Colliding Worlds
Book 8
Forbidden Love – Chapter 2
The gala was well underway and in that whole time Jushiro had remained with Sasha. During the course of a couple hours, the two talked, getting to know one another and even danced. Sasha couldn't believe she was literally talking to a total stranger about her life. Of course he was talking to her about his life. While the two talked, Sasha noted Jushiro's eyes kept drifting up, scanning the room. At first she didn't think anything of it and tried her best to ignore it, but after what seemed like the hundredth time, it began to get on her nerves.
"Am I keeping you from someone?" she suddenly asked, abruptly changing the subject.
Jushiro's eyes snapped from scanning the room to gaze at her. "No. What makes you say that?"
"Ok. I may be only 26 but I'm not blind or stupid."
Seeing she was taking up the defensive, he needed to calm her down. "I don't think you're either one. I think you're a brave young woman to stay married to an abusive man for so long. And you're very smart too. It took you only six months to raise enough money to give the library its dream. That is amazing."
"Then why do you keep looking up and gazing around the room? I've been watching your eyes and you keep drifting them away."
This was not something he was expecting from her. He didn't think she would notice he kept looking around the room. "I'm sorry," he apologized, now understanding why she was defensive all of a sudden. No doubt from her point of view, he was gazing around the room, distracted as if he didn't want to be there.
"It's just..." what could he tell her. He couldn't very well tell her the truth that would open up too many doors for questions, which was something he couldn't afford. "In a sense I am waiting for someone or rather looking for someone. But it's not what you think."
"How do you know what I think?" she asked suddenly, not liking where this was going. Maybe she was wrong about him afterall.
"Sasha, it's the type of job I do," he answered, eyes focused on her. "I can't go into details. But what I can tell you is I'm afraid someone will come here tonight and ruin this gathering and I'm trying to prevent that from happening. You worked too hard for this."
"Oh..." Was her only answer.
"Why don't we have one final dance? And then I'll leave your side and complete the task I was originally sent here to do."
She gave him a slow nod, remaining silent. She wasn't sure what else to say. He probably had a job as a PI or something and if that was the case, she was in perfectly good hands.
Grasping her hand once more, the two stood and he led her to the dance floor to give her one last dance. With one arm around her waist and the other in her hand, he then began to have them sway to the music. Jushiro kept his eyes on her the whole time. Never before had he found himself enjoying the company of a woman in the human world.
As the two danced, Jushiro's body tensed. He felt a strong spiritual pressure approaching the building. His eyes suddenly filled with worry.
"Jushiro?" Sasha asked as she felt his muscles taut and saw his eyes darting around. Just then she too felt something and it was something strong and didn't like it.
"Sasha... I..." Before he could finish his sentence, there was a sudden crash through a wall. Dancing was instantly halted as immediate screams emitted from people nearby the wall. Everything was happening so fast, no one could really tell which happened first. Was it the music or was it the people dodging from fallen debris or being slamming into the walls.
There now stood a large hole in the wall, and in the middle was a giant monster with a huge white mask. Sasha froze in fear at the beast in the room. "Dear god," she breathed.
"A Hollow," Jushiro breathed as his eyes scanned around, assessing what the others were doing. From the corner of his eye, Sasha had not moved. There was no time for explanations. Whipping his body around, he pushed Sasha behind him. "Get out of here!" he snapped.
"What...what is that?" she whispered.
Jushiro gawked, surprised. She could see the Hollow. This was not the time for fool proof lies. "The very thing I've been watching for now get..." He didn't have time to finish as the Hollow looked down and immediately gave a howl and swung its hand. Getting hit, he was slammed into a wall, knocking the wind out of him.
"Jushiro!" Sasha cried out as she watched the man fly across the room like a rag doll into a nearby wall. No longer was her concern on people running for their lives.
"No need to be concern for him," the hollow grounded out as it fixed its blackened eyes on the woman. "I've come for you..."
Sasha, frightened, turned to the ugly creature. She gave a scream before taking several steps back. She had seen a creature with a white mask before but it was from the distance. This close, she could see how hideous it was and tall.
"Screaming won't help you," the creature replied in a deep throaty voice.
She took two quivering steps back as her spiritual power spiked exponentially. "Get...get away... from me..."
The beast laughed able to sense not only her fear but power as well. "So it is true. Your fear is generating a lot of spiritual pressure. Your power will be a great achievement for me."
"Power..." Sasha quivered, wondering what he was going on about. She took another few more steps back as the people in the room continued to scream and run, not knowing what the heck was going on. She wanted to run but had a very good idea the large beast in front of her would be able to grab her before she could get five feet away.
Over where Jushiro landed, it took him several seconds to get his bearings in what just happened. When he was hit, the wind was knocked out of him, but now was able to get his breathing under control. Luckily for him, he was only a soul and could handle more abuse to his body than a human could. If he had been human, he would have been knocked unconscious, maybe even dead. Looking to the wall, he noticed there was an indent of where his body crashed. This was not good. A sudden scream diverted his attention. He looked over to Sasha, seeing the Hollow had her cornered.
"It can not be..." he breathed able to feel the strong amount of spiritual pressure from her. The power was just about as strong as young Ichigo Kurosaki's. Sasha the one he was sent down to protect? Reaching into his jacket pocket, he pulled out his soul candy dispenser and popped one into his mouth. In an instant, his real body was expelled from the gigai, leaving it with a candy soul. Whether she was the target or not, he had to help her and fast.
"Get Sasha out of here!" He yelled to his gigai as he ran towards the Hollow to get between her and the thing.
"Right away!" answered the gigai in a different voice. He jumped away from the wall, just as Jushiro made a mad dash towards the frightened woman. He had to protect her.
Petrified, Sasha really didn't know what to do as two Jushiros appeared in her vision. One was wearing the suit she'd just been dancing with and the there was another dressed in black Hakama pants and kimono jacket with a white haori over top of it. Strap to his side was a sword.
The Jushiro in the suit grabbed her hand, pulling her backwards. "We have to get out of here!"
Sasha was in too much shock now to really hear what the fake Jushiro said to her or that his voice was different. But the moment she felt someone grab her arm, to pull her aside, she immediately resisted.
"You will not go any further!" demanded the real Jushiro to the Hollow. He had one hand holding his scabbard while the other was poised on the hilt ready to draw out his sword in an instant.
"I want the woman!" the monster said. "My master wishes to have her!"
Jushiro looked back towards Sasha, taking note his candy soul was having a little bit of trouble in getting her out of there. This was not good. He could feel her spiritual pressure continued to spike. By now the rest of the humans, who were not injured, had vacated the building. The ones, who were slammed into the wall, were trying to move. Some needed medical attention.
He turned his attention back to the monster. "You will not have her, not while I'm around."
"You should be easy to kill, Captain Ukitake," the monster said.
Captain? What did that monster mean? Sasha was completely rooted to the spot she was at from fear of the monster and seeing two Jushiros. The gigai Jushiro wasn't having much luck in getting her to budge. Every time he'd grab her arm, she'd rip it away.
"So you know of me," Jushiro stated, surprised.
"Everyone knows of the Captains who trashed Los Noches, defeating Lord Aizen. Now you have him in your prisons. But you can't stop me from taking what is mine. She will become one of us and do my bidding."
"Your bidding?" Jushiro kept a hand on the hilt of his sword. In moments, he'd have to fight. He had hoped Sasha would have gotten out of there being in so much terror, he couldn't blame her.
"Hand her over to me before anymore pitiful humans get hurt or killed."
"You are not harming anyone else!" Jushiro insisted as he made a decision. Eyes hard on the beast before him, he finally unsheathed his Zanpakuto.
"She is my wife," the monster demanded. "Now hand her over at once!"
Jushiro's eyes widened. Wife?! There was only one possible answer as to the Hollow's declaration. He had died in prison.
Hearing the word 'wife', finally had Sasha find her voice. "That's impossible!" she shook in fear, indicating she heard the Hollow. "My ex is in jail..."
The beast laughed. "I was. I vowed that one day when I would get out, I'd kill you. Don't you remember. The day I was hauled off to jail, I told you then I would hunt you down. I even tried to break out, but foolishly I was gunned down. Being dead I was able to leave that filth and search for you where I was then consumed by a Hollow and made into one of them. Now, I can extract my revenge. You're coming with me, you slut!"
She gasped, not wanting to believe what the vile thing was saying.
Jushiro did not like the Hollow calling the woman a slut. He might not have known her that long, but he could clearly see she wasn't one. She was the head organizer for the now ruined fundraiser. All that hard work was now gone. He held out his free hand to keep Sasha behind him. "As I said, you have to get past me."
"And Like I said, that should be easy. You were always the sickly Captain. You couldn't even defeat the First Espada." The Hollow then opened its mouth, forming a red energy ball.
"A cero!" Jushiro gasped as he saw the Hollow charging up for the blast. Holding the sword with his right hand, he brought the left up to lay flat against the guard, wrist pulled down, calling out, "All waves, rise now and become my Shield. Lightning! Strike now and become my blade!" His sword then split into two thin blades resembling fishing javelins with reverse prongs on the dull side of the blade, that were connected by a cord lined with several small charms. "Sogyo no Kotowari!"
Sasha's eyes were wide as saucers as she watched his sword turn from a single blade to a double with a cord attached. Who was this guy? From the moment she saw two Jushiros she watched in frozen horror as the mystery Jushiro interacted with the beast.
The monster then fired the red energy ball, just as Jushiro held up his left blade, absorbing the blade, releasing it back to the monster from the right black in that same moment. The hollow had no time to react before the cero blast hit him instead, injuring him, sending him flying, into another wall on the other side of the room, thus destroying it.
Jushiro stood, tall as he kept his right arm aimed out from where the attack came from. His other arm laid loosely at his side, keeping the blade of his sword slightly off the floor.
Knowing it was wounded, a loud howl released from his large masked mouth. "RRRRHOOOOOAHHHH!" A taloned hand came up to his side where he was wounded. "This isn't over Soul Reaper!" It then vanished, leaving for Heuco Mundo.
Seeing it was now safe, Jushiro turned towards the frightened woman. Now there was some explaining to do. He could feel her spiritual power rapidly dwindle, which also meant he now had an explanation of why her power kept appearing and disappearing. She had no idea she held such high power and fear would make it fluctuate.
He turned to her, fully showing his appearance. Her eyes followed his arms as he brought the two blades together. The blades glowed a moment before returning to appear as one, looking back like it did before, a katana. He then sheathed it into his scabbard, attached to the white wraparound sash at his left hip.
"Wha...what..." she took a small step back. "Is... going... on?"
Seeing the danger had past, the gigai released her hand, stepping over to his 'master' and right before her very eyes, the two Jushiros formed back into one, leaving the one in the suit behind. He took one look at her and knew he had to tell her something and not some lie either.
"I know this is going to be hard for you to understand. What you just witnessed was actually my real persona fighting what is known as a Hollow."
Looking as though she was gasping for air. She rasped for breath. "You...persona... Hollow..."
Knowing soon the authorities would be arriving, Jushiro had to act quickly. Pulling out his soul pager, he quickly called Soul Society. "We need immediate assistance at the Karakura Town Library. Hollow attack!" He then closed it up, putting it away.
"Come on, there is much to discuss and I don't wish to be here when your medical team and security arrive." He grasped her hand but she quickly snatched it away.
"I am not leaving until you tell me what is going on!" she demanded, still in shock. pulled her through the damaged building.
Closing his eyes a moment, he sighed. "If you would please come with me to someplace safe, I will explain everything you want to know."
Taking a quivering breath, she gave a small nod. Sasha allowed the man to grasp her hand and pulled her through debris and straight outside. Keeping a secure hold of Sasha's hand, he weaved himself around the crowds and didn't stop until they were in a nearby alleyway.
In the alley, he finally stopped and released her hand. She took that moment to lean against the wall. "Who are you?" she asked, breathlessly, not looking at him, heart beating a mile a minute.
"It's complicated to explain." He looked towards the commotion of what just happened across the street only to witness members of Squad 12 had now arrived. He then turned back to his companion. "Perhaps we could go to a more comfortable place, perhaps the park."
She blinked. Was this guy for real? However, her mind was protesting it but she could feel her body wanted to just collapse from what she just witnessed. But for the moment, she was refusing to let it happen. She wanted answers. She knew she was in shock. "I...ah...sure..."
Once more, he linked her arm into his and the two walked through the alleyway out the other side. If anyone had questioned, they'd think the two were on a romantic date. In no time at all, the two came upon a small park with a playground where they could speak in private and not have to worry about any prying eyes or ears.
Removing her shoes, she walked over to a set of swings, taking a seat, eyes averted. It had been a long time since she had sat in one, it reminded her of her childhood. Taking her lead, he walked over to the swings and took a seat beside her. Concern written all over his face while her face looked like she saw a ghost.
"Where shall I start?" he asked, breaking the awkward long silence.
She continued to stare at the ground. "Who are you?" she whispered.
He sighed. If he was going to protect her, he might as well tell her the truth. "My name is Jushiro Ukitake and I come from a different world known as the Soul Society."
"Soul Society?" she blinked, grateful for sitting down. "What is that?"
"Hard to explain." He gave another sigh. "The main reason I was at the gala was to find and protect someone with high amounts of spiritual power, which turns out to be you. I had hoped to find and look out for you from a distance before any attacks."
"That...that..." she stuttered.
"Hollow," he finished for her, knowing what she was wanting to say.
She numbly nodded as she finally looked up into his gentle face. "Said I was his wife... and called you a Soul Reaper."
"Yes. I am a Soul Reaper. I'm known as Captain, a leader of a division." She did not need to know what Squad he was from. "And if what that Hollow said was true in being your ex-husband, he would have been hunted down and turned into a Hollow."
Sasha lifted her hands. "Whoa... please, one thing at a time."
He looked to see her hand was shaking. "I know this is a lot for you to take in all at once. I apologize."
"What is a Hollow?"
His eyes closed a moment, before looking at her once again. "Hollows were once spirits of humans who were devoured by other Hollows. He's no longer the man you used to know." He spoke slowly, trying to help her to understand. "Hollows are a threat to everyone. Soul Reapers, humans and even the dead."
"Are you telling me when I spirit remains here on Earth, they can become a Hollow?"
"Exactly. But there is more than that. A hollow will devour any spirit, even the good ones. It is the job of a Soul Reaper to destroy Hollows and send their souls to where they need to be. Some go to the hell while others find peace in the Soul Society."
"So…" she paused, looking down at the ground once more. "You're job as a Captain is to send others under your leadership is to stop these evil monsters." That explained why she had seen others like him in the past.
"Yes. Though we also have another job. Helping the spirits to leave move on from this world, before they can be touched by a Hollow."
Her head snapped up, staring at him. Lifting up her hand, she replied, "Wait, wait, wait a minute. Are you telling me you help the dead move on?! Like the Grim Reaper?"
He nodded. "In essence, yes. Soul Reapers are the Grim Reaper. Since you were able to see me in my true form as well as the Hollow, I'm assuming you've been able to see spirits. May I ask how long have you been able to see such things?"
"Well I..." she whispered, lowering her head once more. Taking her feet, she then dug her toes into the sand surrounding the swings. "For as long as I can remember. My Grandmother once told me I had a special gift and one day someone would be after... this... gift..."
"I take it then, by your comment, your grandmother also could see spirits?" Jushiro watched her a moment. He was quite curious in how humans acted but right now wasn't the time to really be that curious. Although there was something that was intriguing him about her, she had a special gift. If he was to wager a guess, it had to be her ability to have such strong spiritual power.
"Once my parents knew I could see spirits, they wanted nothing to do with me, so my grandmother took me in."
"I'm sorry to hear. This was never my intention to explain this to you. I only wanted to find you and be able to protect you from a far. But that blew up in my face."
With a grip on the swing, she felt herself getting light headed. Getting a hold of herself, Sasha went to stand and grab her shoes, to make her way home. This was getting too much for her. No sooner was she on both feet, her body swayed. Swiftly, Jushiro stood and placed both hands over her shoulders to steady her. Her body wanted to lean forward as she brought a hand up to her head.
"So dizzy... and light... headed," she responded.
Taking it as a sign she was going to faint, he braced his himself so she'd lean against him. "Perhaps I should take you home. You've had quite the evening."
She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Why are the hot looking guys always out of my reach?" she muttered
He raised a brow. If it weren't for Rukia spending so much time in the World of the Living, he wouldn't have known what that phrase meant. She had once told him in the last year many young girls would refer to a good-looking guy as 'hot looking'. "Thank you for the compliment... I think."
She looked up at him, vision blurring and quietly groaned. It was not her intention for him to hear her. She felt very embarrassed but was too faint to express it. "Perhaps... you should... take me home... I'm not... feeling so well..." The information was beginning to get too much.
Concern immediately flashed over his face. "Easy now," he whispered to her. "Mind telling me where you live?" Carefully, he walked her over to her discarded shoes as she quietly gave her address.
Pulling out his soul candy dispenser, he popped one into his mouth once more, becoming the real body, leaving the soul candy in the gigai. Sasha felt her heart begin to race like before at the library but this time it was because of once again seeing two Jushiros.
Jushiro turned to his gigai. "Can you please pick up her shoes?" he instructed.
"Sure thing!"
Without waiting for her permission, Jushiro knelt slightly to grasp the back of her legs, being sure to catch the gown as well. With simple ease, he then lifted her into his arms while at the same time the gigai picked up her shoes.
"Wha..." she gasped.
"I'm going to take you back to your home so you may rest while my gigai follows."
"Gigai?" she blinked, looking at the now fake body with a different soul instead.
"That's what I am. Well not really. I'm a Soul Candy called Hiro. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Hiro, please. You can see she's already distraught as it is."
"Right. Sorry." He took one look at her and turned back to his 'master'. "Perhaps it might be better for me to go on ahead so you have no trouble getting her inside and then head back to Mr. Urahara and let him know in what's going on?" asked Hiro. "I doubt you'll need me anymore tonight. I'll return in the morning with some supplies."
Jushiro thought a moment and nodded. "Alright, you do that." He nodded and Sasha watched as the fake body of Jushiro walked off into the night. Once he was gone, Jushiro looked to Sasha. "Please, take this time to rest, I will protect you." As he spoke, he began to walk in the direction of her apartment. He would have flashed stepped, but he didn't want her to panic more than she already was.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked faintly as her head leaned against his shoulder, arms lightly curled loosely around his neck. She didn't want to lean on him but she had no other choice.
"As I've told you," he answered gently. "You've been being targeted by Hollows and I've been sent here to protect you."
"Why?"
He sighed. "Because you have what is known as high reiatsu and this new enemy is targeting people here in the Living World with those high levels."
"This is...getting too much," Sasha said as darkness finally won out. She looked up into the concern face of the real man holding her, but her eyes were still unfocused as darkness overtook her vision. The last thing that went through her mind was the constant thought of him very handsome, even in the black clothing.
Jushiro watched as her eyes fully lost focus and closed. Her her entire body then went limp, becoming dead weight. He knew telling her that last bit of information would be too much. But perhaps it was for the best this way here at least, he could get her home without being seen, freaking people out in why she was hovering in mid air. With her unconscious, he used flashstep to get to her apartment in seconds, moments after Hiro had arrived.
Edited: May 26, 2023
