• • •
"Ah, so I'm late?" I asked, as I jumped from my position on Kurosaki's window sill into his room. I lightly pouted, put off that I'd missed slaying me some Hollow.
"Yes, but we've got to hurry!" Rukia quickly exclaimed, turning towards me with a serious expression on her face. "The Hollow is going to go after Inoue-San!"
My eyes widened and I screamed in frustration. "What?! And I just came from there, too!"
"Come on… We've got to hurry!" Rukia insisted, "That girl is going to die!"
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" I urged, while I saw Rukia nod.
Rukia climbed onto Kurosaki's back, knowing that she wouldn't be able to keep up with us in soul form. I could feel his gaze on me, so I just jumped out of the window again. I stepped on mid-air, waiting for Kurosaki to catch up, and then we jumped from rooftop to rooftop.
"Hollows attack their families?!" Kurosaki asked, as he looked back at Rukia riding on his back and at me from the side. I guess that information had caused the tense moment that I had interrupted back at his house.
"Yes." Rukia said, while I felt my eyes become downcast. I never liked thinking about it in that light. It just never set well with me that a deceased family member could come back evil and kill off their own family members. Even though they were driven by instinct, it was still no excuse. This fact haunted my dreams, causing me to eventually become an insomniac.
"How come?" Kurosaki asked, confused. "Hollows eat souls because they're hungry, right? I thought that they attacked randomly?"
"Hollows attack ghosts and humans randomly…after they've eaten their own families." Rukia explained with a dark tone.
"No way," Kurosaki murmured, shocked.
"There's another thing, too. Hollows don't eat souls just because they're hungry. They eat souls to help ease their pain." I explained, turning my icy blue eyes to deeply stare into Kurosaki's cinnamon colored orbs. "Hollows are fallen souls; souls that were not admitted to the Soul Society by a Shinigami. They were souls that were left behind… Souls that weren't saved from other Hollows. These fall, lose their hearts, and become Hollows themselves. Right, Rukia?"
"Yes," Rukia nodded. "But the Hollow soul forever strives to fill the emptiness inside. It stalks the people that it loved most in life."
"You've heard of widows who soon follow their deceased to the grave, right?" I asked Kurosaki, who nodded. "Their lover ate their soul."
"Today when we saw Inoue, she had a bruise on her leg where a Hollow had grabbed her. That's why I asked about her family. You said that she had an older brother. If he was her only family, then I'm certain that he'll come for Inoue!" Rukia explained, serious once more.
"Then that means that we really need to hurry!" I urged.
"I know; we are going as fast as we can." Rukia said, turning her deep violet gaze towards me.
"No, we're not. Well, I know I'm not. I could have used Shunpo and been there already!" I insisted.
"Don't," Rukia advised, as she shook her head. "You need to conserve your energy. You might even need to release your Zanpakuto, if this gets bad enough. Although, I don't think it will turn that way. Or, I hope it doesn't."
"Fine." I said, willing my legs to move faster. This is why I hated being so short; I had a shorter running span. That's why I used Shunpo as much as I did. It was a way for me to cover ground quicker.
"Plus," Rukia trailed off, a smirk working its way onto her face, "We need to stick together. That way the two of you can work on your teamwork. Besides, Ichigo might get to see a real Shinigami in action..!"
"Che." Kurosaki huffed, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "I saw you fight off that Hollow before you lost your powers, Rukia."
"Yes, but…" Rukia spoke softly, and I could no longer hear the words due to the wind whipping past my ears from the speed that we were running at. "Jun's…a lot stronger than I am."
From the corner of my eyes, I could see Kurosaki's cinnamon eyes widen dramatically, as his head whipped in my direction. I felt his gaze on me, so I turned my gaze towards him as well, raising an eyebrow in confusion.
"Oh, yeah." Kurosaki spoke, as if he remembered what he was going to say. "Why don't you look like the other Shinigami? I mean, your kimono looks really different from Rukia's and mine."
I chuckled at his question while shaking my head. "Well, I just like this one better. Shinigami are allowed to customize their Shihakusho, which is the black kimono that you are talking about. However, many of them just stick with the traditional uniform. I guess you could say that I've never been too traditional, and this one suits my tastes much better. Besides, it's easier for me to move about in. That makes a difference." I explained, lightly tugging at the bottom hem of my short kimono-like dress. All of that was the truth; I did find it much easier to move in the top without the long pants. Besides, it was difficult trying to find a pair of hakama pants that didn't drag on the ground because of my little height problem.
Lost in my inner musings, I didn't notice that we had already made it to Orihime's apartment until Kurosaki skidded to a halt on its roof. We jumped down to the ground, where Kurosaki let Rukia get off of his back.
"How sad, Orihime!"
Kurosaki and I heard the scream at the same time, and immediately jumped up into the air and came in through Orihime's window. Kurosaki quickly withdrew his blade, and managed to block the Hollows attack; it was clear that he was trying to get Orihime. Without a second thought, my training had kicked in. I withdrew my own Zanpakuto and took a defensive position in front of Orihime.
My sharp eyes zeroed in on Kurosaki's blade, and I saw that he had blocked the Hollow's claw. There was a gash from where he had caught it, the wound lightly bleeding; however, that wasn't enough damage to slow it down.
"Kurosaki-Kun..? Jun-Chan..?" Orihime asked in a soft voice, as if she didn't believe her eyes. After all, this was probably one of the most traumatic moments in her life.
"You choose to interfere?" The Hollow asked, its voice deep and laced with malice.
"Sorry, but…" Kurosaki stated, looking up at the Hollow from behind his Zanpakuto. He was still blocking the claw. "That's my job."
"If you want to kill Orihime, then you better be prepared to kill us first!" I shouted, glaring up at the ugly Hollow in front of us. My grip on my Zanpakuto tightened and I was getting ready for whatever move the Hollow decided to make next.
All was quiet for a few moments. The Hollow wasn't making any sudden moves; it was just sitting there and staring at us. It was almost as if it was thinking up its own plans. I took this opportunity to look around and take in my surroundings.
Orihime's apartment was kind of small, I had seen that firsthand myself before the Hollow attack. So, we'd be forced to fight in a smaller area than I was used to. Tatsuki was lying injured on the floor not too far away. Her shoulder was sliced open and she was bleeding heavily. Although, it looked like she had passed out from pain or blood loss by now, which was a good thing. Not that much farther away was Orihime's body lying lifeless on the floor. Narrowing my eyes, I could clearly make out the shape of the dull metal chain that was connected to her body. It trailed across the floor, connecting to the Orihime standing behind me. Obviously, Orihime was in soul form.
Kurosaki looked around as well; I could see the confusion etched on his face. He obviously didn't know that normal people could be separated from their body, leaving them with a chain connected to their chest.
"Oh..! I thought so! It really is you, Kurosaki-Kun, Jun-Chan!" Orihime cried out from behind me, grinning wildly.
"How… Can you see me?" Kurosaki asked blankly, as he turned his stunned gaze from Orihime to me. It was almost like he was pleading for an answer.
"Huh…? Um, how?" Orihime asked, bringing her fingers to her mouth as if she were in deep thought about the question asked.
"Kurosaki…" I trailed off, not wanting to tell him what had really happened, but I knew I had to. "Orihime is-"
"Isn't it obvious? It's because that's her soul!" The Hollow spoke, appearing behind Kurosaki, who stiffened dramatically. "Too bad for you; Orihime is already dead!"
From the corner of my eye, I could see the Hollow flick its snake-like tail and send it flying towards Kurosaki. I grunted, narrowing my eyes as I used Shunpo and appeared in front of him. My Zanpakuto was raised, ready to slice the tail in half.
However, the tail was more snake-like that I had originally thought; it was covered in scales. Ankoku-Tatsu wasn't able to cut through the tail because of its slick slithering motion. Wincing, I could feel myself being pushed back into Kurosaki, who raised his own Zanpakuto up in front of both of us. But, it was to no avail. His Zanpakuto couldn't cut through the scales either. With another strong flick and push, Kurosaki and I were sent flying toward the wall. We broke through, coming to a skidding halt in mid-air.
I looked back towards Kurosaki, checking for any damage. He was mainly unscathed, except for a cut on his forehead that was bleeding. Looking over myself, I only found a cut on my forearm that was bleeding. We were still in good enough shape to take out the Hollow.
"What's wrong?" I heard the Hollow taunt from inside the apartment. It slithered over to the huge hole that we had busted through, peeking out at us. "You two Shinigami sure do talk tough, but you're both far too slow! Is it that much of a shock that Orihime's soul has been removed from her body?! Huh?! Kurosaki Ichigo and Kokawa Junko?!"
The Hollow then reared his head back, opening his large mouth. Something seemed to drip down in slow motion, before a large amount of, whatever the mysterious substance was, was sent flying towards us in the air. He had targeted Kurosaki, who was too slow to dodge. Another was sent flying towards me. I used my flash step and dodged it, only to look to my side towards Kurosaki.
"Acid..!" He hissed, as the attack connected with the back of his right hand. It burned his skin, causing him to drop his Zanpakuto in shock.
I could see the tail flying towards him, and he was unarmed! He wouldn't be able to block himself from the attack. "Kurosaki..!" I cried out, trying to warn the orange haired teen beside me.
The tail collided with his back, sending him flying towards the street below us. I growled, but my attention was soon diverted. The Hollow flung its tail towards me, as if it expected that I would be brought down as easily as Kurosaki was.
I brought Ankoku-Tatsu up to block the tail. Halfway through the attack, I changed the angle I held my sword, applying pressure in a different spot. As soon as I saw the gash begin to form on the tail, I knew my eyes had come alive with hope; I could cut it! The Hollow cried out in pain, retreating into the apartment once more.
"Rukia!" I called out to the dark haired girl, who was running towards the orange haired Shinigami. He was passed out from his hard impact with the concrete below him. Rukia stopped once she heard my voice, and turned to stare at me. "Make sure that Kurosaki's okay. I'm going to go see what's going on. It's too quiet in there; I'm getting a bad feeling."
I saw Rukia nod, which was all the conformation I needed to flash step up towards the hole in Orihime's apartment. Orihime was in the Hollows claw of a hand, but I was shocked to see it sit her down on the carpeted floors once more.
"I-Is it really y-you, S-Sora-Nii?" Orihime asked, eyes wide. The Hollow used its other claw like hand to push back some of the long black hair, to reveal a part of its face that wasn't covered by the Hollows mask.
"Yes; it is, Orihime." The Hollow spoke. "So you haven't forgotten."
"Why? Why… Why did you do horrible things to Tatsuki-Chan, Jun-Chan, and Kurosaki-Kun? Why..!" Orihime asked, sounding distraught.
"Why..? You know why!" The Hollow angrily cried out. I felt my hand unconsciously curl tighter around Ankoku-Tatsu's hilt, wondering if I needed to go in and intervene right then and there. "Those people… They tried to tear you and me apart!"
"H-Huh..?" Orihime asked, shocked into silence.
"After I died, you would pray for me every day. I was always watching. It made me so…happy. I had died, but… I felt that everything would be all right just from your prayers. But, a year or so after that, you became friends with that girl. Since then, I watched on as the days you prayed for me diminished! Then you entered high school. Kurosaki Ichigo appeared. You finally stopped praying for me all together! Before you'd leave, and when you'd come home, all you'd talk to me about was Kurosaki..! It was painful…seeing myself…disappear more and more each day from your heart!"
Kurosaki appeared right next to me, shooting me a look. I held up a finger, telling him to wait a moment and see where this was going to go. After all, observing the Hollow a little bit longer could tell us if it had any openings that we could plan an attack by.
"N-No! That's not true, Sora-Nii! I just…" Orihime tried to explain, but the Hollow wouldn't hear it.
"I was sad..! I was all alone, I was so lonely! So many times I just wanted… to kill!" I could sense the darkness of his reiatsu increase. It had seemed like he finally felt me and Kurosaki standing behind him.
Quickly, he flung his tail towards us again. It was too fast even for me to dodge with Shunpo, so we didn't stand a chance. Kurosaki and I collided, and were shoved towards the floor and pinned there.
"Kurosaki-Kun! Jun-Chan!" Orihime cried out in despair, as the Hollow wrapped his large claws around her once more.
"Now, let's go, Orihime. Let's go back to the time when it was just the two of us."
"Why..?" Orihime asked, as her eyes were downcast. Her bangs covered her eyes, probably hiding the tears. "If you were sad, you should have said so. Why did you hurt Kurosaki-Kun, Jun-Chan, and Tatsuki-Chan..? Why, Sora-Nii..? The brother I loved…would never do anything like this!"
I could literally feel the Hollows anger rise. In a flash, it had moved its claw so that it was wrapped around Orihime's neck. One of its large fingers was wrapped around her mouth; it wasn't going to allow her to speak anymore.
"I'll kill you..! Who do you think turned me into this?! It was you, Orihime! I'll kill you! I'll kill you, I'll kill you, I'll kill you!" The Hollow roared.
Kurosaki looked like he was seeing red; I don't think I had ever seen him so serious and angry in the entire time that I had known him. Just seeing him that serious seemed to make something connect inside of me, as I raised Ankoku-Tatsu and easily sliced through the Hollow's tail. Kurosaki stood up as well, quickly slicing through the Hollow's wrist. Its hand fell to the ground, freeing Orihime.
"Do you know why the big brother is born first..?" Kurosaki asked, his teeth grinding together out of anger. "It's to protect the little brothers and sisters that come after him!"
I blinked at his words, not knowing that he could be so serious. I ran over towards Orihime, who was struggling to sit up from the Hollow's discarded claw. I helped her sit up, then took another defensive stance in front of her. She was still this Hollow's target, even if its attention was on Kurosaki for the moment.
"What kind of brother says that he'll kill his own sister?!" Kurosaki yelled out in anger, as he pointed his large Zanpakuto straight at the Hollow. "You never ever say something like that!"
"Kurosaki-Kun, Jun-Chan…" Orihime trailed off, looking at both of our backs in admiration. We were risking everything just to protect her. And Kurosaki, the man she admired the most, was giving his all just to help her.
"Why?! Why do you both interfere, Kurosaki Ichigo and Kokawa Junko?!" The Hollow roared out in pain, as tears of thick red blood trailed down its pure white mask. "When I was fifteen, my sister was born. She was more like a daughter to me than a sister. Our mother was a whore, our father a devil. When a child would cry, they would hit it until it stopped. That's the kind of people they were. I hid her, quieted her cries, so they wouldn't hear. In March, when I was eighteen, I … took my three year old sister, and fled that cursed house. Since then, we've always lived together! Just the two of us, forever! I am the one that raised Orihime! I'm the one who protected her! She's mine! I won't give her to anyone! Especially not you, Kurosaki Ichigo! I won't give her to you!"
The Hollow then lunged towards Kurosaki, who was ready to block the attack with his Zanpakuto.
"Sora-Nii!" Orihime cried out in horror, watching as he gained on Kurosaki.
"Orihime, just watch." I advised, looking down at the scared auburn haired teenager. "Kurosaki can handle this. Just have faith in him."
I motioned in front of us, drawing her attention towards Kurosaki and the Hollow. She gasped as she saw Kurosaki's sword blocking the Hollow's teeth.
"Don't be stupid. Inoue is Inoue. She…doesn't belong to anyone!" Kurosaki grunted, glaring at the Hollow. He was struggling against the Hollows strength, both were quivering.
"She's mine! Her soul is mine! I lived for her, but she…won't live for me! Then at least…she must die for me!"
With a sudden surge of raw strength, the Hollow turned his head towards the left. Knocking Kurosaki's Zanpakuto away from its mouth, it made a beeline straight towards Orihime and me. I raised Ankoku-Tatsu, ready to slice through that stupid Hollow's mask. However, I wasn't ready for what happened next.