unique... Introduction, the little Shinigami told him a few things about the spiritual world. The interaction caused the white guardian to feel a mixture of amusement and annoyance but that quickly gave way to concern when another hollow showed up right outside the house.

How desperately he wanted to step in and defend his charge but the Shinigami's presence caused him to hesitate. Then she became injured and the next thing that occurred stunned Shiro severely, the Shinigami gave her powers Ichigo.

The moment this occurred, the hollow felt a shift within the orange haired teen's soul. And the next thing he knew he was standing in a bizarre sideways world filled was skyscrapers. "What...? This feels like..." He spoke with a disbelieving tone as his gaze darted around his surroundings.

"This is the depths of Ichigo's soul, his inner world. And you do not belong here hollow." Upon hearing the stern voice, Shiro whipped around to look upon the source. The source was an older man with wavy brown hair and was clearly in need of a shave. He wore a pair of tinted shades over his eyes and most of his form was covered by what appeared to be a strange black coat with white trim that seemed to flow in a breeze that wasn't there.

After but a moment of shock he quickly took on a more defensive stance, his hair bristled up well his tail flickered aggressively. "Who are ya? And what are YA doin' here?"

"You have no right to hear my name but know that I shall be the weapon that Ichigo shall wield against your kind. And thus I belong here." It was a rather vague answer in the hollow's opinion but he caught the general gist of it, although he still planned to question in hopes of confirmation.

With narrowed eyes, Shiro examined over the man with a deep frown behind his mask. He honestly didn't like the fact that he couldn't currently see the man's hand, as if they were in pockets that blended into the strange fabric. "So what? Ya're a source of spiritual power? Is this a Shinigami thin'?"

"It is."

The simplistic answer caused the white guardian to click his tongue in mild annoyance, his body still tense and on guard. "Ya were created as a result of that little Shinigami sharin' her powers with Ichigo?"

"No, I have always been here. She simply provided the key to the door that kept me locked deeper within. However it will be sometime before Ichigo can hear my voice." This was much more informative and made the hollow wonder if he had been feeding off of this guy all that time, he probably was.

"Okay... If ya're tied in ta all this Shinigami power business then why aren't ya tryin' ta attack me."

Here the man turned his gaze away from the lizardlike hollow to stare at the building that was almost directly above them. This of course caused Shiro to direct his own gaze to the structure and his eyes widened at the sight, his defensive stance fading in his surprise. Reflected in the many windows were glimpses of scenes of Ichigo's past, of their time together. "I did not strike out against you because of what you have done for Ichigo in the past. You taught him to defend himself, to stand up for himself and now he does the same for others. While you do not belong here, I will tolerate your presence due to your connection with Ichigo."

Shiro felt the heated glare upon him even before he turned to look at the old man. "However... If ever there comes a time where I believe your presence will bring harm to Ichigo, I will end you. Whether it be in here or out there while my weapon form is being wielded by Ichigo, I will be the end of you."

"Jeez... So serious..." Shiro couldn't help but state with a scoff as he halfheartedly glared at the other spirit. He couldn't bring himself to hate this individual because the old man was concerned about the teen's safety and that was something he could understand. "Believe me when I say I'd do anythin' for Ichigo's well-bein', he's the only one that matters ta me." This answer seemed to satisfy the guy as he gave a slight nod then retreated to stand on the tip of a flagpole nearby. From here he kept a constant watch on the hollow and Shiro decided to returned his own focus to the outside world. One thought clear in his mind, it wouldn't be safe for him to make an appearance before the orange haired teen for some time yet to come.

Two chapters in two days... I am really on a roll, then again the reviews have helped greatly to inspired me to write more frequently than I was originally planning to. Thank you guys for giving my inspiration the fuel it needs to maintain this frequent updating.

Speaking of reviews, falzarax hit the nail on the head with their guess that Shiro was getting stronger. As for fighting abilities, I see him relying on his claws and tail in a more melee-ish style fighting. As for any other abilities, you'll just have to wait and see.

Until next time. R&R.